SERPENT, | NATURAL HISTORY. 281 
and fasteth many days, that his skin may so the easilier 
be departed from the flesh; and then he tasteth a certain 
bitter herb, that maketh him vomit and cast, and so he 
casteth out the venomous humour that was cause of his 
sickness and his default, and batheth himself at the last, and 
moisteneth himself in water to temper and to nesh [soften] 
the tender skin. And so he seeketh a strait cliff [cleft] of 
a stone, or some strait den or some other thing, and 
entereth into a strait chine or den, and passeth through with 
a manner violence, and unlooseth himself cleanly of the 
old skin, and then he layeth himself in the sun, and drieth 
himself, and recovereth a new skin about the flesh, and 
taketh might and strength, and seeth more clear, and glideth 
and passeth and creepeth more strongly, and eateth more 
savourly than he did tofore the changing of the skin. Of 
the marrow of the ridge-bone [spine] of a dead man, a 
Serpent is gendered. And also it is said that a Serpent 
dreadeth a naked man, and dare not touch him, though he 
leap on him, when he is unclothed. And a fasting man’s 
spittle is venom to Serpents, and Serpents die if they taste 
thereof. In winter-time Serpents lurk in darkness and dens, 
and their sight dimmeth for long abiding in darkness ; then 
when they come out first of their dens in springing-time, 
they feel dimness of sight, and seek fennel, or the roots 
thereof and eat it, and doth away blindness. And the snail 
is not beguiled of remedy, nor the tortoise when they have 
eaten a Serpent’s guts, for as they take heed that the venom 
creepeth and worketh, they seek wild marjoram, and find 
by taste thereof medicine against the venom of the Serpent. 
The very Serpent drinketh but little, and hateth the smell 
of rue, and fleéth therefore the weasel, when he hath eaten 
rue, and may not well flee when he smelleth rue. And a 
Serpent hath thirty ribs by the number of the days of a 
month. And Serpents fare as swallows’ birds [do], for if 
their eyes be put out, yet their sight cometh again; and 
the tail of a Serpent groweth again if it be cut off, as the 
tail of a newt. Also the weasel fighteth against Serpents, 
and armeth himself with eating of rue, and fighteth namely 
against Serpents that eat mice, for the weasel hunteth and 
eateth mice. Also Serpents love well wine, and be there- 
fore hunted with wine. And also a Serpent loveth passing 
well milk, and followeth the savour thereof, and therefore 
