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A N 
 
 ESSAY 
 
 T O WA R D S A 
 
 NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 S E R.P ENT S 
 
 IN TWO PARTS. 
 
 I. The Firft exhibits a general View of Serpents, in their various 
 Afpefts *, fuch as their Kinds, Bulk, Food, Motion, Propagation, Co¬ 
 verture, Colours. In which is inferted a fhort Account of Vegetable, 
 Mineral, and Animal Poifon, particularly that of the Serpent ; and 
 its Cure in various Nations ; where alfo the Serpent is ufed as 
 Food and Phyfick. 
 
 II. The Second gives a View of moft Serpents that are known in the 
 feveral Parts of the World *, defcribed by their various Names, different 
 Countries, and Qualities. 
 
 Uluftrated with Copper-Plates, Engraved by the 
 Best Hands. 
 
 III. To which is added a Third Part j containing Six Disserta¬ 
 tions upon the following Articles, as collateral to the Subject. 
 
 1. Upon the Primeval Serpent in Paradise. 
 
 2 . The Fiery Serpents that infefted the Camp of Israel. 
 
 3. The Brazen Serpent eredled by Moses. 
 
 4. The Divine Worship given to Serpents by the Nations. 
 
 5. The Origin and Reason of that Monstrous Worship. 
 
 6. Upon the Adoration of different Kinds of Beasts by the Egyp¬ 
 tians, with divers Inflances of the fame Stupidity in other Nations. 
 
 The whole intermix’d with Variety of Entertaining Digres¬ 
 sions, Philosophical and Historical. 
 
 By CHARLES OWEN D. D. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed for the AUTHOR. 
 
 Sold by John Gray, at the Crofs-Kys in the Poultry , near Cheap/ldc* 
 M.DCC.XLII. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
T O 
 
 Sir Hans Sloane Bar'. 
 
 SIR, 
 
 T HE Serpent [SubjeSi of the follow¬ 
 ing Sheets,] being one part of your 
 celebrated and expenfive Collection 
 of Rarities, naturally leads me to beg the 
 Honour of your Name to grace its Entrance 
 into the publick World. 
 
 I Can’t enter into the vanity of thinking, 
 that the Book can be any improvement to 
 one who has been fo long and laborious an 
 Enquirer after Truth, and penetrated fo far 
 A 2 into 
 
IV 
 
 DEDICATION . 
 
 into the Empire of Nature : but as in Divi¬ 
 nity^ a willing Mindj fo in Learning, the 
 belt Endeavour will be accepted. And tho’ 
 the Book cannot recommend it felf to you, 
 your Name may recommend it to others. 
 
 Happy are the Times, when Knowledge 
 is the ftudy of thole who have fuperior Abi¬ 
 lities for it: Happy therefore is the prelent 
 Age, that has you, among many other Learn¬ 
 ed, fo eminent an Encourager of it. 
 
 T h o' elevated Minds direct all their con¬ 
 cern to what they jhould be, and not to any 
 Applaule for what they really are ; yet, if 
 to delineate their Excellency be offenlive to 
 Modefty, the Sincerity with which it is done, 
 will, it is hoped, fecure their Pardom 
 
 Now, what is it that makes the great Cha¬ 
 racter, but Knowledge in all its diverlity, a 
 Sollicitoufnefs for the Spread of Arts and 
 Sciences, excelling in one’s particular Station 
 of Life, and being divinely forward to all 
 the high Offices <3 Humanity ? This is the 
 
 Pidture 
 
V 
 
 DEDICATION. 
 
 Picture of real Worth, and what can forbid to 
 fay, that Sir Hans Sloane is the Life ? 
 
 That you may long continue the Re- 
 ftorer of Health, the Ornament of the Day, 
 and in triumph over all the deadly Power 
 of the Old Serpent , at laft poilefs eternal 
 Health, are the moll: fincere Wilhes of him, 
 who with a juft Senfe of Obligation, and the 
 greateft Regards, is, 
 
 SIR, 
 
 Your moft humble y 
 
 and devoted Servant , 
 
 Warrington, 
 March i, 1741-2* 
 
 Cha. Owen. 
 
T O T 11 R 
 
 READER. 
 
 Divine Wifdomfo varioufiy difplayed in the Works of 
 H Nature, even the lowejl Order of the??i, entertains the bu¬ 
 
 rn. man Eye with ProjpeEls exquifitely beautiful and pleafur- 
 able : As our Knowledge is defective, we are at a lofs how 
 to account perfectly for the particidar Ends of their Formation , and 
 Manner of their Subferviency to the Whole of the Eternal Defign. 
 
 HOWEVER, by Observation and Improvements in Natural 
 Philojophy, we are afj’ured thus far -, that as the Almighty Creator 
 made nothing in vain, fo all his Works are good, and admirably fit¬ 
 ted to anjwer the Purpofes of his Will, and that his Wifdom, like 
 his tender Mercies, jhines through all the Syftems of his Creatures. 
 
 Pf H A T there is not- 1 cd wife Purpofe in every thing that is made, 
 becaufe we do not underfiand it, is as abfurd as for a Man to fay, 
 there is no fuch thing as Light, becaufe he is blind,- tind has nO'Eyes 
 to fee it. 
 
 FOR the Illuflration of this, we may take a Jhort View of 
 Creatures, in vulgar account too diminutive and defpicable a Species, 
 to deferve a clofe Attention : And among thefe, if we confider the 
 Noxious, we Jhall find, if not an Argument why they fioould be made, 
 yet we jhall be able to difcern no Reafon why they jhould not, becaufe 
 their Noxioufnefs is not Jo unavoidable, but that we may, and almofi 
 every one does avoid it. 
 
 GENERAL 
 
VI l 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 GENERAL H IS TO RIES of thefe Kinds we have been 
 furnijhed with in the Writings of the Learned : Here 1 apply my (elf 
 to the Difcuflion of one particular Species, viz. the Serpent: in which 
 Idm't premd)to ntpx3^ifmfidm^ **d}kr**g i$to 
 
 one View, what has beenfaid by different Perfons, which is not to be 
 found by any without many Booksj much Time ; and which , 
 without the prefent Englifh Dr K eJ's, would not be underfood by others 
 at all. 
 
 1N accounting for fome things- relative to the 'SubjeCl, I have al¬ 
 ways chofen the Words of the Learned in the Phyfical Profejflon. 
 
 THE SubjeCl being like Duft, the Food of the Serpent, very dry, 
 I have endeavoured to give it fome Agreeablenefs, by a Variety of 
 Pajfages from Hiflory , and Reflections of 'many kinds ; which , though 
 they may not always naturally arife from the SubjeCl, yet being in¬ 
 tended for the Reader s Entertainment and Infl ruff ion (as he goes 
 along in the principal Deflgn of the Book) 1 hope they will find a fa¬ 
 vourable 'Judgment. ___ 
 
 GIV E me leave, upon this occaflon, to adopt Sir William 
 Templet Words , viz. “ It is not perhaps amifs, fays he , to relieve 
 “ or enliven a bufy Scene fometimes with fuch Digrefforts, whe- 
 “ ther to the Purpofe or no.”* 
 
 1 SHALL only add, that in cultivating this SubjeCl, I have 
 attempted to give a Jhort Difplay of the Divine Perfections, which y 
 as they appear eminent in the Syftem of the Creation in general, Jo in 
 the Serpent they may be feen in particular j and if it produces in the 
 Reader a more exquiflte Perception of God in all his Works , I have my 
 End i who am 
 
 Your Humble Servant. 
 
 a ft topic's Memoirs from 1672 to 1679. Second Edit\p. 57, $8, 50. 
 
Dire&ions for the Binder, where to put the Plates. 
 
 Plate! after p. 54. 
 
 Plate II. — p. 70. 
 
 Plate III. - - p. 78. 
 
 PlateIV. - - - p. 86. 
 
 Plate V. - - - p. 94. 
 
 Plate VI.-p. 142. 
 
 Plate VII. -- p.152. 
 
 Pag. ERRATA. 
 
 25 T) Ead Bocca, inflead of Baca. 
 
 25 XV. Four Lines from bottom, after 
 honor, r. other. 
 
 34 Line z- r., tho' the Venom may. 
 
 33 After Dauphiny, r. and inflead of or. 
 
 58 Quotation, r. Natural Hifiory of Lan- 
 cajhire. . ' : 
 
 74 L. 14. inftead of Amphisbeenick Animals, 
 r. Whether there be two-headed Serpents 
 or not. 
 
 ,76 L. 14. from bottom, for Tython , r. By than. 
 95 L, 5. r. made, for move, 
 log L. 3. for could, r. would. 
 
 II2 L. 1. r. £>uinquennian. 
 
 114 L 17. for emits, r. emit. 
 s 15 L. 2. for if they, r. the wounded. 
 
 122 HeadLXXXIV. r. Americina. 
 
 132 Head CXI. r . Agnafen. 
 
 134 —— CXIV. r. Attaligatus. 
 
 Pag. ERRATA. 
 
 141 Head CXXVI. for Navigation, r. Na¬ 
 tation. 
 
 147 *—— CXXXIV. r. Reptiles and Infedts. 
 
 148 Head lid. for it, r. them. 
 
 162 Inftead of Damon, r. Damon. L. 4. 
 from bottom, in Quotation, r. ototnpLA. 
 
 '■if t L. 9. t. their other Faculties were. 
 
 19; r. Verdegreafe. 
 
 196 r. Nehujhtans. 
 
 211 r. Gades. 
 
 231 Dele 3. 
 
 237 L. 14. a Comma fhould be after adore. 
 
 N. B. In the Story of the Elephant, pag. 
 86. it Is a miftake, to place theAttion 
 at Newcafile; the Scene of it being in 
 the Faft-lndies, according to a Book cal¬ 
 led Hamilton’s Travels. 
 
ix 
 
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xii 
 
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 Xt 
 
 % 
 
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xviii 
 
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XX 
 
 A Lift of the 
 
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 1 
 
 Mrs„. 
 
xxii 
 
 A Lift of the 
 
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A Lift of the 
 
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 xxiii 
 
A 
 
 NATURAL. HISTORY 
 
 O F 
 
 SERPENTS 
 
 PART I. 
 
 SECTION I. 
 
 Begin with the Diviiion of Serpents, which I diftri» 
 bute into Lerrejlrial, that live upon Land only ; 
 Aquatick , that live in Water ; and Amphibious, that 
 inhabit both Elements. Under thefe I comprehend 
 all the Relatives to the venomous Tribe. But how 
 can Land-Serpents live in Water? I anfwer, their Bodies are 
 equally formed for both Places. 
 
 Among Animals, fome breathe by Lungs , and others by ’Gills, 
 as all fanguineous Fifh, (excepting the Whale.) By Gills, I mean 
 thofe membranous cartilaginous Parts on both fides the Head, 
 whereby they hear and refpire: What we call Gills in Fifh, are 
 properly their Lungs. Refpiration (which is an involuntary Mo¬ 
 tion of the Bread:, whereby Air is alternately taken in and thrown 
 out) is as neceflar'y to Fifh as to Land-Animals: In Water, is a 
 great Quantity of Air inclofed, and it is that Air they refpire, and 
 by their Gills they feparate the Air from the Water, «©nd prefent 
 it to the Blood, after the fame manner as ’tis prefented to the 
 Lungs of Land-Animals. 
 
 B 
 
 The 
 
A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 The Gilts of Fifh have an alternate Motion of Dilatation and 
 Compreffion ; when they dilate their Gills, the Water is taken 
 in ; when they contrail them, ’tis expelled again. Thus the 
 Water is carried in by the Mouth,, and carried off again (ftript 
 of its Air) by the Gills , which perform the Office of Lungs. Their 
 fucking Water is Breathing, and their Food as little of Water, 
 perhaps, as other Creatures ufe. 
 
 SERPENTS will fwim in all Liquids; this appears in the 
 Experiment made by a learned Italian , who put a Serpent into a 
 large Glafs-Veffel of Wine, where it lived fwimming about fix 
 Hours; and when it was by force immepfed and kept under that 
 Liquid, it lived only about one Hour and a half. He put ano¬ 
 ther in common Water, where it lived three Days; but when 
 it was kept under Water, it lived only about twelve Hours *. 
 
 Some- Serpents are reptitious, creep on the Belly, and fome 
 have Feet; the Form of their Legs is peculiar, and different in 
 divers Species, whence the flow Motion of fome, and wonderful 
 Agility and Swiftnefs in others: Their Feet are fome cloven (as it 
 were) into Hoofs, others divided into Claws, with Variety of dif¬ 
 ferent Nails to anfwer the feveral Purpofes of Life ; among them 
 are Flying Serpents : for which purpofe, they are furnifhed with 
 Wings to buoy themfelves up in the fluid Air, whereby they 
 keep their Bodies on a due Balance in their Motion. 
 
 Serpents are provided with Tails of different Length 
 and Size ; thefe alfo are neceffary to adjufl their Motion, and 
 guard them againfl: Stimulation of Flies. In winged Serpents, the 
 Tail ferves as a Rudder to govern them in flying through the Air; 
 and, in the marine Serpents, they ferve as Oars. But another fays, , 
 the flying of a Bird, in effedt, is quite a different Motion from 
 the failing of a Ship : Birds don’t vibrate their Wings towards the 
 Tail, as Oars are ftruck towards the Stern, but waft them down¬ 
 ward ; nor does the Tail of the Bird cut the Air at right Angles, 
 as the Rudder does the Water, but is difpofed horizontally, and 
 preferves the fame Situation what way foever the Bird turns 
 They are painted with Variety of Colours, as red, black,, 
 white, brown, green ; the Compofltion of thefe, in fome of their 
 Garnitures, forms Beauties exquifitely fine. Some of them have 
 very little Eyes, others large ones: Some wound with their Teeth,. 
 
 others 
 
 * Ft. MedL Exper. circa res nat. p. i70. f Borellh 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 others with the Tail that terminates in a Sting, which is an 
 Apparatus in the Body of certain Infedts like a little Lance, 
 ferving them as a Weapon of Offence. Mention is made by 
 Hiflorians of harmlefs Serpents, and of Perfons who have tamed 
 Serpents, and whofe Hair has been kiffed by a tame Dragon, and 
 which, with its Tongue, gently lick'd its Mailer’s Face *. 
 
 The Serpent feems to be one of the diflinguifhed Favourites 
 of the Air, feeing it fubfifts by aerial Food all Winter ; that is, in 
 thofe Regions where it dare not turn Ranger. Sleep is the Nurfe 
 of Nature, a Nurfe that greatly indulges the animal Spirits, and, 
 by arrefling voluntary Motion, prevents their daily Confumption, 
 and, at the fame time, allows the perpetual Motion of the Ar¬ 
 teries, Veins, Heart. We know but little of the real peculiar 
 Nature of what we call Air, only that it is the mofl heterogeneous 
 Body in the World, a kind of fecondary Chaos, being a Compound 
 of minute Particles of various Kinds, Earth, Water, Minerals, 
 Vegetables, Animals, &c. collected either by folar or artificial 
 Heat. 
 
 These Particles together conflitute an Appendage to our 
 Earth, called A tmofphere j or that thin, elaflic, fluid Mafs, wherein 
 we live, move, and have our Being; which Air we continually 
 receive, and expel by Refpiration, and no Animal can live, or 
 Vegetable grow without it. 
 
 Thus Serpents inclofed in the Receiver, are immediately 
 (I may fay) ftarved when deprived of Air, which is their only 
 
 Winter-Food.- N. B. Whatever is put in a Receiver fo ex- 
 
 haufted, is faid to be put in Vacuo : Animals that have two Ven¬ 
 tricles, and no Foramen Ovale , as Birds, Dogs, Cats, Mice, 
 die in it in lefs than half a Minute ; a Mole died in one Minute ; 
 a Bat lived feven or eight; Infedts, as Wafps, Bees, Grafhop- 
 pers, feem dead in two Minutes *)-. 
 
 Nor will any Vegetation proceed in Vacuo , or without Air : 
 Seeds planted will not grow. Objection. Beam grow in Va¬ 
 cuo. I anfwer, they grow a little tumid, but that kind of Vege¬ 
 tation is only owing to the Dilatation of the Air within them 5 
 they fwell a little by the Expanfion of that Air, but they never 
 bud. 
 
 B 2 Among 
 
 * Ran Sjnopfn, /Elian. Hijt , 7 Derham. 
 
4 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 A M o n g the Antients were very ftrange Notions about the Ori¬ 
 ginal of Serpents, and other Animals: Bees , fays a certain Ora¬ 
 tor, Hiftorian, and Philofopher, were bred from the Carcafs of 
 Oxen j Wajps from the Corruption of Horfes; Beetles from Affes j 
 and Serpents from human Marrow : Hence they confecrated a 
 Dragon to Kings and Princes, as a Creature peculiar to Man *. 
 
 IDon’t know how to form an Apology for the old Philofo- 
 phers, whofe Account of fpontaneous Generation is perfectly ro- 
 mantick : What can be more fo, than to fay Frogs are engendered 
 of Slime, or in the Clouds, and dropt down in the Showers of 
 Rain ? So the Egyptians faid, that Mice were produced from 
 the Mud of Nilus, and Infers from putrid Matter animated by 
 the Sun. The Principle of this equivocal Generation, was the 
 old Do&rine of Egypt , and now juftly exploded, as contrary to 
 Reafon and common Senfe, as well as to the D^fign of the 
 Creator in making Animals male and female; the End of which 
 Difference in Sexes, all Animals exa&ly anfwer, as if they were 
 endued with human Reafon. No Woman more tender of her 
 Babe, or careful in providing for it, than Animals are of their 
 Young Ones. 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 T HE Knowledge of mere Animals (who have no School for 
 Arts and Sciences) is .moft furpriling; thefe, without vifible 
 Initrudlors, know how to perpetuate their Species to the End of 
 the World ; and how to order their Eggs, as thofe, who were ap¬ 
 prized, their Succeffors were contained in them, and that it was 
 in their power to produce them, and fo perpetuate, or keep up 
 the Name of their Family. 
 
 The Serpentine Animals are thus taught by Nature; thefe 
 differ in the Mode of Propagation ; fome of them are vivipa¬ 
 rous, an Epithet applied to fuch Animals, who lay their Eggs 
 within their Bellies, who bring forth their Yoyng ones alive and 
 perfect, as Vipers, Sheep, Hares; others are oviparous , and bring 
 forth their Young from Eggs, as Serpents, Snakes, Lizards, 
 Frogs, Salmon, Tortoife, Herrings, &c . -f* 
 
 In 
 
 * Plutarch's Livesof' Cleomenes and Agis. + Omnia ah m anmalia . 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 5 
 
 I n this Contrivance of Male and Female, and different Me¬ 
 thod of Multiplication for perpetuating the Species, we may fee an 
 admirable Inftance of divine Wifdom : But for this Difference in 
 Sexes, there would be no Increafe of Serpents nor other Animals. 
 The oviparous and viviparous Manner of Propagation is as won¬ 
 derful ; for. 
 
 Were they all viviparous, that is, brought forth living Births, 
 there would be but a fmall Number, and not fufficient to fupport 
 the whole animal Body : Corn, Grafs, Fruits, &c. are no Pro¬ 
 ductions of the Sea, therefore can be no Food for Fifh: The Al¬ 
 mighty Creator fo ordained it, that they fhould feed one upon 
 another ; and this made it neceffary that they fhould be oviparous , 
 that they might increafe in great Plenty, which they could not do, 
 if they were of the viviparous Kind ; that is, brought forth their 
 living Offspring, as Vipers, Sheep, Hares, Cows do. 
 
 But Fifh being oviparous , propagating their Kind by Eggs, 
 which, for Number, are infinite, their Progeny is innumerable, 
 and fufficient to fupport all the Branches of the marine Family; 
 even the leffer Kind of Fifh fend forth an incredible Number of 
 Spawn. 
 
 On the other hand, if four-footed Beads were propagated by 
 Eggs, they would foon cover the Face of the Earth, without a 
 daily DeffruCtion of them, which would take up no little time 
 tho’ an Army of Nimrods were employed. Birds increafe by Eggs, 
 and bring forth great Numbers; and perhaps, for this reafon, 
 that Birds of Prey and Serpents, Kitchens, &c. might not want 
 proper Supplies. Now, if a female Bird was great with fix or 
 twelve Young Ones at once, the Burden would be intolerable, her 
 Wings would fail, and fhe would become an eafy Prey to her 
 Enemies. 
 
 But you will fay, what if they brought forth only one or two 
 at a time, till they amounted to the ufual Number of their Eggs ? 
 I anfwer, that then they would be troubled all the Year long 
 with feeding their Young, or bearing them in their Womb. 
 
 This Production of Creatures by Eggs, is a wonderful Phe¬ 
 nomenon in the animal World the Eggs are fhelly and hard, to 
 preferve the included Embryo from Accidents, and to contain 
 luitable Nutriment for it. ’Tis obfervable that Chickens, while in 
 their dark embryotick State, are nourifhsd by the White alone, till 
 
 grown 
 
6 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 grown big, and then feed on the Tolk, as the flronger Diet; and, 
 when that is confumed, the Shell opens, and lets out the Prifo- 
 ners. 
 
 Though all Fowl are hatched from Eggs, yet it is not al¬ 
 ways by the Parent’s Incubation, or Brooding, but by fome other 
 Warmth: The Tortoife is fa id to lay no iefs than fifteen hundred 
 Eggs, which fhe covers in the Sand, and leaves the Sun to hatch 
 them. The Eggs of the OJirich* are hatched after the fame man¬ 
 ner ; fo the Serpent lays, and leaves her Eggs in the Dunghill. 
 
 The Eggs of Serpents, and certain other Animals, are Parts 
 formed in the Ovaries of the Female, covered with a Shell, which 
 includes an Embryo of the fame Species. In the days of old, the 
 Egg was the Symbol of the World ; the World, by Tradition, be¬ 
 ing made of an Egg: Hence Eggs became of fingular impor¬ 
 tance in the Sacrifices of Cybele the Mother of the Gods. Some 
 of the Pagan Deities were faid to be produced from Eggs. 
 
 In fome Parts of Afia , and at Grand Cairo in Egypt , they hatch 
 their Chickens in Ovens; each Oven contains feveral thoufand 
 Eggs which the Country brings in, and have their Eggs returned 
 in Chickens. 
 
 By this Method, they generally want fome integral Part, as 
 an Eye, a Claw, &c. which may be owing to a Want of equal 
 Impreflion of Heat, tho’ the artificial Warmth be continued. 
 There are Thoufands, yea Millions at a Batch, thus produced in 
 Egyptian Ovens ; — and may as well be in Europe , if our Bakers 
 had the knack on’t. An Experiment has been made by a Duke of 
 Tufcany , who having built fuch Ovens, did produce living Chic¬ 
 kens in the fame manner. 
 
 Under this SeBion , I fiiall confider the wonderful Sagacity 
 of Serpents, in chufing their Paths for Deambulation, and finding 
 out proper Receptacles for their Repofe and Security in Winter^ 
 and that in Climates that are Oppofites in their Nature. 
 
 I n Summer, generally fpeaking, they are found in folitary and 
 unfrequented dry Situations; others delight in moorifh fenny 
 Grounds; and in hot Countries, near to Groves, Rivulets—Thefe, 
 like other Animals, firidtly adhere to the Confutations of their 
 Family, without Deviation. 
 
 They 
 
 * Job xxxix. 14, 15. Willoughby’s Ornithol. lib. ii. caf. 8. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 7 
 
 They take up their Winter-Quarters in Caverns, hollow 
 Places, Burrows, Rocks; old Hedges, and under the Roots of 
 Vegetables, efpecially the Birch, others fay Beech-Trees, which 
 were confecrated by the Pagans to the fupreme Numen. 
 
 I n thefe lonefome Habitations they repofe themfelves during 
 the Winter, in a kind of fleepy State, as half dead, with open 
 Eyes *. In this Solitude they lie dormant, indulg’d with a little 
 humid Air, till the Sun, by its Entrance into the northern Con- 
 ftellations, reftores them to the a&ive Life; without fome Air 
 they could not live. Mr. Boyle made the Experiment, by putting 
 Vipers into the exhaufted Receiver, which loon died upon pump¬ 
 ing out the Air. 
 
 I t argues no little Penetration, that they know when and 
 how to fhelter themfelves in Places of Safety in all Seafons; and 
 what is yet more aftonifhing, is, that they live there fo many 
 Months without Food and without Action ; and when releafed 
 from their hybernal Confinement, how foon do they find out 
 their appointed Food ? Taken in this light they are not fingular 5 
 for ’tis believed, there are other i^nimals that pafs the Winter- 
 Seafon in a Rate of Indolence and Inactivity, as Cuckows and 
 Swallows, making way by their Retreat for Woodcocks and 
 Fieldfeirs, which vifit us in Winter, and then return northwards: 
 They are faid to breed in colder Countries, as Norway, RnJJia , 
 Sweden , and the IJlands of Orcades , the molt northern Parts of 
 Scotland ; which Illands were formerly in pofieflion of the Nor¬ 
 wegians , and given and annex’d to Scotland by Chrijliern I. King 
 of Denmark and Norway , on the Marriage of his Daughter Mar¬ 
 garet^ With James 111 . Knng of Scotland, about the Year 1474. 
 
 I t is probable, that when thefe northern Countries are buried in 
 Snow, and their Rivers are frozen up, thefe Birds take their Flight 
 hither, and fuch like Places, where they have Accefs to Water, &c. 
 But as to Cuckows and Swallows, as intimated above, ’tis generally 
 allow’d that they lleep in Winter, having, as ’tis faid, been found 
 in hollow Trees and Caverns. Nor is this at all unlikely; tho” 
 on the other hand, I can fee no Abfurdity in fuppofing that thefe 
 fhould go upon a Summer, as the other do upon a Winter Pil¬ 
 grimage ; that thefe purfue a leffer Heat, as well as the others fly 
 from a greater Cold. Yea, Vegetables are faid to jleep in Winter, 
 
 Apertis Oculis. Conrad. Gefner, pag. 3. de Serp . 
 
8 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 and to be awake and lively in Summer: During the Months of 
 their Reft, a quantity of Oil is laid up in them for their Defence 
 againft the Cold, and in proportion to the Degrees of it, which 
 they are to fuftain j whence it is, that the Trees of the northern 
 Climates fo much abound with Oil. 
 
 O n the other hand, there are Reptiles and Infedls that have 
 Senfe enough to lay up Winter-Store in Summer, as the Bee, 
 WaJ'p , Field-Moufe , 6 cc. a Property foreign to the antient Houfe 
 of Serpents. 
 
 I n Summer, the Bees labour hard for Winter Provifion: As 
 foon as the Air grows mild and warm, they are out betimes, and 
 gather their Harveft from the Simples of the Fields, which they 
 fuck into their Bodies, and upon their Return to the Hive they 
 difgorge it, as Pigeons do their Food wherewith they feed their 
 Young. When the Bees have fill'd their Storehoufe with the De¬ 
 licacies of Nature, they lock the Doors, which they feal up with 
 delicate white Wax, to prevent the Emanation of the Honey, 
 which is a vegetable juice : The Combs in which their Treafure 
 is lodg’d, are geometrically nice, and exceed the moft exquifite 
 Art of Man. 
 
 The Ants alfo in this refpedt, are remarkable for Penetration 
 and Forefight. In America are Ants which raife Hillocks four or 
 five Foot high, and have fuch a way of cementing the Earth 
 about them, that ’tis as firm as Lime and Stone, which protects 
 them againft the Ant-Bears , or Pifmire-eaters ; i. e. a kind of 
 Creatures as bigas Dogs, that feed on thefe Infers. 
 
 One obferves, that the Spaniards left Jamaica, and went to 
 Cuba , for this Reafon among others, becaufe their' t Childrens Eyes 
 were eaten by thefe Ants, when left by themfelves in the 
 Cradle * 
 
 Ceylon in the Eajl-Indies produces feveral forts of remarkable 
 Ants, particularly a large red kind, which make their Nefts on 
 the Boughs of great Trees, with Leaves wrapt together in Clufters, 
 in which they lay their Eggs: And another fort call’d Vacos y 
 whofe Hinder-part is white, and the Head red 5 thefe fwarm 
 over the Land and devour every thing, but Stone and Iron : They 
 creep on Houfe-walls, and. always build an Arch over themfelves j 
 on thefe their Poultry live chiefly; fome of them bite defperately. 
 
 To 
 
 * Sir Hans than $ Introduction to his Voyag. p. 68. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 9 
 
 To thefe I might add the Wafps , that have their Winter- 
 Treafures in fubterranean Cells, and the Field-mice that know 
 the proper Seafon to gather Acorns, which they carefully hide 
 in hollow Places, (as Mole-runs) in the Earth. Thus we fee 
 no Creatures fo mean in our View, but a Ray of divine Wifdom 
 fhines in their Forefight and Contrivance : When we confider 
 how wonderfully thefe inferior Creatures are conducted in their 
 Operations, how punctually they obey the Laws of their Creator, 
 how folicitoufly every one propagates his Kind, and makes pro¬ 
 per Provifions for his Family; it looks as if it were done by fome 
 Principle that’s more perfect than the common Reafon of Man. 
 Neverthelefs ’tis paft doubt, that Brutes of the higheft: Order, 
 and moft refin’d, are but Brutes, i. e. irrational, and it’s well for 
 us they are fo. 
 
 This is call’d InftinB , a natural Difpofition, or Sagacity 
 wherewith Animals are endued ; by virtue whereof they are en¬ 
 abled to provide for themfelves, know what is good for them, 
 and are determin’d to propagate and preferve their Species. In - 
 flinSl bears fome Analogy to Reafon or Underftanding, and fup- 
 plies the DefeCt of it in Brutes. The Narrative of jEw’s Temp¬ 
 tation begins with affirming. The Serpent 'was more Jubtle than any 
 Beafi of the Field . And Chrijl recommends the Wifdom of the 
 Serpent, but not without the Innocence of the Dove. 
 
 The Proofs of its Subtilty are not fo obvious; fome produce 
 fuch as thefe, telling us, that the Serpent Ceraftes hides itfelf in 
 the Sand, with a view to bite the Horfe’s Foot that he might 
 throw the Rider. Jacob feems to allude to this, in the Bleffing 
 he gave to Dan , of whom ’tis faid, Dan Jhall be a Serpent by 
 the Way , an Adder in the Path , that bites the FLorfes Heels , fo 
 that his Rider Jhall fall backward. Gen. xlix. 17. But more in 
 Part third. 
 
 C 
 
 SEC- 
 
10 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 S ERPENTS are fuppofed to have many Enemies, befides 
 Man, as the Eagle , Hawk, Stork , Ibis , Ichneumon , Ma- 
 gaure , &c. I fhall only touch upon fome of thefe: Ibis is a 
 Bird of Egypt , and a faithful Ally in the War again ft Serpents 
 vaft Numbers of winged Serpents are annually bred in Arabia , 
 from whence, at certain Seafons, Swarms of them take their flight 
 acrofs the Red-Sea into Egypt: Upon the firft notice of their Ar¬ 
 rival, the Ibidian Birds aflemble in Troops, and immediately fly 
 upon the Invaders, and foon deftroy them. In the fame manner 
 they execute Vengeance upon the Serpents of Ethiopia , when 
 they moleft the Land *. 
 
 The Storks deftroy all Serpents that fall in their way, and 
 are fo greatly regarded in Pheffaly for this kind office, that it is 
 counted a capital Crime to kill a Stork, and the Criminal is pu- 
 nifhed as in the Cafe of Man-flaughter. 
 
 f The Stork’s Bill is very long and fharp, with which it makes 
 a rattling kind of Noife: It is faid, the Chirurgeons have learn’d 
 the Clyfterick Art from thefe Birds* 
 
 The Storks alfo are efteemed the Clergy’s Friends, for the Au¬ 
 thor of the Book of Nature fays, they will not inhabit any City 
 in Germany , where no Tythes are paid to the Rrieft. An Ortho¬ 
 dox Brood of Birds ! 
 
 When MoJ'es condu&ed the Egyptian Army againft the Ethio¬ 
 pians, he was to pafs through a Country full of Serpents, and to 
 fecure his Forces from them in their March, he carried with him 
 feveral of thefe Ibidian Birds, before whofe Fury they fell or 
 fled + 
 
 ICHNEUMON is a little Animal of bold Spirit, and a 
 great B ftroyer of Serpents, and therefore the Egyptians keep it 
 in their Houfes, as \ve do Cats; and the young ones are com¬ 
 monly fold for that end at Alexandria. In form it refembles an 
 over-grown Rat, and is called the Indian-Rat, and Pharaoh’s- 
 Rat ; and by its mighty Atchievements, it mult be of fome con- 
 
 flderable 
 
 * Conradus Gefn. p. c<-. Ray.Gylliur. f P/itty’s Nat, Hifi. Tom.i. B. IO. 
 
 t Jofephus , B. ii. Cap. v. p. 65. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 ii 
 
 fiderable Balk ; for in its Encounters with great Dogs, Crocodiles, 
 Serpents, &c. it generally comes off victorious: Upon their Ap¬ 
 proach it bunches up, and briftles up its Hair, in token of De¬ 
 fiance: It couches on the Ground, and leaps like a Bull-dog at 
 its Prey. 
 
 B y fome it is call’d the Egyptian Otter ; ’tis of a dun Colour, 
 has round Ears, black Legs, and long Tail: It cannot endure the 
 Wind, and runs for Shelter, when it rifes, fometimes thrufting 
 its Head between its hinder Legs, in a round Form like a Hedge¬ 
 hog. 
 
 Those who have examined into Kites Nells, have found 
 Vipers in them, which are fuppofed to be Food for their young 
 ones. In China is a little Creature like a Weezel, called Magaure t 
 that is a mortal Enemy to Serpents, which it kills by ftriking its 
 Teeth into their Heads. The Chameleon trembles at the Sight of 
 this little Furiofo *; whofe Ears are fhort and round, its Nofe 
 like that of a Ferret, its Tongue and Teeth like a Cat, which 
 is a Creature it deftroys in a Minute, though not the eafieft to be 
 killed. The Argoli Serpents in India deftroy Afps; therefore 
 by Alexander the Great’s Command, they were tranfported to 
 Alexandria -j~. 
 
 Whether the Serpent hates Man more than other Crea¬ 
 tures, is with me a queftion ; be that as it will, it is wonderful 
 to think, that notwithftanding Man’s and other Creatures invin¬ 
 cible Hatred of Serpents, yet hitherto they have been able to fup- 
 port themfelves in a State of War againft all the World. 
 
 Eve n among Vegetables are found Enemies to Serpentsj as 
 the Dittany of Virginia , or the wild Fenny-royal ; the Leaves of 
 which, fays my Author, being bruifed, we tied in the Cleft of a 
 long Stick, and held them to the Nofe of the Rattle-Snake , who 
 by turning and wriggling, laboured hard to avoid it, and in half 
 an hour’s time was kill’d by it: This was done 'July 1657, at 
 which Seafon thofe Creatures are computed to be in the greateft 
 Vigour of their Poifon ; it is alfo remarkable, that in thofe Places 
 where the wild Fenny-Royal grows, no Rattle-Snakes are obferved 
 to come ||. 
 
 * L. LeComtes Memoirs , p. 504. f JohnJtovus-> p. 16. (| Philof Travfaff. 
 
 abridg’d by Lowthorp , p. 811. 
 
 C 2 
 
 SEC. 
 
A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 I 2 
 
 SECTION IV. 
 
 T HAT Duji was not the original Food of the Serpent, 
 feems evident from the Sentence pafled upon the Paradi- 
 faick Serpent, but the neceflary Confequence of the Change made 
 in the manner of its Motion, i. e. the prone Podure of its Body, 
 by which it’s doomed to live upon Food intermix’d with Earth, 
 dried to a Powder; Dufl J, halt thou eat , is one part of the Curfe. 
 It’s true, Serpents eat Flefh, Birds, Frogs, Fifh, Fruits, Grafs, 
 but as they continually creep on the Earth, ’tis impoffible but 
 their Food mud; be often defiled with Dirt; fome of them may 
 eat Earth out of Neceflity, or at lead; Earth-Worms, which they 
 cannot fwallow without fome Dirt with them. No Animal but 
 has its proper Food; even the mod: minute Infers; thofc that 
 feemingly feed upon Dud, in reality feed only upon fome nutri¬ 
 tive Particles therein. Infedts have been feen through a Micro- 
 fcope to eat fome Particles of Dud:, and rejedt many others, hav¬ 
 ing accurate Organs of Sight, Smelling, and Feeling, as well ac¬ 
 commodated to Dud, as the Organs of Ducks and Hogs are to 
 find their Food in Dirt. 
 
 And here it may be obferved, that what the Serpent does 
 through a Neceffity from the Divine Sentence, the earthly Man 
 does from his own Will; the Serpent only by the Will of ano¬ 
 ther, Man eats it from his own Inclination to it; the Serpent 
 would have better Food if it could, Man might have better and 
 will not: This diews that Man has a mind to be Companion with 
 the Serpent, and to carry on the Acquaintance, that was begun 
 in Paradife; the Serpent licks the Dud materially, the earthly 
 Perfon licks it morally ; the one has its Tongue upon it, the other 
 has his Heart. The earthly Man is only a Man in Shape, but a 
 Serpent in Practice: What is the Punifhment of the Serpent, is 
 made the Happinefs of the earthly Mind. 
 
 Some Serpents are carnivorous , and feed on Flefh; others 
 are verminivorous , and feed on Reptiles : Their Sudenance is va¬ 
 rious, fuited to their feveral C’onditutions, and Nature of the 
 Climates, where they inhabit. Vipers and Adders feed on Herbs, 
 Weeds, Dew, as well as upon Lizards, Mice, Frogs.——When 
 
 they 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 *3 
 
 they take Food into their Mouths, they raife up their Bodies a 
 little, that they may fwallow their Prey with lefs difficulty. 
 
 They fwallow thofe little Animals whole without chewing. 
 In a Viper differed by a certain Gentleman, he found three large 
 Mice, intire, without any Change of their Form by hard Com- 
 pre'ffure. Scorpions live chiefly upon Locufts, and other winged 
 InfeCts. In Arabia , ’tis faid, they feed upon Balfam-Juices , and 
 feem to delight much in the Shadow of that Tree *. 
 
 It is remarkable, that Nature has provided young Vipers with 
 poifonous Teeth grown to Perfection, commenfurate to their 
 Bylk, that fo they may immediately feed themfelves, by being 
 able, in fome meafure, to kill their Prey as foon as they are born. 
 Some of thefe Animals have temporary Parts, as the Lacerta 
 Aquatica , a little Water-Serpent, which, when young, has four 
 ramified Fins, to poife and keep its Body upright, (which gives 
 it the Refemblance of a young Fiffi) and thefe fall off when the 
 Legs are grown : So Frogs and Toads, in their Tadpole-State, have 
 Tails, which fall off when their Legs are grown out -f-. Thefe 
 pafs through various Tranfmigrations, before they arrive at their 
 perfect State. 
 
 SECTION V. 
 
 A S Serpents differ in Kind, fo in Size; the Length to which 
 fome of them grow is rnoft furprizing. A certain Num¬ 
 ber is fent out with little Bodies ; others are of monftrous Bulk, 
 and capable of making the ftrongeft Efforts againft all the At¬ 
 tempts made to deftroy them; yea, are ftrong enough to contend 
 with Elephants , the greateft of Animals, and conquer them. e. gr. 
 
 A TTIL IUS REGXJLUS , the Roman General in Africa, 
 is faid to encounter a Serpent in that Country, of vaff Strength and 
 Stature, near the River Bagrada , 120 Feet long, which he and 
 his Army could not fubdue, without difcharging all their Engines 
 of War againft it j and, when conquered and flea’d, its Skin was 
 
 ^on- 
 
 * Conrad. Gefner, p. 8j. + Derbam's bhyf, Tbeol. B, IV. 
 
14 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 conveyed to Rome in Triumph *. This is the more credible, 
 fays Pliny , becaufe, in Italy , we fee other Serpents, called Boce , fo 
 large that in the Reign of Claudius , there was one of them killed 
 in the Vatican , within whofe Belly was found an Infant whole 4. 
 
 Among the Andes in America , are Serpents of prodigious Mag¬ 
 nitude, from 25 to 30 Foot long In the Province of Caria t 
 are Serpents ten Yards long, and ten Hands broad, and their Eyes 
 as large as two fmall Loaves. In Bra fit ., are found Serpents 30 
 Foot long. In GreJham'College , London , is a Snake preferved in 
 Spirits, that is near two Yards long. 
 
 I n Norway , we read of two Serpents of very large Proportions 
 One of two hundred Foot long, and lives in Rocks and defolatc 
 Mountains, near the Sea, about Bergen $ which in Summer- 
 Nights ranges about in quell of Plunder, devouring Lambs, 
 Calves, Swine, and other Animals, that fall in its way. In a 
 calm Sea, it ranfacks the Superficies of the Water, and devours 
 the Polypus ( i. e. a little Fifb of many Feet) and all forts of Sea- 
 Crabs.——-—Upon the Approach of a Ship, this Serpent lifts up 
 its Head above Water, and fnatchesat the Mariners. My Author 
 adds, that it rolls itfelf round about the Ship, the more effectu¬ 
 ally to fecure its Prey ||. The Reprefentation of this you have 
 in C. Gefner. 
 
 The other Serpent is in the Diocefs of Hammer , about fifty 
 Cubits long, by Conjecture. In Bothnia , on the Livonian Sea, 
 we read of monftrous Serpents, with which the Shepherds of that 
 Country were in conftant War. Wonderful Things are reported 
 of the large Serpents^that infell the Helvetian Mountains. From 
 the Inltances above, 'tis evident that the Northern Climates breed 
 Serpents as well as the South ; but with this Difference, that they 
 are not fo venomous as thofe in Africa , tho’ Olaus Magnus , Arch- 
 bilhop of TJpJal , feems to except the Shrew-Serpent. Ibid. 
 
 There are Mariners well as Land-Dragons, of uncommon 
 Bignefs: Some in Ethiopia of 30 P&ces long, and in Phrygia ten 
 
 Paces long. - N. B. A geometrical Pace is five Foot 5 
 
 but if it be the lelfer Pace only, viz . the Meafure of two Foot 
 
 and 
 
 * Vrcelium grat.de dr acre, eumqrte magna totius exercitus conjliftatione , baliflit 
 at quo catapult is din oppugn a turn — Ejufque interfefti longurn cerium pedes 120. Aul. 
 Gel/ii Nod. Att. Liber VI. Cap. iii. f Nat. Htjl. B. VIII. Cap. xiv- f He 
 Le Vega. || Olaus Magn. B.xxi. c. 27. p. 23. Gefner ex Sca/ig. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 *5 
 
 and a half, it muft be a monftrous Animal *.-— In the 
 
 Reign of Philadelphus, two Live-Dragons were brought from 
 Ethiopia to Alexandria, one 13, the other 14 Cubits long. In 
 the Reign of King Euergetes , they took three Dragons, one feven 
 Cubits, the other nine Cubits long. The third was carefully 
 nurfed in the Temple of Efculapius, and no Creature fo highly 
 reverenced -f*. 
 
 O N the Pellonteon Hill in Chius , was a Dragon whofe hideous 
 Noife filled the Vicinity with Horror and Dread; fo terrible, 
 that none durft approach fo near as to take its Dimenfions. It 
 happened, the Wildernefs wherein it lived, took fire in a Storm ; 
 and being involved in Smoke and Fire, it perifhed, and, upon 
 viewing its Bones, ’twas concluded to be of a monftrous Bulk. 
 Ibid . 
 
 The Ethiopian Dragons juft mentioned, have no proper Name, 
 and are only known by a Periphrafis, viz. Killers of Elephants. 
 The Method is,, by winding themfelves about the Elephants Legs, 
 and then thrufting their Heads up their Noftrils, fting them, and 
 fuck their Blood till they are dead. 
 
 ALEXANDER , in his Tour thro’ the Red-Sea, fays, 
 he faw Serpents of incredible Magnitude, fome about 30 Cubits 
 long + 
 
 W e read of monftrous Dragons, particularly two Draconic 
 Monfters mentioned by Alexander's Ambafladors, feen by them 
 in their Return from the Kingdom of Abifaris, one of 80 Cubits 
 long, the other 140 jj. 
 
 In Places adjacent to Batavia, a Dutch Settlement in th zEaJl- 
 Indies , we read of Serpents 30 Feet long ; and the Skin of one, 
 which was 20 Feet* long, that fwallowed an Infant, is fhewn in 
 Batuvia, the Metropolis of the Dutch Empire in the Raft-Indies. 
 In America alfo are Serpents of prodigious Bulk, from 25 to 30 
 Feet long 4 *; but this Subjed^ will be further confidered in the 
 Second Part of this Book. 
 
 On the other hand, there are Serpents, as remarkably little as 
 the Amphijbcena , Gallic Viper, and fome of the Lizards, that are 
 
 not 
 
 * Gefner, p. 44. + /Elian. ]. 16. c. 39 p. 957. £ /Elian, lib. 17. 
 
 cap. 1. U Strabo , de fuu orbis, lib. 15. B,«<»apa x^ea- Bifari, alias Abifart Regio. 
 4 Adas American. ' , 
 
A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 16 
 
 not above four or fix Inches long. Moft of thefe Minutillos vary 
 in outward Form. 
 
 And here, I can’t but obferve that asnhe Magnitude of fome 
 other Animals is very wonderful, fo, on the contrary, the Mi- 
 nutenefs of fome is equally aftonifhing, if not more fo: There are 
 fome very little Infers that are confpicuous to the Eye, but more 
 that are invijible without the Help of a Microfcope , which is an 
 optical Instrument, that magnifies Objects, and makes them big¬ 
 ger than really they are; it helps to difcover minute Particles, of 
 which Bodies are compofed, and the curious Contexture of 
 them. 
 
 To thofe who are not ufed to a rigid mathematic Proof, this 
 may be illuftrated by the Srpallnefs of many organized Bodies. 
 There is a Plant called Harts-Tongue , ten thoufand Seeds of which 
 hardly make the Bulk of a Pepper-Corn. Now the Covers of the 
 true Body of each Seed, the parenchymous and ligneous Parts of 
 both ; the Fibres of thofe Parts, the Principles of thofe Fibres, and 
 the homogeneous Particles or Atoms of each Principle, being mo¬ 
 derately multiplied one by another, afford a hundred thoufand 
 Millions of formed Atoms in the fpace of a Pepper-Corn, fays the 
 learned Dr. Grew *. 
 
 The fame is yet more evident from the ftupendous Smallneff 
 of fome Animals, efpecially in the Sperm of fmaller Infedts ; 
 which have been obferved by Mr. Lewenhoeck , to be fome Mil¬ 
 lions of times fmaller than a great Sand. This learned Gentle¬ 
 man has obferved more of them in the Spawn of a Cod-fifb, than 
 there are People living on the Face of all the Earth at once -f*. 
 
 N. B. It is the infinite Number of thefe little invifible Ani¬ 
 mals that makes ftagnating Waters or Pools appear of fo 
 many different Colours, as green, reddifh, brown,—accord¬ 
 ing to the feverai Natures of thefe little Animals that live 
 therein. 
 
 Thus, among Men, we find big and little ; Giants and Pig¬ 
 mies : Whether that Disproportion be from meer natural Caufes, 
 or by Defignation of Providence, I determine not. It is very 
 queftionable whether there be a particular Nation of Pygmies ; but 
 
 no 
 
 * Cofmobgia Sacra , B. i. chap. 3. -f Numerum anmalculorum ex unius ajfellt 
 via)oris la bit bus provenientium plus decies fuperare homines in univerfo terrarum orbe 
 viveutes.-—Epi(to/a ad Dom.N.Grc-w, p. 1. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 *7 
 
 no doubt is made about the Exiftence of Dwarfs in many Places 
 as well as Giants. Julia , the Niece of Augujlus , had a Dwarf 
 called Canopas , that was about two Feet in height. Philippa 
 French , born at Milcomb in Staffordjhire, aged about 36, being 
 then married, wanted fomething of three Feet in height*. 
 
 On the other hand, we are not without Inftances of Men, that 
 were of a gigantick Stature , after, as well as before the Deluge, 
 as Goliah and the Sons of Anak. 
 
 In the Days of Claudius the Emperor, Pliny tells us, that one 
 called Gabara , brought out of Arabia , was nine Feet and nine 
 Inches high : He tells us alfo, of two others in the days of Augujlus 
 Cafar , Iducio and Secundilla , that were half a Foot taller than 
 Gabara •f*. Maximinus the Emperor, was eight Foot and a half 
 in height. But to come near home : 
 
 WIL L IA M EVANS born in Monmouthjhire , and Porter 
 to King Charles I. was two Yards and a half high. Walter Par- 
 fons , Porter to King James I. was about the fame height. “ Some 
 “ fay, William Evans exceeded Walter Parfons two Inches in 
 “ height, but was far beneath him in proportion of Body. Tho’ 
 u he halted a little, and going out fqualling with his Feet, yet 
 “ made a fhift to dance in an Antimafque at Court, where he 
 “ drew Little Jeffrey , the Dwarf out of his Pocket , firft to the 
 <f Wonder, then to the Laughter of the Spectators 
 
 SECTION VI. 
 
 T H E Apparatus in Serpents for their Motion is admirable. 
 
 How curious the Structure of their Mufcles, and their 
 Junction to every Point, whereby they are prepared for their dif¬ 
 ferent Motions, and enabled to move according to their different 
 Nature and Situation ! 
 
 In thofe that go upon their Bellies, the Movement is very lin¬ 
 gular, which is in a Form curvilineal, different winding of their 
 
 D Bodies. 
 
 * Dr. Plot's Natural Hiftory.— Oxford x6. Nat. Hijl. B. vii. cap. 16. 
 
 t Fuller’* Worthies of Engl. Monmouthfhire, p. 54. 
 
i8 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 Bodies. The Serpentine Line, among Mathematicians, is bor= 
 rowed from the Foldings of a Serpent in its Motion. 
 
 The Learned obferve, there is a great deal of geometrical 
 Nicenefs in the finuous Motion of Snakes, Vipers, and other Ser¬ 
 pents j to affiftthemin the right Management of it, the annular 
 Scales under their Bodies are very remarkable, lying crofs the Belly, 
 contrary to what thofe in the Back, and reft of the Syftem do; 
 which Contrivance facilitates their Motion. 
 
 This tortuous creeping Motion of the Reptile Species is very 
 curious : The whole Body of a Worm is, as it were, but a Chain 
 of annular or fpiral Mufcles, whofe round Fibres, by contracting, 
 make each Ring more ftrong. The Back-Bones of Serpents are 
 a wonderful Compofition: How thick are they with Joints ? How 
 numerous and ftrong are their co-operating Mufcles? By this cu¬ 
 rious Articulation of the Joints,they can turn and wind their Bo¬ 
 dies any way without any difficulty. 
 
 The Outlide of their Skin is a moft elegant Compofition : to a 
 common Eye, their Tegument has a rugged uneven AfpeCt; but, 
 to a proper Judge, the Scales of Vipers are found to be a moft ex- 
 quifite Piece of Mechanifm ; the Symmetry of the whole is geo¬ 
 metrically exadt, and vaftly beautiful; notimitable by human Skill: 
 Some of them are guarded by a Coverture not penetrable by a 
 human Arm, which is their Security in a perilous Situation; yea, 
 a greater Security than many innocent Inhabitants of the Field 
 are privileged with. Among Serpents, fome are cloathed as with 
 a Coat of Mail, i. e. an Armature of ftrong Scales; and fuch of 
 them as want that cruftaceous Covering, have either a Sting in the 
 Tail, or a Tooth in the Mouth, that bids the Affailant keep off, 
 and obferve his Diftance. 
 
 SECTION VII. 
 
 W H A T is Poifon ? I anfwer, that, generally fpeaking, ’tis 
 taken to be a malignant Quality in fome Vegetables, 
 Minerals, and Animals ; a fmali Quantity of which is hurtful, 
 and even mortal, &.c. 
 
 T HE 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 *9 
 
 The Learned in the Faculty tell us, Poifons operate in various 
 manners; fome by diflolving the Blood, others by coagulating it, 
 and fome by corroding and deftroying the Solids. The Learned 
 Sir Hans Sloane fays, “ Some attack equally all Parts, fome on- 
 “ ly a particular one. Thus the Lepus Marinus is an Enemy to 
 “ the Lungs, Cantharides to the Bladder 
 
 Some Vegetables again, which prove Poifon to Man, ferve 
 for Food to other Animals. Thus, fays that learned Gentleman, 
 Mandragora and Jufquiamnus that feed Hogs, kill Man. 
 
 HEMLOCK , that is huitful to Man, is wholefome for 
 Goats ; yea, the Caffavi Plant poifons unprepared ; but prepared, 
 is the very Bread of the Wefi-lndians , particularly Jamaica and 
 the hotter Parts, with which they victual Ships, Ibid. Tea is 
 faid to be poifonous before it is cured. 
 
 This perhaps may ferve to obviate an Objection made againft 
 the Goodnefs of the Deity, in planting a Tree in Paradife that 
 had fuch malignant Influences; becaufe, fuppofing that it had any 
 Properties, which might tend to the Diflolution of the human 
 Syftem, yet the fame Tree might be very falutary and ufeful to 
 other Beings in the Creation. 
 
 Having divided Poifon into Three Parts, I fhall, in the next 
 Place, confider them diftinCtly. 
 
 I. THIS Contrivance of Divine Wifdom is fo nniverfal, that 
 we find , in the Vegetable Kingdom , fomething tnore than what is 
 merely analogous to Poifon , both in Land and Water-Plants as 
 the Napellus , CaJJivi, Nux Vomica , Aconite , Cicuta Aquatica , 
 Solanum Lethale , Aconitum Hyemale. Some Poifons are of a 
 Narcotic Quality, as Poppy and Henbane—being taken in too 
 great a Quantity, become poifonous. I lhall only add fome In¬ 
 stances of Perfons killed by eating poifonous Plants, Roots, and 
 Herbs. The Wile of W. Matthews , near Salop , who having 
 gathered a quantity of Dog-Mercury , which (lie took to be 
 another Herb, boiled it for their Supper, which very fenfibly af¬ 
 fected the whole Family. One of the Children flept from 
 Thurfday Night till Monday Evening, then juft opened her Eyes, 
 and died immediately. The other two Children flept about 24 
 Hours, and, upon their awakening, fell a vomiting and purging, 
 
 D 2 which, 
 
 His Voyage. 
 
20 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 which, , tis thought, faved their Lives *. A certain Woman near 
 Kilkenny in Ireland , eating, by miftake, a Hemlock-Root among 
 Parfnips , was immediately feized with a Raving and Madnefs. 
 Ibid. 
 
 Eight young Lads went a fifhing to a Brook near Clonmel 
 in Ireland\ and there meeting with a great Parcel of Oenanthe 
 Aquatica fucco •virofo, they miflook the Roots of it for Slum * 
 Aquaticum Roots, and did eat heartily of them. About four or 
 five hours after coming home, the eldeft of them, on a fudden, 
 fell down backwards, and lay kicking and fprawling on the 
 Ground, foaming at the Mouth ; foon after, four more were 
 feized the fame way, and they all died before Morning : not one 
 of them having fpoken a word from the moment in which the 
 venenate Particles furprifed the Genus nervofum -f*. Of the other 
 three, one ran ftark-mad, but recovered ; another had his Hair 
 and Nails fallen off; the third alone efcaped : perhaps it might 
 be owing to a ftrong Conftitution, and eating lefs of that fatal 
 Root; or perhaps it might be attributed to his fpeedy running 
 above two Miles home (after he faw one young Man fall) together 
 with his drinking a very large Draught of warm Milk from the 
 Cow, in his midway, and a violent Sweating, which might ex¬ 
 pel many of thofe venenous Particles. Ibid.. 
 
 An Experiment has been made upon a Dog, by giving him 
 the Nux Vomica, which foon poifoned him. The American 
 Phyjick Nut is faid to be fo poifonous, that no Animals make a 
 near Approach to if. Wormwood in Perfia is fo venemous, that 
 if Horfes, or any other Creatures, eat thereof, they die imme¬ 
 diately; upon which account, fay the Duke of Holjleiris Ambaf- 
 fadors, we durft not unbit that day The Indians have what 
 they call Juico "Juice among them, which deprives fuch as drink 
 of it of their Reafon, and renders them perfect Idiots; tho’ at 
 the fame time it leaves them in the perfed Enjoyment of their 
 Health and natural Powers. 
 
 CHAR COALS prepared from Vegetables , have a poifonous 
 Quality ; for, when kindled, they exhale a Vapour, which, if it 
 be kept up, and confined to a clofe Place, proves fatal. ’Tis faid, 
 Charcoal made in Cornwal affords a manifeft arfenical and fulphu- 
 
 rous 
 
 * Lowthorp's Abridg. Vol. II; + Ibid. p. 641. £ Their Voyages and 
 
 Travels to Mupovy undPerJia, p. 228. A. D. 1637, 
 
31 
 
 OF SERPENTS. 
 
 rous Smell beyond others; and yet Charcoal is a commodious 
 Fuel. 
 
 Even when the lharp Points of Nettles pierce the Flefh, they 
 inftil a kind of venemous Juice into the Wound, which gives 
 a painful Senfation. The Leaf of a Nettle has fome relation to a 
 Sting ; 'tis covered with very fharp Prickles, whofe Bafe, which 
 is a Bladder of a flexible Subftance, has a Hole in the middle, by 
 which this venemous Liquor runs into the wounded Part, and 
 excites Pain. 
 
 This may be eaflly perceived with a Microfcope ; if a Man 
 prefs with the Finger, the End of thofe Prickles againft its 
 BaJ'e : for then, thro' thefe Prickles which are tranfparent, this Li¬ 
 quor is manifeftly feen to mount, and to defeend, as the ingenious 
 Mr. Hook aflures us, he had often made the Experiment. 
 
 I n Car mania Defer t a , towards the P erf an Gulf, they have 
 two forts of dangerous Shrubs, one called Gulbad-Samour , i. e. 
 the Flower that poifons the Wind,, where there are many of thefe 
 Shrubs. The Wind that pafles thro’ them, kills thofe who are 
 near it. The other is Kerzehre y the Gall of Aff'es, becaufe it kills 
 thofe Creatures, and others that eat of it ; yea, the Water that falls 
 from it is poifonous. They fay, that Part of its Root which 
 fpreads to the Eafl: is Poifon : for which, that on the South-fide 
 
 is an Antidote *.—-- N. B. Is not our Author miftaken ? 
 
 for can any Poifon grow in the delicious Plains of the Eafl, con- 
 fecrated to the Service of the Altar and Knee ? 
 
 An Overdofe of Opium, which is the condenfed Juice of Pop¬ 
 pies, is poifonous. The Turks take Opium , which they call Af- 
 fionj without any Preparation, it being merely the Juice of black 
 Poppy, dried in the Sun, without any Purification. It is won¬ 
 derful, that life fhould make that Liquid which is Poifon to us 3 a 
 Cordial to them *f\ 
 
 The Vapour arifing from vegetable Liquors during their Fer¬ 
 mentation, ought not to be approached too near, becaufe it is poi¬ 
 fonous: We have Accounts in the French and German Tranfac - 
 tiom , of People who were immediately ftruck dead, by receiving 
 at the Nofe the Fumes that iflued from large Veflels of Wine in 
 the State of Fermentation j. 
 
 “ I 
 
 * Tavernier , in Atl. Geo. p. 349, and 396. 
 L Bcerhaave , p. jzo 3 130. 
 
 f Wheeler's Voyages, p. 203. 
 
22 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 “I think, lays a learned Phyfician, that God made no Poh 
 (c Ton, but all things in the World were made for the Ufe of Man; 
 “ their chiefeft Deleterium is either in the Quantity, or fome 
 “ other Circumftance, as in Lettice, Leeks,—whafe Integra are 
 “ Aliments, the Juices mortiferous. Thofe things that are per- 
 tl nicious, by their external Form, as beaten Glafs, Sponges, have 
 “ not deferved the Brand of Poifon; thofe that are really lethife- 
 “ rous, are but the Excrefcences of Sin, and came in with the 
 “ Thorns. The Serpent was rather deflrudtive to the Soul than 
 “ the Body.” 
 
 Among the Antients was a Plant that killed Mice with its 
 bare Smell, according to Pliny : The Poets feign it to have fprung 
 from the Foam of the Dog Cerberus , when Hercules dragg’d him 
 out of Hell. 
 
 The Aconite Plants alfo are extremely cauffic and acrimo¬ 
 nious, in virtue whereof they have produced terrible Inflamma¬ 
 tions, that end in Mortification. So great was the People’s Dread 
 of this Plant, for its venemous Quality, that they durfl not touch 
 it ; and yet, ’tis faid, they made ufe of it againfl: the Sting of 
 Scorpions , which is fuppofed to be deadned by the Touch of the 
 Aconite, and reftored to its Vigour by that o i Hellebore. 
 
 NB. The Root of this Plant is faid to cure all Difeafes pro¬ 
 ceeding from Melancholy, as Difaffedtions from the Hypo¬ 
 chondria, Herpes or cutaneous Inflammations. 
 
 It is alfo reported that Arrows dipped in the Juice of Aconite 
 Plants , proved mortal wherever they wounded. 
 
 II. 'THE Globe we inhabit , abounds with Variety of Minerals, 
 of a very mifehievous Nature ; as Arfenic, found in Copper-mines; 
 Orpiment , a Mineral found among Copper-mines, in Stones of 
 different Bignefs, Colour and Figure. Thefe, and others of the 
 fame venemous Nature, are lefs or more dangerous, according as 
 their Salts receive a different Force from the metallic Particles. 
 
 The Mineral Kingdom is very fubjedt to Damps, or noxious 
 Steams, and ; often found in Mines, Pits,—and in Kinds various. 
 There are alfo Exhalations, a fort of Fumes iffuing from Body, 
 and diffufing tbemfelves in the Atmofphere. Some make diffe¬ 
 rence between V apours and Exhalations: The Term Vapour , they 
 fry, is appropriated to the moift Fumes raifed from Water, and 
 
 Exha - 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 n 
 
 Exhalation , to the dry ones emitted from folid Bodies, as Earth, 
 Fire, Minerals, Sulphur. 
 
 The nocuous Effluvia fent forth from them may infedt the 
 Air, and caufe epidemical Didempers, and even new Difeafes. 
 About Mines and deep Caverns, are frequently found copious Ex¬ 
 halations continually dreaming out, which, in a moment, dedroy 
 any Animal that comes within their reach ; fo much as the very 
 Infedts themfelves not efcaping : Therefore thefe Places were by 
 the Antients called Gehenna , Averni , —intimating thereby, that 
 a Mineral Pit was Hell , and that Subterraneous Exhalations were 
 Streams from the Fiery Lake. 
 
 STRABO takes notice of a Cave or Grotto in Natolia , from 
 whence iflue pedilential Vapours that infedt the Air: No fooner 
 is any Animal put in, but it immediately dies. Bulls have been 
 put in, and fuddenly taken out dead. Sparrows that have been 
 thrown in, dropt down dead indantly. 
 
 The Turks fancy it to be haunted by evil Spirits, becaufe thojfe 
 who had the Curiofity to enter it, have either died or fallen de- 
 fperately fick *. 
 
 Mineral Poifons are more or lefs dangerous, as their Salts 
 receive a greater or lefs Force from the metallic Particles: And 
 hence, as the mod virulent may be mitigated by breaking the 
 Points of the faline Crydals, the mod innocent Minerals may 
 become corrodve, by combining them with Salts, as is feen in the 
 Preparations of Silver, Antimony, Iron. 
 
 Nothing more fatal than mineral Poifon, which often 
 brings fwift Dedrudtion without remedy. To a large Dog, 
 fays the Learned Dr. Mead > was given a Drachm of Mercury Sub¬ 
 limate , mixt with a little Bread, who, after violent Evacuations, 
 died next Morning. The fame Gentleman obferves, that in Ar- 
 Jenic is a very noxious quality : the fadfitious white is the mod 
 violent of all the kinds, fuperior in force to Mercury Sublimate. 
 
 These mortiferous Steams that flow from the Earth, are 
 called Mephites , poifonous Damps ; and are very common in Coun¬ 
 tries fruitful of Minerals and Mines: Damps happen in mod of 
 the Hungarian-Mines , not only in the diredt Paflages, where they 
 a walk on horizontally, but alfo in the perpendicular Defcents. 
 Now, to guard themfelves againd the fatal Effedts of thefe Ex¬ 
 halations,, 
 
 Strabo Geograph.. 
 
 5 
 
4. A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 halations, they fomtimes clear their way by Fire and the Bellows, 
 but generally by long Tubes or Pipes, reaching from top to bot¬ 
 tom, thro’ which they let the Air in and out; and by this Cir¬ 
 culation of the Air, they carry on their Work for fome time 
 without Danger. 
 
 CREMN 1 TS in Hungary (a fmall Town, reckon’d the 
 chief of the Berg, or Mine-Towns) is famous for its Gold-Mine 
 which has heen work’d on 900 Years, where the Workmen fome- 
 times are troubled with pernicious Damps, and many are kill’d 
 by them ; and fo it happens in the Mines at Schemnits , the faireft 
 of the feven Mine-Towns*. 
 
 Among the Minerals known to us, there are many more 
 noxious than wholefome; and the Power of the former to domif- 
 chief, is more efficacious than the Power of the latter to do good; 
 which is evident from the little Benefit the Miner’s Health re¬ 
 ceives from any mineral Effluvia, compar’d with the great and 
 fudden Damps, that are often caufed by the Expirations of Or - 
 piment , Sandarac , and white Arfenic , which is a deadly Poifon, 
 and mod fatal of the whole Tribe of Foffils. Hence the Refiners 
 dread nothing fo much as Arfenic in their Metals ; for its Fumes 
 taken into the Lungs kill inftantly, and the oftner ’tis fublim’d, 
 the ranker it grows -j~. 
 
