( 4^ 6^ ^ 
faid to be amphifhma , but do inove fbi'watd only by the head^' 
%vhich is fairly diftinguJlliabie froiili the tail by a uotable black- 
iieis<,4That the threc^ I rogliout 6f the body of one Beetle, were 
all of a dark hair» Colour wkh whitifli bellies^ fomewhat thicker : 
theo hoggs briftfes^ but I took our of the body of another beetle 
one ih.it was much thicker than the reftj much lighter coloured}, 
and bymeafure juft fi ve Inches and a half long 5 whereas all the 
reft did not exceed three iDches three quarters, 
JnExtraB of a Letter, March 5. 1672 ^j' Dr. Thomas 
Cornel io^^ Neapolitan Fhihfopher md Phyfician^ ^f^ John Dod< 
ington Efqutre^ /i?/Majefties Zlefident Venice 5 cmicertmg 
Jojne Obfervations made of perjanf pretendiug to be jlung ^/sTaran/- 
lula s : Enqltfiod cut of the Italian, 
SIR 
" Ow the time approaches,that I may fend you fome Taran* 
tnlas. Mean while I fhall not omit to impart unto you, 
what was related to me, a few daies fince, by a judicious and un- 
prejudicateperfon^ which is 5 That being in the Country of 0* 
tranto ( where thofe Infedls are in great numbers , ) there was a 
man , who thinking hinifelf ftung by a Tarantula , fliew'd in his 
neck a fmall fpcck, about which m a very Ihort rime there arofe 
fome pimples full of a ferous humour, andthat,in a few hours 
after,that poor man was forely afHicJled with very violent fyrap- 
t3ms5 as Spcopes , very great agitations , giddines of the head , 
and vomit 5 but that without any inclination at all to dance , and 
without all defire of having any mufical inftrumefits, hecpsifera' 
bly dyed within two daies. / 
The fame perfon affirmM to me^that all thofe that think theni- 
felves bitten by Tarantula s^ {cY.ccipx. fuchj as fOr fome ends fain 
themfehes tobefo5)are for the moft partyouijig wanton girlej, 
< whom the Italian writer calls Void di fale^ ) who by feme pai- 
c cular indifpofition falling into this melancholly madnefs, per- 
fwadeihemfelves according to the vulgar prejudice^to have been 
ftung by a Tarantula. And I remember to have obferved in Ca^ 
hhria fome womeUaWjio feifed on by fome fuch accidents were 
counted to be poFefsM with the Divel 5 it being the common 
telief in that Province, that the greateft part of the evils^which 
'^lid: man-kindj proceeds from evil Spirits. 
TMs brings to my mind a terrible evil , which often enough 
is 
