SHAKESPEARE’S 
NATURAL HISTORY. 
Aconitum. 
Shall never leak though it do work as strong 
As aconitum or rash gunpowder. 
ii. Kinc Henry IV., iv. 4, 47-8. 
Gerarp, in his “ Herbal,” says that the poison of the 
broad-leafed and mountain wolf’s-bane “is of such force 
that, if a man especially, and then next any four-footed 
beast, be wounded with an arrow or other instrument 
dipped in the juice hereof, they die within half an hour 
after, remediless”; but the winter wolf’s-bane “is not with- 
out his peculiar virtues. It is reported to prevail mightily 
against the bitings of scorpions, and is of such force that, 
F the scorpion pass by where it groweth, and touch the 
same, presently he becometh dull, heavy and senseless ; and 
if the same scorpion by chance touch the white hellebore, he 
is presently delivered from his drowsiness.” He enumerates 
in all twelve varieties of Aconitum, or wolf’s-bane, and in 
addition “ mithridate,” or wholesome wolf’s-bane (nthora) 
which is the Bezoar, or counter-poison to Aconite. Gerard 
says further that, according to Avicenna, ‘the _ mouse 
nourished and fed up with Napellus (Monk’s-hood) is alto- 
ether an enemy to the poisonsome nature thereof, and 
delivereth him that hath taken it from all peril and danger.” 
But Antonius Guanerius of Pavia “is of opinion that it is 
not a mouse that Avicen speaks of, but a fly,” which is 
found on the leaves of wolf’s-bane, and from which an 
antidote is to be made with bay-berries, mithridate, honey, 
and oil of olive. 
I 
