88 HUNTING DIRECTORY 



of persons, he suffered himself to be bit by an old black 

 viper ( brought by one of the company) upon the wrist 

 and joint of the thumb, so that drops of blood came out 

 of the wound : he immediately felt a violent pain both at 

 the top of his thumb and up his arm, even before the 

 viper was loosened from his hand : soon after he felt a 

 pain, resembling that of burning, trickle up his arm ; in 

 a few minutes, his eyes began to look red and fiery, and 

 to water much ; in less than an hour, he perceived the 

 venom seize his heart, with a pricking pain, which was 

 attended with faintness, shortness of breath, and cold 

 sweats ; in a few minutes after this, his belly began to 

 swell, with great gripings and pains in his back, which 

 were attended with vomitings and purgings ; during the 

 violence of these symptoms, his sight was gone for several 

 minutes, but he could hear all the while. He said, that 

 in former experiments he had never deferred making use 

 of his remedy longer than he perceived the effects of 

 the venom reaching his heart ; but this time, being wil- 

 ling to satisfy the company thoroughly, and trusting to 

 the speedy effects of his remedy, which was nothing more 

 than olive oil, he forbore to apply anything, till he found 

 himself exceedingly ill and quite giddy. About an hour 

 and a quarter after the first of his being bit, a chaffing 

 dish of glowing charcoal was brought in, and his naked 

 arm held over it as long as he could bear, while his wife 

 rubbed in the oil with her hand, turning his arm continu- 

 ally round, as if she would have roasted it over the coals : 

 he said the poison soon abated, but the swelling did not 

 diminish much. Most violent purgings and vomitings 

 soon ensued ; and his pulse became so low, and so often 



