The Cockatrice, or Basilisk. 



615 



THE COCKATEICE, OR BASILISK. 



THB fruitful imagination of man knows hardly any bounds. 

 The animal which bears the name of Basilisk was ori- 

 ginally supposed to be a serpent, with a sort of comb or 

 crown on its head : but that was not sufficiently marvel- 

 lous. It was supposed also to be hatched from a cock's 

 egg, upon which a snake had performed the office of in- 

 cubation ; and the animal had the head of a cock, and 

 the wings and tail of a dragon. Hatched near a spring 

 of water, the common resort of serpents, it was asserted 

 that, frightened at his own extraordinary shape, he soon 

 precipitated himself to the bottom, whence, by the mortal 

 look from his fiery eyes, he had the power of killing 

 whoever dared to gaze at him. There are no less than 

 four kinds of basilisks mentioned by various authors. 

 One burnt up everything near him, and reduced the 

 place he lived in to a complete desert ; another kind had 

 the power of producing a stony rigidity in whoever 

 looked at them, which was followed by death ; or the 

 gazers' flesh fell from their bones. The basilisk was said 

 to be killed by carrying a mirror to its lair ; and the 

 creature encountering the reflection of its own baleful 

 glance, was killed with its own weapons. 



