_That venemous Creatures have been made Instruments of divine and human
Vengeance, is most evident._ The romantic Account given in Antiquity, of
strange Feats done by a poisonous Breath—does not affect the Truth of
this Proposition.
The Antients divided Serpents, into good and evil Ministers; thus the
_Egyptians_ looked upon some of them to be Administrators of Mercy, and
others to be Messengers of Justice. _Osiris_[85] one of their Gods, is
said to send out Serpents, to chastise Evil-Doers[86].
Footnote 85:
——δρακων επι νωτα δαφωινος
Σμερδαλεος, του ῥ’ αυτος ολυμπιος ηκε φοως δε.
Hom. Iliad. B.
Footnote 86:
_Ælian. Hist. Animalium._
When the Church of _Israel_ murmured against God in the Wilderness, and
censured the Conduct of Providence, he employs an Army of Serpents as
his Agents, to correct the Rebels.——Plagues, and other pestilential
Diseases, were, in old times, reputed to be the Messengers of the Gods,
and commissioned by them, to execute Wrath upon the Wicked.
Some of the Heathens had exalted Notions of Virtue, and believed Men of
Virtue to be the Favourites of the Gods, and that a vicious Life, being
opposite to the Sanctity of their Nature, they could not let it pass
with Impunity.
An Instance to this purpose we have in the History of the Apostles,
_Acts_ xxviii. 1-6. The _Island_ was called _Melita_. _And when Paul had
gathered a Bundle of Sticks, and laid them on the Fire, there came a
Viper out of the Heat, and fastened on his Hand. And when the Barbarians
saw the venemous Beast hang on his Hand; they said among themselves, No
doubt this Man is a Murderer, tho’ he has escaped the Sea, yet
Vengeance_ (δικη, _Justice_) _suffers not to live——They looked when he
should have swoln, or faln_ _down—And when they saw no harm come to him,
they changed their Mind, and said he was a God._ _How_ came they to
alter their Opinion? Because, according to their Divinity, none else
could thus command, and controul a venemous Serpent, which was one of
the _Messengers of the Gods_.
“No venemous Beasts, according to the fabulous Tradition, will live in
the Island, which they ascribe to St. _Paul_’s Blessing, when he was
shipwreck’d there.” They shew the Cave where they pretend he resided,
and reckon the Earth of it, an Antidote against Poison.
From this historical Passage, ’tis evident, that these Barbarians did
believe a _Providence_, and the Doctrine of _Divine Justice_, which
_Justice_ they openly adored, under the Name of _Vindicta_, or
_Nemesis_, which was the _Goddess_ of _Revenge_, whose Province was to
inspect the moral Conduct of all Men, and distribute Rewards and
Punishments as the Case required. It was painted in the same manner as
_Justice_, with a Pair of _Scales_ in one hand, and a _Sword_ in the
other.
In _Ethiopia_, we read of a large Country, this side the _Cynamolgi_,
that was laid waste, and entirely depopulated by Scorpions, before whom,
the Inhabitants not being able to stand, fled for their Lives. The same
Desolation was made by the Scorpions at _Salamin_, an island not far
from _Athens_, called the _Island of Dragons_, for which _Lycophron_ is
quoted[87].
Footnote 87:
_Conrad. Gesner. de Scorp._
The Inhabitants of _Amyclæ_, a Town in _Italy_, were destroyed by
Serpents, being, as ’tis said, of the _Pythagorean Race_, whose Laws
forbid to kill Animals, and by suffering these venemous Creatures to
multiply without Controul, they became insufferable[88].
Footnote 88:
_Ibid._
The Inhabitants of _Pescara_, an antient City in _Africa_, were
constrained to forsake their Habitations in _Summer_, by reason of
_Scorpions_ that were very numerous, and in that Season, their Sting
most dangerous: In Winter, when their Wounds were less dangerous, the
Refugees turned to their Houses[89].
Footnote 89:
_Atl. Geogr._ p. 319.
_DIODORUS SICULUS_ observes how many Regions have been deserted, for
this reason; both People and Cattle being driven away by an Army of
_Scorpions_, and their Allies.
In the _Canary-Islands_, these venemous Animals are more dreaded than
the Pestilence. ’Tis said they are hunted and taken by the _Turks_, who
prepare the _Oil_ of _Scorpions_ from them[90]. In _India_, about the
_Arrahban-Lake_, the Country has been intirely dispeopled by these
mischievous Creatures. _Ibid._
Footnote 90:
_Conrad. Gesner._ p. 29.
In Times of War, Serpents have been prest into the Service. Thus
_Heliogabalus_ (Emperor of _Rome_, so called because he was _Priest_ of
the _Sun_ before his Election) having, by his _Sacerdotal Incantators_,
or sacred Conjurers, gathered together several Serpents, contrived a
Method to turn them loose, before day, among his Enemies, which soon put
them into a terrible Hurry, and a Motion, that was a Trial for their
Lives; the Sight of the crooked Serpent being far more dreadful, than
the Whizzing of a straight Arrow[91]. The same Author informs us of
Snakes thrown by a Sling-Staff into the Camp of the Barbarians, which
did great Execution.
Footnote 91:
_Gesner. de Scorp._
King _Prusias_ being overcome by King _Eumenes_, by Land, and intending
to try his Fate by Sea, _Hannibal_, by a new Invention, made him
victorious. The Stratagem was this: _Hannibal_ having procured a great
Number of Serpents, put them into earthen Vessels; and by another
Device, and in midst of the Engagement, convey’d them into _Antiochus_’s
Fleet, which proved more dreadful than Fire-balls, and feather’d
Weapons, that flew amongst them. At first, it seemed ridiculous to the
_Romans_, that they should arm themselves, and fight with _earthen
Pots_; but when they were broken, an Army of Snakes rush’d out, which so
terrified the Marines, that they immediately yielded the Victory to
_Prusias_, the _Carthaginian_ Hero’s Friend[92].
Footnote 92:
_Justini Hist._ lib. xxxii. ad finem.
We read in History, how _Juno_, out of her hatred to _Hercules_, sent
two dreadful Serpents to devour him in the Cradle, which he soon crush’d
with his Infant-Hands.
It was common among the _Antient Swedes_, to send out certain Flies
(which they pretended to be their Familiars) to plague their Enemies.
They also made _Magical Balls_ for the same purpose, boasting how they
thereby conveyed Serpents into their Enemies Bodies.
The _Laplanders_ had their _Magical Tyre_, which was a Ball about the
Bigness of a small Apple, (made of Moss, or Hair of Beasts) which, they
say, is quickned and moved by a particular Art; they persuade
themselves, that by this _Tyre_, they can send Serpents, or what they
please, into any Man, to torment him. When this _Ball_ is thrown, it
goes like a Whirlwind, and as swift as a pointed Arrow[93].
Footnote 93:
_Schefferus_’s History of _Lapland_, cap. xi. p. 60.
In the Book of _Daniel_, mention is made of several kinds of Magicians
in _Chaldea_, under King _Nebuchadnezzar_; one is _Mecasphim_, a word
which by St. _Jerome_, and the _Greeks_ is translated _Malefici_,
_Inchanters_, such People as make use of noxious Herbs and Drugs, the
Blood of Victims, and Bones of the Dead, for their superstitious
Operations[94].
Footnote 94:
_Calmet_’s Hist. Crit.—Dictionary.
“The Tyrants of _Japonia_ invented a strange Punishment for
those who confessed Christ.——They hung them with their Heads
downwards, half their Bodies into a large Hole digged in the
Earth, which they filled with _Snakes_, _Lizards_, and other
poisonous Vermin; but even those (says my Right Reverend Author,
the learned and pious Bishop _Taylor_) were better Companions
than those infernal Dragons in the Pit of Hell[95].”
The _Romans_, when they punish’d any for _Parricide_, to express their
Abhorrence of so heinous a Murder, they shut him up in a Sack, with a
Serpent, an Ape, and a Cock.
Footnote 95:
_Contemplations_, Book ii. chap. 6.
To these Instances, I shall add, that the Attendants of _Pluto_, Prince
of the Infernal Regions, are represented in a _Serpentine Habit_, viz.
the _Furies_, _Harpies_——
In his Train, are three _Diræ_, _Eumenides_, or Furies, _viz._ _Alecto_,
_Megæra_, and _Tysiphone_, whose Heads are covered with long and
dreadful Snakes, instead of Hair, with Whips, Chains, and flaming
Torches, in their Hands, to punish the Guilty. These also attended the
Throne of _Jove_, and were accounted to be Messengers of the Gods, whose
Office it was to execute their Decrees in the Infliction of Calamities
upon Mortals.
These _Furies_ had their Temples and Worshippers, and were described in
Figures of so frightful a Form, that they durst scarce mention their
Names without Horror.
_TYSIPHONE_, one of them, enraged at an innocent Youth, pluck’d off one
of her Snakes, and threw it at him, which wound about his Body, and
immediately strangled him. Some say, that we see these three Furies on a
Medal of the Emperor _Philip_, struck at _Antioch_, on whose Reverse are
represented three Women, arm’d with a Key, burning Torches, Poniards,
and Serpents.
The Daffodil was sacred to the Furies, and such as offered Sacrifice to
them were crowned with it[96].
Footnote 96:
From _Eustathius_, on the first Book of the _Iliad_.
As soon as departed Souls had been examined by _Minos_, _Radamanthus_,
and _Æacus_, and found guilty, and Sentence past, they were delivered to
the Furies, who cast them down headlong into _Tartarus_, the Place of
Torment,—and all those who had lived well, were conducted to the
_Elysian_ Fields.
_HOMER_ speaks of them as the Executioners of Justice upon false
Swearers, among other Instances:
_Infernal Furies, and Tartarean Gods,
Who rule the Dead, and horrid Woes prepare
For perjur’d Kings, and all who falsly swear._
The _Harpies_[97] were monstrous and cruel Birds describ’d with Women’s
Faces, and _Dragons Tails_, to render them more formidable to Mankind:
The Ancients looked upon them as Dæmons or Genii, which last _Homer_
calls _Podarge_. About _Kaskan_ in _Persia_, is a fine and fertile
Country, but plagued with Multitudes of _Scorpions_, which haunt the
Inhabitants, especially in that Town (one of the most populous and
eminent Marts in that Empire) where the Inhabitants, for fear of that
venemous Animal, dare not sleep upon the Floor (as in other Places,
where they only throw a Quilt upon the Tapestry) but have light Couches,
hanging down from the Roof, like Seamens Hammocks, or hanging Beds on
ship-board.
Footnote 97:
_Aello_, _Ocypete_, and _Celæno_, Virg. Æneid. lib. 3.
They have indeed a ready Help against its venemous Wounds, which is made
of the Filings of Copper, tempered with _Vinegar_ and _Honey_, which
proves a speedy Cure; but if neglected, the Patient is in danger of his
Life. This, says the Historian, I presume, has been first found out by
the antipathetick Quality, which seems to be between _Scorpions_ and
_Copper_; for not far from the City is the Copper-Mine, where, as
before, if one of these Animals be brought, it dies immediately. _Q.
Whether this be not_ Herbert_’s_ Parthian?
Yea, to render a future State terrible to Mortals, the Heathens,
speaking of departed Souls, feigned, that at their Descent from
_Charon_’s Boat (who was the Ferryman of Hell) they met _Cerberus_, a
monstrous Dog, with three Heads, who was covered all over with
_Serpents_, instead of Hair. There was the Monster _Chimæra_ that
vomited Fire, her Head like a _Lion_, Middle like a _Goat_, and her Tail
like a furious _Dragon_; so sings the Poet:
——Cerberus, _who soon began to rear
His crested Snakes—he gapes with three enormous Mouths_.
Dryden’s Virgil.
So another:
_For as the_ Pope _that keeps the Gate
Of Heaven, wears three Crowns of State;
So he, that keeps the Gates of Hell,
Proud_ Cerberus, _wears three Heads as well.
And, if the World have any Troth,
Some have been canoniz’d in both_.
Hudibras.
But further, we may observe, that besides this frightful Appearance of
Serpents to salute their Entrance into Hell, there was Variety of
Punishments for them when there. Thus the _Danaides_ were condemned to
_Tartarus_ by the Poets, to be continually employed in filling a Cask
perforated at the bottom; _Phlegas_, condemned by _Apollo_ to Hell,
where he sat upon a rolling Stone, in constant danger of falling into a
Pit of greater Misery; _Tityus_, adjudged to Hell, where a Vultur feeds
on his Liver, and the Liver always grows with the Moon: Nay, such were
the horrible Preparations in Hell, that _Virgil_[98], after a Survey of
it, declares, that had he a hundred Mouths and Tongues, they would not
suffice to recount all the Plagues of the Tortured: so that it is no
wonder to see them represent the infernal Prison in Figures the most
frightful.
Footnote 98:
_Æneid._ lib. vi. ver. 638.
And as the Heathen had their terrible Place for bad Men, so, to prompt
them to Virtue, they had their _Elysium_, i. e. a Place of Pleasure in
_Hades_, furnished with most pleasant Fields, agreeable Woods, Groves,
Shades, Rivers; whither the Souls of good People were supposed to go
after this Life. These are finely described by the Poet:
——_locos lætos & amœna virenta
Fortunatorum nemorum sedesque beatas_.
[Illustration]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration]
A
NATURAL HISTORY
OF
_SERPENTS_
----------------------------------------------------------------
PART II.
