3.12. ¶ Of venemous beaſtes. &c. Cap. 12.

¶ Of venemous beaſtes. &c. Cap. 12.

Compare 1587 edition: 1 2 3 IF I ſhoulde go about to make any long diſcourſe of venemous Beaſtes, or Wor|mes bredde in Englande, I ſhould attempt more then occaſion it ſelfe woulde offer, ſith wée haue very fewe Wormes but no Bea|ſtes at all, that are thought by nature to bée eyther venemous or hurtfull. Firſt of all therefore wée haue the Adder, which ſome men doe not raſhely take to bée the Vyper. Certes if it bée ſo, then is not the Vyper Authour of the death of hir Galenus de Theria|ca ad Piſo|nem. Plin. lib. 10. cap. 62. Parents, as ſome hyſtories affyrme. And it may well be, for I remember that I haue reade in Philoſtrate, howe he ſawe a Vyper lycking of hyr yong. I did ſée an Adder once my ſelf that laye as I thought ſléeping on a moule|hyll, out of whoſe mouth came aleuen yong Adders of twelue or thirtéene ynches in length a péece, which plaied to and fro in the Graſſe one wyth another, tyll ſome of thm [...] eſpyed me.Se Ariſto|tle, Anima|lium lib. 5. cap. vltimo & Theo|phraſt lib. 7 cap. 13. So ſoone therefore as they ſawe me, they ran againe into the mouth of theyr damme whome I kylled, and then founde eache of them ſhrowded in a [...]ſtinct celle, or pa [...]uirle in hyr belly, much like vnto a ſoft white tally, which maketh one to be of the o|pinion that out Adder [...] the Viper in dée [...]. Their colour is for y^e moſt part ruddy blew, and their ſtinging bryngeth death wythout preſent remedie be at hand, the wounded ne|uer ceaſing to ſwell, neyther the venyme to worke till the ſkin of the one breake, and the other aſcende vpwarde to the hart, where it EEBO page image 121 finiſheth. The effect, the length of thẽ is moſt commonly twoo foote and ſomewhat more, but ſeldome doth it extende vnto twoo foote ſixe ynches, except it be in ſome rare and monſterous Adder: whereas our Snakes are much bygger and ſéene ſometymes to ſurmount a yarde, or thrée foote, although their poyſon be nothing ſo grieuous & deadly as y^e others. Our Adders lie in winter vnder ſtones in wholes of the yearth, rotten ſtubs of trées, & amõgſt the dead leaues: but in the heate of the ſommer they come abroade, and lye eyther rounde in heapes, or at length vp|on ſome hillocke, or elſe where in the graſſe. They are found only in our woodland coun|tryes and higheſt groundes: as for our ſna|kes they commonlye are ſéene in moores, fennes, and low bottomes. And as we haue great ſtore of Todes where Adders cõmon|ly are found, ſo doe Frogges abound where Snakes doe kéepe their reſidence. We haue alſo the Sloworme, which is black & grayiſh of colour, and ſomewhat ſhorter then an Ad|der. We haue in lyke ſort Eftes, both of the land and water, & likewiſe Swiftes, wherof to ſay any more it ſhould be but loſſe of time, ſithe they are well knowne and no regyon voyd of many of them. As for flies (ſith it ſhal not be amyſſe a lyttle to touch them alſo) wée haue none that can doe hurt or hynderance naturally vnto any, for whether they be cut waſted, or whole bodyed, they are voyde of poyſon & all venimous inclination. The cut waſted, for ſo I Engliſhe the worde Inſecta are the Hornettes, Waſpes, Bées, and ſuch lyke whereof wée haue great ſtore, and of which an opinion is conceiued, that the firſt doe bréede of the corruption of deade horſes, the ſecond of Peares and Apples corrupted, and the laſt of Kine and Oxen: which maye be true, eſpecially the firſt and latter in ſome partes of the beaſt, and not their whole ſub|ſtaunces, as alſo in the ſeconde, ſith we haue neuer Waſpes, but whẽ our frute beginneth to waxe rype. In déede Virgill and others ſpeake of a generatiõ of Bées, by kyllyng or ſmouthering of a brouſed bullocke or calfe, and laying hys bowels or hys fleſhe wrap|ped vp in hys hyde in a cloſe houſe for a cer|taine ſeaſon, but how true it is as yet I haue not tryed. Yet ſure I am of thys that no one liuing creature corrupteth with out the pro|ductiõ of an other as we may ſée in ſhepe alſo for exceſſiue numbers of fleſh flies, if they be ſuffered to lye vnburyed or vneaten by the dogges and Swine, who often preuent ſuch néedeleſſe generations.