 MERCXJRV is extremely volatile, being convertible into 
 Fumes, even by a Sand-heat. Thole who pradife the Art of 
 Guilding, are but too well acquainted with thefe mercurial Fumes, 
 which frequently render them epileptic and paralytic, and fome- 
 times throw them into a Salivation. This kind of Poifon is found 
 in Friuli , a Province in Italy , belonging to the Emperor, and alfo 
 in Spain , Hungary , &c. 
 
 The miferable People condemn’d, or hired to work in thefe 
 Mines, all die in a little time: they are fo affeded with thofe ve- 
 nemous Fumes, that from Tremors they proceed to falivate, then 
 their Teeth drop.—One of them who had been there fix Years, 
 was fo full of Mercury , that holding a Piece of Gold in his Mouth 
 a little while, it became of a Silver Colour , and when taken out, it 
 was found heavier than before, ibid. p. 74. 
 
 COPPER is another po.ifonous Mineral, difficult of Fufion, and 
 when fufed, if a fingle Drop of Water do but fall upon it; or any 
 
 Veffel 
 
 * Atl. Geography. 1640,— I, —2,—3. f Boerkaave’s Theory of Cbejmgry, 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 Veffel it be caft in, be ever fo little moift, it flies into innumerable 
 Fragments, with incredible Noife, and deftroys all the Perfons 
 near it. ibid. 
 
 TIN, the lighteft of all Metals, when urged by an eafy Fire, 
 it Ihines exceedingly; but this Splendor is fucceeded by a fulphu- 
 rous Steam, very deftru&ive to the Lungs, and throws the Body 
 into a Confumption. ibid. 
 
 A t Mendip in Somerfetjhire , thofe who are imploy’d in melt¬ 
 ing Lead-ore , if they work in the Smoke, are fubje<ft to killing 
 Difeafes. There is a Flight (or Steam) in the Smoke, which fall¬ 
 ing on the Grafs, poifons the Cattle that eat it. Thofe who live 
 very near where Lead-ore is wafh’d, can’t keep either Dog or 
 Cat, or any fort of Fowl, but they all die in a fhort time*. 
 
 Such are the mephitical Exhalations in a little Cavern in Italy, 
 call’d Bacca VenoJ'a , the poifonous Mouth, not far from Naples , 
 but more generally known by Grotto de Cani, the Dogs Cave ; 
 becaufe the Experiment of its poifonous Nature is frequently made 
 upon Dogs; tho’ it be as fatal to any other Creatures that come 
 within the Reach of its venemous Fumes. This wonderful Cave 
 is (fituated at the Bottom of a Hill) in Dimenflon, about eight 
 Foot high, twelve long, and fix broad. 
 
 From the Ground within it, arifes a thin warm Fume (vifi- 
 ble to the Eye) which is one continued Steam covering the 
 whole Surface of the Bottom of the Cave; it does not difperfe 
 itfelf into the Air like Smoke, but quickly after its Rife, falls 
 back again into the Earth. The Fumes rife about a Foot high 
 and never higher, and hurt no Creature whofe Head is above that 
 height; but when a little Dog, or the Head of any other Crea¬ 
 ture is forcibly held in the Steam, it falls down as dead, the 
 Limbs convuls’d, and trembling; and if left there a little while, 
 it dies, but if taken out foon, and laid in the open Air, comes to 
 Life again, and fooner, if thrown into the adjacent Lake. 
 
 CHARLES the Great, King of France, and Emperor of 
 the Weft (a Title of Honour Gallick Monarchs have had in full 
 view for fome time) made the Experiment upon an Ajs, whofe 
 Head was held in the Fume, and was foon deftroy’d. Two Slaves 
 put in with their Heads kept down to the Earth, were both foon 
 
 E kill’d. 
 
 * Lowthorp’s Abr. vol. r. p.576. 
 
26 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 kill’d. To this, I /hall add fome Experiments made by the in¬ 
 genious Mr. Addifon , who fays———«■ 
 
 —'“ A Dog that has his Nofe held in the Vapour (within the 
 “ Cave) lofes all the Signs of Life in a very little time.” Then 
 heobferves, how long a Dog was expiring the firft time, and af¬ 
 ter his Recovery, and found no fen fible Difference. “ A Viper 
 “ put in, adds he, bore it nine Minutes the firft time we put it 
 “ in, and ten the fecond. When we brought it out after the firft 
 “ Trial, it took fuch a vaft quantity of Air into its Lungs, that 
 “ it fwell’d aJmoft twice as big as before, and it was perhaps, on 
 “ this. Stock of Air, that it lived a Minute longer.. 
 
 “ A Torch, Snuff and all, goes out in a moment, when dipt in- 
 “ to the Vapours or Steams of that Cave—A Piftol can’t fire in 
 “it. I fplit a Reed, and laid in the Channel of it a Train of 
 “ Gun-powder, fo that one end of the Reed was abpve the Va- 
 “ pour, and the other at the bottom of it; and I found, tho’ the 
 “ Steam was ftrong enough to hinder a Piftol from taking fire in 
 “ it—that it could not intercept'the Train of Fire, when it once 
 “ begun flaihing, nor prevent it from running to the very end.-—Fire 
 “ will live in it no longer than in Water, becaufe it wraps itfelf 
 “ in the fame manner about the Flame, and by its Continuity 
 “ hinders any quantity of Air, or Nitre from coming to its 
 “ fuccour 
 
 Nor are our Mines in Great Britain altogether free from 
 thefe fatal Damps, that havp turn’d Coal-pits into Graves. In a 
 Coal-pit belonging to Lord Smclair in Scotland , feven or eight 
 Men intending to work in a Place where they had been the Day 
 before, but ftepping a little further, they all fell down dead, as 
 if they had been (hot. The Wife of one of them, venturing to 
 fee her Hufband, fell down dead as foon as fhe came near the 
 Corps *fv 
 
 III. We come now to. the fen fible Region, wfyere animal Poi- 
 fons reign ; that is, Poifon drawn from Animals,; astheViper, Afp, 
 Scorpion, Lepus Marines: and here we are to encounter, with an 
 Army of Serpents, and their formidable Train. 
 
 When we fpeak of the Poifon of Serpents, we muft not fup»- 
 pofe.it diffufed thro’ the whole Body, as fome have imagined. 
 
 Many 
 
 f Lowthirfs Abridgment y yol-ii. p 373 - 
 
 * His Works , vol. iii. p. 8, 97, 
 
GF SERPENTS. 
 
 'Many Errors about the particular Situation of it, have been hap¬ 
 pily removed by the'Learned Dr. Pedi, and Dr. Mead, who oV- 
 ferves the Viper has always been fo notorious for its Poifon, that 
 the mod: remote Antiquity, made it an Emblem of what is hurt¬ 
 ful and deftruCtive, but Were not agreed from whence the Poifon. 
 proceeded, whether from the Saliva, the "Teeth, the Gall, See., 
 which leads'me to a Paffage in the noble Ttalidn, Whbfays: 
 
 .... T h at as a;certain Learned Society in Italy were debating 
 this Point, one Jdcbbus Sozzi (audieiidigratia) who was allow’d to 
 beprefent, Rationed hitnfelf in a corner of the Place, and hear¬ 
 ing fome of them affirm that the Poifon was in the Gall-bladder, 
 fell a fmiling ; and being alk’d the Reafon, he anfwer a, that 
 the Serpent's Gall was an innocent Part: Whereupon, in their 
 PrefenCe, he drank a Glafs of Wine, mixt with the Gall of'a 
 Viper, without any ill EfFeCL 
 
 Ont of the Company faid, he came thither with his Body 
 prepared by Alexipharmicks. He, to convince them of the con¬ 
 trary, try’d the Experiment upon Dogs, and other Animals, by 
 giving them the Gall of Vipers to drink in abundance, without 
 any Danger enfuing *. 
 
 I n the Debate about the Seat of the Poifon, the famous Ita¬ 
 lian maintains, that all the Venom of a Serpent confifts in a yellow 
 Liquor contain’d in a Bladder, at the bottom of its Tooth, which 
 Liquor, upon its biting, by the Preffure of the Bladder, is forced 
 thro’ a Tube within the Tooth, into the Wound, and thence en- 
 fue direful EffeCls. This Hypothefis he fupports by a good num¬ 
 ber of Experiments upon various Animals, which were bit by a 
 Viper, after thofe venemous Bags were taken out, without any 
 Signs of Poifon, or any ill Conlequence at all *f\ 
 
 Another celebrated Phyfcian maintains, that this yellow 
 Liquid is not poifonous, that he had given it to Pigeons as Food, 
 without their being at all diforder’d thereby.——That the Viper’s 
 Bite, he had always found mortal to Animals, even after the ve¬ 
 nemous Bag was taken out, as Well as before.-That therefore 
 
 the Poifon muft lie.in the irritated Spirits of the Viper, which it 
 exhales in the Ardor of its biting, and which are Co cold that 
 they curdle the Blood, and ftop the Circulation f 
 
 E 2 Both 
 
 2? 
 
 * Retti nobilis Jiretini Experm, in Ties Ndturales , pag. 163, 164, 165. 
 t Seignior Redi, J Monjetir Charras, 
 
28 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 Both thefe are ingenious Men; their Syftems are oppofite, 
 yet both maintain’d by well-attefted Experiments. The Publick, 
 however, give into the Sentiments of Seignior Redi , as anfwering 
 the beft to the Mechanifm of the Parts. 
 
 Seignior Vigani has in fome meafiire reconciled thefe two 
 Learned Combatants, who alledges, that the yellow Liquor where¬ 
 with Dr. Redi kill’d Pullets, &c. after the Death of the Viper, 
 was either faturated with the Spirits of the enraged Viper, by 
 whipping it before, or elfe (as ’tis probable) in the hot and dry 
 Climates of Italy , thofe Creatures are more venemous than in 
 colder Countries. 
 
 This Poifon of Vipers feems to lie in their hollow Teeth, 
 becaufe the Mountebanks of old, to impofe on the People, ufed 
 to flop thofe Cavities, or hollow Places in the Teeth, with fome 
 kind of Pajle, before they fuffered the Vipers to bite them in fight 
 of Spedtators; which was commonly done, and fucceeded ac¬ 
 cording to their Wifh;—and fometimes, with a Needle fcratch’d 
 the Gums, and prefs’d out the Poifon *. Pliny fays, they have 
 but one venemous Tooth. 
 
 Dr. Mead, having given the various Symptoms attending vene¬ 
 mous Wounds, proceeds to the Remedies; and in particular, 
 mentions the volatile Salt of Vipers , as alone fufficient to do the 
 Work, if given in due time, in proper quantities, and duly re¬ 
 peated ■f\ 
 
 M r. Robert Burdet , an Englifj Merchant at Aleppo (in Turkijh 
 Afa) was bit by a Serpent about ten in the Morning, and died a- 
 bout three in the Afternoon. The People of that Country fay, 
 the only Cure in that Cafe, is immediately to fuck the Wound; 
 but they mu ft rub firft their Gums and Teeth with Oil, that none 
 of the Poifon may touch any place where the Skin is broken, 
 and fpit out immediately what they fuck |J. 
 
 The Learned Batavian obferves, as a prefent and effectual 
 Remedy in the Cafe of the Bite of a mad Dog, or other venemous 
 Animal, immediately to burn the affedled Part with a hot Iron, 
 or rather thruft deep into the Wound; for by this means, the 
 Juices about the Part being coagulated, and an Efcar produced, 
 all Communication of the Poifon to any other Veffels is ftopt, 
 
 and 
 
 * Loivthorp's Abridg. vol. ii. p.8.15, f Mechanical Account. U Loiothorp\ 
 Jibrid&. vol. ii. p. 814. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 29 
 
 and thus the Cure may be eafily effir&ed. Not that the hot Iron 
 draws out the Poifon, as is vulgarly imagined, but renders the 
 Parts incapable of being penetrated, or affed:ed thereby*. 
 
 B u t to come nearer home, and to a cheap and eafy Antidote 
 againft the ferpentine and canine Venom, by a certain Experiment 
 lately made in England', which was thus, viz. 
 
 ....One William Oliver, and his Wife from Bath, who follow 
 the Bufinefs of catching and felling Vipers, offer’d themfelves— 
 to be bit by any Viper, that fhould be procured, trufling to the 
 Virtue of a certain Remedy they had found out by chance in try¬ 
 ing things, when the Woman was once accidentally bitten.- 
 
 The ufual known Medicine, even the Oil of Vipers , having no 
 Effect in affuaging her Pains, they had recourfe to the common 
 Oil of Olives , which proved an effectual Remedy. The Circum- 
 ftances of the Cafe were- 
 
 On the firft of June, 1735. in the Prefence of a great num¬ 
 ber of Perfons, the faid William Oliver was bit by an old black 
 Viper, or Adder, (brought by one of the Company) upon the 
 Wrift, and Joint of the Thumb of the Right-Hand, fo that Drops 
 of Blood came out of the Wounds: He immediately felt a violent 
 Pain, both at the top of his Thumb, and up his Arm, even be¬ 
 fore the Viper was loofen’d from his Hand: Soon after he felt a 
 Pain refembling that of Burning, trickle up his Arm ; in a few 
 Minutes, his Eyes began to look red and fiery, and to water 
 much. 
 
 In lefs than half an Hour, he perceived the Venom feize his 
 Heart, with a prickling Pain, which was attended with Faintnefs, 
 Shortnefs of Breath, cold Sweats: In a few Minutes after this, 
 his Belly began to fwell, with great Gripings, and Pains in his 
 Back, which were attended with violent Vomitings, and Purg¬ 
 ings* 
 
 During the Violence of thefe Symptoms, his Sight was 
 gone for feveral Minutes; but he could hear all the while: He 
 faid, that in his former Experiments, he had never defer’d making 
 life of his Remedy longer than he perceived the Effects of the Ve¬ 
 nom reaching his Heart; but this time, being willing to fatisfy 
 the Company throughly, and trufting to the fpeedy Effefls of the 
 Oil, which had never fail’d him, he forbore to apply any thing 
 
 till 
 
 * Boerbaave’s new Method of Chemiftry, part iii. proeef. 104. p. 213. 
 
o 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 till he found himfelf exceeding ill, and quite giddy. About an 
 Hour and Quarter after the firft of his being bit, a Chafing-difh 
 of glowing Charcoals was brought in, and his naked Arm was 
 held over it as near as he could bear it, while his Wife rubb’d in 
 with her Hand the Sallad Oil , turning his Arm continually round, 
 as if fhe wou’d have roafted it over the Coals. 
 
 H e faid the Pain foon abated, but the Swelling did not diminifh 
 much ; moft violent Purgings and Vomitings foonenfued, and his 
 Pulfe became fo low and fo often interrupted, that it was thought 
 proper to order him a Repetition of Cordial Potions. He faid he 
 was not fenfible of any great Relief from thefe, but that a Glafs 
 or two of Olive Oil drank down feemed to give him Eafe : Con¬ 
 tinuing in this dangerous Condition, he was put to Bed, where 
 his Arm was again bath’d over a Pan of Charcoal, and r.ubb’d 
 with Sallad Oil heated in a Ladle ov^r the Charcoal, by Dr. 
 Mortimer s Direction—-Whereupon he declared he found imme¬ 
 diate Eafe, as tho’ by fome Charm-then fell into a profound 
 
 Sleep, and after about nine Hours found Reft, awak’d, about fix 
 the next Morning, and found himfelf very well ; but in the 
 Afternoon, on drinking fome Rum and ftrong Beer, fo as to be 
 almoft fuddled, the Swelling return’d with much Pain and cold 
 Sweats; which abated foon on bathing the Arm as before, and 
 wrapping it up in a brown Paper foaked in the Oil. 
 
 T.h e learned Dr .Mortimer, relates the Succefs of this iimple 
 Medicine, tried afterwards on other Animals, who were purpofe- 
 ly bitten, both by the lame, and by frefh Vipers, to experience 
 the Efficacy of it *. 
 
 I,n the Sequel, he has occafion to mention a Remedy for the 
 Bite of a mad Dog, under' the Title of Dampler s Powder , the 
 Compojition of which is, viz. AJh-colour Groundwort and black 
 Pepper. It was firfc published by Sir Ham Sloane , in Numb. 237 
 of the PraiiJaBiom, A. D. 1720, under the Name of Pulvis Anti - 
 lyjj'us; } where the Manner of giving it, not only to Men, but to' 
 Dogs and Cattle, is accurately let down. The Dodtor fays, the 
 Lichen Cinereus Terre/Iris is accounted exceedingly efficacious in 
 curing Dogs bitten by mad Dogs; then adds, viz. 
 
 * Dr. Crowel Ko timer R. S. Seer, his Narrative relating to the Viper- 
 catchers, 
 
 That 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 3* 
 
 Til a t King James, when Duke of Tork, caufed this Lichen 
 Cifiereus Perrejlris to be given to a whole Kennel of Dogs bit by 
 a mad one, which were-all cured, except one of them, to whom 
 none of it was given *: 
 
 In Norway, and on a great Mofs near Warrington, are many/ 
 Serpents; and their Wounds are cured by Venke-Treacle: 
 
 In* Africa , they have an odd Way of curing Peffdns hurt by* 
 Poifon; they rub the Venom of Snakes with their own Spittle, be¬ 
 tween two- Stones, and having mixed them well, they fcratch 
 upon the Wings of the Stomach, and to the Part fo Scratch'd, 
 which is bloody, theyapply a fmall Part of the Mixture ; the reft 
 
 they take inwardly.-This never fails to expel the Poifon in the - 
 
 Wound, or in any other Part affeded with it: In about a MdnthY 
 time a perfed Cure is made ; in order to which, when they 
 judge the Poifon is expell’d, they cleanfe the Wound, and apply 
 to it the Leaves of Buchu , Dacha , and other Jalutiferous Herbs : 
 But they fay, the lead Negled of fuch a Wound (be it by a poi- 
 fonous Arrow, or any other way) is dangerous ■fv 
 
 Snak e-woqd is very common in the Ifland of Ceylon, (fup- 
 pos’d to be the Laprobane of Ptolemy} which is much efteem’d by 
 the Eafi-Indians , who, with the Powder of it taken in Water or 
 Wine, cure many Diftempers, and among others, the Stings of 
 Serpents, which abound in that Country. 
 
 Their Naturalifts fay, the Virtue of it was firft difcovered 
 by a fmall Creature, like our Ferrets, which when flung by Ser¬ 
 pents, runs and eats of the Snake-wood, and is curd. 
 
 Father Regnault , fpeaking of Poifons, mentions feveral 
 Methods of Cure, as Incilions, Ligatures, Caufticks, Vomits, Oil 
 of Olive, Baths, Treacle, Juice of Citron. 
 
 B y a Ligature, which hinders the Poifon from fpreading. 
 
 By Caufticks, or a red-hot Iron brought within a certain Di¬ 
 dance of the Wound ; becaufe Heat attenuates the Poifon by its 
 Adion, and diffipates it. 
 
 This Effed of Poifon has fome Analogy w'ith that which 
 happens upon iyringing (thro’ Curiofity) fome acid Liquor into 
 
 the 
 
 * P'.i'lofophical Traufaff, Numb. 443, for Ofl. 1736. 
 
 \ Peter Ko'.ben s prefent State of the Cape of Good Hope, and of the Hottentots? 
 writ in High-German, and,transited by Mr. Guido Medley, p. 304—5. 
 
3-2 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 the Veins of a living Dog, or other Creature ; for in a fhort time 
 he falls into Convulfions, and dies. A Decodtion of white Hel¬ 
 lebore injedled into the jugular Vein of a Dog, as foon as it enter’d 
 the Heart, kill’d as fuddenly as if (hot thro’ the Heart with a 
 Bullet. On January 4, 1679. a Dram and half of Spirit of Salt , 
 diluted in an Ounce and half of Water, and injedted into the ju¬ 
 gular Vein of a Dog, kill’d him immediately. We kill’d a Dog 
 almoft in a Moment by injecting into his jugular Vein an Ounce 
 of Spirit of Wine t in which was difiolved a Drachm of Camphire : 
 The fame Day we injedted warm into the crural Vein of a Cat, 
 50 Grains of Opium , difiolved in an Ounce of Water, which was 
 loon feized with convulfive Motions, and died within a Quarter 
 of an Hour. We injedted an Ounce of Oil of Olives into the jugu¬ 
 lar Vein of a Dog, which fuffocated him the fame Moment. 
 
 N. B. In all that were fuffocated by Oil, we found their 
 Lungs fill’d with a very thick Froth *. 
 
 The Remarkables here are, 
 
 I. ‘That a fmall Portion of this venemous Liquid fmild in fo fjort 
 a time do fuch terrible Executions: That it fhould lb foon infedt fo 
 great a Quantity of Fluid, as the whole Mafs of Blood in the wound¬ 
 ed Animal. A very learned Phyfician accounts for it thus, viz. 
 
 <{ T h a t in the Drop of Poifon are pungent Salts, by which 
 “ little Bladders in the Blood are prickt, and the elaftick Matter 
 eC in them being let out, carries thofe acute Salts thro’ the whole 
 <£ Region of Fluids; upon which follows a Coagulation -f*. 
 
 All venemous Creatures hurt, by inftilling a liquid Poifon 
 into the Wound, fuppofe the Wound to be given by the Tooth or 
 Tail. The aforefaid ingenious Phyfician fays, viz. “ This ve- 
 u nemous Juice it felf is of fo inconfiderable a Quantity^ that it is 
 “ no more than one good Drop that does the Execution .”-In or¬ 
 
 der, adds he, to examine the Texture of the Liquor, I enrag’d a 
 Serpent till it bit upon fomething folid, fo as to void its Poifon ; 
 whofe Parts I view’d with a Microfcope as nicely as I could. 
 
 “Upon the firfi Sight, I could difcover nothing but a Parcel 
 “ of fmall Salts nimbly floating in the Liquor, which foon fhct 
 “ our, as it were, into Cryjlals of incredible Tenuity and Sharp- 
 
 “ nefs, 
 
 * Mr. Benj. Matte’s Philofophica! Tranfadh abrid. Vol. 1. Ta r ii. p. 220, 221, 
 where you may find many Instances of the fame Nature, t Dr. Mead's Mechanical 
 A ceounc. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 33 
 
 nefs, with fomething like Knots here and there, from which 
 " they Teemed to proceed ; fo that the whole Texture in a man- 
 <c ner reprefented a Spider’s Web, tho’ infinitely finer, and more 
 <c minute; and yet withal fo rigid were thefe pellucid Spicula or 
 <c Darts, that they remain’d unalter’d upon my Glafs for feveral 
 
 €t Months *. -- N. B. Thefe faline Particles appeared to be 
 
 Acids. 
 
 Most furprifing this! to fee an Army of Flefh and Blood, 
 tremble and fall before a fingle Atom of Matter ! to fee the Ce¬ 
 dars of Lebanon demolifli’d by the fingle Stroke of a contemptible 
 Worm. So in the Moral World. Even in the Paradifaical State, 
 how malignant the Poifon of forbidden Fruit that fpread Mortality 
 over the whole human Race, and will affedt Millions; dreadful 
 Effedts of once eating forbidden Fruit! What a World of ^fevils 
 flows from one Difeafe or Diforder in the human Nature ! It was 
 by one falfe Step the unquenchable Fire was firjl kindled. 
 
 II. THAI" Poifon is not fo dangerous , if it does not mix with the 
 Blood. Even that venemous Liquid may be tailed, yea, and 
 fwallow’d without mortal EfFedts, fay fome of the Learned. Hence 
 it is, wounded Perfons have been diredted to get the Venom im¬ 
 mediately fuck’d out, which has been pradtis’d without ill Confe- 
 quences to the Sucker. 
 
 For this Method of curing venemous Wounds by Sudtion, 
 Avicenna , an old Arabian Philofopher and Phyfician, is quoted ; 
 who fays, that thofe who fuck out the Poifon are in no danger, 
 fo their Teeth be found and perfedt, and their Mouths be free 
 from all Ulcers. At Rome was an Order of Servants, whofe Office 
 was to fuck venemous Wounds, which they did with Safety and 
 Applaufe 
 
 “ Many acid Subfances taken into the Stomach, are, by its 
 “ Adtion turned into Alcalious ; fo there is no queflion but thefe 
 “ faline Spicula are, partly by the mufcular Motion of the Fibres, 
 “ partly by the falival Juice, all broken and diffolved ; or if any 
 “ efcape into the Inteflines, the Balfam of the Bile will be an 
 “ Antidote for them. p. 14.” 
 
 F Crea- 
 
 * Ibid. p. 5 — 5 . t St. Redi, p. 185. 
 
34 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 Creatures reputed venemous, are indeed no Poifons 
 when fwallowed, tho’ they may prove fo when put into Wounds. 
 
 Tiie Venom that falls upon the Skin, is not fo mifchievous 
 as that which enters into the Stomach, or is communicated by 
 a Wound. u Yea, the Venom of a Viper, in itfelf, is not inor- 
 “ tal to a robuft and ftrong Body ; and tho’ very unhappy and 
 " mifchievous Accidents attend it, as Convulfions, Vomitings-, 
 “ &c.” yet in eight or ten Days at moft, thefe are over ; tho’ the 
 Patient may be very ill, yet he recovers, while the Poifon hav¬ 
 ing run thro’ divers Parts of the Body, at lad; always throws itfelf 
 into the Scrotum , and is difcharged by a great Quantity of Urine : 
 This Evacuation being the ordinary and moft certain Crifts of the 
 Difeafe *. 
 
 The Water—which amphibious Serpents frequent, receives 
 no venemous Timfture from them. When Marcus Cato com¬ 
 manded in Africa (the Element of poifonous Animals) he had in his 
 Army a Number of thofe Natives called PJylli and Marfi , the fup- 
 pofed Averfion of Serpents, and who fuck’d the Wounds of thofe 
 hurt by them. It is faid, thefe PJ'y Ilians inchanted Serpents, who 
 fled at the fight of them, as if their Bodies exhaled fome corpus¬ 
 cular Effluviums that were moft offenfive to Serpents, and put 
 them into fuch pain that made them run. To thefe, the Gene¬ 
 ral added another Set of Perfons, famous for curing the wounded 
 by other Methods; and all little enough, Serpents being the Lords 
 of the Country through which they were to pafs -f*. 
 
 The Author of the Defcription of Cato' s marching the Re¬ 
 mains of Pompey's Army through the Lybian Deferts , obferves, 
 how the Army being almoft choak’d with Thirft, and coming to 
 a Brook full of Serpents, durft not drink for fear of being poi- 
 foned, till convinced by their Superiors, that their being in the 
 Water, did by no means infeift it: Upon which they refrelhed 
 themfelves with Water from the Serpentine River J. 
 
 A d d to this, the Example of Queen Cleopatra , who, to pre¬ 
 vent her being carried to Rome in Triumph, ’tis faid, poifoned 
 herfelf, by holding a Serpent to her own Breaft. Galen mention¬ 
 ing 
 
 * Philofoph. Tranfadtions abridged by Lowthorp , Vol. II. p. 814. Noxia Ser- 
 ptttfum eft admijjo fanguine partis. Lucani Pharfaiia. Amftelod. Edir. p. 2 66* 
 f Ault Gellii No ties Attica , lib. 16. c. 1 x. p. 161. Herodot . lib. 4. Viator chin Cato* 
 i Redi } 178. Lucan’s Pharfal .—Pocula morte carent—l'ib. 9. 
 
 4 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 35 
 
 ing this Story, relates from Authors, that fhe killed herfelf, by 
 pouring the Poifon of an Afp into a Wound made in her Arm 
 by her own Teeth ; as if under Conviction, that the Poifon would 
 not effectually anfwer the End, without touching the Blood. Ibid. 
 Of which more in the Second Part of this Difcourfe. 
 
 III. In Serpents is an inexhauftible Store of Poifon . If they dis¬ 
 charge all their Artillery to-day, their Arfenal will be full to¬ 
 morrow. ’Tis true, by a fpeedy repeated Emiflion of Poifon at 
 one time, the Viper lofes its force, probably by a Diminution in 
 Quantity; but is recruited in a fhort fpace. Thus, one Viper 
 cannot poifon fix Creatures, one immediately after another; the 
 
 Truth of which is confirmed by unconteflable FaCls.-An 
 
 Experiment was made by Dr. Areskine , when he was at Paris .—- 
 Having got a large female Viper, he made it bite fix Pigeons, one 
 immediately after another. The firfl and fecond that were bit, 
 died within half an Hour ; one a little before the other; the third 
 lived about two Hours; the fourth feem'd to be very fick for a 
 while, but recovered; the fifth and fixth that were bitten, were 
 no more hurt than if prick’d with a Pin. Ibid. 
 
 The learned Italian, Signior Redi , fays, that having, at the 
 Entrance of Winter, a Scorpion fent him to Rome from Tunis in 
 Africa , he irritated it to fling Pigeons and Pullets, without any 
 bad Effects; but upon the Approach of warmWeather, after eight 
 Months falling it was provoked to fling two Pigeons fucceflively, 
 which foon died ; but the third and fourth received no hurt from 
 its Wound. 
 
 The Author of the Natural Hijlory of Carolina , fpeaking of 
 the Rattle-Snakes , fays, they can’t renew their Poifon as oft 
 as they will; for he had feen a Perfon bit by one of them, who 
 never rightly recovered, and very hardly efcaped with Life ; and 
 another Perfon immediately after being bit by the fame Snake, re¬ 
 ceived no more Hurt than if bit by a Rat. p . 129.* 
 
 N. B. Poifon in different Countries, is more or lefs dangerous 
 according as it is exalted and heighten’d by various Degrees 
 of Heat; for by Increafe of Heat, thaJt venemous Quality is 
 increafed, 
 
 * New Collection of Voyages, printed A. D. 1711. 
 
 F 2 
 
 0 B J E C 
 
3 6 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 Obje ct ion. 
 
 How is it confident with Divine Goodnefs to create fnch venemous 
 Animals, that are fo dangerous and defiruCiive to their Fellow-Crea¬ 
 tures ? I anfwer, 
 
 I. T HAT as the Power of God Jhines in the Formation of all 
 Creatures, fo does his Goodnefs in their natural Perfections, which is 
 the Goodnefs of their Being . Every Creature is good, and if any 
 Branch of the Creation be hurtful to another, 'tis the Effect of moral 
 Evil, and not any neceffary Confequence arifing from their Creation.. 
 
 This noxious Quality in Serpents, is God’s Creature, and mu ft 
 anfwer fome valuable Purpofe, tho’ concealed from an Eye blinded 
 by the Venom of Sin. Nor mud we forget that they feldom hurt 
 their Fellow-Creatures, but when they are provok’d; and when 
 they hurt, they prefent us with a healing Remedy, that is, the 
 volatile Salt of Vipers , which, if rubbed into the Wound, has been 
 generally applied with Succefs. 
 
 II. THEIR poifonous Liquid muft fome way be beneficial to 
 themfelves. We are not told what their original Food was ; but 
 now they live by Plunder, and by their Venom they are enabled 
 to make fure of their Prey, which otherwife might efcape, or 
 grow too flrong for them, and fo they might ftarve for want of 
 proper Means to fupport Life j and what they take by their vene- 
 mous Fangs and Stings, is good Nourifhment. 
 
 Their Poifon alio, is to them as a Life-Guard. Were there 
 not fomething terrible in their Weapons of War, every one 
 would trample upon them. Add to this, that perhaps their Con¬ 
 futation may be fo modify’d and framed, that this venemous Li¬ 
 quid may be as ufeful to digeft their Food, as our Saliva is to us. 
 in that reipetfL 
 
 III. SERPENTS, tho* venemous , are of. fpecial Ufe to 
 Mankind , as they are Part of the Materia Medica, and bear a 
 great Share in fome of the befi Antidotes, or Remedies againfi Poifon » 
 Vipers make a confiderable Article in Medicine ; their Flefh, ei¬ 
 ther roafted or boiled, the Phyhcians unanimoufly prefcribe as an 
 excellent Reftorahve, particularly in Confumptions, Leprofy.-—» 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 37 
 
 The learned Dr. Mead recommends the Broth or Jelly of Vi¬ 
 pers ; or, as the Antients did, to boil and eat them as a Fifh, or 
 at lead: to drink Wine, wherein they have been long infufed : The 
 Apothecaries fell the Pulvis Viper inus, which is only dried Vipers 
 pulverized , Heart, Liver, and all other Parts, and part through 
 a fine Sieve. Some call it, Animal Bezoard. 
 
 B E Z O A R is a Perjian Word, Pazahar , primarily denotes 
 Counter-Poifon, and is applied to feveral chymical Compofitions of 
 that Intention; Theriaca , or Treacle, a Name given by the An¬ 
 tients to various Compofitions, is reckoned good againfi: Poifon.— 
 The Bafis or Foundation of the Compofition is Viper’s Fiefh *. 
 
 Even in Fartary, an uncultivated Nation, the Viper’s Fiefh 
 is reckoned to be wonderful good Phyfick. In fome of the Ri¬ 
 vers of Siam, are many Crocodiles, which the Siamefe call Cay¬ 
 man , and ufe them as good Phyfick with Succefs -f-. 
 
 I t is fuppofed, when Viper-Catchers were hurt, they imme- 
 mediately cured themfelves by rubbing this volatile Salt of Vipers 
 into the wounded Part. An Experiment was made by enraging 
 a Viper to bite the Nofe of a young Dog: The Part began to 
 fwell j to which was applied this volatile Salt , and the Dog was 
 very well next day. The Viper was made to bite the Dog again 
 in the Tongue, and no Application being made, he died within 
 a few Hours j. 
 
 On e of the firft that made ufe of the Viper in medicinal Pur- 
 pofes, was (as my learned Author thinks) Antonins MuJ'a , the fa¬ 
 mous Phyfician to OBavius Ccefar ; of whom Pliny tells, that when 
 he met with incurable Ulcers, he ordered the eating of Vipers ; and 
 by this means they were quickly healed. The fame Author adds 
 from Porphyrins , that the great Greek Phyfician Craterus , very, 
 happily cured a miferable Slave , whofe Skin in a Jlrange manner fell 
 off from his Bones , by advifing him to feed upon Vipers r drejl after 
 the manner of Fijh. Ibid. 
 
 A L a t e eminent Phyfician, fpeaking of Vipers, fays,.— 
 ’Tis certain, very noble Medicines are prepared from them, and 
 a Wine from their Fiefh, fingular in confumptive, leprous, and 
 
 fcorbutick 
 
 * Cyclopedia. i f Struyf s Voyages, ad annum 1650. I. c. Ill p. 25. 
 
 $ Dr. Mead's Mechanical Account, p. 17. 
 
3 8 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 feorbutick Cafes: They afford alfo a volatile Salt , the mojlgenerous 
 Cordial in Nature 
 
 In Italy is a fubterraneous Cavern, called Grotto dei Serpi, 
 large enough to hold two Perfons, perforated like a Sieve ; out of 
 which, in the Spring, iffiies a numerous Brood of young Snakes, 
 of divers Colours. In this Cave they expofe their leprous, para- 
 lytick, arthritick Patients, where theWarmth of the Steams refolv- 
 ing them into Sweat, and then Serpents clinging varioufly all 
 around, licking their naked Bodies, they are foon reftored to 
 Health, by repeating the Operation. This Serpentine Cave was 
 vifited by Kircher\ the celebrated Philofopher and Mathemati¬ 
 cian ; who fays, he faw the Holes, and heard a murmuring hiding 
 Noife in them, tho’ he did not fee the Serpents, it not being their 
 Seafon to creep out; yet he faw a great Number of their Exu - 
 vicei or Sloughs , and an Elm at a fmall diftance laden with them. 
 The Dilcovery was by the Cure of a Leper going from Rome, who 
 lofing his way, and being benighted, happen’d upon this Cave, 
 and finding it very warm, pull’d off his Clothes; and being weary 
 and lleepy, had, fays my Author, the Good-fortune not to feel 
 the Serpents about him, till they had wrought his Cure. Mu- 
 fceum Wormian, in Cyclopcedia. 
 
 IV. Serpents are not only Phyjick, but common Food in many 
 Parts of the World , and ejleemed a mojl delicious Entertainment . 
 
 Formerly, nothing more terrible to Men than thefe ve- 
 neniferous Animals, but now (Men being better acquainted with 
 their natural Qualities) are very familiar to many People; info- 
 much that there are but few Perfons of Diftindtion, in France , 
 and other Places, where they may be had, but make ufe of them, 
 as a good and mojl agreeable Diet ; and the ingenious Virtuofo 
 makes living Vipers his domeftick Divertifement. 
 
 The Italian and French Phyficians do commonly prefcribe 
 the Broth and Jelly of Vipers , to purify and invigorate the Mafs 
 of Blood, exhaufted with Age and chronical Difeafes. 
 
 W e read of the Ophiophagi, a People fo called becaufe they 
 are Serpent-Eaters. It is obferved from AriJlotle i that the Trog¬ 
 lodytes , 
 
 * Dr. Charles Leigh's Natural Hiftory of* 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 39 
 
 lodyteSy who arc Africans , not far from the Arabian Gulph , lead¬ 
 ing a pafloral Life, lived by hunting—and fed on Serpents, -f* 
 
 Among the Andefian Mountains in America , is a Serpent 
 called Juatina, big as a Rabbit, has a fpotted Skin, four Feet, and 
 is never obferved to have any Voice, is much eaten by the Inha¬ 
 bitants, and counted better Meat than Rabbits, as it is prepared by 
 the Barbarians *. 
 
 The Kanina Serpent that feeds upon Birds, is eaten by the In¬ 
 habitants, the Brafilians , and their Negro-Labourers , after they 
 cut off the Head and Tail. Ibid . The Dutch, PortugueJ'e , and 
 others in that Country, feed upon the Libqya Serpent ; ’tis of a 
 prodigious, large Bulk, and deferibed in another Place. Ibid. In 
 old Mexico, we read how the Indians took a certain Serpent that 
 carried thirty Young’s, which were each a Finger long, and crept 
 about immediately; and the old one being above 20 Foot long, 
 ferved the Natives for Venifon -f-. 
 
 AMER 1 CUS Vefpufius , (a Florentine, who was the firft, after 
 Columbus , that difeover’d America, and wrote the Hiflory of his 
 four Years Voyages) fays, he faw fome Serpents in America , 
 which the Inhabitants commonly fed upon : They were of diverfe 
 Colours, and as big as Kids. In the Hiftory of that Country, we 
 find the Natives of the Land fed upon Adders, Serpents, Toads, 
 -without any Scruple of Mind, or Injury to their Health. 
 
 The Natives of Fonquin , a large Kingdom of India beyond 
 the Ganges , in treating their Friends, give them Arrack , a rich 
 Cordial, in which Snakes and Scorpions have been infus’d; and is 
 effeem’d an Antidote againft all Poifons. 
 
 INDIA breeds Serpents in abundance of all Sizes, and Va¬ 
 riety ofmoft charming Colours: The People of Siam catch pro¬ 
 digious Numbers of them in the Woods, and expofe them to 
 Sale in the Markets, as Eels in E?igland , for animal Food £. 
 
 Experiments have been made upon Animals, as Pigeons, 
 Chickens—that were bit by Serpents, which have been eaten 
 without any manner of Hurt, or painful Senfation ; yea. Ser¬ 
 pents that were flain have been given to Dogs, who fed upon them 
 without Danger, or any Uneafinefs ||. 
 
 The 
 
 "I Strabo, lib. 1 6. B/c? vo;x«S(«os- Cluverii Introdutt. 
 
 * Ray, p.329. Atl. Geograph. America, p. 129. + Atl. Geograph, for America 3 
 
 from Laet. p. 6 z 8. £ Le Comte’s Memoirs, p. 504. II Sr, Recti, p, 17&, 
 
4° 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 T h e Circulatores, or Dealers in Serpents, devour’d at their 
 Tables even their Heads, and pour’d the Gall into their Cups 
 when they drank, laughing at their Neighbours Timidity, who 
 transform their Imaginations into Bug-bears. 
 
 The Inhabitants of Mount Athos , between Macedonia and 
 j Thracia, are called Macrobii, that is Long-livers, or long-liv’d ; 
 and their Longevity is attributed to their feeding on Viper’s Flefli, 
 which is a mod elegant Nutritive *. 
 
 The Ethiopians are number’d among thofe who feed upon 
 Serpents, as one valuable Branch of their Sudenance. 
 
 • I n the Kingdom of Congo in Africa, the Negroes road: the Ad¬ 
 ders, and not only greedily feed upon them, but edeem them as 
 a moft delicious Food *f*« 
 
 ST. HELE NA , one of the African Illands, abounds with Ser¬ 
 pents which the Dutch eat as a greater Dainty than Eels f We read 
 of a Man who liv’d at Colonia Agrippina in Germany , that fed up¬ 
 on Spiders, as the mod: delicate Difh.- N. B. This Cologne is 
 
 ■called Agrippina from Agrippina the Mother of Nero (who poi- 
 fon’d Claudius her own Husband, to make Nero her Son Emperor) 
 and would have the Town honoured with a Roman Colony, as 
 being the Place of her Birth jj. 
 
 I n Cuba, an American Ifland, they were peder’d with many 
 forts of Serpents, not fo much from the ill Condition of the Soil, 
 as by an old fuperditious Whim of the Savages, who in former * 
 Times were not differed to kill them, (this being a royal Game, 
 and a nice Didi referved for the Higher Powers) and were not able 
 afterwards to dedroy them, when it would have been differed 
 
 The Kalmuck Tartars feed very much upon Snakes, Adders 
 
 and Foxes-The Syrians eat Crocodiles, which live on the Land 
 
 only. 
 
 MIT HR ID ATE, formerly one of the Capital Medicines in 
 the Shops, has the Name from the Inventor, viz. Mithridates 
 King of Pontus , who being overcome by Pompey , would have 
 poifon’d himfelf; but no Poifon would work upon him, having 
 accuftom’d himfelf to eat Poifon ; thus defcribed in an oldDo^- 
 grel Rhyme, viz. 
 
 King 
 
 * C. Gefner, p. j6. f Vurchas Pilgrim, Part ii. 1. 7. J Atl. Afrit, p. 741. 
 
 || Tacitus’s Annals, Vol. 1. B. iv. *_* Hey tin’s Colraography, B. iv. P. 151. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 4 * 
 
 King Mithridates coud not poifon d be, 
 
 He drinking Poifon oft, grew Poifon free. 
 
 After King Mithridates was vanquish’d, Cneus Pompeius 
 found in his Clofet the following Receipt, againft Poifon, writ 
 with his own Hand, in this Manner, viz. 
 
 'TAKE two dry Walnut-kernels, as many Figs, of Rue twenty 
 Leaves, famp all thefe together into one Mafs, with a Grain of Salt. 
 
 - -Under this Receipt was writ— Whoever eats this ConfeSiion 
 
 in the Morning fajling, no Poifon Jhall hurt him that Day *. In 
 America, where Lizards are very good, they eat them, and fo 
 large, that one Lizard is enough to fatisfy four Men. ’Tis very 
 probable that they were eaten in Arabia and Judea, fince Mofes 
 ranks them among the unclean Creatures •f'- 
 
 Though the Flefh of venemous Creatures be nutrimental, 
 and eaten with a good Relifh, in many Places, yet it muft be al¬ 
 low’d our old Historiographers in fome Things hyperbolize upon 
 the Subject. Thus Avicenna , the great Arabian Doctor, and 
 others, fpeak of a young Maid, who was fed with the Flefh of 
 poifonous Creatures, from her tender Age; by which her Breath 
 became venemous to thofe who flood by her. And thus Porus, 
 a certain Indian King, is faid to ufe Poifon every Day, that he 
 might kill others. It is a known Hiflory, adds he, of a young 
 Woman, fed with Poifon, with which the Perfian Kings deftroy’d 
 whom they pleas’d. 
 
 A d d to this another traditional Opinion, viz. that fome parti¬ 
 cular Perfons have an evil Eye, which affedts Children and Cattle; 
 yea, that fome have this unhappy Faculty, tho’ at the fame Time 
 void of any ill Defign. This has been an old Tradition, as ap¬ 
 pears from that of the Poet f 
 
 O n the Mountains of Ceylon in the Eaft-I?idies, are Serpents 
 of fuch vafl Size, that they fwallow young Cattle : Their Flefh is 
 very delicate, and has a mofl pleafing Tafle$ therefore is very 
 much eaten. 
 
 G This 
 
 * Flirty’^ Natural Hift. Tom. ii. B. 23. + Calmet in verbum—Flier onym. contra 
 
 jovinian. lib. ii. t Nefcio quis teneros oculus mihi fafcinat az,nos. Soe Martin 
 °n the Weftern Iflands, p . 122,123, 
 
42 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 This Ifland of Ceylon is one of the moft charming Situations 
 on the Earth, the Key and Glory of the Indies ; the Air fo tem¬ 
 perate, that, properly fpeaking, they feel, neither Heat nor Cold ; 
 the Vales and Hills are always cover’d with Flowers, the Fields 
 cover’d with Fruits of all Sorts; and in the Woods are Serpents 
 call’d Lizards , full three Hands long, whofe Flefh.is excellent 
 Meat *. 
 
 I n the fecond Part is a more ample Defcription of Ceylon. 
 
 The Iguana Serpent is amphibious, lays numerous Eggs, 
 grateful to the Tafte, is very good Nourifhment, preferable to 
 Spanijh Rabbits ; and in the City of Mexico thefe Serpents are 
 brought to the Markets, efpecially in the quadragefimal Days; 
 
 A Spanijh Hiftorian fays, the Iguanas are fhap’d like the Alli¬ 
 gators t very ugly, as big as Lap-dogs, of feveral Colours j the 
 Spaniards obferve, that their Flefh taftes like the Pheafants, and 
 feed upon it with Pleafure 4 - 
 
 The learned Ray fpeaking of the Liboya , that monftrous 
 American Serpent, fays, that after it has fwallow’d a large Ani¬ 
 mal, its Head grows heavy and lleepy, that it can neither run nor 
 fight; the Hunters finding it in this ftupid Pofture, foon Arangle 
 him with a Rope; and being kill’d, cut the Carcafs into Parcels- 
 and fell the Flefh for Food, which is reckon’d a delightful Enter¬ 
 tainment^. The fame Author adds; that both Africans and 
 Americans having cut off the Head and Tail of the Ka?iina Ser¬ 
 pent, eat the Body as part of their conftant Repaft. Ibid. 328. 
 
 BRASILIAN Serpents call’d Lizards are flay’d, broil’d as 
 little Fifhes, and eaten by the Negroes or Blackmoors that are 
 tranfported into that Country from Africa. 
 
 I a m inform’d of a Gentleman of the Lawat Ludlow, who 
 having prick’d a living Toad in various Parts, fucks its Moifture,' 
 and leaves it as much a Skeleton as the Purfe of a Client. 
 
 Thus we fee that the Almighty isfo far from being charge¬ 
 able with Defedt .of Wifdam and Goodnefs; in forming of Ser¬ 
 pents,. that both.as Food and Phyfick,. they,may be equally im* 
 prov’d to our Advantage. 
 
 * Ribeyro's FJiftory of Ceylett, prefented to the King of Portugal, 1685, Mandated 
 out of Portuguese into French , printed at Trevoux , 1701. + Herrera t Hift. Vol. ii. 
 
 ,1-4, % Ran Synopps, p. 33^“—$0/0 refle^iaroque ejui protibo gratiffin Qy’gen\l;tuu 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 43 
 
 I shall only add one Remark here, that if Serpents, and 
 other venemous Creatures, are hurtful to us, ’tis only by Accident, 
 that is, they are not vexatious to us, of Neceffity, but through our 
 own Ignorance, CarelefTnefs, orMiftake j e. g. 
 
 The Birds we call Stares , fafely feed upon Hemlock ; Storks 
 “ feed on Adders, and Slow-Worms j which, and other hurt- 
 <c ful Creatures, would be as harmlefs to ourfelves, had we al- 
 “ ways Caution enough to avoid them, or Wit enough to ufe 
 (i them as we ffiould. Thus Aloes has the Property of promot- 
 <c ing Haemorrhages j but this Property is good or bad, as ’tis 
 “ ufed : if by one that has the Green-Sicknefs i it will prove a 
 <x good Medicine; if by one fubjeCt to a Dyjlntery , or to fpitting 
 ft of Blood, a pernicious Poifon.” * 
 
 And it is very probable, that the moft dangerous Poifons, 
 skilfully managed, may be made, not only innocuous, but, of all 
 other Medicines, the moft effectual. Opium corrected, lofes its 
 narcotic Quality, and is fafely given in great Dofes, in Fluxes, 
 Catarrhs, and convulfive Cafes. 
 
 I t is generally agreed, there is no Part of a Viper, not even 
 the Gall itfelf, but may be fwallowed without harm, accordingly 
 the Antients, and, as feveral Authors of Credit affiire us, the Indi- 
 ans and others at this day, both of theEaft and Weft, eat them, as 
 we do, Eels. 
 
 Spontaneous Productions of the Earth were the firft 
 Food, and ftill are the Suftenance of numerous Nations. It was 
 fometime before they came to the Juices of Cattle, as Milk, and 
 longer before they commenced carnivorous, and devoured their 
 Fellow-Animals. 
 
 Some think the Fruits of the Earth were intended as Man’s 
 foie Food, and that nothing but Neceffity or Luxury firft promp¬ 
 ted to feed upon Flefh: And indeed, by the Structure of Man’s 
 Teeth, it looks as if they were not proper to devour Fleffi ; and 
 that Nature had rather intended and prepared them for cutting 
 Herbs, Roots,—than, for tearing of Fleffi. Yea, Children don’t 
 affeCt Animal Food, till their Palates be vitiated by Cuftom ; and, 
 further, when we feed upon Flefh, it mu ft be prepared by roafting 
 
 G 2 or 
 
 * Dr. Ni ?h. Grevj’s Cofmohgia Sacra y B. iii. cap. 2. p. 10$. 
 
44 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 or boiling, which makes it harder of Digeftion, than all other 
 Animal Food ; and therefore forbid in Fevers, and other Diftem- 
 pers. 
 
 SECTION VIII. 
 
 T HA T venemous Creatures have been made Injiruments of di¬ 
 vine and human Vengeance , is moji evident. The romantic 
 Account given in Antiquity, of ftrange Feats done by apoifonous 
 Breath—-does not affedt the Truth of this Proportion. 
 
 The Antients divided Serpents, into good and evil Mini- 
 fters ; thus the Egyptians looked upon fome of them to be Admi¬ 
 nistrators of Mercy, and others to be Meffengers of Juft ice. 
 OJiris one of their Gods, is faid to fend out Serpents, to chaftife 
 Evil-Doers 
 
 When the Church of Ifrael murmured againft God in the 
 Wildernefs, and cenfured the Condudt of Providence, he employs 
 
 an Army of Serpents as his Agents, to corredt the Rebels.* - 
 
 Plagues, and other peftilential Difeafes, were, in old times, reputed 
 to be the Meffengers of the Gods, and commiffioned by them, to 
 execute Wrath upon the Wicked. 
 
 Some of the Heathens had exalted Notions of Virtue, and 
 believed Men of Virtue to be the Favourites of the Gods, and 
 that a vicious Life, being oppofite to the Sandtity of their Nature, 
 they could not let it pafs with Impunity. 
 
 A n Inftance to this purpofe we have in the Hiftory of the 
 Apoftles, Adis xxviii. i,————6. The Ifland was called Me- 
 lita . And when Paul had gathered a Bundle of Sticks , and laid 
 them on the Eire , there came a Viper out of the Heat , and faflned on 
 his Hand . And when the Barbarians faw the venemous Beaft hang 
 on his Hand ; they faid among themfelves , No doubt this Man is a 
 Murderer , tho he has efcaped the Sea ) yet Vengeance (<W, Juft ice) 
 fujjers not to live —— Nhey looked when he Jhould have Jwoln, or fain 
 
 * 'Updxwv Inc) v&tci Satpotvig 
 
 l SjX£p3«A£0Sj TOV P dvTOZ oftVfJl.'MOiVIXe (pot)) 1 ; $3, 
 
 Honi. Iliad. B. 
 Mlianl Hip. AnimaTm?.% 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 45 
 
 down - And when they faw no harm come to him , they changed 
 
 their Minds , and faid he was a God. How came they to alter their 
 Opinion ? Becaufe, according to their Divinity, none elfe could 
 thus command, and controul a venemous Serpent, which was one 
 of the Mefengers of the Gods. 
 
 “ No venemous Beafts, according to the fabulous Tradition, 
 u will live in the Ifland, which they afcribe to St. Paul's Bleffing, 
 “ when he was fhipwreck’d there/’ They fhew the Cave where 
 they pretend he refided, and reckon the Earth of it, an Anti¬ 
 dote againft Poifon. 
 
 From this hiftorical Paffage, ’tis evident, that thefe Barbarians 
 did believe a Providence , and the Dodtrine of Divine JuJiice , 
 which Jiifitce they openly adored, .under the Name of Vindidla, or 
 Nemefis , which was the Goddefs of Revenge , whofe Province was to 
 infpebt the moral Conduct of all Men, and diftribute Rewards 
 and Punifhments as the Cafe required. It was painted in the fame 
 manner as JuJiice , with a Pair of Scales in one hand, and a Sword 
 in the other. 
 
 I n Ethiopia , we read of a large Country, this fide the Cyna- 
 molgi , that was laid wafte, and entirely depopulated by Scorpions, 
 before whom, the Inhabitants not being able to Rand, fled for 
 their Lives. The fame Defolation was made by Scorpions at 
 Salamin , an Ifiand not far from Athens , called the IJland of Dra¬ 
 gons, for which Eycophron is quoted *. 
 
 T h e Inhabitants of Amycla , a Town in Italy , were deftroyed 
 by Serpents, being, as ’tis faid, of the Pythagorean Race, whofe 
 Laws forbid to kill Animals, and by fuffering thefe venemous 
 Creatures, to multiply without Controul, they became infuffe- 
 rable -f-. 
 
 The Inhabitants of Pefcara, an antient City in Africa , were 
 eonftrained to forfake their Habitations in Summer , by reafon of 
 Scorpions that were very numerous, and in that Seafon, their Sting 
 moft dangerous: In Winter, when their Wc.unds were lefs dan¬ 
 gerous, the Refugees returned to their Houfes 
 
 D10DORUS SICULUS obferves how many Region: lave 
 been deferted, for this reafon; both People and Cattle odng. 
 driven away by an Army of Scorpions , and their Allies, 
 
 In ■ 
 
 * Conrad. Gefner de S<orp. f Ibid. * Ail, Geogr.. p. 319.V0 
 
 3 : 
 
46 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 In the Canary-IJlands , thefe venemous Animals are more 
 dreaded than the Peftilence. ’Tis faid they are hunted and taken 
 by the Turks, who prepare the Oil. of Scorpions from them *, In 
 India, about the Arrahban-Lake., the Country has been intirely 
 difpeopled by thefe mifchievous Creatures. Ibid . 
 
 In Times of War, Serpents have been preft into the Service. 
 Thus Heliogabalus (Emperor of Rome, fo called becaufe he was 
 Priefl of the Sun before his Election) having, by his Sacerdotal 
 Incantat.ors, or facred Conjurers, gathered together feveral Ser¬ 
 pents, contrived a Method to turn them loofe, before day, among 
 his Enemies, which foon put them into a terrible Hurry, and a 
 Motion, that was a Trial for their Lives; the Sight of the crooked 
 Serpent being far more dreadful, than the Whizzing of a ftraight 
 Arrow -f\ The fame Author informs us of Snakes thrown by a 
 Sling-Staff into the Camp of the Barbarians, which did great Exe¬ 
 cution. 
 
 King Prufias being overcome by King Eumenes , by Land, and 
 intending to try his Fate by Sea, Hannibal, by a new Invention, 
 made him victorious. The Stratagem was this : Hannibal having 
 procured a great Number of Serpents, put them into earthen 
 Veffels; and by another Device, and in midft of the Engage¬ 
 ment, convey’d them into Antiochus s Fleet, which proved more 
 dreadful than Fire-balls, and feather’d Weapons, that flew amongft 
 them. At firff, it feemed ridiculous to the Romans, that they 
 fhould arm themfelves, and fight with earthen Pots ; but when 
 they were broken, an Army of Snakes rufh’d out, which fo ter¬ 
 rified the Marines, that they immediately yielded the Victory to 
 Prujjfis, the Carthaginian Hero’s Friend. 
 
 W e read in Hiftory, how 'Juno, out of her hatred to Hercu¬ 
 les, fent two dreadful Serpents to devour him in the Cradle, 
 which he foon crufh’d with his Infant-Hands. 
 
 I t was common among the Antient Swedes, to fend out cer¬ 
 tain Flies (which they pretended to be their Familiars) to plague 
 their Enemies. They alfo made Magical Balls for the fame pur- 
 pofe, boafling how tfley thereby conveyed Serpents into their Ene. 
 mies Bodies. 
 
 The 
 
 * Conrad. Gefner, r. 2). f Gefnsr. ds Scary. || Juftim Hip. lib. xxxii. ad fiqctn. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 47 
 
 The Laplanders had their Magical Tyre , which was a Ball 
 about the Bignefs of a fmall Apple, (made of Mofs, or Hair of 
 Beads) which, they fay, is quickned and moved by a particular 
 Art j they perfuade themfelves,, that by this Tyre , they can fend 
 Serpents, or what they pleafe, into any Man, to torment him. 
 When this Ball is thrown, it goes like a Whirlwind, and as fwift 
 as a pointed Arrow *. 
 
 I n the Book of Daniel , mention is made of feveral kinds of 
 Magicians in Chaldea , under King Nebuchadnezzar ; one is Mecaf- 
 phim , a Word which by St. Jerome , and the Greeks is tranflated 
 Malejiciy Enchanters , fuch People as make ufe of noxious Herbs 
 and Drugs, the Blood of Victims, and Bones of the Dead, - for 
 their fuperAitious Operations •f'* 
 
 “ The Tyrants of Japonia invented a Arange Punifhment for 
 
 “ thofe who eo-nfefle'd ChriA.*---They hung them with their 
 
 “ Heads downwards, half their Bodies into a large Hole digged 
 “ in the Earth, which they filled with Snakes , Lizards , and other 
 poifonous Vermin j but even thofe (fays my Right Reverend 
 “ Author, thedearned and pious Bifhop Taylor ) were betterCom- 
 “ panions than thofe infernal Dragons in the Pit of Hell ||. ” The 
 Romans } when they punifh’d any for Parricide , to exprefs their 
 Abhorrence .of fo heinous a Murder, they fhut him up in a Sack, 
 with a Serpent, an Ape, and a Cock.-- 
 
 To thefe InAances, Ifhall add, that the Attendants of Pluto; 
 Prince of the Infernal Regions, are reprefented in a Serpentine' 
 
 Habit , viz.' the Furies , Harpies - 
 
 I n his Train, are three Diree, Eumenides,or Furies, viz. sllebio, 
 Megara , and Tyfiphone , whofe Heads are covered with long and 
 dreadful Snakes, inAead of flair, with Whips, Chains, and flam¬ 
 ing Torches, in their Hands, to punifll the Guilty. Thefe r 
 alfo attended the Throne of Jove, and were accounted to be Mcf- 
 fengers of the Gods, whofe Office it was to execute their Decrees 
 in the Infliction of Calamities upon Mortals. 
 
 These Furies ^had their"Temples and Worfhippers, and were 
 defcribed in Figures of fo frightful a Form, that they durA feared 
 mention their Names without Horror. 
 
 T2 1 
 
 * Schefferus 's Hiftory of L ap'and, cap. xi. p. 60. f Cabne? s Hi A. Cric—< 
 Dictionary. || Contempt*.inn, -Book • ii/ chap-. 6 . - 
 
4 8 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 TTSIPHONE, one of them, enraged at an innocent 
 Youth, pluck'd off one of her Snakes, and threw it at him, which 
 wound about his Body, and immediately firangled him. Some 
 lay, that we fee thele three Furies on a Medal of the Emperor 
 Philip , ftruck at Antioch , on whofe Reverfe are reprefented three 
 Women, arm’d with a Key, burning Torches, Poniards, and Ser- 
 .pents. 
 
 T h e Daffodil was facred to the Furies, and fuch as offered 
 Sacrifice to them were crowned with it. * 
 
 As foon as departed Souls had been examined by Minos, Ra- 
 dama?lthus y and Abacus, and found guilty, and Sentence pafl, they 
 were delivered to the Furies, who call them down headlong into 
 Tartarus , the Place of Torment,—and all thofe who had lived 
 well, were conducted to the Elyfian Fields. 
 
 HOMER fpeaks of them as the Executioners of Juflice upon 
 falfe Swearers, among other Inflances: 
 
 Infernal Furies , and Tartarean Gods 3 
 Who rule the Dead , and horrid Woes prepare 
 For perjur’d Kings , and all who faljlyfwear. 
 
 The Harpies *f- were monftrous and cruel Birds defcrib’d with 
 Womens Faces, and Dragons Tails , to render them more formi¬ 
 dable to Mankind : The Antients looked upon them as Daemons 
 or Genii, which laft Homer calls Podarge. About Kaskan in 
 Perfia 3 is a fine and fertile Country, but plagued with Multi¬ 
 tudes of Scorpions , which haunt the Inhabitants, efpecially in that 
 Town (one of the moil populous and eminent Marts in that Em¬ 
 pire) where the Inhabitants, for fear of that venemous Animal, 
 dare not fleep upon the Floor (as in other Places, where they on¬ 
 ly throw a Quilt upon the Tapeftry) but have light Couches, 
 hanging down from the Roof, like Seamens Hammocks, or 
 hanging Beds on fhip-board. 
 
 They have indeed a ready Help again!! its venemous Wounds, 
 which is made of the Filings of Copper, tempered with Vinegar 
 and Honey , which proves a fpeedy Cure j but if negledled, the 
 Patient is in danger of his Life. This, fays the Hiftorian, 
 I prefume, has been firft found out by the antipathetick Qua¬ 
 lity, 
 
 * From Eufiathius, on the firft Book of the Iliad. 
 
 ■f Aello) Ocypete , and CeUno 3 Virg. jEneid. lib. 3. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 49 
 
 lity, which feems to be between Scorpions and Copper ; for not far 
 from the City is the Copper-Mine, where, as before, if one of 
 thefe Animals be brought, it dies immediately, ijh Whether this 
 be not Herbert’s Parthian ? 
 
 Yea, to render a future State terrible to Mortals, the Heathens, 
 fpeaking of departed Souls, feigned, that at their defcent from 
 Charon’s Boat (who was the Ferryman of Hell) they met Cerbe¬ 
 rus , a monftrous Dog, with three Heads, who was covered all 
 over with Serpe?its , inftead of Hair. There was the Monfier 
 Chimaera that vomited Fire, her Head like a Lion, Middle like a 
 Goat , and her Tail like a furious Dragon 5 fo lings the Poet: 
 
 -Cerberus, who foon began to rear 
 
 His crejied Snakes—he gapes with three enormous Mouths. 
 
 Dryden’s Virgil. 
 
 So another: 
 
 For as the Pope that keeps the Gate 
 Of Heaven , wears three Crowns of State-, 
 
 So he , that keeps the Gates of Hell , 
 
 Proud Cerberus, wears three Heads as well. 
 
 And , if the World have any Froth , 
 
 Some have been canoniz’d in both. 
 
 Hudibras. 
 
 But further, we may obferve, that befides this frightful Ap¬ 
 pearance of Serpents to lalute their Entrance into Hell, there was 
 Variety of Punilhments for them when there. Thus the Danaides 
 were condemned to Tartarus by the Poets, to be continually em¬ 
 ployed in filling a Cask perforated at the bottom; Pblegas , con¬ 
 demned by Apollo to Hell, where he fat upon a rolling Stone, in 
 conftant danger of falling into a Pit of greater Mifery; Lity us, 
 adjudged to Hell, where a Vultur feeds on his Liver, and the 
 Liver always grows with the Moon: Nay, fuch were the horrible 
 Preparations in Hell, that Virgil *, after a Survey of it, declares, 
 that had he a hundred Mouths and Tongues, they would not fuf- 
 fice to recount all the Plagues of the Tortured: fo that it is no 
 wonder to fee them reprefent the infernal Prifon in Figures the 
 moft frightful. 
 
 H 
 
 JEneld. lib. vi. ver. 638. 
 
 And 
 
5 ° 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY, ». 
 
 A n d as the Heathen had their terrible Place for bad Men, fo, 
 to prompt them to Virtue, they had their Elyjium , i. e. a Place of 
 Fleafure in Hades , furnifhed with mod: pleafant Fields, agreeable 
 Woods, Groves, Shades, Rivers; whither the Souls of good Peo¬ 
 ple were fuppofed to go after this Life. Thefe are finely defcribed 
 by the Poet: 
 
 ■ 1 ■ 1 ■ - locos Icetos & amcena virenta 
 
 Fortunatorum nemorum fedefque beat as. 
 
 A 
 
NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 O F 
 
 SERPEN T S- 
 
 PART II. 
 
 Which gives a View of moft Serpents that are known 
 in the feveral Parts of the World\ defcritid by their 
 various Names , different Countries , Qualities^ &c. 
 
 T H E Serpents are a numerous Tribe and their Dominions 
 of large Extent, lying both in Sea and Land: No part 
 of the World but what is replenifh’d with them, more 
 or lefs, in fome form or other. In defcribing them, I fhall begin 
 with, 
 
 I. The Viper , or Adder , a fubtle and poifonous Creature, 
 ilender in Body, about a Foot and half long, with fiery and 
 flaming Eyes, a long and cloven Tongue, which when irritated 
 it darts forth with Violence, and looks like a glowing Fire-brand; 
 has a big Head, and flatted: of the Serpentine kind. 
 
