A famous tale is told by Peter Damain in his "De bono religiosi status et variorum animatium
tropologia". The
eleventh century story concerns a Count Gulielmus who had both a pet ape and a wanton wife.
In due course the
ape became her lover. One day the ape became so mad with jealousy on seeing the count lying
with his wife that
it attacked him wounding him so badly that he died. Damain had been told about this incident
by Pope Alexander
11 who had also shown him a monster which was supposed to be the offspring of the countess
sired by the ape.
The monster, an ape-like boy, had been called Maimo after his simian father.