APID^ BEES. 115 



yeelded not vnto her hir desired profit, but did consume and 

 die of the murraine ; made her mone to another woman more 

 simple than hir selfe: who jjave her councel to get a conse- 

 crated host or round Godamighty and put it among them. 

 According to whose advice she went to the priest to receive 

 the liost ; which when slie had done, she kept it in hir mouth, 

 and being come home againe she tooke it out and put it into 

 one of hir hives. Wherevpon the murraine ceased, and the 

 honey abounded. The woman therefore lifting vp the hive 

 at the due time to take out the honie, sawe there (most 

 strange to be scene) a chapel built by the Bees with an altar 

 in it, the wals adorned by marvelous skil of architecture with 

 windowes conveniently set in their places : also a dore and a 

 steeple with bels. And the host being laid vpou the altar, 

 the Bees making a sweet noise fiew round about it."^ 



Mr. Hawker's legend is to this effect : A Cornish woman, 

 one Slimmer, finding her Bees refused to leave their " cloistered 

 home" and had "ceased to play around the cottage flowers," 

 concealed a portion of the Holy Eucharist which she ob- 

 tained at church: 



She "bore it to her distant borne, 



JShe laid it by the hive 

 To lure the wanderers forth to roam, 



That so her store might thrive; — 

 'Twas a wild wish, a thought unblest, 

 Some evil legend of the west. 



But lo! at morning-tide a sign 



For wondering eyes to trace, 

 They found above that Bread, a shrine 



Rear'd by the harmless race! 

 They brought their walls from bud and flower, 

 They built bright roof and beamy tower! 



Was it a dream? or did they hear 



Float from those golden cells 

 A sound, as of a psaltery near, 



Or soft and silvery bells? ^ 



A low sweet psalm, that grieved within 

 In mournful memory of the sin 1 2 



The following passage, from Howell's Parley of Beasts, 



1 Thom, Bozius de signis Eccles., B. 14, c. iii. Quot. by Butler, 

 Fern. Monarch'ip, c. i. 48. 



2 Quot. in Notes and Queries, ix. 1G7. 