 H 2 
 
 Ir 
 
52 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 I t is flow in its motion, and does not leap like other Ser¬ 
 pents, but is very nimble to bite when provok’d. The Scales un¬ 
 der the Body refemble that of well-polilh’d Steel. They appear 
 in divers Colours, yellow, afh, green; and others of Lybia> like 
 the Inhabitants, of a blackifh Hue; its Front not unlike that of 
 a Hog. 
 
 VIPERS cf other Nations, are fuppofed to be larger than 
 the European , efpecially the Troglodite-Viper *, which is faid to 
 be above fifteen Cubits long: and the Hiflorian adds, viz. 'That 
 there are no domejiick Vipers. I prefume, he means they are not 
 brought up among the Children of the Family, as fome Serpents 
 are faid to have been; this little venemous Reptile being of a 
 more mifchievous Nature •f*. 
 
 The Viper differs from the Snake in bulk, being not fo large, 
 and their Scales more fharp, and Head more large: They alfo 
 differ in this, viz. Snakes lay their Eggs, twenty, thirty, fixty, 
 and a hundred fometimes, in one Neft, not quite fo large as that 
 of a Magpye (which are inclofed with a whitifh Skin, but not 
 with Scales) in Dunghills and other warm Situations, where they 
 are hatch’d by adventitious Heat, commonly call’d Adders in this 
 Country; whereas Vipers make ufe of their own Matrix, and 
 bring forth live Vipers: Their young ones come forth wrapt up 
 in thin Skins, which break on the third day, and fet the little 
 venemous Creatures at liberty, therefore rank’d among the vivi¬ 
 parous Animals. 
 
 Their Births are much like young Snigs for Bulk; they ge¬ 
 nerally bring forth about twenty young ones, but only one each 
 day. It is obferv’d of the Viper, that its Internals are not fetid, 
 like thofe of fome other Serpents, that are intolerable. 
 
 T h e Eggs of Lizard-Serpents , which are fo much efteem’d 
 in the French-ljlands in America , are of the fame Size and Figure 
 as thofe of Pigeons, and are generally ufed in all forts of Sauces: 
 When the Females lay their Eggs, they make a Hole in the Sand, 
 and cover them with it, and the Pleat of the Sun is fufficient to 
 hatch them £ 
 
 ALBERTUS is quoted fora Battle between a Viper and a 
 Magpye, occafioned by her creeping up into a Magpye’s Neff, 
 
 and 
 
 * Milan de Nat, Animal. + Conrad. Gefner. Hift. p. 75. % A v.'llee's 
 
 Journal of the Phil. Math, and Bot. O'of. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 53 
 
 and devouring her Brood in the Mother’s abfence, who upon 
 her Return made a hideous clattering, which foon brought in its 
 Mate; whereupon both, with united Beaks, fell upon the Plun¬ 
 derer, and after a (harp Engagement demolilh’d the Enemy. 
 
 Father Fevillee in the Woods of the Bland Martinique , 
 “ being frighted by a large Serpent, which he could not well 
 avoid, his Dog immediately fell on, and took the Serpent 
 “ by the Head: The Serpent furrounded him and prefs’d him 
 “ fo violently, that the Blood came out of his Mouth; and 
 “ yet the Dog never ceafed till he had entirely tore it to pieces. 
 <c The Dog was not fenfible of his Wounds during the Fight, 
 “ but foon after, his Head prick’d by the Serpent fweli’d prodi- 
 “ gioufly, and he lay on the ground as dead; but his Mafter hav- 
 11 ing found hard by a Bananier , which is a very watry Tree, he 
 <e cured him with the Juice of it, and fome Treacle"*.” 
 
 The Viper is common in fome parts of France , efpecially in 
 Dauphiny or Poitou, from whence all the Vipers come that are 
 fold in Paris. They are ufually taken with wooden Tongs, or 
 by the end of the Tail, which may be done without danger; for 
 while held in that Pofition, they can’t wind themfelves up to hurt 
 their Enemy. The Viper-Catchers have their Specificks, in which 
 they can fafely confide, as not to be afraid of being bitten ; which 
 they fay is ike Fat of a Viper , immediately rubb’d into the Wound, 
 which is one of the mod: venemous in the animal World. 
 
 These Vipers are ufually put and kept in a Box with Bran 
 or Mofs; not that thefe Ingredients ferve to feed upon, as fome 
 may fancy; becaufe ’tis laid, they never eat after they are taken 
 and confin’d, but live on the Air, and will live lb, many Months: 
 But more hereafter. The Definition of Vipers by human Spittle, 
 the Coition of the Marine with Lampreys, the pregnant Viper 
 biting off her Companion’s Plead, and the Revenge of it by the 
 Younglings-1 place among vulgar Errors. 
 
 II. The Amodytes is a Serpent very venemous and fierce, of a 
 fandy Colour, black Spots, and of about a Cubit long. The Wound 
 given by the Female, the weaker Velfel, is faid to be moll: dan¬ 
 gerous: Its Jaws are larger than the common Vipers, and from 
 fome Eminencies upon the Head, like a Tuft of Flelh, is called 
 
 Cornutus . 
 
 * Fevillee's "Journal of the Phil. Math, and Bot. Obfer, 
 
5 + 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 Cor nut us. Its Wounds prove Fatal without a fpeedy Cure. It is 
 found in. Lybia, a Limb of Africa, and alfo in Jllyricum , and in 
 fome parrs of Italy *. 
 
 This Serpent is ca]led Cornutus , a horned Bead -f. Of this 
 Form, is a numerous Herd} we read, that in die Roman Army 
 was a Band of Foot Soldiers called Cornuti. 
 
 Upon the Continent of America are Bulls and Cows, that 
 
 have no Horns, lays Dr. Ch. Leigh -who adds, The Defedt 
 
 “ of Horns in thefe Beads, brings into my mind a remarkable 
 “ Phenomenon of one Alice Green, whofe Pidture I have feenin 
 <£ Whalley Abhy , in Lancajhire. This Woman had two Horns 
 ££ which grew out of the back part of her Head; they grew 
 “ backwards like thofe of Rams, and were about three Inches 
 ££ long; thefe fhe cad once in three Years, and had always into- 
 £t Ierable Pains, before the Horns broke out 
 
 He might have mentioned another innocent Creature, on 
 whofe Head a treacherous Companion inoculates a Scion, which 
 intitles him to the title of Cuckold, a word derived from Cuckows , 
 who having no Beds of their own, invade their Neighbour's. Of 
 the Cuckow ’tis faid, that having no Ned, fhe takes polfeffion of 
 fome other Bird’s Ned, dedrovs the Eggs, and lays in it an Egg 
 of her own, which the innocent Bird brings forth and nurfes for 
 its own ||. 
 
 III. The Ceraftes is a Serpent of the viperine Kind; its Head 
 refembles the Cornigerous ; it belongs to the Lybian and Nubian 
 Family: Its Teeth are like thofe of the Viper, and it brings its 
 Succeffors into the World after the fame manner. 
 
 Its Conditution is very dry, which refines and exalts its Poi- 
 fon, and makes it more dangerous; the Wound is generally at¬ 
 tended with Didradtion, and continual pricking as with Needles. 
 Some fay, ’tis of a whitilh Colour, others arenaceous; it loves 
 fandy Habitations, where it often furprifes the unwary Traveller: 
 And all agree ’tis of a mod cruel Nature; and therefore in fome 
 Places ’twas made the Executioner of Malefactors **, as the Juice 
 
 of 
 
 * Comitatu imprimis Goritienfi invenitur. — Ray. 
 
 ■f Lucan. Pharfal. lib. ix. 
 
 j His Natural Hi/lory of Lancajhire , Book ii. p. 3. 
 
 || Dr. Willoughby , who writ the Hiftory of Birds, affirms this Account of the 
 Cuckow to he true upon his own Knowledge, according to Mr. Ray. 
 
 ** Nunc potei aSiutum infidiatoremque Cerajlen—Non is corpus babet , fed quatuor 
 aut duo profert Cornua. Nicander in Ther. 
 

55 
 
 OF SERPENTS. 
 
 of the Cieuta , (an Herb like our Hemlock) was among the Athe¬ 
 nians. 
 
 Some fay ’tis of the afpick kind, as the Arabians; in length a 
 Cubit or more, with two Horns on the Head, refembling Snail- 
 Shells: It lies perdue near travelling Paths, and is very crafty in 
 decoying little Birds into the Snare. 
 
 Its Wounds foon kill, if one of the Pfyllian People be not im¬ 
 mediately called in. N. B. Thefe PJylli are a noted People of 
 Syrenaica in Africa , endued with a natural Faculty of deftroying 
 Serpents upon fight, and curing their Wounds by a Touch of the 
 
 Hand; of whom we have this Account, viz . Crates of Per- 
 
 gamus fays, that about Parium in the Hellefpont , there were Men, 
 named Ophiogenes , who cured thofe wounded with Serpents with a 
 Touch. Varro teftifies there were fome of them in his time. 
 AGAPHERCIDES writes, that in Africa the PfyIlians 
 (a People fo called from King Pfyllus, from whom they were de¬ 
 scended, and whofe Sepulchre is to be feen at this day in the greater 
 Syrtes ) did in the fame manner heal People wounded by Serpents. 
 ’Tis laid they had fome extraordinary Quality in their Nature, that 
 would fuddenly kill all Serpents. 
 
 I t was by thefe they tried the Chafiity of their Wives, thus, 
 viz. When a Child was born, and its Legitimacy quefiionable, 
 they laid it in a great Vejfel full of thefe Cerafik Serpents , that 
 immediately breathed deftrudtion; but when they came near the 
 Child, their Rage foften’d, and they immediately fled from it; 
 which proved the Legitimacy of the Child, that he was a true 
 Pfyllian , born in Lawful Wedlock, becaufe Serpents could not 
 poifon it, nor endure its Prefence *. 
 
 However this romantic Account may appear, it may doubt- 
 lels be philofophically accounted for by Effluviums emitted from 
 their Bodies, that proved fatal to Serpents. 
 
 The Englifh Annotator upon Lucan , who was Nephew to 
 Seneca , obferves much to the lame purpofe, when he fays, Thefe 
 Pfylli (a People inhabiting thofe parts of Africa called Marmarica , 
 bordering on the Nile) are fortify’d by Nature with an incredible 
 
 Privilege 
 
 * In dolium cerajlarum plenum infantem conjlcere, /Elian, lib. i. cap. 57. Gyllii 
 Acceffio, cap. 37. N. B. If the Child was begotten by a Stranger, ’tws killed by 
 Poifon ; if lawfully begotten, the Privilege of his Father’s li.oud protected him 
 againft the Venom. 
 
56 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 Privilege againft the Strength of Poifon, and fuftain no Harm by 
 
 the biting of Serpents. 
 
 The Serpents, fays Pliny , are afraid of them, and when others 
 are bitten by them, thefe PfyIlians by fucking the Wounds, cure 
 them. 
 
 The Marfiam in Italy, ’tis faid, are ftill in pofleflicn of this 
 natural Power againft Serpents, and are fuppofed to defcend from 
 the Son of Circe , the famous Enchantrefs. 
 
 The Trial of Children’s Legitimacy by Serpents, puts me in 
 mind of Hereditary Right; whole Title was try’d by the Fatal- 
 Stone, on which the Irifh Monarchs ufed to be inaugurated on the 
 Hill of Tar ah-, and which being inclofed in a Wooden-Chair , was 
 made to emit a Sound under the rightful Candidate, when he fat 
 in it; but was quite lilent under one who had no Title, or not a 
 good one; that is, one who was not, for the Druidick Prieft’s 
 Turn. 
 
 ££ This Stone was fent to confirm the Irifh Colony in Scotland, 
 “ where it continued to be the Coronation-Chair till in the Year 
 “ 1300, Edward I. of England brought it from Sccon, and placed 
 “ it under the Coronation-Chair at Wejlminfter and there it 
 t£ ftill remains, is ufed in the Coronation, the antienteft refpedted 
 £c Monument in the World -f*. The Vulgar call it Jacob's Stone, 
 ££ as if this had been his Pillow at Bethel.” Note, Antique Ap¬ 
 pearances often give birth to popular Superftitions. 
 
 Suc h natural Power againft Difeafes did in our Days appear 
 in the celebrated Mr. Greatrix , before whofe Hand they fed. In 
 the Philofophical Tranfa&ions we have the following Account 
 of it, received from Eye-Witneftes— e. g. 
 
 “ • • • • My own Brother, John D - -n, was feized with a vio- 
 
 <c lent Pain in his Head and Back; Mr. Greatrix (coming by ac- 
 “ cident to our Houfe) gave prefent Eafe to his Head, by only 
 tc ftroaking it with his Hands. He then rubb’d his Back, which 
 “ he moll complain’d of, and the Pain immediately fled from 
 ££ his Hand to his right Thigh; then he purfued it with his 
 C£ Hand to his Knee, from thence to his Leg, Ancle and Foot; 
 tc and at laft to his great Toe. As it fell lower, it grew more 
 
 violent; 
 
 * Ni fallat fatum Scoti quccunque locatum 
 Invenient lapidem, regnare tenentur ibidem, 
 ■f IJland 's Colled. A. D. 1726. 
 
 3 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 57 
 
 <c violent; and when in his Toe, it made him roar out, but upon 
 <c rubbing it there, it vanith’d. 
 
 “ A young Woman being feiz’d with a great Pain and Weak- 
 “ nefs in her Knees when a Girl, ufed divers Means to no ef- 
 (C fe6t: After fix or feven years time, Mr. Greatrix coming to 
 “ Dublin , he Jftroak’d both her Knees, and gave her prefent 
 “ Eafe, the Pain flying downward from his Hand , till he drove 
 <c it out of her Toes; the Swelling that always attended it, did 
 “ in a fhort time wear away, and never troubled her after. 
 
 “ .... A certain Gentlewoman being much troubled with a 
 <£ Pain in her Ears , and very Deaf, Mr. Greatrix put fome of his 
 “ Spittle into her Ears; which, after chafing them, foon cured 
 
 “ her, both of the Pain and Deafnefs.Her Uncle was cured 
 
 iC by him of the fame Malady, and in the fame manner. 
 
 “ .... A Child, being extreamly troubled with the King’s- 
 “ Evil, was touch’d by King Charles II. and was nothing better; 
 <e but was foon and perfectly cured by Mr. Greatrix 
 
 IV. The Hemorrhous Serpent is an Egyptian of the viperine 
 kind; of fandy and bright Colour, enamel’d with black and white 
 Rays on the Back; flaming Eyes, corniculated Brows, and is 
 defended by an Armature of rough and (harp Scales; which by 
 one is given as the Reafon of making fome Noife as it goes, 
 which another denies, becaufe it wants the Sonalia *j-. 
 
 This Creature is little in Body, but great and terrible in its 
 Executions; for when it wounds any Perfons, all the Blood in 
 the Body flows out, at all the Apertures of it, which is imme¬ 
 diately follow’d with Convulfions and Death £. 
 
 The Atlas from Ribeyro mentions an Indian Serpent of the 
 fame malignant Nature, whofe Poifon operates with fuch Vio¬ 
 lence, that the Perfon wounded by it bleeds at the Eyes, Noftrils, 
 Ears, and all the Pores of the Body, and the miferable Patient 
 is irrecoverable. 
 
 I The 
 
 * Lowthorp's Pbilofoph. Tranfaftions abridged, vol.iii. p. n, 12. Edit. 2. Com¬ 
 municated by Mr. Thoresby , N. 256. p. 332. 1699. In Page 10. an account is 
 given of the wonderful Effe&s of Touch and Fri&ion. 
 
 f Caret Sonalibus. Nierembergius , p. 269. 
 
 J Gyllius , p. 261. Rail Synopfts Meth. 8vo. A. D. 1693. Evenitur in lEgypto & 
 aiiis locis quibus Thoms imperavit. ibid. & in agris Jucatenfibus. 
 
 At non ftare fuum miferis paflura cruore 
 Squamiferos ingens Hasmorhois. 
 
i-O 
 
 8 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 The Poet laments the Death of the brave and noble Tullus 
 by this bloody Serpent; which is alfo found in India (according 
 to Diodorus Siculus ) in that part where Alexander the Great con¬ 
 quer’d Torus the Great King of the Indies. The Conqueror 
 bid Torus afk of him whatever he defired; who anfwered, That 
 he only defired to be treated as a Trince: with which Alexander 
 wai ■ fo charm’d, that he not only gave him his Kingdom again, 
 but fome of the Provinces he had conquered in that Vicinity. 
 N. B. On the Bank of the River Hydafpis , Alexander built a 
 Town, which he call’d Bucephala , in remembrance of Buce¬ 
 phalus his great Horfe, which died and w*as buried there. 
 
 V. The Serpent Seps , which by fome is faid to be the fame 
 with Sepedon , is about two Cubits long, the Head broad, and of 
 divers Colours. Both thefe are of the fmaller Species, but mod; 
 venemous, and therefore are rank’d in the fecond Clafs of Ser¬ 
 pents. The Virulency of the Poifon is not in proportion to their 
 diminutive Stature. 
 
 When any are wounded by thefe venemous Animals, the 
 Hair of the Head immediately falls off, the whole Body turns 
 fcurfy, leprous and putrid; yea, the very Bones, as well as the 
 Flefh, putrify and corrupt; therefore fome call it the putrid Ser¬ 
 pent -j~. The Poet accounts for the Symptoms of its Poifon J. 
 
 These Serpents are AJiaticks , Inhabitants of the Rocks in 
 Syria ; Syria , the fuppofed weftern Torch of Taradife. Thefe 
 referable the Hemorrhous in Colour and external Figure: Accord¬ 
 ing to Mlian , they change into the Similitude of the Thingsjhey 
 light upon. He might, I think, as well have faid, they chang’d 
 their Notes on different Trees, fince there is a kind of relation 
 between Mujick and Colour , as the Learned Newton obferves. 
 
 VI. KOKO B Serpent, is between three and four Foot long, 
 of a dufky Colour, and made beautiful by Spots of red and light 
 Blue. Its Wounds are terrible, and the Effects not very diffimi- 
 lar to thofe of the Hemorrhous. Nierembergius obferves, that it 
 
 refides 
 
 * Lucan , lib. ix. p. 269. Impreffit dentes Hemorrhois afpera Tullo magnanimo Ju- 
 verii. _ 
 
 4 Nonnulli ex Scaligero, non male putriam vocare. jonjionus , p. 14. 
 
 t Mors eji ante oculos Sepsjietit exiguus—Parva modo Serpens % fed qua nannulla 
 ententes Fugit rnpta cutis. Lucan Pharlal, lib. ix, p. 271, 
 
OF SERPENTS„ 
 
 59 
 
 refides among Stones; and when it rambles out, and hears any 
 Noife, makes towards it like a mighty Hero. Thus the Gallic 
 Monarch, upon Debates among Princes, marches out as fovereign 
 Umpire of Europe , and never returns home but by way of Lor- 
 rain 3 Corjica , Palatine , or Spanijh Flanders. 
 
 VII. The Afp , fo called from the Afperity of its Skin, as Ar- 
 noldus , or from afpiciendo 3 becaufe of the Acutenefs of its Eves. 
 A Serpent well known, but not accurately defcrib’d, lays th> 
 Learned Mr. Ray: Some make it a fmall Serpent, others fay ’as 
 leveral Feet long; and both may judge right, for according to 
 ALlian , there are various Species of Alps; fome a Foot and half 
 long, and others lix. 
 
 Among thefe different Proportions, the lead: of them is faid 
 to be mod: hurtful, and kills the fooned. Its Poifon is fo dan¬ 
 gerous and quick in its Operation, that it kills almoft in the very 
 lndant that it bites, without a Poffibility of applying any Re¬ 
 medy: They die within three Hours, lays my learned Author*; 
 and the manner of their dying by Sleep and Lethargy, without 
 Pain, made Cleopatra chufe it as the eaded way of dilpatching 
 herfelf. (More of this further on.) 
 
 These Afpick Serpents, are the Growth of feveral Climates: 
 Olaus obfcrved fome of them in the northern Parts, of rugged 
 and rough Skins, adi Colour, fparkling Eyes, three or four Cu¬ 
 bits long •f'; tho’ Lovers of warm Situations, yet delight in 
 lhady Retirements Many of them are found in the Spanijh 
 Idands f-; but Egypt , Libya , and other Places in Africa claim 
 the greated Right to them, for there they are moil numerous and 
 venemous. 
 
 When provok’d, the Neck of this greature fwells, and the 
 Wound then given, is mod dangerous. Its Teeth are of cond- 
 derable length, growing out of the Mouth like the Tulks of a 
 Boar. The Hidorian fays, that two of the longed Teeth have 
 little Cavities in them, covered with a thin Skin, that dides up 
 when it bites, by which means the poifonous Liquid runs out, 
 and drops into the Pundture; after which, it recovers its Station. 
 
 I 2 In 
 
 * Calmet in Verbum , p. 213. f Jonjhnus H'Ji. cle Serp. p. 15. 
 
 X Ideo Seneca , ad umbram exfurgere dixit. 
 
6 o 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 I n America , fays a celebrated H'ifiorian, are found Afps with 
 Stings in the Tail, wherewith they ftrike and kill *. 
 
 The Banks of Nilus abound with Afps, who have Sagacity 
 enough to remove their Habitations to a place of Safety, feveral 
 days before that River overflows the Rifing-Grounds about it: 
 ’Tis alfo faid the Crocodile and Tortoife recede with their Eggs, to 
 a Situation not acceflible by that mighty Flood; a Flood that 
 makes the Land of Egypt , a Region of Fertility, a Flood dreaded 
 by thefe Animals, and ador’d by the Egyptians , thofe Sons of 
 Contradiction, who confecrated* their Animals to the Gods, and 
 then worfhipped them, and upon Occafions kill’d them. (Gan 
 we behold fuch InftinCts in the Crocodile , &c. without acknow¬ 
 ledging the Divine Wifdom that ordain’d ’em !) No Nation more 
 knowing, and more fottifh, e.g. Upon the Statue of Minerva , 
 or the Goddefs Ifis, was this Infcription viz. I was Jhe that was ,, 
 that am , and pi all be , and that am every thing. Which being an 
 exaft Interpretation of the Word Jehovah , and the fame Defini¬ 
 tion the Almighty appropriates to himfelf, I can’t, fays the Learned 
 Jurieu , conceive, how a Nation that was arriv’d to fuch a high 
 Degree of Knowledge, fhould have worfhip’d Bullocks—asGods. 
 
 PLUTARCH gives a ftrange relation of them, viz. that in cafe 
 of any extraordinary Calamity,, as War, Plague, Famine, the Egyp-- 
 tian Priefts ufed to threaten the J'acred Beajls moft horribly: If 
 they failed to help them, they whipt them till the Blood follow’d; 
 and if the Calamity did flill continue, they kill’d thofe facred 
 Beafls by way of Punifhment -f-. The Reverfe of this is given us 
 in a Clan of Tartars , who, when expofed to any imminent Ca¬ 
 lamity, facrifice their Priefts, in order to intercede for them with 
 the Gods in the other World. 
 
 It has been faid, that the Afp, when exafperated, did, with 
 an created Head, caft: out of its Mouth liquid Poifon; but it 
 now appears, it darts it only by its Bite, or by Poifon taken 
 from it by force, and poured into a Wound made by another; 
 and both the Wounds fo made, foon terminate in an eafy plea- 
 fant Exit ; which is fappofed to be the reafon why Queen Cleo¬ 
 patra chofe this kind of Death, that is, to poifon herfelfbyan 
 Afpick Dofe; This reminds me of a certain Herb I have read of 
 
 in 
 
 JonJIonus Hifi , Nat, de Serpentibus. p. 15. f Jurieu from Plut.de If, isf Ofr> 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 in Arabia , which (according to the Tradition) if a Man Jlept 
 upon , he died in his Sleep without any Pain. 
 
 A Certain learned Pen, makes this Remark upon Cleo¬ 
 patra's Cafe, viz. that fhe was not bit by an Afp, as fome have 
 averted, but did that which was more jfecret and fure; that is, 
 after fhe had bit her own Arm, infufed Poifon into the Wound, 
 expreifed before-hand from an Ajp by Irritation, and preferved in 
 a Phial for that purpofe: Or, as Dio fays, fhe wounded her Arm 
 with a Needle, or Drefling-pin, and then poured the Poifon into 
 the bleeding Wound. This feems probable, becaufe no Serpent 
 was found in her Chamber or near it. 
 
 The Hfueen, in order to find the mod eafy Paflage out of this 
 Life, made an Experiment upon Criminals by various kinds of 
 Poifon, and Application of diverfe forts of Serpents, and found 
 nothing came up to Afpick Poifon , which throws Perfons into a 
 pleafant Sleep, in which they die* . 
 
 Obj. If it be faid, that in the Triumphs of Augufus , Queen 
 Cleopatra is drawn with an Afp in her Hand: 
 
 I A n s w e R, That I apprehend that Device might only be Pidlo- 
 rial-Licence, or a Flourifh of the Painter to afifedt the People, by 
 difplaying the Heroifm of a Woman, who to prevent the Difgrace 
 of Captivity, embraced Death at the hands of a Serpent , a ter¬ 
 rible Creature, to which none has fo great an Averfion as the fe¬ 
 male Sex. Excufe a poetick Digreffion. 
 
 On the A S P and its P O I S O N. 
 
 *- Welcome thou kind Deceiver , 
 
 Phou bef of Thieves! who with an eafy Key 
 Dof open Life , and wtperceiv'd by us, 
 
 Even fleal as from our Jelves ; difcharging fo , 
 
 Death's dreadful Office, better than himfelf. 
 
 Pouching our Limbs fo gently into Slumber , 
 
 Phat Death funds by, deceiv'd by its own Image , 
 
 And thinks himfelf afeep y.— -■» 
 
 Some 
 
 * Plutarch’s Lives of Marc Anton, and Cleopatra, and Fr, Rtdi Nobilis AreU -u 
 Experiment, p. 170,— I,——3. 
 f Dryden, All for Love. 
 
62 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 Smoe are of Opinion, that the Afp is David’s deaf Adder , 
 Pfal. lviii. 45. They are like the deaf Adder thatflops her Ear , which 
 will not hearken to the Voice of Charmers , charming never fo wifely. 
 They are like the deaf Afp , fays the Hebrew and the Septuagint. 
 The word in the Original * Pet hen, q. d. Unperfuadednefs ; hence, 
 wicked Men are called A ttuQeis in the New Tefl. unperfuadable, 
 which the Englijh Tranflation renders Difobedient , Tit. i. 16. 
 
 The common Tradition is, that when Men by Inchantments 
 and Charms have attempted to take thefe Serpents, they ftopt 
 one Ear with the Tail, and the other was either deaf, or made fo 
 by laying it clofe to the Ground. Some are of Opinion, that 
 there is a fort of Afp that really is deaf, which of all others is the 
 mod: dangerous, and is meant by the Royal Prophet here. 
 
 That there was a Pradtice of charming Serpents by fome Art 
 or other, fo that they could neither bite nor fling, feems evident 
 from the facred Writings, e. g. Eccl. x. 11. Surely the Serpent 
 will bite without Inchantment. Jer. viii. 17. Til fend Serpents , 
 Cockatrices , among you , that will not be charmed\ and they Jhall 
 bite you , fays the Lord. 
 
 Among other Things the Word Charmer , fome fay, figni- 
 fies one that conjoins and confociates; that is, that by Sorcery 
 gather’d Serpents together, and made them tame and familiar; 
 or the Perfon may be fo call’d, becaufe by Magick Art , he afib- 
 ciated with Demons , the Lords of Serpents. 
 
 W e are inform’d by Hiftory, of fome who have fummoned 
 together a hundred Serpents at once; but by what method, I 
 leave the Reader to judge. Mont anus, a famous Phyfician, and 
 Profeffor at Padua in Italy , fays he law this Coadunation of 
 Serpents. 
 
 The learned Dodtor Cafaubon tells us, he had feen a Man, 
 who from the Country around him, would draw Serpents into 
 the Fire, which was inclos’d in a magical Circle: When one of 
 them, bigger than the reft, would not be brought in, upon repeat¬ 
 ing the aforefaid Charms, it lubmitted to the Flames. 
 
 W e read of a famous Charmer at Saltsburgh in the Circle of 
 Bavaria ; that, when (in fight of the People) he had charm’d a 
 great Number of Serpents into a Ditch, where he kill’d them; 
 
 there 
 
 * ?nD. «<r« ttavihq xutpvs. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 6 3 
 
 there came a Serpent of great Bulk, fuppofed to be the Devil, that 
 leapt upon the Charmer, and immediately flew him *. 
 
 Answer me, fays Paracelfus , (the celebrated Swifs Phyfician, 
 who did wonderful Cures by Liquids extracted from Vegetables,) 
 from whence is it, that a Serpent of Helvetia , Algovia , or Suevia , 
 does underftand the Greek Idiom, OJy , OJy a , OJy j that they 
 fhould, at the firfl: Sound of thefe Words, flop their Ears , remain 
 immoveable, and do us no hurt with their Poifon ? From whence 
 he infers, there was a Power in Words to operate upon the Ear, 
 without Superftition. The Antients feem to have entertain’d 
 fome favourable Thoughts of the Power of Spells upon Serpents: 
 Their Poets fpeak often of thefe Charms and Incantations. 
 
 Frigidus in pratis cantando rumpitar anguis. Virgil. 
 Vipereasrumpoverbis i & carmi?ie fauces. Ovid. 
 
 Ingne pruinofo coluber difienditur arvo y 
 Viperes coeunt abrupto corpore nodi , 
 
 Humanoque cadit ferpens aflat a veneno. Lucan. 
 
 PHILOSTRATUS defcribes particularly how the Indians 
 charm Serpents—they take a Scarlet-Coat embroider’d with golden 
 Letters, and fpread it before the Serpent’s Hole, and thefe golden 
 Letters have a fafcinating Power over it, and therewith its Eyes 
 are overcome and laid afleep -j-. 
 
 I f we conflder the ftrange Things done by Force of Words , lo 
 much extoll’d in Antiquity, it will be no wonder to fee Letters , 
 out of which Words are form'd , made the Rudiment an&frjl Study 
 of human Life: But as to the Mode of Operation by Words , the 
 Learned are not agreed. 
 
 Some fay, there is a natural Virtue and Efficacy in Words, 
 and appeal to the notable Feats done by Force of Eloque?ice. This 
 was the favourite Study and View of Orators ; in this they 
 triumph’d, and never wanted Acclamations and loud Applaufes. 
 
 I n Plutarch , we have, among others, one remarkable Inftance, 
 viz. Ccefar, upon the Accufations brought in by Tubero again ft 
 Quintus Ligarius ( Pornpey’s Friend) he was refolved to facrificc 
 that Rebel, till he was charm’d by the Words of the Orator that 
 pleaded in his favour-No fooner did Cicero begin his Oration in 
 
 * Do£tor More's Antidote. 
 
 t His Life of Apollonius Tyanaus, writ at the Defire of the Emorefs Julia^ lib. 3. 
 
 0. 2. 
 
 his 
 
 3 
 
A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 his defence, but Ctzfar's Countenance chang’d, and his Indigna¬ 
 tion begun to foften .... but when the Orator touch’d upon the 
 Battle of Pharfalia (where Cafar was .Conqueror) Ccefar's Heart 
 tender’d, his Body trembled with Joy, and certain Papers in his 
 Hands dropt to the ground.-—And when Cicero had finifh’d his 
 Oration, Cafar' s Wrath again# his Enemy was intirely extin- 
 guifh’d; and Ligarius was fet at liberty *. The fame Orator, 
 by the Dint of Eloquence, overthrew the Conftitution of the De¬ 
 cemviri. 
 
 Others fay, there is a mighty Force in Words in fuch a 
 Pone, and Palifmanicdl Characters, rightly-adapted Figures, and 
 Images under certain Conftellations 
 
 Some affirm that Magick con fids in the Spirit of Faith , for 
 Faith is the Magnet of Magicians , by which they draw Spirits to 
 them, and by which Spirits they do wonderful Things, that to 
 vulgar Eyes appear like Miracles. No doubt but feveral extra¬ 
 ordinary Effects have been afcrib’d to the Devil, that in reality 
 were natural, and artfully difguifed: The Story of Sieur Brioche , 
 a famous Puppet-player, is well known, who in a Town in Swit¬ 
 zerland, where that Show had never been feen before, he was ap¬ 
 prehended as a Warlock or Magician, and ran the hazard of be¬ 
 ing punilh'd as fuch J. 
 
 Others affirm, that Charms by Words are but means to 
 heighten the Imagination; and the ftrange Effects produced by 
 ’em, flow’d only from the Activity of an exalted Thought, or 
 Fancy of heated Brains. In proof of this ’tis faid, that if a Wo¬ 
 man at a certain Seafon, Erongly fix her Imagination upon any 
 particular Object, the Child will bear the Image thereof. 
 
 I T h i n k ’tis pretty obvious, that thofe extraordinary Im~ 
 preffions made by Pagan Sophijls upon the Minds of their Au¬ 
 dience by the Charms of Rhetorick, pa# for a divine Afflatus or 
 InJ'piration ; and therefore in fuch Cafes, we fhall find this For¬ 
 mula (Aliquis nefcio quis Deus) frequently ufed by Enthufiaflical 
 Or at or s a as well as their Poets: Thus Cicero fpeaks ofhimfelf, that 
 he was mov’d by a certain Impetus or Ardour jj: Apollonius lya- 
 
 neus , 
 
 * Plutarch's Life of Cicero. 
 
 f Paracelfus, C. Agrippa , Life of Mr. Duncan Campbell , A. D. 1720, page 256. 
 Gaffarel. £ De Saint Andre's Letters. || Nulla ingenti, fed magna vis animi 
 
 injtamantis ut me ipfe non teneam . 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 65 
 
 neus, who was looked upon by the Chriftians as a notorious Ma¬ 
 gician, being afk’d by the Governor of Rome under Nero, what 
 was his Profeiflon? he anfwer’d, an Enthuflaft, q. d. Fa¬ 
 
 natic, Conjurer. 
 
 ’Tis true, that wonderful Things have been done by Words, 
 but how 'verbal Charms operated upon Serpents , wants Explica¬ 
 tion: Of fome Inchanters’tis faid, that by vocal and inftrumental 
 Sounds, they have charm’d Rats, Mice and Serpents, fome into 
 a ftupid State, and others into a flexible fubmifiive State. 
 
 A remarkable Inftance in Rats we have in the publick Records 
 of Hamden , (an antient City on the River Wejer in Germany , 
 about 28 Miles S. E. of Hanover) where the following ftrange 
 Account is regiftei’d, viz. 
 
 That in June 26. 1284, a certain Stranger undertook to 
 deftroy an Army of Rats with which the Town had been long 
 pefter’d, on promife of fuch a Reward; and immediately playing 
 on his Pipe and Pabret , the Rats march’d out, and follow’d the 
 Muflck to the River, where they were all drown’d: But being 
 denied the Reward, he threaten’d Revenge; and next day he 
 went about with the fame Muflck, and moft Children in the 
 Town follow’d the Piper to the Mouth of a great Cave on a 
 neighbouring Hill call’d Koppelberg , where he and and they entered, 
 and were never heard of after. 
 
 I n remembrance of this fad Cataftrophe , the Citizens for many 
 Years after, dated all their publick Writings from the Day they 
 loft their Children , as appears by their old Deeds and Records: 
 They ftill call the Street thro’ which the Children went out, 
 Pabret-Street ; and at the Mouth of the Cave there is a Monument 
 of Stone, with a Latin Infcription, giving, the Particulars of this 
 tragical Story. 
 
 As to the other Inflance, viz. Serpents charm’d into a du&ile 
 manageable State, ’tis thus accounted for; viz. Serpents, they 
 fay, are ftrangely influenced by the Smell of thofe Emanations, 
 proceeding from the Ccrnus , or Dog-tree (why not the Cornelian- 
 Cherry , antiently dedicated to Hpolio?) and that by a Wand or 
 Rod taken from it, they are thrown into an obfequious Temper — 
 
 “ When touch’d by a Rod from that Tree, they are immediately 
 “ intoxicated, but fo as to be able to follow the Motion of ihe 
 “ Rod; but whether by reafon of fome great Difproporticn or 
 K “ Incom- 
 
66 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 u Incompofflbility, between thefe fubtile Effluvia and the Tem¬ 
 perament of the vital, fpiritual Subftance of the Serpent, or by 
 what other way, we are not told *. The Saffafras-tree, a Na- 
 “ tive of America, is call'd Cornus alfo, whofe Wood is very odo- 
 “ rous and fragrant.” Now, fay thele Gentlemen,, why fhould 
 it feem impoffible, that he who underftands this invincible En¬ 
 mity, and how to manage a Rod of the Cornus with Cunning and 
 Dexterity (having firft intoxicated a Serpent by the Touch there¬ 
 of j fhould during that Fit make it obferve, and readily conform 
 to all the various Motions of the Wand, fo as that the unlearned. 
 Spectators, perceiving the Serpent to approach the Enchanter , as 
 he moves the Wand near to himfelf, or to retreat from him, as 
 he put the Wand from him, or turn round and dance as the Rod 
 is mov’d to and fro, or lie ftill as in a Trance, as the Rod is held 
 ifill over it; and all this Time, the People knowing nothing of 
 the Virtue in the Rod, are eafily deluded into a Belief, that the 
 whole Scene is fupernatural, and the main Energy radicated in 
 thofe Words or Charms, which the Impoftor with great Cere¬ 
 mony and Gravity of AfpeCts mutters forth, the better to difguife 
 his Legerdemain, and diffemble Nature in the colour of a Miracle. 
 
 The Rattle-lhakes in America are faid to fecure their Prey by 
 Incantation; for they have the Power or Art, (I know not which 
 to call it, fays my Author) to charm Squirrels, Hares, Partridges, 
 or any fuch thing, in fuch a manner, that they run direCtly into 
 their Mouths: This I have feen, adds he, by a Squirrel and one 
 of the Rattle-fnakes; and other Snakes have in feme meafure the 
 fame Power -j-\ 
 
 It is allowed indeed, that there are dumb Creatures that do ex¬ 
 ceed Man in feme fenjible Perceptions, particularly in that of Smel¬ 
 ling, as the Harriers , and other Dogs. How ftrange, that 
 Odours from the Hare’s Body, fhould fo affect the Nofe of a 
 Hound, as to raife in him that Senfation or Scent, by which he 
 follows her all the Day (tho’ he never had a Sight of her) thro’ a 
 Cloud of Oppofition, from perplexing intricate Places, and Efflu¬ 
 viums proceeding from other Animals! 
 
 These Emanations are exceeding fine Effluvia, or Particles 
 flying off odorous Bodies in all Directions; and as they float in the 
 Air on the Surface of the Earth (within their Atmofphere) ftrike 
 
 againft 
 
 f Natural Hiflory of Carolina , A „ D. 1711. page 129. 
 
 * Charlton. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 67 
 
 againft the Dog’s Nofe, and produce that Senfation of Smell.-- 
 
 N. B. The Jntenfityof Smell in all Creatures, is in proportion to 
 the Denfity or Thicknefs where we are: This Deniity is always 
 diminilh’d in proportion to the Squares of the Diftances from the 
 odorous Body. 
 
 Y e a, a little Cur, by the Power of Smelling, can find out his 
 Mailer among Thousands, will trace his Steps thro’ Crouds in Fairs 
 and Markets} yea, throughout a whole Country. OurTTi(lories 
 inform us of Dogs in fome parts of this Kland, that being put up¬ 
 on the Scent, would purfue a Thief and a Murderer; and if he 
 crofs’d a River, would fmell where he entered, and fwim after 
 him; and when arrived at t’other fide, would hunt about till 
 they found where he landed, and then run on, till they overtook 
 the Criminal. 
 
 I n Animals is a fulphurous or oily Matter, (b attenuated and 
 fubtiliz’d as to become volatile, which is denominated a Spirit: 
 Now that there is fuch a Spirit in Man, and a peculiar one too in 
 every Man, is evident from thefe Dogs, which will purfue the 
 Game by their Nofe, and follow their Mailer’s Track, and di~ 
 ftinguilh it precifely; yea, tho’ a thoufand other Perfons had pall 
 the fame way. 
 
 I t mull be by meer Force of Smelling, that the Dog is able 
 to do this, that is, to dillinguilh his Mailer from all Men by the 
 Inllrumentality of his Nofe. 
 
 Therefore there mull be fome fpecifick Matter exhaled 
 from the Mailer’s Body, which the Dog can perfectly diftinguifh 
 from the various Effluvia flowing from all other Perfons. 
 
 The Dog mull exceed us, in that he can thus exadly difcern 
 his Mailer, by thefe fubtile, oily, or fulphurous Effluvia, which 
 no human Nole was ever able to do. 
 
 W e find the like Spirit in the Hound, who when put in the 
 Track which a Deer has lately been in, will follow the Steps of 
 that Deer thro’ all crofs Paths of a thoufand others, and at laft 
 Angle out that individual Deer among a whole Herd of thofe Ani¬ 
 mals. 
 
 I n Scotland are a fort of Dogs (in Colour generally red and (potted 
 with black, or black with red) of extraordinary Sagacity, being, 
 as ’tisfaid, put upon the Scent, will purfue Thieves with Succefs; 
 and the Ufe of them has been authorifed by the Magi Urate—- 
 
 K 2 Nullus 
 
68 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 Nullus perturbet aut impediat canem trafantem , aut homines tran- 
 Jentes cum ipfo ad fequendum latrones aut adcapiendum malefa&ores. 
 
 N. B. ' Trafantem is a Word latiniz’d from the old French 
 Tracer or TraJJer , fignifying to follow by the Track. 
 
 I f any fliou’d fugged, That this derogates from the Wifdotp. 
 and Goodnefs of the Creator, who has given to fome Beads 
 dronger Perceptions, Nerves more exquifitely fine and delicate 
 than he has bedow’d upon Man: 
 
 I Answer, this is fo far from derogating from divine Wif- 
 dom and Goodnefs, that it is an admirable Indance and Illudra- 
 tion of both; for were our olfadtory Nerves fufceptible of fuch 
 quick Senfations as Dogs and fome other Animals, we fhou’d be 
 continually annoy’d with pediferous Fumes and Exhalations, fo 
 as not only to render mod Situations troublefome, but even Life 
 it felf miferable and wretched. 
 
 Such quick Senfations may be very ufeful to carnivorous Ani¬ 
 mals, fo as to diredt them to their Prey, but to human Beings it 
 wou’d be very vexatious, if not pediferous and deadly. I fhall 
 only add to this Digredion, a fhort Hint about the Magick Art , 
 the mod furpridng of all Arts, and in its fird Appearance mod 
 innocent and ufeful. 
 
 Among the antient Chaldeans, Babylonians and Perjians , 
 where the Art-magic was fird and principally cultivated, it fig- 
 nihed no more than Wifdom ; and hence the Sophi , or Wifemen 
 of the Greeks were by them called y-xyoi, that is, Magicians ; who 
 being acquainted with many of the hidden Powers of Nature, di- 
 redted them in fuch manner, as to produce Effedts, whofe Caufes 
 being unknown to the Vulgar , were attributed to Damons. 
 
 Hence the Art in procefs of Time came into Difrepute, and 
 Magicians have been cenlur’d, as working by Compadt with the 
 Devil: But this is invidious; for in the Gofpel we find, the Magi 
 or Magicians , are faid to come from the Eafl to Jerufalem, faying , 
 where is he that is born King of the Jews ? for we- — are come to wor- 
 Jhip him. No body can imagine this to be underdood of thofe that 
 have been called Sorcerers , Wizards , Conjurers , Witches or Magi¬ 
 cians , in the modern Senfe of that Word *; for thofe who were 
 familiar with the Devil, would fcarce come to enquire after him, 
 who came to dedroy his Works. 
 
 The 
 
 * Matt. ii. l 3 2i 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 69 
 
 The Notion of Witches in the Days of Ignorance and Super- 
 rtition, was very prevailing in this Eland, but of late Years has un¬ 
 dergone a parliamentary Excommunication; though the Lane a- 
 Jhire Witches, who are conftituted of the fairer Part of the fairer 
 Sex, triumph even over our Senators, and will maintain their faf- 
 cinating Charms, while their rival Beauties, the Sun and Stars 
 endure. 
 
 W e read of a certain King of Egypt , who having aflembled 
 his Magical Priefls without the City Memphis , caus’d them to en¬ 
 ter where the People were gather’d, by beat of Drum: All of 
 them made fome miraculous Difcovery of their Magic and Wif- 
 dom. One had his Face furrounded with a Light, like that of 
 the Sun, fo bright that none could look earneftly upon him. 
 
 Another feem’d as if enrob’d with precious Stones of di- 
 verfe Colours, red, green, yellow, or wrought with Gold. 
 
 A Third came mounted on a Lion , compafs’d with Serpents , 
 like Girdles. 
 
 The next came in with a Pavilion, or Canopy of Light, di¬ 
 rt ended over his Head. 
 
 Another entered furrounded with Flames of Fire, turning 
 about him; fo that none durft come near him. 
 
 After him appeared one with dreadful Birds, perching about 
 his Head, and fhaking their Wings like Vulturs and black Eagles. 
 
 The lajl made his Appearance with an Army in the Air 
 marching before him, of winged Serpents and terrible Perfo- 
 
 nages.-In fine, every one did what was taught him by the 
 
 Star he ferved; and after all, the whole Scene was but an Ap¬ 
 parition and lllufion, according to their own Confeflion to the 
 King, when the Farce w r as over*. - —Something analogous 
 to this are the Magic Lanthorns in our days. 
 
 I n antient times, the Word Magician generally fignined Men 
 of - Wifdom or Learning, i. e. of fuperior Knowledge in Things 
 natural and divine, and more efpecially in that fort of Learning 
 relative to the Sun, Moon, and Stars, as we learn from Porphyry, 
 
 Afuleius, 
 
 * This Pafiage is taken out of the Egyptian Hiftory of the Pyramids - by Mitr- 
 tadi the Arabian , printed at Tibe, a City in Arabia , 14th of Regebe, 992; which 
 correfponds to July 22d, 1584; about 156 Years ago; tranilated into Erauh, and 
 into Englijh, 1672. 
 
 3 
 
7 ° 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 Apuleius y and others. And feeing the infpired Apoftle gives them 
 that Name ( Magicians ) not as a Mark of Infamy, but a Title of 
 Honour, therefore does the Engli/h Tranflation ftile them Wife- 
 men> l'uch as the old Greeks called <ro(poi 9 Sages of their Time 
 How, and how far this Art is degenerated, I refer to the Judgment 
 of the Learned: We fee there are Revolutions in Words, as well 
 as in Families and Kingdoms; a Magician being formerly a Wife- 
 man, as well as a Knave an hone ft one. Sed tempora mutantur. 
 
 I Shall only add to the AJpick Subject, the Tribute of Ve¬ 
 neration paid to this poifonous Animal in the Land of Egypt. 
 The Hiftorian fpeaks of a certain Perfon, who in digging, hap¬ 
 pened unawares to cut an Afp with his Spade, and went mad up¬ 
 on it,—was taken into the Houfe of Serdpis 9 an Egyptian Idol,— 
 the Relatives of the Patient praying the Spedirum of that Serpent 
 might be deftroyed, — which being accordingly done by Magick 
 
 Art, the Man was cured.--By this we fee, how highly Afps 
 
 were venerated among the Egyptians , who not only fuffcr’d them 
 to live, but to live in their Houfes, where they were carefully fed, 
 as Favourites of the Family And Queen Cleopatra' s Cafe was 
 not ftngular, for the Perfean Kings kept an exquifite Poifon by 
 them, made of the Dung of an Indian Bird, which would kill 
 without putting them to pain, that they might ufe it themfelves 
 in cafe of any Difafter f 
 
 DE MO STHENES, who flew his Soldier, when he was 
 afleep, was a merciful Executioner; a kind of Punifhment the 
 Mildnefs of no Law has yet invented. It is ftrange that Lucan 
 and Seneca made no difcovery of it. 
 
 Sleep is a kind of Death , by which we may literally be 
 faid to die daily j and in this Senfe, Adam may be faid to die be¬ 
 fore his final Exit. 
 
 VIII. I now proceed to the Serpent Scytale ; the Name is 
 borrowed from the Greek Word o-wraAti, a Staff, or any thing like 
 a Cylinder,- of a long fmooth round Form; the Body of this Ser¬ 
 pent being in ftiape equally round, like a Rolling-Stone, with very 
 little Variation in the Extremities of it, 
 
 I T 
 
 * Boerhfl.ive ’’s New Theory, p. 211. 
 
 f Cicurantur cibo , cum infantibus vivunt , itf crepitum digit or um vocata ex cavi 
 pro-hunt. Jon ft on us, p. 16. 1 Atlas y Afia , 
 
* 
 
 
 ■ 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 71 
 
 l t forms a beautiful ProfpeCt, being an Aggregate of moft 
 charming Colours, (therefore call’d the Painted Serpent by Man- 
 tuanus.) It may be view’d without Danger, becaufe flow in its 
 Motion. ’Tis an Error in Lucan to attribute its Slownels to a 
 Defign of enticing Spectators, if it be not Poetica Licentia . 
 
 When releafed from its Winter-Confinement, the firfb thing 
 fhe does, fays the Hiftorian, is to refrefh her languid Body with 
 Fennel-Leaves; but does not tell us what is done, in cafe that Herb 
 can’t be readily found. It muft indeed be allowed, that wild 
 Fennel is a common Herb of the Field, and well known and of 
 Ufe in Phyfick *. The Poet obferves, that no Snake cafls her 
 Coat in Winter, but the Scytale -f*. 
 
 This Serpent being adorned with beautiful Colours, excufe a 
 flhort Digreflion upon the DoCtrine of Colours in Natural Bodies. 
 Know then. Colours are the Children of Fire and Light. 
 
 I. Where there is Light , there is Fire ; and Fire (hews itfelf to 
 be prefent by Light. The Senfation of Light is produced when 
 the Particles of Fire, directed by the ACtion of the Sun, reach the 
 Eye in right Lines. Now, Fire thus entering the Eye, gives a 
 Motion to the optick Fibres at the Bottom of the Eye, and thus 
 excites the Idea of Light. 
 
 II. FIRE difcovers itfelf by Colour j for all Colours depend 
 upon Light, and Light depends upon Fire 5 and different Colours 
 appear in Natural Bodies, as their Surfaces are difpofed to refieCt 
 this or that fort of coloured Rays more than others. Colour is 
 a Property inherent in Light. 
 
 Colours therefore are not connate with Natural Bodies, 
 which are all of the fame Hue in the dark. To this the Poet 
 alludes, when he makes Darknefs the DejlruBion of Colours f — 
 Colours are only in the Rays of the Sun: In Natural Bodies is 
 a Quality or Power to refleCl the Light falling upon them, which 
 ftriking the Eye, produces in the Spectator the Senfation of Co¬ 
 lour. 
 
 Clou.ds 
 
 * /Elian, Gyllii Acccffio. 
 
 ■f Et Scytale fparfts etiam nunc fola pruinis 
 
 Exuvias pofitura fuas. -Lucan’s Pharf. 
 
 J Rebus nox abjlulit atra solans. -Virgil. 
 
2 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 Clouds often appear very beautifully coloured; they confift 
 of aqueous Particles, between which Air is interfperfed; therefore, 
 according to the various Thicknefs of thofe aqueous Particles, the 
 Cloud will be of a different Colour *. 
 
 IX. AMP HIS B AL N A Serpent, fo called from & favu 9 
 Biceps , a Monffer with two Heads. This is a fmall and weak Crea¬ 
 ture, equal in Bulk to a little Finger, and about a Foot long, of a 
 whitifh or terraceous Colour; of the oviparous Family, of fmall 
 Eyes, no othcrways vifible than the Prick of a little Needle; lives 
 much under ground, and is often found by digging; feeds upon 
 Ants. Under this Head, the Hiftorian mentions three Serpents, 
 viz. 
 
 The Brafilian , that has two Heads, and moves as a Crab -f\ 
 
 The Taprobanenjian, with four Heads; and he who believes it 
 muff have a four-headed Faith. 
 
 The Hungarian; of which elfewhere. 
 
 The fame Hiftorian adds, that the marine Amphisbcena , 
 taken in the Englijh Sea, has two heads. Ibid. Pliny , /Elian , 
 Lucan , Mantuan ,— affirm it has two Heads; Matthiolus denies 
 it, Hefychius is doubtful. Mention is made of a Serpent found 
 near Chipping-Norton, not far from Oxford , having two Heads, and 
 Faces like Women; one being fhaped after the new Tyre of that 
 Time; the other was habited after the old Fafhion, and had great 
 Wings refembling thofe of the Flinder-Moufe or Bat £. This 
 happened in the Reign of Edward III. 
 
 A Spanijh Author fays, that in Chiapa he found a two-headed 
 Serpent, 18 Inches long, in the Form of a Roman T, and very ve- 
 nemous; it does not only kill, adds he, by its bite, but if any 
 tread upon that part of the Ground over which 'twas juft gone, it 
 
 proves fatal ||. The Poet alfo fubfcribes to two Heads**.—--If 
 
 this two-headed Serpent has flain its Thoufands, there is a certain 
 metaphorical three-headed Serpent on the Banks of Lyber , that has 
 flain its Ten Thoufands. 
 
 Perhaps 
 
 * Boerbaave , Gravefand. f Acojla . J Stow's Annals, London, printed, 1631. 
 [] Antonio de Herrera's Hiftory of America. 
 
 ** Etg ravis ingenium fur gem caput Amphisbcena. —-—Lucan, p. 270. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 73 
 
 Perhaps the Reafon of afcribing two Heads to this Ser¬ 
 pent, might be, becaufe it isfaid topoifonby the Tail and Teeth. 
 Others fay, both Ends are fo like in Figure and Bulk, that they 
 are not eafily diftinguifhed. 
 
 It feems probable to me, that this Serpent, like fome Infers or 
 Worjris, has a double Motion, antrorfum& retrorfum , which made 
 fome of the Ancients conclude it had two Heads; one in the ufual 
 Situation, the other in the Extremity of the Cauda. Its Body is 
 of equal Thicknefs, and recommended to the View by various 
 and delightful Spots *. 
 
 W e read of this Serpent in Gothland, where it comes forth in 
 the Spring before all other Serpents, being more able to encounter 
 the cold Air -f*. Some Authors tell us, that its Skin wrapt about a 
 Stick, drives away all Serpents j which I place among the Tales of 
 Antiquity. 
 
 This Serpent is found in the Lybian Deferts , and alfo in the 
 Ifland of Lemnos, in the Mgean Sea. The Pundture made by its 
 Wounds is fo fmall, that it can fcarcely be difcerned, yet termi¬ 
 nates in a dreadful Inflammation and a lingering Death. 
 
 ERASMUS was puzzled about the Senfe of that Greek Pro¬ 
 verb hydrus in dolio , a Serpent in the Hogfhead. 
 
 The Meaning of it, faid an Interpreter of Dreams, is this: A cer¬ 
 tain Perfon had a Veffel of Wine, that was conftantly diminilh- 
 ing, tho’ carefully lock’d up ; the Reafon of which he could not 
 account for, till he empty’d the Veflel, at the bottom of which he 
 found a Serpent rioting in Wine J. 
 
 Perhaps as good an Interpretation may be this, that there 
 was Venom in the Cask (of which the Serpent was an Emblem) 
 to all thofe who rioted in the Bowls of Excefs. Not fo, fays a 
 Son of Bacchus for 
 
 The thirjly Earth foaks up the Rain, 
 
 And drinks, and gapes for Drink again. 
 
 The Sea itfelf , which one would think , 
 
 Should have but little need of Drink , 
 
 Drinks Ten thousand Rivers up .—— 
 
 L The 
 
 * Conrad. Gefner. Mlian. Columella, lib, vi. 
 t Olaus Magnus Hijt. B. xxi. % Conradus Gefner . 
 
74 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 *The bufy Sun y and one would guefs 
 By’s drunken fiery Face no lefs y 
 Fir inks up the Sea .———— 
 
 Fill up the Bowl then , Jill it high , 
 
 Fill all the Glajfes there , for why , 
 
 Should every Creature drink^ but I? 
 
 Why , Man of Morals , tell me why ? * 
 
 Some of the Poets have thought this Amphisbcena to be the 
 Hydra Ferncea , the many-headed Serpent, that was very terrible 
 to the adjacent Country, and flain by Hercules: When one Head 
 was cut off, many others fprung up; fo that there was no way to 
 deftroy the Monfter, but by cutting off all the Heads with one 
 Stroke. 
 
 T h o’ there be no Amphisbcenick Animals, there is fome Re- 
 femblance of it in Plants, whofe Cotyledon is always double, and 
 in the common Centre of the two, is a Point or Speck, which is 
 the Plantule, or the Tree in Embryo ; which Plantule being adted 
 on by the Earth, warmed by the Sun, begins to expand, and 
 fhoots its Root both upward and downward. Thus, in a Bean 
 committed to the Ground, we foon fee it to cleave into two 
 Parts, and in the Fiffure appears a little Speck, which fends out a 
 Root downwards, and a Bud upwards.——A remarkable Phaeno- 
 menon, fays the Note on Boerhaave' s Theory. 
 
 X. Among Serpents, Authors place Dragons ; Creatures ter¬ 
 rible and fierce in Afpedt and Nature. They are divided into 
 Apodes and Pedates , fome with Feet, and fome without them ; 
 fome are privileged with Wings, and others are deftitute of Wings 
 and Feet: Some are covered with fharp Scales, which make a 
 bright Appearance in fome Pofition. Some have obferved, that 
 about the Ganges , are Dragons whofe Eyes fparkle like precious 
 Stones. 
 
 They differ in external Form : The Draconopades2sc repre- 
 fented by a human Face, and lightly Countenance ; the reft of the 
 Body in a tortuous winding Shape. In one of Dr. JohnJbn s Fi¬ 
 gures, a Dragon is made to appear like a Man’s Face, with a Gre¬ 
 nadier’s Cap on the Head. Some differ in Colour, fome are 
 
 black 
 
 * Cowley s Anacreon. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 75 
 
 black in the upper Part of the Body, according to Philoflratus ; 
 red, according to Homer ; yellow, according to Paufanias ; and 
 Lucan makes it a golden Colour *. 
 
 The fame Hiftorian obferves, that in the Atlantick Moun¬ 
 tains, they kill where they touch, and thofe that are in the King¬ 
 dom of Narfmga , and dwell in the Woods, kill all they meet. 
 Ibid. f. 
 
 I Presume, the Author means Narfmga , a potent King¬ 
 dom, bounded on the Eaft with the Bay of Bengal , that noble 
 Part of India , fays Herbert where the Monarch is always at¬ 
 tended with iooo for his Guards, has 5 or 6000 Jefters, and rec¬ 
 kons it one of his chief Titles to be the Huiband of a Thoufand 
 Wives. 
 
 Dragons are Inhabitants of Africa and Afia j thofe of 
 India exceed moft in Largenefs and Longitude : In the Tower of 
 London , is the Skin of one, which is of vaft Bulk. In /Ethio¬ 
 pia , they have no Name for Dragons , but Killers of Elephants , 
 which is fuppofed to be the largeft of Land-Animals. 
 
 Over the Water-gate in the City of Rhodes , there is fet up 
 the Head of a Dragon , which was 33 Foot long, that wafted all 
 the Country, till it was flain by Deodate de Gozon , one of the 
 Knights of St. John Baptijl jj. The Knights of that Order had 
 frequently attack’d it, but in vain ; for its Scales being proof a- 
 gainft all their Arms, it deftroyed fo many of them, that the 
 Grand Mafter forbad them to engage the Monfter any more. 
 
 GOZON , who, after feveral dangerous Onfets efcaped with 
 his Life, refolved to make another Trial by Stratagem; perceiv¬ 
 ing it was no where vulnerable but in the Eyes and Belly, con¬ 
 trived the Refemblance of a Dragon by a Machine of Paftboard, 
 of equal Bulk with the Dragon, and by certain Springs made it 
 leap like a true Dragon: Having trained up a Couple of fierce 
 Dogs to attack it at the Belly , he went out privately one Morning, 
 well-armed on a managed Horfe with his Dogs, and rode up to the 
 
 L 2 Den, 
 
 * Vhilofiratuj de Vita Apol. lib. iii. cap. 2. Homer. Iliad, lib. 12. Lucan. Pharja!. 
 hi Jonjloni Hifioria Serpentnrn, p. 33, 34.. 
 
 •j- Unde quidam in arbores dr chamo dracones diftinxere. 
 
 % His Travels into Africa and yljia, the famous Empires of Perfia and Indo- 
 fian ,—Oriental Hands. 
 
 |j Atlas Geog. Anatolia, p. 43 a —4. from Tavernier and Du Mont. 
 
 5 
 
7 6 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 Den, from whence the Dragon leaped furioufly at him : In the 
 Encounter,, the Dogs laid hold on his Belly, and forced him to lie 
 down; upon which the valiant Knight alighted, thruft his great 
 Sword feveral times into his Throat, and foon killed him : Upon 
 which the Spectators drew near, and with great difficulty fever’d 
 the Head from the Body, and lugged it into the Town in Tri¬ 
 umph. 
 
 The Conqueror was degraded for the fake of Form, becaufe 
 he had violated the Grand-Mafter’s Order ; but was immediately 
 reftored, and foon after was eleCted Grand-Mafter himfelf; he 
 died in the Year 1335, and on his Tomb were engraven thefe 
 Words, Draconis ExtinBor ; Phe Dejlroyer of the Dragon. 
 
 I n the Life of Attilius Regulus (the Roman General in the War 
 againft the Carthaginians ) is defcribed a Dragon of prodigious 
 Bulk near the River Bagrada , that annoyed all the Country round, 
 without Remedy. Several Devices were formed to deftroy it, but 
 without effeCt, till the Military Pojfe was called in, who difcharged 
 the Engines of War againft it with Succefs: And fo great was this 
 Deliverance, that an Ovation , or a fmall Triumph, was publickly 
 made at Rome for the V iCtory. 
 
 XI. The Pythian Dragon, fo called from its being the Guar¬ 
 dian of the Delphick Oracle: Its Eyes are large and fharp, and 
 the Body painted with Variety of Colours, as red, yellow, green 
 and blue, andfurniftied with Scales that are refplendent, well com¬ 
 pacted and hard. It has been called Deucaliomzus , becaufe in the 
 Language of Ignorance, it was produced from the Mud left by the 
 Deucalionian Deluge: a Serpent of prodigious Bulk*. 
 
 PTTHON is alfo taken for a prophetic Demon, by St. 
 Luke +.-— As we went to Prayer, a certain Damfel pojfeft with a. 
 Spirit of Divination, (having the Spirit of Pythoe, according to the 
 Greek) which brought her Mafiers much Gain by Sooth faying, that 
 is, by Predictions, telling of Fortunes. Python of the Greeks is 
 fuppofed the Typbon of the Phoenicians , and the Phoenician Ty- 
 phon to be Ogg King of Bajhan , and Apollo that flew it, to be 
 fofhua. Apollo is called Pythius from this Serpent, or from fome 
 notorious Tyrant of that Name, flain by him, as the antient Geo¬ 
 grapher. 
 
 * JovflMKS. t Aft. xvi. 16.— H'ivixa mWo?. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 77 
 
 grapher obferves. So Gefner from Paufanias . The Priefiefs 
 o-f Apollo , that delivered the Sacred Oracles, was called Pythia 
 and Pythojiijfa. This Pythanick Spirit among the Gentiles, was 
 efleemed as a God, and by Juvenal is ftyled Vates, a Prophet. 
 
 The Prieftefs that delivered the Sacred Oracles, was called 
 Pythia , from Apollo Pythias , and muft be a pure Virgin. Moft 
 of the Fathers of the Church were of opinion, that it was the De¬ 
 vil gave the Anfwers, which were generally dubious, a Sign of his 
 Ignorance about Futurity. 
 
 One Ocenomaus , a certain Pagan Pliilofopher, highly refenting 
 it, that he had been fo often befooled by the Oracles, fpeaks to 
 Apollo thus— “ When we come to confult thee, either thou know- 
 “ eft Things to come or not. If thou knoweft them, why doft 
 “ not thou fpeak fo as to be underflood ? If thou knoweft not, 
 “ why doft thou pretend to it ? If Things neceffarily come to 
 “ pafs, why doft thou amufe us with Ambiguities? *” 
 
 F. BALTHUS , a learned Jefuit, and F. Bouchet , fay there were 
 real Oracles, and fuch that can never be attributed to Priefts and 
 Priefteflesj and that the Devil ftill gives Oracles in the Indies , and 
 that not by Idols, which would be liable to Impofture, but by the 
 Mouths of Priefts, and By-Standers j and that the Devil becomes 
 
 mute, in proportion as the Gofpel prevails.-—- 
 
 “ It is generally believed among the more Learned, that the Pa- 
 “ gan Oracles were mere Frauds and Impoflures, and calcu- 
 “ lated to ferve the political Views of Princes, and covetous 
 tc Ends of Pagan Priefts.” According to the learned Bayle 
 they were meer human Artifices 5 and he is feconded by Van- 
 dale and Fontenelle. But to return to the Oracle at Delphos , which, 
 was very antient and much in vogue before the Trojan War: The 
 Situation of the Place, where People were made to believe God 
 fpoke, was at the Mouth of a certain Cavern, whence they received 
 their Intelligence. The Prophetefs fat upon a Tripodium, a three¬ 
 footed Stool, afiifted in her Function by divers Prieft&. 
 
