36 THE LORE OF THE HONEY-BEE 
extraordinary powers and intelligence of their 
hive-people. But perhaps a story, gravely related 
by Butler, outdoes them all. He prefaces it by 
declaring that ‘“ Bees are so wise and skilful, as 
not onely to discrie a certaine little God amightie, 
though he came among them in the likenesse of a 
Wafer-cake; but also to build him an artificial 
chappell.” He goes on to relate that “a certaine 
simple woman, having some stals of Bees that 
yeelded not unto hir hir desired profit, but did 
consume and die of the murraine ; made hir mone 
to an other Woman more simple than hir selfe ; 
who gave her counsell to get a consecrated Host, 
and put it among them. According to whose 
advice she went to the priest to receive the host : 
which when she had done, she kept it in hir mouth, 
and being come home againe she took it out, and 
put it into one of hir hives. Whereupon the 
murraine ceased, and the Honie abounded. The 
Woman, therefore, lifting up the Hive at the due 
time to take out the Honie, saw there (most 
strange to be seene) a Chappell built by the Bees, 
with an altar in it, the wals adorned by marvellous 
skill of Architecture, with windowes conveniently 
set in their places: also a doore and a steeple 
with bells. And the Host being laid upon 
the altar, the Bees making a sweet noise, flew 
around it.” 
This story is only paralleled by another, equally 
ancient, wherein it is related that some thieves 
