Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries 81 



horse dung. Afterwards they distil them through an Alembick, and keep 

 the water in a clear glass. . . . Others . . . together with Glow-worms, 

 digest the gall of Tortoises, of a Weasel, and Sea-dog, puting them in 

 dung, and afterwards they distill them. This water they say far excels 

 all other whatsoever in lustre. Others put whole Glow-worms in dung 

 for nine dales to digest, others for three weeks, then throwing away the 

 Glow-worms, they take the fat of them and keep it in a clean glass for 

 to use. Some yet more fondly take Glow-worms, and casting away their 

 heads, they put to them the scales of fishes, and rotten shining wood, 

 such as glistens in the dark, with the gals of Sea-dogs, and so distill them 

 through an Alembick. Others promise confidently to make letters to 

 shine in the dark, by pricking out the yellow moisture of the Glow-worm, 

 and anointing therewith the paper, or painting it with the same liquor 

 in form of a star, some rub them with the oyl of Linseed upon marble, 

 and whatsoever you shall paint or write, they perswade us, may easily 

 read in the night, be it never so dark; but let them believe them that 

 have made the trial. Others after they have digested in horse-dung nine 

 daies, take the liquor that is left in the bottome of the glass and write 

 with it, and so think confidently to obtain their desire. JoJm Arden,^'' a 

 skilful Chirurgeon, an English man, walking after their steps, above 

 thirty years ago left such a description of this perpetual light in writ- 

 ing: He gathered a great number of Glow-worms, and shuts them in a 

 glassen vessel well stopt, laies them in dung fifteen daies, then puts the 

 water he findes in the bottome of the glass into a clean glass; to which 

 he adds as much of Quicksilver, the dross being purged from it, and 

 then he saith you must shut the glass mouth very close, and hang it 

 where you will, and then for certain (as he affirms) it will produce the 

 wished effect. Some have told me that this is very true, whom notwith- 

 standing I will not believe untill such time as the experiment be made 

 before mine eyes. These and many the like you may finde by reading, 

 but what credit may be given to them is easily conjectured out of what 

 went before. Hence then we may plainly understand how foolishly and 

 vainly mans wisdome doth many times vaunt it self, and whither our 

 wits may be carried, if not founded upon right Reason, the mistress of 

 all Arts and Sciences, shunning with all diligence the uncooth rocks of 

 opinion and self conceit. 



It is to the great credit of Muffet, and later of Athanasius Kircher 

 (1601-1680), Sir Thomas Browne (1605-1682), and Robert Boyle 

 (1624-1691) that they regarded ^^ the story of a glowworm liquor as 

 a myth, which it certainly was, for the light of these insects disap- 

 pears quickly when the luminous organs are macerated with water.^^ 

 As Muffet pointed out, if glowworms 



^^ Probably John of Arderne (1306-1390) , who practiced at Newark and London. He 

 is regarded as the first English army surgeon. 

 ^^ See Chapter IV for Kircher and Boyle's views. 

 **J. C. Scaliger was another who scorned the stories. In his polemic of 1557 against 



