30 SHAKESPEARE'S [BEAR. 



THEIR gendering is in the beginning of winter, and 

 gender not as other fourfooted beasts do, but they gender 

 both lying, and then they depart asunder each from other, 

 and go in dens either by themself, and whelpeth therein 

 the xxx day, and the whelps be not more than five, and 

 be white and evil shapen. For the whelp is a piece of 

 flesh little more than a mouse, having neither eyes nor 

 hair, and having claws somedeal bourging [i.e., burgeoning], 

 and so this lump she licketh, and shapeth a whelp with 

 licking. And so men shall see no where beasts more selder 

 gender nor whelp than Bears, and therefore the males hide 

 them and lurk forty days, and the females array their 

 houses four months with boughs, fruit and branches, and 

 covereth it, for to keep out the rain with nesh twigs and 

 branches. The first forty days of these days they sleep so 

 fast, that they may not be awaked with wounds, and thac 

 time they fast mightily. And the grease of a Bear helpeth 

 against the falling of the hair. And after these days, she 

 sitteth up and liveth by sucking of her feet, and beclippeth 

 the cold whelps, and holdeth them fast to her breast : 

 And heateth and comforteth them, and lieth grovelling 

 upon them, as birds do. And it is wonder to tell a thing that 

 Theophrastus saith and telleth, that Bear's flesh sod that time 

 vanisheth if it be laid up, and is no token of meat found in 

 the almery [cupboard, larder], but a little quantity of humour: 

 and hath that time small drops of blood about the heart, 

 and no manner of blood in the other deal of the body. 

 And in springing time the males go forth and be fat, and 

 the cause thereof is unknown, namely for that time they 

 be not fatted with meat neither with sleep, but only seven 

 days. And when she goeth out of her den, she seeketh an 

 herb, and eateth it to make lax her womb, that is then 

 hard and bound. Then her eyes be dimmed, and therefore 

 namely they labour to get them honey -combs, for the 

 mouth should be wounded with stinging of bees and bleed; 

 and so relieve the heaviness and sore ache of their eyes. 

 His head is full feeble, that is most strong in the lion, and 

 therefore sometime he falleth down headlong upon the 

 rocks, and falleth upon gravel and dieth soon. And as 

 men say, the Bear's brain is venomous, and therefore when 

 they be slain, their heads be burnt in open places, for men 

 should not taste of the brain, and fall into woodness 