_Which gives a View of most Serpents that are known in the several Parts
of the World, describ’d by their various Names, different Countries,
Qualities_, _&c._
----------------------------------------------------------------
The Serpents are a numerous Tribe, and their Dominions of large Extent,
lying both in Sea and Land: No part of the World but what is replenish’d
with them, more or less, in some form or other. In describing them, I
shall begin with,
I. The _Viper_, or _Adder_, a subtle and poisonous Creature, slender in
Body, about a Foot and half long, with fiery and flaming Eyes, a long
and cloven Tongue, which when irritated, it darts forth with Violence,
and looks like a glowing Firebrand; has a big Head, and flattest of the
serpentine kind.
It is slow in its motion, and does not leap like other Serpents, but is
very nimble to bite when provok’d. The Scales under the Body resemble
that of well-polish’d Steel. They appear in divers Colours, yellow, ash,
green; and others of _Libya_, like the Inhabitants, of a blackish Hue;
its Front not unlike that of a Hog.
_VIPERS_ of other Nations, are supposed to be larger than the
_European_, especially the _Troglodite-Viper_[99], which is said to be
above fifteen Cubits long: and the Historian adds, viz. _That there are
no domestick Vipers_. I presume, he means they are not brought up among
the Children of the Family, as some Serpents are said to have been; this
little venemous Reptile being of a more mischievous Nature[100].
Footnote 99:
_Ælian de Nat. Animal._
Footnote 100:
_Conrad. Gesner. Hist._ p. 75.
The _Viper_ differs from the _Snake_ in bulk, being not so large, and
their Scales more sharp, and Head more large: They also differ in this,
_viz._ Snakes lay their Eggs, twenty, thirty, sixty, and a hundred
sometimes, in one Nest, not quite so large as that of a Magpye (which
are inclosed with a whitish Skin, but not with Scales) in Dunghills and
other warm Situations, where they are hatch’d by adventitious Heat,
commonly call’d Adders in this Country; whereas Vipers make use of their
own Matrix, and bring forth live Vipers: Their young ones come forth
wrapt up in thin Skins, which break on the third day, and set the little
venemous Creatures at liberty, therefore rank’d among the viviparous
Animals.
Their Births are much like young Snigs for Bulk; they generally bring
forth about twenty young ones, but only one each day. It is observ’d of
the Viper, that its Internals are not fetid, like those of some other
Serpents, that are intolerable. The Eggs of _Lizard-Serpents_, which are
so much esteem’d in the _French-Islands_ of _America_, are of the same
Size and Figure as those of Pigeons, and are generally used in all sorts
of Sauces: When the Females lay their Eggs, they make a Hole in the
Sand, and cover them with it, and the Heat of the Sun is sufficient to
hatch them[101].
Footnote 101:
_Fevillee’s Journal of the Phil. Math. and Bot. Obs._
_ALBERTUS_ is quoted for a Battle between a Viper and a Magpye,
occasioned by her creeping up into a Magpye’s Nest, and devouring her
Brood in the Mother’s absence, who upon her Return made a hideous
clattering, which soon brought in its Mate; whereupon both, with united
Beaks, fell upon the Plunderer, and after a sharp Engagement demolish’d
the Enemy.
Father _Fevillee_ in the Woods of the Island _Martinique_,
“being frighted by a large Serpent, which he could not well
avoid, his Dog immediately fell on, and took the Serpent by the
Head: The Serpent surrounded him and press’d him so violently,
that the Blood came out of his Mouth; and yet the Dog never
ceased till he had entirely tore it to pieces. The Dog was not
sensible of his Wounds during the Fight, but soon after, his
Head prick’d by the Serpent swell’d prodigiously, and he lay on
the ground as dead; but his Master having found hard by a
_Bananier_, which is a very watry Tree, he cured him with the
Juice of it, and some Treacle[102].”
Footnote 102:
_Fevillee’s Journal of the Phil. Math. and Bot. Obser._
The _Viper_ is common in some parts of _France_, especially in
_Dauphiny_ and in _Poictou_, from whence all the Vipers come that are
sold in _Paris_. They are usually taken with wooden Tongs, or by the end
of the Tail, which may be done without danger; for while held in that
Position, they can’t wind themselves up to hurt their Enemy. The
Viper-Catchers have their Specificks, in which they can safely confide,
as not to be afraid of being bitten; which they say is _the Fat of a
Viper_, immediately rubb’d into the Wound, which is one of the most
venemous in the animal World.
These Vipers are usually put and kept in a Box with Bran or Moss; not
that these Ingredients serve to feed upon, as some may fancy; because
’tis said, _they never eat after they are taken_ and confin’d, but live
on the Air, and will live so, many Months: But more hereafter. _The
Destruction_ of Vipers by human Spittle, the Coition of the Marine with
Lampreys, the pregnant Viper biting off her Companion’s Head, and the
Revenge of it by the Younglings——I place among vulgar Errors.
II. The _Amodytes_ is a Serpent very venemous and fierce, of a sandy
Colour, black Spots, and of about a Cubit long. The Wound given by the
Female, the weaker Vessel, is said to be most dangerous: Its Jaws are
larger than the common Vipers, and from some Eminencies upon the Head,
like a Tuft of Flesh, is called _Cornutus_. Its Wounds prove fatal
without a speedy Cure. It is found in _Lybia_, a Limb of _Africa_, and
also in _Illyricum_, and in some parts of _Italy_[103].
Footnote 103:
_Comitatu imprimis Goritiensi invenitur._—_Ray._
This Serpent is called _Cornutus_, a horned Beast[104]. Of this Form, is
a numerous Herd; we read, that in the _Roman_ Army was a Band of Foot
Soldiers called _Cornuti_.
Footnote 104:
_Lucan. Pharsal._ lib. ix.
Upon the Continent of _America_ are Bulls and Cows, that have no Horns,
says Dr. _Ch. Leigh_——who adds,
“The Defect of _Horns_ in these Beasts, brings into my mind a
remarkable Phenomenon of one _Alice Green_, whose Picture I have
seen in _Whalley-Abby_, in _Lancashire_. This Woman had _two
Horns_ which grew out of the back-part of her Head; they grew
backwards like those of Rams, and were about three Inches long;
these she cast once in three Years, and had always intolerable
Pains, before the Horns broke out[105].”
Footnote 105:
His _Natural History of Lancashire_, Book ii. p.3.
He might have mentioned another innocent Creature, on whose Head a
treacherous Companion inoculates a Scion, which intitles him to the
Title of Cuckold, a word derived from _Cuckows_, who having no Beds of
their own, invade their Neighbour’s. Of the _Cuckow_ ’tis said, that
having no Nest, she takes possession of some other Bird’s Nest, destroys
the Eggs, and lays in it an Egg of her own, which the innocent Bird
brings forth and nurses for its own[106].
Footnote 106:
Dr. _Willoughby_, who writ the History of Birds, affirms this Account
of the Cuckow to be true upon his own Knowledge, according to Mr.
_Ray_.
III. The _Cerastes_ is a Serpent of the viperine Kind; its Head
resembles the _Cornigerous_; it belongs to the _Libyan_ and _Nubian_
Family: Its Teeth are like those of the Viper, and it brings its
Successors into the World after the same manner.
Its Constitution is very dry, which refines and exalts its Poison, and
makes it more dangerous; the Wound is generally attended with
Distraction, and continual pricking as with Needles. Some say, ’tis of a
whitish Colour, others arenaceous; it loves sandy Habitations, where it
often surprises the unwary Traveller: And all agree ’tis of a most cruel
Nature; and therefore in some Places ’twas made the Executioner of
Malefactors[107], as the Juice of the _Cicuta_, (an Herb like our
_Hemlock_) was among the _Athenians_.
Footnote 107:
_Nunc potes actutum insidiatoremque Cerasten—Non is corpus habet, sed
quatuor aut duo profert Cornua._ Nicander in Ther.
[Illustration:
_Plate 1^{st}_
]
Some say ’tis of the aspick kind, as the _Arabians_; in length a Cubit
or more, with two Horns on the Head, resembling Snail-Shells: It lies
perdue near travelling Paths, and is very crafty in decoying little
Birds into the Snare.
Its Wounds soon kill, if one of the _Psyllian_ People be not immediately
called in. _N. B._ These _Psylli_ are a noted People of _Syrenaica_ in
_Africa_, endued with a natural Faculty of destroying Serpents upon
sight, and curing their Wounds by a Touch of the Hand of whom we have
this Account, _viz._ ... _Crates_ of _Pergamus_ says, that about
_Parium_ in the _Hellespont_, there were Men, named _Ophiogenes_, who
cured those wounded by Serpents with a Touch. _Varro_ testifies there
were some of them in his time.
_AGATHERCIDES_ writes, that in _Africa_ the _Psyllians_ (a People so
called from King _Psyllus_, from whom they were descended, and whose
Sepulchre is to be seen at this day in the greater _Syrtes_) did in the
same manner heal People wounded by Serpents. ’Tis said they had some
extraordinary Quality in their Nature, that would suddenly kill all
Serpents.
It was by these they tried the Chastity of their Wives, thus, _viz._
When a Child was born, and its Legitimacy questionable, they laid it in
a _great Vessel_ full of these _cerastick Serpents_, that immediately
breathed Destruction; but when they came near the Child, their Rage
soften’d, and they immediately fled from it; which proved the Legitimacy
of the Child, that he was a true _Psyllian_, born in lawful Wedlock,
because Serpents could not poison it, nor endure its Presence[108].
Footnote 108:
_In dolium cerastarum plenum infantem conjicere_, Ælian. lib. i. cap.
57. Gyllii Accessio, cap. 37. _N. B._ If the Child was begotten by a
Stranger, ’twas killed by Poison; if lawfully begotten, the Privilege
of his Father’s Blood protected him against the Venom.
However this romantic Account may appear, it may doubtless be
philosophically accounted for by Effluviums emitted from their Bodies,
that proved fatal to Serpents.
The _English_ Annotator upon _Lucan_, who was Nephew to _Seneca_,
observes much to the same purpose, when he says, These _Psylli_ (a
People inhabiting those parts of _Africa_ called _Marmarica_, bordering
on the _Nile_) are fortify’d by Nature with an incredible Privilege
against the Strength of Poison, and sustain no Harm by the biting of
Serpents.
The Serpents, says _Pliny_, are afraid of them, and when others are
bitten by them, these _Psyllians_ by sucking the Wounds, cure them.
The _Marsians_ in _Italy_, ’tis said, are still in possession of this
natural Power against Serpents, and are supposed to descend from the Son
of _Circe_, the famous Enchantress.
The Trial of Childrens Legitimacy by Serpents, puts me in mind of
Hereditary Right; whose Title was try’d by the _Fatal-Stone_, on which
the _Irish Monarchs_ used to be inaugurated on the Hill of _Tarah_; and
which being inclosed in a _Wooden-Chair_, was made to emit a Sound under
the rightful Candidate, when he sat in it; but was quite silent under
one who had no Title, or not a good one; that is, one who was not for
the Druidick Priest’s Turn.
“This Stone was sent to confirm the _Irish_ Colony in
_Scotland_, where it continued to be the Coronation-Chair till
in the Year 1300, _Edward_ I. of _England_ brought it from
_Scoon_, and placed it under the Coronation-Chair at
_Westminster_[109]; and there it still remains, is used in the
Coronation, the antientest respected Monument in the World[110].
The Vulgar call it _Jacob_’s Stone, as if this had been his
Pillow at _Bethel_.”
_Note_, Antique Appearances often give birth to popular Superstitions.
Footnote 109:
Ni fallat fatum Scoti quocunque locatum
Invenient lapidem, regnare tenentur ibidem.
Footnote 110:
_Island_’s _Colect._ A. D. 1726.
Such natural Power against _Diseases_ did in our Days appear in the
celebrated Mr. _Greatrix_, before _whose Hand they fled_. In the
Philosophical Transactions we have the following Account of it, received
from Eye-Witnesses,—_e. g._
“... My own Brother, _John D——n_, was seized with a violent Pain
in his Head and Back: Mr. _Greatrix_ (coming by accident to our
House) gave present Ease to his Head, by only stroaking it with
his Hands. He then rubb’d his Back, which he most complain’d of,
and the Pain immediately fled from his Hand to his right Thigh;
then he pursued it with his Hand to his Knee, from thence to his
Leg, Ancle and Foot; and at last to his great Toe. As it fell
lower, it grew more violent; and when in his Toe, it made him
roar out, but upon rubbing it there, it vanish’d.
“A young Woman being seiz’d with a great Pain and Weakness in
her Knees when a Girl, used divers Means to no effect: After six
or seven years time, Mr. _Greatrix_ coming to _Dublin_, he
stroak’d both her Knees, and gave her present Ease, the _Pain_
flying downward from his _Hand_, till he drove it out of her
Toes; the Swelling that always attended it, did in a short time
wear away, and never troubled her after.
“... A certain Gentlewoman being much troubled with a Pain in
her _Ears_, and very _deaf_, Mr. _Greatrix_ put some of his
Spittle into her Ears; which, after chafing them, soon cured
her, both of the Pain and Deafness.... Her Uncle was cured by
him of the same Malady, and in the same manner.
“... A Child, being extremely troubled with the King’s-Evil, was
touch’d by King _Charles_ II. and was nothing better; but was
soon and perfectly cured by Mr. _Greatrix_.[111]”
Footnote 111:
_Lowthorp_’s _Philosoph. Transactions abridged_, vol. iii. p.
10, 12. Edit. 2. Communicated by Mr. _Thoresby_, N. 256. p.
332. 1699. In Page 10. an account is given of the wonderful
Effects of Touch and Friction.
IV. The _Hemorrhous_ Serpent is an _Egyptian_ of the viperine kind; of
sandy and bright Colour, enamel’d with black and white Rays on the Back;
flaming Eyes, corniculated Brows, and is defended by an Armature of
rough and sharp Scales; which by one is given as the Reason of making
some Noise as it goes, which another denies, because it wants the
_Sonalia_[112].