Compare 1587 edition: 1 2 Thus much farder wyll I adde of Bées, that whereas ſome ancient wryters affirme thẽ to be a cõmodity wanting in our Iſ [...] it is nowe founde to be nothing ſo. In [...] time peraduenture we had none in déede, but in my dayes there is ſuch plenty of them [...] maner euery where, that in ſome vplandyſh Townes, there are one hundreth, or two hun|dreth hiues of them, although the ſaide hiues are not ſo huge as they of the eaſt countrey; but farre leſſe, as not able to containe aboue one buſhel of corne, or fiue peckes at y^e [...] Our hony alſo is taken and reputed to be the beſt bycauſe it is harder, better wrought & clenlyer veſſelled vp, thẽ that which cõmeth from beyond the ſea, where they ſtampe and ſtraine their combes, Bées, & young Blow|inges altogither into the ſtuffe, as I haue béene informed. In vſe alſo of medicine our Phiſitions and Appothicaries eſchewe the forren, & chooſe the home made, as bréeding leſſe cholo [...], which is oftentimes (and I haue ſéene by experience) ſo white as ſuger, and corned as if it were ſalt. Our hiues are made commonly of Rye ſtraw, and wadled about with bramble quarters. But ſome make thẽ of wicker and caſt them ouer with clay. We cheriſh none in trées, but ſet our hiues ſome|where on the warmeſt ſide of the houſe, pro|uyding that they may ſtande drye and: with out daũger of the mouſe. This furthermore is to bée noted, that whereas in veſſelles of oyle, that which is néereſt the toppe is ac|counted the beſt, and of wine that in the m [...]|deſt, ſo of hony the beſt is alwaies next the bottome, which euermore caſteth and dry|ueth his dragges vpwarde toward the very top, contrary to the natures of other liquide ſubſtaunces, whoſe groundes and lies, doe generally ſettle downewardes. And thus much as by the waye of our Bées and Eng|liſhe Hony.

Compare 1587 edition: 1 As for the whole bodied, as the Cantharides and ſuch venymous creatures, we here not of them. Yet haue we Bettles, Horſeflyes, Turdbugges (called in latine Scarabei) the Locuſt or the Greſhopper and ſuch lyke, whereof let other intreate, that make an ex|erciſe in catching of Flyes, but a farre greater ſport in offering them to ſpyders as did Caligula ſometyme and an other Prince yet lyuing, who delyted ſo much to ſée the io|ly combattes betwixt a ſtout flye and an old Spider, that diuers men haue had great re|wardes giuen them for their paineful proui|ſion of flyes made onely for thys purpoſe, Some alſo in the time of Caligula coulde de|uyſe to ſet their Lorde on worke, by lettyng fleſhe flies into his chamber, which he forth|with: woulde egerly haue hunted all other buſineſſe ſet apart, & neuer ceaſed til he had EEBO page image 112 caught hir into his fingers. There are ſome Cockeſcombes here and there in England [...]eruing [...]broadde men [...]nfregi| [...]te. which make account alſo of this paſtime as of a notable matter, telling what a fight is ſéene betwéene thẽ, if either of them be luſty and couragious in his kinde. One alſo hath made a booke of the Spider & the Fly, wher|in he dealeth ſo profoundly and beyonde all meaſure of ſkill, that neyther he himſelf that made it, neither any one ſhal readeth it, can reache vnto the meaning therof. But if thoſe iolly fellowes in ſtéede of the ſtraw that they thruſt into the Flies tayle (a great iniurie no doubt to ſuch a noble champion) woulde beſtow the coſt to ſet a fooles cap vpon there owne heades: then might they with more ſe|curitie, and leſſe reprehenſion beholde theſe notable battayles.