Natural history in Shakespeare's time : being extracts illustrative of the subject as he knew it / Made by H. W. Seager, M. B., &c. Also pictures thereunto belonging.

Seager, H. W. (Herbert West), 1848-

Date:: 1896

Credit: Natural history in Shakespeare's time : being extracts illustrative of the subject as he knew it / Made by H. W. Seager, M. B., &c. Also pictures thereunto belonging. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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$and fasteth many days, that his skin may so the easilier be departed from the flesh ; and then he tasteth a certain bitter herb, that maketh him vomit and cast, and so he casteth out the venomous humour that was cause of his sickness and his default, and batheth himself at the last, and moisteneth himself in water to temper and to nesh [soften] the tender skin. And so he seeketh a strait cliff [cleft] of a stone, or some strait den or some other thing, and entereth into a strait chine or den, and passeth through with a manner violence, and unlooseth himself cleanly of the old skin, and then he layeth himself in the sun, and drieth himself, and recovereth a new skin about the flesh, and taketh might and strength, and seeth more clear, and glideth and passeth and creepeth more strongly, and eateth more savourly than he did tofore the changing of the skin. Of the marrow of the ridge-bone [spine] of a dead man, a Serpent is gendered. And also it is said that a Serpent dreadeth a naked man, and dare not touch him, though he leap on him, when he is unclothed. And a fasting man's spittle is venom to Serpents, and Serpents die if they taste thereof In winter-time Serpents lurk in darkness and dens, and their sight dimmeth for long abiding in darkness ; then when they come out first of their dens in springing-time, they {qqI dimness of sight, and seek fennel, or the roots thereof and eat it, and doth away blindness. And the snail is not beguiled of remedy, nor the tortoise when they have eaten a Serpent's guts, for as they take heed that the venom creepeth and worketh, they seek wild marjoram, and find by taste thereof medicine against the venom of the Serpent. The very Serpent drinketh but little, and hateth the smell of rue, and fleeth therefore the weasel, when he hath eaten rue, and may not well flee when he smelleth rue. And a Serpent hath thirty ribs by the number of the days of a month. And Serpents fare as swallows' birds [do], for it their eyes be put out, yet their sight cometh again ; and the tail of a Serpent groweth again if it be cut ofi^, as the tail of a newt. Also the weasel fighteth against Serpents, and armeth himself with eating of rue, and fighteth namely against Serpents that eat mice, for the weasel hunteth and eateth mice. Also Serpents love well wine, and be there- fore hunted with wine. And also a Serpent loveth passing well milk, and followeth the savour thereof, and therefore$