Footnote 112:
_Caret Sonalibus._ _Nierembergius_, p. 269.
This Creature is little in Body, but great and terrible in its
Executions; for when it wounds any Persons, all the Blood in the Body
flows out, at all the Apertures of it, which is immediately follow’d
with Convulsions and Death[113].
Footnote 113:
_Gyllius_, p. 261. _Raii Synopsis Meth._ 8vo. A. D. 1693. _Invenitur
in Ægypto & aliis locis quibus Thonis imperavit._ _ibid. & in agris
Jucatensibus_.
At non stare suum miseris passura cruore
Squamiferos ingens Hæmorhois.
The _Atlas_ from _Ribeyro_ mentions an _Indian Serpent_ of the same
malignant Nature, whose Poison operates with such Violence, that the
Person wounded by it bleeds at the Eyes, Nostrils, Ears, and all the
Pores of the Body, and the miserable Patient is irrecoverable.
The Poet laments the Death of the _brave and noble Tullus_[114], by this
bloody Serpent; which is also found in _India_ (according to _Diodorus
Siculus_) in that part where _Alexander_ the _Great_ conquer’d _Porus_,
the _Great_ King of the _Indies_. The Conqueror bid _Porus_ ask of him
whatever he desired; who answered, _That he only desired to be treated
as a Prince_: with which _Alexander_ was so charm’d, that he not only
gave him his Kingdom again, but some of the Provinces he had conquered
in that Vicinity.
_N. B._ On the Bank of the River _Hydaspis_, _Alexander_ built a Town,
which he call’d _Bucephala_, in remembrance of _Bucephalus_ his great
Horse, which died and was buried there.
Footnote 114:
_Lucan_, lib. ix. p. 269. _Impressit dentes Hemorhois aspera Tullo
magnanimo Juveni._
V. The Serpent _Seps_, which by some is said to be the same with
_Sepedon_, is about two Cubits long, the Head broad, and of divers
Colours. Both these are of the smaller Species, but most venemous, and
therefore are rank’d in the second Class of Serpents. The Virulency of
the Poison is not in proportion to their diminutive Stature.
When any are wounded by these venemous Animals, the Hair of the Head
immediately falls off, the whole Body turns scurfy, leprous and putrid;
yea, the very Bones, as well as the Flesh, putrify and corrupt;
therefore some call it the _putrid Serpent_[115]. The Poet accounts for
the Symptoms of its Poison[116].
Footnote 115:
_Nonnulli ex Scoligero, non male putriam vocare._ _Jonstonus_, p. 14.
Footnote 116:
_Mors est ante oculos Seps stetit exiguus—Parva modo Serpens, sed qua
nonnulla cruentæ. Fugit rupta cutis._ Lucan Pharsal. lib. ix. p. 271.
These Serpents are _Asiaticks_, Inhabitants of the Rocks in _Syria_;
_Syria_, the supposed western _Porch_ of _Paradise_. These resemble the
_Hemorrhous_ in Colour and external Figure: According to _Ælian_, they
change into the Similitude of the Things they light upon. He might, I
think, as well have said, they chang’d their _Notes_ on different Trees,
since there is a kind of relation between _Musick_ and _Colour_, as the
Learned _Newton_ observes.
VI. _KOKOB_ Serpent, is between three and four Foot long, of a dusky
Colour, and made beautiful by Spots of red and light Blue. Its Wounds
are terrible, and the Effects not very dissimilar to those of the
_Hemorrhous_. _Nierembergius_ observes, that it resides among Stones;
and when it rambles out, and hears any Noise, makes towards it like a
mighty Hero. Thus the _Gallic_ Monarch, upon Debates among Princes,
marches out as sovereign Umpire of _Europe_, and never returns home but
by way of _Lorrain_, _Corsica_, _Palatine_, or _Spanish Flanders_.
VII. The _Asp_, so called from the _Asperity_ of its Skin, as
_Arnoldus_, or from _aspiciendo_, because of the Acuteness of its Eyes.
A Serpent well known, but not accurately describ’d, says the Learned Mr.
_Ray_: Some make it a small Serpent, others say ’tis several Feet long;
and both may judge right, for according to _Ælian_, there are various
Species of Asps; some a Foot and half long, and others six.
Among these different Proportions, the least of them is said to be most
hurtful, and kills the soonest. Its Poison is so dangerous and quick in
its Operation, that it kills almost in the very Instant that it bites,
without a Possibility of applying any Remedy: They die within three
Hours, says my learned Author[117]; and the manner of their dying by
Sleep and Lethargy, without Pain, made _Cleopatra_ chuse it as the
easiest way of dispatching herself. (More of this further on.)
Footnote 117:
_Calmet in Verbum_, p. 213.
These Aspick Serpents, are the Growth of several Climates: _Olaus_
observed some of them in the northern Parts, of rugged and rough Skins,
ash Colour, sparkling Eyes, three or four Cubits long[118]; tho’ Lovers
of warm Situations, yet delight in shady Retirements[119]. Many of them
are found in the _Spanish_ Islands[TN]; but _Egypt_, _Libya_, and other
Places in _Africa_ claim the greatest Right to them, for there they are
most numerous and venemous.
Footnote 118:
_Jonstonus Hist. de Serp._ p. 15.
Footnote 119:
Ideo _Seneca_, ad umbram exsurgere dixit.
When provok’d, the Neck of this Creature swells, and the Wound then
given, is most dangerous. Its Teeth are of considerable length, growing
out of the Mouth like the Tusks of a Boar. The Historian says, that two
of the longest Teeth have little Cavities in them, covered with a thin
Skin, that slides up when it bites, by which means the poisonous Liquid
runs out, and drops into the Puncture; after which, it recovers its
Station.
In _America_, says a celebrated Historian, are found _Asps_ with Stings
in the Tail, wherewith they strike and kill[120].
Footnote 120:
_Jonstonus Hist. Nat. de Serpentibus._ p. 15.
The Banks of _Nilus_ abound with _Asps_, who have Sagacity enough to
remove their Habitations to a place of Safety, several days before that
River overflows the Rising-Grounds about it: ’Tis also said the
_Crocodile_ and _Tortoise_ recede with their Eggs, to a Situation not
accessible by that mighty Flood; a Flood that makes the Land of _Egypt_,
a Region of Fertility, a Flood dreaded by these Animals, and ador’d by
the _Egyptians_, those Sons of Contradiction, who consecrated their
Animals to the Gods, and then worshipped them, and upon Occasions kill’d
them. (Can we behold such Instincts in the _Crocodile_, _&c._ without
acknowledging the Divine Wisdom that ordain’d ’em!) No Nation more
knowing, and more sottish, _e. g._ Upon the Statue of _Minerva_, or the
Goddess _Isis_, was this Inscription, _viz._ _I was she that was, that
am, and shall be, and that am every thing_. Which being an exact
Interpretation of the Word _Jehovah_, and the same Definition the
Almighty appropriates to himself, I can’t, says the Learned _Jurieu_,
conceive, how a Nation that was arrived to such a high Degree of
Knowledge, should have worship’d _Bullocks—as Gods_.
_PLUTARCH_ gives a strange relation of them, _viz._ that in case of any
extraordinary Calamity, as War, Plague, Famine, the _Egyptian_ Priests
used to threaten the _sacred Beasts_ most horribly: If they failed to
help them, they whipt them till the Blood follow’d; and if the Calamity
did still continue, they kill’d those sacred Beasts by way of
Punishment[121]. The Reverse of this is given us in a _Clan_ of
_Tartars_, who, when exposed to any imminent Calamity, sacrifice their
Priests, in order to intercede for them with the Gods in the other
World.
Footnote 121:
_Jurieu_ from _Plut. de Is. & Osir._
It has been said, that the _Asp_, when exasperated, did, with an erected
Head, cast out of its Mouth liquid Poison; but it now appears, it darts
it only by its Bite, or by Poison taken from it by Force, and poured
into a Wound made by another; and both the Wounds so made, soon
terminate in an _easy pleasant Exit_; which is supposed to be the reason
why Queen _Cleopatra_ chose this kind of Death, that is, to poison
herself by an Aspick Dose. This reminds me of a certain Herb I have read
of, in _Arabia_, which (according to the Tradition) _if a Man slept
upon_, he died in his Sleep without any Pain.
A certain learned Pen, makes this Remark upon _Cleopatra_’s Case, _viz._
that she was not bit by an _Asp_, as some have asserted, but did that
which was more secret and sure; that is, after she had bit her own Arm,
infused Poison into the Wound, expressed before-hand from an _Asp_ by
Irritation, and preserved in a Phial for that purpose: Or, as _Dio_
says, she wounded her Arm with a Needle, or Dressing-pin, and then
poured the Poison into the bleeding Wound. This seems probable, because
no Serpent was found in her Chamber or near it.
The _Queen_, in order to find the most easy Passage out of this Life,
made an Experiment upon Criminals by various kinds of Poison, and
Application of diverse sorts of Serpents, and found nothing came up to
_Aspick Poison_, which throws Persons into a pleasant Sleep, in which
they die[122].
Footnote 122:
_Plutarch_’s _Lives of Marc Anton._ and _Cleopatra_, and _Fr. Redi
Nobilis Aretini Experiment_. p. 170, -1, -2, -3.
_Obj._ If it be said, that in the Triumphs of _Augustus_, Queen
_Cleopatra_ is _drawn with an Asp in her Hand_:
I answer, That I apprehend that Device might only be
_Pictorial-Licence_, or a Flourish of the Painter to affect the People,
by _displaying the Heroism_ of a Woman, who to prevent the Disgrace of
Captivity, _embraced Death at the hands of a Serpent_, a terrible
Creature, to which none has so great an Aversion as the female Sex.
Excuse a poetick Digression.
On the ASP and its POISON.
——_Welcome thou kind Deceiver,
Thou best of Thieves! who with an easy Key
Dost open Life, and unperceiv’d by us,
Even steal us from our selves; discharging so,
Death’s dreadful Office, better than himself.
Touching our Limbs so gently into Slumber,
That Death stands by, deceiv’d by its own Image,
And thinks himself asleep[123]._——
Footnote 123:
_Dryden_, _All for Love_.
Some are of Opinion, that the _Asp_ is _David_’s _deaf Adder_, Psal.
lviii. 45. _They are like the deaf Adder that stops her Ear, which will
not hearken to the Voice of Charmers, charming never so wisely._ They
are like the _deaf Asp_, says the _Hebrew_ and the _Septuagint_. The
word in the Original is [124] _Pethen_, q. d. _Unpersuadedness_; hence,
wicked Men are called Απειθεις in the _New Test._ unpersuadable, which
the _English_ Translation renders _Disobedient_, Tit. i. 16.
Footnote 124:
פתן . ωσουι ασπιδος κωφης.
The common Tradition is, that when Men by Inchantments and Charms have
attempted to take these Serpents, they stopt one Ear with the Tail, and
the other was either deaf, or made so by laying it close to the Ground.
Some are of Opinion, that there is a sort of _Asp_ that really is deaf,
which of all others is the most dangerous, and is meant by the _Royal
Prophet_ here.
That there was a Practice of charming Serpents by some Art or other, so
that they could neither _bite_ nor _sting_, seems evident from the
sacred Writings, _e. g._ Eccl. x. 11. _Surely the Serpent will bite
without Inchantment._ Jer. viii. 17. _I’ll send Serpents, Cockatrices,
among you, that will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, says the
Lord._
Among other Things the word _Charmer_, some say, signifies _one_ that
conjoins and consociates; that is, that by Sorcery gather’d Serpents
together, and made them tame and familiar; or the _Person_ may be so
call’d, because by _Magick Art_, he associated with _Demons_, the Lords
of Serpents.
We are inform’d by History, of some, who have summoned together a
hundred Serpents at once; but by what method, I leave the Reader to
judge. _Montanus_, a famous Physician, and Professor at _Padua_ in
_Italy_, says he saw this Coadunation of Serpents.
The learned Doctor _Casaubon_ tells us, he had seen a Man, who from the
Country around him, wou’d draw Serpents into the Fire, which was
inclos’d in a magical Circle: When one of them, bigger than the rest,
would not be brought in, upon repeating the aforesaid Charms, it
submitted to the Flames.
We read of a famous Charmer at _Saltsburgh_ in the Circle of _Bavaria_;
that, when (in sight of the People) he had charm’d a great Number of
Serpents into a Ditch, where he kill’d them; there came a Serpent of
great Bulk, supposed to be the Devil, that leapt upon the Charmer, and
immediately slew him[125].
Footnote 125:
Doctor _More_’s Antidote.
Answer me, says _Paracelsus_, (the celebrated _Swiss_ Physician, who did
wonderful Cures by Liquids extracted from Vegetables) from whence is it,
that a Serpent of _Helvetia_, _Algovia_, or _Suevia_, does understand
the _Greek_ Idiom, _Osy, Osya, Osy_; that they should, at the first
Sound of these Words, _stop their Ears_, remain immoveable, and do us no
hurt with their Poison? From whence he infers, there was a Power in
Words to operate upon the Ear, without Superstition. The Antients seem
to have entertain’d some favourable Thoughts of the _Power of Spells_
upon Serpents: Their Poets speak often of these Charms and Incantations.
_Frigidus in pratis cantando rumpitur anguis._ Virgil.
_Vipereas rumpo verbis, & carmine fauces._ Ovid.
_Ingue pruinoso coluber distenditur arvo
Viperes coëunt abrupto corpore nodi
Humanoque cadit serpens afflata veneno._ Lucan.
