352 ARANEID^ — TRUE SPIDERS. 



in London, the j^ear 1019. we find the following: "Alexan- 

 drr Alexandrinus proceedeth farther, affirming that he 

 beheld one wounded by this Spider, to dance and leape 

 about incessantly, and the Musitians (finding themselves 

 wearied) gave over playing : whereupon, the poore offended 

 dancer, hauing vtterly lost all his forces, fell downe on the 

 ground, as if he had bene dead. The Musitians no sooner 

 began to playe againe, but hee returned to himselfe, and 

 mounting vp vpon his feet, danced againe as lustily as 

 formerly hee had done, and so continued dancing still, til 

 hee found the harme asswaged, and himselfe entirely re- 

 covered. Heereunto he addeth, that when it hath hap- 

 pened, that a man hath not beene thorowly cured by Mu- 

 sique in this manner; within some short while after, hear- 

 ing the sound of Instruments, hee hath recouered footing 

 againe, and bene enforced to hold on dancing, and never to 

 ceasse, till his perfect and absolute healing, which (question- 

 lesse) is admirable in nature."^ 



Robert Boyle, in his Usefulness of Xatural Philosophy, 

 among other stories of the power of music upon those bit- 

 ten by Tarantulas, mentions the following: " Upiphanius 

 Ferdinandui^ himself not only tells us of a man of 94 years 

 of age, and weak, that he could not go, unless supported 

 by his staff, who did, upon the hearing of musick after he 

 was bitten, immediately fall a dancing and capering like a 

 kid ; and affirms that Tarantulas themselves may be brought 

 to leap and dance at the sound of lutes, small drums, bag- 

 pipes, fiddles, etc.; but challenges those, that believe them 

 not, to come and try, promising them an occular conviction : 

 and adds what is very memorable and pleasant, that not 

 only men, in whom much may be ascribed to fancy, but 

 other animals being bitten, may likewise, by musick, be re- 

 duced to leap or dance : for he saith, he saw a Wasp, which 

 being bitten by a Tarantula, whilst a lutanist chanced to 

 be by; the musician, playing upon his instrument gave 

 them the sport of seeing both the Wasp and Spider begin 

 to dance: Annexing, that a bitten Cock did the like."^ 



In an Italian nobleman's palace, Skippon saw a fellow 

 who was bitten by a Tarantula; "he danced," says this 

 traveler, "very antickly, with naked swords, to a tune played 



1 Treasvrie of And. and Mod. Times, p. 393, 

 ' Boyle's Works, ii. 181-2. 



