OF SERPENTS, .105 



** in all he told me, having ever paft for a very honefl: and pious 

 *' Man. I leave it to Naturalifts to realbn. aiid to other Men to 

 " believe as they pleafe upon it ; however, it is not perhaps ami:^ 

 *' to relieve or enliven a bufy Scene fometimes with luch Digref- 

 " ilons,whether to thepurpofe or no." So far Sir William temple. 

 Wonder not then, if you meet in this Hiilory with fome 

 romantick Sentiments entertained by learned Men concerning Ser- 

 pents, when two fuch illuftrious Pillars of the Commonwealth 

 of Letters, give way to a Relation that has fo much of the Marvel- 

 lous in it* 



XLT. These Hiflorians inform us of many more Serpents^ 

 and fome of great bulk, that infeft i\\o{Q America?! Regions 3 

 whofe Looks are ruddy, of blood-red Colour, that fliine ia the 

 Night, like- fo many gUttering Stars. 



A MODERN Author writes, that in America are fome Snakes 

 that were eight Foot long, and as red as Blood, which in the 

 Night look'd like Fire *. \ 



The former black, and thefe fhining Serpents, remind me. 

 of the Obfidia?i^ionts^ that are very black and tranfparent; they 

 have their Names from one Ohfuiiiis^ who iirft found them in 

 /Ethiopia, 



There is a fort of natural Ohfuiian Glafs, which is rather to be 

 ranked among Stones than Metals; 'tis as pafTive as the former,, 

 enduring the Graving-Tool, is diaphanous and pellucid, receiving 

 Images, and, like artificial Glafs^, tranfmitting all Forms and 

 Shapes. 



T H I s is found in JEthiopia^ where the Sepulchres of the No- 

 bles are ufually made of it, and after this manner ; 'uiz. They 

 take a large Stone, and make it hollow, and in the Cavity include 

 the Corps, where it is not only preferved, but, as if entomb'd in 

 Glafs, is apparently vifible to Sped:ators, and fends forth no un- 

 grateful Scent. 



O u T of thefe Ohfidian Stones, Looking-Glafles are wont to 

 be made, and are alfo found on the Coafls of Arabia. Thefe 

 finning Stones were inferted into Rings, and in one of them was 

 cut the entire Image of Augujliis^ who being much, taken with 



P ^ thefe 



^ '^ Anton, H?rr era's Hi ftory of America.^ Vol. IL in bis Account of P^ri^z?? ;p> 72, . 