_PHILOSTRATUS_ describes particularly how the _Indians_ charm
Serpents—they take a Scarlet-Coat embroider’d with golden Letters, and
spread it before the Serpent’s Hole; and these golden Letters have a
fascinating Power over it, and therewith its Eyes are overcome and laid
asleep[126].
Footnote 126:
His Life of _Apollonius Tyanæus_, writ at the Desire of the Empress
_Julia_, lib. 3. cap 2.
If we consider the strange Things done by _Force of Words_, so much
extoll’d in Antiquity, it will be no wonder to see _Letters_, out of
which _Words are form’d, made the Rudiment and first Study of human
Life_: But as to the _Mode of Operation_ by _Words_, the Learned are not
agreed.
Some say, there is a natural Virtue and Efficacy in Words, and appeal to
the _notable Feats_ done by _Force of Eloquence_. This was the favourite
Study and View of _Orators_; in this they triumph’d, and never wanted
Acclamations and loud Applauses.
In _Plutarch_, we have, among others, one remarkable Instance, _viz._
_Cæsar_, upon the Accusations brought in by _Tubero_ against _Quintus
Ligarius_ (_Pompey_’s Friend) he was resolved to sacrifice that Rebel,
till he was charm’d by the _Words_ of the _Orator_ that pleaded in his
favour—No sooner did _Cicero_ begin his Oration in his defence, but
_Cæsar_’s Countenance chang’d, and his Indignation begun to soften ...
but when the Orator touch’d upon the Battle of _Pharsalia_ (where
_Cæsar_ was Conqueror) _Cæsar_’s Heart tender’d, his Body trembled with
Joy, and certain Papers in his Hands dropt to the ground.—And when
_Cicero_ had finish’d his Oration, _Cæsar_’s Wrath against his Enemy was
intirely extinguish’d; and _Ligarius_ was set at liberty[127]. The same
Orator, by the Dint of Eloquence, overthrew the Constitution of the
_Decemviri_.
Footnote 127:
_Plutarch_’s Life of _Cicero_.
Others say, there is a mighty Force in Words in such a _Tone_, and
_Talismanical Characters_, rightly-adapted Figures, and Images _under
certain Constellations_[128].
Footnote 128:
_Paracelsus_, _C. Agrippa_, Life of Mr. _Duncan Campbell_, _A. D.
1720_, page 256. _Gaffarel._
Some affirm that _Magick_ consists in the _Spirit of Faith_, for _Faith_
is the _Magnet of Magicians_, by which they draw Spirits to them, and by
which Spirits they do wonderful Things, that to vulgar Eyes appear like
Miracles. No doubt but several extraordinary Effects have been ascrib’d
to the Devil, that in reality were natural, and artfully disguised: The
Story of Sieur _Brioche_, a famous Puppet-player, is well known, who in
a Town in _Switzerland_, where that _Show_ had never been seen before,
he was apprehended as a Warlock or Magician, and ran the hazard of being
punish’d as such[129].
Footnote 129:
_De Saint Andre_’s Letters.
Others affirm, that _Charms by Words_ are but means to heighten the
Imagination; and the strange Effects produced by ’em, flow’d only from
the Activity of an exalted Thought, or Fancy of heated Brains. In proof
of this ’tis said, that if a Woman at a certain Season, strongly fix her
Imagination upon any particular Object, the Child will bear the Image
thereof.
I think ’tis pretty obvious, that those extraordinary Impressions made
by _Pagan Sophists_ upon the Minds of their Audience by the Charms of
Rhetorick, past for a _divine Afflatus_ or _Inspiration_; and therefore
in such Cases, we shall find this _Formula_ (_Aliquis nescio quis Deus_)
frequently used by Enthusiastical _Orators_, as well as their _Poets_:
Thus _Cicero_, speaks of himself, that he was mov’d by a certain
_Impetus_ or Ardour[130]: _Apollonius Tyanæus_, who was looked upon by
the Christians as a notorious Magician, being ask’d by the Governor of
_Rome_ under _Nero_, what was his Profession? he answer’d, θειασμος, an
Enthusiast, _q. d._ Fanatic, Conjurer.
Footnote 130:
_Nulla ingenti, sed magna vis animi inflamantis ut me ipse non
teneam._
’Tis true, that wonderful Things have been done by Words, but how
_verbal Charms_ operated upon _Serpents_, wants Explication: Of some
Inchanters ’tis said, that by vocal and instrumental Sounds, they have
charm’d Rats, Mice and Serpents, some into a stupid State, and others
into a flexible submissive State.
A remarkable Instance in _Rats_ we have in the publick Records of
_Hamelen_, (an antient City on the River _Weser_ in _Germany_, about 28
Miles S. E. of _Hanover_) where the following strange Account is
register’d, _viz._
That in _June 26. 1284_, a certain Stranger undertook to destroy an Army
of Rats with which the Town had been long pester’d, on promise of such a
Reward; and immediately playing on his _Pipe_ and _Tabret_, the _Rats_
march’d out, and follow’d the Musick to the River, where they were all
drown’d: But being denied the Reward, he threaten’d Revenge; and next
day he went about with the same Musick, and most Children in the Town
follow’d the Piper to the Mouth of a great Cave on a neighbouring Hill
call’d _Koppelberg_, where he and they entered, and were never heard of
after.
In remembrance of this _sad Catastrophe_, the Citizens for many Years
after, dated all their publick Writings _from the Day they lost their
Children_, as appears by their old Deeds and Records: They still call
the _Street_ thro’ which the Children went out, _Tabret-street_; and at
the Mouth of the Cave there is a Monument of Stone, with a _Latin_
Inscription, giving the Particulars of this tragical Story.
As to the other Instance, _viz._ Serpents charm’d into a ductile
manageable State, ’tis thus accounted for; _viz._ Serpents, they say,
are strangely influenced by the Smell of those Emanations, proceeding
from the _Cornus_, or Dog-tree (why not the _Cornelian-Cherry_,
antiently dedicated to _Apollo_?) and that by a Wand or Rod taken from
it, they are thrown into an obsequious Temper—
“When touch’d by a Rod from that Tree, they are immediately
intoxicated, but so as to be able to follow the Motion of the
Rod; but whether by reason of some great Disproportion or
Incompossibility, between these subtile Effluvia and the
Temperament of the vital, spiritual Substance of the Serpent, or
by what other way, we are not told[131]. The Sassafras-tree, a
Native of _America_, is call’d _Cornus_ also, whose Wood is very
odorous and fragrant.”
Now, say these Gentlemen why should it seem impossible, that he who
understands this invincible Enmity, and how to manage a Rod of the
_Cornus_ with Cunning and Dexterity (having first intoxicated a Serpent
by the Touch thereof) should during that Fit make it observe, and
readily conform to all the various Motions of the Wand, so as that the
unlearned Spectators, perceiving the _Serpent_ to approach the
_Inchanter_, as he moves the Wand near to himself, or to retreat from
him, as he put the Wand from him, or turn round and dance as the Rod is
mov’d to and fro, or lie still as in a Trance, as the Rod is held still
over it; and all this Time, the People knowing nothing of the Virtue in
the Rod, are easily deluded into a Belief, that the whole Scene is
supernatural, and the main Energy radiated in those Words or Charms,
which the Impostor with great Ceremony and Gravity of Aspect mutters
forth, the better to disguise his Legerdemain, and dissemble Nature in
the colour of a Miracle.
Footnote 131:
_Charlton._
The Rattle-snakes in _America_ are said to secure their Prey by
Incantation; for they have the Power or Art, (I know not which to call
it, says my Author) to charm Squirrels, Hares, Partridges, or any such
Thing, in such a manner, that they run directly into their Mouths: This
I have seen, adds he, by a Squirrel and one of the Rattle-snakes; and
other Snakes have in some measure the same Power[132].
Footnote 132:
Natural History of _Carolina, A. D. 1711_. page 129.
It is allowed indeed, that there are _dumb Creatures_ that do exceed Man
in some _sensible Perceptions_, particularly in that of _Smelling_, as
the _Harriers_, and other Dogs. How strange, that Odours from the Hare’s
Body, Should so affect the Nose of a Hound, as to raise in him that
Sensation or Scent, by which he follows her all the Day (tho’ he never
had a Sight of her) thro’ a Cloud of Opposition, from perplexing
intricate Places, and Effluviums proceeding from other Animals!
These Emanations are exceeding fine Effluvia, or Particles flying off
odorous Bodies in all Directions; and as they float in the Air on the
Surface of the Earth (within their Atmosphere) strike against the Dog’s
Nose, and produce that Sensation of Smell.—_N. B._ The Intensity of
Smell in all Creatures, is in proportion to the Density or Thickness
where we are: This Density is always diminish’d in proportion to the
Squares of the Distances from the odorous Body.
Yea, a little Cur, by the Power of Smelling, can find out his Master
among Thousands, will trace his Steps thro’ Crouds in Fairs and Markets;
yea, throughout a whole Country. Our Histories inform us of Dogs in some
parts of this Island, that being put upon the Scent, would pursue a
Thief and a Murderer; and if he cross’d a River, would smell where he
entered, and swim after him; and when arrived at t’other side, would
hunt about till they found where he landed, and then run on, till they
overtook the Criminal.
In Animals is a sulphurous or oily Matter, so attenuated and subtiliz’d
as to become volatile, which is denominated a Spirit: Now that there is
such a Spirit in Man, and a peculiar one too in every Man, is evident
from these Dogs, which will pursue the Game by their Nose, and follow
their Master’s Track, and distinguish it precisely; yea, tho’ a thousand
other Persons had past the same way.
It must be by meer Force of Smelling, that the Dog is able to do this,
that is, to distinguish his Master from all Men by the Instrumentality
of his Nose.
Therefore there must be some specifick Matter exhaled from the Master’s
Body, which the Dog can perfectly distinguish from the various Effluvia
flowing from all other Persons.
The Dog must exceed us, in that he can thus exactly discern his Master,
by these subtile, oily, or sulphurous Effluvia, which no human Nose was
ever able to do.
We find the like Spirit in the Hound, who when put in the Track which a
Deer has lately been in, will follow the Steps of that Deer thro’ all
cross Paths of a thousand others, and at last single out that individual
Deer among a whole Herd of those Animals.
In _Scotland_ are a sort of Dogs (in Colour generally red and spotted
with black, or black with red) of extraordinary Sagacity, being, as ’tis
said, put upon the Scent, will pursue Thieves with Success; and the Use
of them has been authorised by the Magistrate——_Nullus perturbet aut
impediat canem trasantem, aut homines transentes cum ipso ad sequendum
latrones aut ad capiendum malefactores_.
_N. B._ _Trasantem_ is a Word latiniz’d from the old _French_
_Tracer_ or _Trasser_, signifying to follow by the Track.
If any shou’d suggest, That this derogates from the Wisdom and Goodness
of the Creator, who has given to some Beasts stronger Perceptions,
Nerves more exquisitely fine and delicate than he has bestow’d upon Man:
I answer, this is so far from derogating from divine Wisdom and
Goodness, that it is an admirable Instance and Illustration of both; for
were our olfactory Nerves susceptible of such quick Sensations as Dogs
and some other Animals, we shou’d be continually annoy’d with
pestiferous Fumes and Exhalations, so as not only to render most
Situations troublesome, but even Life it self miserable and wretched.
Such quick Sensations may be very useful to carnivorous Animals, so as
to direct them to their Prey, but to human Beings it wou’d be very
vexatious, if not pestiferous and deadly. I shall only add to this
Digression, a short Hint about the _Magic Art_, the most surprising of
all Arts, and in its first Appearance most innocent and useful.
Among the antient _Chaldeans_, _Babylonians_, and _Persians_, where the
Art-magic was first and principally cultivated, it signified no more
than _Wisdom_ and hence the _Sophi_, or Wisemen of the _Greeks_ were by
them call’d μαγοι that is, _Magicians_; who being acquainted with many
of the hidden Powers of Nature, directed them in such manner, as to
produce Effects, whose Causes being unknown to the _Vulgar_, were
attributed to _Dæmons_.
Hence the Art in process of Time came into Disrepute, and Magicians have
been censur’d, as working by Compact with the Devil: But this is
invidious; for in the Gospel we find, the _Magi_ or _Magicians_, are
said to come _from the East to_ Jerusalem, _saying, where is he that is
born King of the_ Jews? _for we—are come to worship him_. No body can
imagine this to be understood of those that have been called
_Sorcerers_, _Wizards_, _Conjurers_, _Witches_ or _Magicians_, in the
modern Sense of that Word[133]; for those who were familiar with the
Devil, would scarce come to enquire after him, who came to destroy his
Works.
Footnote 133:
_Matt._ ii. 1, 2.
The Notion of Witches in the Days of Ignorance and Superstition, was
very prevailing in this Island, but of late Years has undergone a
parliamentary Excommunication; though the _Lancashire_ Witches, who are
constituted of the fairer Part of the fairer Sex, triumph even over our
Senators, and will maintain their fascinating Charms, while their rival
Beauties, the Sun and Stars endure.
We read of a certain King of _Egypt_, who having assembled his _Magical
Priests_ without the City _Memphis_, caus’d them to enter where the
People were gather’d, by Beat of Drum: All of them made some miraculous
Discovery of their Magic and Wisdom. _One_ had his Face surrounded with
a Light, like that of the Sun, so bright that none could look earnestly
upon him.
Another seem’d as if enrob’d with precious Stones of diverse Colours,
red, green, yellow, or wrought with Gold.
A third came mounted on a _Lion_, compass’d with _Serpents_, like
Girdles.
The next came in with a Pavilion, or Canopy of Light, distended over his
Head.
Another entered surrounded with Flames of Fire, turning about him; so
that none durst come near him.
