96 SHAKESPEARE'S [EAGLE. 



first she taketh her own portion and part. And therefore 

 oft other fowls follow the Eagle for hope and trust to have 

 some part of her prey. But, when the prey that is taken, 

 is not sufficient to her self, then as a king that taketh heed 

 of a commonty [common people], he taketh the bird that 

 is next to him, and giveth it among the other, and serveth 

 them therewith. And she setteth in her nest two precious 

 stones, which be called agates ; the one of them is male, 

 and that other female ; and it is said that they cannot bring 

 forth their birds without those stones. And she layeth in 

 her nest that precious stone, that bright agate, to keep her 

 birds from the venomous biting of creeping worms. And 

 among all fowls, in the Eagle the virtue of sight is most 

 mighty and strong ; for in the Eagle the spirit of sight is 

 most temperate, and most sharp in act and deed of seeing and 

 beholding the sun in the roundness of his circle, without 

 any blemishing of eyes ; and the sharpness of her sight is 

 not rebounded again with clearness of light of the sun, 

 neither disparpled [dispersed]. Also there is one manner 

 Eagle that is full sharp of sight, and she taketh her own 

 birds in her claws, and maketh them to look even on the 

 sun, and that ere their wings be full grown, and except 

 they look stiffly and steadfastly against the sun, she beateth 

 them, and setteth them even tofore the sun ; and if 

 any eye of any of her birds watereth in looking on the 

 sun, she slayeth him, as though he went out of kind ; 

 or else driveth him out of the nest, and despiseth him, 

 and setteth not by him. Also the Eagle is a fowl that 

 seldom sitteth abrood, and seldom hath birds ; and 

 nourisheth and feedeth her birds. The Eagle layeth three 

 eggs at the most, and throweth the third egg out of the 

 nest ; for she sitteth abrood heavily thereupon. And at 

 that time she is so much feebled, that she may not well 

 hunt birds of other fowls ; for then her claws be crooked, 

 and her wings wax white, and then she is sore grieved in 

 feeding of her birds. And if it happeth that the Eagle 

 hath three birds, she throweth out one of her nest, for 

 difficulty of feeding and nourishing ; but a bird that is 

 called ossifraga feedeth the bird that the Eagle casteth so 

 haply out of her nest. In age the Eagle hath darkness and 

 dimness in eyes, and heaviness in wings. And against this 

 disadvantage she is taught by kind to seek a well of 



