Class III. VIPER. 3 ! 



from ft in an obftinate lepra : it is at prefent ufed 

 as a reftorative, tho' we think the modern phy- 

 ficians have no great dependence on its virtues. 

 The antients prefer ibed it boiled, and to be eaten 

 as fifh •, for when frefh, the medicine was much 

 more likely to take efFccl than when dried, and 

 given in form of a powder or troche. Mr. Kev/ler 

 relates that Sir Kenelm Digby ufed to feed his wife, 

 who was a molt beautiful woman, with capons fat- 

 tened with the flefh of vipers. 



The antient Britons had a ftrange fuperftition in 

 refpect to tbefe animals, and of which there {till 

 remains in Wales a ftrong tradition. The account 

 Pliny gives of it is as follows: we mail not at- 

 tempt a tranflation, it being already done to our 

 hands in a fpirited manner by the ingenious Mr. 

 Mafon, which we (hall take the liberty of bor- 



rowing. 



Pr^terea eft ovorum genus in magna Galliarum 

 fama, omijjum G rase is. Angues innumeri reflate con- 

 volutin falivis faucium corporumque fpumis artifici 

 complexu glomeraniur ; anguinum appellatur. Dru- 

 id ae fibilis id dicunt in fublime jaffari, f ago que op or- 

 tere intercipi, ne tellurem atiingat : profugere rapto- 

 rem equo : ferpentes enim infequi, donee arceantur am- 

 nis alicujus interventu *. 



* Lib. XXIX. <•. 3, 



But 



