Montaigne on the historical precedent for the
apparently-scientifically-improbable Star Wars bit where
Han Solo stuffs Luke Skywalker into the Tauntaun:
The army that Bajazet had sent into Russia was overwhelmed with so dreadful a tempest of snow, that to shelter and preserve themselves from the cold, many killed and embowelled their horses, to creep into their bellies and enjoy the benefit of that vital heat. (From
On War Horses in
The Complete Essays.)