 Under her Seat, 'tis faid, that fome time there appeared a; 
 Dragon, through whofe Throat Refponfes were audibly deliver’d, 
 with a loud and ftrong Voice: According to Eufebius, a Serpent 
 rolled itl'elf about the Tripod, on which the Pried far. 
 
 Of 
 
 Eufebiui. 
 
7 8 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 O f all Oracles, that of Apollo Pythius at Delphos , in the /Egean 
 Sea, was the moft celebrated, and confulted as the dernier ReJ'ort by 
 the Princes of thofe Times; yea, all the Greeks reforted thither 
 for Counfel in Matters of Importance. At the firft opening of 
 that Oracular Office, Anfwers were given to the Querift in Verfe; 
 but upon People’s ridiculing the Poornefs of the Verification, 
 the Oracle fell to Profe. ’Tis ftrange, that what they made a God , 
 could not make a goodVerfe, but not ftrange to fee the old Serpent 
 adhering to its firft Scheme of Politicks, by making the weaker 
 VelTel the Vehicle to convey his ftrong Delufions to the World. 
 
 Some of thefe Draconick Serpents excel in the Senfation of 
 Hearing and Seeing, as well as in the Art of Killing; and therefore 
 a Dragon was made the Confervator of their ‘Treafures and Curioji- 
 ties-, e.g. Mauritania in Africa , was famous for the Gardens of the 
 Hejperides (fo called from three Sifters and Daughters of King 
 Hefperius) that produced Golden Apples , and were guarded by a 
 Dragon , which Hercules having killed or charm'd into a profound 
 Sleep, he robbed the Golden Orchard. 
 
 The Rod of Mofes, ’tis faid, was turned into a Serpent . The 
 Syriack,Arabick, and Septuagint Tranflations, fay, ’twas turned in¬ 
 to a Dragon ; and fo the Rods of the Magicians becarhe Dragons. 
 
 XII. The Bafilisk or Cockatrice, is a Serpent of the Draconick 
 Line, the Property of Africa , fays /Elian, and denied by others: 
 In fhape, refembles a Cock, the Tail excepted. Authors differ* 
 about its Extra&ion; the Egyptians fay, it fprings from the Egg 
 of the Bird Ibis ; and others, from the Eggs of a Cock; Other 
 Conjedlures about its Defcent, being as ridiculous, I forbear to 
 mention them. Nor are they agreed whether it more inclines to 
 the black or yellow Colour; nor are their Sentiments lefs various 
 about its Stature. 
 
 It isgrofsin Body, of fiery Eyes, and fharp Head, ofrwhich 
 it wears a Creft, like a Cock’s Comb; and has the Honour to be 
 ftiled Regulus by the Latins , the Little King of Serpents ; and ’tis 
 generally fuppofed to be terrible to them. The Sight of this 
 Animal, and Sound of his Voice, puts them to flight, and even to 
 . over-run their Prey*: Yea, Tradition adds, that his Eyes and 
 Breath are killing; that is, I prefume, when he grafps the Spoil. 
 
 Several 
 
 * Sililo ejus reli^uos terreri & prad.vn derelin^utre. 
 
C c /'/aM3? 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 79 
 
 Several dreadful things are attributed to his venemous Qualities, 
 fo fing the Poets *. 
 
 According to Pliny and other antient Historians, this Ser¬ 
 pent in its Motion, inclines to the Eredf; it goes half upright, 
 the middle and posterior parts of the Body only touching the 
 Ground. The Venom of the Balilifk is faid to be fo exalted, that 
 if it bites a Staff, ’twill kill the Perfon that makes ufe of it j but 
 this is Tradition without a Voucher f. 
 
 The reafon why this Serpent is dubb’d King, is not becaufe 
 ’tis larger in bulk than others of the Fraternity, or becaufe it wears 
 a Crown, or becaufe that Title feems to be recognized by a divine 
 Prophet, who fpeaking of Ahaz and his Son Hezekiah , fays. 
 Out of the Serpent's Root Jhall come forth a Cockatrice , and his 
 Fruit fall be a fiery flying Serpent . The Hebrew expreffes it by 
 a word, that fignifies a Prince or King, but not with a View to 
 Empire over the ferpentine Race. 
 
 But ’tis moft probable, that the royal Stile is given to this 
 Serpent, becaufe of its ?najefiic Pace , which feems to be attended 
 with an Air of Grandeur and Authority. It does not, like other 
 Serpents, creep on the Earth ; which if it did, the fight of it 
 would not be frightful, but moving about, in a fort of an eredt 
 PoSture, it looks like a Creature of another Species, therefore they 
 conclude ’tis an Enemy. Serpents are for Uniformity, therefore 
 can’t endure thofe that differ from them in the Mode of Motion. 
 
 ’T i s faid of this Creature, that its Poifon infedts the Air to 
 that Degree, that no other Animal can live near it, according to 
 the Tradition of the Elders famous for magnificent Tales. Thefe 
 little Furiofo’s are bred in the Solitudes of Africa , and are alfo 
 found in l'ome other Places, and every where are terrible Neigh¬ 
 bours. 
 
 The crown’d Bafilifk leads me to Ovid , who, fpeaking of 
 Man’s eredt Pofture, fays 'tis a Mark of Diftindlion due to the 
 Excellencies of the human Mind : 
 
 A 
 
 * Tam teter vacuasodor hinc exhalat in auras, 
 
 Atque propinquantes penetrant non fegniter artus. Nican. 
 
 Ante vtn: n .. nocens, late fibi fubmovet omne 
 Vulgu , & in vacua regnat Bafilifcus arena. Luca?/. 270. 
 t MU an. Gjliu AcceJJio, cap. xviii. p.247. Jonfloni Hijloria Natura\Serp, 
 P- 34 > 35 * 
 
So 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 A Creature of a more exalted kind 
 
 Was wanting yet ; and then was Man defgrtd , 
 
 Confcious of 7 bought , of more capacious Breajl — 
 
 X 
 
 2. And partly as an Enfign of Royalty, fome Characters where¬ 
 of Naturalifts have obferved in fome other petty Principalities; 
 fuch as the Crown on the Dolphin, Diadem on the Baiilifk, the 
 Lion’s (lately Mane, which ferves as a Collar of Honour.- 
 
 But Man, being vetted with an univerfal Monarch, walks 
 upon the Earth, like a Matter in his own Houfe. 
 
 XIII. Th e Ccecilia or T’yphlinus , the blind Worm, as the 
 Greek word imports; not that it wants Eyes, but becaufe they are 
 fo little, that he mult be furnifh’d with good Optics that can dis¬ 
 cern them : And the Ear alfois as remarkably dull, therefore call’d 
 by the Greeks *; of a brown Colour, full of Spots, varie¬ 
 gated : The Belly is blackifh, the Neck fky-colour’d, garnifh’d 
 with certain black Spots; Head like a Lamprey, and is as free 
 from Poifon : Little Teeth, a forked Tongue, and may be handled 
 without hurt -f-. 
 
 This Serpent feems to refemble thofe People which we call 
 Myops , i. e. Moufe-eyed, or purblind, which happens when the 
 Eye is fo convex , that the Rays of Light unite, before they come 
 to the Retina , which makes the Eye alfo look finall, whence the 
 Name 
 
 The Ccecilian Serpent is about a Foot long, and diftinguifhable 
 from our common Serpents by the Form of its Body, which is al- 
 moft of the fame CrafTitude, excepting two or three Inches at the 
 extremity of the Tail. Ccnradus Gefner tells us, his Wife {truck 
 one of thefe Serpents on the Head, when ’twas pregnant, and it 
 immediately caft forth its young jj. 
 
 XIV. The Generis , or Cencrina is a fpotted Serpent, and very 
 venemous; denominated from Milium , a fmall Grain call’d Mil¬ 
 let-feed ; to which Hiftorians compare the Spots wherewith this 
 
 Serpent 
 
 * Quafi furdajtcr , quodbebetis [it audit us. 
 
 + Nicander calls it iwvMVTov, quod nullatn noxam inferat. JotiJlonus , p, 19. 
 
 X From t excxco, nuitpou, exfurdo, 
 
 d Gefuer } p. 3 6 . /Elian. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 81 
 
 Serpent is adorn’d: For the lame reafon, a certain Species of the 
 Herpes, that is, a cutaneous Dittemper, which is a kind of fpread- 
 ing Inflammation, (and is like Millet-feed on the Skin) is called 
 Miliary : And by fome, this is called the Miliary Serpent *. 
 
 This Serpent is compared by Nicander to a Lion ; either for 
 Cruelty in thirfting after Blood, or for its Courage y which ap¬ 
 pears in all its Attacks. How furious in all its Wars, offenfive 
 and defenfive! always fighting. Lion-like, with an eretted Tail: 
 Which leads me to a Digreffion about the Turkijh Standard , 
 which is a Horfe-Tail erected: The Original of that Cuftom was 
 this, viz. One of the Turkifh Generals having his Standard taken 
 in a Battle with the Chrijlians , and perceiving his Men difcouraged 
 by the lofs of it, he cut off a Horfe-Tail , and fattening it to the 
 top of a Half-pike y advanced it on high, crying out, This is the 
 great Standard , let thofe that love me follow it: Upon which his 
 Men rallied, fought like Lions , and obtained the Victory -f. 
 
 But to return to the Serpent, which moving in a diredt Line, 
 goes faft, but being of great Bulk, can’t fuddenly wind about £: 
 Circumvolution is the way to avoid its Menaces. ’Tis commonly 
 found in the Ifland of Lemnos (the old Dipolis , and now the Sta- 
 limene of the Turks) and alfo in Samothracia y an Ifland in the 
 Archipelago , a Province antiently famous for the DU Cabiri , that 
 is, certain Gods worfhipped by the Samothracians and Phenicians y 
 and had in fuch high Veneration, that it was a Crime to mention 
 Names fo facred among the People ||. Some fay they were God’s 
 Minitters, others think they were Devils. 
 
 XV. The Acontia **, called by the Latins , Serpens facularis y 
 and by fome, the Flying Serpent, becaiife of the Celerity of its 
 Motion. In Le?nnos ’tis call’d Sagittarius , the Bowman or Archer: 
 By the modern Greeks , Saeta y a Dart; for it flies like an Arrow 
 at its Prey -j-f-. A certain Perfon in Cato's Army call’d Paulus , was 
 
 flain, 
 
 * Ab aliquibus Miliar is appellatur. Jonftonus, p 20. + Tavernier, 
 
 4 = femper retlo lapfurus limite cencris. Lucan. Pharfal. p. 269. 
 
 I Bocbart Geogr: Sacra , lib. i. cap. 12. 
 
 * Air a T» axovibs, quod, jaculi inftar, fe vibret. 
 
 Rumpat & Serpens iter inftitutum 
 Si per obliquum fimilis fagittse 
 Terruit mannos. 
 
 M 
 
$2 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 {kin, not by the Pbifon, but the Violence of its Blow * : Prow 
 bably on the lateral part of the Scull. 
 
 Au thors are not agreed about its Dimenfions. Ambrofmus 
 fpeaking of one he had feen in the Bononian Mufaitm, fays, ’tis- 
 about the thicknefs of a Staff, and about three Foot long: It is 
 found 1 in Egypt, its Wounds are dreadful, being attended with’ 
 Putrefaction and De fluxion of the Fkfo. 
 
 That which B'ellcmus daw, was three Palms long, or fixteen 
 Inches and a Finger’s Breadth. N. B. Palmus {lands for two-dif¬ 
 ferent Meafures; Palmas major contains twelve Fingers •> Palmas 
 minor, four Inches. 
 
 It lies in wait under Bufhes, from whence it ruffes out una¬ 
 wares, and flies like an Arrow at Paffengers: Before it leaps at 
 the Prey, it lies on the Ground', and turns itfelf round, to give 
 the greater fpring to' the Motion, by which foe’ll do execution, 
 at twenty Cubits diftance -fa 
 
 These nimble Leapers are found among the Weft-Indians , 
 efpecially in Hifpaniola, where there are little Serpents in green. 
 Apparel, that hang by the Tail on the Branches, from whence 
 they fuddenly leap upon their Prey. Among the Sabccans are 
 feme cloathed in red, four Inches long, that thus leap upon Men 
 unawares ; and hurt, not only by forking, but touching. 
 
 This Serpent refembles the*Afo in Colour, inclining to the 
 white. It traverfes the Libyan Provinces, where it makes travel¬ 
 ling dangerous : It is alfo found in the Ifland of Rhodes', an Ifland 
 on which, the Poets tell us. Golden Showers are rain'd , and where 
 the Air is never fo clouded, as to hinder the Light of the Sun. 
 It appears alfo in Norway , according to Olaus Magnus. 
 
 One tells us, that he was inform’d by one John Vitus, a 
 learned Hungarian , that there were in that Country little Serpents 
 about fix Inches long, and without a Tail, therefore called by the 
 Vulgar, the curtail'd Serpent , the whole Body is much of an 
 equal thicknefs; and thefe, upon View of their Prey, leap upon 
 st with the Swiftnefs of an Arrow J. 
 
 XVL 
 
 *-immifit (jaculum vocat Africa,). ferpens 
 
 Perque caput Pauli tranfa&a tempora fugit 
 Nil ibi virus egit: rapuit cum vulnere fatum. 
 
 Lucani T.harfalia, lib. ix. 
 
 f Jonficnus; p. 20, 21. 1 Conrad. Gefner. inVerbtm . 
 
O F SERPENTS. 
 
 8 3 
 
 XVI The Druina Serpent, from Jpuc, an Oak, by Scaliger 
 tailed Querculm ; it takes its Name from the Oak, in whofe hol¬ 
 low places it feems to relide ; and to which, it retires for Refuge, 
 
 when aflaulted by Hornets.-Some credulous Authors have 
 
 faid, that thefe Serpents take up their hybernal Lodgings about 
 the Roots of -the Beach-trees^ and by virtue of the Warmth, 
 which thofe Roots derive from them, that Tree, fo enhappy’d, 
 ilouriihes all Winter. 
 
 This Serpent is of the amphibious kind, and a moft venemous 
 Creature, therefore rang’d with the firft Order of the ferpentine 
 Race. ’Tis of monftrous bulk *, guarded by a rough fquamma- 
 tick Armour, in the Cavities of which, ’tis faid, little Flies build 
 their Nefts. Whether it appears in white cr blue Habit, is not 
 material, nor do I fee what Honour it gets by wearing a Coronet 
 on its Head. 
 
 In the Language of Tradition, to tread upon it will caufe an 
 Excoriation in the Foot, (tho’ no Wound be given) and a Tumor 
 in the Leg ; yea, adds the Traaitionift, the Hands that attend 
 the Patient, will be in danger of loling their Skin: But he who 
 believes all the Fables of Antiquity, is in more danger of lofing 
 -his.Reafon. 
 
 T h e Druinical Serpent goes under various Denominations. ’Tis 
 Faid to follow the Acontia in Authors, becaufe its Figure exactly 
 quadrates with Belloniuss dart Serpent j and Scaliger was in the 
 lame Sentiment *f*. 
 
 But I fhall only mention that of Cherfydrus , from Nicander 
 in Jonjlonus, p. 28. or Chelydrus , called by fome a Sea-Snail ; 
 which the learned Sir Hans Sloane defcribes thus-—“ That it is 
 “ more flat than moft of the cochlean Marines, conlifting only 
 “ of Circumvolutions, round the Axis of the Shell; of a fine pur*- 
 “ pie Colour.” He calls it Cochlea Marina £, and not without * 
 reafon, becauie of their difference in Magnitude. 
 
 The ter reft rial Druina lives upon Frogs, and other InfeCcs; 
 many of them are found in Africa-Interior, and the HelleJ'pont 
 by Conflantinople. It is a fetid Animal, and fends forth an ill 
 Scent, efpecially when its Body is wounded JJ. 
 
 M 2 Th 1s 
 
 It is a Load for a Porter. f Jonflonut, Articul. xiii. p. 21. 
 i His Voyage 10 Jamaica, vol. i. p. 34. h Milan'. Gylliits. GeJ’ner. 
 
A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 This Serpent exceeds mod in bulk, and loudnefs in hidings 
 which refembles the Cry of Sheep' and Goats, ibid. Gyllius makes 
 the Druina to be the Chelydrus , defcribed by the Poet, who 
 makes it a Calabrian * : Of which, more in another place. 
 
 XVII. The Elops or Elaphis of the Antients, which fome 
 confound with the Ccecilia , as Jonftotius obferves: It is of the 
 amphibious Sort, and known at Lemnos , where ’tis call’d Laphiati 
 by the Natives. In Aldrovandus' s Study, Ambrojinus faw the 
 Pi&ure of this Serpent, which was about three Foot long ; the 
 Belly is of a yellow Colour, the Back is brown, and didinguidi- 
 able by three black Lines ‘f*. 
 
 There is a marine Elope , an Animal counted facred by the 
 Poets, a Set of merry Mortals, famous for turning every thing 
 into a God , or Ridicule. The Hidorian mentions a certain Fifh 
 fo called, that upon any loud Noife made on Land near the Shore, 
 would immediately haden towards the Place, as if it would fee 
 who durd rival Triton in Sound $ Triton , Herald of Neptune , So¬ 
 vereign of the Sea. 
 
 XVIII. The Pareas or Parvas , is a Serpent of a fiery Co¬ 
 lour, fharp Eyes, wide Mouth, two Feet fituated near the Tail, 
 by which its Motion is guided J : It is called the Serpent of Mfcu- 
 lapius , being of a gentle, innocent, friendly Nature. In Italy 
 they frequent Houfes, and are no more dangerous than common 
 Eels; and if provoked to exercife their Teeth, there is nothing 
 venemous in the Bite. This is fuppofed by fome to be the Italian 
 Baron : One of its commendable Properties is, that it devours 
 poifonous Serpents; and therefore is facred to the Myderies, and 
 highly edeem’d in the Temple of Dionyfius. 
 
 GESNER ||, from Albertus fays, it goes as it were upright, on 
 its Tail, not perpendicularly upon the fharp End, but on that part 
 of the Body joined to the Tail: It is bred in Syria , Alexandria , 
 and in the Ead, (Ac. Thefe Serpents are known alfo in Spain 
 
 and 
 
 * — —- Nidore chelydros 
 
 Eft etiam ille malm colubris in faltibus anguis 
 
 Poftquam exhaufia pa/us. —Virg. Georg. 1 . iii. This is applied alfo to the Hydrus. 
 t Kay. 
 
 % Et contentus, iter cauda fulcare P areas. Lucan. Pharfal. 270. 
 
 \\ Quaji totus ereffus graditur Juyer cavdam. 1. v. p. 65. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 85 
 
 and other temperate Regions, and every where edeemed Enemies 
 to hurtful Serpents, and Friends to Mankind ; therefore were con- 
 fecrated to the divine £’Efculapius, that great and glorious Exemplar 
 of Humanity. 
 
 XIX. The Dipfas or Dipfacus is a little venemous Reptile of 
 the Afpick-kind *, lefs than a Viper, but kills fooner; and is mod 
 remarkable in this, that when it bites, the Potion brings an un¬ 
 quenchable Third on the Perfon affe&ed, who finding no Relief, 
 runs to the Water, and drinks till he burds afunder -f\ 
 
 The Poetick Hidorian obferves, how Aulus , an Enfign- 
 bearer in the Roman Army in Africa , was flain by this Serpent ; 
 at fil'd he felt little or no Pain from the Bite, but as foon as it be¬ 
 gan to operate, he was immediately fcorch’d to death Galen 
 calls this Serpent Diabetes , and JEgineta DipJ'acus , from the in¬ 
 curable Third that accompanies its Bite : By others ’tis called Si - 
 tula , becaufe of the burning Heat caufed by the Wound. 
 
 I t is about a Cubit in length, lives in fait Marfhes and dial- 
 low Waters; it dwells in Arabia , Rhodes , Africa , efpecially in 
 Libya , where fome Branches of the venemous Family live on Ca¬ 
 mel’s Fledi, and Locuds dried in the Sun. The more hot the 
 Climate, the more terrible the Wound, as it is in that hot Coun¬ 
 try, where they have no Springs, but a few fait Wells, which en- 
 creafe the animal Appetite of Third. The learned Venetian 
 makes the Serpent Dipfas an Hierog/yphick of illicit Love , the 
 Poifon of which will, without timely Repentance, excite the 
 Third of Dives , who wanted a Drop of Water to cool his 
 fcorched Tongue J|. 
 
 XX. Common Snake. Thefe Serpents in their Summer-rambles 
 haunt among Budies, molly Grounds, uliginous and unfrequent¬ 
 ed Situations. In a fultry Day they may be feen balking them- 
 
 felves 
 
 * Some make it of the viperine fort. One calls it Viper a fithulofa. Viper a Jitem 
 facientes. Avicenna. Conrad. Gefrter. p. 42. Inter afpidetn & viperam , fays ano¬ 
 ther. Ibid, -f- Accejfio Gyllii , cap. 47. 
 
 X -—— -- Sanguinis Ah! am 
 
 Torta caput retro Dipfas calc at a momordit. 
 
 Vix do'or ----—p, 270. 
 
 D Joannis Pierii Valeria',11 Eellunenfs Hieroglyphica } inter Colleffanea, p. 34. Titu- 
 htf) Amoris igves. 
 
86 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 felves in the Sun, near their Aparements: The Sight of a Perfon 
 puts them to flight; and upon a dole Purfuit of them, they make 
 a Stand, raifeup their Heads to a confiderable height, and oppofe 
 the Enemy with a loud and angry Hifs. No Ganger is appre¬ 
 hended from their Bite, and they are handled with Impunity. 
 
 This Species of Serpents refembles the JEJ'culapian , that has 
 been fed in fome Families ; and when provoked to ufe the Teeth, 
 the Danger is no more than that from a Bee, whofe Weapons 
 are defenfive, and not employed without Provocation : In Winter 
 they retire into fubterraneous Spaces, where they lie dormant, till 
 the vernal Sun invites them out. 
 
 Though they propagate as Vipers, it does not appear that 
 they fit on their Eggs, as molt oviparous Animals do; for we often 
 find a Brood of young Serpents in old Hedges and Dunghills, and 
 no vifible Sign of a common Paflage to and from the Neil. 
 
 XXI. The Ekphantia Serpents are thofe whofe Wounds caft 
 People into a Leprofy or Roughnefs of Skin, like that of an Ele¬ 
 phant : Hence Leprofy proceeding from inward Difcrders, is call’d 
 Eleph'Ontia or Elephantiasis , which is a cutaneous Difeaie, makes 
 the Skin fcurfy and rough, in Colour refembling that of an Ani¬ 
 mal, that in Bulk and Intelligence is fuperior to all four-footed 
 Beads. 
 
 ELEPHANTS in India are faid to be about 12 Foot high, 
 and of a Moufe-colour, the Skin not only rough, but hard, fo hard 
 that it is not penetrable by a Sword ; their Eyes like thofe of Swine; 
 two Teeth hang out beyond the reft, v/hich are Ivory. 
 
 We have an Account in Hamilton ’s Travels, of an Elephant 
 in the Eajl-Indies, which a Man was conducting one Morning 
 to water, and pafiing clofe by a Taylor’s Shop, who was work¬ 
 ing at an open Window, the Taylor had the Courage to prick 
 him with his Needle: The Beaft did not then feem to relent the 
 Affront, but when he returned from the Water, which he hav¬ 
 ing artfully muddled, took into his Trunk; as he came back by 
 the Taylor’s Window, fpouted it in his Face, which very .much 
 difobliged a Piece of Scarlet-cloth on his Table. 
 
 That Elephants are fubjedt to Wrath and Revenge, is evi¬ 
 dent from other Inftances: e. g. We read of «an Elephant, that 
 
 when 
 
OF SERPENTS, 
 
 8 7 
 
 when he was brought into a certain Theatre, law, as he pafs’d 
 along, a Keeper of wild Beads, fitting in the Market-place, whom 
 he fuddenly killed : And that the occafion of this Revenge was, 
 becaufe the faid Keeper about ten Years before had flruck hini, 
 with a Sword in that fame Place #. 
 
 An y> Acojla writes, that a Soldier in the Town of Cochine, 
 had thrown the Kernel of a Nut at an Elephant, which the Ani¬ 
 mal took, up and carefully hid r Some Days after, the Elephant 
 feeing the laid Soldier pafs by, threw it in his Face, and went 
 away leaping and dancing. Ibid. 
 
 In that fame Town, another Soldier, meeting an Elephant 
 and his Keeper,.. would not give way to them : Whereupon the 
 Keeper complained to the Elephant of the Affront, who fome 
 days after, {landing on the River Mangata , which runs through 
 the Town, and feeing that fturdy Soldier ftand idle, ran haflily 
 towards him, lifted him upon his Trunk, and plunged him feve- 
 ral times in die River; after which, he drew him out, and left 
 him where he found him. Ibid. 
 
 XXII. The Scorpion is one of the Inhabitants of the World in 
 Miniature ; though a little Infedt, yet is reckoned to be one of the 
 ehiefefl among flinging Animals, whole Poifon in different Re¬ 
 gions is lefs or more dangerous, as it is exalted by various degrees 
 of Heat. It has eight Legs, and two large Claws, refembling 
 thofe of a Lobfter, and a Body like a Crab or Craw-fifh : They 
 are of various Colours, as red, white, yellow, black : They differ 
 alfo in their Size and Kinds, as the marine, terreflrial, reptile, 
 winged, hurtful and innocent. 
 
 Some are of the Bignefs and Length of a Man's Finger, not 
 much longer than a Beetle or a black Fly r Thofe known to us 
 are of a brown Colour, the Back compofed of Joints refembling 
 thofe of a Crab, but more cruflaceous. 
 
 Authors differ about the Tail, whether it be knotty or 
 not j but all agree, that it is furnifhed with a terrible Sting, worfe 
 than the knotted Whip. Many places produce Scorpions of the 
 minute fort, not much exceeding the length of a large Bean. 
 
 Others 
 
 * MichaelGlycas’s Annal. par. i, in the Memoirs of the Royal Society, vol. v,yi 
 p. 280, 281. ibid. p. 281. 
 
§8 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 Others are more bulky”, as thofe at ferufalem , and all 
 about Syria, not unlike our little fluvial Crabs for bignefs, which 
 they call Gambari. 
 
 1 n the Eajl-Indies are large Scorpions of the winged kind ; fo 
 in Egypt , where it is reported they are armed with two Stings *. 
 
 I t is obfervable, thefe large Scorpions taking their flight 
 againft the Wind, fometimes drop down, and fo are taken by the 
 Country-People, and perhaps fent to fcorpionize other King¬ 
 doms. 
 
 The Sea-Scorpion is a flying Animal, and of a red Colour, 
 whofe Flelh is good, and much better than what they call Scor- 
 pcena , that affedfs muddy Water and moorifh Habitations. 
 
 There is a vaft Spread of thefe venemous Animals over the 
 World, both of the winged and creeping kind, in the Eaftern 
 and Southern Climates. Some of them move with Tails fome- 
 what eredted, others trailing on the ground j and are thought to 
 be more dangerous than the former: The Coal-black Scorpion is 
 accounted the moft hurtful; ’tis faid, that in many places ill 
 Perjia , the Inhabitants dare not fleep in Ground-rooms, for fear 
 of thefe little plaguy Creatures, the moft terrible of all Night- 
 walkers : Of which more elfewhere. 
 
 A Certain Hiftorian informs us of ftimulating Scorpions, 
 that infeft Cafhan'm Parthia : They are of fmall Size, not ftrong 
 in Body, but very terrible in their Wounds, there being the 
 greateft Malignity in their Strings ; upon which is grafted this pro¬ 
 verbial Curfe in that Nation, May a Scorpion of Cafhan Jiing 
 thee -f-: But Chardin , ’Tavernier , and others, place Cafoan in Per¬ 
 jia , “ where they are very much infefted with Scorpions at all 
 “ Seafons, but efpecially when the Sun is in that Sign, which is 
 tc one of the twelve Signs in the Zodiack ; fo that ’tis become, 
 “ fays another Hiftorian, a Curfe, May the Scorpions of Cafhan 
 w Jiing thy Gulls.” This occaftons every one to be provided with 
 fovereign Remedies againft them, which is a piece of Copper-money 
 they put upon the Wound, take it off 24 Hours after, and apply 
 a Plaifter of Honey and Vinegar, The Holftein Ambafladors fay 
 they are very black, of the Length and Thicknefs of a Man’s 
 
 Finger, 
 
 * Couractus Gefner in Verbum , p. 4. 
 
 f Herbert's Travels; Book ii. p. 13. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 8 9 
 
 Finger, and run fafter than Crab-fifties, with their Tails always 
 ere&ed *. 
 
 W e read of a certain Emperor of Perfia , who defigning to 
 make a Tour into Media , durft not undertake the Journey, for 
 the vaft Quantity of Scorpions lying in the Road : So that he was 
 obliged to detach a great Number of flout Fellows to deftroy 
 thofe peftiferous Animals, promifing a fuperior Reward to them 
 that kill’d moft: Till this Execution was over, he durft not ven¬ 
 ture his dignified Carcafs abroad. The Scythian Scorpions are of 
 the large Size, and terrible when they flioot their Stings. 
 
 I n Madagafcar , a large African Ifland, are feveral Sorts of 
 Scorpions, particularly Water-Scorpions , that lie in the Marfties 
 and ftanding Waters, which are very mifchievous, killing Dogs 
 and Beafls, and then fucking their Blood. There is another Sort 
 of Scorpions with a great round black Belly, that are very dan¬ 
 gerous ; for thofe whom they ftrike immediately fwoon, and 
 fome for two Days are weak, and cold as Ice. The only Reme¬ 
 dy they have, is that ufed againft Serpent’s Wounds, viz. to fet 
 the Patient by a great Fire, and giving him Antidotes to expel the 
 Poifon, which proves a Cure -f*. 
 
 I n Italy, Land-Scorpions are call’d Scurtificio , becaufe they 
 have their Poifon nel-pizzo , in the Extremity of their Tail. 
 Among the Germans , pizzo is jharp , as [pits als een naalde , point¬ 
 ed as a Needle: The Country-people bring them in Sack-fuls to 
 1Florence, and take them out with naked Hands, as if they were 
 fo many Eels, which fuppofes them to be of the innocent Kind, 
 like thofe white Scorpions in Pharos , a little Ifland in the Mouth 
 of Nilus , where there is plenty of thefe pacifick Animals, who of¬ 
 fer no Violence to their Neighbours. Mention is made of other 
 Provinces where they live and hurt no body 
 
 B y the Spaniards the Scorpion is call’d Alaicran, from an 
 Ifland in America , called the Ifland of Scorpions , for the numerous 
 Multitude that ravage the Place. In Brafil is a vaft Number of 
 Scorpions , and fome four or five Foot long, in Shape like thofe of 
 Europe i but not fo venemous: Some of them chufe to kill them- 
 felves rather than die by the Hands of an Enemy. A certain 
 Gentleman who made the Trial obferves, that a Scorpion being 
 
 N iurrounded 
 
 * Duke of HoIJteins AmbaOTadors Travels into Ferjia , fparfm. 
 f Atlas (jevg'aj)/:. ^Jiu , itoia La Croix. J f 'ran. Reds opufculorum, pars prior. 
 
9 o 
 
 A NATURALHISTORY 
 
 furrounded with a Circle of burning Coals, chofe to ding itfelf to 
 Death rather than be burnt. 
 
 In Ceylon in the Eajl-Indies, they have many Species of Ser¬ 
 pents ; as, 
 
 XXIII. The Pimbera Serpent , whofe Body is faid to be as 
 big as a Man’s Middle, and in Length proportionable. The 
 Creatures of this Kind fecure their Prey, even horned Beads 
 (which fometimes are pretty large) by a fort of a Peg, or pointed 
 Hook , that grows upon the Extremity of theTail: They are flow 
 in Motion, and therefore fkulk in hollow Places j and when they 
 have taken the Spoil, tho’horned, they fwallow it alive, and 
 whole j which often proves fatal, becaufe the Horns may goar the 
 Belly. More, further on. 
 
 XXIV. The Noya Serpent is another ill-natur’d Indian, about 
 four Foot long, will dand with its Body half upright two or three 
 Hours together, thereby difplaying an Air of Majedy: The In¬ 
 habitants call it the King’s Snake. 
 
 Their Poifon in that Part of the Country operates va- 
 rioudy: Some after they are bitten, fall into a profound Sleep, 
 and without fpeedy Help die in about bx Hours time : Others 
 grow didradted, and if negledted die in twenty-four Hours, and 
 bleed at all the Pores of the Body, and are irrecoverable : Of 
 which before *. 
 
 XXV. The Polonga Serpent is five or fix Foot long, and a 
 mod venemous Creature, dedroying all manner of Animals that 
 fall within its Circuit, as well as Men, Women and Children. 
 When the Noya and Polonga Serpents happen to meet, a bloody 
 Battle enfuesj they fight till one be kill’d, and then the Conque¬ 
 ror eats up the bain. 
 
 XXVI. The Cobres Capellos, Sea-ferpents from eight to ten 
 Yards long, are mod dangerous Beads, and frequently kill People 
 in that Country ■f*. 
 
 When Alexander was in the Eajl-lndies, he and his Mace¬ 
 donians were drangely alarm’d by an Army of Serpents that Tallied 
 
 upon 
 
 * Atlas Ceogr.Afia . + Ibid, from Baldens. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 9i 
 
 upon 'em from the Woods, which would foon have deftroy’d 
 them, but for the Humanity of a Native , who directed them to 
 a certain Herb that cured their Wounds, and faved them from 
 ‘ Ruin *. The fame Hiftorian adds, that in thofe great Deferts, 
 frequent and terrible Scuffles happened between Elephants and 
 Serpents about Water, when they met at a Spring, and it fo fell 
 out fome time, that both perifh’d ; for the Serpent roll’d it felf 
 about the Elephant’s Leg by feveral Folds, who finding himfelf 
 wounded, falls down, and in falling often crufhes his Enemy to 
 death. Ibid. 
 
 I.n America is a vaft variety of Serpents, and fome of prodi¬ 
 gious Dimenfions ; in particular, they are very numerous and 
 large in Cordillera , i. e. Andes , or high Mountains of Chile y 
 which Mountains, Antonio de Herrera calls a Prodigy of Nature, 
 not to be match’d in the kind : They are two Chains of high 
 Mountains, about 1500 Leagues in length : In that fpacious Re¬ 
 gion are Adders red as blood, feven or eight Foot long, which 
 in the Night appear like burning Coals, but not fo dangerous as 
 other Serpents, that are Imps of Darknefs. Acojla and other 
 Writers tell us, that the Devil appear’d among the Americans in 
 the fflape of a Serpent. 
 
 There are fo many Sorts, fays Nieuhoff] that the Brafilians 
 reckon up no lefs than thirty-two, mod: of which are here ac¬ 
 counted for. 
 
 XXVII. The Caudifonant , or Rattle-fnake , is a large Species 
 of the Viper, and in its exterior Form every way fimilar, the 
 ruffling Tail excepted; it moves with as much Agility as if fup- 
 ply’d with Wings, called therefore the Flying-Snake : It has fmall 
 Eyes, and four Teeth longer than the reft, of white Colour, and 
 fbarp, like Thorns; the Head is guarded with fmall Scales, the 
 Back with larger and thicker Armour; the Tail is compofed of 
 feveral loofe bony Articulaments that make a roaring Sound, loud 
 enough to be heard at a diftance ; and therefore balled the Bell- 
 Snake. 
 
 I t is common in Virginia , where it appears to be from three 
 to four Foot long, and reckoned to be very poifonous; but fcarce- 
 ly hurts any, unlefs provoked ; and when offended, like the God 
 
 N 2 of 
 
 Diodor. Siculus . 
 
92 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 of War, makes dire&ly at the Enemy, without dread of Confe- 
 quences. 
 
 I n the Hiftory of Peru , an Account is given of a young Wo¬ 
 man who was wounded by a Rattle-fnake, and died on the Spot, 
 before any Relief could be had ; and when they came to take up 
 the Corpfe, the Flefh came off her Bones; fo fpeedily did the 
 violence of the Pcifon diflolve the ftru&ure of the Body. 
 
 The method of killing this Snake, is thus given by Captain 
 Silas Taylor , viz. Of the Leaves of Dittany of Virginia (i. e. 
 wild Penny royal) bruis’d, we took, fays he, and having fatten'd 
 them at the end of a cloven Stick, we held it to the Nofe of the 
 Rattle-fnake i who by turning and wriggling, labour’d hard to avoid 
 it; but was kill’d with it in lefs than half an Hour’s time, and as 
 is fuppofed by the meer Scent of that Vegetable *. This was done, 
 A. D. 1657, in yuly, at which Seafon thofe Creatures are re¬ 
 puted to be in the greateft Vigour for their Poifon : It is alfo re¬ 
 markable, that in thofe Places where this wild Penny-royal 
 grows, none of thefe Snakes are obferved to come 
 
 The bruifed Leaves of the Virgmian Dittany are very hot, and 
 biting upon the Tongue: Probably the ttrong Smell of it might 
 Hop the Pafiages of Refpiration in thofe Animals, or ferment 
 with the Blood, fo as to fuffocate them. In Grejham College at 
 
 London may be feen fifteen Skins of Rattle-fnakes checker’d- 
 
 Some appear in Afh-colour: Several Rattles of thofe Snakes, 
 moft of them compofed of above ten Joints. 
 
 XXVIII. The Salamander is an amphibious Serpent, very 
 much fpotted ; fuperior in Bulk to common Lizards. 
 
 The Land-Salamander is a little poifonous Reptile, that re- 
 fembles the green Lizard, but more grofs in Body; and is found 
 in Germany and other Places. 
 
 CONRADUS Gefner fays he faw one of ’em on the Alps 
 perfectly black, with a fhort Tail : When wounded, a kind of 
 milky Liquid runs out. In Germany are feveral great Woods, 
 where black Salamanders have been feen ; Tejle Matthiolo J. 
 
 This 
 
 * Regnautt, vol. ii. from Journ. des Scav. 1666 , p. 113. Loivthorp’s Abridg. of 
 Philof. Tranfaft. vol. ii. p. 811. + Ibid. 
 
 X Jon ft onus de Quadrupedtbus-, p. 137. 
 
 4 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 93 
 
 This little ftrange Animal affedts moift, cold and folitary 
 Habitations. In fome parts of Germany great numbers of them 
 have been found in a Body piled up, one upon another : They 
 are of the oviparous kind, and propagate their Species by Eggs, 
 the common Semen of Fowls and Infedts. 
 
 They are Enemies to Frogs and the Tortoife, and feed on 
 little fmall Infedts \ and when they have Accefs to Honey and 
 Milk, they never want a Feaft. 
 
 It is of a poifonous Nature, and many have fuffer’d by its 
 Biting; fo fays Pliny , with whom agree Nicander , Aetius , and 
 Abenjince. 
 
 G E S NE R is in a contrary Sentiment, and fays he had do- 
 meftick Salamanders , that offered no violence with their Teeth 
 without Provocation. Jonftonus adds, that in Germany there ap¬ 
 peared no ill Effedts of its Bite ; but in France its Wounds were 
 of a moft deadly Nature, as appears by a Saying in that Kingdom, 
 viz. That a Man bit by a Salamander , Jhould have as many Phy - 
 ficians to cure him, as the Salamander has Spots , which are 
 numerous *. 
 
 The Aquatic Salamander is not very unlike the former, un- 
 lefs it be in Colour and Figure; fome with a Tail turn’d up, 
 others with a flat Tail, prominent in the Middle : There are va¬ 
 rious forts of them ; one of which appears in the form of a Tur¬ 
 bot, whofe Eggs are as large as Garden-pears. 
 
 When upon Land their Mouth will not open, unlefs it be 
 by Force, or they be caft into a Veflel of Water : When put 
 upon Salt, they move the Tail and die ; their Skin is clofe com- 
 padted, and not penetrable by a Sword ; and ’tis faid that Swine’s 
 Flefh is Poifon to them -f*. 
 
 The common Report is, that the Salamander is able to live 
 in the Fire, which is a vulgar Error : The Hieroglyphick Hifto- 
 rian obferves, that upon Trial made, it was fo far from quench¬ 
 ing it, that it confum’d immediately It is true, that Newts 
 (or Water-lizards) Frogs, Snails, and fuch icy Animals, will 
 endure the Fire for a longer time than others will, by reafon of 
 
 an 
 
 * ——tot medicis indigere quot macula: beftia habet, proverbio ] affiant. Jonftonus 
 de Quadrupedibus, p. 137. 
 
 f Jonftonus de Quadruped, p. 138. 
 
 J Joannis Pierii Hierogl. cap. 21 — 26. p. 197—5, j. 
 
94 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 4 
 
 » 
 
 ail extraordinary degree of Coldnefs, which diflipates and fcatters 
 the Flame for a little time. 
 
 I H a v e read an Experiment made upon a Salamander , that 
 was thrown into the Fire, and there came from it a fort of gelid, 
 moift, vifcous Humour, which refilled the Power of Fire for a 
 little time; but thofe Exhalations being dried up, was foon con- 
 fum’d. In the Philofophical Tranfattions , we have another In- 
 ftance, which feems to carry the matter further. 
 
 M. STENO writes from Rome , that a Knight called Corvini , 
 had allured him, that having call a Salamander (brought to him 
 out of the Indies) into the Fire, the Animal thereupon fwelled 
 prefently, and then vomited ftore of thick flimy Matter, which 
 did put out the neighbouring Coals, to which the Salamander 
 retired immediately, putting them out alfo in the fame manner as 
 they rekindled; and by this means faved his Life about two 
 Hours, and afterwards lived nine Months; that he had kept it 
 eleven Months, without any other Food but what it took by 
 licking the Earth, on which it moved, and on which it had been 
 brought out of the Indies, which at firfl: was cover’d with a thick 
 Moifture, but being dried afterwards, the Urine of the Animal 
 ferved to moiften the fame; Being put upon Italian Earth , it 
 died within three days after *. 
 
 A s to the Poflibility of the thing; I make no doubt but he, 
 who made Water the Habitation of Fifh, can make Fire to be 
 the Refidence of another fort of Beings. The Sun, which is the 
 Centre of our planetary Syftem, for aught we know, may be the 
 Seat of glorious Inhabitants; or, as others conjecture, the Place 
 of future Mifery. 
 
 Upon the whole, the Salamander being of a mucous, flimy, 
 and cold Body, will, like Ice, foon extinguilh a little Fire, but 
 will be as foon confum’d by a great Fire; therefore it was no Ab- 
 furdity in Galen , when, as a J'eptical Medicine , he recommended 
 the Afhes of a Salamander. 
 
 The like Humidity is obfervable in Water-Lizards, efpecially 
 if their Skins be prick’d: Yea, Frogs, Snails, White of Eggs, 
 will foon quench a lefler Coal. We read of incombujlible Cloth , 
 ( Linnen , Paper,) made from a Flaxen-Mineral, call’d A«£er«r 
 by the Greeks , and Linum vivum by the Latins. 
 
 This 
 
 * Lowthorp’s Abridgement^ vol. ii. p. 816. 
 
r 
 
 C&r/ie/em> 
 

 . 
 
 
 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 95 
 
 This Asbejlos , or Matter out of which this wonderful Cloth... 
 is made, is a Foflil, a mineral ftony Subftance, of a whitifh Co¬ 
 lour, and woolly Texture (call’d Salamander &-W00I) the downy 
 Fibres, feparable into ftiort Filaments or Threads, capable of be¬ 
 ing fpun, and move into a fort of Cloth, which will endure the 
 Fire without confuming. When foul, inftead of wafhing, they 
 throw it into the Fire, which cleanfes without burning it. Whole 
 Webs and Coats, Napkins, Handkerchiefs, Towels, have been 
 made of it$ which were fo far from being confumed by Fire, that 
 they were only clean fed from their Drofs, and came out purified 
 into a greater Luftre than if wafh’d with Water. 
 
 Its principal ufe, according to Pliny *, was for making of 
 Shrouds, in which the Corps of their Kings were ufually burnt, 
 left their royal Afhes fhould be blended with common Duft. 
 The Princes of Tartary ufe it to this day in burning the Dead *f\ 
 Nero had a Napkin or Towel made of it. The Brachmans a- 
 mong the Indians , are faid to make Clothes of it. The Wicks 
 for their perpetual Candles were made of it J ; and fome to this 
 day ufe it for Lamp-Wicks. 
 
 The Emperor Conflantine ordered an incombuftible fort of 
 Linnen to be made of Lapis Amianthus , the growth of Cyprus , 
 that might burn in his Lamps, which were in his Baths at Rome. 
 The Commentator on St. Auguflin fays, that he faw feveral 
 Lamps at Paris , which would never be confumed : and ataFeaft 
 at Louvain, there was a Napkin thrown into the Fire, which was 
 reftored to the Owner clearer and brighter than if it had been 
 rinfed in Water [f. 
 
 The incombujlible Paper is made of this lanuginous Mineral, 
 viz. Asbejline-Stone, which will bear burning without being in¬ 
 jured. Whoever would be further informed about this wonderful 
 incombuftible Stone, may perufe Dr. Bruckman, Profefior at 
 Brunjwick , who has publifh’d a natural Hijlory of the Asbejlos , 
 or incombujlible Paper; and what is moft remarkable, has printed 
 four Copies of his Book on this Paper, which are depofited in the 
 Library of Wolfembuttle. The manner of making this extraor¬ 
 dinary Paper is defcribed by Mr. Lloyd , in Philofoph. Tranfaftions , 
 N°. 166. 
 
 N.B. 
 
 * Book xix. cap. 1. f Thilof. Travfatt. f Dr .Lifter. 
 
 || LudovicusVives, in bis Scholia—de CivitateDei. Pancirol, Hijioria rerum deperdit. 
 
9 6 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 N. B. The Salamander is faid to live in the Fire, and has 
 power to extinguilh it: “ From which Conjecture was taken the 
 “ Device of Great King Francis , the firft of the Name, (Father 
 “ of Arts and Sciences) Nutrifco & Extinguo, I Feed and Ex- 
 
 tinguilh 
 
 XXIX. The Cameleon belongs to the ClafsofQuadrupedes, andis 
 alittle Animal refemblinga Lizard, butofalarger and longer Head: 
 Its Eyes Hand out of its Head above one half of their Globe, 
 which he turns fo obliquely, that he fees every thing behind 
 him : Nature perhaps has given it this Advantage, becaufe its 
 Legs (by the Klownefs of its motion) are of no ufe to avoid his 
 Enemy, by running away. There is yet fomething more ex¬ 
 traordinary, in the motion of his Eyes, for when one of them 
 moves, the other has no motion at all ; one looks upward, the 
 other downwards ■f-. 
 
 The length of thefe Creatures does not exceed twelve Inches, 
 and they have a proportionable bignefs. The Skin is plaited and 
 very ,fine, tranfparent, jagged like a Saw, and thin 5 and mull 
 be very compact and hard, fince, according to the Hiftorian 
 'tis not penetrable by the Teeth of Serpents. It has four Feet, 
 and on each Foot three Claws ; its Tail is long and flat, with 
 which, as well as with its Feet, it faftens itfelf to the Branches 
 of Trees: its Nofe long, and ends in an obtufe point: In other 
 refpeCts it is made like a Filh ; that is to fay, it has no Neck || : 
 Reckoned by Mofes , among the Unclean —Numb. xi. 30. 
 
 The Cameleon is faid to transform itfelf into variety of Colours; 
 perhaps this change may arife from the different reflections of the 
 Rays of Light: Thus they may put on a brown or whitilh Ha¬ 
 bit, from Trees of that Colour, on which they lit. Others ob- 
 ferve, that its Colour is changeable, according to the various Paf- 
 fions that agitate the Creature ; e.g. When affeCted with Joy, ’tis 
 of an emerald Green, mixt v/ith Orange, etch’d with little grey 
 and black Strokes: Anger gives it a livid and dulky Colour : Fear 
 makes it pale, and like faded yellow **. All thefe Colours com- 
 pofe ffich a pretty Medley of Shadow and Light, that Nature does 
 
 not 
 
 * Pedro Mexia and M. Francefco Sanfuvino, the famous Italian. 
 
 f A Journal of the Philofoph. Mathematical and Eotanic Obferv. by Lewis 
 Feui/le, A. D. 1725. 
 
 X JElian. iv. 33. || Calm?t. p. 351. ** l eCompte’s Memoirs, p. 502. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 97 
 
 not afford a finer Variety of Shadowing, nor our fiaeft Pi&ures 
 more lively, fweet, and proportionable Drawing. 
 
 For the further Illuftration of this Subject, I fhall add fome- 
 thing from the Philofophical Tranfatdions about a female Came- 
 leon, the Skin of which appear’d mixt of feveral Colours, like a 
 Medley-cloth. The Colours difcernable are green, a fandy yel¬ 
 low ; and indeed one may difcern, or at lead fancy, fome mix¬ 
 ture of all, or mod Colours in the Skin, whereof fome are more 
 predominant, at different times: There are fome permanent black 
 Spots on the Head, and Ridge of the Back. But our modem 
 Naturalids affure us, that its common Colour, when it is at red, 
 and in the Shade, is a bluilh grey; when ’tis expofed to the 
 Sun, this grey changes into a darker grey, inclining to a dun 
 Colour: If ’tis put on a black Hat, it appears to be of a violet 
 Colour. 
 
 ....Upon Excitation or Warming, (he becomes fuddenly full 
 of little black Spots, equally difperfed on the fides, with fmall 
 black Streaks on the Eyelids ; all which afterward do vanifh. 
 The Skin is grain’d with globular Inequalities, like the Leather 
 call’d Shagreen. The groffed Grain is about the Back and Head, 
 then on the Legs; on the Sides and Belly, fined; which, per¬ 
 haps, in feveral Podures, may fhew feveral Colours ; and when 
 this Animal is in full Vigour, may alfo have in fome fort, Ra¬ 
 tioned Speculi, and reflect the Colours of Bodies adjacent; which, 
 together with the mixture of Colours in the Skin, may have given 
 occafion to the old Tradition, of changing into all Colours *. 
 
 A Certain curious Gentleman made the following Ex¬ 
 periment, when he lived at Smyrna , in Afia-minor: He bought 
 fome CameleonSy to try how long they could be preferved alive 
 under Confinement; he kept them in a large Cage, and allowed 
 them the Liberty to take the frefh Air, which they fuck’d in with 
 pleafure, and made them brilker than ordinary. He never faw 
 them either eat or drink, but feem’d to live on the Fluid in which 
 we breathe. 
 
 The Antients were perfuaded that Cameleons fed upon the 
 Air, for which reafon one of the Fathers calls it a living Skin -f-; 
 but now it appears by Experience, that they feed upon different 
 Inkrds, as Palmer-worms, Locufts, Beetles, Flies, and alfo Leaves 
 
 O of 
 
 * Loxchorp's Abridg. vol. ii. p. 816. f 'Pellicula vivit.Tertull. de Pallio, cap. 3, 
 
9 
 
 A NATURAL HI S TO R Y 
 
 of Vegetables. Father Feuillee *, in a Journey into Afia-minor „ 
 opened one of thefe Animals, and found in its Belly Peach-Leaves, 
 which were not then digefted—iV. B. Digeftion is very flow 
 in Cameleons,. which is the reafon why they take fo little Nou- 
 rifhment. 
 
 The fame Father mentions a fmall Lizard, which he faw in 
 Peru , that was not above an Inch thick, which he calls Chame- 
 leontides , becaufe he changed his Colour, like the Cameleo?is ; 
 being in a certain Situation, he faw it of a dun Colour j in ano¬ 
 ther, ’twas green.This little Creature, he fays, had the fame 
 
 Figure and Proportion as the Great Lizard j named by the Spa- 
 niards, Iquanna ; and Senembi , by Marcgravius and he makes 
 that Lizard a fourth kind of Cameleon y and to be added to the 
 two kinds of Bellonius, one of which is to be found in Arabia , 
 and the other in Egypt, and to that mention’d by Faber, Lynceus, 
 which may be feen in Mexico. 
 
 Their Tongue is fomewhat peculiar, it being as long as their 
 Body, with which they catch Flies, and other Infedts, which 
 fettle on their Tongues, to fuck the vifcous flimy Matter, adhe¬ 
 rent to them. The Cameleon puts out his Tongue to draw them 
 upon it, and when ’tis full of thefe Infedts, he pulls it in with 
 wonderful Agility. Others think, it enclofes its Prey with 
 the tip of its Tongue, which is made in a form proper for that 
 purpofe. 
 
 The Cameleon is an oviparous Animal. J. J'onjlonus fays, it 
 has above a hundred Eggs, from Piereskius , who nurfed a Fe¬ 
 male on purpofe to make Obfervations upon the Subject •f*. Af¬ 
 ter all the Gentleman’s Care about ’em at Smyrna , all of them 
 died within five Months; and having opened the Female, found 
 thirty Eggs in her, faften’d one to another in the form of a 
 Chain. Ibid, fupra. 
 
 The Atlas J calls the Cameleon , the Indian Salamander ||; 
 that goes there by the Name of Gekho, from the Noife it makes 
 after hiffing, and is thus defcrib’d, viz. ’tis about a Foot long and 
 fpotted, has large Eyes flatting out, the Tail has feveral white 
 Rings round it, and its Teeth fharp, and ftrong enough to pene¬ 
 trate an Armour of Steel: it has a ilo.w Motion, but where it 
 
 fallens,, 
 
 * Feuillee’’i Journal. Vranchf. 15:07. p. -J- Jonflomis de Animalib. inter Qua? 
 
 drupedes, p. 1,4.1. J Africa, |} For America, 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 99 
 
 fattens, Vis not eafily difengaged. This Creature is found in 
 Arabia, Egypt, Madagafcar, Java, and other parts of India. 
 BeHonius faw feveral of them among the Shrubs of Attica * : He 
 fays it frequents Cairo , and other Places, is found among Hedges 
 and Butties; mutes like a Hawk; fwallows every thing whole. It 
 moves the Feet of each fide alternately, but runs up Trees very 
 faft, and lays hold on the Boughs with its Tail. Leo and Sandys 
 fay, the Neck is inflexible, and it can’t turn without moving its 
 whole Body : the Back is crooked, the Skin is fpotted with little 
 Tumours: the Tail long and flender, like that of a Rat; when 
 it fucks in the Air, its Belly fwells, whence fome think that the 
 Air is part of its Food. One Author fays, it fubfifts only upon 
 Air; another fays, ’tis a vulgar Error.- 
 
 ’Ti s faid, that if a Serpent lurks near the Tree, where it fits, 
 it throws a Thread out of its Mouth, with a little fhining Drop 
 at the end, which falls upon the Serpent’s Head, and kills it -f*. 
 
 I n America are Serpents, fome of whom are fo poifonous, 
 that if touch’d but with a little Stick, the Venom runs up the 
 Hand ; and fuch as are touch’d with the Blood of dead Serpents, 
 die a lingring Death: This is Tradition : I (hall begin with the 
 fir ft of them, viz. 
 
 XXX. KUKURUKI, a Serpent of Brajil in South-America, 
 which is under the torrid Zone, where their Winter begins in 
 March and ends in Augufi ; and is like our Summer. This Ser¬ 
 pent is of an afh Colour, and in its Scales refembles the Bocinga , 
 or Rattle-Snake, but is more grofs ; on the Back, variegated with 
 yellow, and large black Spots. ’Tis reprefented as a very vene- 
 mous Animal, eight or nine Foot longj; and when prepared, 
 the Inhabitants feed upon it. 
 
 XXXI. The Ibiara is a Brafilian Adder, about a Foot and 
 half long; an Inch and half in thicknefs. Serpents of this kind 
 are very numerous in that Country, and nothing more poifonous 
 than their Wounds, tho’ not incurable, if proper Remedies be 
 applied in time. 
 
 O 2 In 
 
 * Jonfionus de Qttadrupedibus. + Atl. Afric. p. 49, 50. 
 
 X 9 & interdum impedes longus eji. Ray. 
 
 4 
 
100 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 I n Seafons of Danger, they flielter themielves in Cavities under 
 Ground, and feed upon Pifmires, which are very large in that 
 Country, and in fuch prodigious Quantities, that the Portuguefe 
 call them, Kings of Brafii. 
 
 XXX 1 L In Chiapa , in Qld-Mexico , now called New-Spaing 
 is a noxious Animal call’d Feuthlacokauqui , or Fortrefs of the Ser¬ 
 pents , whofe Head is like an Adder, thick Belly, glittering Scales,, 
 the Ridge of the Body black, with an Interfperfion of white 
 Croflesj the Teeth, poifonous, and the biting kills in twenty-four 
 hours, unlefs the wounded part be held in the Earth lb long, 
 till the Pain be over. 
 
 I t has a frightful Afpedf ; when it moves it makes a Noife 
 with its Tail, that founds an Alarm of Danger. The Americans , 
 who have the Art of taking it by the Tail, carry it home, and 
 by degrees make it tame : his maintain’d at a cheap rate, for it 
 can fubfift a whole Year without any vilible Food. 
 
 JONSTONUS calls this Serpent the Bocininga , and de- 
 fcnbes it from Marcgravius and PiJ'o. The former fays, ’tis four 
 Foot and three Fingers long, Belly fmooth, fmall Eyes, forked 
 Tongue, rattling Tail. The other obferves, the Spaniards call it 
 Cafcavel , and Fangedor , becaufe its Tail emits the found of a Bell; 
 in thicknefs, as a Man’s Arm j in length, about five Foot j a clo¬ 
 ven Tongue, long and lharp Teeth j of a dark Colour, inclining 
 to the yellow *. 
 
 According to Nierembergius i this Serpent is called the 
 Queen of Serpents , which they fuppofe to be like the Viper, in its 
 Poifon, and Shape of the Head *f\ By the Definitions of feveral 
 Authors, this Serpent fee ms to be th t Caudifonant ; and the Dutch 
 in America call it the Ratel-Stange , i. e. Rattle-Snake. 
 
 Now we are in Mexico , excufe me in giving you two In- 
 ftances of monftrous Cruelty one in the Natives, the other in 
 the Spaniards. „ 
 
 When the Mexicans were difpofed to do figna! Honour to 
 their Idols, they fent out Armies to bring in Prifoners for a Sa¬ 
 crifice, whofe Flefh they did afterwards eat; and Montezuma the. 
 Emperor, commonly facrificed 20000 Men, one year with ano¬ 
 ther,,. 
 
 * yonflonuf, Articulus xvii. p. 23. 
 
 f Hifioria Nature Mexime Peregrin#) p. 2.68—9. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 IOI 
 
 ther, and no lefs than 50000 fome years. The Priefls thought 
 it dilhonourable to facrilice lefs than 40 or 50 Captives at a time 
 to one Idol At a certain Feftival, they ript up the Bread: of a 
 manumitted Slave, pull’d out his Heart, which they offer’d to the 
 Sun, and then eat up his Body. 
 
 Their Priefls were bloody Men, a Brood of Vipers, and 
 had fuch an Afcendant over their Princes, that they made them 
 believe their Gods were angry , and not to be appeafed without 
 4000 or 5000 Men to facrifice in a day; fo that, right or wrong, 
 they muft make War on their Neighbours, to procure thofe 
 Vi&ims to keep their Priefls in humour. 
 
 The next, is an inflance of Spanijh Cruelty , in this Country, 
 that could have no Original but Hell, the Seat of the old Serpent. 
 It runs thus, viz. Barthol. de las Cafas Bifhop of Chiapa , in a 
 Letter to the Emperor Charles V. gives this account of the Bar¬ 
 barity of the Spaniards towards the poor Inhabitants, Natives of 
 the Land. 
 
 ....“Their Kings and Princes, fays the Bifhop, the Spa- 
 “ niards fcorch’d to death, or tore in pieces with Dogs: The 
 “ poor People they burnt in their Houfes, and dafh’d out the 
 <c Brains of their Children : Thofe that were fpared, they forced 
 “ to carry greater Burdens than they were able to bear, by which 
 “ thoufands of them were deflroy’d : Others who efcap’d, died of 
 “ Famine in the Woods, after they had kill’d their own Wives 
 “ and Children, and eat them for hunger. In this one Province 
 “ they murder’d above two Millions of Men, not fparing thofe of 
 “ Quality, who had civilly entertain’d them. They tortured the 
 “ Natives with the rnofl hellilh Inventions, to make them difcover 
 “ their Gold. Diego de Falefco , in particular, fpared none that 
 “ fell into his hands, fo that in a Month’s time he murder’d ten 
 “ thoufand: He hang’d thirteen Noblemen. 
 
 “ Some they flarved to death, by thrufling their Heads betwixt 
 “ pieces of cloven Timber: Others they buried alive, leaving 
 “ their Heads above ground, at which they bowl’d with large 
 “ Iron-Bullets: They alio forced them to eat one another.—— 
 “ Befides other hellilh Cruelties too dreadful to be related 
 N. B. This Barth, de las Cafas had been a Friar , and afterwards 
 
 made. 
 
 * Acojla, Gcge —The Civil and Moral Hiftory of the Sfanijh Wef Indies.. in 
 Atlas Geogr. America., 
 
102 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 made Bifhop of Chiapa , was a Man of more Piety and Juftice than 
 is commonly found among Friars. It was he, who procur’d the 
 Indians their Liberty from being Slaves to the Spaniards , which 
 they enjoy to this day, fo that they are paid for what they do, 
 about half a Crown a Week. 
 
 XXXIII. The Ibitobaca is a Serpent of Chiapa , near four 
 Foot long, and of a crimfon Colour, adorn’d with a pleafing 
 Diverfity of black and white Specks; wearing its Bones as a 
 Necklace, or the Ruffin Queen Elizabeth' s Reign, who deftroy’d 
 the Invincible Armada, and made good old England a Terror to 
 Spaniards. 
 
 XXXIV. The lquanna is the Birth of Mexico , a Serpent 
 like the Pope’s Anathema, of a terrible Front, but harmlefs ; a 
 glittering Comb on the Head, with a Bag under the Chin ; a 
 long Tail, and Iharp Bones on its Back, handing up in the form 
 of a Saw. 
 
 This Iquannatick Serpent is of the amphibious kind, equally 
 fitted to live by Land or Water; a Privilege which no Son of 
 Adam can boafl: of. It is of the oviparous Tribe, and a great 
 Breeder, laying about fifty Eggs at the Seafon as big as Acorns, 
 which are of a very good Talle, and good Food when boiled, 
 and fo is the Serpent itfelf; but the Land -lquanna is a more plea- 
 fant Food, and preferable to Spanijh Ragous *. 
 
 XXXV. The Ibiboboca is a Serpent beautiful to the Eye, but 
 of a venemous Nature ’tis about three Foot long. The Icon of 
 it in Grefhatn College is above three Yards -j-, white as Snow, de¬ 
 corated with Particles of various Colours, efpecially black and red. 
 The Wound it gives operates gradually, and if negledted, proves 
 fatal. 
 
 XXXVI. The Guaku or Lyboya Serpent, is one of the largefi: 
 of all the ferpentine Brood, fome of which being from eighteen 
 to thirty Foot long, call’d by the Portuguefe, Hobre de Hado, or 
 the Roebuck Serpent } becaufe it can fwallow a whole Buck at once. 
 
 After 
 
 * Nierembergii Hijloria Naturalise p. 271. 
 
 -f- Curzon’s Catalogue of Rarities , p. 445. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 103 
 
 After fwallowing it down, it generally falls afleep, and in that 
 Pofture is frequently taken, while digefting its Supper. My Au¬ 
 thor fays, he faw one of this kind, which was thirty Foot long, 
 of a greyrfti Colour, but others incline more to the brown *: 
 A ravenous Animal, and fo voracious, that it leaps out of the 
 Woods to feize its Prey ; and, if difturb’d, wiil fight, or wreftle, 
 with Man or Beafi, (landing upright upon the Butt-end of his 
 Tail. 
 
 XXXVII. The ‘Jararaka Serpent, is another Brafilian , no 
 longer than a Man’s Arm to the Elbow; it has fwelling Veins 
 on its Head •, the Skin is cover’d with red and black Spots j the 
 reft is of an earth Colour: Its Wounds are dangerous, and at¬ 
 tended with the ufual Symptoms. There are three forts of thefe 
 venemous Snakes befides this, viz. One fort is about ten Spans 
 long, with two terrible Tuiks, or great Teeth, which they ftretch 
 out to a great length, and ftrike them into their Prey. The vene¬ 
 mous Liquid, which is very yellow, works with a Violence that 
 kills in a few Hours. The fecond fort refembles the Spanifl.b Viper 
 in Colour and Form, and is equally dangerous. The third and 
 worft fort very much refembles the jirft . 
 
 XXXVIII. The Biohi , called Gahro Verde by the Portuguefe 
 in Brafily i. e. the Green Serpent , becaufe its Colour is porraceous, 
 a (hining Green like the Leek} it is between three and four Foot 
 long, and about the thicknefs of a Man’s Thumb} a large Mouth, 
 and black Tongue, and has this good Property, that it hurts no¬ 
 body unlefs irritated } but when provoked, no Poifon more dan¬ 
 gerous. We read of a Soldier , who accidentally treading on this 
 Serpent, was wounded by it in the Thigh, and died a few Hours 
 after, tho’ the Remedies that proved fuccefsful on the like occa- 
 fions, had been diligently applied •f*. 
 
 XXXIX. The Caninana Serpent , is another Inhabitant of 
 Brajily green on the Back, and yellow on the Belly, about two 
 Foot long, and reckoned not to be fo venemous, as the reft of 
 that mifchievous Tribe. It feeds upon Eggs and Birds, at laft be¬ 
 comes the common Entertainment of the American and African 
 
 Tables. 
 