After _him_ appeared one with dreadful Birds, perching about his Head,
and shaking their Wings like Vulturs and black Eagles.
The _last_ made his Appearance with an Army in the Air, marching before
him, of winged Serpents and terrible Personages.——In fine, every one did
what was taught him by the Star he served; and, after all, the whole
Scene was but an Apparition and Illusion, according to their own
Confession to the King, when the Farce was over[134].——Something
analogous to this are the Magick Lanthorns in our days.
Footnote 134:
This Passage is taken out of the _Egyptian_ History of the Pyramids—by
_Murtadi_ the _Arabian_, printed at _Tibe_, a City in _Arabia_, 14th
of _Regebe_, 992; which corresponds to _July_ 22d, 1584; about 156
Years ago; translated into _French_, and into _English_, 1672.
In antient times, the Word _Magician_ generally signified _Men of Wisdom
and Learning_, i. e. of superior Knowledge in Things natural and divine,
and more especially in that sort of Learning relative to the Sun, Moon,
and Stars, as we learn from _Porphyry_, _Apuleius_, and others. And
seeing the inspired Apostle gives them that Name (_Magicians_) not as a
Mark of Infamy, but a Title of Honour, therefore does the _English_
Translation stile them _Wisemen_, such as the old _Greeks_ called σοφοι,
_Sages of their Time_[135]. How, and how far this Art is degenerated, I
refer to the Judgment of the Learned: We see there are Revolutions in
Words, as well as in Families and Kingdoms; a _Magician_ being formerly
a _Wise-man_, as well as a Knave an honest one. _Sed tempora mutantur._
Footnote 135:
_Boerhaave_’s New Theory, p. 211.
I shall only add to the _Aspick Subject_, the Tribute of Veneration paid
to this poisonous Animal in the Land of _Egypt_. The Historian speaks of
a certain Person, who, in digging, happened unawares to cut an Asp with
his Spade, and went mad upon it,—was taken into the House of _Serapis_,
an _Egyptian_ Idol,—the Relatives of the Patient praying the _Spectrum_
of that Serpent might be destroyed,——which being accordingly done by
Magick Art, the Man was cured.——By this we see, how highly _Asps_ were
venerated among the _Egyptians_, who not only suffer’d them to live, but
to live in their Houses, where they were carefully fed, as Favourites of
the Family[136]. And Queen _Cleopatra_’s Case was not singular, for the
_Persian_ Kings kept an exquisite Poison by them, made of the Dung of an
_Indian_ Bird, which would kill without putting them to pain, that they
might use it themselves in case of any Disaster[137].
Footnote 136:
_Circurantur cibo, cum infantibus vivunt, & crepitum digitorum vocata
ex cavi prodeunt._ Jonstonus, p. 16.
Footnote 137:
_Atlas, Asia._
_DEMOSTHENES_, who slew his Soldier, when he was asleep, was a merciful
Executioner; a kind of Punishment the Mildness of no Law has yet
invented. It is strange that _Lucan_ and _Seneca_ made no discovery of
it.
Sleep is a kind of _Death_, by which we may literally be said to _die
daily_; and in this Sense, _Adam_ may be said to die before his final
Exit.
VIII. I now proceed to the Serpent _Scytale_; the Name is borrowed from
the _Greek_ Word σκυταλη, a Staff, or any thing like a Cylinder, of a
long smooth round Form; the Body of this Serpent being in shape equally
round, like a Rolling-Stone, with very little Variation in the
Extremities of it.
[Illustration:
_Plate 2^d._
]
It forms a beautiful Prospect, being an Aggregate of most charming
Colours, (therefore call’d the Painted Serpent by _Mantuanus_.) It may
be view’d without danger, because slow in its Motion. ’Tis an Error in
_Lucan_ to attribute its Slowness to a Design of enticing Spectators, if
it be not _Poetica Licentia_.
When released from its Winter-Confinement, the first thing she does,
says the Historian, is to refresh her languid Body with Fennel-Leaves;
but does not tell us what is done, in case that Herb can’t be readily
found. It must indeed be allowed, that wild Fennel is a common Herb of
the Field, and well known and of Use in Physick[138]. The Poet observes,
that no Snake casts her Coat in Winter, but the _Scytale_[139].
Footnote 138:
_Ælian_, _Gyllii Accessio_.
Footnote 139:
_Et Scytale sparsis etiam nunc sola pruinis Exuvias positura
suas._—Lucan’s Phars.
This Serpent being adorned with beautiful Colours, excuse a short
Digression upon the Doctrine of Colours in Natural Bodies. Know then,
Colours are the Children of Fire and Light.
I. _Where there is Light, there is Fire_; and Fire shews itself to be
present by Light. The Sensation of Light is produced when the Particles
of Fire, directed by the Action of the Sun, reach the Eye in right
Lines. Now, Fire thus entering the Eye, gives a Motion to the optic
Fibres at the bottom of the Eye, and thus excites the Idea of Light.
II. _FIRE discovers itself by Colour_; for all Colours depend upon
Light, and Light depends upon Fire; and different Colours appear in
Natural Bodies, as their Surfaces are disposed to reflect this or that
sort of coloured Rays more than others. Colour is a Property inherent in
Light.
Colours therefore are not connate with Natural Bodies, which are all of
the same Hue in the dark. To this the Poet alludes, when he makes
_Darkness the Destruction of Colours_[140].—Colours are only in the Rays
of the Sun: In Natural Bodies is a Quality or Power to reflect the Light
falling upon them, which striking the Eye, produces in the Spectator the
Sensation of Colour.
Footnote 140:
_Rebus nox abstulit atra colores._—Virgil.
Clouds often appear very beautifully coloured; they consist of aqueous
Particles, between which Air is interspersed; therefore, according to
the various Thickness of those aqueous Particles, the Cloud will be of a
different Colour[141].
Footnote 141:
_Boerhaave_, _Gravesand_.
IX. _AMPHISBÆNA_ Serpent, so called from αμφι _&_ βαινω _Biceps_, a
Monster with two Heads. This is a small and weak Creature, equal in Bulk
to a little Finger, and about a Foot long, of a whitish or terraceous
Colour; of the oviparous Family, of small Eyes, no otherways visible
than the Prick of a little Needle; lives much under ground, and is often
found by digging; feeds upon Ants. Under this Head, the Historian
mentions three Serpents, _viz._
The _Brasilian_, that has two Heads, and moves as a Crab[142].
Footnote 142:
_Acosta._
The _Taprobanensian_, with four Heads; and he who believes it must have
a four-headed Faith.
The _Hungarian_; of which elsewhere.
The same Historian adds, that the marine _Amphisbæna_, taken in the
_English_ Sea, has two Heads. _Ibid._ _Pliny_, _Ælian_, _Lucan_,
_Mantuan_,—affirm it has two Heads; _Matthiolus_ denies it, _Hesychius_
is doubtful. Mention is made of a Serpent found near _Chipping-Norton_,
not far from _Oxford_, having two Heads, and Faces like Women; one being
shaped after the new Tyre of that Time; the other was habited after the
old Fashion, and had great Wings resembling those of the Flinder-Mouse
or Bat[143]. This happened in the Reign of _Edward_ III.
Footnote 143:
_Stow_’s Annals, _London_, printed, 1631.
A _Spanish_ Author says, that in _Chiapa_ he found a two-headed Serpent,
18 Inches long, in the Form of a _Roman_ T, and very venemous; it does
not only kill, adds he, by its Bite, but if any tread upon that part of
the Ground over which ’twas just gone, it proves fatal[144]. The Poet
also subscribes to two Heads[145].——If this two-headed Serpent has slain
its Thousands, there is a certain metaphorical three-headed Serpent on
the Banks of _Tyber_, that has slain its Ten Thousands.
Footnote 144:
_Antonio de Herrera_’s History of _America_.
Footnote 145:
_Et gravis ingenium surgens caput Amphisbæna._—Lucan, p. 270.
Perhaps the Reason of ascribing two Heads to this Serpent, might be,
because it is said to poison by the Tail and Teeth. Others say, both
Ends are so like in Figure and Bulk, that they are not easily
distinguished.
It seems probable to me, that this Serpent, like some Insects or Worms,
has a double Motion, _antrorsum & retrorsum_, which made some of the
Antients conclude it had two Heads; one in the usual Situation, the
other in the Extremity of the _Cauda_. Its Body is of equal Thickness,
and recommended to the View by various and delightful Spots[146].
Footnote 146:
_Conrad. Gesner._ _Ælian._ _Columella_, lib. vi.
We read of this Serpent in _Gothland_, where it comes forth in the
Spring before all other Serpents, being more able to encounter the cold
Air[147]. Some Authors tell us, that its Skin wrapt about a Stick,
drives away all Serpents; which I place among the Tales of Antiquity.
Footnote 147:
_Olaus Magnus Hist._ B. xxi.
This Serpent is found in the _Lybian Deserts_, and also in the Island of
_Lemnos_, in the _Ægean_ Sea. The Puncture made by its Wounds is so
small, that it can scarcely be discerned, yet terminates in a dreadful
Inflammation and a lingering Death.
_ERASMUS_ was puzzled about the Sense of that _Greek_ Proverb ὑδρος εν
φιθω, _hydrus in dolio_, a Serpent in the Hogshead: The Meaning of it,
said an Interpreter of Dreams, is this: A certain Person had a Vessel of
Wine, that was constantly diminishing, tho’ carefully lock’d up; the
Reason of which he could not account for, till he empty’d the Vessel, at
the bottom of which he found a Serpent rioting in Wine[148].
Footnote 148:
_Conradus Gesner._
Perhaps as good an Interpretation may be this, that there was Venom in
the Cask (of which the Serpent was an Emblem) to all those who rioted in
the Bowls of Excess. Not so, says a Son of _Bacchus_; for
_The thirsty Earth soaks up the Rain,
And drinks, and gapes for Drink again.
The Sea itself, which one would think,
Should have but little need of Drink,
Drinks Ten thousand Rivers up._——
_The busy Sun, and one would guess
By’s drunken fiery Face no less,
Drinks up the Sea.——
Fill up the Bowl then, fill it high,
Fill all the Glasses there, for why,
Should every Creature drink, but I?
Why, Man of Morals, tell me why?_[149]
Footnote 149:
_Cowley_’s Anacreon.
Some of the Poets have thought this _Amphisbæna_ to be the _Hydra
Lernæa_, the many-headed Serpent, that was very terrible to the adjacent
Country, and slain by _Hercules_: When one Head was cut off, many others
sprung up; so that there was no way to destroy the Monster, but by
cutting off all the Heads with one Stroke.
Tho’ there be no _Amphisbænick_ Animals, there is some Resemblance of it
in Plants, whose _Cotyledon_ is always double, and in the common Centre
of the two, is a Point or Speck, which is the Plantule, or the Tree in
Embryo; which Plantule being acted on by the Earth, warmed by the Sun,
begins to expand, and shoots its Root both upward and downward. Thus, in
a Bean committed to the Ground, we soon see it to cleave into two Parts,
and in the Fissure appears a little Speck, which sends out a Root
downwards, and a Bud upwards.—A remarkable Phænomenon, says the Note on
_Boerhaave_’s Theory.
X. Among Serpents, Authors place _Dragons_; Creatures terrible and
fierce in Aspect and Nature. They are divided into _Apodes_ and
_Pedates_, some with Feet, and some without them; some are privileged
with Wings, and others are destitute of Wings and Feet: Some are covered
with sharp Scales, which make a bright Appearance in some Position. Some
have observed, that about the _Ganges_, are Dragons whose Eyes sparkle
like precious Stones.
They differ in external Form: The _Draconopades_ are represented by a
human Face, and sightly Countenance; the rest of the Body in a tortuous
winding Shape. In one of Dr. _Johnson_’s Figures, a Dragon is made to
appear like a Man’s Face, with a Grenadier’s Cap on the Head. Some
differ in Colour, some are black in the upper Part of the Body,
according to _Philostratus_; red, according to _Homer_; yellow,
according to _Pausanias_; and _Lucan_ makes it a golden Colour[150].
Footnote 150:
_Philostratus de Vita Apol._ lib. iii. cap. 2. _Homer._ _Iliad_, lib.
12. _Lucan._ _Pharsal. in Jonstoni Historia Serpentum_, p. 33, 34.
The same Historian observes, that in the _Atlantick_ Mountains, they
kill where they touch, and those that are in the Kingdom of _Narsinga_,
and dwell in the Woods, kill all they meet. _Ibid._[151]
Footnote 151:
_Unde quidam in arbores & chamo dracones distinxere._
I presume, the Author means _Narsinga_, a potent Kingdom, bounded on the
East with the Bay of _Bengal_, that noble Part of _India_, says
_Herbert_[152]; where the Monarch is always attended with 1000 for his
Guards, has 5 or 6000 Jesters, and reckons it one of his chief Titles to
be the Husband of a Thousand Wives.
Footnote 152:
His Travels into _Africa_ and _Asia_, the famous Empires of _Persia_
and _Indostan_,—Oriental Islands.
Dragons are Inhabitants of _Africa_ and _Asia_; those of _India_ exceed
most in Largeness and Longitude: In the Tower of _London_, is the Skin
of one, which is of vast Bulk. In _Æthiopia_, they have no Name for
_Dragons_, but _Killers of Elephants_, which is supposed to be the
largest of Land-Animals.
Over the Water-gate in the City of _Rhodes_, there is set up the Head of
a _Dragon_, which was 33 Foot long, that wasted all the Country, till it
was slain by _Deodate de Gozon_, one of the _Knights of St. John
Baptist_[153]. The _Knights of that Order_ had frequently attack’d it,
but in vain; for its Scales being proof against all their Arms, it
destroyed so many of them, that the Grand-Master forbad them to engage
the Monster any more.
