1 1 2 SHAKESPEARE'S [FISH. 



long time. Also the serpent doth away his venom ere he 

 gender with the lamprey. Also Fish conceive of dew only 

 as oysters and other shell-fish. Fish that be called Elich 

 come out of the water by night, and conceive in land of 

 the morrow dew, and bring forth their brood ; and in 

 waning of the moon their shells be void. Also Fish is 

 stirred to conceive and to breed by rising and down-going 

 of stars. So Fish that hight Australis arise, when the stars 

 that hight Pleiades begin to go down, and be not seen till 

 Pleiades arise again. Generally Fish be gluttons, and covet 

 much meat. And generally Fish travail more by day than 

 by night, and more tofore midnight than after. And there- 

 fore they be hunted tofore the sun rise, and then fishers set 

 their nets ; for that time fish see not. Full well they see 

 when light increaseth ; but by night they seek their meat 

 by smelling. Also there is some kind of great huge Fish 

 with great bodies and huge, as it were mountains and hills; 

 such was the whale that swallowed Jonas the prophet ; his 

 womb was so great that it might be called hell. The 

 barnacle \_q.v.~] when he knoweth and feeleth that tempest 

 of wind and weathers be great, he cometh and taketh a 

 great stone, and holdeth him fast thereby, as it were by an 

 anchor, lest he be smitten away, and thrown about with 

 waves of the sea. And so he saveth not himself by his own 

 strength, but helpeth to save himself by heaviness and weight 

 that is not his own. And is made steadfast and stable 

 against the coming of tempest and storm. And shipmen 

 see this and beware that they be not overset unwarily with 

 tempest and with storms. Heads of salt Fish burnt 

 healeth the biting of a wood hound, and the stinging of 

 a scorpion. Also the juice of every Fish helpeth 

 against venom that is drunken, and against venomous 

 stingings. [Cooper (" Thesaurus," s.v.) adds " The mugil 

 [i.e. mullet] is of all scaled Fishes the swiftest, of colour 

 white, having a great belly, and in greediness unsatiable ; 

 when he is full he lieth still in one place, and being afraid 

 hideth his head, deeming thereby that no part of his body 

 is seen. They are so desirous each of other's kind, that 

 when fishers hang a male of that sort on their line, all the 

 females resort un^o it, and so be taken ; and likewise do 

 ail the males to the females."] Also of a Fish which hight 

 estaurus ; for among Fish only that Fish cheweth his cud : 



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