 Nieuhojf. in At 1 . America, p, z 6 $- 
 
 t Rail SynopfiSy p. 328. 
 
104 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 Tables'^. We read of other green Serpents in the Indies , that 
 are indulged with little Cottages made of Straw, where they fpend 
 their folitary Hours, till the time of eating invites them out, then 
 they repair to the Houfe, where they fawn upon their Mailers, 
 and eat what is fet before them, and then retire to the Huts of 
 Indulgence. 
 
 XL. The Tetzawhcoatl , is another Production of Brafil , a 
 Serpent of about three Foot long, and (lender Body, whofe Strokes 
 are peftilent : The Head is black, nether part of the Tail red- 
 diih, and the Belly daih’d with black Spots. The Cure is by 
 Sutftion. 
 
 Now we are travelling among the Inhabitants of Brajil , we 
 may be allow’d to take notice of Prince Maurice’s Rational Parrot, 
 mentioned by Sir William Temple and Mr. Locke , which the for - 
 mer had from the Prince’s own Mouth. His Words were, 
 
 . “That he had heard of fuch an old Parrot, when 
 
 “ he came to Brafil. , and tho’ he believed nothing of it, and it 
 “ was a good way off, yet he had fo much Curiolity as to fend 
 “ for it: that it was a very great and a very old one j and when 
 “ it came firft into the Room, where the Prince was with a great 
 “ many Dutchmen about him, it faid prefently. What a Company 
 “ of white Men are here ! They afk’d it, what he thought that 
 ,c Man was, pointing at the Prince ? It anfwer’d, Some General 
 “ or other. The Prince afked it, Whence come ye -j- ? The Par- 
 “ rot anfwered, From Marinnan. To whom do you belong, 
 “ faid the Prince ? It anfwered. To a Portuguefe Prince. The 
 “ Prince afked, What do you there ? Parrot anfwered, 1 look 
 “ after the Chickens. The Prince laugh’d, and faid, You look 
 “after the Chickens! The Parrot anfwered, Tes , /; and I 
 “ know well enough how to do it, and made the Cluck four or five 
 “ times, that People ufe to make to Chickens, when they call 
 “ them. 
 
 .... “I could not but tell this odd Story, becaufe it is fo much 
 “ out of the way, and from the firft hand, and what may pafs for 
 “ a good one; for I dare fay, this Prince at lead believed himfelf 
 
 “ in 
 
 * Ran Synopfis , p. -528. 
 
 t Dou venes vous? D2 Marinnan. A qui eftes vous ? A un Portugais. Que 
 fais cu-la? Je garde les poulies. Vousgardez les pouiles ? Ouy inoy, &c je fgai bien 
 faire .—Sir Wiliiam Temple’* Memoirs , and Mr. Locke ’s EJfay, Book II. chap. 27. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 in ali be told me, having ever pad for a very honed and pioos 
 “ Man. I leave it to Naturalids to reafon, and to other Men to 
 “ believe as they pleafeupon it; however, it is not perhaps amifs 
 “ to relieve or enliven a bufy Scene fometimes with fuch Digref- 
 <c fions,whether to the purpofe or no.” So far Sir William Temple . 
 
 Wonder not then, if you meet in this Hidory with fome 
 romantick Sentiments entertained by learned Men concerning Ser¬ 
 pents, when two fuch illuftrious Pillars of the Commonwealth 
 of Letters, give way to a Relation that has fo much of the Marvel¬ 
 lous in it. 
 
 XLT. These Hidorians inform us of many more Serpents, 
 and fome of great bulk, that infed thofe American Regions > 
 whofe Looks are ruddy, of blood-red Colour, that diine in the 
 Night, like fo many glittering Stars. 
 
 A modern Author writes, that in America are fome Snakes 
 that were eight Foot long, and as red as Blood, which in the 
 Night look’d like Fire *. 
 
 The former black, and thefe fhining Serpents, remind me 
 of the Obfidian Stones, that are very black and tranfparent; they 
 have their Names from one Objidius , who drd found them in 
 
 ^Ethiopia. 
 
 T here is a fort of natural Obfidian Glafs, which is rather to be 
 ranked among Stones than Metals; ’tis as paffive as the former, 
 enduring the Graving-Tool, is diaphanous and pellucid, receiving 
 Images, and, like artificial Glafs, tranfmitting all Forms and 
 Shapes. 
 
 This is found in ^Ethiopia , where the Sepulchres of the No¬ 
 bles are ufually made of it, and after this manner ; viz. They 
 take a large Stone, and make it hollow, and in the Cavity include 
 the Corps, where it is not only preferved,. but, as if entomb’d in 
 Glafs, is apparently vifible to Spectators, and fends forth no un¬ 
 grateful Scent. 
 
 Out of thefe Objidian Stones, Looking-Glades are wont to 
 be made, and are alfo found on the Coads of Arabia. Thefe 
 fhining Stones were inferted into Rings, and in one of them was 
 cut the entire Image of Augujlus , who being much taken with 
 
 P thefe 
 
 * Anton., Herrera ’sHiftory of America , Vol. II, in his Account of Varien^. 72.. 
 
 1 
 
A N A T UR A L HISTORY 
 
 id 6 
 
 thefe Stones of Glafs, caufed four Elephants to be made of them. 
 ——See the Commentary upon Pancirollus , B i. of Jet , and Pliny , 
 B. xxxvi. c. 26. 
 
 XLII. BOIGXJACU , another venemous Produ&ion of 
 zily thick in the middle, and declining towards the Extremities 
 of the Body ; ’tis covered with large Scales on the Back, and 
 lefier ones on the Belly, which is common in all Serpents. 
 
 The whole is adorned with elegant Variegations.. The 
 
 Back and Sides fet off with black Spots, inclining to the round ; 
 about three Inches diflant from each other, and in the Centre a 
 round white Spot. Thefe beautiful Appearances, fays JonJlonus, 
 have a Grandeur in them more than rivals Imperial Majefly. 
 
 He faw feveral Serpents of this kind: In Auguft 7th, 1638, 
 one that was eight Foot long. Another, Auguft 13th, 1638, 
 above five Foot long, its Flefh fat, and very white ; the Heart 
 being taken out, lived about 15 Minutes. Offober 6th, 1638, 
 he faw another, that was near nine Foot long, and he was a Wit- 
 nefs to its fwallowing a She-Goat whole *. By the Defcription, 
 this Serpent muft be the Lyboia , fo famous for the Knack of De¬ 
 glutition of Animals. 
 
 XLIII. The Braftlian Serpent , called the Ibiracoan , makes 
 its Appearance in a Habit of various Colours, trimmed with red, 
 black and white Spots. Under this fine Drefs, is a poifonous 
 Spring; the Wound it gives, infallibly kills without immediate 
 Afiiftance. 
 
 Before the Poifon reaches the Heart, the common Practice 
 is, to fecure that Serpent, and boil the Flefh of it with certain 
 Roots, and give it the Patient in Wine, or any other proper Liquid, 
 and it will anfwer the Intention. 
 
 XLXV. The < Tarciboya i and Kakaboya , are two Serpents much 
 of the fame Nature, and therefore I put them together : They are 
 occafional Inhabitants of the Water and Land ; in Colour black, 
 and about fix Hands in Length. If they hurt any Creature, it is 
 only in Defence of themfelves, and the Wound is eafily cured by 
 
 Remedies 
 
 f JonJloni Wjtoria Natural ^ } p. 25, 26. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 Remedies well known in thofe Countries. They are great De¬ 
 voured of Birds. 
 
 Here the Learned Ray , from Pifi , mentions ten other Ser¬ 
 pents, whofe particular Characters he confiders in his Defcription 
 of Fifhes; then refers his Reader to thofe defcribed by Joan, de 
 Laet .* 
 
 XLV. The Bibera is a venemous Lizard of Brazil. If you. 
 afk, What are thefe Brajilian Lizards ? I anfwer. They are creep¬ 
 ing Serpents, of various Colours, and different Sizes: Some are the 
 length of a Finger, others many Feet; have fparkling Eyes.,. 
 There is only one fort of them that is venemous, among which 
 is this Bibera: they are like the others, but leffer, and are mofi 
 mifchievous. They are of an afh Colour, inclining to the white; 
 the Body and Limbs feem thick, but the Tail is fliort and broad. 
 
 The Wounds given by thefe Serpentsy are full of a thin link¬ 
 ing Matter, attended with blue Swellings, and Pain in the Heart 
 and Bowels. N. B ; Great Things have been frequently done by- 
 little Things. 
 
 XLVI. The Ambua , fo the Natives of Brazil call the Milk- 
 pedes and the Centipedes Serpents. Thofe Reptiles of thoufand 
 Legs bend as they craul along, and are reckoned very poifonous, 
 Thofe Lizards ofj" hundred Legs are commonly found in the 
 Woods, where they deftroy the Fruit, and alfo do mifchief both 
 to Men and Cattle. 
 
 I n thefe Multipedes , the Mechanifm of the Body is very cu¬ 
 rious ; in their going, it is obfervable, that on each fide of their 
 Bodies, every Leg has its Motion, one regularly after another ^ 
 fo that their Legs, being numerous, form a kind of Undulation, 
 and thereby communicate to the Body a fwifter Progreflion than 
 one could imagine, where fo many fliort Feet are to take fo many 
 fliort Steps, that follow one another, rolling on, like the Waves of 
 the Sea. 
 
 The Palmer-Worm is alfo called Millepes , becaufe of its many 
 Feet, which are as Briflles under its Body : It is about fix Inches 
 long, and moves with incredible Swiftnefs. The upper part of 
 the Body is cover’d with hard fwarthy Scales, and it has a fort of* 
 
 P 2 Claws 
 
 * Rati Synopfn Avmal. p. 329, Londini 1693, 
 
 *o-r. 
 
io-8 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 Claws both in its Head and Tail, of rank Poifon, as the Hifto- 
 rian fays. 
 
 XL VII. T h e Jebeya is another Brazilian, > and a Serpent very 
 ravenous and deftrudtive : It has four Legs, and a long Tail like 
 a Crocodile'> it lies flat and clofe on the Ground, artfully conceal¬ 
 ing itfelf, ’till the Prey comes within reach, and then darts out 
 a couple of fharp Fins from its Fore-quarters, and kills what¬ 
 ever it ftrikes. 
 
 XLVIII. The Giraupiagara is an American Serpent, fo call’d, 
 becaufe of its being a great Devourer of Eggs. ’Tis of a Negro- 
 Colour, but a yellow Bre;ft, and of great Length and Agility. 
 It glides (as if fwimming) on the tops of Trees, fafler than any 
 Man can run upon the Ground *. 
 
 It lives upon Birds, whofe Nefts it conftantly plunders. ’Tis 
 ©bfervable, that the Cuc'kow feeds very much, upon Eggs, which 
 accounts for the vulgar Notion, that it always has one or more 
 little Birds, as Menials to attend it, thefe being fome of thofe, 
 whofe Houfes it plundered. There is another Charge preferred 
 againfl the Cuckow, viz. The Contempt it puts upon our Ve¬ 
 getables, by fpitting upon them ; whereas in thofe Dobs of frothy 
 Dew, we find little Green Infers, that are Grafhoppers in the 
 Embryo. 
 
 XLIX. The Caminana is another Brazilian Serpent , of a 
 great length. The Body is all over green, and very beautiful in 
 profpeft. This alfo runs up the Trees, not fo much becaufe of 
 the green Leaves, as in purfuit of Birds of all Colours; and hav¬ 
 ing devoured the Contents of the Neflr, feizes the Dam, and 
 drinks her Blood. 
 
 The pleafing Appearance made by this Serpent in Green , puts 
 me in mind of the Turks , who have fo great a Superjlition for the 
 green Colour (becaufe it was confecrated to Mahomet ) that they 
 forbid Chriftians to wear it on pain of Death; but the Perjians 
 (who are Mahometans as well as the Turks) allow it to every body, 
 and laugh at this Superftition ; fo that when Sultan Amurath 
 lent an Ambaffador to Sha-Abbas of Perfia , to complain that he 
 
 fuffer’d 
 
 Nieuhoff in A this , America. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 209 
 
 fuffer’d that venerable Colour to be prophaned by ChrifHans, he 
 fcoffingly faid, that he would forbid the green Colour to be pro- 
 phaned by Chriftians, as foon as Amurath could hinder the green 
 Meadows to be prophaned by his T’urkifh Cattle *. The Eaftem 
 ''Turks abhor the blue Colour t becaufe the Jews , they fay, threw 
 Indigo into Jordan to hinder the Baptifm of Chrifl , but the An¬ 
 gels brought Water from Jordan to baptize him, before it was 
 polluted. Atlas , 
 
 L .BO TTIAPUA, is a Serpent fo called by the Brazilians 
 for its long Snout, though I don’t find it exceeds others in fmel- 
 ling, by the extenfion of its Nole ; it is of a long flender Body, 
 and feeds upon Frogs, amphibious Animals and Infe&s. 
 
 Tri 1 s Serpent is in high Efteem among the Natives of Brazil, 
 who pradtife the Art of Conjuration by it 5 and if any of them 
 have a barren Wife, and are defirous of Children, they lafh this 
 Serpent over her Hips, pretending that fuch Exercife will make 
 her fruitful: And if this Device fhould take effedt, muft not we 
 conclude the Offspring to be a Generation of Vipers? 
 
 LI. The Gaytiepua\% a largeSnake, fmells ranklikeaFox, and, 
 according to a learned Author, the Smell is intolerable-}-, as is that 
 of the Serpent Boyana , which is very long and flender, and of 
 black Colour; of which one of the Latin Poets takes notice f 
 
 I f the loathfome Smell of thefe Creatures offend the Nofe, it 
 ferves as a friendly Alarm of Danger, to thofe who have the ufe 
 of a Nofe, that they may avoid a more terrible Stroke. 
 
 Nothing fo conflituted in Nature, but a fuperficial Obfer- 
 ver may conftrue as a Blemifh to the Creation 3 but to a more pe¬ 
 netrating Eye, thofe imaginary Blemifhes have their Convenience 
 and Ufe, and appear to be the Produdt of perfedt Intelligence and 
 Wifdom. 
 
 LII. The Bom-Snake , is another Brazilian Reptile, call’d 
 Bom from the Noife it makes in its Motion. It is of a prodigious 
 large Size, but is clafs’d among the Innocent, that do no manner 
 
 of 
 
 * Holjlein Arriba/factors. — Herbert. — Atl. A(;a. 
 
 f Vest or ilh us nullatenus — pofjit tolerari. Ran Synopfis. 
 
 ^ Quod vulpis fuga, vipere cubile 
 
 Mallem quam quod oles, olere, BaSTi. Martial. 
 
A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 20 
 
 of hurt to Perfons, viz. that can endure a little Sound, arifing; 
 from a Propagation of the Pulfe of the Air. 
 
 An innocent Serpent, no Contradiction. There is good among 
 the bad in the moral World. 
 
 Virtue—-—-needs no Defence ; 
 
 *Ihe fureji Guard is Innocence : 
 
 None knew , till Guilt created Fear , 
 
 What Darts and poifond Arrows were . 'i 
 
 Integrity undaunted goes 
 
 ‘Thro Lybian Sands , and Scythian Snows. 
 
 I n Paraguay , or La Plata in America , is a famous white Bird, 
 which, though it has a very fmall Body, has a Voice like a Bell, 
 and therefore the Natives call it Guirapo , that is, the Soundings 
 Bird. 
 
 H ow many Animals of the fame kind in the moral Creation, 
 that wear gaudy Feathers and Plumes, whofe Sound, in the A£* 
 femblies of Saints and Sinners,, proves to be vox & praeterea 
 nihil. 
 
 LIII. The Boicupecanga is- a Serpent, fo called becaufe its 
 Back looks as if it were overgrown with Briers and Throns, the 
 Ridge being fharp pointed, which makes the Bead: look as if ho 
 were guarded by little Spears: This prickle-back’d Serpent is of 
 a monfirous Extenfion, very frightful, and venemous, the very 
 fight of which fir ikes Terror into Man and Beafh 
 
 LIV. The Cucurijuba is a Water-Snake of twenty-five or 
 thirty Foot long, and three Foot in compafs, will fwallow a Hog 
 or a Stag at once j has Teeth like thofe of Dogs, but makes no 
 ufe of them as Inftruments of Maftication. 
 
 HARRIS in the Atlas America, mentions one kill’d when 
 alleep, that was twelve Yards and a half long, and proportionably 
 big, in whole Belly they found two wild Boars. This Creature 
 I take to be the Lyboya , (or a near Relative) a gigantick Serpent, 
 already defcribed, therefore I difmifs the Monfter, and proceed 
 to the 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 sir 
 
 LV. MAN IMA, another Water-Snake, of the fame Pro¬ 
 portion with the former, if not more bulky: The fight is terri¬ 
 ble ; the Monflrofity of Dimenfions is fufficient to render it fo $ 
 but we are told, the Terror vanifhes in fome Degree upon a view 
 of the Skin, which is exquifitely painted, and the Brazilians not 
 only love to fee fo fpruce an Animal, but reckon it an Omen of 
 a long Life. 
 
 If you afk, What along Life is? I anfwer, ’Tis nothing but 
 a lingering, flow Confumption : Life itfelf, what is it, but a meer 
 practical Tautology, a Repetition of the fame things over and 
 over, and looks more like a Penance impofed upon Mankind than 
 Plealure. 
 
 LVI. The Terpomongo is another Serpent, which in the Bra - 
 zilian Dialed!, fignifi.es to jlickdofe , foclofe to whatever it touches, 
 that it is not to be parted. It is about the bignefs of a Cable- 
 Rope, which being faflen’d to the Anchor, holds the Ship faff 
 when it rides. 
 
 This Property in the Serpent, may be an Hieroglyphick, or 
 Symbol of true Friendfhip, which is a facred Mixture: My Friend 
 and I are as two Rivers joined in one, not to be feparated j we 
 Hick clofe and fail, traverfing the Wildernefs hand-in-hand : He 
 who flrikes one, wounds the other—No Schifm in true Friendfhip. 
 
 LVII. yAC O RE Lizard ; fome of thefe Serpents are as big 
 as Dogs, and refemble them in the Nofe ; their Teeth large and 
 long, and their Skin impenetrable. They do no harm to their 
 Neighbours, and therefore are generally allow’d to live. They 
 make a loud Noife, by which their Haunts are difcovered, and 
 their Liberty hazarded. 
 
 They lay Eggs as large as thofe of a Goofe, of an elaflick 
 Nature, fo hard, that when one is flruck againfl another, they 
 ring like Iron : they frequent both Land and Water. 
 
 It’s obfervable here, that this Animal is obflreporous, and by 
 its Noife invites Danger ; whereas Silence would be his Security : 
 yea, its Eggs are as fo many roaring Bells. This may ferve for 
 a Document to the unruly Member: Therfites , in Homer , was 
 counted a Fool for babbling. A talkative Tongue is the Spring, 
 Ringleader, and Head of Fa&ion in all places. 
 
 The 
 
112 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 The firfl Rudiment in Pythagoras’s, School, was Quinquennia , 
 Silence, The Scholars were not allow’d to talk for five Years* 
 that is, till they had learned the Art of Silence. Harpocrates was 
 the God of Silence, therefore painted with his Finger on his Lip* 
 and was worshipped in Egypt with Ifis and Serapis. 
 
 ANGERONA was the Goddefs of Silence at Rome, and 
 painted with a Cloth about her Mouth. Nor is it lefs venerable 
 at Venice, where after they come out of the Senate-houfe, they 
 are as filent about what was faid and done, as if they had power 
 to forget all that was faid and done. 
 
 T o the above-mention’d Serpents, the learned Mr. Ray adds, 
 by way of Supplement, a Catalogue of fifteen Eajl-lndian Ser¬ 
 pents, which he had from the learned Dr. Tancred Robinfon y 
 whofe Defcriptions he had from the College at Leyden , which I 
 ihall annex to the foregoing *. 
 
 LVIII. SERPENS lndicus Coronatus , an Indian Serpent, 
 that makes its Appearance with a crowned Head, which it holds 
 up on high, as if proud of the Honour. This is an Emblem of 
 Pride, that Dropfy of the Mind; to yield to its Thirft, is to 
 fwallow the Bair, that turned the Seraph into a iDev.iL 
 
 The Remedy ufed by the Indians for its Wounds, is what 
 they call the Serpent-Stone , which, according to Lhevenot and. 
 others, is an artificial Compofition, and not taken out of this 
 Serpent’s Head. 
 
 LIX. V IP ERA Indica tricolor major , a Serpent remarkable 
 for a Body decorated with three fine Colours, the Liveries pf 
 Summer’s Pride, but living much under Ground, the Glories of 
 its Attire are buried in the Earth, the World’s material Mould. 
 
 LX. VIP ERA Zelanica minor maculis elegant er variegata 
 a Serpent elegantly garnifhed with a Variety of charming Colours:. 
 It is an Inhabitant of Ceylon , an Hand.in the Eaf-Indies, called 
 by the Inhabitants Tenarifain , that is the Land of Delights, and 
 not without reafon is this Hand fo called, fince it is the mofl 
 fruitful place in India, producing Gold, Silver, Precious' Stones, 
 plenty of Rice, Ananas, Cocoa’s, be ft Oranges, Lemons, Figs, 
 
 Pome- 
 
 * Ra/s Synopfs AnimaHuv?, p, 33c. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 Pomegranates, Ginger, Grapes, Pepper, Cardamum, Tobacco, 
 Nutmegs, Sugar; Mulberry, which yield much Silk ; Palm-trees, 
 which afford a Liquor for their conftant Drink, &c. But in 
 midft of thefe pleating Varieties, they are haunted with various 
 forts of vencmous Serpents; an Emblem of our prefent State, 
 which is a Compound of Pleafure and Pain. 
 
 The Gods willfrown, wherever they do /mile ; 
 
 The Crocodile infefls the fertile Nile. 
 
 CETLON is an Emblem of Man, to whom Pleafure is as a 
 delightful Situation ; but in it dwells a Serpent called Pain. Plea¬ 
 fure is the principal Intendment of Nature, and the great Objedt 
 of our Inclination ; without which Life would be no Blefling, but 
 a Mortification : Yea, ’tis Pleafure reconciles us to Pain; for who 
 •would fubmit to naufeous Medicines, and Tortures of the Surgeon’s 
 Knife, but for hope of the Pleafure of Eafe that fucceeds it ? 
 
 N o Serpent fo terrible as Pain, which is a ffrange domineer¬ 
 ing Perception, that keeps off Eafe when wanted, and deffroys 
 Eafe when we are in poffeffion of it. 
 
 LXI. The Malcarabeta of Ceylon is a Serpent painted by Na¬ 
 ture in a Garb blue and white j the laft of thefe two Colours fhew 
 beft by Candle-light. This leads us to the Excommunication by 
 Inch of Candle ; that is, while a little Candle continues burning, 
 the Sinner is allow’d to come to Repentance j but after it burns 
 out, he remains excommunicated to all Intents and Purpofes. 
 
 LXII. The Ethetulla is a Ceylonick Serpent; of a little flender 
 Body, and fharp-pointed Head. This is a kind of Ranger, de¬ 
 lights in Groves and Forefts, and may be known by a white and 
 green Vefture, in which it rambles among the Trees. 
 
 LXIII. MALPOLON is another Serpent of that celebrated 
 Illand, and of a vermilion Hue, imbroider’d with curious fine red 
 Spots, which fhine like fo many Stars. 
 
 LXIV. SERPENS Putorius, fo denominated, probably be- 
 caufe of its filthy Smell; by which it refembles the Putorius , a 
 
 little 
 
U4 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 little Animal call’d Fitchet i that fmells ill, efpecially when en¬ 
 raged *. JonJlonus and Gefner make it to be the Druinus , which 
 has been already defcribed. 
 
 LXV. The Anacandia , a Ceylonick Serpent, of monftrous 
 Corpulence, being in longitude about 25 Foot. D. Cleyerus^ who 
 accounts for this gigantick Serpent, fays, he faw one of them 
 open’d, in whofe Belly was found a whole Stag, with all his in¬ 
 tegral Parts: In another they found a wild Goat; and in a third, 
 a Porcupine arm’d with all its Darts and Prickles -f*. Serpents 
 of this nature have often fallen in our way, by which we may 
 imagine, that there is a vaft fpread of them over the Earth. Mr. 
 
 Ray from Cleyerus gives this account of the Monfter-Tho’ the 
 
 Throat feems narrow, yet ’tis very extenlible, and the Fads have 
 been confirm’d by Experience. When the Prey is catch’d he 
 wraps himfelf about it, takes it by the Nofe, fucks the Blood, and 
 foon reduces it to a Hodge-podge; after he has broken the Bones 
 in pieces, that emits a Sound like a Gun, ibid. And in doing all 
 this he fpends two days. 
 
 LXVI. The Ghalghulawa is another Ceylcnite , that goes by 
 the Name of Serpens Indicus Saxatilis , defcrib’d by whitifh Lines, 
 that run acrofs one another: Whether the Poet refers to this, as 
 a Serpent affeding ftony and gravelly Situations, or to a certain 
 Fifh, I determine not J. 
 
 LXVIX. The Manballa is another Indian , and from its Name 
 we may conclude it has fomething of the canine Nature, for it 
 flies with great Fury at Paflengers, as fome Dogs ufually do. ’Tis 
 of a light red (or bright bay, as we call it in Horfes) fpotted 
 with white* 
 
 LXVIII. The Nintipolonga , an Indian Serpent, whofe Skin 
 js checker’d with white and black Spots. Its Bite is accompanied 
 with mortiferous Sleep, therefore call’d Serpens hypnoticus i fopori - 
 
 ferms 
 
 * A putorio j quia valde foetet. 
 
 t De Offavo genere merentur legi , qua D. Cleyerus in Ephemer. German. Anno ia. 
 Obferv. 7. cui titulus, DeSerpente magno India Orientalis Urobubalum deg/utienSs 
 Harr at. Raii Synopfis Animahum ^—■—p. 323, 334. 
 
 -t Tum Yiridis fquamis, parvo fexatilis ore. 
 
 Ovid, 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 ferous Serpent, whofe Wounds are as an Opiate, or Medicines that 
 induce fleep, in which they die. Why may not we fuppofe 
 this narcotick Poifon to be the fame with that, which Cleopatra 
 ufed in executing the Sentence that Heroine pail upon herfelf ? 
 
 LXIX. The Wepelon Serpent: Nothing is faid of it, but that 
 it refembles an Indian Reed or Cane in form. 
 
 LXX. SERPENS Fluviatilis, feems to be the Water-Snake . 
 LXXI. SERPENS Spadiceus, a Serpent of light red Colour. 
 
 LXXII. Then follows the Ceylonic Hotambceia, Dr. Robin - 
 fon' s Account of this Serpent, he had from the Learned Herman - 
 this's Library. 
 
 N. B. Some of thefe Eaftern Serpents may coincide and agree 
 in Character with thofe of America, and other Regions. Where 
 there is fuch an infinite Variety of them, and delineated by fo 
 many different hands, ’tis difficult to give an exadt Defcription of 
 every individual Serpent. 
 
 Other parts of the Eafl-Indies (Continent and Iflands) are 
 infefled with Serpents of various kinds and fizes, and he mufl be 
 more than a Conjurer in Hiflory, that can charm them to make 
 their Appearance in one Place, and all in their proper Habiliments. 
 
 LXXIII. The hooded or Monk Serpent, found in an Ifland near 
 Batavia (a Dutch Settlement in the Eaft-Indies ) which differs 
 from other Serpents in the uncouth Shape of its Head, that looks as 
 if it were cover’d with a large long Hood, like a Monk's Cowl, or 
 the Widow’s Veil, therefore called the hooded Serpent, which is 
 a very dangerous Animal. Upon a view of its Prey it imme¬ 
 diately advances towards it, with terrible Rage and Hifling. 
 
 When the Sieur de la Cafe was hunting one day in the Woods 
 adjacent to Batavia, he faw one of thefe Serpents defending from 
 a Tree, making a fearful Noife: It was about the thicknels of a 
 Man’s Arm, and in length about eight Foot. 
 
 This venemous Creature was no fooner on the Ground, but 
 it made towards him with the greateft Fury j but having a Gun 
 ready charged, he very happily fhot it dead, and made off haflily 
 for fear of a feccnd Attack *. 
 
 * Fr. Legist's Voyages, in Atl. for Afa. 
 
 ”5 
 
 LEGUAT 
 
n6 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 LEGUAT, who gives this Account, and was in Batavia y 
 A. D. 1697, fays, he faw a Serpent in that Country about fifty 
 Foot long. N. B. The Skin of one that was 20 Foot long, is 
 fhewn in Batavia , that fwallow’d an Infant, ibid. 
 
 LXXIV. The Musk-Serpent , fo termed from its mufky or 
 fweet Scent. Thefe fweet-fcented Animals are Inhabitants of the 
 Eaji , between Calicut , the fecond Kingdom of Malabar , and 
 Candahor. In Ceylon are Mufk-Rats, where the Inhabitants eat 
 all Rats, but this kind. 
 
 These Mufk-Rats are in all things fhaped like our Water- 
 Rats, only fomething larger} and in other refpedts differ only in 
 that mufky Scent. A Gentleman, who kept one of them in a 
 wooden Cheff, obferved that two days before it died, ’twas moll 
 odoriferous, and fcented the Room above what was common *. 
 In Mufcovy is a Water-Rat, which fmells like Mufk j and alfo a 
 great number of Musk-Cats, which look like young Bucks with¬ 
 out Horns, and therefore call’d Musk-Harts by the Chinefe, , be- 
 caufe they refemble thofe Creatures. The Mufk is contain’d in 
 a little Excrefcence near the Navel •f. 
 
 I n America alfo, are found Woods abounding with Mufk- 
 Rats, that are as big as Rabbits, and have Burrows in the Ground. 
 Their Skins are black. Bellies white, and fmell exceeding ftrong 
 of Mufk t. The vegetable World alfo, entertains us with Mufk- 
 Pears, Mufk-Rofes, fingle and double, and the Ever-green, &c* 
 N. B. Mufk-Rats frequent frefh Streams, and no other. 
 
 The word Musk comes from the Arabic , Mofcha , a Perfume 
 of ftrong Scent, only agreeable when moderated by the Mixture 
 of fome other Perfume, by which it becomes an agreeable artifi¬ 
 cial Odour. .... Mufk is found in a little Swelling, like a pre¬ 
 ternatural Tumor, or Bag growing (about the Bignefs of a Henris 
 Egg) under the Belly of a wild Beaft, of the fame Name j and 
 appears to be nothing elfe, but a kind of bilious Blood there 
 congeal’d. 
 
 This Musk-Animal is common in the Eaf-Indies, as in the 
 Kingdoms of Bout an, Cochin-China , but the moft efteem’d are 
 
 thofe 
 
 * Lo-wthorp’s Abridg. vol. iii. p. 594. 
 
 + This Animal is defcribed by Philip Maftinus in his Chinefe Atlas, 
 
 j Hifiory of tbs Antilles .. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 thofe of Tibet. When the Bladder under the Belly is taken out, 
 they feparate the congeal’d Blood, and dry it in the Sun. 
 
 Sir John Chardin * fays, Musk is alfo produced in Perfia from 
 an Impoftume in the Body of a Beaft, that refembles a Goat , and 
 grows near the Navel, and is better than that of China. The 
 Scent of it, adds he, is fo ftrong, that it many times kills thofe 
 who hunt the Beaft, when they firft open the Bag, except they 
 ftop their Mouths and Nofes with Linnen: ’Tis eafily counter¬ 
 feited, and the beft way to try it, is by drawing a Thread , dipt 
 in the Juice of Garlick, thro’ the Bag with a Needle ; and if the 
 Garlick lofes its Scent, the Mufk is good. Atl. 397. 
 
 LXXV. The Boitiapo (that fhould have been mention’d be¬ 
 fore with its Brazilian Relatives) is a large Serpent, about feven 
 Foot long, not quite fo thick as a Man’s Arm, of an olive Colour, 
 yellow Belly, in Body round, cloath’d with Scales that make an 
 elegant Appearance in a fort of triangular form. ’Tis very vene- 
 mous, and its Wounds not curable without timely and proper 
 Applications. 
 
 The Lacertan Snakes or Lizards come next under Confidera- 
 tion, and in the fame order as laid down by the Learned Mr. 
 Ray -f*. Previous to that, I beg leave to obferve, that Mofes places 
 two forts of Lizards among unclean Creatures, the Stellio and La- 
 certa. Thefe Lizards differ vaftly in Bulk j fome a Finger’s 
 length; in Arabia , fome of a Cubit long ; in the Indies , twenty- 
 four Feet in length. Several forts of Lizards are mention’d in 
 Scripture, Lev. xi. 30. the two former are tranflated Stellio and 
 Lacerta ; the third is tranflated a Mole , but Bochart maintains, it 
 is a Cameleon j the fourth is defcrib’d Prov.xxx. 28. and there. 
 Spider is render’d Stellio , a Lizard. Mr. Ray begins with 
 
 LXXVI. The Crocodile , the largeft of the Lacertan Race, a 
 Name which is fuppofed to come from a word ^ that ftgnifies 
 afraid of Saffron , becaufe this Creature ahhors the Smell of Saffron y 
 as a learned Author obferves |[. It is an amphibious Beaft, noi- 
 fome and voracious, and one of the Wonders of Nature ; for, 
 from an Egg no bigger than that of a Goofe, proceeds an Animal 
 which increafes to eight or ten Yards in length. 
 
 His 
 
 * His Travels. f Synopfis Animal, de Lacertis. 
 
 % K pcxoSt/Aes Gratis t'midus. ^ Calmet, 
 
 4 
 
A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 118 
 
 H i s Mouth is very wide, and is extended to the Ears; his 
 Snout and Eyes like thole of Swine; the Teeth, which are in- 
 grad'd, are white, acute, ftrong and numerous; the Feet arm’d 
 with fliarp Claws; the Skin of the Belly is tender and may be 
 eafily penetrated, but the other parts of the Body are not pene¬ 
 trable by Swords and Arrows: It defies even the Wheels of a 
 loaded Cart, as well as Darts and Spears: It is of a yellow Co¬ 
 lour, fay fome ; but Wormius in Mr. Ray's Synopfis fays, that thofe 
 he had feen, were inclin’d to the grey or afh Colour. 
 
 The Tail is near as long as the Body, upon which are Fins of 
 a Fifh, whereby he is capacitated to fwim. When he ftrikes 
 with his Claws, he tears with his Teeth, and grinds the very 
 Bones of what he kills into Powder. In Winter he lives much 
 without Food, but in Summer, his Suftenance is of the animal 
 kind, but is moft fond of human Flefti ; and as he is an amphi¬ 
 bious Creature, plunders both Elements *. 
 
 The Crocodile, when preft with Hunger, fwallows Stones, 
 which have been found worn round about, and the wafted parts 
 reduced to fuch minute Particles, as were fit to circulate with the 
 Mafs of Blood -j-. 
 
 I n Egypt the Crocodile is made the Objedl of religious Adora¬ 
 tion, but not by all the Nation; for the Inhabitants of Tentyra 
 (an Illand form’d by the River Nilus) were fo far from worfhip- 
 ping that hateful Monfter, that they defpifed it, and often brought 
 them to the Roman Shews for Diverfion.—This Averfion to 
 Crocodiles caufed a War between the Tentyrians and the other 
 Egyptians , who worlhip’d thofe Creatures; of which People Job 
 feems to lpeak in the following Words : Let them curfe it that curfe 
 the day\ who are ready to raife up their Mourning , Job iii. 8. Some 
 read it, to raife up the Leviathan , or to awake the Crocodile ; of 
 which Job gives an admirable Defcription, under the Name of 
 Leviathan, Job xli, i, 2, 3, 4. ... So thePfalmift, Thou breakeft 
 the Heads of Leviathan in pieces , and gavejl him to be Meat to the 
 Peop'e inhabiting the Wilder?iefs. 
 
 When I think of the fuperftitious Egyptians warring againft 
 the People of Tentyra , I can’t but obferve how the fame kind of 
 Spirit (the more the pity) too often reigns among Chriftians: 
 Thofe who have ridicul’d Superftition, and endeavour’d to pro¬ 
 pagate 
 
 * Jonflonutj 141. f Werembtrgilts„ 
 
OF SERPENTS. 119 
 
 pagate Truth, have always had Vengeance and Wrath breath’d 
 out againft them, and have been expofed to the fame Fate as the 
 Tentyrians, 
 
 The Habitations of Crocodiles are generally in great Rivers, 
 as the Ganges in Afia , one of the greatefl: Rivers in the World, 
 and which is accounted facred: Its Water is clear and fweet, 
 weighs an Ounce in a Pint lighter than any other Water in the 
 Country : The Great Mogul's Court drink none elfe with their 
 Wine. Thefe monftrous Animals are alfo found in the Nile and 
 Niger , two of the greatefl: Rivers in Africa j and alfo in the great 
 Rivers of America , efpecially thofe of the Amazons , which abound 
 with Crocodiles of vaft Bignefs, that very much annoy the In¬ 
 habitants. 
 
 GEMELL 1 in the Atlas , fays the Crocodile is hatch’d of an 
 Egg no bigger than that of a Turky, but grows to thirty Foot 
 long, the Back arm’d with impenetrable Scales, the Mouth wide 
 enough to fwallow an Heifer, and only moves the upper Jaw; 
 it fees better by Water than Land, is cowardly, and generally 
 flies from thofe that attack it, but daring enough otherwife j for 
 which reafon the Egyptians made it the Hieroglyphick of Impu¬ 
 dence.—They have no Tongue, and eat nothing in all the autum¬ 
 nal Quarter *. 
 
 This Animal has a great Dexterity in catching Wild-fowl, 
 which always abound in thofe great Rivers, and along Sea-lhores, 
 as Ducks, Teals, and other Water-fowls: When in want of 
 Food, he goes into the Sea, where he lies in fuch a manner, that 
 the upper-part of his Back appears above the Water, and looks 
 like a piece of Timber floating ; the Wild-fowls miftrufting no¬ 
 thing, come fo near it, that he immediately devours them : They 
 lurk among Reeds and Bufhes, on the Banks of Rivers and great 
 Pools, from whence they fuddenly leap out, and eat up their 
 Prey, which fometimes happens to be People that come to drink 
 or fetch Water. 
 
 The Inhabitants of Madagafcar> an African Ifland, look upon 
 Crocodiles as Devils, and fwear by them: When Differences 
 happen among them, they go to a River> where he that is to 
 fwear throws himfelf into the Water, and conjures the Crocodiles 
 to be Arbitrators betwixt him and his Adverfary, and to let him 
 
 • For Afrit a-> p. 47, 
 
I 20 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 live if he fpeaks Truth, but if other wife, to defcroy him *. 
 Among the Rarities in Gref!:am-College, London , is a Crocodile 
 about two Yards and a half long. Crocodiles are little known in 
 Europe , but common in the Indies. 
 
 The Land Crocodile, call’d Seincus , is varioufly defcribed. In 
 the Molucca Iilands they are accounted the fiercefl: of Monflers, 
 contrary to thofe of the Nile, according to fome Writers-f*. Har¬ 
 ris fays L that they are very harmlefs, and in fome places fo 
 tame, that Children play with them. Le Comte fays, what are 
 called fmall Crocodiles , are huge Lizards, found all over the Woods 
 in Siam , as alfo in Houfes and Fields j|. 
 
 This Land Crocodile is indeed an amphibious Animal, lives 
 partly in the Water and partly upon dry Ground : It has four 
 flender Legs like a Lizard ; its Snout is fharp, and its Tail fhort, 
 cover’d with fmall Scales of a lilver Colour. ’Tis hatch’d in 
 Egypt, near the Red-Sea, in Libya, and the Indies. 
 
 In Leviticus there’s mention made of a kind of Crocodile , 
 in the Hebrew called Choled, which the Septuagint tranflates 
 jtfojto&jA®* x E P (r ‘ z, © J > a land Crocodile, which is a kind of Lizard, 
 that feeds upon the fweeteft Flowers it can find ; this makes its 
 Intrails to be very much valued for their agreeable Smell. Bel- 
 lonius fays, it has four Feet, and a round knotty Tail, and is as 
 big as the Salamander. 
 
 There’s fcarce any way to manage him by Land, unlefs it be 
 by a Wile, as they do on the Banks of Nilus, where little Huts 
 are ereded, from whence the Watchmen, upon the Approach of 
 a Crocodile, fpring out with long Branches in their Hands, which 
 they, with great Dexterity, th'rufl into its Throat; and not being 
 able to extricate itfelf, it falls down, upon which others of them 
 difcharge their Arrows at his Belly, which being a tender part, he 
 is foon killed ; but in Water he is quickly noofed, becaufe for want 
 of a Tongue, he can’t fafely open his wide Mouth, without being 
 fuffocated. 
 
 This terreftrial Crocodile comes to us by way of Alexandria 
 and Venice , and is very ufeful in phyfical Prefcriptions. 
 
 LXXVII. 
 
 * Dellon on Madagafcar, in Atl. Afr. 
 
 •f Barth. Leonardo de Argenfold 1 s Diicovery of ihe Molucca and Philippine Iflands. 
 + Atlas Amer. 263. 
 jj Memoirs , 2d Edit. p. 502. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 121 
 
 LXXVII. The Cordylus is a little noxious Reptile, fuppofed 
 by fome to be the Land Crocodile, becaufe upon firft fight it looks 
 like the Nilotic , but upon a ftri< 5 ter view, the Fallacy appears. 
 The Back is cover’d with clofe compacted Scales, as a Houfe with 
 Tiles, by which ’tis diftinguifh’d. 
 
 Its Tail is rough, and like a Club, wherewith it ftrikes what¬ 
 ever it meets, therefore is called Caudiverbera, that is, one that 
 ftrikes with the Tail; a Tail prominent with War *. 
 
 LXXVIII. The Tapayaxis is a Lizard of New Spain, and of a 
 round form; and, Spaniard- like, is flow in Motion, and as loth 
 to change its Seat, as the Spaniards their old Fafhions and Cu- 
 ftoms. This little Creeper is of the northern Tribe, being ge¬ 
 nerally found in the Mountains of cold Regions. It is obfervable, 
 that if its Head be compreft or fqueezed, it will throw out Drops 
 of Blood with a Force that will carry them feveral Yards off-f-. 
 
 LXX 1 X. The Lacertus Viridis , or green Lizard, is found 
 in Italy, &c. lives in Meadows, and being of the harmlefs kind, 
 little is faid of it. There are many Lizards of other Colours, but 
 none fo beautiful as the green ones; tho’ very fmall, they are 
 pretty : Many make themfelves very familiar with them, and put 
 them in their Bofom J. 
 
 LXXX. The Stejuguacu is a Brazilian Lizard , of black Co¬ 
 lour, beautified with elegant white Spots, which renders it plea- 
 fing to the Eye : Its Tongue is long and cloven, fmooth and red. 
 ’Tis a little Creature, and moves its little Body with great Cele¬ 
 rity ; is patient in Want, and will for fix or feven Moons, live 
 without any kind of Suftenance, but Air, the Fluid in which we 
 all breathe. 
 
 LXXXI. The Taraguira is another Brazilian y of about a 
 Foot long, whofe Body is fmooth, and naturally guarded by an 
 Armour of a ftrong fquamatick Skin, and the Scales fituated in a 
 
 R kind 
 
 * Rati Synopjis Ajiiwalium Quadrupedum, p. 263. 
 
 + See Dr. Plot’s Hifiory of StaffordJ]}. p. 252. 
 
 X Nat. Hifiory of Carolina) 131, 2. N. B Thefe are found in Ireland. 
 
£22 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 kind of triangular form : It affetts to refide in Underwoods, and 
 Places inclofed, and near to Houfes. 
 
 LXXXIL The Ameiva Serpent, which is not much different 
 from the former, except it be in its forked Tail, which terminates 
 in two different Points; and in this Article feems to differ from 
 all other fanguineous Animals, among whom, fays the learned 
 Ray , I have never heard of any elfe furnifh’d with two Tails : 
 This looks like fomething anomalous in Nature, and contrary to 
 its common Rules, if the Defcription be true. 
 
 LXXXIII. The Taraquico Aycuraba is another venemous Off- 
 fpring of Brazil , a Species of the former, but differs from it in 
 the Tail, which is fingle. This Animal is covered with little 
 rough triangulated Scales, the Extremity of which is decked with 
 brown Spots, and the Back with various duiky Specks, ranged in 
 the form of Waves. 
 
 LXXXIV. The Americima is a little venemous Creeper*, 
 whole Body inclines to the fquare, about three Fingers long, in 
 Craffitude as the Quill of a Swan ; bright to the Eye, and fmooth 
 to the Hand : The Back is made ftrong by wbitifh Scales; the 
 Head, Shanks, and Sides with brown ones: The Tail is of fine 
 azure Colour ; its Claws are fetigerous, refembling the Briffles of 
 a Hog. 
 
 LXXXV. CARAPO BE BA is another minim Serpent of 
 America , and veneniferous, four or five Fingers long : The Body, 
 that in Colour refembles a Liver, is adorn’d with white Marks* 
 (and the Tail with white Lines) and is illuminated with glaring 
 Eyes, like Globes of Glafs. 
 
 LXXXVL TEJUNHANA'is a little Serpent, whofe Head 
 is fharp-pointed : The Tail is about fix Fingers long, fmooth and 
 round, and ends like a Needle; the Head is cover’d with rough 
 Scales, like Milford Oyfters; the Back and Sides are cloath’d with 
 a Skin, that is finely painted with green and brown Colours, and 
 v/hen touched, feds foft like Velvet. 
 
 LXXXVIf 
 
OF SERPENTS, 
 
 123 
 
 LXXXVII. T o thcfe Americans I add the Stellio, which Mr. 
 Ray calls the fwift r or J'potted Lizard, whofe Body makes a glo¬ 
 rious Appearance, by glittering Spots, that when it makes its Pa¬ 
 rade, looks like a little moveable Firmament of Stars: This Ser¬ 
 pent is pretty common in Thrace, Sicily , and Syria *. 
 
 ’T1 s faid of this Animal, that it calls its Skin and eats it a- 
 gain; and if fo, 'tis a proper Emblem of defultory Creatures, 
 who leave their Vices for a time, and return to them afterwards •f*. 
 
 Among Serpents is fuch Variety of charming Colours, and 
 Figures, that if it were not for the natural Antipathy that we 
 have for them, perhaps there is not one thing that the Eye could 
 take greater Delight in. 
 
 Besides the above Lacertick Serpents of Brazil , Rochefort %, 
 a French Author, mentions other Serpents different from thefe, 
 which come next under Confideration. 
 
 LXXXVIII. The Les Anoles , a Serpent in bignefs like the 
 Gallick Lizards, but of a longer Head j of a yellow Skin, like a 
 Sun-burnt Roujfilonite , or the Savage Man in the Ifle of Borneo 
 Ruffet Back, channel’d with green j of an afhy or cineraceous 
 Colour j a boiflerous noify Animal. It’s generally in motion by 
 Day, and by Night lodges in hollow places, where it joins with 
 the Brotherhood, in diflurbing the Neighbours with hideous 
 Croakings : by the loudnefs of its Noife, it fliould feem that it had 
 but an empty Noddle. 
 
 LXXXIX. LES ROQUET, a Serpent of a ruddy Colour, 
 intermix’d with black and yellow Points j of fparkling Eyes, and 
 majeflick Mien, walking in a flately manner with Head eredl; 
 and fkipping about like a Bird, or a French Beau , who was faid 
 to make a Solecifm with his Hand, when he made a falfe Geflure 
 on the Stage. 
 
 XC. The Maboujas, a word that fignifies a Devil in the In¬ 
 dian Language, and given to this Serpent, becaufe in its Nature 
 it is moil malignant and mifchievous: It lives in fenny Ground, 
 
 R 2 ,and , 
 
 * Ray, p. 265. f Grew’s Cofmo login Sacra, 
 
 % Hijlory of the Antilles-ljlandt 
 
124 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 and fhaded Valleys, dreadful in Appearance, and more fo in its 
 Executions. 
 
 This cruel Serpent is an Emblem of the old Serpent, that 
 great fiery Dragon, that in a few Hours reduced Job, a wealthy 
 Prince, into the lowed Ebb of Poverty, converted his Palace in¬ 
 to a Dunghill, and his Body into an Hofpital of Difeafes ; and if 
 permitted, he would immediately turn the Earth into a Scene of 
 Blood and Deflrudtion; therefore he is called kttoxxwv, the Dejiroyer , 
 Rev. ix. ii. the Murderer, and Shedder of Blood. N. B. The 
 tutelar Deity of the Ccefars was Apollo , that is, the— Dejiroyer. 
 The like kind of bloody Deity prefided in the Temples of Ty¬ 
 ranny ever fince. 
 
 XCI. The Gobe Moujes, fo denominated by the French , from 
 its gobbling all kinds of Flies, which it constantly hunts, and fwal- 
 lows in a voracious manner. It commonly frequents Houfes, 
 where it fufFers no little Infedts to live, no not upon Garments: 
 It is of the ftellionick form, and the lead: of all the Quadrupeds 
 in thofe Antilles , which our Englijh call, the Leeward-IJlands. 
 
 May not this Animal ferve to reprefent thofe gobbling Sots, 
 who brufh off the Flies of Melancholy, and drown them in the 
 inchanted Cup? Thus likewife the Sons of Mammon hunt for 
 golden Flies , as Entertainments moft delicious. 
 
 XCII. B ROCHET DE TORRE , or the Land-Pike, is a 
 Serpent of about fifteen Inches long, fo termed from its Likenefs 
 in Figure and Skin to that Fifh. Inftead of Fins, it has four 
 Feet, too weak to fiipport the Body, therefore crawls on its 
 Belly, after an odd unufual manner, winding its Body about like 
 a Pike newly taken out of the Water; which kind of Motion be¬ 
 ing firange, ftrikes Terror into Spedfators. Tetre denies it to 
 have the perfedt Shape, Head and Skin of the common Pike, 
 and treats Sieur Rochefort with lome Roughnefs, according to 
 Mr. Ray. 
 
 I n the Night, thefe Serpents are found under the Rocks, where 
 they make a frightful Noife, more hideous than the croaking of 
 Frogs and Toads. In Antigua is a Fifh called Cane , like our Pike 
 in figure, feven or eight Foot long, and big in proportion: It 
 greys like .the Shark, and efpecially on human Flefh * and the 
 
 leafa 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 lead Bite of its Teeth proves mortal Poifon, without immediate: 
 Application of fome fovereign Antidote *. 
 
 XCIIL The lad he mentions, is a little Serpent , about feven 
 Fingers in length, and terrible to the Eye. The Skin is imbroi- 
 der’d with black Scales, that look fmooth and fleek as if it were 
 a Surface of Oil : It is furnifli’d with very fliarp Teeth, fmall 
 Eyes, but fo weak that they can’t long face the Light, no more 
 than a Frenchman can look Truth in the face, or a Spaniard the 
 Field of Battle. 
 
 When this little venemous Animal apprehends any Danger, 
 it immediately digs into the Earth, with its five crooked and 
 drong Claws, that foon penetrate the Ground: ’tis guilty not only 
 of Evils among Beads, but of great Devadations in Orchards and 
 Gardens -f\ 
 
 I Have wondered, fays a learned Author, to fee with what 
 great Quicknefs, Art, and Strength, many Fefpce, Ichneumons , 
 wild Bees and Beetles ,—perforate the Earth, yea, even Wood it- 
 felfj but the mod remarkable in this way, is the Mole-Cricket %. 
 Swine, who dig in the Earth for their Food, have all parts of their 
 Head adapted for that Service, but rather more remarkable in the 
 Mole y whofe Neck, Eyes, Nofe and Ears are all fitted in the 
 niced manner, to its fubterraneous way of Life, 
 
 XCIV. The Ground Rattle-Snake , fo called, only becaufe it 
 refembles the real Rattle-Snake in Colour, but is fomewbat darker: 
 It never grows above twelve or fixteen Inches long j ’tis reckon’d 
 among the word of Snakes, and of a hardy Nature, becaufe it 
 keeps out of its Winter-Quarters the longed of any. N.B. This 
 Serpent and fome of the following are taken out of the natural Hi- 
 ftory of Carolina ||, a part of America belonging to England. The 
 Natives of that Country were of a larger Size than Europeans , 
 and accounted fo faithful in their Promifes, and fo jud in their 
 Dealings, that they had no Words to exprefs Difhonefly y Frauds 
 or Cheating.'—— What contributed chiefly to their honed Simpli¬ 
 city, and plain Method of living, was their Contempt of Riches 5 
 were content with plain Food and Raiment, without being £hxi~ 
 on fly follicitous for to-morrow. 
 
 * Hifiory of the Antilles . + Ray. f Derkan RhyJ. The oh 
 
 | In the new Colie ft ton of Voyages, 4C0, printed 371.1. 
 
 5 
 
 125, 
 
 XCV 
 
A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 XCV. The Horn-Snake, very venemous, hiffes exa&Iy like a 
 Goofe, upon any body’s Approach. Serpents of this Clafs jftrike 
 at the Enemy with their Tail, which is arm’d at the end with a 
 horny Subftance, like a Cock-Spur, that kills whatever is wounded 
 with it. ’Tis faid, that in Virginia i they only fhoot their Tongues, 
 and (hake them at the Enemy *. 
 
 0 XCVT. The Hydrus , Natrix , or Water-Snake , of thefe are 
 various forts, and all in fome degree amphibious. When the 
 Coluber Aquaticus wounds any, ’tis attended with a moft difagree- 
 able Odour, and fo ftrong, that it forbids a near Approach to 
 the unhappy Sufferer, who immediately falls into a Tremor and 
 Diftradtion, and foon expires (the third day, fays /Elian) without 
 timely Relief -f*. 
 
 Its common Refidence is in {hallow Waters, and when they 
 are dried up ; it goes upon dry Ground, where its Wound is 
 more dangerous than in Water: But more of this elfewhere. 
 
 XCVII. I n that Country they have what they call Swamp- 
 Snakes ; three forts of which are near a-kin to the Water-Snakes, 
 and may be rank’d among them. The Belly of the firft is of the 
 carnation Colour, the Back is dark : the next, which is of a brown 
 Colour, always abides in the Marfhes: the third is of a motley 
 Colour, and very poifonous. 
 
 They dwell on the fides of Swamps, i. e. Bogs, Marfhes, 
 and Ponds, have a prodigious large Mouth, and they arrive to 
 the thicknefs of the Calf of a Man’s Leg. Afnong thefe I place 
 the black ’Truncheon-Snakes , that live on the Banks of Rivers, 
 which, when difturbed, fhoot into the Water, like an Arrow 
 out of a Bow. I fancy the Name is borrow’d from a certain 
 Weapon call'd Truncheon, which we call Bat toon, or Tipflaff, 
 of a cylindrical form, ufed by principal Officers of State, Gene¬ 
 rals, and fometimes by Conflables, when they go upon fecret 
 Expeditions. 
 
 XCVHL The Red-belly-Snake , this is fo called from its ruddy 
 Colour, which inclines to an Orange.red. Of thefe are two forts; 
 
 onn, 
 
 f Loiutkorfa vol. Hi. p. 599. -J- JElian. lib. iv. cap. 57. Acceflio Gyllii .— 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 127 
 
 one, like Abel the Innocent; the other, like Cain the Cruel : 
 An Emblem of the World, humane, angelic Animal, and vege¬ 
 table, in which is a Mixture of Good and Evil. 
 
 XCIX. The Red-back-Snake , fo named from that Colour; 
 a long, flender Snake, but not very common. A certain Surveyor 
 of Lands in Carolina happen’d to ftep over one of thefe, which 
 he did not fee till his Servant fpy’d it: The Surveyor inquired of 
 the Indian that was along with him, Whether it was a very ve - 
 nemous Serpent ? Who anfwer’d. That if he had been wounded by 
 it , even the Indians themfelves , tho expert in the Art of curing fer- 
 pentine Wounds, could not havefaved his Life*. 
 
 Red, which is one of the primary Colours, proceeding from 
 the lead: refrangible Rays of Light, is a lively Emblem of Fire, 
 or the fiery Venom in this Serpent, whofe principal Quality, is 
 to draw Blood. 
 
 C. T h e Scorpion-Lizard; his commonly called fo, but is no 
 more like it than a Hedge-Hog: It is indeed of the Lizard Co¬ 
 lour, but much larger : Its Back of a dark copper Colour; the 
 Belly, an Orange ; quick in its Motion on the Ground, and very 
 nimble in running up Trees ; has feveral Rows of Teeth, and is 
 reckoned to be of a very poifonous Nature. 
 
 CI. The Long Black-Snake , is a land Animal, and very com¬ 
 mon. I have y fays my Author, kill’d feveral of them y full fix 
 Foot in length. Its Bite, tho’ painful in its Confequences, is not 
 deem’d commonly mortal: the wounded Part fwells, and turns 
 to a running Ulcer. No living Creature more nimble in Motion, 
 or a greater Enemy to Mice, for it leaves not one of that Vermin 
 alive, wherever it comes. This Serpent kills the Rattle-Snake, 
 by twifting its Head about the Neck of that Snake, and whipping 
 her to death with its Tail. 
 
 This Serpent very much haunts Dairy-houfes in thofe Coun¬ 
 tries, and makes very free with unguarded Milk-Pans, and Cream- 
 Pots : It delights to be among Hens, whofe Eggs it does not fuck, 
 but fwallows them whole, as all Snakes do their Suftenance. It 
 will often fwallow the Egg under a fitting Hen, and then lie in 
 the Neil in the form of a Ring. 
 
 Allow 
 
 * Natural Hijlory of Carolina . 
 
128 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 Allow here a few Remarks upon the Nature of Milk and 
 
 Eggs. , . . 
 
 I n ail kinds of Vegetables is an oily Subftance, which is a Fluid 
 that Animals take in with their Food, and no vegetable Food is 
 nutrimental, without fome Proportion of this Oil j even Grafs, 
 efpecially in its Seed, abounds therewith, which being thoroughly 
 mixt with the Saliva , it turns milky in the Stomach : Which dif¬ 
 fers from the Chyle , only as having been more concodted, and 
 containing a large degree of Salt, which renders it convertible in¬ 
 to Curd, 
 
 MILK therefore is an oily vegetable Matter , circulated firft 
 in Plants, then in Animals, and capable of being reduced into a 
 cafeous and watry Subftance (or Cheefe and Whey, if you pleafe.) 
 If Milk finds no opportunity of palling off in its own natural 
 form, it turns to Fat, or goes away by Urine and Sweat, which 
 commonly is the cafe in Men, for they generate Milk as well as 
 Women, &c. 
 
 An Egg is from a certain animal'Liquid, which by repeated 
 Circulations in the Body, arrives at a perfect animal State j this 
 Fluid comes from the oviparous Clafs, which is the White where¬ 
 in the Yolk appears to fwim. The White and Yolk of Eggs are 
 neither alkaline nor acid. 
 
 The White diffolves by a gentle Heat, till it totally liquifies, 
 (thus the Hen’s Heat gradually diffolves the White of a prolific 
 Egg intoNourilhment for the Chicken) but if you expofe the White 
 to the Heat of boiling Water , it will immediately harden, into a 
 vifcous, dry Mafs. 
 
 The White of an Egg is a furprizing Menftruum, for if it 
 be firffc boiled hard in the Shell, and afterwards fufpended in the 
 Air by a Thread, it will refolve and drop down into an infipid 
 Liquor j which is that heterogeneous Menftruum fo much ufed 
 by Paracelfus , and will make a thorough Solution of Myrrh , which 
 is more than Water, Oils, or Fire itfelf can effedt *. N. B. The 
 White of an Egg, by a ftrong Diftillation, will afford an alkaline 
 Spirit, and will putrify by Digeftion ; and a fingle Grain of this 
 putrify’d Subftance taken, will, like Poifon, prefently caufe a 
 Naufea, Vomit, Diarrhoea, Fever .... as Bellini tells us he has 
 tried. And the learned Boerhaave himfelf, had feen thofe ter¬ 
 rible 
 
 Boerhaave's Procefs , p„ 
 
QF SERPENTS. 
 
 129 
 
 rible Effects of it, which however are immediately ftopt by drink¬ 
 ing any acid Liquor, as Vinegar, Juice of Lemons. From Milk 
 I proceed to give an account of an odd Cuftom about Cheefe in 
 Antiquity, viz. Among the Romans, one of their Tabernce was 
 called Cafearia, a Cafeo , i. e. from Cheefe; not becaufe Cheefe 
 was made or fold in it, but becaufe it was wont to be fmoaked 
 there: It being a Cuftom among the old Romans and other Ita¬ 
 lians, to make a great Smoke with Reeds and green Wood, on 
 purpofe to dry and colour their Cheefe; hence the Poet Martial, 
 
 Non quemcunque focum , nec fnmum cafeus ontnem, 
 
 Sed velabrenfem, qui bibit ille fapit. ■ . ... 
 
 i. e. That Cheefe only is pleafant and grateful, which does not 
 fuck in every Fume, but which is fmoak’d only, velabro, in Tents 
 or Booths. 
 
 CII. The King's-Snake, is the longeft of all others; but not' 
 common. It is faid to be terrible to other Serpents, though not 
 very venemous and grofs : the Indians, Men and Women, in Ca~ 
 ■rolina, make Girdles and Sajhes of their Skins , as the Signs of Con- 
 queft, and wear them as Trophies of Honour. 
 
 This puts me in mind of Hippocrates, the Prince of Phyfi- 
 cians, who tells us that in the Eaftern Parts of Europe, there is 
 a Scythian People , called Sauromatce , bordering on the Palus 
 Mceotis , where the Women ride on horfeback, draw the Bow„ 
 throw the Javelin as they ride, and fight in their Battles, fo long' 
 as they remain Virgins; and were not allow’d to marry, till they 
 had killed three Enemies in the Wars *. Of my Author ’tis faid. 
 He neither knew how to deceive, nor be deceived -f*. 
 
 N.B. These were the Women called Amazons, defcended 
 from the Scythians, whofe Women were as warlike as the Men, 
 -and joined with them in their Wars. 
 
 CIII. T h e Corn-Snake, is moft like the Rattle-Snake of all 
 others in Colour, but the Chequers are not fo regular; neither 
 
 S has- 
 
 * Hippocrates upon Air , Water, and Situation ; upoft Epidemical Difeafes, &c. 
 tranflared into Englifi, by the learned Dr. Clifton. 
 
 f Of Hippocrates ’tis laid,— ffi tarn fa Here quam falli nefcit. 
 
 Macrobii Opera, p. 27. 
 
 4 
 
A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 130 
 
 has it any Rattles. They are frequently found in Corn-fields , from 
 whence, I prefume, they have their Appellation. In their Qua¬ 
 lities they refemble the Green-Snakes , that are innocent by Na¬ 
 ture, and in form admirably pretty, if I may be allow’d by the 
 Ladies, to call a Serpent fo. 
 
 CIV. The Blowing-Serpent , which is a Species of the Viper, 
 but larger than the European , is fo called, becaufe it feems to 
 blow, to fpread its Head, and fwell very much, before it bites * 
 which Bite is very poifonous, and feems to receive fome additional 
 Malignity from the Enlargement of its Head beyond the common 
 Proportion. 
 
 CV. The Brimfione-Snake, fo denominated from the Simi¬ 
 litude of Colour: They might as well call it, the Glafs-Snake , 
 for if any Credit be given to the Hiftorian, 'tis as brittle as a 
 Glafs-Tube, or a Tobacco-Pipe, fo that upon the touch of a 
 Twig, it immediatly breaks into feveral Pieces, which fome fay, 
 and nobody believes, are capable of Re-union, 
 
 Its component Parts may be weak and frail, but it is queftion- 
 able, whether fo brittle as reprefented : ’Tis true indeed there are 
 hard Bodies, that would not be affe&ed with a Twig, yet arc 
 very brittle. Thus Iron , which is one of the hardeft Metals and 
 yet moft brittle , and by filling, it becomes harder and more brit¬ 
 tle. Now this great Brittlenefs of Iron, arifes from the great 
 quantity of Sulphur-Brimftone intermixed with it. The abun¬ 
 dance of Sulphur in Iron , is apparent from the Sparks it emits 
 from under the Smith’s Hammer j thofe fiery Sparks being only 
 the Sulphur of the heated Iron, nothing of which is feen in'any 
 other Metal % N. B. Roll-Brimftone fold in the Shops cornea 
 from the native Sulphur, which Helmont always preferred to that 
 purified. 
 
 CVI. The Yellow-Snake is in length about feven or eight 
 Foot j the Neck is fmall, rather lefs than its Body, which grows 
 bigger till it be as big as one’s Wrift, and continues fo large to 
 the Anus j from whence it diminifhes by degrees to the Tail. Its 
 Head (which is not very large) is of a dark Colour, and fo are 
 
 the 
 
 * Beer knave's Method of Chemijlry. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 the Scales all over the Body, with Tome yellow Streaks here and 
 there. The Belly is all yellow, like Marygold, whofe Flowers 
 are cordial. 
 
 These Serpents are for the moll part to be found in the 
 woody Mountains of America , coil’d up in the Paths, as Ropes 
 in a Ship : they are not hurtful, unlefs irritated; they feed on 
 Birds, Rats, &c. which they fwallow whole, and therefore Na¬ 
 ture has given them fuch a folded, rugous, inward Tunicle of the 
 Stomach, that it may extend, and receive things of large Dimen- 
 fions. Many of them have been killed with thirteen or fourteen 
 Rats in their Bellies *. 
 
