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
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

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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    droppeth Venom, and corrupteth and infecteth the water in which it falleth in, and who that drinketh of that water shall become wode. And the tongues of adders be black, blue or reddish, speckled, sharp, and in moving most swift, and that happeneth through the wode and venomous humour, the which so swiftly moveth the tongue that one tongue seemeth forked and twisted. And though the tongue of an adder [asp] is full of deadly Venom, while it liveth in the body of the adder, yet, when it is taken from the body of the adder, and dried, it loseth the Venom, and by it is known when Venom is present,—therefore in the presence of Venom, such a tongue useth to sweat,—there- fore such a tongue is accounted precious among treasures of kings. . Bartholomew {Berthkt), bk. v. § 21. Over and above the foresaid evils and passions, most perilous death and evils hap and come to mankind by wicked Venom. And for all kind of Venom is contrary to the complexion of mankind, it slayeth suddenly, but [unless] men have the sooner help and remedy. Some Venom cometh of corruption of meat and drink ; and some of biting of creeping worms and of adders, and of serpents, and of other beasts, of whom their humours and teeth be venomous to man's body. Also some Venom is hot and dry, as the Venom of an adder that hight viper, and other such ; and some Venom is cold and dry, as the Venom of scorpions; and some Venom is cold and moist, as the Venom of attercops [spiders]. And the Venom of males is more sharp and strong than the Venom of females, and yet the female serpents have more teeth than males, and therefore they be taken for the worse. Also the Venom of the old serpents is worse than the Venom of the young; and of great and long worse than of the short of the same kind. Also the Venom of them that abide in hills and woods is worse than of them which be nigh cliffs and banks of waters. Venom of a cockatrice is so violent that it burneth all thing, which it nigheth ; and so about his den and his hole nothing waxeth green. One touched such a worm with his spear in India, and forthwith fell down dead, and his horse also. Also the Venom of a dragon is full malicious, and his Venom is most in the tail, and in the ga'- Bartholomczu {Berthelct), bk. vii. g 66.