Pliiiies Naturall HilioHe. 



A v?ortiic,and to weave the fame againc, was a woman in Coos named /'-jw^^to^ daughter of 

 UU4: and furclyllie is not to be defrauded of her due honour and praife, for the invention of 

 that fine filkejTiflPaniCjSarcenetjand Cypres, which inftead of apparel! to cover and hide^fhe w 

 women naked through them. 



CttAP. XXIII. 



^ of the SilkemrmeinCss. 



IT is commonly faid^that in the Hand Cos there be certain Silkeworms cngendred of flowers, 

 which by the mcanes of raine-fhowerSjare beaten downe and fall from the Cypres tree, Te- 

 B rebinth, Oke, and Afh : and they foone after doe quicken and take life by the vapour arifing 

 out of the earth. And men (ayjthat in the beginning, they are like unto litde Butterflies naked 

 but after a while (being impatient of the cold)are overgrowne with hairc 5 and a gainft the winter, 

 armc themielves with good thicke clothes : for being rough -footed, as they are, they gather all 

 the cottoaand downe of the leaves which theycan come by,for to niake their fleece. After this, 

 they fall to bc2t,to felt and thicken it clofe with their feet, then to card it with their nailes : which 

 done, they draw it out at length, and hangit betweene braunches of trees,and fo kembe it in the 

 end to makcit thin and fubtill. When allis brought to this pa{le,thcy enwrap and enfold them- 

 fclves (as it were) in a round ball and clew of thread,and fo neftle within it . Then are they taken 

 up by raen,put in earthen pots, kept there warme, and nourifhed with bran,untill fuch time as 

 C they have wings according to their kind : and being thus well clad and appointed, they are let go 

 to doe other bufmelfe. Now as touching the wooll or fleece which they have begun,men futfer it 

 to relent in fome moifture,and(b anort it is fpun into afmall ihread,with a fpindle made of fome 

 light Kex or Reed . This is the making of that fine Say, whereof filke cloth is made ^ which men 

 alfb arc not abafhed to put on and ufc, becaule in fummer time they would goe light and thin. 

 And fofarre doe men draw Backenowadaiesfrom carryinga good corflet and armour on their 

 backes, that they thinke their ordinaric apparcll doth over- lode them. Howbeitj hitherto have 

 they not medled with the AfTyrian Silkwormc,but left it for the fine wives and dames of the city. 



Chap, xxiiii. 



^ ^ of Sptders^dnd their generation. 



IT were not amiflleto joine hereunto a difcourfe of Spidcrs,for their admirable nature, which 

 dcfcrveth a fpeciall confideration. VVherein,this is firft to be noted,that o{ them thbfe be ma- 

 ny kinds, and thofe fo well knowne unto every man,that needles it is to particularize and fiand 

 much upon this point. As for thofe which be called Phalangia,thcir flinging and biting is veno- 

 mous, their bodicfinall, of diverscolours,and jliarpepointedforwardjand as they goe, they 

 feemetohopandskip. A(ccondforcbeblackc,3nd their teet are exceeding long. All of them 

 have in their legs, three joints. The leaftof this kind,calledLupi, fpinnot at all nor make any 

 webs. The greatetjftretch foorth their webs before the finall entries inro their holes within the 

 E gvound.Bu: the third kind of Spidcrs5be they which are fo wondcrfull for their fine fpinning and 

 skilfull workmanfhip : thefe weave the great and large cobwebs that wee fee ; and yet their verie 

 wombe yeeldct h all the matter and flufte whereof they be made. Whether it be , that at fome 

 cer tcin Icafon naturally their belly is fo corrupt (as Democritm faith : ) or that within it there is a 

 certain bed (as it were) which engcndreth the fubflanceof filke. But furely whatfbever it is, lb 

 fure and fteadie nailes the Spider hathj fo fine, fo round,and even a thread ihe fpinnes, hanging 

 thereunto her felfe, and ufmg the weight of her ownebodic in fteajd of a wherve , that a wonder 

 it is to fee the manner thereof. Sheebeginnethtoweaveat the very midsof the web, and when 

 file hadi laid the warpe,bringeth over the woofe in compaflic round. The mafhes and marks i"he 

 d ifpenfeih equally by even fpacesi yet fo, as every courfe groweih wider than other: and albeic 

 F they do encieafeflill from narrow to be broader,yetare they held and tied faft by knots that can 

 not be undone. Maike,! pray you, how artificially the hidcth the fnares in that net of hers,madc 

 into fquares, to catch the poore flies . A man would not thinke (who feeth the long yarnc in her 

 web wrought fercc-wiie,fmoothcd and polifliedfo cunningly,^ind thcvcrie manner of the woofc 

 fo glewifb andclammie as it isj of it felfe) that all were to any purpofe,and fcrvcd for that which 



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