 It has been obferved, that the Heart of this Serpent was beat¬ 
 ing an Hour after the Head was cut off, and that it would turn 
 and twill its Body flrangely in its Diffed:ion, for a long time after 
 the Bowels were out: The Lungs were very membranaceous, be¬ 
 ing nothing but Blood-Veffels and Air-Bladders. So a very learned 
 Author, ibid. 
 
 CVII. The Chicken-Snake , fo called becaufe of its Executions 
 in the Poultry-yard, where it devours all Eggs, and lelfer Birds 
 that come in its way. Thefe Serpents are of a footy Colour, and 
 will very readily roll themfelves round a fmooth-bark’d Pine-tree, 
 eighteen or twenty Foot high, where there is no manner of hold, 
 and there fun themfelves, and fleep all the pleafurable part of the 
 Day, referving the hours of Darknefs for rambling-f-. There is 
 no great matter of Poifon in them. Here the Hiflorian mentions 
 the Eel-Snake , improperly fo called, I think, becaufe it is nothing 
 but a Leach , that only fucks, and can’t fling nor bite, fo as to do 
 any Damage. 
 
 CVIII. The VeEHs, Whofe Head, flridlly fpeaking, is neither 
 round, flat, nor pointed, but looks like a Swelling on both fides, 
 one firetching tranfverfly, like a Bar that guards a Door, or, if 
 you pleafe, a Bettee y an Engine to break open Doors. Though 
 this Senfe be not intended here, yet ’tis true, that Serpents do 
 make forcible Entries , but it is always with Teeth and Tail, by 
 which they often throw down the whole Fabrick, and drive out 
 the Inhabitant. 
 
 S 2 
 
 * Sir Hans Sloan’s V'oyages to Madeira, Barbad. vol.ii. Lond. 1725. 
 
 f Natural Hifory of Carolina, p. 134.. 
 
 CIX. 
 
132 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 CIX. The Tzicatlinan Serpent, called the Mother of Ants< 
 becaufe it lodges in their Apartments, and other warm Situations.. 
 We read of Ants in the Eajl-Indies that build their Houfes above 
 Ground, and with the finefi Clay , of which the People make 
 their Idols j their little Houfes are like ftrong Butts , hollow with¬ 
 in, where they dwell, and breed in Nefts like Honey-combs. 
 
 The Butts prefent to my view the Bow and Arrows in the 
 Hands of the Parthians , who were efteemed the bed; Archers in the 
 world, and very defervedly, having the Art of'footing backwards 
 and making their Retreat more terrible than their Charge: Whence 
 that of i Seneca*, The Parthians Flight does rnojl affright. The 
 manner of their Fight is defcribed by the Poet, who fays. They 
 •were better Soldiers when they run away , and fought befl when fur — 
 t.hejl of \ trufing mojl to the Bow +. 
 
 M. CRASSUS, in his Expedition againft them, being told 
 by an Afrologer it would be unprofperous, becaufe of fome ill 
 AfpeCt in Scorpio: Huf Man , quoth he, I fear not • Scorpio, 
 
 hut Sagittarius.-But to return to the Motherly Serpent , which, 
 
 is about a Foot and a half long, the Body (lender, adorn’d with, 
 red and white Streaks. Another Author fays, ’tisof a red Colour* 
 diftinguifh’d by black Lines, intermix’d with white Spots : Th&; 
 Indians play with this-Serpent (as Ladies with their Lap-Dogs) 
 and for Diverfion, wear this little innocent and pretty Animal (a§- 
 a Necklace of Pearls) about their Necks if. 
 
 CX. The Macacoatl , or Anguis Cervinus, fo called from its. 
 horned Head, which refembles that of a Deer, as thick as a Man’* 
 Thigh, in length about twenty Foot, fprinkled with dufky Spots 
 inclining to the black and yellow.—-This feems to be a Member 
 of the gigantick Family, already defcribed. Ibid. 273. There¬ 
 fore I difmifs it, and proceed to the 
 
 CXI. AHfUASEN Serpent, which feems to be the Birth of the 
 Philippines , and very venemous: Its Wound proves fatal in a few 
 Minutes, which is preceded by the Putrefaction of the Flefh, next 
 
 to 
 
 * Terga convcrfi metuenda Parthi. 
 f Pugna levis, bellumque fugax, turm^que fugaces, 
 
 Ec melior cedifTe loco quam peliere miles. Luc.w. 
 f Joaji. Eitfeb, Nierembergii Hifloria Naiura, p.,.272,—3. 
 
OF SERPENTS, 
 
 to the affe&ed part. It is about two Spans long, of a brown 
 Colour, and a large Head *. 
 
 CXII. The Serpent Otus is one of the Plagues of America,. 
 and very poifonous, there being but few hours diftance between 
 the Wound it gives and Death. It is about an Inch thick, and 
 three Foot long, a little Head and whitifh Belly, and may be far¬ 
 ther diftinguilh’d from others, by white and black Spots, and 
 three red Lines running acrofs j ilow in Motion, and fond of 
 Shade ; found in Cuba, a famous Ifland, where the antient Inha¬ 
 bitants went naked, tho’ they might have been cloath'd in Gold. 
 The Hiftorian fpeaking of Spanijh Cruelty , obferves, that a cer¬ 
 tain Indian Prince having fled to Cuba for Shelter, was taken by 
 the Spaniards , and condemned by them to be burnt alive. When 
 they were tying him to the Stake, a Priejl told him if he would 
 embrace the Spanijh Religion , he fhouldgoto Heaven ; but if not, 
 he muft burn for ever in Hell. Upon this, the poor diftreffed 
 Prince a ik’d him, if there were any Spa?iiards in Heaven, and 
 the Prieft anfwering, Yes; Hathuey the Prince replied, viz. 
 
 T HA T if it be Jo , 77 / rather go to the Devils in Hell , than 
 go with the Spaniards to Heaven ; for their Cruelty is fuch , that 
 none can be more miferable than where they are. N. B. This ac¬ 
 count is given by one of their own Bilhops -f*. 
 
 CXIII. The Dopon is reckoned to be a mod dangerous Ser¬ 
 pent ; ’tis about an Inch round, and four or fiveFoot long. The 
 vulgar Opinion is, that the whole Body is all over tinged with 
 Poifon, the Tail excepted. Its Head is very large, and of an 
 octangular Form, fo far as the Eyes, from which it grows lefs 
 and lefs to the Mouth, which is oblong and flat, arm’d with fix 
 Teeth in the upper Jaws, and fix in the lower, befides leflerones: 
 The Tongue is flender, and of a black Colour. 
 
 Its Wounds are terrible, allowing the Patient only about 
 twenty-four hours to live. No fooner is the Wound given, but 
 ail parts of the Body begin to fwell, and foon extend beyond 
 their due Proportion ; that they are loon difabled from perform¬ 
 ing their Operations 
 
 Thus 
 
 * Nafcitur hi Philippic’s, ibid. p. 27^. Nierembergius. 
 
 f Barthol. c.e las Cafas , Biiliop of Chiapa. Hift. of Antilles. 
 
 ;!: 3 emedio e-Jl Aley.luriumpan^aufsn. Nierembergii Hiiloria, rap. xiii. p. 274, 
 
*34 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 Thus Pride, the malignant Tumour of the Mind, was the 
 fatal Wound, by which the Angelic Serpent, the firft in Dignity 
 among created Beings, was transformed into a Devil. Sin, a Poi» 
 fon fo ftrong, that by the firft tafte of it, the whole human 
 Nature was infedted. Adam and Eve tafted the forbidden Fruit, 
 and lo! we muft all die for it, at the diftance of fo many thou¬ 
 sand Years. 
 
 CXIV. The Attalegatm is a fmall {lender Serpent, not ex¬ 
 ceeding the Quill of a Goofe in proportion ; not poifonous in its 
 Nature, yet very mifchievous 5 fbr thefe little Creatures are an 
 united Body, and live in community, and never feparate: they 
 are a Society without Schifm, which is more than can be affirmed 
 of all human Societies, civil or ecclefiaftick. 
 
 When thefe fmall harmonious Reptiles go abroad, they travel 
 in Company, a hundred ftrong or more, and where they find any 
 'S.fleep, they immediately feizethe Body, and with a Force united 
 and irrefiftable, they devour it *. Behold! a Conqueft by an 
 Army of Worms! 
 
 Thus Herod the Great , the Proud, the Cruel, when upon 
 the "Throne , was attack’d by an Army of Worms, that quickly 
 devoured him. His Body became worm-eaten, like a piece of rot¬ 
 ten Wood -f\ Of the Executions done by Worms, we have di¬ 
 vers Inftances in the human World. No part of Man’s Body, 
 whether inward or outward, but is fubjedt to Worms, and have 
 been tormented with them. 
 
 Man’s Body, if rightly underftood, would appear to be a 
 Granary for Worms, of divers Colours and Sizes; In the inward 
 Parts, as Stomach, Guts, Liver, Blood, Gall, Bladder, have been 
 found fwarms of Vermin, Tapping the Foundation of the animal 
 Structure. We have Inftances of Worms bred in the human 
 Brains, and were difcovered in the Brain of the Paris-Girl when 
 opened—probably laid, by fome Infedt, in the Laminae of the 
 Noftrils, from whence it gnawed its way into the Brain So 
 in the outer parts. 
 
 GALEN 
 
 * Niertmbergii Hijtoria, cap. xiii. p.274. 
 -f- ■ysi'ofwt'oj ffxia/iijKo/JpteTos, Adt. xii. 
 j Derham from Bartholivus . 
 
OF SERPENTS, 
 
 GALEN in JonJlonus fays, that in Ethiopia , India , and the 
 mountainous part of Egypt , the Inhabitants were tormented with 
 Worms, that bred in their Legs and Arms, called Dracunculi , 
 whofe Motion in the Flefh was confpicuous to the Eye. 
 
 L U CIUS CORNELIUS STL LA, Conful and Didlator 
 of Rome , (the Glories of whofe Valour were obfeured by barba¬ 
 rous Cruelties) died of a a wormy or louiy Difeafe: Thus 
 
 Aliman a renowned Greek Poet, and Pherecydes the Philofo- 
 pher, and Mailer to Pythagoras , died of the fame loathfome 
 Diftemper. 
 
 I n Perjia there are very long {lender Worms bred in the Legs 
 and other Parts of Men’s Bodies, lix or feven Yards long. Thofe 
 who live u'pon the Red-Sea, and feed upon Locufls, are, in the 
 laft Stage of Life, fubjedt to a fort of Flying-Worms, like what 
 is called a Tyke, fpread over all the Body, arifing at firfl from a 
 Scab, by fcratching of which they tear their Flefh. Nieremberg. 
 
 Some relate divers Examples of Worms taken out of the 
 Tongue, Gums, Nofe, and other Parts by a Woman at Leicefler r 
 which they were Eye-witnefles of. N. B. Mr. Dent and Mr . 
 Lewis, in the Philofoph. Tranf. in Lowthorp’s Abridg. where thefe 
 and divers others may be feen. 
 
 If it, did not extend the Digreflion too far, I might add here. 
 That there are no Animals, as Sheep, Wolves, Goats, Deers, 
 Cows, Horfes, Swine j yea, no Vegetables, as Trees, Herbs, 
 Plants, Flowers, but abound with Worms j and all thefe have 
 Worms peculiar to themfelves. By the help of microfcopical 
 Glades, we may difeover Legions of Worms in Vinegar, human 
 Blood, and other Liquids. 
 
 CXV. The EcatotlAnguis-Venti , Serpent-of-the-Wind, and 
 very innocent, and perhaps the Name may be borrowed from a 
 gentle falutary Gale j it is about fix Spans long,*and two Inches in 
 Craflitudei the Eyes arc black. Teeth fmall, the Belly bright, 
 
 like 
 
 * Pliny, Part. i. 
 
 Sed quis non paveat pherecydos fata trageedi: 
 
 Qui nimio fudore fluens, ammalia tetra, 
 
 Eduxic turpi miferum qua morte tulerunt. 
 
 Sylla quoque infelix tali languore perefus 
 Corruit, 6c foedo fe vidir ab agmine vinci. 
 
 Sic teftatur Seremts mtdkusl 
 
136 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 like Silver. The Back and Sides illuftrated with white Streaks^ 
 alternately painted with Yellow and Azure : the Tongue is of a 
 Black Colour, fmall, long, and cloven, and moll nimble in its 
 Vibrations*. 
 
 CXVI. DE Angue-Laqueo, the Enfnaring-Serpent. In the 
 Province of Fera-Pas, weft of the Honduras ; they are much in¬ 
 fected with feveral InfeCts, as Mujkettoes , Fire-Flies , and Serpents. 
 Among the laft is one Serpent of great Bulk, and excels in Craf- 
 tinefs, being very fubtle and fharpin laying hold of its Prey. The 
 Method is furprifing; for it wraps up itfelf in the Form of a 
 Ginn, and fo decoys the Game into the Snare: It bites like a Dog, 
 and is very mifchievous, tho’ not of the venemous Order. Ibid. 
 
 CXVII. The fiupid Serpent, which they call Canaucoat /, in 
 Character is contradictious; for, as reprefented in Hiftory, ’tis 
 dull, and in a manner deftitute ofSenfation, and yet a Creature 
 full of Vitality and Spirit ; and indeed is only remarkable for its 
 Mettle. It is of the Tribe of Innocents, and very ftrong, and 
 fears no Aftault. In Dimenfion, monftrous ; for Thicknefs, equal 
 to a Man’s Body, and twice the Length. ’Tis Laid, fome have 
 Tat upon it, apprehending it to be only the Trunk of an old Tree. 
 Some other fabulous things are reported of it. 
 
 It lives in the Shadow of Woods, often concealing itfelf un¬ 
 der Branches and Leaves of Trees, where it furprizes the Prey, 
 which, to fpeak with the Vulgar, it draws to him, by the Force 
 of its Breath, as a Loadftone does Iron. The Authors of the 
 Atlas mention a Serpent of this attractive Power in the Philip¬ 
 pine IJlajids j Birds and other Animals are drawn into the Trap 
 
 by the Charms of the Breath; yea, Partridges, Weafels-are 
 
 made to run into its devouring Jaws. Ibid. 
 
 If this Serpent*be indued with this magnetic Property, it is a 
 living Loadftone , and more extenfive in its Attractions than the 
 real one; for this draws all animal Bodies to it, whereas the real 
 Loadftone only attracts Iron. Attraction in the grofs, is fo com¬ 
 plex a thing, that it may folve a thoufand different things alike. 
 
 This Creature iscalled Ibitin in America ; and probably the fame 
 with the following, though diftinCtly confidered by the Hiftorian. 
 
 ' CXVIII. 
 
 * NierembergiuSj cap. xv. p. 274. 
 
OF SERPEN T S. 
 
 *37 
 
 CXVIII. The Serpent Bitin, an Inhabitant of the Mountains 
 and Woods in the Ifland of Cuba, &c. of great Bulk, and Length 
 about four Ells j and in Shape terrible to the Eye. The Head, 
 which refembles that of a Calf, grows large to the Eyes, which 
 Iparkle with the bright and black, and are incircled with Rays 
 of Green ; it has wide Jaws, armed with many (harp Teeth, a- 
 mong which are four of the canine fort. 
 
 CAN IN I Dentes , that is Dog's-Teeth, are two Teeth in each 
 Jaw, fo called, becaufe they end like thofe of a Dog in a fharp 
 Point, whofe particular Office is to pierce the Aliments, there¬ 
 fore are buried in their Sockets, by which they are more able to 
 refill all lateral PrefTures, than the Molaps, or the common 
 Grinders. 
 
 This Bitinian Serpent hangs by the Tail on Trees, devour¬ 
 ing Men and Bealls that pafs by, and come within its Reach, by 
 the dint of halituous Attraction, as the Jiupid, and fome of the 
 Philippine Serpents are faid to do 5 but if it be fo, the Philofophy 
 of it is not yet accounted for. 
 
 CXIX. The Monoxillo, or Mucronated-Serpent , fo called be¬ 
 caufe its Termination is ffiarp-pointed. It has fomething of the 
 Fierce and Terrible in its Appearance, but is more dreadful in AfpeCt 
 than Nature ; for its Wounds, though painful, are not mortal. 
 ’Tis of the Lacertan Kind and Colour; the Tail long, and Legs 
 of fmall length; the Body about two Spans long, the Tongue 
 large and forked and of red Colour. ’Tis tedious in Motion ; the 
 whole Compound is cruftaceous, like Shell-Fiffies, adorned with 
 white and yellow Spots, refembling little Pearls, or Seed of Grum- 
 mel or Gray-Mile. 
 
 N.B. The Seed of Vegetables confifls of an Embryo, in 
 which is contained the whole Plant in Miniature. A compleat 
 Oak is vifible in an Acorn by a Microfcope. 
 
 CXX. The Tapayaxin, a little wonderful Serpent 5 fome fay 
 of the Lacertan Kind, others fay of an orbicular Form, not above 
 four Inches Long. The Body is cartilaginous, orgriftly, fmooth 
 and folid. This kind of Coverture is harder than a Ligament, 
 and fofter than a Bone, but is not covered over with any Mem¬ 
 brane to make it capable of Senfation. 
 
 T It 
 
i 3 8 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 I t moves flowly, and recommends itfelf by Diverfity of Co¬ 
 lours : when touched, the Body appears to be cold. Now, Bodies 
 are faid to be cold or hot, as their Particles are in a greater or 
 lelfer Motion, than thofe of the fenfitory Organs. All Changes 
 in the created Globe, are the Effeds of Motion, without which 
 all Bodies would become unadive Malles *. 
 
 This little Animal, is faid to be pleafed, or rather uncon¬ 
 cerned, when taken up by human Hands; called on that ac¬ 
 count, the Friend of Man ; that is, he who is not againft us , is for 
 us ; therefore merits our Smiles. His Situation correfponds with 
 his natural Difpofition, for it is an Inhabitant of cold Regions. 
 When its Head is compreft, Drops of Blood gulh out of his Eyes, 
 which he calls to a great diltance from him which agrees with 
 a former Defcription, &c. 
 
 CXXI. D E Haro coloti genere . The Serpent Hams , accord¬ 
 ing to the Hillorian -f-, is a Native of the Philippines , and of 
 the Lacertan Tribe : a very long Head (like the Philippine Queen) 
 on a bulky Body, terminating in a lharp Point. It refembles the 
 Quaquetzally is in Mexico , and agrees therewith in mod things, 
 and of which it feems to be a Species. 
 
 I t chules itsHabitation among Shrubs adjacent to clear Streams, 
 and never defiles a Body, fo prettily coloured, with muddy Wa¬ 
 ter, till conllrained to make the Bulrufh its Shelter againft the 
 exceflive Heat of the Sun 
 
 CXXII. The Pamacolin , or a Serpent called Rubeta , of the 
 Lineage of the red Toad: This kind is made up of Variety, dif¬ 
 fering only one from another in Magnitude, Colour, and Poifon, 
 The lelfer kind not fo venemous as the larger. Some are green, 
 fome are brown, and others black. In Ihowry Weather they 
 make an open Appearance, and in fuch numbers, that none walk 
 abroad without running the rifle of a poifonous Touch. 
 
 NEJV-S PA IN abounds with them, where they affed watr y 
 Habitations. In Peru are Poads as large almoft as Cats or Dogs , 
 but not fo poifonous as thole of Brazil , where they have a Filh 
 
 called 
 
 * Newton’s Opticks, p. 375. 
 
 -f NierembergiuSy cap- xxiv. p. 27 6. Nafcititr in ¥h\li*>pici$, 
 
 j Ibid. p. 276. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 139 
 
 called AmyacUy i. e. Toad-Fijh ; ’tis about a Span long, and oddly 
 painted ; its Eyes are fine and fair r It fwells and fnorts when taken 
 out of the Water, which was the reafon of giving it that Name: 
 When flayed it may be eaten, but is otherwife poifonous; the 
 Poifon is drawn out by Application of Fire to the Part affedted *. 
 
 CXXIII. TE TZAUCOATL, or the rare Serpentj fo cal¬ 
 led, becaufe the leafi of Serpents; and though very little, fcarce 
 four Inches long, or in Bulk fo big as a Goofe-quill, yet its 
 Wounds are moft deadly. The Belly is red, and diftinguilhable 
 by black Stains; the Back yellow, interlaid with divers Spots. It 
 is an Inhabitant of the North, and delights in cold Apartments. 
 This (though diftin&ly defcribed by the Hiflorian) feems to be 
 the fame with the Tetzauhcoath f*. N. B. Little Things, greatly 
 dangerous. 
 
 The Poet weeps for a Perfon killed by the Fall of an Icicle, 
 which is a little Drop of Water congealed J. Anacreon, the ce¬ 
 lebrated Lyrick Poet among the Greeks , was choaked with a little 
 Kernel of a Grape. Little Things do great Executions. Little 
 Worms deftroy floating Caftles. Tarantula, a little Spider, poi- 
 fons a Giant. In Barbadoes is what they call the PoiJ'on-Tree , a 
 little Drop of its Sap flying into a Workman’s Eyes, makes him 
 blind ; therefore Workmen cover them with Cyprefs. 
 
 PLINY] from M.Varro fays, there was a Town in Spain 
 undermined by Conies , and another in Thejfaly by Mold-Warps ; 
 and another in France , from which they were driven out by 
 
 Frogs.In fome parts of Ajrica , People were conftrained by 
 
 Locufts to leave their Habitations. Out of Gyaros (one of the 
 IJlands of the Cyclades in the Egean Sea , moft of which are now 
 under the Turks ) the Inhabitants were forced away by Rats and 
 Mice , little Things : And if it be true, that Theophrajlus the 
 Philofopher reports, the Treriens were chafed away by an Army 
 of little Worms, called Scolopendra jj. All thefe mighty Conquefts 
 were made by little contemptible Infe&s. 
 
 What fays the Laconian , when wounded with a Dart? I 
 am not, quoth he, concerned at my Death, but at my Fall by a 
 
 T 2 Wound 
 
 * Harris in Atlas for Brazil in General. f Nieremb. 
 
 J Oh! ubi non eft fi jugulatis aqua. Mart. 
 
 || Plin/s Natural Hijtory, Parc I. B. viii. Cap. 29. 
 
 5 
 
* 4 ° 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 Wound from a little feeble Archer. For 'tis Satisfa&ion to the 
 Vanquifh’d to die by the Hand of heroic Valour; hence that of 
 Virgil ; 
 
 Mnece Magni dextra cadis . 
 
 ’Tis by the Great fEneas’ Hand you fall. 
 
 The reafon was, becaufe the Lacedemonians were wont to fight 
 with Swords, therefore it was not counted Bravery to kill Men 
 with a Dart, a thing that may be done by any Woman. 
 
 So in the vegetable World, there are Cedars and Shrubs. In 
 Natural Philofophy, we read of Atoms , that are Minima Natures\ 
 the ultimate Particles into which Matter is divifible,. and' are 
 conceived as the firft Rudiments, or component Parts of all phy- 
 fical Magnitude, or the pre-exiftent and incomprehenfible Mat¬ 
 ter, whereof particular Bodies were formed ; there are Mountains 
 and Mole-Hills. 
 
 So .. .. there was Alexander the Great , and there is Alexander 
 the Little , the ingenious and learned Mr. Pope ; the one con¬ 
 quered by the Sword, the other by his Pen, and has made all the 
 Regions of Fame tributary to him. 
 
 CXXIV. The tame and tr aft able Serpent , is of the* Indian 
 Race, about an Inch long, when brought firft from the Field 
 for domeftick Education; and when at its. full Growth, is not 
 much fhort of a Man’s Thigh. Its Habitation is in fome little 
 Hutch erefted on purpofe, [indulgentice gratin') where it idles 
 away its time, till Hunger brings it out. Upon its Approach to 
 the Mafter of the Houfe,. it creeps up to his Shoulders, where 
 the Embraces of that terrible Creature (being made tame) are re¬ 
 ceived with Delight *■. 
 
 CXXV. T h e Tleoa , or Tetloa , that is, a little fiery Serpent, and 
 very common in the new World, and deferibed by the Hiftorian 
 thus 4 , viz. ’Tis about a Finger broad, and five or fix Foot long, 
 and differenced from others by a Medley of Spots, compounded 
 of white, black, yellow, and dun Colours. The Head is like 
 
 that 
 
 *■ Nierembergius , cap. xl. p. 2,83.—Humeros heri amice confeendimr, benevolo, 
 ierrifici animalis amplexus tolerantis. 
 
 y. Nierembergius} from Francifius Hernandus, 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 141? 
 
 that of our Vipers, and the Tail, which feems to have a touch 
 of the Rattle, ends acutely. 
 
 Its Wounds are deadly, and burn like Fire ; hence the Name 
 it bears: Though fiery in Nature, is flow and winding in Mo¬ 
 tion, and may be avoided by the Traveller, if he has Eyes and 
 Ears. Its ufual Refidence is in Mountains, and the higher Moun¬ 
 tains are, the greater the Cold, (becaufe they only receive diredt, 
 and but little of the reflected Rays of the Sun) yet are the Habi¬ 
 tations of fiery Animals. 
 
 The Learned obferve, there are Mountains a Mile and an half 
 high, to the tops of which, no Vapour, and confequently no Clouds, 
 can ever reach : And hence it is that in very high Mountains, as 
 the Pico de Pbeide in Bohemia , though the middle part be always 
 inverted with Snow, and the bottom fcorched with intolerable 
 Heat; yet on the top you will find yourfelf in a pure, thin, fe- 
 rene Air, and view the Clouds hovering at a confiderable diftance 
 below you *. 
 
 Hence it is that all Thunder is confined within lefs than a 
 Mile’s Height. The Air is coldeft in the higheft places, and 
 hotteft in the loweft; but in the intermediate Atmofphere, where 
 we live, very unequal; but no Climates, however fituated, are 
 privileged with Exemption from venemous Creatures, and where 
 they are lefs peftered with them,. ’tis owing to the Cultivation of 
 the Land. 
 
 The Wounds given by this Serpent are dangerous, and cured 
 by an Herb called Ancola t by Jonjionus , p. 26, 27. but Anola , 
 by Nierembergius , p. 277, 283. 
 
 CXXVL The Hydrus , or Natrix ', an aquatic Serpent: The 
 former word from Water , of which ’tis an Inhabitant; the 
 
 other word denotes its Skill in the Art of Navigation ; it goes un¬ 
 der various Denominations, as appears in ’JonJionus ; who, from 
 Pliny obferves, that this Serpent is fuperior to.-mofl in Beauty , and 
 inferior to none in Poifon ■f*. 
 
 NICAN D E R , who calls the terreftrial Hydrus , a foul co¬ 
 loured Beart, vindicates the beautiful Character of the Marine j 
 who yet is not very nice in its Choice of Water, for muddy and 
 
 clear 
 
 * Mantib.us Tepeztlanicis. f Janfion; Hifioria Nat- P- 28 , 
 
A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 142 
 
 clear is equally the fame to this beautiful Slut *. Irfjits Nature 
 ’tis very poifonous, fays one; Cardan is in the Negative. The 
 truth is, there are feveral forts of them, fome of which are 
 harmlefs, and others huitful, and their Wounds attended with 
 very terrible Effedts, defcribed by the poetick Phyfician 4. 
 
 I n fome parts of Perjia they are very numerous, defcribed by 
 white Heads and black Body, four Cubits long, and dangerous 
 to thofe who dabble in the Water by Night, as they often do in 
 that hot Country j where thefe Animals feed upon Fifh and Frogs { ; 
 and breed upon Land, according to Ariflotle |[. 
 
 Its common Habitation is in the My clean Lake , in Corcina 
 or Corcyra , now Corfou , (a little rich Illand in the Venetian Do¬ 
 minion) and alfo about Taracina (a City of the Volfcians in Cam - 
 pania , in Italy, not far from Amyclce) where the People, not 
 , daring to kill Serpents, were overthrown by them ; to mention 
 no more. Ibid. 
 
 CXXVII. The Natrix-Torquata, Jonfton makes different from 
 the former, and defcribes it thris—-Called Torquata from its beau¬ 
 tiful Neck, which looks as If incircled with a ftrong Collar of 
 Pearls. .... On the hinder part of the Head is a little narrow 
 Space in the form of two Scales, where the Spots on both lides 
 end acutely in a triangular form. The Scholiajl upon Nicander, 
 compliments thofe pretty Spots with the Title of little Crowns 
 
 It goes under various Appellations. The Greeks called it 
 Guardian of their Houfes it being of the innocent fort. Some 
 of the Italians cail it Carbonarinm , a Collier, becaufe its Colour 
 inclined to Coal-black, or Iron. Mr. Ray calls it, the common 
 Snake. It is larger than a Viper, and more grofs in Body; brings 
 forth its Young by Eggs, hatch’d by foreign Heat; feeds on 
 
 Mice; 
 
 * ’Tis fometimes called Lutra , ex Luto j becaufe it delights moft in foul Wa¬ 
 ter; or the Word moy fignify, to wafh and make clean. 
 
 f Peffima quas fecit plagas haec figna fequantur; 
 
 Arida tota cutis circum putret horribilemque 
 Elevat afpe&um, magni ignitique dolorcs 
 
 Tandem hominem interimunt.'--— Nicandsr. 
 
 £ Stagnacolit, ripifque habitans hie pifeibus atram 
 Improhus Ingluviem ranifque loquacibus expler, 
 
 Exhauila palus—Exilit in (iccum— Virg. Georg, lib. iii. 
 
 H Jonjloni Hifi. Nat. p. 28, 29. ** Ibid, p. 29. 
 
 ff “OtPsiS diftapsi. 
 
8 * 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 H3 
 
 Mice ; fucks Cows, upon which follows Blood. The Reader is 
 referred to a former. 
 
 CXXVIII. The Marine-Dragon, as Pliny calls it, or the true 
 Marine-Serpent , in the Dialedt of JonJlonus, who, in his Defer ip- 
 tion of Fifhes, gives a particular account of it. We have already 
 accounted for monftrous Serpents in the Indies , where fome have 
 Teeth in the form of a Saw, with which they do more hurt than 
 with their Poifon, fays the Greek Hiftorian *. 
 
 I n Africa , are fome large and ftrong enough to contend with 
 Oxen by Land, and to overturn a three-oar’d Galley by Water 
 which agrees in Character with thofe of Norway already deferibed : 
 There we found fome of 200 Foot long, winding themfelves about 
 Ships, according to Olaus Magnus , Archbifhop of XJpfal. 
 
 I n feveral of the Perfian Ifands are fome of twenty Cubits 
 long, and very terrifying to Sailors. Such alfo are feen in the 
 Promontory of Carmania , the Refidence of the Ichthyophagi , a 
 People that feed wholly upon Fifh ; a fine Country for fuch who 
 are inclin’d to keep a perpetual Lent. Tho’ thefe Monflers are 
 born in the Deep, yet are they found in frefh Waters, and fome- 
 time fporting upon Land, where they deep -f. 
 
 The fame Author tells us, of a terrible Battle that happen’d 
 in Turkey , in the time of Bajazet , between the land and marine 
 Serpents , that continued from Morning to Night, when after a 
 great Deftrudtion on both fides, the Marines fled. Ibid. 
 
 CXXIX. T h & Rubetarian-Serpent is a very noify Animal, who 
 for its croaking Noife is refembled to a land Toad. It alfo engages 
 the Attention of the Eye, for it excels in Beauty : It’s known among 
 Country-People by thefe two Charadteridicks, viz. Loud and 
 Pretty. Here we fee, what is an Offence to the Ear may be a 
 pleafing Entertainment to the Eye 5 thus the Five Senfes agree to 
 differ in their leveral Perceptions, and to meet in feveral diflindt 
 Apartments of the capital Temple, in the pacifick Empire. But 
 to return to the beautiful Padalica of the Polonians: 
 
 It is faid of this Serpent, that when it wounds any in the 
 Foot, the Remedy is to put the wounded part into the next Earth, 
 
 that 
 
 * JEliani Hip. lib. xvi. cap. 3, 
 
 t Jonflon.de Pifcib. p. 9. Aiticulus y. 
 
*44 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 that is inclined to the moift, for twenty-four hours. This fee ms 
 to differ from the American Rubeta. 
 
 CXXX. The Serpent de Boa is another of the monftrous 
 kind ; called Boa from Bos y the Latin word for an Ox, which 
 it devours at once : The young ones, which grow to a great Bulk, 
 are nourifhed by fucking the Cow. 
 
 In the Emperor Claudius’ s time, in one of them that was 
 killed, they found a Child that was whole. In Calabria are fome 
 monftrous Animals, not unlike thefe, lays the Hiftorian; who 
 adds, that not many Years ago a certain Bifhop fpeaks of a large 
 mifchievous Serpent, that was fhot near St. Archangel , whole 
 Jaws were almoft two Palms long, the Portraiture of which is 
 yet feen in a certain Temple there *. 
 
 CXXXI. I A m informed by fomePerfons, who had it by Tradi¬ 
 tion from antient People, that formerly there was in this County a 
 monftrous Serpent of four or five Yards long, and thicker than a 
 common Axle-tree of a Cart, and very mifchievous, preying upon 
 Lambs, &c. It’s chief Refidence was in a Wood, near Pickop- 
 bank , a few Miles from Blackburn in Lancajhire y called Oufe- 
 CaJUe y wherein there is yet a little Spot of Ground, called Grioms- 
 Ark , which is a deep Cavern, lituated among Rocks, in a Wood, 
 from whence it was feen to come out, and balk itfelf on a funny 
 Bank. 
 
 The Pidure of this Serpent is drawn with Wings, two Legs, 
 and Talons like an Eagle, which is feen in fome antient Houfes, 
 (and particularly at C. ayton-hall 3 near Dunkin-hall) by which it 
 appears to be very large and furious. 
 
 It’s faid, one —— Grimjhaw Efq; Proprietor of that Hall, 
 fhot the Monfter with Arrows, and had an Eftate offer’d him for 
 that good Service done to his Country, which he generoully re- 
 fufed, and only delired he might have a Palfage thro’ that Wood 
 to a Townlhip he had on t’other fide of it, which was granted, 
 the Title of which is to be found in old Writings. By another 
 hand I am informed, that it was fuppofed to be a Griffin , which 
 
 is 
 
 * M. Antonius Cuccinus Epifcopus Anglonenfis ad Thomafium—in Agro S. 
 Archangeli. In Jonflontis j in Verb. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 *43 
 
 is a Bird of Prey, and of the Eagle kind, which, I take to be the 
 OjJifrag e of Mofes, and mentioned Levit. xi. 
 
 There is alfo a fabulous Griffin , reprefented with four Legs, 
 Wings, and a Beak ; the upper part like an Eagle, and the lower 
 a Lion. They conjecture it to watch over golden Mines and 
 hidden Treafures. This Bird was confecrated to the Sun, there¬ 
 fore the Chariot of the Sun was reprefented as drawn by a Set 
 of Griffins. 
 
 This poetic-k Griffin is frequently feen in ancient Medals, and 
 is dill bore in Coat-Armor. The ancient and honourable Family 
 of the Guillinis blazons it rampant, alledging any very fierce 
 Animal may be fo blazon’d as well as a Lion. It is obfervable, 
 fays my Author, that in the Front of Clayton-hall are two Figures 
 drawn in Plaifter in the form of a Coat of Arms j on the right 
 fide of the Efcutcheon is a Figure with Wings, four Feet, and a 
 Tail twifted in the Form of a Serpent. The like Figure is drawn 
 in Plaifter in feveral ancient Houfes in that Neighbourhood, which 
 go under the Name of the Griffin's Pi Shire , and the Sign is ufed 
 at Publick-houfes: There is a Place in that Wood called the 
 Griffin's-Ark, 
 
 N. B. This feems to carry fome Probability with it, fince 
 Eagles are voracious Creatures, and very deftruCtive to Fawns and 
 Lambs, efpecially the black Eagle, which is of a lefier Size than 
 the other. 
 
 I n fome of the Scots Ijlands , the Natives obferve, that this 
 Eagle fixes its Talons between the Deer’s Horns, and beats its 
 Wings conftantly about its Eyes; feveral other Eagles flying at 
 the fame time on both fides, which puts the Deer upon a continual 
 •Run, till it fall into a Pit, or down a Precipice, where it dies, and 
 fo becomes a Prey to the Enemy*. 
 
 CXXXII. I n fome of the Weftern Iflands of Scotland are fe¬ 
 veral Serpents: There is one that is yellow with brown Spots, and 
 another with brown Spots; but that which is the moft poifonous, 
 is the black and white/potted, three or four Foot long. 
 
 The Remedies are fuch as thefe : The Natives cut off the 
 Head of the Serpent that gives the Wound, and apply it to the 
 Place as the beft Remedy : Others, by the Application of new 
 U Cheefe, 
 
 * Martins Defer ipt ion of the iVeJiern Ijlands of Scotland, Edit. ii. p. 7. 
 

 i4 6 a natural history 
 
 Cheefe, extract the Poifon; and fome make ufe of the Rump of 
 a Cock ftript of its Feathers, which they apply to the Wound 
 with Succefs, according to the Hiftorian *. 
 
 I n the Library at Manchejler , is the Skin of a Serpent which 
 was five Yards long, as thick as the Calf of a Man’s Leg ; has a 
 forked Tongue, fcaly Skin, yellow Colour. 
 
 CXXXIII. MAR TIN 1 US in his Atlas relates, that in the 
 Province of ^iiangji in China y there are Serpents thirty Foot 
 long. The Flora Sjnenjis reports of the Serpent call’d Geuto, that 
 it devours whole Stags, but is not very venemous. ’Tis of an afh 
 Colour, from eighteen to twenty-four Foot long y will often feize 
 on a Man, by leaping from a Tree, and kill him, by its violent 
 windings about him.—The Chinefe preferve his Gall to cure the 
 Difeafes of the Eyes.— Marcus Paulus Venetus teftifies the fame 
 of the Serpents of Carrajam.— Some are in length ten Paces, in 
 thicknefs ten Palms, and able to fwallow a Man. Are taken thus r 
 The Serpent in the Day lies in Caves of Mountains ; in the Night 
 hunts for Prey, and then returns to its Cave, with the Weight of 
 its Body plowing deep the Earth, being fandy in the Track it 
 goes along; Here the Huntfmen fix ftrong Stakes pointed with 
 Iron, covered withi Sand j and as the Serpent travels along, the 
 Spikes gore its Entrails, and are fatten'd therein, by which ’tis 
 kill’d ; and the Huntfmen fell the Gall at a great Price for Me¬ 
 dicine,, and the Flejh for Meat. Thefe, continues he, may be 
 reckon’d among Dragons , but are without Poifon : Inttead of 
 Feet, they have Claws like thofe of a Lion or Falcon. —There are 
 other Serpents in China full of rank Poifon, efpecially the hairy- 
 headed Serpent. So far Martin. 
 
 N. B. This Province of Quamfi or gpuangfi is able to raife a 
 Million of fighting Men. It is not fo much frequented as the 
 Province of ^uantung or Canton , where they have two Harvefts a 
 Year. One fays, there is a Mountain here with a Pool in it, 
 which makes a Noife like Thunder, if a Stone be call into it, 
 and caufes Showers from the Sky-f*. Their Winter is warm, and 
 their Fields always verdant, producing great Quantities of Gold, 
 Pearl, Silk, Copper, Steel, Iron, Salt,—and odoriferous Woods..—• 
 
 They 
 
 * Martins D?fcription of the Jjle o/Skie, 8cc. p. 2x6, 
 f Fancirollus . 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 They hatch their Ducks Eggs and thofe of other Fowls in Ovens, 
 or Dunghills. 
 
 CXXXIV. There is a kind of Lejiudo (I don’t mean the 
 common Tortoife) which is a certain fort of Snake, fmall in Body 
 
 and of white Colour, found in Lydia , Arabia, -cafed over with 
 
 a white colour’d Shell, which fhines like a fparkling Margarite *. 
 
 I Shall clofe this Part with an Experiment made by the 
 noble Roman before-mentioned, who (being follicitous to take a 
 compleat View of a Serpent) after he had differed one, preferved 
 the Flefh and Bones, and having Jecundum artem reduced them 
 to Allies,—extracted Aqua Fontana, —whofe Virtues were equal 
 to thofe drawn from the Allies of other Animals, and of Plants. 
 
 To this venemous Tribe, I fhall annex a few Reptiles, in 
 whofe Veins I find fomething of the Serpent’s Blood; and clofe 
 the variegated Lift with a large Account of the Larantula , its 
 Wound, and Cure by Mufick; then enquire into the Reafons of 
 that ftrange Operation; the Nature and Force of Sounds, not 
 only on the Animal Paflions, but Inanimate Matter. I fhall be¬ 
 gin with, 
 
 J. npHE Bee , called the Honey-Fly, a little Animal that has 
 1 four Feet, which it carries clofe to the Belly, and not eafily 
 feparated : It has four Wings, fmall Teeth, and a long Tongue, 
 which ufually it carries out of the Mouth. Its Sting cleaves to the 
 Belly, which, when it ftrikes, it parts with, and becomes unca- 
 pable of wounding a fecond time; which, I think can’t be faid 
 of any other Member of the flinging Race, unlefs it be the Wafp 
 and Hornet. 
 
 The Sting, in the Defign of it, feems to be only a Weapon 
 of Defence; it looks like a Tube or Pipe, hollow, with a little 
 Bag of fharp penetrating Liquid (which is its Poifon) joined to 
 the Extremity of it within the Body, which, in flinging, is in¬ 
 jected into the Wound thro’ the Tube; and tho’ venemous and 
 painful, is not ftrong enough to corrupt the Mafs of Blood. 
 
 U 2 One 
 
 147 
 
 * Vancirollus. 
 
148 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 One may, with the naked Eye, fometimes fee this little In- 
 fed! difcharge its Venom, in which, fays the ingenious Dr. Mead, 
 by the help of a Glafs, I can eafily difcover a great Number of 
 minute Salts floating. In Brazil, Bees are diftinguifh’d into twelve 
 kinds, among which are fome that fling in a moft furious and 
 fatal manner, called Mateecas by the Indians. 
 
 I n Ceylon in the Eajl Indies , are feveral Bees, the largeft are of 
 a brighter Colour than ours; they make their Combs on the Boughs 
 of Trees: At proper Seafons, the Inhabitants hold Torches under 
 them, till they drop down, which they carefully gather, boil and 
 eat, and are accounted excellent Food. In Guatemala are Bees and 
 Honey of a white Colour, and fome without a Sting, fays the 
 Hiflorian 
 
 II. T o the Bee, I add the Wafp , which, as it is fomething 
 larger, makes a deeper Wound ; it differs alfo from it in its Food, 
 which is Flefh and Carrion, when it can begot ; whereas the Bee 
 regales itfelf with delicious Entertainments, and enriches its Fa¬ 
 mily with all the Glories of the vegetable Kingdom. From whence 
 is the Honey ? I anfwer, That in Flowers is found a vifcid fweet 
 Juice, and accordingly we fee Children gather Cowflips, Honey- 
 fuckles, and fuck the Honey from them. The Bees vifit all 
 Flowers within their Reach, and putting it in their Trunks, fuck 
 out the Honey, with which they load their Stomachs, to be dis¬ 
 charg’d, and laid up in their Combs. Among the Ancients, Ho¬ 
 ney was taken for a Dew that fell on Flowers; but this is a 
 miftake, becaufe the Bees only gather it after the Sun is up, when 
 there is no Dew left, or very little. 
 
 III. The Hornet is yet more dangerous, and has been known 
 to purfue a Sparrow, and kill it, and then fuck its Blood. The 
 Hornet and Wafp have flrong Jaws tooth’d, by which they can 
 dig into Fruits, for Suflenance; yea, and into harder Subfiances, 
 for Quarters 
 
 I f you take a Bee, a Wafp, or Hornet, and gently fqueeze 
 the Tail, fo that you can fee the Sting, you may perceive a Drop 
 of tranfparent Liquor at the very end of it ; which if wiped off, 
 you fhall foon fee it renew’d, that Liquid paffing down the Ca- 
 
 vit y 
 
 N>erembergius, p. 286. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 149 
 
 vity into the end thereof: ’Tis faid the Decodtion of Hornets 
 dropt on the Skin, makes it fwell. 
 
 IV. I Proceed to th z Spider,, another little venemous Infedt, 
 whofe forked Tongue or Sting, is very fine and fharp ; by this he 
 pierces Flies ; and at the fame time, inftils a poifonous Juice into 
 the Wound, by which the Prey being kill’d, it fucks out the 
 Moidure, and leaves nothing but a hufky dry Carcafe : Tradition 
 fays, it poifons by fpitting, or breathing, becaufe it dare not ap¬ 
 proach fo near to a large Fly as to a little one ; but keeps at fome 
 diftance, and ufes a kind of fhoving Motion, upon which the 
 Fly has done druggling. 
 
 There are various forts of thefe little drange Creatures, 
 whofe Stings are hurtful, as the ybftorius , (fo called from its re- 
 femblance to a Star) whofe Wound produces Heavinefs and Re¬ 
 laxation of the Nerves. The Ceeruleus , or blue Spider, whofe 
 Sting is attended with Vomiting and Pain at the Heart. The 
 Lycos , the lead of the kind, that caufes an J!J}bma y and Swelling 
 about the wounded Part. In the Philofophical Lranfadlions , we 
 have a Table of thirty-three kinds of Spiders found i n England, 
 by Dr. Lifter *. 
 
 There is fomething very curious and admirable in thofe long 
 Threads they make in the Air, during fome part of the Summer, 
 efpecially towards September , fo much wonder’d at, in fuch Quan~ 
 tities every where. The Method of Operation, I take to be as 
 follows, viz. 
 
 All Spiders that fpin in a Thread, are the Makers of thofe 
 Threads, mod vifible in the Autumn. In all the ways of weav¬ 
 ing, they ftill let down the Thread they make ufe of, and draw 
 it after them. Attending on one that wrought a Net, I faw it, 
 fays a very nice Obferver, fuddenly in the Mid-work defid, and 
 turning his Tail into the Wind, to dart out a Thread,, with the 
 Violence we fee Water fpout out of a Spring: This Thread taken 
 up by the Wind, was in a Moment emitted fome Fathoms long, 
 dill ifluing out of his Belly; by and by the Spider leapt into the 
 
 Air, and the Thread mounted her up fwiftly.-And I found the 
 
 Air fill’d with young and old, failing on their Threads, and un¬ 
 doubtedly, fays the Relator, feizing Gnats and other Infedts in, 
 
 their 
 
 * Lozuthorp , vol. ii. p. 79 3. 
 
1 5° 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 their PalTage ; there being often manifeft Signs of Slaughter, as 
 Legs and Wings of Flies. ... on thefe Lines, as in their Webs 
 below *. 
 
 Spiders have been obferved to get to the Top of a Branch 
 or fuch like thing, where they exercife this darting of Threads 
 into the Air. After the firft Flight, all the time of their failing 
 on thofe Threads, they make Locks, ftill darting forth frefli Sup¬ 
 plies of Thread to fport and fail by. N. B. Thofe called Shep¬ 
 herds, or long-legg’d Spiders, are no Spinners. 
 
 I H a v e feen Spiders, fays the learned Dr. Hulfe •f'/fhoot their 
 Webs three Yards long before they begin to fail upon them. So 
 the learned Derham obferves, that with pleafure he had often 
 feen Spiders dart out their Webs, and fail away by the Help 
 thereof. 
 
 .A ME RICA turns out diverfe kinds of thefe araneous In¬ 
 fers: In Peru are Spiders as large as a Man’s Hand, and have 
 Eyes as big as thofe of Sparrows. In Brafil there is one kind of 
 Spider, whofe Skin is rough and black, and whofe Sting proves 
 incurable, without immediate Relief. On the other hand, we 
 read ofmonftrous Spiders in th e, Antilles, whofe Eyes are fo fmall 
 and deep in the Head, that they are fcarcely vifible: They feed 
 on flying Infedts, and their Webs are ftrong enough to catch fmall 
 Birds f. 
 
 C ETLO N in the Eaft-Indies produces a long, glittering, and 
 hairy Spider, called Democulo , whofe Wound is not mortal, but 
 fometimes deprives People of their Senfes. There is an Experi¬ 
 ment made by Mr. Leewenhoeck, who put a Frog and Spider to¬ 
 gether into a Glafs, and having made the Spider fling the Frog 
 diverfe times, the Frog died in about an Hour’s time ||. 
 
 There is another Inftance of the Poifon of fome of them 
 (for all are not poifonous) given by the learned Scaliger , who 
 relates, that in Gafcony in France , there are Spiders of that Viru- 
 lency, that if a Man treads upon them to crufh them, their Poi¬ 
 fon will pafs thro’ the very Soles of his Shoe J|. 
 
 V. 
 
 * Lowthorp , vol. ii. p. 794. + Ibid. vol. 1. p. 363. 
 
 t Atl.Geog. Amer. p. 179, 265, 519. 
 
 II Scaliger Exercit. in Boyle's Subtil. Efflu. Fhilof. TrawjaElions. Where there is a 
 curious Account how Spiders lay and guard their Eggs: Derham. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 151 
 
 V. The Scolopendra is a little venemous Worm, and amphi¬ 
 bious. When it wounds any, there follows a Bluenefs about the 
 2ffedled Part, and an Itch over all the Body,, like that caufed by 
 Nettles. Its Weapons of Mifchief are much the fame with thofe 
 of the Spider, only larger; its Bite is very tormenting, and pro¬ 
 duces not only pruriginous Pain in the Flefh, but very often 
 Diftra&ion of Mind. Thele little Creatures make but a mean 
 Figure in the Rank of Animals, yet have been terrible in their 
 Exploits, particularly in driving People out of their Country: 
 Thus the Inhabitants of Rhytium, a City of Crete, were conftrained 
 to leave their Quarters for them *. There is a minute Scolopendra , 
 accounted for by Dr. Molyneux. 
 
 VI. The Shrew-Serpent in Norway , is a Creature of admira¬ 
 ble Beauty j fmall in Body, and flow in Motion, but of fiery Ve¬ 
 nom, and its Wounds moll dangerous. 
 
 VII. The Lacertus Facet anus, or Tarantula, whofe Bite gives 
 Name to a new Difeafe. Thofe who are wounded by it are de¬ 
 nominated Tarantati: It is a kind of an overgrown Spider, about 
 the Size of a common Acorn. 
 
 I t borrows its Name from Tarentum in Apulia , a City in the 
 Kingdom of Naples, built by a Band of Lacedemonian Baflards , 
 who having no Inheritance at home, were fent thither to feek their 
 Fortunes, where they built that Town, and made it the Capita? 
 of Magna Gracia. 
 
 This little Animal is furnifli’d with eight Eyes and eight 
 Legs: Its Skin is tender and foft, of various Colours, and always 
 hairy : ’Tis of the oviparous kind, and propagates its Species by 
 Eggs, and fometimes a hundred Eggs have been found in one 
 Female. 
 
 I n the Opinion of fome, ’tis not only an Inhabitant of Apulia „ 
 but peculiar to that Province, a Situation that may be called, A 
 Garden of Rarities-, Plenty of generous Wine, delicate Honey 
 and Oil, an early Spring, a foft Winter-render it a moft delight¬ 
 
 ful Habitation, efpecially to old Perfons, according to the Poet -f; 
 
 and 
 
 * iElian, lib. xv. cap. 26. 
 
 f —lUe terrarum mihi praster omnes.—(Horat. lib.ii. ode 6 J Angulus — 
 
A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 ?* 
 
 and yet in that mod agreeable Region, this little Tyrant reigns 
 and fpreads Terror. 
 
 It’s found in other Parts of Italy, and even in the Ifie of Cor- 
 Jica\ but thofe of Apulia , ’tisfaid, are only dangerous; though I 
 think to have read fomething like it in Perjia , where there is an 
 Infedl like a Spider, about two Inches round, which the Helfteiii 
 Ambafladors fuppofe to be the Latin Stellio , and the Italian Ta¬ 
 rantula: It lets its Poifon fall like a drop of Water, which caufes 
 an infupportable Pain in that Part.... immediately caufes a pro¬ 
 found Sleep, from which the Patient is not to be recovered, but 
 by crufhing one of the fame Creatures upon the Wound ; or, if 
 this can’t be had, by pouring as much Milk down his Throat as 
 they can, and then put him on an Engine, which they turn 
 round with great Violence, till by that violent Agitation, his Sto¬ 
 mach difcharges the Milk, which appears greenifh, becaufe of 
 the Poifon. Thofe who are cured thus, have fome Remnant of 
 the Pain once a Year, about the fame Seafon *. 
 
 B u t to return to Italy ; ’tis obfervable, that it hurts no where 
 but in Apulia i and that only in Summer, efpecially in the Cani¬ 
 cular-Days , fo called from Canicula , that fignifies a Dog ; hence 
 Dog-Star , which rifes cofmicaliy with the Sun the 19th of July> 
 and is fuppofed to be the brighteft, as well as the larged Star in 
 the Firmament. 
 
 The Dog-Days denote certain Days before and after the Riling 
 of this Star, to whofe Appearance the Ancients afcrib’d terrible 
 Effects; the very firdDay it appears, they fay (but without Rea^ 
 Ion) the Sea becomes boiderous and boils like a Cauldron, pro^ 
 duces Variety of Didempers, fours Wine, and Dogs grow mad. 
 .... The Romans , dreading the Indignation of this Star, facrificed 
 a Dog every Year to it, (viz. at its fird Appearance in our Hemi fc 
 fphere) to appeafe its Rage againd Mortals. 
 
 I n Winter, this Italian Spider lurks in Caverns, and folitary 
 Places; and if it happens to bite, hurts not: There it lives in a 
 drowfy Podure, and keeps Lent till Summer ; when the whole 
 Tribe creeps out, and difperfe themfelves over that pleafant Land; 
 and Wo to the Body afleep, and bare Legs, in Corn-Fields, 
 
 Those on the Plains are much to be feared, the Air being 
 Eotter there than on the Mountains, where their Bite is not dan¬ 
 gerous* 
 
 * Voyages and Travels of the Amhajf. of Freder. Duke of Holitein. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 r 53 
 
 gerous, the Solar Rays not being fo flrong in thofe Heights: and 
 what is yet more furprizing, is, that if they wound any out of 
 Apulia , though in places not remote from it, the Wounded re¬ 
 ceive no deadly Hurt *. 
 
 When it bites, the Pain refembles that given by the Sting of 
 a Bee , and is attended with various Symptoms, according to their 
 different Natures: The Northern 'Tarantula is the moll terrible; 
 thofe that are inclin'd to the white Colour are not fo dangerous; 
 the fpotted differs from both. 
 
 The Wound given by any of them is dangerous, and has 
 different Indications. In fome that are bitten, an univerfal Stu¬ 
 por follows; others weep: Some tremble and vomit; others 
 laugh, fancying themfelves to be Kings. This perhaps made 
 Dr. Cornelio reprefent this as an imaginary Difeafe; that thofe 
 who imagine themfelves hurt, are mofl of our young wanton 
 Girls, who, falling from fome particular Indifpofition into Me¬ 
 lancholy and Madnefs, perfuade themfelves that they have been 
 flung by a Tarantula 4 *. 
 
 Some grow pale, lick and faint, and die in a fhort time, un- 
 lefs relieved by Mufick, which alone, without the Help of Me¬ 
 dicine, performs the Cure. 
 
 Th e Wounded are as Men half dead, but at the firfl Sound 
 of a mufical Inflrument, though they are very weak, and feem- 
 ingly unable to flir, they begin by degrees to move their Hands 
 and Feet, till at lafl they get up, and then fall to dancing with 
 wonderful Vigour, for two or three Hours, their Strength and 
 Adivity flill encreafing. Some will continue the Dance, without 
 Intermiffion for fix Hours; and when tired they are put to Bed, 
 and after they are fufficiently recruited by Reft, they are called 
 up again by the fame Tune, and renew the Dance with great 
 Violence, the Mufick flill playing ; and when the Patients grow 
 weary, they are put into Bed again, and kept warm to encourage 
 Perfpiration. Thefe Exercifes being continued fix or feven Days, 
 the Patient finds himfelf fatigued and unable to dance any longer, 
 which is the Charaderiflic of a Cure. 
 
 They ufually fpend ten or twelve Hours a-day in this violent 
 Exercife, and continue it for three or four, or fix Days ; by which 
 
 X time 
 
 * BagUvii de Anatome , Morfu & Effefi. Tarantula Dijfertatio i. p. 27. & cap. v. 
 p 20. + Fhilof. Tranjail. 
 
i 54 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 time they are generally freed from all their Symptoms, tho’ not 
 always, fays the learned Baglivi , who obferves, that about the 
 fame time next Year, the Diftemper returns, and will prove fa¬ 
 tal, if not prevented by the fame mulical Application. 
 
 In Apulia is a Scorpion , whofe Wounds are accompanied with 
 the fame Effects as thofe produced by the 'Tarantula , and are only 
 curable by Mufick and Motion. Thefe Apulian Scorpions , are lets 
 violent than thofe of Africa , but more virulent than thofe in 
 other Parts of Italy. I ffiall only offer two Remarks here. 
 
 1. ’ THA T different Patients muft be entertairid with different 
 Tunes , accordingto the different Symptoms of theDiJeafe ; in which the 
 great Art of curing them feems to conlift. e. g. Some are roufed 
 by a Pipe, others by a Timbrel: Some are roufed by a Violin, 
 others by the Harp ; and all muft be entertain’d with different 
 Airs. The Muftcians therefore make Trial before they can accom¬ 
 modate the Sound to the Venom ; which requires the moft brilk 
 and lively Tunes, to produce a powerful Vibration in the Body; 
 and till this be done, the miferable Patients ftand ftill, fighing 
 and fobbing. The Vibrations muft be quick and frequent. 
 
 2. DURING the Time of Cure , the wounded People throw them - 
 felves into a Variety of ft range Forms , and behave like Drunkards 
 and Madmen .... talking foolifhly .... diverting themfelves with 
 naked Swords, red Cloth, Cfc. but the Sight of any Objedt that 
 appears black is terrible to them. Ibid. 
 
 To this Account of the Tarantula , I have (by way of Illuftra- 
 tion) added the Remarks of another learned Foreigner, who fays 
 .... The venemous Bite of the Tarantula is quickly follow’d with 
 a very acute Pain, and foon after, with Numbnefs, profound 
 Sadnefs, difficult Refpiration : The Pulfe grows weak, the Sight 
 difturbed; Perfons lofe their Knowledge, Senfe, and Motion ; 
 
 and if deftitute of Help, they die.The moft effectual and 
 
 certain Remedy is Mufick: Wheh the Perfon becomes deftitute of 
 Knowledge and Motion, a Mufician tries a Variety of Airs 
 Shou’d he hit on that whofe Harmony is fuited to the Patient, 
 he begins to move by fucceffive Degrees, and keeps Time with 
 his Fingers, Arms, Legs, &c. he raifes himfelf, and dances about 
 fix Hours without Intermiffion. 
 
 When the Mufick ceafes, the fick Perfon gives over dancing, 
 and is put to Bed: The lame Air brings him out of Bed for a new 
 
 Dance*, 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 155 
 
 Dance, an Exercife that lafts fix or feven Days. - — N. B. Every 
 
 fick Perfon muft have his particular and fpecific Tune, and al¬ 
 ways one that is very fprightly and moving. 
 
 The Poifon of the 'Tarantula , adds he, thickens the Blood, 
 and flops feveral of its Paflages; thence the Numbnefs: The 
 Blood being thick, furnifhes but a finall Quantity of animal Spi¬ 
 rits, their Canals are fhrunk up in the Brain : The Nerves being 
 deflitute of Spirits, relax; thence proceed the Inactivity, and De- 
 fed of Knowledge and Motion : But the Vibrations of the quick 
 Airs which are play’d, agitate the Blood and the reft of the ani¬ 
 mal Spirits, which are foon increafed by the Agitation of the 
 Blood: Being agitated and multiply^!, they run into the Fibres 
 and Nerves, which being put into Unijon with the fonorous Strings, 
 receive their Vibrations, and are fhorten’dor extended fuccefiively ; 
 whence proceeds the fucceflive Motion of the Fingers, Arms, 
 Legs, &c. * 
 
 The A<ftion of Dancing augments the Agitation of the Blood, 
 and makes the Patient fweat. The Poifon being agitated and at¬ 
 tenuated, is exhaled by Tranfpiration ; in proportion as the Poi¬ 
 fon is exhaled, the fick Perfon perceives himfelf ealed ; this Eafe 
 continually inclines him to dance : When all the Poifon is difii- 
 pated by Agitation and Sweat, the Blood recovers its Fluidity 
 -and ufual Courfe. 
 
 I Shall conclude this hiftorical Account, with a Paflage 
 taken out of a formed Hijlory of the Tarantula •f*, writ by a learned 
 Author, who having defcribed the Difeafe, proceeds to the man¬ 
 ner of Cure, viz. The falivous Poifon of that Spider feizes prin¬ 
 cipally on the Nerves and Mufcles-—the manner of Cure thus- 
 
 The Air moved by the mufical Motion of Inftruments, moves 
 the next, and fo onwards (as we fee in the circular increafing 
 Motion of the Water, when a Stone is caft into it) till the like 
 be produced in the Spirits of the Body, to which the Air is im¬ 
 pelled.-Now, adds he, the Commotion of the Pafiions depends 
 
 upon the Spirits, and the vifcous Humour of the Tarantula is a 
 very capable Subject of Sound : Hence the next Air being moved 
 by a mufical Tone fuitable to the Patient, the lurking Poiion, and 
 
 X 2 Spirits 
 
 * Father Regnau/t. Phi/. Conv. or New Syfiem ofPhyfc, , vol. ii. Comer fat ion xiy. 
 p. 268,-9. 
 
 f Princed at Leyden , in izrw. A. D. 1668. 
 
J 56 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 Spirits of a Man are put into a Commotion; by which Agitation,, 
 the Nerves being vellicated, the Spirits vehemently ftirred, and 
 Mufcles moved, the Dancing, or fomething like it, muft of ne- 
 ceffity enfue, by which the Cure is performed: For, by vehe¬ 
 ment Motion the Blood is heated, the Pores are opened, and the 
 Poifon rarified ; which can’t be done by common Sudorificks,. 
 becaufe the Medicines can’t reach, or at lead: can’t dir thofe little 
 Particles where the Poifon lies, as Motion by Dancing does. 
 
 I Shall add here fome Reflections on the Power of Mufick, 
 and give Inflances of it in the human Mind,, in animal, and inani¬ 
 mate Bodies. 
 
 MU SICK appears to be one of the mod: antient of Arts, and 
 of all other, vocal Mufick mud: have been the fird kind, and bor¬ 
 rowed from the various natural Strains of Birds*; as dringed In- 
 druments were from Winds whidling in hollow Reeds, and pul- 
 fatile Indruments (as Drums and Cymbals) from the hollow Noife 
 of concave Bodies. This is the Conjecture. 
 
 M u s 1 c k has ever been in the highed Edeem in all Ages, and 
 among all People. Nor could Authors exprefs their Opinions of 
 it drongly enough, but by inculcating, that it was in Heaven, 
 and was one of the principal Entertainments of the Bleffed. 
 
 The Effects afcribed to Mudck by the Antients, alinod a- 
 mount to Miracles; by means thereof Difeafes are faid to have 
 been cured, Unchadity corrected, Seditions quelled, Paffions raid¬ 
 ed and calmed, and even Madnefs occafioned.-—- 
 
 Music k has been ufed as a Sermon of Morality .... Athe - 
 naeus tells us, that the Lives and Actions of illudrious Men were 
 written in Verfe, and publickly fung by a Chorus , to the Sound 
 of Indruments, which was found to be the mod effectual Means 
 to imprefs Morality, and a right Senfe of Duty on the human 
 Mind -f*. 
 
 Thus the Pythagoreans made ufe of Mufick.to cultivate the 
 Mind, and fettle in it a paffionate Love of Virtue. Pythagoras 
 indituted a mod profitable Correction of Manners by Mufick, 
 which, he fays, conduces very much to Health ; and he made ufe 
 of it, not only againd Difeafes of the Mind, but thofe of the 
 
 Body*. 
 
 * At liquidas avium voces imitarier ore, 
 
 Ante iutc multo quam carmina cantu 
 
 Concelebrare'homines poflenc aureifque juvare. Lucretius. 
 f Chambers's Cyclopaedia, vol. ii. 
 
 5 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 157 
 
 Body. It was die common Cuftom of the Pythagoreans to foften 
 their Minds with Mufick before they went to fleep ; and alfo in 
 the Morning, to excite themfelves to the Bufinefs of the Day 
 
 This Cure of Diftempers by Mufick founds odd, but was a 
 celebrated Medicine among the Antients. VVe have already con- 
 fidered, how thofe wounded by the 'Tarantula were healed by 
 Mufick j the Evidence of which is too ftrong to be overturned : 
 That which now lies before me, is, to prove this to be the Prac¬ 
 tice of Antiquity, which will appear by the following Inftances. 
 
 I Shall begin with Democritus (a Philofopher of the firfi: 
 Rank, and a moft diligent Inquirer into the Myfteries of Nature) 
 who taught in his Works, that Mufick of Pipes was a Medicine 
 
 for moft Diftempers. Thales of Crete , being fent for by the 
 
 Lacedemonians to remove the Plague, came, and by the Help of 
 Mufick he did fo ; and he is faid to do it by the Command of 
 Apollo , as appears from the Great Chceronean MoralifT. If any 
 Credit be given to Terpander , it appears he fuppreft an Infurredion 
 in their Town by the Ufe of Mufick. Ibid, 
 
 We read of a young Man among others of Tautomenium, whoie 
 Paffions being inflamed by Mufick in the Phrygian Mood , was 
 going to force open a Matron’s Houfe, but his Rage was foon 
 calmed, when the Piper (by Pythagoras' s Advice) changed his 
 Air into the Spondaic Mood ; and he went home quietly, which 
 the Philofopher could not make him do by Perfuafives. This 
 hiftorical Paflage is confirmed by Ammonius , and Cicero , and is 
 thus related, viz. 
 
