144 SHAKESPEARE'S [HART. 
beast, by the King’s or Queen’s hunting, be chased out of 
the forest, and so escape, proclamation is commonly made 
in the places thereabout, that in regard of the pastime that 
the beast hath showed to the King or Queen, none shall 
hurt him or hinder him from returning to the forest ; and 
then is he a Hart Royal Proclaimed. 
Minsheu's Dictionary, sz. 
Harts be enemies to serpents; which when they feel 
themselves grieved with sickness, they draw them with 
breath of their nostrils out of their dens, and, the malice 
of the venom overcome, they are repaired with feeding of 
them. And they taught first the virtue of the herb 
Dittany, for they eat thereof, and cast out arrows and 
arrow-heads, when they be wounded of hunters. And they 
wonder of noise of pipes, and have liking in accord of 
melody, and they hear well when they rear up their ears, 
and bear down the ears when they swim and pass rivers 
and great waters. And then in swimming the stronger 
swim tofore, and the feebler lay their heads upon the loins 
of the stronger. And the Hart is most pleasing beast, 
and runneth wilfully and fleéth to a man when he is over- 
set with hounds. [And in rutting time] the males wax 
cruel, and dig up clods and stones with their feet, and then 
their snouts be black until they be washed with rain. 
[And after the female has calved] the male eateth busily ;_ 
and when he feeleth himself too fat, he seeketh dens and 
lurking-places, for he dreadeth damage and harm by heavi- 
ness of body. And when the Hart casteth his right horn, 
for envy he hideth it, and is sorry if any man hath medi- 
cine thereof. Serpents flee and avoid the odour and smell 
of burning of an Hart’s horn. His rennet is good against 
all biting of serpents. Also the Hart’s blood and hare’s 
blood congealeth never. And the Hart roareth, cryeth and 
weepeth when he is taken. And when the Hind feeleth 
heaviness, she swalloweth a stone, and is holpen by virtue 
of that stone. Bartholomew (Berthelet), bk. xviii § 30. 
Give the bone of a Hart’s heart, ground, to a barren 
woman in drink, and thou shalt see the glory of God. 
Batman’s addition to Bartholomew, bk. xviii. § 30, 
