66 SHAKESPEARE'S [COCK. 



his grease, or with his juice, he shall be sure from panthers 

 and lions. And if the bones of a Cock or of an hen be 

 meddled with gold when it is molten, they destroy and 

 waste the gold. And so hen's bones be venomous to gold, 

 and that is wonder. When he hath the mastery [over his 

 adversaries] he singeth anon ; and ere he singeth, he beateth 

 himself with his wings to make him the more able to 

 sing. And he useth far in the night to sing most clearly, 

 and to sing strongly. And about the morrow-tide he 

 shapeth light voice and song. The Cock beareth a red 

 comb on his head instead of a crown ; which being lost he 

 loseth his hardiness, and is more slow and coward to assail 

 his adversary. And he setteth next to him on the roost 

 the hen that is most fat and tender, and loveth her best ; 

 in the morrow-tide, when he flieth to get his meat, first he 

 layeth his side to her side ; and he fighteth for her specially 

 as though he were jealous. And he breedeth a precious stone 

 called allectricium, [or allectoria, v. Capon] like to the stone 

 that hight chalcedony ; and the Cock beareth that stone, and 

 by cause of that stone (as some men trow) the lion dreadeth 

 and abhorreth [him], and specially if the Cock be white. 

 For the lion dreadeth the white Cock. Also the Cock 

 dreadeth the eagle and the goshawk, which take their prey 

 on the ground. And the Cock is right sharp of sight, 

 and therefore he looketh downward with the one eye to 

 seek his meat, and upward into the air with the other eye 

 to beware of coming of the eagle and of the goshawk. 

 Also a right aged Cock layeth eggs in his last end, and 

 the eggs are small and full round, and as they were wan 

 or yellow. And if any venomous worm sitteth on brood 

 on them in the canicular days, of them be bred and grow 

 cockatrices. Bartholomew (Bertfcelef), bk. xii. 16. 



IT is to be marvelled at, that a Cock or Cockerel which 

 doth not fear a serpent or a dragon is so afraid of the 

 shadow of a glead, when he is flying, that suddenly he 

 seeks a place of refuge, and hides himself. 



Lupton, " A Thousand Notable Things," bk. i. 24. 



IF the blood of a Cock be dried, and made in powder, 



and mixed in wine, wherein there is water, it makes the 



water swim above. This was the relation of a learned 

 monk. ibid. bk. vi. 6. 