 When as fome young Men, being drunk, and irritated by 
 the Mufick of Flutes, would have broke into an honeft Woman’s 
 Houfe, but upon hearing one playing a Spondaic Air , their out- 
 ragious„Heat was allay’d by the Slownefs of the Mood, and So- 
 lemnefs of the Tune. .... 
 
 S t. Bafil gives another Inftance to the fame purpofe, viz. That 
 Pythagoras meeting with fome that came with Mufick from a 
 Feaft, drunk, requefted the Mufician to change his Tune j which 
 he did, and playing a Doric Air , they were fo brought to them¬ 
 felves, that they threw away their Garlands, and walked home, 
 afhamed of their Folly. 
 
 THEO- 
 
 *■ Plutarch de Opr, dr If. t Plutarch*s Moral; on Mufick. 
 
A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 ‘THEOPHRASTUS is Lid to cure Perfons that had been 
 wounded by Serpents, with various kinds of Mulick— Probatum 
 eft A Another Obfervation of his was, that Difeafes were made 
 and mitigated by Muiick. Plato forbids Mufick and Wine to 
 young Perfons, left one Fire fliould kindle another •f\ 
 
 T h e Pythagoreans , to appeafe the Troubles of the Mind, 
 lulled themleives alleep by Tunes upon the Harp: Thus Homer 
 brings in Achilles relieving his Melancholy by playing on his Lute, 
 and mitigating his Anger againft Agamemnon by Mulick, which 
 he had learned of Chiron . Afclepiades , a Roman Phylician of 
 great Reputation, is laid to heal frantic Melancholy, and mad 
 People, by vocal and inftrumental Mulick £. The learned Nea¬ 
 politan adds. Pant a hominis natures cum harmonia conftenfto eft. 
 
 Whatever be the Caufe of it, there is nothing more power¬ 
 ful than Mufick for moving the human Paffions, making fome 
 peniive and melancholy, others brifk and lively. The truth is, 
 fays the Learned Wallis , we can match mod of the antient Stories 
 *>f this kind in the modern Hiftories. e.g. 
 
 If Pimotheus could excite Alexanders Fury with the Phrygian 
 Mood , and footh him into Indolence with the Lydian , a more 
 modern Mufician is faid to have driven Eric King of Denmark , 
 into fuch a Rage, as to kill his beft Servants. The Occalion was 
 thus—The King willing to make Trial in his own Perfon, whe¬ 
 ther a Muftician Jpoke true , who boaftted , that by virtue of his Mu¬ 
 fick, he could make People mad: The Artift play’d, and the King 
 became outragious, and experienced the Truth of it fo thoroughly, 
 that in the Excefs of his Rage, he kill’d fome of his beft Friends ||. 
 
 This may be owing to the Impreflion made by the Vibra¬ 
 tions of the Air, being carried as far as the Origin of the Nerves, 
 palfes into the Soul, and puts the animal Spirits into a rapid Mo¬ 
 tion, determines them to run into different Nerves, diffuled thro’ 
 
 different 
 
 * Quibufdam viperarum morfibus cantus tibiarum aut fidicinum atque alia or¬ 
 gana arcis muficse modulare adhibita aptiffitne mederi. Alexander ab A lex and .... 
 Genialium, lib. ii. cap. xvii. p.8i. The Tide is, Quod Theophrafius fenfit quibuf¬ 
 dam Viperarum morfibus tibicines mederi, probatum experimentmi. Baglivi Diflert- i. 
 de Tarent. cap. xiii. 
 
 De Legibus. 
 
 j Qui Phreneticos mente imminuta, 6c valetudine animi affectes., nulla re magis 
 quam fymphonia, 6c vocum concentu, 6c moduiis refipifcere, 6c fanitati reftnui 
 ■cenfuit. Alex, ab Alex. lib. II. cap. xvii. p. 8i. 
 
 Jj Bather RegnaulVs Convey f. from Repub. des Let. p. 264 .. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 *59 
 
 different Parts of the Body, and is communicated to thofe Nerves, 
 according as it finds them more or lefs in Unifon .... Hence the 
 Paffions and Madnefs itfelf. Ibid. 
 
 In Mufick are different Tades, which feems to proceed from 
 the different Confutations of the Fibres or the animal Spirits: The 
 Fibres of the auditory Nerves are differently difpofed in different 
 Perlons, and in the fame Perfon at diverfe Times; but generally 
 fpeaking, Mufiek infpires more pleating Sentiments, e.g. 
 
 A Certain famous French Phyfician being ill, fell into a 
 violent Delirium , after fome Days Illnefs of a continued Fever: 
 the third Day of his Delirium , I know not by what Indindt, 
 (fays the Learned Father Regnault) made him defire a Concert of 
 Mufick ; upon which, they play’d, and fung to him the Songs of 
 M. Bernier * : Scarcely had he heard the fird Notes, but his Eyes 
 were calm ; a Serenity was fpread all over his Countenance, the 
 Convulfions ceafed, and he wept thro’ Excefs of Pleafure ; he was 
 free from his Fever all the time of the Concert, but whenever they 
 ceafed finging, he relapfed into his former Condition: They fail’d 
 not to continue fo marvellous a Remedy, which always fufpended 
 his Indifpofition. In Ihort, after ten Days mufical Entertainment, 
 he was redored to his former Health. Ibid. 
 
 Another Indance, is a Dancing-Mader of Alais in France, 
 who had the fame Fate in the Year 1708 ; after a Fever of about 
 four Days, and a long Lethargy, he fell into a Delirium , both 
 mad and dumb. One of his Friends took his Violin, and plaid to 
 him thofe Airs he was mod accudom’d to: People thought at firdy 
 that the Player was as mad as the Patient- r bur, in a fhort time, 
 the fick Man raifed himfelf upright in his Bed, with the Air of 
 a Man agreeably furpriz’d.... All his Motions difcover’d the 
 Pleafure he felt: Soon after he fell into a deep Sleep, and the 
 Crifis he had during his Sleep, perfected his Cure, Ibid> 
 
 One Reafon of this drange Operation might be this, viz. 
 The Sound of the Xndrument agitates the Fibres, efpecially thofe 
 that are in Unifon, by that means brings to his Remembrance a- 
 greeable Perceptions... fees the animal Spirits going, and redores 
 them to their natural Courfe : Thefe Spirits, being moved, run in¬ 
 to the Nerves and Mufcles, where they have been ufed to run, 
 in order to form the Motion of certain Airs; the Padages of the: 
 
 Blood, 
 
 * Father Regru from Hift. of the Royal Academy in France, 
 
i6o 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 Blood thereby become more free: Hence that ferene Air diffufed 
 all of a hidden over the Face of the fick Mufician, who was 
 cured by the Charms of his own Art. 
 
 These two Inftances are quoted by the Learned Dr. Nieu- 
 wentyt, who fays, both of them (the Mufician and Dancing- 
 Mafter) were perfectly reftored to their Senfes by Mufick. He 
 alfo obferves, that the Wound given by the Tarantula c an only 
 be cured by the Sound of Mufick, of which different Airs and 
 Tunes muff be play’d, according to the different Nature and Co¬ 
 lour of thofe Tarantula's that have given the Wound *. Then 
 adds ; 
 
 That the famous Italian Mufician, Angelo Vitali had re¬ 
 lated to him the following Story, and affured him of the Truth 
 of it, viz. 
 
 T h a t a certain Player on the Flute at Venice had boafted, 
 that by his playing, he could deprive the Hearers of the Ufe of 
 their Underftanding : Whereupon he was fent for by the Doge, 
 who was a Lover of Mufick, and commanded to put his Art in 
 pra&ice before him ; where, after having play’d fome time very 
 finely, (and to the Amazement of the Hearers) he at laft begun 
 a mournful Tune, with a Defign, as far as he was able, to put 
 the Doge into a melancholy Humour; and prefently, he ftruck 
 up a jovial one, to difpofe him to Mirth and Dancing ; and after 
 having repeated thefe two kind of Tunes feveral times by turns, 
 the Doge being no longer able to endure thofe different Emotions, 
 which he felt in his Soul, he was ordered to forbear playing any 
 longer. Ibid. p. 271. 
 
 FROM the Account given of Concords and Di/cords in Mu¬ 
 fick, a Reafon may be form’d why two Strings of a Viol, that are 
 Unifons or OSlaves one to another, if one be jlruck the other will 
 tremble , fo as to be vifibly perceived. 
 
 IVHAT is this Unifon % In Mufick, Unifon is a Confbnance 
 of two Sounds, produced by two Strings, or other Bodies of the 
 fame Matter, Length, Thicknefs,.and Tenfion, equally ftruck, and 
 at the fame Time, fo that they yield the fame Tone or Note. 
 Others define it, the Union of two Sounds , fo like each other, that 
 the Ear perceiving no Difference, receives them as one and the 
 fame Sound. 
 
 What 
 
 * Religious Philofopker. vel.i. Cotitempl. xlii. Se&.270. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 x6i 
 
 What conflitutes Unifonance, is the Equality of the Num¬ 
 ber .of Vibrations : Uni-fon is the firft and greatefi of Concords. 
 Others fay, it is only that in Sounds which Unity is in Numbers. 
 
 Being once in a Room where there was a BaJ's-Viol , and 
 linking one of the Strings, a loofe Quarry of Glafs in the 
 Window, jarr’d every time that String was ilruck, which it wou’d 
 not do upon ftriking any of the other difcordant Strings. The 
 Reafon may be, viz. That the times of the Vibration of the 
 loofe Quarry, were equal or near Concordance to thofe of the 
 String. A Gentleman of my Acquaintance, when he founded a 
 particular Tone on the Bafs-Viol, very plainly heard the Noife 
 of the Glafs of the Clock in his Chamber, which Glafs never 
 
 moved, upon his founding any other Tone.It is a general 
 
 Remark, that an Unifon-String will receive the Motion, and fo 
 tremble, when another Unifon is made to found; and yet all other 
 Strings of the fame Inftrument, that are notUnifons, fhall remain 
 filent and unmoved. 
 
 Mu sick does not only exert its Force on the Pafiions and 
 Affections, and mufical Inftruments, but on the Parts of the hu¬ 
 man Body alfo. Witnefs the Gafcoigne-Knight , (mention’d by 
 Mr. Boyle) who could not contain his Water, at the playing of 
 a Bag-pipe : The Woman, mention’d by the fame Author, who 
 would burft out in Tears, at the hearing of a certain Tune, with 
 which other People were but little affedted : And in this County, 
 near Rochdale , there is a certain Man, who can’t forbear dancing, 
 if in a Houfe, or Market, upon hearing a certain Tune fung. 
 
 Wonder not at the ftrange Effects of mufical Sounds, when 
 other Sounds ftrangely affeCt the Mind. How are the Padions 
 excite^ by the Sound of a Drum and the Difcharge of Cannons.... 
 Not only human Minds and Bodies are affeCted by the Impreffion 
 of Sounds, but even Things without Life. 
 
 K 1 RCHER tells us of a large Stone that would tremble at 
 the Sound of one particular Organ-Pipe. MerJ'enne alfo tells us, 
 of a particular part of a Pavement that would (hake and tremble, 
 as if the Earth would open, when the Organs play’d. Mr. Boyle 
 adds, that Seats will tremble at the Sound of Organs, that he has 
 felt his Hat do fo under his Hand, at certain Notes, both of 
 Organs and Difcourfe ; and that he was well inform’d, every well- 
 built Vault, would anfwer fome determinate Note. 
 
 Y We 
 
1 62 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 W e may obferve the like mechanic Perception in feverat 
 empty Drinking-Glafies, of fine white Metal. Thus if we caufe 
 the Strings of a mufical Inftrument to be ftretched to a certain 
 Tone or Note, it would make one of the Glades ring, and not the 
 other; nor would the Sound of the fame String, tuned to another, 
 fenfibly affebt the fame Glafs. Morhoff mentions one Petter, a 
 Dutchman , who could break Rummer-Glafifes with the Tone of 
 his Voice. The fame, I think, is faid of Parcel. 
 
 When two Viols are tuned in Unifon, one of them being 
 touch’d, the other will anfwer, tho’ at fome diftance. This is a 
 noble Proof of an harmonious Creation *. This Unifon looks like 
 a more pure fort of fympathifing that is found in all the Crea¬ 
 tures, when thofe of the fame Species flock together. 
 
 Her;s give me leave to obferve, that all Nature is as it were 
 a Syftem of divine Mufick, and delightful Harmony; or, in the 
 facred Language, a Poem which is a Work of Skill, curious and 
 polite, lofty and fublime; in which Numbers and Meafures are 
 exadly obferved. Under this Idea of a Poem- the old and new 
 Creation are reprefented. 
 
 THE invifible things of him from the Creation of the World are' 
 clearlyJ'een, being under food by the things that are made, vomuxcri *, 
 
 Poems that are made. The Creation is, as it were, a Poem in 
 the Sublime : Every Species of created Beings is a Stanza, and 
 every individual Creature, a Verfe in it, as a certain learned Di¬ 
 vine exprefles it. Creation here is not ftiled epyov. which is a 
 Work of manual Labor, but Troika +, a Work of Skill ; not fo 
 much the Operation of the Hand, as of the Head and Heart: 
 No Creature lo fmall and mean, but glitters with a Beam of di¬ 
 vine Skill. 
 
 S o the new Creation is fill'd a Poem .... We are his Workman - 
 fhip in Chrift fefus , Eph. ii. io. In the Greek, we are his Poem 
 in Chrijl Jefus. 
 
 A s for the feveral Moods, which, in mufical Compofitionj, 
 were obferved by the Antients, for moving particular Paffions, 
 there is a remarkable Fragment of Dcemon- the Mufician, men¬ 
 tioned by Ariflides in Plutarch. This is fuppofed to be that kind 
 of Mufick ufed by David and Elifa y as a Prefcription to remove 
 mental Diforders; and may fuppofe to point at the Original of 
 
 the 
 
 TOS? •jGiyjj.acl Rom. i. 20 . 
 
 ■f* Aura yap sa^sv Kotmutt. Eph- ii> 10. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 163 
 
 the Pagans curing Difeafes of the Body and Mind by inftrumen- 
 tal Mulick. 
 
 It’s faid, when an evil Spirit from God was upon Saul, 
 David took a Harp and play'd with his Hand, fo Saul was re¬ 
 fresh'd, and was well, and the evil Spirit departed from him . 
 
 1 Sam. xvi. 23. 
 
 .... AND Elif:a faid to .Jehoram, King of Ifrael. . . Were it 
 not that I regard the Prefence of the King of Judah, I would not look 
 towards thee, but now bring me a Minftrel. And it came to pafs 
 when the Minftrel play'd, that the Hand of the Lord came upon him. 
 
 2 Kings Hi. 13,—15. 
 
 I t is obfervable here, that the Mind of Elifha the Prophet 
 was very much ruffled; now, under this Difcompofure, he calls 
 for a Minftrel, not out of Levity, but for a religious End; and 
 that was, to compofe his Mind, and to bring it into a lerene and 
 fedate Frame, and thereby to prepare himfelf for divine Exer- 
 cifes; or perhaps, a devout Levite, well {kill’d in mufical Per¬ 
 formances, might play before him, and intermix with it, Pfalms 
 and fpiritual Songs, according to the Conftitutions of thofe 
 Times. 
 
 A s the Prophets might indifpofe themfelves for the Spirit of 
 Prophecy, fo they were to ufe Means to difpofe themfelves for 
 the Impulfes of the Holy Spirit; and for this End the School of 
 the Prophets was appointed, in which the Students were trained 
 up in the Science of Mujick, in JlriB Virtue , Self-denial, Contempt 
 of worldly Grandeur, Knowledge of the Law, &c. Thefe Schools 
 were Seminaries of Religion, in which the intended Guardians of 
 the Spirituality were inftrudted, and prepared to receive the ex¬ 
 traordinary Gifts of the Spirit. 
 
 W e read how the Indians performed their Worfhip by dancing 
 to Songs, the Priefts of Cybele with Cymbals , the Curetes with 
 Drums and Trumpets, the Romans fung Spondaic VerJ'es, while 
 they offer’d their Sacrifices; the mufical Sound that calm’d the 
 Paffions (confifting of Spondees principally) Ariftotle calls moral; 
 
 (to diftinguifh it from the Diatonic and Phrygian ) from whence 
 the Cuftom might be derived. When the Spartans went to War, 
 they march’d to the Sound of Flutes, to animate the Soldiers j 
 as is now done by Drum and Trumpet, to leffen the Terror of 
 Death. 
 
 Y 2 
 
 THE 
 
A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 164 
 
 'THE Antients having related wonderful 'Things done by Mujick 
 in their days , by which Difeafes were fjpended , the Sick reftored ... 
 I Jhall make a fhort Inquiry into the Reafons of it. Tho the Re¬ 
 port be Jlrange y and in J'ome degree hyperbolical , yet Jome Account 
 may be given of the Jurprizing Effects of Mufck y and is attempted 
 by the learned D t. Willis, (among others; ) a Hint of which 1 
 fhall add here, to what was obferved before upon the Subject. 
 
 REASONS (or rather Conjectures) for Medicinal Cures 
 by MU SICK. 
 
 I. HAT Mufick, if not new, was in thofe Days a rare 
 
 JL thing, which the Vulgar, on whom his reported to 
 have mighty Effedts, had fcarce heard any before, and on whom 
 a little Mufick will do great Feats, as we now find a Rag-pipe at 
 a Morris-Dance. 
 
 II. A n T 1 e n T Mufick was much more fimpie and plain than 
 ours now, having only one fingle Voice or Inftrument apart, 
 which to a rude Ear is much more taking, than compound Mu¬ 
 fick ; the former not exceeding their Capacity, whereas a Concert 
 of Mufick confounds them quite, and his by no means diftin- 
 guifhable by them, fo as to affedt them with the Harmony of its 
 Parts. 
 
 III. Mu sick, with the Antients, was of a much larger Ex¬ 
 
 tent than what we now call by that Name; for Poetry, and 
 Dancing or graceful Motion, were then counted part of Mufick, 
 when it had arrived to fome degree of Perfedtion : And we fee 
 that Verfe alone, if in good Meafure and moving Words y fung by 
 an agreeable Voice, with foft inftrumental Mufick, will work 
 firangely on the Ear, and move all AfFedtions fuitable to the Tune 
 and Ditty . .. elpecially if attended w\sh proper Gefures and Acti¬ 
 ons .Thus fuitable Adting on the Stage, gives great Life to 
 
 the Words 
 
 I F 
 
 Lowthorf s Abric’g. vol. i. p. 618. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 165 
 
 If a deliberate pathetick Reading of a wel!-penn’d Romance, 
 will ftrike the Paffions, and produce Mirth, Tears, Joy, Grief, 
 Pity, Wrath, Indignation, fuitable to the refpedive Intents of it; 
 much more would it fo do, if accompanied with all thofe At¬ 
 tendants.-— 
 
 If it be afk’d, Why may not all this be done now? I anfwer, 
 No doubt but it may, if the Addrefs be made in proper Words, 
 emphatically fpoken, with agreeable Voice, attended with a de¬ 
 cent Geflure; and all thefe adjufted to the Paffion and Temper of 
 the Mind, particularly defign’d to be produced, (be it Joy, Grief, 
 Pity, Courage, Indignation) will certainly now, as well a? then, 
 produce great Effe&s upon the Mind, efpecially upon a Surprize, 
 and where Perfons are not otherwife pre-engaged. Ibid. 
 
 The Antients had the Art of exciting this or that particular 
 Paffion of the Mind, the Tunes being fuitably adapted to fuch 
 Defigns ; whereas thofe now are almoft quite negledted in our mo¬ 
 dern Mufick. 
 
 The Chromatick Genus *, with its greater and leffer Semi- 
 Tones, either afcending or defcending, is very proper for the Pa¬ 
 thetick in Mufick; as is alfo an artful Management of Difcords, 
 with a Variety of Motions; now brifk, now languiffiing; now 
 fwift, now flow. The Venetian Mufician before-mentioned, 
 excell'd in the Pathetick to that degree, that he was able to play 
 any of his Auditors into Pifiradlioti ... The great Means he made 
 ufe of, was the Variety of Motions .—— 
 
 Even little Children, when crying, are charm’d and quieted 
 by a jingling Sound, a Shadow of Mufick. In fhort, Mufick at¬ 
 tends the Man to his Grave, where Elegies were formerly fung in 
 Honour of the Deceafed: Thus the Phoenicians added Flutes to 
 their Mournings , and the Romans had their Siticines , that is, thofe 
 who fung to a Pipe, or blow’d the Trumpet at their Funerals, 
 a Cuftom not yet entirely abolifh’d among the antient Britons and 
 fome Parts of England, who, when they take up the Corps, ling 
 Pfalms before it all the way to Church; a common Practice 
 about feventy Years ago : So far I can charge my Memory. 
 
 W e are not without modern Inftances of Perfons extraordi¬ 
 narily affcdted by the Powers of Mufick, as appears from our O- 
 pera’s, and the very particular Devotion paid to the Farinellds of 
 
 the 
 
 Chroma in Mufick, is the graceful way of Singing. 
 
i66 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY, &c. 
 
 the Age, and to Italian Mufick, difplay’d in Temples as well as 
 on the Stage, the fir ft Erection of which was intended for the 
 Honour and Defence of Virtue. 
 
 The Laconians were wont at the Death of their King to tinkle 
 a Caldron, inftead of a Bell: Yea, the Jews had their Minftrels 
 at Funerals; for, at the railing to Life the Daughter of Jairus, 
 ’tis faid, the Mujicians were commanded to troop off, Matth. ix. 
 Before the Roman Funerals, a Trumpeter went, follow’d by the 
 Prceficcz^ i. e. old Women, finging Songs in Praife of the Deceafed. 
 / 
 
 Thus we have had a general View of Serpents, their Poifon 
 and Cure ; and a particular Account of Perfons wounded by the 
 * Tarantula , and cured by Mulick; the Effeds of which mufical 
 Operation, have paft for Miracles ; for, by means of it, dangerous 
 Diftempers have been cured, Infurredions quelled, Paffions calm’d 
 and railed, even to Diftradion and Madnefs. 
 
 Antiently all Laws, Exhortations to Knowledge and 
 Virtue, and Lives of illuftrious Men, were written in Verle, and 
 publickly fung by a Chorus to the Sound of mufical Inftruments, 
 which w^as found a moft effedual way to imprefs Morality. So 
 much for Serpents in particular. 
 
 N. B. In the Defcription of fome Serpents by different Au¬ 
 thors, ’tis difficult to know whether they mean the fame, or ano¬ 
 ther; fome having the fame Defcription with different Names, 
 and fome different Defcription wdth the fame Name. Another 
 Miftake may arife from fome Difference in the fame Serpent, in 
 different Climates, as in Situation (N. or S.) and Size. 
 
 A 
 
167 
 
 NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 O F 
 
 SERPENTS. 
 
 PART III. 
 
 Containing Six Dissertations. 
 
 I. Upon, the Primaeval Serpent. 
 
 II. Fiery Serpent. 
 
 III. The Brazen Serpent. 
 
 IV. Adoration of Serpents . 
 
 V. Re a tons of that monfir ous 
 Worjhip ; 
 
 VI. And for the Adoration of 
 different Animals. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 Contents. Various Sentiments about the Primaeval Serpent: 
 Some fay , 'twas a real Serpent ; others- Jay,, the Pad age is alle¬ 
 gorical. Some make the Serpent to be P lea fur e ; others tie Devil 
 in the Natural Serpent. Reafons why Adam was not made be¬ 
 yond a Capacity of Sinning. Our firfl Parents arm'd with fuff 
 f dent Power to fiand: They knew no Enemy. Satan a compleat 
 Orator. Fhe Fatal Surrender. Satan's triumphant Return from 
 Eden. Serpent's Head and Subtility. Intercourj'e between the 
 Angelic.k and Human World. A Plea for our frf Mother. Why 
 
i68 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 Moles introduces a /peaking Serpent. Method of Divine Govern¬ 
 ment. Satan's View. Re afo-ns why Adam was created in a State 
 of Trial. A flrong Negative, Sufficient to put the Tempter to 
 flight. The Paradifaieai Law guarded by the moft powerful 
 SahBion. The Opinion of Pagans and Mahometans about the 
 Fall of Adam, &c. Why Satan punifh'd under a viflble Figure, 
 viz. Serpent. Chrifth Death publifh’d, before Sentence of Death 
 pajl upon Adam. The Earth, a fecondary Paradife. Moral 
 Reflection. 
 
 T H E Manner of Sin’s firft Entrance into our World, is in- 
 fcrutable : The Subject is an Article of Lamentation, an 
 Article that conducts us to Paradife indeed, but ’tis- to Paradife 
 lojl ; whence date the fatal /Era of all human Calamities. There, 
 there in a blifsful Field; Sin, the Plague of Hell, made its firft 
 Appearance on Earth : but as to the Mode of its Introduction, 
 there is a Spread of impenetrable Darknefs over the Face of that 
 great Deep; after the molt critical Difquifitions about it, the Dif¬ 
 ficulty remains unfolvable. 
 
 Men of Letters may give their Conjectures, but it feems to be 
 one of thofe fecret Things which belongs to him who is unfearch- 
 able, and whoje ways are pa ft finding out ; therefore we fhould ra¬ 
 ther think, how to get Sin out of the World, than how it came in at 
 firft: The one would only prove what our Underftandings could 
 do, but the other would declare our Hearts, what they ought to be. 
 
 What this Serpent was, that triumph’d in Paradife, has been 
 a Subject of long Debate, and the Learned are not yet agreed in 
 their Verdict about it. I fhall firft lay down their various Opi¬ 
 nions, and then give my own Conjectures. 
 
 Among the Jews, fome took it for a real, natural Serpent, 
 and did believe, it was endued with the Gift of Speaking; but be- 
 caufe it deceived the Woman, was condemn’d to lofe its vocal 
 Tongue, to go upon its Belly , and feed upon Du ft *. 
 
 Others, who, not allowing the Privilege of Speech to a 
 Brute, have turn’d the Mofaic Hiftory of Paradife into an Allegory , 
 an Aifemblage of Metaphors, or figurative Documents. Thus a 
 certain learned Jew fays, the Serpent, that feduced the Woman, 
 was Pleafure ; and forbidden Pleafure, when tailed, brought forth 
 Death -f*. But 
 
 s J°f e ph- <dntiq. cap. i. 
 
 d Philo Jud. de Mundi Opif 
 
 4 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 B u t if this was the Cafe, could (lie be fo properly faid to be 
 tempted by another, as to tempt herfelf ? He adds, the Curfe of 
 the Serpent is not only to go upon its Bread:, but, and thou Jhalt 
 go upon thy Belly, q. d. “ Since Pleafure was thy Defire, let the 
 “ Pleafure of the Earth enter into it. The Belly, fays the Allego- 
 “ rizer, is the Receptacle of mod Pleafures of the Animal Kind.” 
 Creatures that go upon four Feet, or more, are deem’d impure ; 
 and fuch is he, who is a Lover of terrene Pleafures; fuch a Per- 
 fon may be faid, always to go upon his Belly, becaufe he Rudies 
 nothing more than its Gratification. Pleafure indeed, is attended 
 with a Train of Allurements and Charms. ’Tarquin s violent Pur- 
 fuit of forbidden Pleafure, terminated, not only in the Ruin of 
 his Houfe, but Extirpation of Monarchy : Crcefus King of Lydia 
 being conquer’d by Cyrus King of Perfia , gave the Conqueror this 
 Advice, If you would have the Lydians be your obedient Slaves, 
 make them Slaves to Pleafure. 
 
 N o r is Philo alone in making the Serpent a Symbol of Plea¬ 
 fure, for Maimonides and others expound thofe hiftorical Pafiages 
 in the fame manner; afking, Why fhould that Serpent be call’d a 
 fnbtle Bead:, if it were not in a figurative Senfe ? In favour of 
 this Expofition, he quotes feveral Pafiages out of the Prophets, 
 that are allow’d to be intirely allegorical * -, and then adds, that 
 in Mofess Journal of the Creation , all things therein are not to be 
 underftood literally One of the mod: learned Fathers feems 
 inclined to this Philonick Interpretation of Mofes It is obferva- 
 ble, that in reality, ’twas not the Pleafure of Eating which 
 tempted the Woman, but an anxious Dejire of greater IVifdom ; 
 which fhews a more refined Tafte in Eve, and overthrows the 
 Hypothefis of Philo and Clemens. 
 
 S o m e Rabbinical Writers fay, the Devil that deluded the Wo¬ 
 man, came mounted upon a Serpent, in Bulk equal to a Camel, 
 and known by the Name Sammael, an Evil Angel called alfo by 
 them, the Angel of the Dead, Prince of the aerial Region, ancl 
 Chief of the Demons. Other Rabbies look upon him as the 
 Prince of Angels j and believe, he is to prefide at the lad: Judg¬ 
 ment j for which Reafon, they make him Offerings on the Dav 
 
 Z of 
 
 * More Nevochim, cap. xxix. f Ibid. p. 265, & 27 V 
 t Clem. Alexavdrinus, who flourifla’d in the fecond Age. ijSovij. 
 
 Edit. col. p. 69. A.B. A. D. 1688. 
 
 5 
 
 169 
 
\yo 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 of folemn Expiation, to appeafe his Indignation*. ’Tis faid, 
 this Serpent eat the forbidden Frujt and did not die for it ; the 
 Woman inferred Hie might alfo eat, and not die. 
 
 Others there are, who will not allow the feducing Serpent 
 to be an Animal, but the Devil himfelf inThat Shape, who there¬ 
 fore in the facred Writings is called th z great Dragon ,. old Ser¬ 
 pent, and Murderer from the Beginning. And fome are of Opi¬ 
 nion, he borrowed the Body of a real Serpent, which he made 
 ufe of, as a Vehicle, thro’ which he inftilled Poifon into the Wo¬ 
 man’s Mind : And if fo, what occalion to fay the Serpent was more 
 
 fubtle than any Bead: ?-Since the grand Enemy in tempting 
 
 Eve, did not ufe the Craft of the Serpent, but his own Gunning, 
 in the Management of that cruel Stratagem. 
 
 Those who are not pleafed with fuch Ratiocinations, fatisfy 
 themfelves with this, viz. That our firft Parents, in whole Loins 
 we were, tranfgreft, and made a Forfeiture of Paradife for them¬ 
 felves and Defendants; but the manner how they fell is not ob¬ 
 vious, nor to be accounted for, in a State of Imperfection. 
 
 If it be afk’d, Why did not the,divine Goodnefs pu-t our firft 
 Parents beyond a Capacity.-of finning ? ’tis anfwer’d, 
 
 Th at Mutability is efenticfl to all Creatures, as fuch, in all 
 their Kinds: In this mutable State our firlt Parents were created, 
 holy and happy : Life and Death were fet before them ; they had 
 freedom of Choice, a free-will to ufe, the Powers of Nature,as they 
 pleafed ; that is, they were made in a State of Liberty, with a 
 Power to determine for themfelves, whether to abide or not in 
 that glorious Situation. So that if there be a Difficulty in account¬ 
 ing for the Fall, there is as great a one in fuppofing a reafonable 
 moral Creature uncapable of Choice : for where there is no Choice, 
 there can be no Virtue ; and where, there is no Virtue, there,can 
 be no Happinels. 
 
 Again, Ada?n and Eve- were arm'd with a fufficient Power 
 to (land, being created after the divine Image pure , and upright, 
 without Error in their intellectual Powers; therefore if they mif- 
 took the ObjeCt, or were impofed upon* ’twas not for want of 
 Light in the Mind, but want of Application of that Light, which 
 was in their power .... Which Light told them, the Tree of Life 
 planted in Paradife, was to perpetuate their Lives; and that the 
 
 Tree 
 
 * Calm it in Verbum. Rab. Benach in Genef. iii. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 Tree that had the Marks of Death upon it, would do them no 
 harm, but by doing their own Will, or the Will of any other in 
 oppofition to his fovereign Will who had faid, Eat not. 
 
 They were created pure, and capable of Perfeverance; anii 
 when they fell, God did not withdraw any Gift he had conferred 
 upon them : He did all that Was necefiary on his Part for their Pre- 
 fervation, and they had remain’d fafe, if their Liberty had but 
 conducted itfelf aright : Their Liberty was not tied to any parti¬ 
 cular Objedt, as their Faculties were, but refpedted every thing 
 that could be done, or left undone, and it might have imploy’d 
 them after another manner. 
 
 It’s faid, Out of the Ground made the Lord God to grow every 
 'Tree that is pieafant to the Sight , and good for Food ; and the Tree 
 of Knowledge of Good and Evil , of which thou fhalt not eat. Gen. 
 ii. 9, \ j. Now, where lay the Difficulty of not eating , when 
 they were in no want of Food ? And if in want, were not all 
 the Fruits of Paradife prepared for them ? Why would none ferve 
 but what was prohibited ? And nothing prohibited but what was 
 deadly Poifon, and what Adam knew to be fo, by immediate 
 Revelation from Heaven. 
 
 Thus furnifh’d with divine Armour, and all the agreeable En¬ 
 tertainments of Life, 'tis moft furprizing how they fhould indulge 
 an irregular Turn in the animal Paffions, and give way to fuch 
 Inadvertency. One thing that might lead them to this Overfight, 
 probably was, that they knew of no Enemy , therefore dreaded no 
 Danger. But this Plea is of no force; for their Bufinefs was 
 ftridtly to regard the Voice of their Creator (who faid, Eat not ) 
 and not to give heed to any contrary Infinuations, tho’ propofed 
 by a known Friend, much lefs by a Stranger, one of another 
 Kingdom, and of another Species, without fufficient Atteftation. 
 
 Here Lucifer play’d the Orator: He gave his Argument all 
 the Rhetorick it would bear, by removing their fear of Death , 
 and gratifying in them a certain Hope of being Gods. The Wo¬ 
 man had the Threatning of Death in her Thoughts, and there¬ 
 fore durft not eat till fire was made to believe, Jhe fhould not die ; 
 (by which it appears, fire had dreadful Ideas of dying.) And 
 thus fire was tempted to Unbelief Then Satan propofes the glo¬ 
 rious Advantages of Eating , viz. Te (hall be as Gods .... be inde¬ 
 pendent Beings, not fubjedt to the Controul of a fuperior Power; 
 
 Z 2 and 
 
i7» 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 and thus they were tempted to Pride. Unbelief and Pride were 
 the two fatal Rocks, on which their Innocence was wreck’d. 
 Thus our firffc Parents fell, not for want of Light , but for extin- 
 •uifhing it j not for want of Power , but for not ufing it in the 
 Hour of Danger. 
 
 The Enemy having made his Conqued, might probably con¬ 
 tinue for fome time in Eden y to affift the Woman in feducing her 
 Hufband, and then confirm them in their Apoflacy, directing 
 them, upon the Approach of an Enemy, to hide themfelves a- 
 mong the Trees of the Garden, where he left them ; upon which 
 he return'd to his Kingdom in the Air, to publifh his fuccefsful 
 Atchievements in Paradife, and was no more heard of, till he was 
 fummon’d to the Bar. 
 
 The Devil’s principal Refidence is in the Air, where he keeps 
 his Court, from whence he fends out his Angels to fecure and en¬ 
 large his Conqueds. Perhaps, he may think it not confident 
 with the Dignity of fo great a Prince to traverfe the Earth in 
 Perfon, unlefs it be upon fome extraordinary Occadons, as that 
 of tempting the drft and fecond Adam , &c. 
 
 The next Thing that offers itfelf, is an Attempt to illuftrate 
 the Cafe between the Woman and Serpent: It feems mod appa¬ 
 rent to me, that under the Name of the Serpent, we are to un- 
 derdand the Devil, who made ufe of a real Serpent in his Defcent 
 upon Paradife, where he decoy’d the did Woman into the fatal 
 Snare. 
 
 I n the Curfe upon the Serpent, ’ds faid, the Seed of the Wo¬ 
 man Jhould break the Serpent's Head \ intimating, the Serpent hav¬ 
 ing its Heart under the Throat , and very near the Head i the rea¬ 
 died way to kill it, is to fqueeze the Head. Some of the Fathers 
 bring four Proofs of the Serpent’s Wifdom ; trite and common. 
 
 1. When ’tis old, it has the Secret of growing young again, 
 by dripping off its old Skin, which is fucceeded by a new Coat; 
 but if it parts with its outward Garments, it retains its Poifon, 
 Herein it is refembled by thofe, who leave the outward Ads of 
 Sin, but not their fecret Regards for it. 
 
 2 . T h e Serpent adaults a Man if he fees him naked, but flies 
 if it dnds him cloathed. But there is a Fault in this Paffage of 
 Epiphanius , who intends to fay the contrary; for ’tis generally 
 
 affirm’d. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 *73 
 
 affirm’d, that the Serpent is afraid of a naked Man, but attacks 
 him if he has Clothes on. 
 
 3. When the Serpent is affaulted, its chief Care is to fecure 
 its Head : ’Tis attefted by many Writers, that to fave the Head, 
 it will expofe the whole Body to Danger *. 
 
 4. When it goes to drink, it vomits up all its Poifon, for 
 fear of poifoning itfelf. Some have defended this, but without 
 any Colour of Reafon ■f\ 
 
 They relate other Inftances of the Serpent's Wifdom, as flop¬ 
 ping its Ears, that it may not hear the Voice of the Charmer or 
 Inchanter j of which the Pfalmift takes notice. ’Tis faid, it ap¬ 
 plies one of its Ears hard to the Ground* and flops up the other 
 with the end of its Tail, Pfal. lviii. 4. Others fay, its Wifdom 
 confifts in Acutenefs of Sight > therefore among the Greeks , a Ser¬ 
 pent’s Eye was a proverbial Speech for one of a quick Underftand- 
 ing J. Thefe are fome of the common Reafons afligned for the 
 Wifdom of the Serpent. 
 
 I Now proceed to an Illuftration of the Debate between the 
 Woman and Serpent in Paradile, under three Heads. 
 
 I. WHY' may not we fuppofe y that in the Infancy of Mankind 
 there was an open Intercourfe between the angelick and human World, 
 and that Angels might appear to our firf Parents in fome vifble 
 Form , as afterwards they did to the Patriarchs ? If this be not 
 granted, I would afk how a fallen Angel came to know there was 
 a Paradife, and a certain Tree whofe Fruit was forbidden, and 
 where that Tree was fltuated in the Garden ? 
 
 When a certain Province of Angels rebelled, they were 
 doom’d to the wide Space contiguous to our Globe, and by their 
 daily Rovings from Place to Place, they might indeed difcover 
 that little Spot of Earth, called Paradife j but how came they to 
 be acquainted with the Laws of that Country, and that there was 
 a forbidden Tree, and where it grew ? How, I lay, could they 
 know all this without Revelation, or previous Converfaticn with 
 the Inhabitants of the Place ? 
 
 II, 
 
 * 'o oip<s 4 >uA-ar1«i x£<t>aA»iv. Ifiodor. Pelufior. lib. i. p. 1 26. 
 
 4 Calmet's Dittion. of the H. Bib!e } vo!. iii. out of EpiphamuSx 
 t O${(!)$ OflfAX. 
 
i74 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 II. 1 F there had been no former Acquaintance between Angels 
 and our firfi Parents, how came the IVwian to converfe fo freely 
 with a Stranger fhe had never feen before , one of another Country , 
 and of a different Species f ’Tis therefore probable, that when the 
 Devil add reft the Woman, and that in her own Language, he 
 might aftume the Form of a good Angel, that Form in which 
 Angels had difcourfed with our firft Parents before the Fall. 
 
 And perhaps when Angels, the Meftengers of Heaven, con- 
 verfed with Adam and Eve , it might be in the Shape of flying 
 fpeaking Serpents. Without allowing this mutual Intercourfe, 
 and former Familiarity, we can’t well fuppofe that our firft Pa¬ 
 rents, tho’ not furnifti’d with fo much Knowledge as is ufually 
 afcribed to them, would be conquer’d by a Demon in the Shape 
 of a Serpent , which naturally is a Beaft of the Field, and known 
 to be fo by Adam , who, but a little before, had enrolled it among 
 his Subjects, and given it a fignificant Name. 
 
 C a n we imagine our firft Parents fo ftupid, as to hold a Con- 
 verfation with a Beaft, without Surprize, Jealoufy, and Sufpicion ? 
 Adam , who knew the Properties of inferior Animals, (to whom 
 he had given proper Names a little before) could not but know, 
 that the Serpent was a Beaf, and had no Organs fitted for the 
 Formation of articulate Sounds, much left a Power to fix proper 
 Ideas to them, and fupport an Argument by arguing the Cafe in a 
 rational manner. Could Adam , who was the Image of God upon 
 Earth, hear a Brute fpeak and difpute in the Language of Para- 
 dife, without a Sufpicion of Impofture or fomething ominous ? 
 
 During the Woman’s Parley with the Serpent, Adam is fup- 
 pofed to be abfient, perhaps thro’ Satan’s Management, and upon 
 her reprefen ting to him at their next meeting, the Converfation 
 fhe had with the Serpent, he mull conclude that Serpent to be a 
 grand Cheat , or a good Angel , that fpoke to his Wife: and that 
 he took it in the latter Senfe, is plain from the Event; that is, his 
 taking the forbidden Fruit, and eating thereof upon the Serpent’s 
 Recommendation of it to his Wife, who found no illEflfed: from 
 her Compliance. Nov/, the Tempter having afliir’d the Woman 
 that her eating that Fruit would not b.ing Death, and Adam find¬ 
 ing it to be true in Fadt, that is, that fhe did eat and live after it, 
 concluded he might eat with equal Safety. 
 
 Upon 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 *7 5 
 
 Upon this Suppofition, we may charitably infer, that fince 
 our firfi Mother might converfe with Angels in that' Terpentine, 
 or fome other bright Form, The now converfes with the Serpent 
 without Scruple or Dread of Impofture. And as (lie apprehended 
 the Serpent to be a good and kind Spirit, fo Adam did, upon her 
 Reprefentation of the Matter, and took the forbidden Fruit, and 
 eat it: And perhaps the Serpent was prefen t, giving Atteftation to 
 the Report made by the Woman to her Hufband. 
 
 This being granted, ’tis conceivable how the Woman might 
 freely converfe with a Creature that affiim’d an Image fo glorious, 
 efpecially if we confider fhe was in her infantile State, and with¬ 
 out any experimental Knowledge, or any Apprehenfion of Dan¬ 
 ger, from an Enemy, of which die had no Idea being no Sin¬ 
 ner, (he was without Fear. 
 
 In the Sentence paft upon Adam, there is one Claufe that feems 
 to corroborate this Hypothecs; for, upon the Expulfion of our 
 firft Parents... the Gates of Eden were guarded by a Cherub (to 
 prevent their re-entrance) which, by the Jews , was efteem’d a 
 fecond Angel , and may be aptly imagin’d to be a Seraph , or an 
 Angel in the Form of a flying Serpent, whofe Body vibrated in 
 the Air, with a peculiar Refplendency, and may be fitly defcrib’d 
 by the Image of luch a Sword. ’Tis faid, God drove out the Man , 
 and placed at the Eafl-end of the Garden of Eden , Cherubims and a 
 faming Sword, which turned every way, to keep the JVay of the 
 Tree of Life, Gen. iii. ult. God made Angels Guardians of Pa- 
 radife, and a fparkling Fire, like a flaming Sword j fays the Ara- 
 bick Verfion. 
 
 But why may not this Text bear an Interpretation pregnant 
 with good Tidings, as an Explication of the Promife made to the 
 Woman, that is, an Inftrubtion to our firfi: Parents how to wor- 
 fhip God after the Fall, namely by Sacrifice, which was to be of¬ 
 fer’d by them before the Cherubims (eredted over the Gates of 
 Paradife) as Sacrifices afterwards were before the Cherubims in the 
 Tabernacle and Temple. or, as the Hebrew , before the Faces of 
 Jehovah ? 
 
 The flaming Sword and'the Cherubims , m ight be E mblems or 
 Figures of fome things to be oblerved in the Form of Worfhip de- 
 fign’d for that new Difpenfation. The fiery Sword being a killing 
 Weapon, might reprefen t irritated Juft ice ; and Cherubims being- 
 
 4 the 
 
I 7 6 a natural history 
 
 the Inhabitation of the Deity in the Tabernacle and Temple, 
 might be an Emblem of Mercy , to which the Sacrifices were of¬ 
 fer’d a and may not Cherubims be fo conftrued here ? N. B. May 
 we not date the firfl Inftitution of Sacrifice here, which foon ap¬ 
 pear’d in the Hiftory of Cain and Abel? 
 
 God might addrefs our firfl Parents after this manner ; View 
 thefe wonderful Sights over the Gate, behold in them the Scheme 
 of Salvation! The Text thus interpreted, gives the Tempter a 
 frefh Mortification, to fee his bloody Defign defeated, and our 
 firfl Parents reflored to Favour at the Gate of Eden> in which he 
 had triumph’d over them ; and that which encreafed his Vexation 
 was, to fee this done by Cbrijl , the promifed Seed, one of the hu¬ 
 man Race. 
 
 I n the Tabernacle and Temple there were no Reprefentations 
 of God, but only emblematical Figures eredled over the Mercy- 
 Seat, called the Cherubims; in, or between them, the Deity is 
 faidVo dwell ; and the Law obliged the yews to bring the Blood 
 of the Sacrifice before the Face of God in the Cherubims, that is, 
 within the Vail, on the Day of Expiation : and here God might 
 diredt our firfl Parents to bring their Sacrifices to him, who was 
 in a fpecial manner prefent in the Cherubims over the Gate. 
 
 But fuppofing Adam and Eve had, after their Expulfion, en¬ 
 ter’d Paradife ; I don’t fee what valuable End it would have an- 
 fwered, for the fpecial Promifes made to the firfl Inhabitants of 
 Paradife were now null and void. All the Bleflings peculiar to 
 that glorious Situation, were irrecoverably loft. It was not in the 
 power of that once facred Seat to reinftate them in their priftine 
 Happinefs. 
 
 Obj. Could not the Tree of Life reftore their forfeited Com¬ 
 forts ? I prefume not; becaufe the Tree of Life, in the Defign 
 of it, was to perpetuate the happy Life of innocent Man, and not 
 to reftore the Life and Comforts of Criminals under a Sentence 
 of Death ; a Sentence irrepealable, which even the Death of our 
 Blefted Redeemer does not exempt us from. 
 
 Upon the whole, I can fcarcely think that thefe ftrange and 
 awful Sights or Figures, over the Eaft Gate of Eden , were only 
 to frighten our firfl Parents, whofe diftrefted State flood in need 
 of Divine Supports. To be caft out of Paradife was a Mortifica¬ 
 tion that needed not a fuper-added Terror; therefore to make 
 
 thofe 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 thofe Figures Spectacles of Horror, feems not fa well fuited to 
 Perfons under Circumftances fo inexprefiibly dolorous, tho’ re- 
 ftored to Favour j but might rather be deiign’d to conduCt them 
 to God by Chrifi , the ‘Tree of Life. 
 
 III. IT s ‘very probable a Converfation had pafi between the Wo¬ 
 man and Serpent before the Narrative publijh'd by Mofes. She 
 might upon the firft Approach of the Serpent alk, How a Beaft 
 acquired the Gift of Speaking, which is the Prerogative of Ra- 
 lionals? The Serpent might anfwer, That it was by Eating the 
 Fruit of that Tree. Eve might urge. That God had forbid her 
 to eat that Fruit upon pain of Death. The Serpent might make 
 this Return, viz. What you fay is true ; ’tis allow’d to be the 
 Law under the firft Form of Government, but I am now come 
 from the fupreme Court, to give you Affurance of God’s kind 
 Intentions to advance you to a higher and more noble Station: 
 The Prohibition of this Fruit was only a probationary Reftraint, 
 and temporary. 
 
 Now the End of the firft Inftitution being anfwered, ’tis the 
 Will of our Great Sovereign to take off thofe Reftraints, and 
 make you a free People. Upon the Formation of your Being, 
 he brighten’d your Mind with Rays of great Wifdom; but now 
 the happy Moment is come, in which he purpofes to infpire you 
 with higher Degrees of Wifdom .... By eating this Fruit, your 
 intellectual Powers will be infinitely enlarged; for, ye fall be as 
 Gods , and then all the Endowments and Accomplishments of Na¬ 
 ture will arrive at their full Perfection, which as yet are only in 
 their Embryo. This being only a Supposition, I difmifs it. 
 
 The Serpent having afcrib’d its Reafon, and Speech to the 
 eating of that Fruit, the Woman might infer, If this Fruit did 
 turn a Serpent into a rational Creature, why may it not tranf- 
 form a rational Creature into a God, and a Woman into a Goddefs ? 
 The Serpent had no occafion to fay more ; fir’d with the ProfpeCl 
 of fuch Preferment, flie took the Fruit a?id did eat. Gen. iii. 6. 
 And when the Woman faw that the Tree was good for Food, pleafant 
 to the Eye, and a Tree to be defired to make one wife , fhe did eat. 
 
 N.B. How divine and delightful a Thing is Knowledge, of 
 which Innocency itfelf is ambitious ! Eve thirfted after the higheft 
 Degrees of Knowledge, and made no doubt of obtaining it by 
 
 A a the 
 
 1 77 
 
I78 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 the Serpent’s Inftru&ions; not knowing of any Impoftor, fhe be¬ 
 lieved what the Tempter faid. Satan, by the Serpent, as a Bait 
 propofed Improvement in Knowledge. 
 
 Thus the firft Woman, Head of the human Race, fell a Sa¬ 
 crifice to her own Ambition, fell a Virgin, and in her Infant- 
 State. Icarus , by flying too near the Sun, his waxen Wings 
 melted, and he fell into the Sea, and was drowned. Juftly was 
 he punifh’d, for not obferving his Father’s Will. May I add, in 
 favour of our Mother, that the Law forbidding that Fruit, was 
 not immediately publifh’d to Eve, but receiv’d at fecond-hand 
 from Adam ; and that it can’t be well fuppofed, that fhe knew 
 the various Capacities and Qualities of Brutes, as her Hu (band 
 did. 
 
 But, why does Mofes introduce a Serpent fpeaking, when 
 naturally it was a fpeechlefs Creature ? 
 
 In anfwer to this, may we not obferve, that the Almighty, 
 who has no material Tongue, yet is often introduced, fpeaking 
 with human Voice in the Scripture. The Egyptians made the Cro¬ 
 codile a Symbol of the Deity, giving this as a Reafon why they 
 worfhipped God fymbolically in that Creature, becaufe it refem- 
 bled God, in that it was the only Animal without a Tongue j 
 for the Divine foyos ftands in no need of Speech j he governs hu¬ 
 man Affairs without Words, and without Noife. 
 
 Again, this Dialogue with the Serpent, a known Bead, is 
 very agreeable to a Cuftom among the Oriental Writers, who en- 
 chafe their Hiftories with Ornaments taken from familiar Dif- 
 courfes between Beafts j by which they convey moral Inftrudlions 
 to their Readers: Thus, on a Subject of Craft, they made the 
 Fox to fpeak. 
 
 With what View did the Devil tempt our firft Parents to 
 fin ? I anfwer, ’twas out of defpite to God j i. e. with a defign 
 to rob the Creator of the Glory he propofed to himfelf from the 
 Erection of this new World: He could not attack the Almighty 
 on his Throne, therefore he flrikes at the Footftool. Since he 
 could not reach the Perfon of the Almighty, he wreaks his Ma¬ 
 lice upon his Image , Man ; Man, whole Happinefs, and that of 
 his Defendants, he envy’d j and whom, in particular he hated, 
 as his intended Succeffors to the vacant Seats in the blifsful Re¬ 
 gions above. 
 
 In 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 *79 
 
 I n his Plot againft Adam , the Deceiver was deceived j for he 
 made no doubt but the Sentence of Death would be immediately 
 executed upon Adam and Eve , and upon the Extinction of the 
 human Species, God would lofe all his Honour upon Earth. Why 
 did not he appear to Gur firft Parents in a human Form ? pro¬ 
 bably becaufe he might apprehend, that there was no other Man 
 or Woman, but themfelves. 
 
 Having conlidered Adam in his probationary Capacity, I 
 fhall in the next place obferve thefe three Things, by way of 
 Illuftration. 
 
 1 . IT was mojl congruous that Marisfir(l State Jhould he a St ate of 
 Trial. II. That his Trial Jhould be by the Laws of his Creator. 
 III. That thofe Laws Jhould be inforced by a proper Sandlion. 
 
 I. IT was congruous and fit , our firft Parents Jhould begin their 
 Life in a way of Trials as they were moral Agents: In which Si¬ 
 tuation I apprehend all the Angels to be at firft, to lee how they 
 would behave towards the Great Author of their Being and Blef- 
 fednefs, before they were eftablifh’d. No Creature, as fuch, is 
 capable of Immutability, any more than of Omnipotence. To 
 be naturally, and neceftarily immutable, is the foie Prerogative of 
 the Almighty : The perpetual Duration of created Beings, is not 
 from their Nature, but from the Divine Will. 
 
 Our firft Parents were under a ftrong Guard, and not to be 
 difarm'd without their own Confent; tho’ the Devil, as he was a 
 Spirit, excelled in Power, yet he could not by Force fubdue the 
 weaker Veflel, therefore conducted the bloody Defign by Strata¬ 
 gems. When the Woman was follicited by the Tempter, one 
 ftrong Negative would have put him to flight . A refolute Denial, 
 without any other Means, would have made her victorious, tho’ 
 aflaulted by all the Legions of Hell j therefore, no room to com¬ 
 plain of Deficiency in Divine Goodnefs. 
 
 ’T i s beyond all doubt, that the Revelation given to Adam (as 
 that to Chriftian Churches in After-ages) made it a fundamental 
 part of his Duty, not to attend to any Infinuations contrary to 
 thofe delivered to him by his Creator, tho’ recommended even by 
 an Angel from Heaven: Temptations to forbidden Fruit, how- 
 A a 2 ever 
 
A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 i So 
 
 ever pleafant, fhould not be parley’d with, but peremptorily re¬ 
 jected. 
 
 II. IT was equally proper, that a Creature Jljould be govern'd 
 by the Laws of his Creator j as it implies a Contradiction for a 
 Creature to be independent, which it muft fuppofe itfelf to be, 
 when govern’d by its own Laws. The Will of the Creator was 
 furely the fittelt, for the Obedience of Creatures j one part of 
 which was, that they muft not have an Indulgence of all the 
 Trees in Eden. 
 
 It follows hence, that Self-denial was a Duty in Paradife. 
 Adam was not an abfolute Sovereign to do what he pleafed, but 
 what his Almighty Creator and Patron prefcribed ; tho’ endowed 
 with Reafon, yet was he to govern himfelf by the Will of ano¬ 
 ther, that is, of him who was the Donor. His Reafon was a 
 bright, but borrowed Light, borrowed from the uncreated Sun, 
 therefore ought to move by its Direction. 
 
 T h u s we fee that Reftraints on the human Nature, were ne- 
 ceffary even in Man’s Paradifaical State: To deny Self, was one 
 of the Precepts of Religion in the Garden of Innocence ; nor is 
 this firange, if we confider, that for any rational Creature to live 
 according to his own Will, is to make a God of his Will. 
 
 Why did God forbid the Fruit of one Tree ? This might be 
 to fignify Adatris Dependance upon his Maker, and that he had 
 no Claim to any thing without his Leave : The fovereign Lord of 
 the Creation made over to Adam large Dominions, and the Man- 
 nour of Paradife for the Seat of his Empire, referving nothing to 
 himfelf but a fmall Rent of Acknowledgment, which was only 
 the Fruit of one Tree. The Exemption of this Tree from hu¬ 
 man Ufe, notify’d Man’s Subjection, and God’s fupreme Domi¬ 
 nion. By this Refervation he tried their Obedience, whether 
 they would be content with all the Earth, and Appurtenances 
 thereunto belonging, one Tree only excepted. N.B. This forbid¬ 
 den Tree might have fomething of a natural Tendency to corrupt 
 the animal Juices, and introduce Difeafes and Death into the hu¬ 
 man Nature. If the Tree of Life could immortalize our Exiftence 
 in Happinefs, is it not equally rational to fuppofe the Tree of 
 Knowledge .... would, deftroy it ? 
 
 5 
 
 III. 
 
OF SERPENTS* 
 
 181 
 
 III. THE Laws of Paradife were inforced by a very awful 
 Sandlion , viz. Life a?id Death: The one expreffing fomething 
 moft terrible, the other implying fomewhat vaftly delightful. 
 Threatnings were necefifary Cautions in Paradife : How furprizing 
 this! The firft day of Man’s Life, Man was put in mind of 
 Death, of which the Tree of Life was a Memento. If you eat 
 the Fruit of it, you forfeit your Life, die you mufi without Re¬ 
 medy. This Menace of Death, in the Defign of it, was to guard 
 againft Sin, as that which only could be the Caufe of Death. 
 
 IN the day thou eatefi thereof dying thou fhalt die ; or, die 
 the Death. Behold here! as in a Cloud, the firft Alarm of Mor¬ 
 tality, the firft Inftitution of Funerals, and the melancholy Office 
 of Grave-diggers. Bells from the Pinnacle of the Temple, pro¬ 
 claim it aloud to Man, Dujl thou art , and unto Dujl thou fhalt 
 return. In this paradiiaical Scheme of Government, we find 
 Death to be a near Neighbour to Life: Both the Trees grew near 
 to one another. 
 
 Some have made this Tree of Life a Reprefentation of Chrijl y 
 and if fo, here, as in a Glafs, darkly Man faw his Saviour before 
 he flood in need of him : The Tree of Life planted in the midft 
 of Paradife, was to preferve Adam s Life, and without doubt had 
 done fo, if he had not rebelled. According to a Learned few, 
 the Tree of Life reprefents Piety; and that of Knowledge, Pru¬ 
 dence *. Some of his Countrymen tell us ridiculous Stories about 
 the Tree of Life, viz. That it was of prodigious Size, and all 
 the Water of the Earth guffi’d out at its Foot, &c. 
 
 I t is from the Hiftory of Paradife that pagan Poets took their 
 Neftar and Ambrofia , which were faid to be the Meat and Drink 
 of the Gods; upon which fome put this Conftrudlion, viz. 
 Neftar fignifies young ; Ambrofia> Immortality ; intimating, that 
 in a State of Innocency, the Vigor of Youth would have been 
 immortal. 
 
 The Heathen were not without fome Idea of the Mofaic 
 Creation, and Fall of Man, and of a Woman that brought Sor¬ 
 row into the World; envying, that a Fire, which is the Light 
 of Knowledge, was hid from them .... and alfo of Old-Age, 
 brought in by the Counfel of a Serpent.- 
 
 Philo Judaus -. 
 
 Par a~ 
 
A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 182 
 
 Paradise, in Plato's Sympo/kim , is Jupiter's Garden, and 
 alfo is the Pattern of Alcinous’s Orchards, and the Hefperides : 
 The Golden-Apples kept by a Dragon, were the forbidden Fruit 
 in Paradife : The Fable of Hercules's killing the Serpent of the 
 Hefperides , is borrowed from the Seed of the Woman, breaking 
 the Serpent’s Head. 
 
 What is Ovid's In nova fert animus ? but an imperfedt 
 Tranfcript of MoJ'ess Journal of the Creation, &c. ’Tis laid by 
 Mofes, The Spirit of God moved 071 the Face of the Waters j hence 
 Thales , makes Water to be the firft Principle of all natural Bodies: 
 His Reafons are deliver’d by Plutarch. Homer fays. All things 
 are made of the Ocean. The Chaos, whereof all things were 
 made, according to Hefiod, was Water, Orpheus fays, all things 
 were generated of the Ocean *. Plato's Atlanticus, what is it but 
 a Fable ? built upon Mofes's Hiftory of Noah, and the Flood, 
 and the Caufes that brought it upon the World. 
 
 W h at is the Bacchus of the Heathen, but the Noah of Mo- 
 fes f formerly called Boachus , for Noachus , as might eafily be, 
 miftaking the Hebrew Letters B and N, which are not very much 
 unlike. By Janus and Saturn, Noah is meant; and fome take 
 Jupiter to be Japhet , for tho’ Jovis, and the other oblique Cafes 
 are derived from Jehovah, yet Jupiter is another. The Fable 
 of Heaven being lformed by the Giants, arofe from what the 
 Builders of the Tower of Babel faid, viz. Let us build a City and 
 
 a Tower, whofe Top may reach unto Heaven .But no Man 
 
 imitates the Scriptures more than Homer, who was an inquifitive 
 Traveller into all Countries. But to proceed to the Pagan Ac¬ 
 count of Paradife, and the Fall of Man : 
 
 A Certain Author relates a Difcourfe between Midas 
 the Phrygian, and Silenus who was the Son of a Nymph, inferior 
 by Nature to the Gods, fuperior to Men and Death, thus: 
 
 S ILE NUS told Midas, that Europe, Afa , and Africa were 
 Iflands, furrounded by Water : that there was but one Continent 
 only, which was beyond this World, in which, among other 
 Rarities, were two great Rivers , whofe Banks were cover’d with 
 Trees , one of them was called the River of PleaJ'ure, and the 
 other the River of Grief ..... 
 
 He 
 
 8 mtas'oi-—yevstris ravlevs tstvxtcu » 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 183 
 
 H e who eat the Fruit of the Trees along the River of Plea- 
 fure, was eafed from all his former Defires, and in a fhort time 
 became younger, and lived over again his former Years, caft off 
 Old-Age, and became fir ft a Young-Man, then a Child, and 
 laftly an Infant, and fo died. 
 
 On the other hand, he who eat the Fruit from the Trees by 
 the River of Grief, fpent all his Days in Tears and Troubles, and 
 after many Years of Vexation, dies. 
 
 How romantick foever this Relation may be, it feems to al¬ 
 lude to the Trees and Rivers of Paradife, and to give fome Hints 
 about the Introduction of Death. 
 
 The Indians account for the Fall of Man after this manner : 
 
 - Brama , one of their fubaltern Deities, form’d Man out of 
 
 the Slime of the Earth that was then juft created, and placed 
 him in a certain Situation, which they call Ckorcham , which was 
 a Garden of Delights, abounding with all manner of pleafant 
 Fruit, in which was a certain Tree, whofe Fruit would confer 
 Immortality upon any Perfons that were allow’d to eat it. 
 
 The Gods , fay the Indians , tried all forts of Means to obtain 
 the Privilege of this Immortality; and after great Difficulties, did 
 at laft fucceed according to their Wifh, and found out the Way 
 to the Tree of Life, which was in the Chorcham , and by feeding 
 on its Fruit for fome time, they commenced immortal. 
 
 A Famous Serpent called Cheieu , (probably Guardian of 
 that Tree) perceiving he Secret was difeover’d by the Gods of 
 the fecor.d Rank, was fo enraged, that it fcatter’d a Flood of 
 Poifon over the Plain. All the Earth felt the fatal Effects, and 
 no Man efcaped the Infi-Ction : But the God Chiven 3 took pity 
 on the human Nature, appeal’d in the Shape of Man, and fwal- 
 low'd all the mortal Poilon, wherewith the malicious Serpent 
 
 had infe&ed the Univerfe.This Fable, as ridiculous as it is, 
 
 mu ft have fome regard to the terreftrial Paradife, and can have no 
 other Original but the DoCtrine of Mofes 
 
 Nor were the more weftern Pagans more happy in their Con¬ 
 jectures about the firft Entrance of moral Evil. Prometheus , 
 fay they, having form’d Men out of the Earth and Water, ani¬ 
 mated 
 
 * /.Eliani Sophifla varia Hiftoria, cum Notis , Curavte Gronovio. A. D. 1731. 
 Theepompus is quoted for ir, whom my Author calls fxufloAoyos. Et hac Ji cui fide 
 d'g'ius videiur, ea ?i dr vans Cbius } Hie crsdatur 3 mibi vero egregius ejfie fabulator. 
 vo!. I. Cap. xvui. p.252. 
 
 4 
 
184 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 mated them with Fire, which he ft ole from Heaven. 'Jupiter, 
 the Chief of the Pagan Gods, enraged at this, commands Vul¬ 
 can to make a Woman out of Clay, upon whom all the Gods, 
 out of their high Regard * to the Fair Sex, beftow’d fome 
 of their Perfections. Venus gave her Beauty ; Pallas , Wifdom ; 
 Mercury , Eloquence ; Apollo , Mufick ; and Juno gave her Riches; 
 therefore called Pandora, who was fent by the Gods in revenge to 
 Prometheus, with a Box full of Evils as a Prefent from them, but he 
 was too cautious to receive it ; upon which fhe was to prefent it to 
 his Brother Epimetheus, (fuppofed by fome to be her Hufband) 
 which he had no fooner open’d, but immediately there flew out 
 all kinds of Evil, that foon fcatter’d themfelves over all the Earth ; 
 and at the bottom of the Box, nothing was left but poor Hope. 
 
 Hope, of all Ills that Men endure , 
 
 P’he only cheap and univerfal Cure. 
 
 Hope, 
 
 c Thou pleafant, honejl Flatterer ; for none 
 Flatter unhappy Men, but thou alone.... Cowl. 
 
