THE HONEY-BEE. 
153 
Cold, generally speaking, is prejudicial to bees. 
When tempted by a bright sun after a fall of snow, 
Oxford in 1634, gives, in his quaint way, an amusing descrip- 
tion of a scene of bee-pillage. After particularizing various 
enemies to the honey-gathering tribe, he proceeds — “ But not 
any on® of des®, nor all des® togeder, doo half so muc harm to 
de Bees, as de Bees. Apis apt , ut homo homini , Lupus. Dey 
mak de greatest spoil bot of bees and of hoonnie. Dis rob- 
bing is practised all de yeer. In winter, soom wil bee prowl- 
ing abroad ; and soom ar so teevishly disposed, dat all de 
soommer long, wen abundanc® of hoonni is every wer to bee 
had, dey wil yet bee filcing, dowg (though) dey di® for it But 
in Virgo (August) is de most dangerous tim° of all : den Bal 
all de stalls in your garden bee trved of wat mettle dey ar 
mad®. De Robbers ar towgt (thought) to bee poor swarms 
and stoks, wic hav® not sufficiently provided demsel vs for win- 
ter. But indeed, sue ar fitter to bee robbed dan to be robbers. 
Der is no teef to de rich tee/: wo (who) aldowg (although) hee 
hav® enoug, and mor dan enoug ; yet by hook or by crook, 
hee will hav® mor®, dowg de poor starv® for it. Wen de teeves, 
having first mad e an entri, begin to coom tik, and de tru e bees 
perceiv® demselvs to bee assaulted by many ; dey suddenly 
mak® an outcri® ; and issuing out of deir holds by troops, pre- 
par® demselvB to battel. Soom keep de gat's *, soom fli® about ; 
soom run in again, to see wat is doon der® ; soom begin to 
grapple wid de enimi ; and dat wit sue a noise and din, as if 
de drum did sound an all-arm. Besid's wic bas® sound, you 
sal eftsoons in de heat of de battel, hear a mor® shril and 
sharp not®, as it wer® of a flut® ; as saith Virgil, 
“ Vox 
Auditur fractos sonitus imitata tubarum," 
wic, I am out of doubt, is tuned by deir generall commander, 
encooraging dem to figt for deir Princ®, deir lives, and deir 
goods. Den sal you see de enimi's bestur demselves most 
venturously ; soom violently, toorrow de tickest, trusting in 
at de gat's ; oders sealling de walls, and tearing dem down. 
On de oder sid e , de defendants will behav® demselves as brave- 
