THE SPIDER. 201 



ble insect ? Nor could our Lord select a fitter contrast : * If a son 

 shall ask of his father an egg, will he give him a scorpion ?' Luke 

 xi. 11, 12. 



But the passage most descriptive of the scorpion, is Rev. ix. 3 

 10, in which it is to be observed, that the sting of this creature was 

 not to produce death, but pain so intense that the wretched suffer- 

 ers should seek death desire to die (ver. 6) rather than submit to 

 its endurance. Dr. Shaw states, that the sting of scorpions is not 

 always fatal ; the malignity of their venom being in proportion to 

 their size and complexion. The torment of a scorpion when he 

 strikes a man, is thus described by Dioscorides : * When the scor- 

 pion has stung, the place becomes inflamed and hardened ; it red- 

 dens by tension, and is painful by intervals, being now chilly, now 

 burning. The pain soon rises high, and rages, sometimes more, 

 sometimes less. A sweating succeeds, attended by a shivering and 

 trembling ; the extremities of the body become cold ; the groin 

 swells ; the bowels expel their wind ; the hair stands on end ; the 

 members become pale, and the skin feels throughout it the sensa- 

 tion of a perpetual pricking, as if by needles.' 



Our Saviour gave his disciples power to tread upon these terri- 

 ble creatures, and to disarm them of their means of hurting, Luke 

 x. 19. 



It may be necessary to remark, on the contrast which our Lord 

 draws between a scorpion and an egg, that the body of this insect 

 is much like an egg : and Bochart has shown that the scorpions of 

 Judea were about the size of an egg. 



The Jews used whips on some occasions, which were called, 

 from the suffering they occasioned, scorpions. To these it is prob- 

 able the haughty Rehoboam alluded, when he menaced the house 

 of Israel with increasing their oppressions, 1 Kings xii. 11. 



THE SPIDER. 



THOMPSON describes with great accuracy, the loathsome char- 

 acter of this well-known insect. Formed for a life of rapacity, 

 and incapable of living upon any other than insect food, all its hab- 

 its are calculated to deceive and surprise. It spreads toils to entan- 

 gle its prey ; it is endued with patience to expect its coming ; and 