Footnote 153:
_Atlas Geog. Anatolia_, p. 43, -4. From _Tavernier_ and _Du Mont._
_GOZON_, who, after several dangerous Onsets escaped with his Life,
resolved to make another Trial by Stratagem; perceiving it was no where
vulnerable but in the Eyes and Belly, contrived the Resemblance of a
Dragon by a Machine of Pastboard, of equal Bulk with the Dragon, and by
certain Springs made it leap like a true Dragon: Having trained up a
Couple of fierce Dogs to attack it at the _Belly_, he went out privately
one Morning, well-armed on a managed Horse with his Dogs, and rode up to
the Den, from whence the Dragon leaped furiously at him: In the
Encounter, the Dogs laid hold on his Belly, and forced him to lie down;
upon which the valiant Knight alighted, thrust his great Sword several
times into his Throat, and soon killed him: Upon which the Spectators
drew near, and with great difficulty sever’d the Head from the Body, and
lugged it into the Town in Triumph.
The Conqueror was degraded for the sake of Form, because he had violated
the Grand-Master’s Order; but was immediately restored, and soon after
was elected Grand-Master himself; he died in the Year 1335, and on his
Tomb were engraven these Words, _Draconis Extinctor_; _The Destroyer of
the Dragon_.
In the Life of _Attilius Regulus_ (the _Roman_ General in the War
against the _Carthaginians_) is described a Dragon of prodigious Bulk
near the River _Bagrada_, that annoyed all the Country round, without
Remedy. Several Devices were formed to destroy it, but without effect,
till the Military _Possé_ was called in, who discharged the _Engines of
War_ against it with Success: And so great was this Deliverance, that an
_Ovation_, or a small Triumph, was publickly made at _Rome_ for the
Victory.
XI. The _Pythian_ Dragon, so called from its being the Guardian of the
_Delphick_ Oracle: Its Eyes are large and sharp, and the Body painted
with Variety of Colours, as red, yellow, green and blue, and furnished
with Scales that are resplendent, well compacted and hard. It has been
called _Deucalionæus_, because in the Language of Ignorance, it was
produced from the Mud left by the _Deucalionian_ Deluge: a Serpent of
prodigious Bulk.[154]
Footnote 154:
_Jonstonus._
_PYTHON_ is also taken for a prophetick Demon, by St. _Luke_[155].—_As
we went to Prayer, a certain Damsel possest with a Spirit of
Divination_, (having the Spirit of _Pytho_, according to the _Greek_)
_which brought her Masters much Gain by Sooth-saying_, that is, by
Predictions, telling of Fortunes. _Python_ of the _Greeks_ is supposed
the _Typhon_ of the _Phenicians_, and the _Phœnician Typhon_ to be _Ogg_
King of _Bashan_, and _Apollo_ that slew it, to be _Joshua_. _Apollo_ is
called _Pythius_ from this Serpent, or from some notorious Tyrant of
that Name, slain by him, as the antient Geographer observes. So _Gesner_
from _Pausanias_. The Priestess of _Apollo_, that delivered the Sacred
Oracles, was called _Pythia_ and _Pythonissa_. This _Pythonick_ Spirit
among the Gentiles, was esteemed as a God, and by _Juvenal_ is styled
_Vates_, a Prophet.
Footnote 155:
_Act._ xvi. 16.—Πνευμα Πυθωνος.
The Priestess that delivered the Sacred Oracles, was called _Pythia_,
from _Apollo Pythius_, and must be a pure Virgin. Most of the Fathers of
the Church were of opinion, that it was the Devil gave the Answers,
which were generally dubious, a Sign of his Ignorance about Futurity.
One _Œnomaus_, a certain Pagan Philosopher, highly resenting it, that he
had been so often befooled by the Oracles, speaks to _Apollo_ thus—
“When we come to consult thee, either thou knowest Things to
come or not. If thou knowest them, why dost not thou speak so as
to be understood? If thou knowest not, why dost thou pretend to
it? If Things necessarily come to pass, why dost thou amuse us
with Ambiguities?[156]”
Footnote 156:
_Eusebius._
_F. BALTHUS_, a learned Jesuit, and _F. Bouchet_, say there were real
Oracles, and such that can never be attributed to Priests and
Priestesses; and that the Devil still gives Oracles in the _Indies_, and
that not by Idols, which would be liable to Imposture, but by the Mouths
of Priests, and By-Standers; and that the Devil becomes mute, in
proportion as the Gospel prevails.——
“It is generally believed among the more Learned, that the Pagan
Oracles were mere Frauds and Impostures, and calculated to serve
the political Views of Princes, and covetous Ends of Pagan
Priests.”
According to the learned _Bayle_, they were meer human Artifices; and he
is seconded by _Vandale_ and _Fontenelle_. But to return to the Oracle
at _Delphos_, which was very antient and much in vogue before the
_Trojan_ War: The Situation of the Place, where People were made to
believe God spoke, was at the Mouth of a certain Cavern, whence they
received their Intelligence. The Prophetess sat upon a _Tripodium_, a
three-footed Stool, assisted in her Function by divers Priests.
Under her Seat, ’tis said, that some time there appeared a Dragon,
through whose Throat Responses were audibly deliver’d, with a loud and
strong Voice: According to _Eusebius_, a Serpent rolled itself about the
Tripod, on which the Priest sat.
Of all Oracles, that of _Apollo Pythius_ at _Delphos_, in the _Ægean_
Sea, was the most celebrated, and consulted as the _dernier Resort_ by
the Princes of those Times; yea, all the _Greeks_ resorted thither for
Counsel in Matters of Importance. At the first opening of that _Oracular
Office_, Answers were given to the Querist in Verse; but upon People’s
ridiculing the Poorness of the Verification, the Oracle fell to Prose.
’Tis strange, that what they made a _God_, could not make a _good
Verse_, but not strange to see the old Serpent adhering to its first
Scheme of Politicks, by making the weaker Vessel the Vehicle to convey
his strong Delusions to the World.
Some of these Draconick Serpents excel in the Sensations of Hearing and
Seeing, as well as in the Art of Killing; and therefore a _Dragon_ was
made the _Conservator_ of their _Treasures_ and _Curiosities_; e. g.
_Mauritania_ in _Africa_, was famous for the Gardens of the _Hesperides_
(so called from three Sisters and Daughters of King _Hesperius_) that
produced _Golden Apples_, and were guarded by a _Dragon_, which
_Hercules_ having killed or charm’d into a profound Sleep, he robbed the
Golden Orchard.
The Rod of _Moses_, ’tis said, _was turned into a Serpent_. The
_Syriack_, _Arabick_, and _Septuagint_ Translations, say, twas turned
into a _Dragon_; and so the Rods of the Magicians became _Dragons_.
XII. The _Basilisk_ or _Cockatrice_, is a Serpent of the Draconick Line,
the Property of _Africa_, says _Ælian_, and denied by others: In shape,
resembles a Cock, the Tail excepted. Authors differ about its
Extraction; the _Egyptians_ say, it springs from the Egg of the Bird
_Ibis_; and others, from the Eggs of a Cock: Other Conjectures about its
Descent, being as ridiculous, I forbear to mention them. Nor are they
agreed whether it more inclines to the black or yellow Colour; nor are
their Sentiments less various about its Stature.
It is gross in Body, of fiery Eyes, and sharp Head, on which it wears a
Crest, like a Cock’s Comb; and has the Honour to be stiled _Regulus_ by
the _Latins_, the _Little King of Serpents_; and ’tis generally supposed
to be terrible to them. The Sight of this Animal, and Sound of his
Voice, puts them to flight, and even to over-run their Prey[157]: Yea,
Tradition adds, that his Eyes and Breath are killing; that is, I
presume, when he grasps the Spoil. Several dreadful things are
attributed to his venemous Qualities, so sing the Poets[158].
Footnote 157:
_Sibilo ejus reliquos terreri & prædam derelinquere._
[Illustration:
_Plate 3^d._
]
Footnote 158:
Tam teter vacuas odor hinc exhalat in auras,
Atque propinquantes penetrant non segniter artus.
_Nican._
Ante venena nocens, late sibi submovet omne
Vulgus, & in vacua regnat Basiliscus arena.
_Lucan._ 270.
According to _Pliny_ and other antient Historians, this Serpent in its
Motion, inclines to the Erect; it goes half upright, the middle and
posterior parts of the Body only touching the Ground. The Venom of the
Basilisk is said to be so exalted, that if it bites a Staff, ’twill kill
the Person that makes use of it; but this is Tradition without a
Voucher[159].
Footnote 159:
_Ælian. Gyllii Accessio_, cap. xviii. p. 247. _Jonstoni Historia
Natural. Serp._ p. 34, 35.
The reason why this Serpent is dubb’d _King_, is not because ’tis larger
in bulk than others of the Fraternity, or because it wears a Crown, or
because that Title seems to be recognized by a divine Prophet, who
speaking of _Ahaz_ and his Son _Hezekiah_, says, _Out of the Serpent’s
Root shall come forth a Cockatrice, and his Fruit shall be a fiery
flying Serpent_. The _Hebrew_ expresses it by a word, that Signifies a
_Prince_ or _King_, but not with a View to Empire over the serpentine
Race.
But ’tis most probable, that the royal Stile is given to this Serpent,
because of its _majestic Pace_, which seems to be attended with an Air
of Grandeur and Authority. It does not, like other Serpents, creep on
the Earth; which if it did, the sight of it would not be frightful, but
moving about, in a sort of an erect Posture, it looks like a Creature of
another Species, therefore they conclude ’tis an Enemy. Serpents are for
Uniformity, therefore can’t endure those that differ from them in the
Mode of Motion.
’Tis said of this Creature, that its Poison infects the Air to that
Degree, that no other Animal can live near it, according to the
Tradition of the Elders famous for magnificent Tales. These little
Furioso’s are bred in the Solitudes of _Africa_, and are also found in
some other Places, and every where are terrible Neighbours.
The crown’d Basilisk leads me to _Ovid_, who, speaking of Man’s erect
Posture, says ’tis a Mark of Distinction due to the Excellencies of the
human Mind:
_A Creature of a more exalted kind
Was wanting yet; and then was Man design’d,
Conscious of Thought, of more capacious Breast._——
2. And partly as an Ensign of Royalty, some Characters whereof
Naturalists have observed in some other petty Principalities; such as
the Crown on the Dolphin, Diadem on the Basilisk, the Lion’s stately
Mane, which serves as a Collar of Honour.——
But Man, being vested with an universal Monarchy, walks upon the Earth,
like a Master in his own House.
XIII. The _Cæcilia_ or _Typhlinus_, the blind Worm, as the _Greek_ word
imports; not that it wants Eyes, but because they are so little, that he
must be furnish’d with good Optics that can discern them: And the Ear
also is as remarkably dull, therefore call’d by the _Greeks_
κωφιας[160]; of a brown Colour, full of Spots, variegated: The Belly is
blackish, the Neck sky-colour’d, garnish’d with certain black Spots:
Head like a Lamprey, and is as free from Poison: Little Teeth, a forked
Tongue, and may be handled without hurt[161].
Footnote 160:
_Quasi surdaster, quod hebetis sit auditus._
Footnote 161:
_Nicander_ calls it απημαντον, quod nullam noxam inferat. _Jonstonus_,
p. 19.
This Serpent seems to resemble those People which we call _Myops_, _i.
e._ Mouse-eyed, or purblind, which happens when the Eye is so _convex_,
that the Rays of Light unite, before they come to the _Retina_, which
makes the Eye also look small, whence the Name[162].
Footnote 162:
From τυφλοω excæco, κωφοω, exsurdo.
The _Cæcilian Serpent_ is about a Foot long, and distinguishable from
our common Serpents by the Form of its Body, which is almost of the same
Crassitude, excepting two or three Inches at the extremity of the Tail.
_Conradus Gesner_ tells us, his Wife struck one of these Serpents on the
Head, when ’twas pregnant, and it immediately cast forth its young[163].
Footnote 163:
_Gesner_, p. 36. _Ælian._
XIV. The _Cencris_, or _Cencrina_ is a spotted Serpent, and very
venemous; denominated from _Milium_, a small Grain call’d Millet-feed;
to which Historians compare the Spots wherewith this Serpent is adorn’d:
For the same reason, a certain Species of the _Herpes_, that is, a
cutaneous Distemper, which is a kind of spreading Inflammation, (and is
like Millet-feed on the Skin) is called _Miliary_: And by some, this is
called the _Miliary Serpent_[164].
Footnote 164:
_Ab aliquibus Miliaris appellatur._ Jonstonus, p. 20.
This Serpent is compared by _Nicander_ to a _Lion_; either for _Cruelty_
in thirsting after Blood, or for its _Courage_, which appears in all its
Attacks. How furious in all its Wars, offensive and defensive! always
fighting, Lion-like, with an _erected Tail_: Which leads me to a
Digression about the _Turkish Standard_, which is a _Horse-Tail
erected_: The Original of that Custom was this, _viz._ One of the
_Turkish Generals_ having his Standard taken in a Battle with the
_Christians_, and perceiving his Men discouraged by the loss of it, he
cut off a _Horse-Tail_, and fastening it to the top of a _Half-pike_,
advanced it on high, crying out, _This is the great Standard, let those
that love me follow it_: Upon which his Men rallied, fought like
_Lions_, and obtained the Victory[165].
