96 SHAKESPEARE’S [ EAGLE. 
first she taketh her own portion and part. And therefore. 
oft other fowls follow the Eagle for hope and trust to have 
some part of her prey. But, when the prey that is taken, 
is not sufficient to her self, then as a king that taketh heed 
of a commonty [common people], he taketh the bird that 
is next to him, and giveth it among the other, and serveth 
them therewith. And she setteth in her nest two precious 
stones, which be called agates; the one of them is male, 
and that other female ; and it is said that they cannot bring 
forth their birds without those stones. And she layeth in 
her nest that precious stone, that bright agate, to keep her 
birds from the venomous biting of creeping worms. And 
among all fowls, in the Eagle the virtue of sight is most 
mighty and strong; for in the Eagle the spirit of sight is 
most temperate, and most sharp in act and deed of seeing and 
beholding the sun in the roundness of his circle, without 
any blemishing of eyes; and the sharpness of her sight is 
not rebounded again with clearness of light of the sun, 
neither disparpled [dispersed]. Also there is one manner 
Eagle that is full sharp of sight, and she taketh her own 
birds in her claws, and maketh them to look even on the 
sun, and that ere their wings be full grown, and except 
they look stiffly and steadfastly against the sun, she beateth 
them, and setteth them even tofore the sun; and if 
any eye of any of her birds watereth in looking on the 
sun, she slayeth him, as though he went out of kind; 
or else driveth him out of the nest, and despiseth him, 
and setteth not by him. Also the Eagle is a fowl that 
seldom sitteth abrood, and seldom hath birds; and 
nourisheth and feedeth her birds. The Eagle layeth three 
eggs at the most, and throweth the third egg out of the 
nest ; for she sitteth abrood heavily thereupon. And at 
that time she is so much feebled, that she may not well 
hunt birds of other fowls; for then her claws be crooked, 
and her wings wax white, and then she is sore grieved in 
feeding of her birds. And if it happeth that the Eagle 
hath three birds, she throweth out one of her nest, for 
difficulty of feeding and nourishing; but a bird that is 
called ossifraga feedeth the bird that the Eagle casteth so 
haply out of her nest. In age the Eagle hath darkness and 
dimness in eyes, and heaviness in wings. And against this 
disadvantage she is taught by kind to seek a well of 
