274 



SHAKESPEARE'S 



[SCORPION. 



-venom. Some have [two] stings, and among these Scorpions 

 the males be most grievous, and namely in time of love. 

 And they have certain knots or rivels [wrinkles] in the 

 tail, and the more such they have, the venom is the 

 worse, and they have sometime such knots six or seven. 

 In Africa some Scorpions have feathers [wings], and those 

 be full grievous. And because of winning [/>., of gain] 

 enchanters gather venom of divers lands, and labour for to 

 bear these winged Scorpions into Italy, but they may not 

 live under heaven within the country of Italy. To a man 

 smitten of the Scorpion, ashes of Scorpions burnt, drunk in 



wine, is remedy. Also Scorpions drowned in oil helpeth 

 and succoureth beasts that be stung with Scorpions. The 

 Scorpion hurteth no beast that hath no blood. And some 

 Scorpions breed and bring forth eleven young Scorpions, 

 and the mother eateth them sometime, but one of them 

 that is most sly leapeth on the thigh of .the mother, and 

 sitteth there safe and secure from the stinging of the tail, 

 and from the biting of the mouth, and this slayeth his 

 father, and wreaketh the death of his brethren ; and kind 

 ordaineth this provision, for such a pestilential kind should 