Footnote 165:
_Tavernier._
But to return to the Serpent, which moving in a direct Line, goes fast,
but being of great Bulk, can’t suddenly wind about[166]: Circumvolution
is the way to avoid its Menaces. ’Tis commonly found in the Island of
_Lemnos_ (the old _Dipolis_, and now the _Stalimene_ of the _Turks_) and
also in _Samothracia_, an Island in the _Archipelago_, a Province
anciently famous for the _Dii Cabiri_, that is, _certain Gods_
worshipped by the _Samothracians_ and _Phenicians_, and had in such high
Veneration, that it was a Crime to mention Names so sacred among the
People[167]. Some say they were God’s Ministers, others think they were
Devils.
Footnote 166:
_Et semper recto lapsurus limite cencris._ Lucan. Pharsal. p. 269.
Footnote 167:
_Bochart Geogr. Sacra_, lib. i. cap. 12.
XV. The _Acontia_[168], called by the _Latins_, _Serpens Jacularis_, and
by some, the Flying Serpent, because of the Celerity of its Motion. In
_Lemnos_ ’tis call’d _Sagittarius_, the Bowman or Archer. By the modern
_Greeks_, _Saeta_, a Dart; for it flies like an Arrow at its Prey[169].
A certain Person in _Cato_’s Army call’d _Paulus_, was slain, not by the
Poison, but the Violence of its Blow[170]: Probably on the lateral part
of the Scull.
Footnote 168:
Απο του ακοντος, quod, jaculi instar, se vibret.
Footnote 169:
Rumpat & Serpens iter institutum
Si per obliquum similis sagittæ
Terruit mannos.
Footnote 170:
——immisit (jaculum vocat Africa,) serpens
Perque caput Pauli transacta tempora fugit
Nil ibi virus egit: rapuit cum vulnere fatum.
_Lucani Pharsalia_, lib. ix. p. 273.
Authors are not agreed about its Dimensions. _Ambrosinus_ speaking of
one he had seen in the _Bononian Musæum_, says, ’tis about the thickness
of a Staff, and about three Foot long: It is found in _Egypt_, its
Wounds are dreadful, being attended with Putrefaction and Defluxion of
the Flesh.
That which _Bellonius_ saw, was three Palms long, or sixteen Inches and
a Finger’s Breadth. _N. B._ _Palmus_ stands for two different Measures;
_Palmus major_ contains twelve Fingers; _Palmus minor_, four Inches.
It lies in wait under Bushes, from whence it rushes out unawares, and
flies like an Arrow at Passengers: Before it leaps at the Prey, it lies
on the Ground, and turns itself round, to give the greater spring to the
Motion, by which she’ll do execution at twenty Cubits distance[171].
Footnote 171:
_Jonstonus_, p. 20, 21.
These nimble Leapers are found among the _West-Indians_, especially in
_Hispaniola_, where there are little Serpents in green Apparel, that
hang by the Tail on the Branches, from whence they suddenly leap upon
their Prey. Among the _Sabæans_ are some cloathed in red, four Inches
long, that thus leap upon Men unawares; and hurt, not only by striking,
but touching.
This Serpent resembles the Ash in Colour, inclining to the white. It
traverses the _Lybian_ Provinces, where it makes travelling dangerous:
It is also found in the Island of _Rhodes_; an Island on which, the
Poets tell us, _Golden Showers are rain’d_, and where the Air is never
so clouded, as to hinder the Light of the Sun. It appears also in
_Norway_, according to _Olaus Magnus_.
One tells us, that he was inform’d by one _John Vitus_, a learned
_Hungarian_, that there were in that Country _little Serpents_ about six
Inches long, and without a Tail, therefore called by the Vulgar, the
_curtail’d Serpent_, the whole Body is much of an equal Thickness; and
these, upon View of their Prey, leap upon it with the Swiftness of an
Arrow[172].
Footnote 172:
_Conrad. Gesner. in Verbum._
XVI. The _Druina Serpent_ from δρυς, an Oak, by _Scaliger_ called
_Querculus_; it takes its Name from the Oak, in whose hollow places it
seems to reside; and to which, it retires for Refuge, when assaulted by
Hornets.——Some credulous Authors have said, that these Serpents take up
their hybernal Lodgings about the Roots of the _Beach-trees_, and by
Virtue of the Warmth, which those Roots derive from them, that Tree, so
enhappy’d, flourishes all Winter.
This Serpent is of the amphibious kind, and a most venemous Creature,
therefore rang’d with the first Order of the serpentine Race. ’Tis of
monstrous bulk[173], guarded by a rough squammatick Armour, in the
Cavities of which, ’tis said, little Flies build their Nests. Whether it
appears in white or blue Habit, is not material, nor do I see what
Honour it gets by wearing a Coronet on its Head.
Footnote 173:
It is a Load for a Porter.
In the Language of Tradition, to tread upon it, will cause an
Excoriation in the Foot, (tho’ no Wound be given) and a Tumor in the
Leg; yea, adds the Traditionist, the Hands that attend the Patient, will
be in danger of losing their Skin: But he who believes all the Fables of
Antiquity, is in more danger of losing his Reason.
The Druinical Serpent goes under various Denominations. ’Tis said to
follow the _Acontia_ in Authors, because its Figure exactly quadrates
with _Bellonius_’s dart Serpent; and _Scaliger_ was in the same
Sentiment[174].
Footnote 174:
_Jonstonus_, Articul. xiii. p. 21.
But I shall only mention that of _Chersydrus_, from _Nicander_ in
_Jonstonus_, p. 28. or _Chelydrus_, called by some a _Sea-Snail_; which
the learned Sir _Hans Sloane_ describes thus——
“That it is more flat than most of the cochlean Marines,
consisting only of Circumvolutions, round the Axis of the Shell;
of a fine purple Colour.”
He calls it _Cochlea Marina_[175], and not without reason, because of
their difference in Magnitude.
Footnote 175:
His Voyage to _Jamaica_, vol. i. p. 34.
The terrestrial _Druina_ lives upon Frogs, and other Insects; many of
them are found in _Africa-Interior_, and the _Hellespont_ by
_Constantinople_. It is a fetid Animal, and sends forth an ill Scent,
especially when its Body is wounded[176].
Footnote 176:
_Ælian._ _Gyllius._ _Gesner._
This Serpent exceeds most in bulk, and loudness in hissing, which
resembles the Cry of _Sheep_ and _Goats_, ibid. _Gyllius_ makes the
_Druina_ to be the _Chelydrus_, described by the Poet, who makes it a
_Calabrian_[177]: Of which, more in another place.
Footnote 177:
——_Nidore chelydros
Est etiam ille malus colubris in saltibus anguis
Postquam exhausta palus._—Virg. Georg. l. iii. This is applied also
to the _Hydrus_.
XVII. The _Elops_ or _Elaphis_ of the Antients, which some confound with
the _Cæcilia_, as _Jonstonus_ observes: It is of the amphibious Sort,
and known at _Lemnos_, where ’tis call’d _Laphiati_ by the Natives. In
_Aldrovandus_’s Study, _Ambrosinus_ saw the Picture of this Serpent,
which was about three Foot long; the Belly is of a yellow Colour, the
Back is brown, and distinguishable by three black Lines[178].
Footnote 178:
_Ray._
There is a _marine Elope_, an Animal counted sacred by the Poets, a Set
of merry Mortals, famous for turning every thing into a _God_, or
_Ridicule_. The Historian mentions a certain Fish so called, that upon
any loud Noise made on Land near the Shore, would immediately hasten
towards the Place, as if it would see who durst rival _Triton_ in Sound;
_Triton_, Herald of _Neptune_, Sovereign of the Sea.
XVIII. The _Pareas_ or _Parvas_, is a Serpent of a fiery Colour, sharp
Eyes, wide Mouth, two Feet situated near the Tail, by which its Motion
is guided[179]: It is called the Serpent of _Esculapius_, being of a
gentle, innocent, friendly Nature. In _Italy_ they frequent Houses, and
are no more dangerous than common Eels; and if provoked to exercise
their Teeth, there is nothing venemous in the Bite. This is supposed by
some to be the _Italian Baron_: One of its commendable Properties is,
that it devours poisonous Serpents; and therefore is sacred to the
Mysteries, and highly esteem’d in the Temple of _Dionysius_.
Footnote 179:
_Et contentus, iter cauda sulcare Pareas._ Lucan. Phars. 270.
_Gesner_[180], from _Albertus_ says, it goes as it were upright, on its
Tail, not perpendicularly upon the sharp End, but on that Part of the
Body joined to the Tail: It is bred in _Syria_, _Alexandria_, and in the
East, _&c._ These Serpents are known also in _Spain_ and other temperate
Regions, and every where esteemed Enemies to hurtful Serpents, and
Friends to Mankind; therefore were consecrated to the divine
_Esculapius_, that great and glorious Exemplar of Humanity.
Footnote 180:
_Quasi totus erectus graditur super caudam._ l. v. p. 65.
XIX. The _Dipsas_ or _Dipsacus_ is a little venemous Reptile of the
Aspick kind[181], less than a Viper, but kills sooner; and is most
remarkable in this, that when it bites, the Poison brings an
unquenchable Thirst on the Person affected, who finding no Relief, runs
to the Water, and drinks till he bursts asunder[182].
Footnote 181:
Some make it of the viperine Sort. One calls it, _Vipera siticulosa.
Vipera sitem facientes._ Avicenna. Conrad. Gesner, p. 42. _Inter
aspidem & viperam_, says another. _Ibid._
Footnote 182:
_Accessio Gyllii_, cap. 47.
The Poetick Historian observes, how _Aulus_, an Ensign-bearer in the
_Roman_ Army in _Africa_, was slain by this Serpent; at first he felt
little or no Pain from the Bite, but as soon as it began to operate, he
was immediately scorch’d to death[183]. _Galen_ calls this Serpent
_Diabetes_, and _Ægineta Dipsacus_, from the incurable Thirst that
accompanies its Bite: By others ’tis called _Situla_, because of the
burning Heat caused by the Wound.
Footnote 183:
——_Sanguinis Aulam.
Torta caput retro Dipsas calcata momordit.
Vix dolor_—— p. 270.
It is about a Cubit in Length, lives in salt Marshes and shallow Waters;
it dwells in _Arabia_, _Rhodes_, _Africa_, especially in _Lybia_, where
some Branches of the venemous Family live on Camel’s Flesh, and Locusts
dried in the Sun. The more hot the Climate, the more terrible the Wound,
as it is in that hot Country, where they have no Springs, but a few salt
Wells, which increase the animal Appetite of Thirst. The learned
_Venetian_ makes the Serpent _Dipsas_ an _Hieroglyphick of illicit
Love_, the Poison of which will, without timely Repentance, excite the
Thirst of _Dives_, who wanted a Drop of Water to cool his scorched
Tongue[184].
Footnote 184:
_Joannis Pierii Valeriani Bellunensis Hieroglyphica, inter
Collectanea_, p. 34. _Titulus_, _Amoris ignes_.
XX. _Common Snake._ These Serpents in their Summer-rambles haunt among
Bushes, mossy Grounds, uliginous and unfrequented Situations. In a
sultry Day they may be seen basking themselves in the Sun, near their
Apartments: The Sight of a Person puts them to flight; and upon a close
Pursuit of them, they make a Stand, raise up their Heads to a
considerable Height, and oppose the Enemy with a loud and angry Hiss. No
Danger is apprehended from their Bite, and they are handled with
Impunity.
This Species of Serpents resembles the _Esculapian_, that has been fed
in some Families; and when provoked to use the Teeth, the Danger is no
more than that from a Bee, whose Weapons are defensive, and not employed
without Provocation: In Winter they retire into subterraneous Spaces,
where they lie dormant, till the vernal Sun invites them out.
Though they propagate as Vipers, it does not appear that they sit on
their Eggs, as most oviparous Animals do; for we often find a Brood of
young Serpents in old Hedges and Dunghills, and no visible Sign of a
common Passage to and from the Nest.
XXI. The _Elephantia Serpents_ are those whose Wounds cast People into a
Leprosy or Roughness of Skin, like that of an Elephant: Hence Leprosy
proceeding from inward Disorders, is call’d _Elephantia_ or
_Elephantiasis_, which is a cutaneous Disease, makes the Skin scurfy and
rough, in Colour resembling that of an Animal, that in Bulk and
Intelligence is superior to all four-footed Beasts.
_Elephants_ in _India_ are said to be about 12 Foot high, and of a
Mouse-colour, the Skin not only rough, but hard, so hard, that it is not
penetrable by a Sword; their Eyes like those of Swine; two Teeth hang
out beyond the rest, which are Ivory.
A memorable Instance of this gigantick Creature’s Understanding, we had
a few Years ago at _Newcastle_ in _Staffordshire_, where a Man
travelling with an _Elephant_ for a Show, one Morning conducting that
Creature to water, happened to pass by a Taylor’s Shop, that was working
at an open Window, and so near it, that the _Taylor_ had the _Courage_
to prick him with his Needle: The Beast did not then seem to resent the
Affront, but when he returned from the Water, which he having artfully
muddled, took into his Trunk; as he came back by the Taylor’s Window,
spouted it in his Face, which very much disobliged a Piece of
Scarlet-cloth on his Table.
[Illustration:
_Plate 4^{th}._
]
That Elephants are subject to Wrath and Revenge, is evident from other
Instances: _e. g._ We read of an Elephant, that when he was brought into
a certain Theatre, saw, as he pass’d along, a Keeper of wild Beasts,
sitting in the Market-place, whom he suddenly killed: And that the
occasion of this Revenge was, because the said Keeper about ten Years
before had struck him with a Sword in that same Place[185].
Footnote 185:
_Michael Glycas_’s Annal. par. 1. in the Memoirs of the Royal Society,
vol. v, vi. p. 280, 281. _ibid._ p. 281.
