The ‘Varia Historia’ has been twice translated into English:  by Abraham Fleming in 1576, and by Thomas Stanley, son of the poet and philosopher Stanley, in 1665.  Fleming was a poet and scholar of the English Renaissance, who translated from the ancients, and made a digest of Holinshed’s ‘Historie of England.’  His version of Aelianus loses nothing by its quaint wording, as will be seen from the subjoined stories.  The full title of the book is ’A Registre of Hystories containing martiall Exploits of worthy Warriours, politique Practices and civil Magistrates, wise Sentences of famous Philosophers, and other Matters manifolde and memorable written in Greek by Aelianus Claudius and delivered in English by Abraham Fleming’ (1576).

[All the selections following are from ‘A Registre of Hystories’]

OF CERTAIN NOTABLE MEN THAT MADE THEMSELVES PLAYFELLOWES WITH CHILDREN

Hercules (as some say) assuaged the tediousness of his labors, which he sustayned in open and common games, with playing.  This Hercules, I say, being an incomparable warriour, and the sonne of Jupiter and Latona, made himselfe a playfellowe with boys.  Euripides the poet introduceth, and bringeth in, the selfe same god speaking in his owne person, and saying, “I play because choyce and chaunge of labors is delectable and sweete unto me,” whiche wordes he uttered holdinge a boy by the hande.  Socrates also was espied of Alcibiades upon a time, playing with Lamprocles, who was in manner but a childe.  Agesilaus riding upon a rude, or cock-horse as they terme it, played with his sonne beeing but a boy:  and when a certayn man passing by sawe him so doe and laughed there withall, Agesilaus sayde thus, Now hold thy peace and say nothing; but when thou art a father I doubt not thou wilt doe as fathers should doe with their children.  Architas Tarentinus being both in authoritie in the commonwealth, that is to say a magestrat, and also a philosopher, not of the obscurest sorte, but a precise lover of wisdom, at that time he was a housband, a housekeeper, and maintained many servauntes, he was greatly delighted with their younglinges, used to play oftentimes with his servauntes’ children, and was wonte, when he was at dinner and supper, to rejoyce in the sight and presence of them:  yet was Tarentinus (as all men knowe) a man of famous memorie and noble name.

OF A CERTAINE SICILIAN WHOSE EYSIGHT WAS WOONDERFULL SHARPE AND QUICK

There was in Sicilia a certaine man indued with such sharpnesse, quicknesse, and clearnesse of sight (if report may challenge credite) that hee coulde see from Lilybaeus to Carthage with such perfection and constancy that his eies coulde not be deceived:  and that he tooke true and just account of all ships and vessels which went under sayle from Carthage, over-skipping not so much as one in the universall number.