"The Onocentaur is a monstrous beast; Supposed halfe a man, and halfe an Asse, That never shuts his eyes in quiet rest, Till he his foes deare life hath round encompast. Such were the Centaures in their tyrannie, That liv'd by Humane flesh and villanie."
In the title-page of one edition of "The Historie of Foure-footed Beastes" (1607) Topsell gives this picture of the Gorgon; and he says, respecting this curious animal, the following:--"Among the manifold and divers sorts of Beasts which are bred in Affricke, it is thought that the _Gorgon_ is brought foorth in that countrey. It is a feareful and terrible beast to behold: it hath high and thicke eie-lids, eies not very great, but much like an Oxes or Bugils, but all fiery bloudy, which neyther looke directly forwarde, nor yet upwards, but continuallye downe to the earth, and therefore are called in Greeke _Catobleponta_. From the crowne of their head downe to their nose, they have a long hanging mane, which makes them to look fearefully. It eateth deadly and poysonfull hearbs, and if at any time he see a Bull, or other creature whereof he is afraid, he presently causeth his mane to stand upright, and, being so lifted up, opening his lips, and gaping wide, sendeth forth of his throat a certaine sharpe and horrible breath, which infecteth, and poysoneth the air above his head, so that all living creatures which draw the breath of that aire are greevously afflicted thereby, loosing both voyce and sight, they fall into leathall and deadly convulsions. It is bred in _Hesperia_ and _Lybia_.
"The Poets have a fiction that the _Gorgones_ were the Daughters of _Medusa_ and _Phorcynis_, and are called _Steingo_, and by _Hesiodus_, _Stheno_, and _Eyryale_ inhabiting the _Gorgadion_ Ilands in the _Æthiopick Ocean_, over against the gardens of _Hesperia_. _Medusa_ is said to have the haires of his head to be living Serpentes, against whom _Perseus_ fought, and cut off his hed, for which cause he was placed in heaven on the North side of the _Zodiacke_ above the Waggon, and on the left hand holding the _Gorgons_ head. The truth is that there were certaine _Amazonian_ women in _Affricke_ divers from the _Scythians_, against whom _Perseus_ made warre, and the captaine of those women was called _Medusa_, whom _Perseus_ overthrew, and cut off her head, and from thence came the Poet's fiction describing Snakes growing out of it as is aforesaid. These _Gorgons_ are bred in that countrey, and have such haire about their heads, as not onely exceedeth all other beastes, but also poysoneth, when he standeth upright. Pliny calleth this beast _Catablepon_,[29] because it continually looketh downwards, and saith all the parts of it are but smal excepting the head, which is very heavy, and exceedeth the proportion of his body, which is never lifted up, but all living creatures die that see his eies.