And _Acosta_ writes, that a Soldier in the Town of _Cochine_, had thrown
the Kernel of a Nut at an Elephant, which the Animal took up and
carefully hid: Some Days after, the Elephant seeing the said Soldier
pass by, threw it in his Face, and went away leaping and dancing.
_Ibid._
In that same Town, another Soldier, meeting an Elephant and his Keeper,
would not give way to them: Whereupon the Keeper complained to the
Elephant of the Affront, who some days after, standing on the River
_Mangata_, which runs through the Town, and seeing that sturdy Soldier
stand idle, ran hastily towards him, lifted him upon his Trunk, and
plunged him several Times in the River; after which, he drew him out,
and left him where he found him. _Ibid._
XXII. The _Scorpion_ is one of the Inhabitants of the World in
Miniature; though a little Insect, yet is reckoned to be one of the
chiefest among stinging Animals, whose Poison in different Regions is
less or more dangerous, as it is exalted by various Degrees of Heat. It
has eight Legs, and two large Claws, resembling those of a Lobster, and
a Body like a Crab or Craw-fish: They are of various Colours, as red,
white, yellow, black: They differ also in their Size and Kinds, as the
marine, terrestrial, reptile, winged, hurtful and innocent.
Some are of the Bigness and Length of a Man’s Finger, not much longer
than a _Beetle_ or a black Fly: Those known to us are of a brown Colour,
the Back composed of Joints resembling those of a Crab, but more
crustaceous.
Authors differ about the Tail, whether it be knotty or not; but all
agree, that it is furnished with a terrible Sting, worse than the
knotted Whip. Many Places produce _Scorpions_ of the minute Sort, not
much exceeding the Length of a large Bean.
Others are more bulky, as those at _Jerusalem_, and all about _Syria_,
not unlike our little fluvial Crabs for Bigness, which they call
_Gambari_.
In the _East-Indies_ are large Scorpions of the winged Kind; so in
_Egypt_, where it is reported they are armed with two Stings[186].
Footnote 186:
_Conradus Gesner in Verbum_, p. 4.
It is observable, these large Scorpions taking their Flight against the
Wind, sometimes drop down, and so are taken by the Country People, and
perhaps sent to scorpionize other Kingdoms.
The _Sea-scorpion_ is a flying Animal, and of a red Colour, whose Flesh
is good, and much better than what they call _Scorpœna_, that affects
muddy Water and moorish Habitations.
There is a vast Spread of these venemous Animals over the World, both of
the winged and creeping Kind, in the Eastern and Southern Climates. Some
of them move with Tails somewhat erected, others trailing on the ground;
and are thought to be more dangerous than the former: The Coal-black
Scorpion is accounted the most hurtful; ’tis said, that in many Places
in _Persia_, the Inhabitants dare not sleep in Ground-rooms, for fear of
these little plaguy Creatures, the most terrible of all Night-walkers:
Of which more elsewhere.
A certain Historian informs us of stimulating Scorpions that infest
_Cashan_ in _Parthia_: They are of small Size, not strong in Body, but
very terrible in their Wounds, there being the greatest Malignity in
their Stings; upon which is grafted this proverbial Curse in that
Nation, _May a Scorpion of_ Cashan _sting thee_[187]: But _Chardin_,
_Tavernier_, and others, place _Cashan_ in _Persia_,
“where they are very much infested with Scorpions at all
Seasons, but especially when the Sun is in that Sign, which is
one of the twelve Signs in the _Zodiack_; so that ’tis become,
says another Historian, a Curse, _May the Scorpions of_ Cashan
_sting thy Gulls_.”
This occasions every one to be provided with _sovereign Remedies_
against them, which is a Piece of _Copper-money_ they put upon the
Wound, take it off 24 Hours after, and apply a Plaister of Honey and
Vinegar. The _Holstein_ Ambassadors say they are very black, of the
Length and Thickness of a Man’s Finger, and run faster than Crab-fishes,
with their Tails always erected[188].
Footnote 187:
_Herbert_’s Travels, Book ii. p. 13.
Footnote 188:
Duke of _Holstein_’s Ambassadors Travels into _Persia_, _sparsim_.
We read of a certain Emperor of _Persia_, who designing to make a Tour
into _Media_, durst not undertake the Journey, for the vast Quantity of
_Scorpions_ lying in the Road: So that he was obliged to detach a great
Number of stout Fellows to destroy those pestiferous Animals, promising
a superior Reward to them that kill’d most: Till this Execution was
over, he durst not venture his dignified Carcass abroad. The _Scythian
Scorpions_ are of the large Size, and terrible when they shoot their
Stings.
In _Madagascar_, a large _African_ Island, are several Sorts of
Scorpions, particularly _Water-Scorpions_, that lie in the Marshes and
standing Waters, which are very mischievous, killing Dogs and Beasts,
and then sucking their Blood. There is another Sort of Scorpions with a
great round black Belly, that are very dangerous; for those whom they
strike immediately swoon, and some for two Days are weak, and cold as
Ice. The only Remedy they have, is that used against Serpent’s Wounds,
_viz._ to set the Patient by a great Fire, and giving him Antidotes to
expel the Poison, which proves a Cure[189].
Footnote 189:
_Atlas Geograph. Asia_, from _La Croix_.
In _Italy_, _Land-Scorpions_ are call’d _Scurtificio_, because they have
their Poison _nel-pizzo_, in the Extremity of their Tail. Among the
_Germans_, _pizzo_ is _sharp_, as _spits als een naalde_, pointed as a
Needle: The Country people bring them in Sack-fuls to _Florence_, and
take them out with naked Hands, as if they were so many Eels, which
supposes them to be of the innocent Kind, like those _white Scorpions_
in _Pharos_, a little Island in the Mouth of _Nilus_, where there is
plenty of these pacifick Animals, who offer no Violence to their
Neighbours. Mention is made of other Provinces where they live and hurt
no body[190].
Footnote 190:
_Fran. Redi opusculorum, pars prior._
By the _Spaniards_ the _Scorpion_ is call’d _Alaicran_, from an Island
in _America_, called the _Island of Scorpions_, for the numerous
Multitude that ravage the Place. In _Brasil_ is a vast Number of
_Scorpions_, and some four or five Foot long, in Shape like those of
_Europe_; but not so venemous: Some of them chuse to kill themselves
rather than die by the Hands of an Enemy. A certain Gentleman who made
the Trial observes, that a Scorpion being surrounded with a Circle of
burning Coals, chose to sting itself to Death rather than be burnt.
In _Ceylon_ in the _East-Indies_, they have many Species of Serpents;
as,
XXIII. The _Pimbera Serpent_, whose Body is said to be as big as a Man’s
Middle, and in Length proportionable. The Creatures of this Kind secure
their Prey, even horned Beasts (which sometimes are pretty large) by a
sort of a Peg, or _pointed Hook_, that grows upon the Extremity of the
Tail: They are slow in Motion, and therefore skulk in hollow Places; and
when they have taken the Spoil, tho’ horned, they swallow it alive, and
whole; which often proves fatal, because the Horns may gore the Belly.
More, further on.
XXIV. The _Noya Serpent_ is another ill-natur’d _Indian_, about four
Foot long, will stand with its Body half upright two or three Hours
together, thereby displaying an Air of Majesty: The Inhabitants call it
the _King’s Snake_.
Their Poison in that Part of the Country operates variously: Some after
they are bitten, fall into a profound Sleep, and without speedy Help die
in about six Hours time: Others grow distracted, and if neglected die in
twenty-four Hours, and bleed at all the Pores of the Body, and are
irrecoverable: Of which before[191].
Footnote 191:
_Atlas Geogr. Asia._
XXV. The _Polonga Serpent_ is five or six Foot long, and a most venemous
Creature, destroying all manner of Animals that fall within its Circuit,
as well as Men, Women and Children. When the _Noya_ and _Polonga_
Serpents happen to meet, a bloody Battle ensues; they fight till one be
kill’d, and then the Conqueror eats up the slain.
XXV. The _Cobres Capellos_, Sea-serpents from eight to ten Yards long,
are most dangerous Beasts and frequently kill People in that
Country[192].
Footnote 192:
_Ibid._ from _Baldeus_.
When _Alexander_ was in the _East-Indies_, he and his _Macedonians_ were
strangely alarm’d by an Army of Serpents that sallied upon ’em from the
Woods, which would soon have destroy’d them, but for the Humanity of a
_Native_, who directed them to a certain Herb that cured their Wounds,
and saved them from Ruin[193]. The same Historian adds, that in those
great Deserts, frequent and terrible Scuffles happened between Elephants
and Serpents about Water, when they met at a Spring, and it so fell out
some time, that both perish’d; for the Serpent roll’d it self about the
Elephant’s Leg by several Folds, who finding himself wounded, falls
down, and in falling often crushes his Enemy to death. _Ibid._
Footnote 193:
_Diodor. Siculus._
In _America_ is a vast variety of Serpents, and some of prodigious
Dimensions; in particular, they are very numerous and large in
_Cordillera_, i. e. _Andes_, or high Mountains of _Chile_, which
Mountains, _Antonio de Herrera_ calls a Prodigy of Nature, not to be
match’d in the kind: They are two Chains of high Mountains, about 1500
Leagues in length: In that spacious Region are Adders red as blood,
seven or eight Foot long, which in the Night appear like burning Coals,
but not so dangerous as other Serpents, that are Imps of Darkness.
_Acosta_ and other Writers tell us, that the Devil appear’d among the
_Americans_ in the shape of a Serpent.
There are so many Sorts, says _Nieuhoff_, that the _Brasilians_ reckon
up no less than thirty-two, most of which are here accounted for.
XXVII. The _Caudisonant_, or _Rattle-snake_, is a large Species of the
Viper, and in its exterior Form every way similar, the rustling Tail
excepted; it moves with as much Agility as if supply’d with Wings,
called therefore the _Flying-snake_: It has small Eyes, and four Teeth
longer than the rest, of white Colour, and sharp, like Thorns; the Head
is guarded with small Scales, the Back with larger and thicker Armour;
the Tail is composed of several loose bony Articulaments that make a
roaring Sound, loud enough to be heard at a distance; and therefore
called the _Bell-Snake_.
It is common in _Virginia_, where it appears to be from three to four
Foot long, and reckoned to be very poisonous; but scarcely hurts any,
unless provoked; and when offended, like the God of War, makes directly
at the Enemy, without dread of Consequences.
In the History of _Peru_, an Account is given of a young Woman who was
wounded by a Rattle-snake, and died on the Spot, before any Relief could
be had; and when they came to take up the Corpse, the Flesh came off her
Bones; so speedily did the violence of the Poison dissolve the structure
of the Body.
The method of killing this Snake, is thus given by Captain _Silas
Taylor_, _viz._ Of the Leaves of _Dittany_ of _Virginia_ (_i. e._ wild
Penny-royal) bruis’d, we took, says he, and having fasten’d them at the
end of a cloven Stick, we held it to the Nose of the _Rattle-snake_, who
by turning and wriggling, labour’d hard to avoid it; but was kill’d with
it in less than half an Hour’s time, and as is supposed by the meer
Scent of that Vegetable[194]. This was done _A. D._ 1657, in _July_, at
which Season those Creatures are reputed to be in the greatest Vigour
for their Poison: It is also remarkable, that in those Places where this
wild Penny-royal grows, none of these Snakes are observed to come[195].
Footnote 194:
_Regnault_, vol. ii. from _Journ. des Scav._ 1666. p. 113.
_Lowthorp_’s Abridg. of Philos. Transact. vol. ii. p. 811.
Footnote 195:
_Ibid._
The bruised Leaves of the _Virginian_ Dittany are very hot, and biting
upon the Tongue: Probably the strong Smell of it might stop the Passages
of Respiration in those Animals, or ferment with the Blood, so as to
suffocate them. In _Gresham_ College at _London_ may be seen fifteen
Skins of Rattle-snakes checker’d——Some appear in ash colour: Several
Rattles of those Snakes, most of them composed of above ten Joints.
XXVIII. The _Salamander_ is an amphibious Serpent, very much spotted;
superior in Bulk to common Lizards. The _Land-Salamander_ is a little
poisonous Reptile, that resembles the green Lizard, but more gross in
Body; and is found in _Germany_ and other Places.
_CONRADUS Gesner_, says he saw one of ’em on the _Alps_ perfectly black,
with a short Tail: When wounded, a kind of milky Liquid runs out. In
_Germany_, are several great Woods, where _black Salamanders_ have been
seen; _Teste Matthiolo_[196].
Footnote 196:
_Jonstonus de Quadrupedibus_, p. 137.
This little strange Animal affects moist, cold and solitary Habitations.
In some parts of _Germany_ great numbers of them have been found in a
Body piled up, one upon another: They are of the oviparous kind, and
propagate their Species by Eggs, the common Semen of Fowls and Insects.
They are Enemies to Frogs and the Tortoise, and feed on little small
Insects; and when they have Access to Honey and Milk, they never want a
Feast.
It is of a poisonous Nature, and many have suffer’d by its Biting; so
says _Pliny_, with whom agree _Nicander_, _Aëtius_, and _Abensinæ_.
_GESNER_ is in a contrary Sentiment, and says he had domestick
_Salamanders_, that offered no violence with their Teeth without
Provocation. _Jonstonus_ adds, that in _Germany_ there appeared no ill
Effects of its Bite; but in _France_ its Wounds were of a most deadly
Nature, as appears by a Saying in that Kingdom. _viz._ _That a Man bit
by a Salamander, should have as many Physicians to cure him, as the
Salamander has Spots, which are numerous_[197].
Footnote 197:
——_tot medicis indigere quot maculas bestia habet, proverbio jactant_.
Jonstonus de Quadrupedibus, p. 137.