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A NATURAL HISTORY 



Creatures reputed venemoiis, are indeed no Poifons 

 when {"wallowed, tho' they may prove fo when put into Wounds. 



The Venom that falls upon the Skin, is not fo mifchievous 

 as that which enters into the Stomach, or is communicated by 

 a V/ound. " Yea, the Venom of a Viper, in itfelf, is not mor- 

 "■ tal to a robuft and ftrong Body ; and tho' very unhappy and 

 *^ mifchievous Accidents attend it, as Convulfions, Vomitings,. 

 " &c." yet in eight or ten Days at moft, thefe are over ; tho' the 

 Patient may be very ill, yet he recovers, while the Poifon hav- 

 ing run thro' divers Parts of the Body, at laft always throws itfelf 

 into the Scrotum^ and is difcharged by a great Quantity of Urine : 

 This Evacuation being the ordinary and mofl certain Crifis of the 

 Difeafe *. 



The Water — which amphibious Serpents frequent, receives 

 no venemous Tind:ure from them. When Marcus Cafo com- 

 manded in y^z'^vV^ (the Element of poifonous Animals) he had in his- 

 Army a Number of thofe Natives called PJylli and Marfi, the fup- 

 pofed Averfion of Serpents, and who fuck'd the Wounds of thofe 

 hurt by them. It is faid, thefe Ffyllians inchanted Serpents, who 

 fled at the fight of them, as if their Bodies exhaled fome corpuf- 

 ciihr Effaroiums that were mofl offenfive to Serpents, and put 

 them into fuch pain that made them run. To thefe, the Gene- 

 ral added another Set of Perfons, famous for curing the wounded 

 by other Methods ; and all little enough, Serpents being the Lords 

 of the Country through which they were to pafs -f-. 



The Author of the Dcfeription of Catos marching the Re- 

 mains of Pompef^ Army through the hyhian Deferts^ obferves, 

 how the Army being almoft choak'd with Thirft, and coming to 

 a Brook full of Serpents, durft not drink for fear of being poi- 

 foned, till convinced by their Superiors, that their being in the 

 Water, did by no means infecl it : Upon which they refrefhed 

 themfelves with Water from the Serpentine River J. 



A D D to this, the Example of Queen Cleopatra^ who, to pre- 

 vent her being carried to Rome in Triumph, 'tis faid, poifoned 

 herfelfj by holding a Serpent to her own Breaft. Gahi mention- 

 ing: 



* Philofoph. Tranfaclions abridged by Loivthorp, Vol. II. p. 814. Noxia Ser- 

 pentum efl admijjo fanguine partis. Lucani Pharfalia. Amftelod, Edit. p. ^66^ 

 f Auli Gellii No&ei Attiae^ lib. 16. c. 1 1, p. i<5i. Herodot. lib. 4. Vlutarchin CatOi 

 4 'Redii 178. Lucaii's Pharfal. — FocuU 7norte carent^\\b. 2^ 



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