CURIOUS CREATURES. 319 



Basilisk. It is produced in the province of Cyrene, 

 being not more than twelve fingers in length. It has a 

 white spot on the head, strongly resembling a sort of 

 diadem. When it hisses, all the other serpents fly from 

 it : and it does not advance its body, like the others, by 

 a succession of folds, but moves along upright and erect 

 upon the middle. It destroys all shrubs, not only by 

 its contact, but even those that it has breathed upon ; 

 it burns up all the grass too, and breaks the stones, so 

 tremendous is its noxious influence. It was formerly a 

 general belief that if a man on horseback killed one of 

 these animals with a spear, the poison would run up 

 the weapon and kill, not only the rider, but the horse 

 as well. To this dreadful monster the effluvium of the 

 weasel is fatal, a thing which has been tried with success, 

 for kings have often desired to see its body when killed ; 

 so true is it that it has pleased Nature that there should 

 be nothing without its antidote. The animal is thrown 

 into the hole of the basilisk, which is easily known from 

 the soil around it being infected. The weasel destroys 

 the basilisk by its odour, but dies itself in this struggle 

 of nature against its own self." 

 Du Bartas says : 



" What shield of Ajax could avoid their death 

 By th' Basilisk whose pestilentiall breath 

 Doth pearce firm Marble, and whose banefull eye 

 Wounds with a glance, so that the wounded dye." 



The origin of the Cockatrice is, to say the least, 

 peculiar : " There is some question amongest Writers, 

 about the generation of this Serpent : for some, (and 

 those very many and learned,) affirme him to be brought 

 forth of a Cockes egge. For they say that when a 

 Cocke groweth old, he layeth a certaine egge without 



