34 ANATURALHISTORY 



Creatures reputed venemous, are indeed no Poifons when 

 fwallowed, tho' they may prove fb when put into Wounds. 



The Venom that falls upon the Skin, is not fo mifchievous 

 as that which enters into the Stomach, or is communicated by 

 a Wound. " Yea, the Venom of a Viper, in itfelf, is not mor- 

 ^' tal to a robuft and flrong Body; and tho' very unhappy and 

 " mifchievous Accidents attend it, as Convullions, Vomitings, 

 '^' &c." yet in eight or ten Days at moft, thefe are over; tho' the 

 Patient may be very ill, yet he recovers, while the Poifon hav- 

 ing run thro' divers Parts of the Body, at laft always throws itfelf 

 iatothe Scrofum, and is difcharg'd by a great Quantity of Urine: 

 This Evacuation being the ordinary and moll certain Crifis of the 



Difeafe *. 



The Water — which amphibious Serpents frequent, receives 

 no venemous Tindure from them. When Marcus Cato com- 

 manded in Africa (the Element of poifonous Animals) he had in his 

 Arrav a Number of thofe Natives called P^/// and Marci, the fup- 

 pofed' Averiion of Serpents, and who fuck'd the Wounds of thofe 

 hurt by them. It is faid, thefe PJylUa7is inchanted Serpents, who 

 fled at the fight of them, as if their Bodies exhaled fome corpuf- 

 cular Effluviums, that were moft offenfive to Serpents, and put 

 them into fuch pain that mad^ them run. To thefe, the Gene- 

 ral added another Set of Perfons, famous for curing the wounded 

 bv other Methods; and all little enough. Serpents being the Lords 

 of the Country through which they were to pafs f . 



The Author of the Defcription of Gz^o's marching the Re- 

 mains of Pompefs Army through the Lybian Defarts, obferves, 

 how the Army "being almoft chcak'd with Thirft, and coming to 

 a Brook full of Serpents, durft not drink for fear of being poi- 

 foned, till convinced by their Superiors, that their being in the 

 Water, did by no means infed: it: Upon which they refreihed 

 themfe'lves with Water from the Serpentine River J. 



Add to this, the Example of Queen Cleopatra, who, to pre- 

 sent her beino- carried to Rome in Triumph, 'tis faid, poifoned 

 hcrfelf, by holding a Serpent to her own Breafl. Galeji mention- 



ingr 



* Philofoph. Tranfaftions abridged by Lowthorp, Vol. II. p. 814. Noxia Str- 

 Pi'itum eft a<!miffo fangiilne partis. Lucani Pharfalia. Amftelod. Edit. p. 266. 

 + AuH GclUi Nodes Attica, Wh. lb. c, n.p. 161. Ht-rodotAib. 4, P/utarch in Cato. 

 X Rein, 178. Lucan'^ Pharfal.— PwK/fl w«-/f fifrfKf— lib. 9. 



