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 



