450 
The Animal-Lore of ShaJcspeare’s Time. 
His commentator has a long and involved note on this 
passage, but does not succeed in making it quite clear 
what sort of creature is meant. He writes:— 
“This is a little fish (as Plutarch saith in his treatise of the 
industry of living creatures) like unto a spider of the sea. He guardeth 
and governeth the spunge (called properly the hollow animal plant) 
which is not wholly without soule neither without blood and sence: 
but (as divers other sea-animals) cleaveth to the rocks, and hath a 
proper motion to restraine her selfe outwardly; but to effect this, shee 
hath neede of the advertisement and friendship of another, because 
that (being rare, lither, and soft, by reason of her small vents, and 
empty for want of bloud, or rather want of sence, which is very dull) 
shee feeleth not when any good substance fit to be eaten, entreth into 
these holes, and void spaces, which the spunge there makes her feele, 
and incontinently she closeth her selfe, and devoureth it.” ( Learned 
Summary , p. 224.) 
c£ Coral of each kind, the black, the red, the white ” 
(Drayton, Polyolbion , song xx.), was well 
known, though its substance was a sore 
puzzle to naturalists. The animal nature of coral was 
only discovered about a hundred and fifty years ago. 
Bacon says it is a submarine plant:— 
“ It hath no leaves, it brancheth only when it is under water; it 
is soft and green of colour; but being brought into the air it becomes 
hard and shining red as we see. It is said also to have a white berry, 
but we find it not brought over with the coral.” (Nat. Hist., 
cent, viii.) 
Elsewhere he notes, “ Coral is in use as an help to the 
teeth of children.” This use of coral is referred to in a 
poem by G-. Fletcher, called “ A Canto upon the Death 
of Eliza.” An ocean nymph appeals to the rocks around 
her to join in lamentations for Britain’s queen:— 
“ Tell me, ye blushing currols that bunch out, 
To cloath with beuteous red your ragged fire, 
So let the sea-greene mosse curie round about. 
With soft embrace (as creeping vines doe wyre 
Their loved elmes) your sides in rosie tyre, 
