. SNAKES OF FICTION AND OF FACT. 49 



6. Adder (Saxon), ' the grovelling.' 



7. Snake (Saxon), Schlange (German), ' the crawling ' 

 (with sense of dragging, and of smoothness). 



The first, and Ophidioii, a small serpent, Ophiodes, etc., 

 have given the name Ophiology to the science ; the second 

 was also a ' serpente ' in days of yore. The third, Angids^ is 

 now applied to some of the smooth, burrowing snakes ; and 

 the rest speak for themselves. 



Before quite taking leave of obsolete teachings, a few 

 lines from two very distinguished authors of the seventeenth 

 century must be quoted, the influence of both having no 

 doubt gone a great way towards diffusing beliefs. Lord 

 Bacon — in his book. Of the Proficience and AdiLancement of 

 Learning, Diidne and Humane . To the King. 1605 — 

 writes, ' It is not possible to join Serpentine Wisdom with 

 the Columbine Innocency, except men know exactly all 

 the conditions of the Serpent ; his Baseness and going upon 

 his Belly, his Volubility and Lubricity, his Envy and Sting ; 

 for without this. Virtue lyeth unfenced.' 



What quality is to be understood by 'Volubility,' the 

 reader must decide. Of the other five offences, all except 

 that of crawling are simply imaginary. By * Lubricity,' a 

 supposed sliminess may be intended, or the old fable of ' lick- 

 ing ' the prey ; and the only reasonable interpretation of the 

 * Sting ' is that the old Saxon word styng did imply a wound 

 punctured or pierced with any fine, sharp instrument ; and the 

 venomous tooth is not so very unlike an insect's sting after 

 all. 



The next is from Pepys' Diary, vol. i. 'p. 322. — Feb. 4th, 



D 



