SERPENT.] NATURAL HISTORY. 281 



and fasteth many days, that his skin may so the easilier 

 be departed from the flesh ; and then he tasteth a certain 

 bitter herb, that maketh him vomit and cast, and so he 

 casteth out the venomous humour that was cause of his 

 sickness and his default, and batheth himself at the last, and 

 moisteneth himself in water to temper and to nesh [soften] 

 the tender skin. And so he seeketh a strait cliff [cleft] of 

 a stone, or some strait den or some other thing, and 

 entereth into a strait chine or den, and passeth through with 

 a manner violence, and unlooseth himself cleanly of the 

 old skin, and then he layeth himself in the sun, and drieth 

 himself, and recovereth a new skin about the flesh, and 

 taketh might and strength, and seeth more clear, and glideth 

 and passeth and creepeth more strongly, and eateth more 

 savourly than he did tofore the changing of the skin. Of 

 the marrow of the ridge-bone [spine] of a dead man, a 

 Serpent is gendered. And also it is said that a Serpent 

 dreadeth a naked man, and dare not touch him, though he 

 leap on him, when he is unclothed. And a fasting man's 

 spittle is venom to Serpents, and Serpents die if they taste 

 thereof. In winter-time Serpents lurk in darkness and dens, 

 and their sight dimmeth for long abiding in darkness ; then 

 when they come out first of their dens in springing-time, 

 they feel dimness of sight, and seek fennel, or the roots 

 thereof and eat it, and doth away blindness. And the snail 

 is not beguiled of remedy, nor the tortoise when they have 

 eaten a Serpent's guts, for as they take heed that the venom 

 creepeth and worketh, they seek wild marjoram, and find 

 by taste thereof medicine against the venom of the Serpent. 

 The very Serpent drinketh but little, and hateth the smell 

 of rue, and fleeth therefore the weasel, when he hath eaten 

 rue, and may not well flee when he smelleth rue. And a 

 Serpent hath thirty ribs by the number of the days of a 

 month. And Serpents fare as swallows' birds [do], for it 

 their eyes be put out, yet their sight cometh again ; and 

 the tail of a Serpent groweth again if it be cut off, as the 

 tail of a newt. Also the weasel fighteth against Serpents, 

 and armeth himself with eating of rue, and fighteth namely 

 against Serpents that eat mice, for the weasel hunteth and 

 eateth mice. Also Serpents love well wine, and be there- 

 fore hunted with wine. And also a Serpent loveth passing 

 well milk, and followeth the savour thereof, and therefore 



