INSECTS. 
209 
Bast. . . . the smallest thread 
That ever spider twisted 
King John, Act iv. Scene 3. 
King Richard. But let thy spiders, that suck up 
thy venom, 
And heavy-gaited toads, lie in their way; 
King Richard II., Act iii. Scene 2. 
Thersites. ... it will not in circumvention 
deliver a fly from a spider, without drawing the massy 
irons, and cutting the web. 
Troilus and Cressida, Act ii. Scene 3. 
Mercutio. Her traces of the smallest spider’s web ; 
Romeo and Juliet, Act i. Scene 4. 
GNAT. 
Ant. S. When the sun shines let foolish gnats 
make sport, 
But creep in crannies when he hides his beams. 
Comedy of Errors, Act ii. Scene 2. 
BNon. O me, with what strict patience have I sat, 
To see a king transformed to a gnat! 
Love’s Labour’s Lost, Act iv. Scene 3. 
Bassanio. Faster than gnats in cobwebs. 
Merchant of Venice, Act iii. Scene 2. . 
Hubert. Come, boy, prepare yourself. 
Arthur. Is there no remedy? 
Hubert. None, but to lose your eyes. 
p 