 The Mahometan Account of Mans Fall , is equally abfurd, as 
 appears from Mahomet Rabadan , &c. thus: -—God made the Crea¬ 
 tion ... the earthly Mafs became an animate Body ... and was called 
 Adam ; God placed him in heavenly Paradife, and left he fhould 
 believe that he had no Superior, God gave him only one Command, 
 the Obfervation of which was very eafy. He forbid him, upon 
 pain of Death, to eat of the Fruit of a certain Tree. Adam wanted 
 a Mate ; therefore God made him fall into a profound Sleep, and 
 took out of his left Side a Rib, of which he formed a very beau¬ 
 tiful Woman, whom he called Eve ,... and order’d Gabriel to go 
 into Paradife, and to celebrate the Wedding of Adam and Eve , 
 being attended with a great many other Angels. 
 
 LUCIFER envying the Happinefs of Man, ufed his ut- 
 moft Endeavours to deprive him of it. Going one day by the 
 door of Paradife, he faid to the Angel who kept it, Give me leave 
 to go in, for I have a Matter of Moment to impart to the Servants 
 of thy Lord. The Angel having denied his Requeft, he defired 
 him to call the Serpent, who was then a very fine Creature. 
 
 The 
 
 # Travels of feveral Mijfionaries into India 3 p. 7. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 The Serpent came, and Lucifer earneftly defired Leave to get into 
 his Body j the Serpent did lo, and placed Lucifer in the Roof of 
 its Mouth, and carried him into Paradife. When he came near 
 the Forbidden Tree, it endeavoured in vain to make Lucifer 
 come out. Lucifer ftuck fall, and forced the Serpent to get upon 
 that Tree, under which Adam and Eve ufed to fit down. Eve 
 was then alone, near the Tree : She faw the Serpent, who fpoke 
 to the Woman in thefe Words, viz. 
 
 Charming Creature, if you would tafte this Fruit, you 
 would be like God himfelf in Wifdom and Knowledge : All the 
 Secrets and all the Myfleries you are now ignorant of, will be 
 manifefted to you. Adam came during the Difcourfe, and having 
 told him what the Serpent had faid, propofed to him to eat of the 
 forbidden Fruit, which after a fhort Paufe he comply’d with. 
 The Tree was a large Vine; Eve took twelve Grains of a Bunch 
 of Grapes, gave eight to her Hulband, and kept four to herlelf 
 
 A t that very moment, Ada?n heard a very terrible Voice , Wo 
 to thee ! haft thou fo Joon forgot the only Commandment thou hadjl 
 promifed to obferve ? how comes it that thou hajl (by thy Greedmefs) 
 polluted the Purity of my Habitation f Adam being confounded, 
 excufed himfelf by laying the Fault upon Eve s who endeavour’d 
 to juftify herfelf by accufing the Serpent. Upon which God 
 ordered the Angels immediately to drive Adam and Eve from 
 Paradife, to fixip them of their Clothes, and take away the 
 Crowns they had on their Heads ———But it is high time to 
 return. 
 
 Satan, who imploy’d the Serpent in his Service, is fuppofed 
 to be punilh’d here under the Figure of a Serpent: But why in 
 the Prefence of our firlt Parents? Perhaps for fuch Reafons as 
 thefe, viz. i. To reproach their Inadvertency forfuffering them- 
 felves to be impofed upon by a lying Spirit, who, if but refilled 
 by a meer Negation, would have fled. 2. To let them fee that 
 no Creature, tho’never fo great, can rebel with Impunity 5 from 
 whence they might conclude, what to expedt from new Provo¬ 
 cations. 3. They had no other way to fee a Spirit punilh’d, but 
 
 B b under 
 
 * Mahometifm fully explained, by Mahomet Rabadan, a Moor of Arragon in 
 Spain, for the lnflruttion of the Moors in that Kingdom , who were then violently 
 perjecuted there. Tranflated out of Spanifj by Mr. Morgan , with a deiign to give us 
 a better Notion of the Mahometans , and to place it in the rich Library of the late 
 Eari of Oxford. Printed A. D. 1724. 
 
 *85 
 
186 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 under fome vifible Form. It could not but give them fome fe- 
 cret Satisfaction to fee their cruel Enemy tremble at the Bar. 
 
 It is obfervable here, that the Promife of the Me/Jiah was made 
 to Adam , before the Almighty paft upon him the Sentence of 
 Death. How furprizing this ! to find the Death of Chrift pub- 
 li/hed, before the Death of Adam was pronounced. The Death of 
 Chrifi , the Innocent ; before the Death of Adam, the Criminal. 
 
 The lafi: Remark I fhall make here is, that the Earth, tho’ 
 curfed for Man’s Sin, ftill puts on the Face of a Paradife, abound¬ 
 ing with an innumerable Variety of good Things ; yea, and thofe 
 fo delicious and pleafant to Mankind, that many wifh to live in 
 it for ever. Thus they confine their Hopes and Fears to the pre- 
 fent State, and are fo far from believing a Life to come, that 
 they can hardly perfuade themfelves to believe, that they fhall 
 leave this prefen t Life. 
 
 A s the Bounties of Providence gives us no room to murmur 
 at our prefent Province or Portion, fo on the other hand, the 
 Toils and Troubles of this State fhould caufe us to afpire after 
 the heavenly Paradife, where no Curfe ever found Accefs, where 
 none of the Thorns of Affliction, or the Briers of Sorrow grow. 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Contents. Of the fiery Serpents that annoy'd the Camp of 
 Ifrael: The ReaJ'on of that judicial Stroke, i. e. Murmuring un¬ 
 der a DifpenJ'ation of Miracles. Why puniftid by Serpents 
 Why called Fiery ? The laft Plague in the Defart. Flying 
 Serpents. 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 I T might be faid with great Propriety of the People of lfraef 
 that they were a Generation of Vipers. Ingratitude, Unbelief, 
 Difcontent and Murmuring, were the dominant Paffions in the 
 Wildernefs j they were always quarrelling with God and Mofes : 
 never eafy, no not under a Theocracy, a divine Government. 
 No wonder that Rage and FaCtion haunt the Dwellings of good 
 
 Princes, 
 
OF SERPENTS, 
 
 Princes, when we find perverfe Spirits have murmur’d at a divine 
 Adminiftration. 
 
 A Magnificent Table was fpread for them in the Wilder- 
 nefs, their daily Entertainments were miraculous ; they were fed 
 by Manna , a delicious Food diftilled from Heaven, admirably 
 fuited to every one’s Palate. He commanded the Clouds jrom above , 
 and opened the Doors of Heaven , and rained down Manna upon 
 them to eat y and gave them the Corn of Heaven *. Wherefore 
 have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the Wildernefs , for 
 there is no Bread , neither is there any Water , and our Soul loatheth 
 this light Bread f : This vain and empty Bread, fay the LXX. 
 
 They were alfo furniffi’d with miraculous Drink , i. e. Water 
 out of a Rock; Water that fwell’d into a River, and follow’d ’em 
 in all their Motions, till they arrived in the Land fiowing with 
 Milk and Honey Terms, that include a Scene of Plenty and 
 Pleafantnefs. 
 
 In all their Traverfes through the Wildernefs, they were al¬ 
 ways under the Guidance and Protection of the Shekina ; by 
 which Word the Jews underftood the Prefence of the Holy Spirit ; 
 of Chrift , fay the Chriftians. The Shekina was the mofl fenfible 
 Mark of the Prefence of God among them, which relied over 
 the Propitiatory, or the golden Cherubims, which adher’d to the 
 Propitiatory or Covering of the Ark ; there the Shekina abode in 
 the Shape of a Cloud. The Rabbins tell us, that it firfl refided 
 in the Tabernacle, and defcended into it in the Figure of a Cloud, 
 on the Day of Confecration. It pall from thence into the 
 SanCtuary of Solomon’s Temple , on the Day of its Dedication by 
 that Prince J j where it continued to the DeftruCtion of Jeru - 
 falem by the Chaldeans , and was not afterwards to be feen there. 
 
 Thus were they conducted and entertain’d by an unintermit¬ 
 ted Train of Miracles. Now to fret and repine in fuch a Situa¬ 
 tion, was a Crime of a high and heinous Nature, no lefs than 
 impeaching infinite Wifdom, and taxing it with erroneous Con¬ 
 duct : If Difficulties occurred in the way, their Duty was Refig- 
 nation , a Temper obvious in Pagans , whofe Religion forbid all 
 indecorous Sallies of the Paffions. 
 
 Bb 2 SO- 
 
 * Ffal. Ixxviii. 23 — 25. f Numb. xxi. 5, 6.—t« «ptw tw Stxnhu —■ 
 
 % Calmet from BuJmj;?, Hifiory of the Jews. 
 
 I 87 
 
188 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 SOCRATES , a Philofopher of Athens , was a Philofopher 
 in Prifon , as well as in the Mufeum: When bound in Fetters, 
 and he had nothing but Death before his Face, he then converged 
 "with his Friends with perfect Equanimity, and without the lead 
 Reflexion upon Fate, upon God , and his Judges , notwithftand- 
 ing his bafe Treatment, and the notorious Injuftice of his Sen¬ 
 tence. The Scripture reprefents Job as a Champion in Affliction, 
 who by his paffive Fortitude under it, became the proper Hera 
 of an Heroic-Poem. 
 
 SECT. II. 
 
 W HT were they punijh'd by Serpents ? 
 
 Perhaps it might be to put them in remembrance of the 
 firft Sin, that was introduced into Paradife by the old Serpent: 
 This kind of Punifflment could not but bring to their Mind that 
 gloomy Moment in which the human Nature was morally and 
 mortally wounded by that evil Spirit, in the Form of a Serpent. 
 This being allow'd, we may infer, that Man’s Memory ftands in 
 need of a Remembrancer, even of Paradife loft. And oh ! who 
 can think of that inexpreffible Lofs, without "dropping a filent 
 and folemn Tear ? 
 
 Some Learned Jews themfelves, fpeaking upon this Subject, 
 fay, the Reafon why they were chaftifed by Serpents, was becaufe 
 they had done the Actions of the old Serpent , in ufing an ill Tongue 
 againfi God , againfl Mofes, and Manna , the Bread of Heaven .. 
 
 sect. nr. 
 
 W HT called Fiery Serpents ? 
 
 A Natural and a moral Reafon may be affigned for it. 
 
 l The facred Volume feems to account for the natural Rea¬ 
 fon , when it fays, GodJent fiery Serpents . The Hebrew word is 
 Seraphim , that is Burners , becaufe they appeared in the form of 
 a Flame . The LXX calls them Serpents of Death *, becaufe 
 their Wounds proved mortal. 
 
 As soon as the People were wounded, their Blood was in¬ 
 flamed, and according to fom o-Jewifh Authors, they wer e fiorch'd 
 
 with 
 
 * 04 >£^' Sai/xtivTcu. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 with infatiahle \Tbirj l . Of the Hebrew word Saraph , the 
 Greeks , by changing the Pofition and Order of Letters, have bor¬ 
 rowed the Name Prejier , which is a kind of fiery venemous Ser¬ 
 pent, called alfo DipJ'as and Caufon , whole Wound is accom¬ 
 panied with a moft vehement Heat and Third:, and generally in¬ 
 curable, as fome have formerly faid. They may be properly called 
 Fiery , as their Colour was glowing, a proper Representative of 
 Fire. In the Wef-Indies art Adders, red as Blood , about feven 
 or eight Foot long, and appear by Night as a burning Coal*. 
 
 2 ’. They might be called Fiery alfo, from a moral Conjidera- 
 tion ; for, that raging Heat in the Body might reprefent the out- 
 ragious Diforders of the Mind, flowing from confcious Guilt, 
 neither of which were the Attendants of an original State. Hence, 
 perhaps, it is that Satan’s Temptations are dyled fiery Darts , be- 
 caule when complied with, they kindle a Fire in the Confcience, 
 a P-rognodick, and Tade of the Unquenchable -}-. 
 
 And indeed, what are all uneafy Senfations, but the Venom 
 of the old Serpent ? thence, that long Train of Complaints and 
 Groans. Remember from whence thou art fallen , is the Language 
 of every Calamity, *but no calamitous Impreflion fo terrible, as 
 that which alarms the Mind about the awful Futurity. Of Sin 
 it is faid, that at lad, it will bite like a Serpent , and fling like an 
 Adder f. 
 
 What fill’d Adams Mind with Horror and Condernation ? 
 What made him run with wild Confuiion among the Trees to 
 hide himfelf? What was he afraid of? He, who was Lord of 
 the Earth, and Image of the Almighty ? Was not he in Paradife, 
 the Garden of God ; whence then this Hidden and mighty Pa- 
 nick ? What produced this great and adonidiing Change in one 
 who had a friendly Intercourfe with God a little before? Oh! 
 ’twas Guilt, Guilt, Guilt. A Confcioufnefs of his iniquitous 
 Compliance with the Serpent. What were thofe anxious dis¬ 
 quieting Thoughts that kindled the Fire in his Bread, but the ve¬ 
 nemous, fiery Darts of Satan ? 
 
 J U DA S is another Example ; a Perfon highly honour’d by 
 Chrid, who made him his Ambaflador Extraordinary to the 
 Houfe of lfrael , and Treafurer of his Houle and Privy Councilor,, 
 
 on. 
 
 *- At I. America, 179. f Ej)h a M. 16, | 3 &>r— •TriTvaxu.fax, - 
 
 t Prov.XSL iii.32.. 
 
19 ° 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 on a fudden falls into Extremity of Anguifh ; and why ? Guilt, 
 Guilt . . . ftruck with Horror of Mind for the Effufion of inno¬ 
 cent Blood ; was arraign’d, and fentenced by his own Confcience, 
 and became his own Executioner: His Guilt was the Wound 
 that bled within, and what Words can defcribe the Agony that 
 made that wretched Man throw himfelf into Hell for Eafe. 
 
 SECT. IV. 
 
 This gloomy Occurrence fell out in the lad: Year of their 
 Pilgrimage. The Wildernefs thro’ which they had travelled 
 abounded with thefe venemous Creatures, but were under the 
 Reftraint of a Jkind Providence, and not fuller’d to diftrefs the 
 Camp of Ifrael till now. Deut. viii. 15. Who led thee through the 
 great Wildernefs , wherein were fiery Serpents a?id Scorpions. 
 
 Thus, for their repeated Provocations, they were purfued by 
 divine Vengeance to the very Borders of Canaan . 
 
 Just as they were congratulating one another upon the glo¬ 
 rious Profpect before them, an Army of venemous Serpents in¬ 
 vade their Camp, and made a terrible Slaughter among them. 
 Little did our firfl Parents fufped a Serpent in Paradife, nor lf'~ 
 rael fuch a Vifit from fiery Serpents upon the Confines of the 
 holy Land, the weftern Border of Paradife. 
 
 This Plague in the Camp, was the laft Punifhment inflided 
 upon the Houfie of Ifrael in the Wildernefs. When they came 
 out of Egypt, it appeared they were about fix hundred thoufand 
 Men, befides Women and Children, and a mixt Multitude: Of 
 that mighty Number, none but two, viz. Jofua and Caleb en¬ 
 ter’d into the promifed Land ; the reft, for their Unbelief and 
 reiterated Offences, perifh’d by the way *. 
 
 * Exod. xii. 37, 38. 
 
 C H A P. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 191 
 
 CHAPTER Iir, 
 
 Contents. 
 
 The flying and fiery Serpents. Ungrateful 1/rael wounded by them , 
 
 and healed by the Figure of a Serpent. God hears the Inter ceflion 
 o/’Mofes, when deaf to the Cries of that rebellious People. Con - 
 jeSf ures why healed by a Machme in the Form of a Serpent. Sin 
 in all its Appearances , the Venom of the old Serpent . The brazen 
 Serpent a Reprefentation of the Meffiab. The Cures wrought by 
 both were by very unlikely Means. The Wonders of Salvation . 
 Why Ifrael was healed by a Serpent made of Brafs ; Opi¬ 
 nions about it. The brazen Serpent was no Talifman ) or a ?na- 
 gical Image. The fatal Cataftrophe of the brazen Serpent. De- 
 flroyed , when abufed to Idolatry. The Serpent fhewed in St. 
 Ambro te’s Church at Milan, for that o/'Mofes, a Cheat. Mar¬ 
 tyrs from the Catacombs of St. Sebaflian. Divine Inflitution ne- 
 cejfary to acceptable Wirfhip. May the DeflruBion of the brazen 
 Serpent , when abufed to Idolatry , warrant us to guefs at the 
 Fate of a CroJ's abufed to Idolatry ! 
 
 SECTION I. 
 
 A MONG Serpents, we find Tome that are furnifhed with 
 Wings. Herodotus who fawthofe Serpents,fays they had great 
 Refemblance to thofe which the Greeks and Latins call’d Hydrcei 
 their Wings are not compos’d of Feathers like the Wings of Birds, 
 but rather like to thofe of Batts ; they love fweet fmells, and 
 frequent fuch Trees as bear Spices. Thefe were the fiery Ser¬ 
 pents that made fo great a Deflrudion in the Camp of Ifrael. 
 
 I n their Extremity, the People addreft their Mediator, Pro¬ 
 phet, and General, MoJ'es , faying, O pray to the Lord that he 
 take away the Serpents from us ! The meek Prophet did fo; the 
 mediatorial Voice reach’d Heaven, and mov’d the Almighty who 
 directs Mofes to make a Serpent ofBrafs, (which was a Figure of 
 the Serpents that plagued the People) and fix it upon the Top of 
 a Pole, confpicuous to all the Affembly, promifing that all thofe 
 who were bit by Serpents, and fhould look upon this brazen 
 
 Image, 
 
 5 
 
192 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 Image, fhould be prefently healed. Aftonifhing Clemency ! The 
 Evens; was anfwerable to this Promife. 
 
 This Method of Cure was new and ftrange ; but he who at 
 firft called the World out of nothing, can with equal Facility 
 command Health out of a Piece of Brafs. Another Obfervable 
 here, is that when the Almighty refufed to hear the Cries of the 
 Wounded in their Diftrefs, he readily hearkened to Mofes’s In- 
 terceffion in their favour. Thus God accepted the Prayers of 
 Job for his three Friends, when he would not regard the Suppli¬ 
 cations they .put up for themfelves. Job lxii. 7, 8. 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 The brazen Serpent was a Figure of the flying Serpent, Saraph, 
 which MoJ'es fixed upon an eredted Pole: That there were fuch,'is 
 moft evident. Herodotus who had feen of thofe Serpents, fays 
 they very much refembled thofe which the Greeks and Lathis 
 xalled Hydrce: He went on purpofe to the City of Brutus to fee 
 thofe flying Animals, that had been devour’d by the Ibidian 
 Birds. 
 
 In Ajiatic-Georgia^ between the Cafpian and Euxine Sea, are 
 found winged Dragons, with anferine Feet and venemous Claws j 
 and fome of them are fortified with more terrible Pedeftals than 
 xthers : their Wings are generally compofed of ftrong nervous 
 Membranes, which when they walk, are fcarcely vifible, becaufe 
 of their ciofe Adherence to their lateral Parts *. 
 
 In the Atlantic Caves, and Mountains of Africa, is an infi¬ 
 nite Number of thefe winged Dragons, whofe Poifon is fo ftrong, 
 that the Flefh of fuch as are wounded by them, immediately 
 grows foft, languid, and incurable f. We read of flying Serpents 
 -tranfported from fome Parts of Arabia into Egypt J 
 
 These alfo have been feen in Florida in America , where their 
 Wings are more flaccid, and fo weak, that they cannot foar on 
 high. Scaliger deferibes a certain flying Serpent that was four 
 Foot long, and as thick as a Man’s Arm, whofe Wings were car¬ 
 tilaginous, or griftiy, ibid. Hiftory accounts for one of thefe fly¬ 
 ing Dragons that was killed in old Aauitania in France , a Pre- 
 
 fenf 
 
 * Paulus Jovius de Pifcibus, cap 23. p. 140. -f- P- Belon in Johnftonus. 
 
 X Tefte Brodseo. * J. Leo’s Hift. of Africa, lib. 6 , & 9. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 fent of which was made to King Francis , as a great Rarity of 
 the Kind. 
 
 JEROM CAR DAN informs us of fome winged Dragons 
 he had feen at Paris , fo nicely preferved, that they very much 
 refembled the Living; they were defcribed with two Feet, weak 
 Wings, a ferpentine Head, and of the Bignefs of a Rabbit. 
 
 Why was the Deliverance of IJ'rael by a Machine made in 
 the Form of a Serpent? Perhaps, thefe ferpentine Strokes might 
 be intended as Emblems, or Memento’s of the fatal Wound in 
 Paradife, where Man’s Nature was firft poifoned by the Devil, 
 who made ule of a real Serpent to feduce our firft Parents. 
 
 What is moral Evil but the Venom of the old Serpent? A 
 Venom as pleafant to the Tafte, as the forbidden Fruit to the 
 Eye, but the End is Bitternefs. And what are Incentives to Sin, 
 but delufive Infinuations of the fubtle Serpent? And what is En¬ 
 joyment, but a pleafing Illufion, which is no fooner grafp’d, but 
 glides away as a Shadow, leaving behind it a wounded Confer¬ 
 ence, direful Apprehenlions and Profpedfs. 
 
 And what are all fenfuai Entertainments but fo many hot 
 Gleams that portend the Approach of warring Winds and Storms ? 
 The Powers of Darknefs that excel in Science, know how to 
 regale the human Mind with pleafant Scenes, and how to divert 
 theSenfes with delightful CharmsCharms that have noExiftence 
 but in a deluded Imagination. 
 
 The Cure by a brazen Serpent, might alfo be to fhew, that 
 the Almighty in relieving diftrefied Supplicants, is not tied to any 
 particular Medium. When the Ifraelites were poifon’d by real 
 Serpents, he heals them by the Image of a Serpent. When he 
 would deflroy Goliah the Tyrant, he does it by a Sling in the 
 Hands of David a Youth, a very unlikely Perfon to encounter a 
 Champion. 
 
 Thus God by the Figure of a Serpent mortifies the Pride 
 of Lucifer , the old Serpent, by which he acquir’d greater Ho¬ 
 nour, than if he had facrificed to.the Fire all the Serpents in the 
 Wildernefs. 
 
 This may further intimate, that Providence may employ the 
 fame Kind of Inftruments, either for the Diiplay of Mercy or 
 Juftice upon Mankind. He who heals and wounds by the Me¬ 
 diation ot Serpents, can turn Bleflings into a Curfe, or enable us 
 to extract Sweetnefs out of the bitter Cup. 
 
 C c 
 
 SECT. 
 
* 94 - 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 SECT. III. 
 
 This artificial Serpent might (as fome have thought) pre¬ 
 figure the MeJJiah , the Healer of fpiritual Maladies. Many take 
 it for a Reprefentation of his Paffionand Crucifixion : The Ana¬ 
 logy may be thus illuftrated, viz. The Gures wrought by the 
 Serpent and the Saviour, deriv’d their Efficacy from Divine Ap¬ 
 pointment. 
 
 If the brazen Serpent had been the mere Contrivance of 
 Mofes , it would not have anfwer’d the Intention : fo all human 
 Inilitutions adopted into Divine Worfhip will be as little avail¬ 
 able to true Happinefs, {Who has required this at your Hand ?) of 
 that Sovereign, who accepts no Worfhip but what has the Sanc¬ 
 tion of his Wifdom and Will. 
 
 Both Cures were performed by the mofl unlikely Means. 
 The Serpent that healed their Wounds, was made of Brafs; a 
 Prefcription in which there was no Probability of producing that 
 happy Effedt: And where was the promifing Afpedt arifingfrom 
 the Manner of our Saviour’s Appearance on Earth ? What great 
 Things could be expedted from a Root of a dry Ground ? How 
 improbable was it that a Perfon fo mean in external Form fhould 
 overthrow the Kingdom of Darknefs, a Kingdom that had been 
 flrengthning its Barriers for about four thoufand Years ? Who 
 could think that he had fuch powerful Interefl in Heaven, who 
 was of no Reputation on the Earth ? 
 
 Behold here a Scene of Paradoxes! Patients recovered by 
 the Death of the Phyfician. Upon Mount Golgotha we fee Pa- 
 radife, loft by the firft Adam , regained by the Death of the fecond 
 Adam Principalities and Powers led captives by a dying Man ; 
 there we fee Life reflored by Death, a Crown of Glory purchafed 
 by an ignominious Crofs. Were the IJ'raelites healed by a Crea¬ 
 ture made in the Likenefs of the Serpent that hurt ? So Men are 
 reflor’d by one made like themfelves. 
 
 How was this miraculous Cnre in the Wildernefs obtained ? 
 It was by an ocular View, that is, by looking at the artificial 
 Serpent. None elfe were entitled to a Relief. Thus Salvation 
 comes by Faith, which in the prophetick Dialedt is reprefented by 
 looking , Ef. xlv, 22. Look unto me and be ye J'aved all the Ends of 
 
 the 
 
OF SERPENTS, 
 
 i 95 
 
 the Earth. The firft Sin enter’d at the Eye j the Woman faw the 
 Fruit was good. Thus our Reftoration to the Divine Favour is 
 by an Eye to Chrift, the Tree of Life , but I mult not ftrain the 
 Metaphor too far. 
 
 SECT. IV. 
 
 Why was the Cure by a Serpent of Brafs ? I anfwer, not for 
 any healing Virtue inherent in that Mineral, more than others, 
 but to demonftrate his Almighty Power, who can fave by im¬ 
 probable Means, or without the Application of any Means. Thus 
 the blind Man was cured by a Piece of Clay temper’d with Spittle j 
 John ix. 6. 
 
 Perhaps, this alfo may refer to our Lord, as he is com¬ 
 par’d to Brafs , which, when poliffi’d, is of a mod: beautiful 
 Colour, exceeding that of Gold. Revel, i. 15. His Feet like 
 unto fine Brafs. An Emblem of the high Qualities that glitter in 
 him, whofe Nature is divinely fair and glorious. 
 
 Those fiery Serpents, as they flew in the Air, might in Co¬ 
 lour refemble that of barnijh’d Brafs , becaufe the Serpent of Mofes 
 was form’d of Brafs , a Metal that in itfelf is no Friend to Health; 
 and fome havefaid, that the Sight of the brazen Serpent ought 
 naturally to increafe the Diftemper of the Wounded, inftead of 
 healing it; and that the Almighty, fhew’d a double Efficacy of 
 his Power, by healing with thofe Means, which ought to have a 
 quite contrary Effedt *. 
 
 T h o’ Brafs in its natural State, may not be propitious to 
 Health, yet when duly prepar’d it is beneficial: The Preparation 
 of Copper has been accounted an univerfal Remedy, and an ex¬ 
 cellent Emetick , having this Angular Virtue, that it exerts its 
 Force , as foon as ever it is taken : Whereas other Emeticks lie a 
 long time dormant in the Stomach, creating naufeous Anxieties, 
 &c. but a Angle Grain of Ferdigreafe immediately vomits ||. 
 
 A Certain learned Gentleman of this Ifland, imagines 
 that the brazen Serpe?it was a kind of Talifman; that is to 
 fay, one of thofe Pieces of Metal, which are cafi: and en¬ 
 graven under certain Conftellations, from whence they derive 
 C c 2 an 
 
 * Buxtorf, Hift. de Serpents reneo. 
 j| Boerbaave’s Method. 
 
A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 196 
 
 an extraordinary Virtue to cure Diftempers, &c. Some impute 
 their Effe&s to the old Serpent, others to the Nature of the Me¬ 
 tal, and to the Influence of the Conflellation. This Author 
 therefore would make us believe, that the brazen Serpent cured 
 juft as the Talifmans cure certain Difttmpers, by the Sympathy 
 there is between the Metals of which they are made, or the In¬ 
 fluence of the Stars under which they are formed, and the Dif- 
 eafe they are to cure. Every one may believe as he pleafes *. 
 
 The Serpent that is always reprefented with Efculapius' 3 1 - 
 mage , and with Salus , the Goddefs of Health, and often with 
 the Egyptian Deities, is a Symbol of Health, or of Healing, very 
 probably derives thofe Enfigns of Honour from the brazen Ser¬ 
 pent of Mofes. 
 
 SECT. V. 
 
 WH A T became of the brazen Serpent at laf f 
 
 I Answer, it was brought into the Land of Canaan as a fa- 
 cred Relick, and religioufly preferved among the IJraelites down 
 to the Time of Hezekiah the King,i as a (landing Memorial of 
 divine Goodnefs to their Forefathers in the Wildernefs; but being 
 abufed by them to Superftition and Idolatry, as appears by their 
 burning Incenfe thereto, it was broke in pieces by the Special 
 Command of King' Hezekiah , who, in Derifion and Contempt, 
 called it Mehujhtan , a Piece of Brafs, a Trifle, a Bauble, Shadow 
 of a Snake. 2 Kings xviii. 4. 
 
 May all the Ecclefiailical Mehufhtans of Babylon , foifted into 
 Divine Worfhip, from theRifing of the Sun, to the Going-down 
 of the fame, meet with the fame honeft and righteous Fate. In 
 the Church of St. Ambrofe at Milan , they pretend to keep a 
 brazen Serpent , which they fhew for that of Mofes , tho’ there be 
 no fuch thing now in being, 
 
 I n the Church of St. Ambrofe there is a Dragon of Brafs on a 
 Column of Marble: Some think it to be that of Efculapius , 
 others an Emblem of that in the Wilaernefs, upon which account 
 many of the Pilgrims and common People worfhip it. The In¬ 
 habitants are very fuperftitious, and fond of holy Fragments, and 
 pretend to have at the Church of St. Alexander , no lefs than 
 144,000 Martyrs from the Catacombs of St. Sebafian. 
 
 The 
 
 * Marjham Canon. Chronic, quoted by Calmer, 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 197 
 
 The Cures effected by the artificial Serpent, derived that 
 Efficacy from the divine Inftitution of that Medium : Had their 
 Prefcription been the tneer Device of Rabbi Mofes , that great and 
 valuable End would not have been anfwered ; therefore, fince the 
 Reafon of that Inftitution ceafed, ’twas highly criminal in them, 
 to make any religious Ufe of it. 
 
 It is the divine Imprefs upon Inflitutions that ufhers in the 
 Bleffings intended by them ; therefore to hope for Acceptance 
 with God on account of meer human Ordinances, (as bowing to 
 Images, to the Altar, to the Eaft, and to make ufe of Crucifixes, 
 Crofies, holy Water) is to hope for what God has never promifed 
 to give. 
 
 N o wonder to fee the brazen Serpent ground to Powder, and 
 the Dull: fcatter’d in the Air, that fo no Fragments of it might 
 remain, when Altars of divine Eftablifhment, and facred to De¬ 
 votion, were intirely deftroy’d, when they made Idols of them: 
 And how a holy and jealous God may refent the Adoration of 
 the Crofs in the Popifo Church , I pretend not to predict, much 
 lefs to determine. This , Deftrudtion of the brazen Serpent, is 
 reckon’d among the good Deeds of King Hezekiah , becaufe it 
 was made a Medium, and Part of Worfhip not preferib’d by di¬ 
 vine Authority. 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 This Chapter begins with the Original of Idolatry , as a Prelimi¬ 
 nary to the Adoration of Serpents, under three Sections. 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 A S introductory to the Divinity of Serpents, I fihall make a 
 brief Inquiry into the Original of facred Images, and Idol- 
 Worihip; the firfl Period of which is hard to trace. 
 
 Some make Cain the firft Founder of it, becaufe of his early 
 Apoftacy from the true Religion; which is not very improbable, 
 fince ’tis faid, He went out from the Prefence of the Lord, . . . 
 
 He 
 
i 9 8 a natural history 
 
 He grew more wicked, and gave himfelf up to all forts of Vio¬ 
 lence 
 
 That the old World was guilty of Idolatry, fome gather 
 
 from Gen. iv. 26. which they fay will bear this Reading-- 
 
 'Then Men prophaned, calling on the Name of the Lord, that is, by 
 Jetting up Idols : Upon which fome of the Rabbins paraphrafe 
 thus, viz. 'Then they began to call Idols by the Name of the 
 Lord: With which agrees the Jerufalem Targum, that fays, That 
 was the Age, in the days of which they began to err, and made 
 themfelves Idols , and called their Idols by the Name of the Word of 
 the Lord -f-. 
 
 So they underftand Gen. vi. n. The Earth was corrupt, that 
 is idolatrous. In defence of this Glofs, they quote the Idolatry of 
 the golden Calf \ which is expreffed by this very Form of Speech, 
 viz. The People had corrupted themfelves. We read Gen. iv. 26. 
 Then Men began to call upon the Name of the Lord. There is no 
 room to doubt, but they called upon God before; the Particle 
 then feems to refer to Enos, which is the next Antecedent : there¬ 
 fore ’tis faid. They now applied themfelves to the Knowledge of 
 the Stars, which they apprehended were eredted for the Govern¬ 
 ment of the World, and confequently might be their Duty to a- 
 dore them as God’s Reprefentatives. 
 
 But the general Opinion is, that Idolatry did not begin till 
 after the Deluge, and that perhaps the Deluge might be one Oc- 
 calion of it; for the old World, as fome fuppofe, was drown’d 
 for Atheifm— which coming to the Knowledge of Noah’s me¬ 
 diate Succeflors, they run into the other Extreme, chufmg rather 
 to have many Gods than no God. 
 
 IDOLATRY is of a more antient Date than Image-Wor- 
 foip: To fee Men kneeling before a piece of Wood or Stone, has 
 fomething fo low and mean in it, that Men were not immediately 
 brought to that abjedt and fcandalous piece of Worfhip. The 
 Sun, Moon, and Stars, were their natural Gods, and ador’d be¬ 
 fore deify’d Men, who were their animated Gods . 
 
 This Deification of Creatures, feems to begin about the time 
 of the Confufon at Babel, or the Difperfion immediately confe- 
 quent thereupon, particularly in the Family of Nimrod, the Son 
 ,of Cufh , Grandfon of Noah. May not we date the Original of 
 
 Paganifm 
 
 * See Cluverius , and Dr. Cumberland. f Schindl, 
 
 4 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 199. 
 
 Paganifm from that remarkable Perfon ? ’Tis the Conjecture of 
 fome, that Nimrod was the firft Man that was deify’d, and pro¬ 
 bably for the important Service he did to his Country, as a mighty 
 Hunter , in deftroying wild Beafts that otherwife would foon have 
 devour’d the Inhabitants, which were not very numerous in thofe 
 days. 'Tis certain, that fuch Benefactors to Mankind were rank’d 
 among the Gods. If fo, who will pretend to lay, our modern 
 Fox-Hunters don't carry one Charadlerijlick of Divinity about 
 them ? 
 
 Some think that the true Religion was univerfal for about 
 four hundred Years after the Deluge, becaufe it does not appear 
 from Abram' s Traverfe thro’ Mefopotamia i Canaan , Philiftia , 
 Egypt , &c. that thofe Countries were Idolaters. Others appre¬ 
 hend Abram himfelf was originally an Idolater, at leaft that Ido¬ 
 latry had overfpread the Nations in his time, for which they quote 
 Jojhua xxiv. 2. Tour Fathers . . . even Ter ah the Father of Abra¬ 
 ham . . . . ferved other Gods. It’s evident from hence, that Ter ah 
 had fallen into Idolatry, and fome are of Opinion, that Abram 
 himfelf was an Idolater, till God made him fenlible of the Vanity 
 of Idol-worfhip, and that it was thro* him that his Father Terah 
 was brought under the fame Conviction, by this Device, viz. 
 
 The Jews fay that Ter ah was not only an Idolater, but alfo a 
 Carver, and Dealer in Images and Idols; that one day when he 
 went a Journey, he left Abram to take care of the Shop ; but 
 Abram being already convinced of the Sinfulnefs of Idols, afk’d 
 all that came to buy Idol-Gods of him, How old are you f They 
 told him their Age ; and he replied to them, This God that you 
 would buy and worjhip , is younger than you are ; it was made but 
 the other day , and of contemptible Matter , therefore believe what I 
 fay t and renounce this vain Worjhip. The Buyers ftruck with 
 Confulion at thefe Reproaches, went away without buying, a- 
 Iham’d of their Stupidity *. 
 
 What might move Men to the firjl Idolatry ? 
 
 Perhaps it might be a frong Attachment to the Senfes , which 
 they made their fovereign Judges in Spirituals: It was hard for 
 vulgar Heads in thofe Days of Dark,nefs to elevate their Thoughts 
 above fenfible Objects. 
 
 Another 
 
 * Fa. Calmet under Ter ah, v©}. xiii. 
 
200 
 
 A 
 
 NATURAL HI STORY 
 
 Another Reafon, may be th q Pride of the human Mind; 
 that is not fatisfied with rational plain Truths, but will adulte¬ 
 rate them with fooiifh Imaginations : Hence it was that they 
 would have fuch Objects" of Wo;fhip, as mightimmediately ffrike 
 their fenfible Powers j nothing would ferve their Turn but a Di¬ 
 vinity vifible to the Eye, therefore they brought down the Gods 
 to the Earth, and reprefented them under certain Images, which 
 by degrees commenced inferior Deities. 
 
 The Egyptian Priefts not being able to perfuade the People , 
 that there were any Gods or Spirits fuperior to Men, were con- 
 ftrained to call down Demons, or Spirits, and lodge them in Sta¬ 
 tues, and then bring forth thofe Statues to be vifible Objects of 
 Adoration, and from hence fprung Idolatry. 
 
 Among the Pagans were various Opinions about religious 
 Images. Some looked upon them as only Representatives of the 
 true God, as Seneca , a Stoick Philofopher, and Plato a Native of 
 Athens , and a noted Academick. 
 
 OTHERS faid, they did not adore material Images, but the 
 Gods in them, into which they were drawn by virtue of their 
 Confecration, or, in a more modern Language, their Canoniza¬ 
 tion *. 
 
 SOME were of Opinion, that after the Confecration of I- 
 mages, the Gods a&ually incorporated with them, or were ani¬ 
 mated by them, as Man’s Body is by the Soul -f*. The vulgar 
 Heathen paid their Adoration to Images as if they were real Godsj 
 which monftrous Practice was ridiculed by the moft fenfible Pa¬ 
 gans, as appears farther on f 
 
 The Ufe and Worfhip of Images has been long, and ftill is 
 controverted. The Lutherans condemn the Cal-vinijls for break¬ 
 ing the Images in the Churches of the Catholicks •, and at the 
 fame time they condemn the Romanics (who are profeffed Image- 
 Worfhippers) as Idolaters. The modern Jews condemn all ]- 
 mages, and fuffer no Pictures or Figures in their Houfes, much 
 lefsin their Synagogues, or Places of Worfhip. 
 
 The 
 
 * AIrnobius , lib. vi. 
 
 f Tiifm?gijlus , a learned Egyptian, a great Philofopher, a great Prieft, and a 
 great Kang. 
 
 if See Lattantius, lib. ii. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 20 l 
 
 The Mahometans have a perfect Averfion to all Images. This 
 is it that made them dedroy mod of the beautiful Monuments of 
 Antiquity, both facred and profane, at Conjlantinople. 
 
 The old noble Romans preferved the Images of their Anceftors 
 with no little Care, and had them carried in Proceffion in their 
 Funerals and Triumphs. 
 
 SECT. II. 
 
 This Part entertains us with various Indances of Pagan Dei¬ 
 fications, viz. of Men, Beads, and Things without Life. 
 
 I. MEN transformed into Gods. 
 
 I Begin with their deified Men, that is, dead Men , who be¬ 
 ing canonized, pad for reputed Gods. Note here, fome are of 
 opinion, that the word God, among the Heathen, did not mean 
 the uncreated eternal Being, but fome mofi excellent fuperior Na¬ 
 ture ; and accordingly, they gave the Appellation of Gods to all 
 Beings of a Rank higher, and more perfedt than Man. 
 
 The principal Gods among the antient Heathens were Jupi¬ 
 ter , Mars, Mercury, Neptune , Apollo , Juno , Vejla, Minerva , &c. 
 The next fort of Gods were called Demy Gods , or Gods adopted ; 
 and thefe were Men canonized and deify’d. Now, as the greater 
 Gods had poflefiion of Heaven in their oven Right , fo thefe lefer 
 Gods had it by Donation, being tranllated into Heaven, becaufe 
 they were Men renowned for their Virtues, and had lived as Gods 
 upon Earth; and thefe at fird were called Feraphim. 
 
 The fird certain Account of thefe we have in Genefis, where 
 ’tis faid, Rachel had (loin her Father's Images. Chap. xxxi. 19. 
 the Feraphim of her Father in the Hebrew, which Laban, (ii. 30.) 
 calls his Gods, Hebr. Eloha. 
 
 The word Feraphim is Hebrew , others fay Egyptian : Be that 
 as it will, we find it about thirteen times in our Bible, and is 
 commonly interpreted Idols , Images, facred, Juperflitious Figures. 
 Spencer maintains the word to be Chaldee, and that thofe Images 
 were borrowed from the Amorites, Chaldeans , or Syrians, and 
 that the Egyptian Serapis is the fame thing with Feraphim of the 
 Chaldeans. 
 
 A Learned Jew fays the Feraphim were in human Shape, 
 and that when raifed upright, they fpoke at certain Hours, and 
 
 D d under 
 
202 
 
 A NATURAt history 
 
 under certain Conftellations, by the Influence of the celeftial Bo¬ 
 dies. R. David de Pomis-. .. . Cyclopedia. 
 
 This Rabbinical Fable feems to be grounded on Zech.x. 2. 
 The Idols (Hebr. Teraphim ) have fpoken Vanity .... Some of the 
 learned Jews will have it to denote the Knowledge of Futurity, 
 and for this Signification they quote Ezek. xxi. 21. The King of 
 Babylon food ... at the Head of the two Ways .. . he confulted with 
 linages ; with Teraphim, fays the Hebrew. 
 
 The fame Rabbi adds, that to make the Teraphim they kill’d 
 a firft-born Child, clove his Head, feafon’d it with Salt and Oil; 
 that they wrote on a Plate of Gold the Name of fome impure 
 Spirit, laid it under the Tongue of the Dead, placed the Head 
 againft the Wall, lighted Lamps before it, prayed to it, and it 
 talk’d with them. 
 
 Others hold, that the Teraphim were brazen Inftruments 
 which pointed out the Hours of future Events, as directed by 
 
 the Stars.-Some think that the Teraphim were Figures or Images 
 
 of a Star engraven on a fympathetic Stone, or Metal correfpond^- 
 ing to the Star, in order to receive its Influences: To thefe Fi¬ 
 gures, under certain Afpedts of the Stars, they afcribe extraordi¬ 
 nary EfFedts. 
 
 This Talifmanical Opinion, fays a Learned Pen*, appears the 
 moft probable . . . All the Eaftern People are ftill much addidted 
 to this Superftition of Talifmans. The Perfatts call them Telejin, 
 a Word approaching to Teraphim. In thofe Countries no Man is 
 feen without them, and fome are even loaded with them. They 
 hang them to the Necks of Animals, and Cages of Birds, as Pre- 
 fervatives again ft Evils. Such were the Samothracian Talifmans, 
 which were pieces of Iron, formed into certain Images and fet in 
 Rings. . . . 
 
 The Labanic Images are fuppofed to be the moft antient, if 
 not the firft religious Images, made of fome precious Metal, and 
 had their Birth in Tabaris Country, that is, Chaldea , o>c Mefopo- 
 tamia. 
 
 From Laban’s Hiftory, it feems as if thefe Teraphim were 
 Pictures or Images of certain Perfons deceafed; that is, they were 
 a fort of Idols, or fuperftitious Figures venerated by them as 
 Demy-Gods. That they were fuch artificial Portraitures of Men, 
 
 5 is 
 
 * Father Dom , Calmet, 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 203 
 
 is evident from that Inftance in Michal , who, to deliver David 
 her Hulband from bloody Aflaffins that threaten’d his Life, laid an 
 Image in his Bed , a Teraphim, fays the Hebrew , that is, a mate¬ 
 rial Image, probably a Figure of Wood, or Sticks haftily made 
 up, dreft in Man’s Clothes, to make thofe fent by King Saul 
 to apprehend him, believe he was fick. 
 
 Why does Laban call them his Gods ? Very probably becaufe 
 he believed they retain’d their Affe&ion for Mankind in the in- 
 vilible World, and being rank’d among the Gods, might be ler- 
 viceable to his Family, therefore adopted them to be Guardians 
 of his Houfe. They were only his domeftick Gods , and not the 
 eftablifhed Gods of the Country; and ’tis very likely they might 
 be the Images of Noah and his Sons ; or fome other illuftrious 
 Anceftors, whom he had chofen for his Tutelary Gods. 
 
 The Scripture mentions another fort of Teraphim , fometimes 
 confulted by the Jews as an Oracle, not imagining that thereby 
 they abandon’d the Worihip of the true God. Such was the 
 Teraphim that Micha made and fet up in his Houfe, and to which 
 he appointed a Priejl of the Levitical Race , with an Ephod or 
 Sacramental Garment, by the Influence of which he flatter’d him- 
 felf that God would blefs his Houfe. This probably might be 
 fome Hieroglyphical Figure , to which the fuperftitious Jews attri¬ 
 buted the Virtue of an Oracle, and the Power of foretelling 
 Things to come : Hence fpeaking Teraphims. 
 
 From thefe Teraphim came the Lares, or the Houfhold Gods 
 of the old Romans, who before the Laws of the Twelve Tables, 
 ufed to bury the Dead in their Houfes ; from whence arofe that 
 great Veneration they had for their Lares and Penates, a kind of 
 domeftick Divinities, worfhip’d in Houfes, and efteem’d Pro¬ 
 tectors of Families, which were nothing elfe but the fuppofed 
 Ghofts of thofe who formerly had belonged to the Family, whom 
 they reprefented by Images, which they placed in the Chimney- 
 Corner, or near their Doors. 
 
 These were alfo look’d upon as Guardians of the Highways, 
 near to which their Images were fix’d for the Benefit of Travellers, 
 therefore call’d Dii Vi ales, Gods of the Roads. ’Tis faid by the 
 Prophet, The King of Babylon flood at the parting of the Way, and 
 confulted with the Images ; with the Teraphim, fays the Hebrew , 
 Ezek. xxi. 21. which the Jewiflo Interpreters fay were prophetick 
 D d 2 Images, 
 
204 
 
 • A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 « 
 
 Images, endued with the Gift of Prediction; fo far from being 
 mere Idols, that they gave out Oracles, and foretold Things to 
 come. 
 
 Some think Laban's Leraphim to be fuch, and that Rachel , 
 having obferved how her Father did divine by them, and fearing, 
 by confulting with them, he might know which way Jacob went, 
 and follow after and murder him j to prevent fo fatal a Cataftrophe, 
 ilie took away his Oracles, 
 
 Those facred Images might, at firft, be made in honour of 
 departed Relatives, or illuftrious Perfons ; but by degrees dege¬ 
 nerated into religious Adoration. Thus the Manes of the Dead 
 were worfhip’d by them under the Figure of their c Teraphim i in 
 fome place of the Houfe, and probably where they had depofited 
 the Remains of their Anceftors, as fome think. 
 
 The Lares were alfo called Penates: To thefe they paid re¬ 
 ligious Homage with Sacrifices; fo the Roman Satirijl fays, and 
 calls thefe Images his dear little Houfe-Gods ; and then obferves, 
 that they were crown'd with Garlands of Flowers in Summer,, 
 and in Winter with Shaving of Horns colour’d. To thefe JVaxen- 
 Gods the Romans addreft themfelves with Offerings of Frankin- 
 cenfe and Cakes *.... 
 
 They were fuppofed to be the Spirits of fuch, who had lived 
 well on the Earth, and in confequence of it, were happy; fo on 
 the other hand, thofe who lived ill here, did after Death wander 
 up and down in Horror, and were fuppofed, by the Vulgar, to 
 be Hobgoblins, call’d Lemures> i. e. reftlefs Ghofts of departed 
 Spirits, who return to the Earth to terrify the Living. 
 
 These are the fame with Larva , which the Antients ima¬ 
 gined to wander round the World, to frighten good People, and 
 plague the bad. All thefe were imagin’d to be the Ghofts of the 
 Dead : They pray’d to the Good for Protection, and facrificed to. 
 the Evil to pacify their Rage: For this reafon they had their 
 Lemur ia or Lemur alia at Rome , where on the 9 th of May , a Feaft 
 was folemnized in honour of the Lemures y and to pacify the 
 Manes of the Dead, efpecially thofe who died without Burial, to 
 prevent their giving difturbance to the Living. 
 
 The 
 
 * Oh parvi noftrique Lares quos thure minuto 
 Hie noftrum placabo, Jovem Laribufque pacernis 
 ; Ttura dabo, atque omnes violas jadlabo colores 
 
 Cundta nitent'-— JaxenaLSat. ix. v. 137. 6c Sat. xii. ‘fl. 89. 
 
 5 > 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 205 
 
 The firft Men that were deified , or made Gods, are fuppofed 
 to be the Heads of Families, Founders of Empires, and Bene¬ 
 factors of Provinces-who, after their deceafe, were highly 
 
 reverenced. Noah and hjs Sons feem to be the firft and chief ani¬ 
 mated Deities of the Pagans, under the Names of Saturn , Jupi¬ 
 ter, Neptune and Pluto ; hence Demons , another Name given to 
 Spirits, which were fuppofed to appear to Mortals, with intention 
 to do them Good or Hurt. 
 
 The firft Notion of Demons, ’tis faid, fprung from Chaldea , 
 thence it fpread among the Perfians, Egyptians .... Pythagoras 
 and Thales were the firft that introduced Demons into Greece y 
 where Plato fell in with the Notion, which he explains thus, 
 
 viz. 
 
 .... By Demons , he underftood Spirits inferior to Gods, and 
 yet fuperior to Men, which inhabiting the middle Region of the 
 Air, kept up the Communication between the Gods and Men, 
 carrying up the Prayers and Offerings of Men to the Gods, and 
 bringing down the Will of the Gods to Men. He allow’d of 
 none but good ones, tho’ his Difciples (finding themfelves unable 
 to account for the Origin of Evil) adopted another kind of De¬ 
 mons, who were Enemies to Man *_ 
 
 The Apocryphal Book of Enoch abounds with the Names of 
 Angels and Devils; but that Book is not of any great Antiquity, 
 tho’ the Prophecy be : it does not appear to have been known by 
 the antient Jews. St. Jude is the firft that cited it. The Autho¬ 
 rity which this fpurious Book of Enoch has received from fome 
 of the Antients, is the reafon of our meeting with feveral of its 
 Opinions, fcatter’d in their Writings. Ibid. 
 
 LACTANTIUS, oneof themofteloquentAuthorsofhistime, 
 (and therefore called the Chriflian Cicero ) was of Opinion there 
 were two forts of Demons, celeftial and terreftrial -jr: The celefiial 
 are the fallen Angels, who having been feduced by the Prince of 
 Devils, engaged themfelves in impure Amours ; the terreftrial are 
 they who iffued from the former, as Children from their Parents: 
 Thefe laft, who are neither Men nor Angels, but a Medium be¬ 
 tween the two Natures; were not plunged into Hell, neither 
 were their Fathers admitted into Heaven : The terreftrial Angels 
 
 are. 
 
 * Gale’s Cjurt of the Gentihi, oarr I. chap. viii. 
 t Chambers’s Cjclopad. Cablet’s Up, Dill, vol i. p. 4,'4 1 
 
20 6 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 are impure Spirits, and Authors of all the Evils committed on 
 Earth *. 
 
 Many of the Antients have allotted to every Man an Evil 
 Angel, who is continually laying Snares for him, and inclining 
 him to Evil, as his Good Angel does to what is Good. The 
 Jews have Bill the fame Sentiments at this day. Another Father 
 thinks, that every Vice has its Evil Angel, prefiding over it;’ as 
 the Demon of Avarice, the Demon of Pride, of Uncleannefs ■f\ ... 
 
 In Pagan Theology , nothing more common than thofe good 
 and evil Genii, and the fame fuperftitious Notion got among the 
 Ifraelites , by Commerce with the Chaldeans ; but I don’t appre¬ 
 hend that by Demon, they meant the Devil, or a wicked Spirit, 
 tho’ it be taken under that Idea by the Evangelifts, and alfo fome 
 modern Jews\. 
 
 W e are not without fome Remains of thofe antient Reprefen- 
 tations: Among the various Rarities in the Mufaum at Leyden in 
 Holland is the Effigies in Sculpture of Ofiris , the Egyptian God ; 
 Tis made of Wood, and now almoft confum’d with Age : There 
 are three other Egyptian Idols of Stone; an Image of IJis (who 
 married Ofiris, King of the Country) giving fuck to her Orr. 
 Another Effigies of I/is, the Egyptian Goddefs , upon a little Egyp¬ 
 tian Coffer, containing the Heart of an Egyptian Prince embalm’d 
 therein. 
 
 The antient Pagans, had almoft as many Goddejfes as Gods ; 
 fuch were Juno, the Goddefs of Air, &c. Queen of Heaven, and 
 of the Gods ; was reprefented fitting on a Throne with a Crown 
 of Gold on her Head : This was the Patronefs of the female Sex. 
 Every Woman had her Juno, or Guardian ; as every Man had 
 his Genius. She was the Goddefs of Marriages, which were not 
 deem’d lawful without the Parties firft addreft her. One Branch 
 of her Office was to attend them in Labor, when they pray’d. 
 Help, Juno Lucina ||. 
 
 She was ador’d by all Nations; her Temple was open on the 
 Top and had no Doors, it being impious to think of confining 
 the Gods to a narrow Inclofure. Yea, many of the Antients 
 would eredt no devotional Temples, from a Perfuafjon that the 
 
 whole 
 
 * Lattantius, lib. ii. cap. 14. Lugd. Eat. 1652. 
 -f Origen. Homil. xv. injofh. Calmet. ibid. 
 
 1 Cyclopedia. |j Juno L'icina fer opem. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 207 
 
 whole World is th£ Temple of God. The Sicyonians would build 
 no Temple to their Goddefs Coronis: Nor would the Athenians 
 eredt a Statue to the Goddefs Clemency , who they faid was to live 
 in the Hearts of Men , not within Stone-Walls. The Goddeffes 
 were numerous, but I fhall add no more. 
 
 They did not only enroll Men and Women among their Gods, 
 but they had alfo Hermaphrodite-Gods . Thus Minerva , accord¬ 
 ing to feveral of the Learned, was both Man and Woman, and 
 worshipped as fuch under the Appellation of Lunus & Luna. 
 Mithras , the Perfan Deity , was both God and Goddefs j there 
 were Gods of Virtue, Vice, Time, Place, Death... . Infancy. 
 Not Men only, but every thing that relates to Mankind, has alfo 
 been deified, as Infancy, Age, Death, Labor, Reft, Sleep, Virtues, 
 Vices, Time, Place .... Infancy alone had a numerous Train of 
 Deities. They alfo ador’d the Gods of Health, Love, Fear, Pain, 
 Indignation, Shame, Renown, Prudence, Art, Science, Fidelity,. 
 Liberty, Money, War, Peace, Victory. 
 
 Thus we have feen, that nothing more common among Pa¬ 
 gans, than to place Men among the Number of Deities; yea, 
 fome of them would not wait for their Deification till Death. 
 Thus Nebuchadnezzar , King of Babylon , procured his Image to 
 be wor/hipped while he was living. Thus Augujlus had Altars 
 eredted and Sacrifices offered to him while alive. He had Priefts 
 called Augujlales , and Temples at Lyons , and feveral other Places. 
 He was the firft Roman who carried Idolatry to fuch a pitch: 
 Having in a moft refpedtful manner view’d the embalm’d Body 
 of Alexander the Great, was afk’d, if he would fee Ptolemy’s alfo ? 
 he anfwer’d, His Curiofity was to fee a King , not a Man. His 
 Favourite-Poet complements him with the Title of God*. Yea, 
 the Ethiopians deem’d all their Kings Gods. 
 
 II. Inanimate Things turn’d into Gods. 
 
 Things without Life were made into Gods by the Heathens: 
 The Sun, Moon,, and Stars feem to be the firft Idols, or falfe 
 Gods, to whom they paid a divine Regard. Pofidonius defines a 
 Star, a divine Body. The Zabii eredted Images to the Stars, 
 which they fancied to be lo many Gods, and that they influenced 
 the Images confecrated to them ; yea, and communicated the pro— 
 phetick Spirit to Men. 
 
 *•-Deus nobis hxc otia fecit. 
 
 T h e- 
 
208 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 The Sun and Moon were by the idolatrous lfraelites called the 
 King and ^ueen of Heaven, and the Stars were fuppofed (as it 
 were) to be their Militia, form’d for their Guards, with which 
 they were always furrounded. 
 
 PHILO of Alexandria , (called Philo the Jew, a Platonick 
 Philofopher) imputes to the Stars a great part of whatever happens 
 on the Earth 5 and fays, they are not only Animals, but even 
 moft pure Spirits; that our Air is replete with Animals and Spi¬ 
 rits, which are continually defcending to animate Bodies. He 
 had borrow’d thefe odd Notions from his Mailer Plato , Chief of 
 the Academicks. Origen one of the Fathers, who flourifh’d in 
 the third Century, was guilty of the fame Miflake *. 
 
 The facred Books, in fome places, feem to afcribe Knowledge 
 to the Stars, when they praifed God at the beginning of the 
 World, y^xxxviii. 7. but the Stars were not then created, there¬ 
 fore it’s generally fuppofed they were Angels , Since then the Sun, 
 Moon and Stars are excited to praife the Lord ; the Moon with¬ 
 drew its Light, and the Sun flopt its Courfe at the Command of 
 JoJhua . . . and perhaps one reafon of their ftrange Opinions about 
 the heavenly Bodies, might be owing to thefe and the like Ex- 
 preflions; not knowing that thefe Words were meerly popular, 
 and not to be underflood literally, for then we muft fay that the 
 Earth, the Trees, the Waters, are animated, fince we find in 
 Scripture fomp Exprefiions that would inlinuate as much. 
 
 The Arabians who fprung from IJhmael, worfhipped the Sun, 
 Moon and Stars, in which they were conducted by their Priefls 
 who were cloathed in white Veflments, wearing Mitres and 
 Sandals, which at full were only Soles tied to the Feet with Strings. 
 In Authors that fpeak of ecclefiaflical Rites, and Ornaments, 
 we find the word Sandals to fignify a valuable kind of Shoes, 
 worn by the Prelates at Solemnities -fa 
 
 W e find Sandals alfo ufed by the Ladies, very different in 
 form: When Judith went to the Camp of Holofernes, fhe put 
 Sandals on her Feet, at the fight of which he was captivated ; 
 for ’tis faid. Her Sandals ravijh'd his Eyes. Thefe were a magni¬ 
 ficent fort of Stockens, like Bufkins, of an extraordinary Beauty^, 
 
 and 
 
 * Philo Leg. Alleg. Origen. t I. Maimoti. in Calmet’. under the word Star. 
 -f- Benedict us Bauduvuius de Calceo An. iquo. 
 
 X Judith x. 4. 
 
OF SERPENT Si 
 
 209 
 
 and were proper only to the Ladies of Condition, who generally 
 had Slaves to carry them. 
 
 N. B. The real Buskin was the Cothurnus , a very high Shoe 
 rais’d on Soals of Cork, wore by the ancient Actors in Tragedy, 
 to make them appear taller, and more like the Heroes they re- 
 prefented, moft of whom were fuppofed to be Giants. 
 
 The Perf,ans had no Temples, Altars, nor Images, holding 
 fuch little Things improper for the high Gods. Therefore they 
 worfhipp’d upon the Top of Hills, where they offer’d Sacrifices 
 to the Sun, Moon, and Stars. The Babylonian* adored the 
 Sun, to which the King offer’d every Day a white Horfe 
 richly furnifh’d : The Sun was in high Efteern among the Phe- 
 nicians , whofe Priefts were crown’d with Gold. The Tartars and 
 Catbaians worfhip the Sun, and Stars, ? to which they offer the firft 
 Fruits of their Meat every Morning before they eat and drink 
 themfelves. They have divers Monafteries of Idols, to whom 
 they dedicate their Children. 
 
 I n Nova Zembla there is no Religion prefcrib’d by Law, but 
 they worfhip the Sun , fo long as ’tis with them, and the Moon 
 and North-Star in its abfence. In China are great Numbers of 
 facred Temples, where the Priefts have fo much Power over their 
 Gods, that they may beat them when they don’t anfwer their 
 Expedition : Their chief Gods are the Sun, Moon , and Stars , 
 where they are not chriftianis’d. 
 
 In the Philippme ljlands , the Natives worfhip the Stars , 
 which they hold to be the Children of the Sun and Moon : Their 
 Priefts, for the moft part, are Women. The Japonians worfhip 
 an Image, with three Faces, by which they mean, Sun, Moon, 
 and the elementary World *. 
 
 In America their chief Deities are the Sun and Moon; which 
 they honour with Dances and Songs. In Virginia and Florida , 
 when they eat, drink, and facrifice, they ufe to throw up to¬ 
 wards the Sun, fome part of their Food : The Spaniards taking 
 Advantage of this Superftition, made the poor ignorant People 
 believe they were Meflengers fent to them from the Sun; where¬ 
 upon they fubmitted to the Spanijh Yoke. Hacluyt , ibid. At 
 Mexico , when they facrificed a Man, they pull’d out his Heart, f 
 and offer’d it to the Sun. 
 
 E e In 
 
 * Atofta } and Jefuits Ep. in R. Oliver. Noon’s Navigation. 
 
210 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 In South-America, they worfhip evil Spirits in various Forms, 
 and Sun and Moon. When it thunders, and lightens, they lay 
 the Sun is angry with them : When the Moon is eclipfed, they fay 
 the Sun is angry with her. 
 
 In Peru, next to their chief God, they worfhip’d the Sun, 
 and after it, the Thunder. They took Sun and Moon for Huf- 
 band and Wife. In the feventh Month they facrificed to the Sun, 
 and in the tenth to the Honour of the Moon. 
 
 The fame Paganifm was profeft among the Europeans, yea 
 the Greeks and Romans that were the moll; knowing and polite Na¬ 
 tions, their chief Gods were Sun, Moon, and Stars. 
 
 The Air, and Meteors in it, were made into Gods: Thus 
 the Perfians ador’d the Wind j Thunder and Lightning were ho¬ 
 nour’d under the Name Geryon. Comets and the Rainbow alfo 
 have been prefer'd from Meteors , to be Gods, Socrates deify’d the 
 Clouds, if Credit may be given to Arijiophanes. 
 
 Their high Veneration for Water was fuch, that to fpit, to 
 urine, or walh in a River was made a high Crime ; perhaps, the 
 Water of Jealoufy that determin'd the Cafe about the JewiJJo Wo¬ 
 men, fufpedtedof Adultery, might heighten their Veneration for 
 this Element. 
 
 I n Sicily , Rivers were worlhipped by the Agrigentes (in the 
 lhape of a beautiful Boy) to which they facrificed... The Cathai - 
 am worfhip Earth and Water. 
 
 The Indians count the River Ganges facred, and to have a 
 Power of expiating their Sins. When the Idolaters wafh in it, 
 they cry, Oh Ganges,purify mel And when any are fick, they dip 
 them in it, in order to recover their Health. The Water of this 
 River is convey’d to fuch as live at a diftance, and are not in a 
 Capacity to travel j fo that they afcribe as much Virtue to this 
 River, as the Papifts do to their holy Water, and chief Relicks. 
 
 The People of Bengal don’t only worfhip the River Ganges , 
 but give Divine Honours to its Image. Bernier fays, that King¬ 
 dom is well water’d by Channels cut out of the Ganges , which is 
 vilited by many Pilgrims, who think themfelves happy if they 
 can wafh in it. There is alfo a Well in that Country, which 
 they adore, and think, by wafhing therein, they are purify’d from 
 their Sins. Their Priefts travel about with the Water of the 
 Ganges, which they fell at vaft Prices j becaufe the poor igno- 
 
 5 rant 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 211 
 
 rant People are made to believe,'that by drinking this Water, they 
 obtain Pardon of their Sins. 
 
 T he Inhabitants of Peru in America^ fling the Allies of their 
 Sacrifices into the River, follow the fame fix Leagues, and pray 
 the River to bring that Prefent to Virachoca , a Superior Deity. 
 
 Acojla. 
 
 The Per fans and Chaldeans exprefs their God by Fire , to 
 which they perform Adoration, and bring it Food, crying to 
 it. Eat , Oh my Lord Fire! To throw dead and dirty Things 
 into the Fire, yea to blow it with their Breath, was HighTreafon. 
 
 The Magicians fay, that this Fire was convey’d to them from 
 Heaven ; and that it was for this Reafon that they kept it fo re- 
 ligioufly. That they preferve a conftant Fire on their Altars, is 
 evident from Hiftory. They are faid to have Fires ftill fubfifting, 
 which have burnt above a thoufand Years. We read of fuch Fire 
 kept up with fuperftitious Care in the Temple of Jupiter Ammon , 
 and in that of Hercules at Gadis. So it is in Egypt , and in moft 
 of all the eaftern Countries, and Virgil tells? that Iarbas the Ge - 
 tulian could boafl: of a hundred Temples he had eredted with 
 Altars, blazing with perpetual Fire, the eternal Guard of the 
 Gods *. 
 
 That which gave occafion to perpetuate the Fire in Pagan 
 Temples, might be from the perpetual Fire kept in the Temple 
 at Jerufalem, which defcended from Heaven upon the firfl Vic¬ 
 tims facrificed by Aaron and his Son. Hence the Vejlals were ap¬ 
 pointed exprefs, to keep up the facred Fire of the Romans. 
 
 The Kings of Perfia never went abroad without havingfome 
 Portion of the facred Fire carried before them : The Hiftorian 
 giving an Account of the March of Darius's Army, —. fays, that 
 they carried Fire upon Altars of Silver, in great Ceremony,——that 
 they had it in great Veneration, calling it the facred and eternal 
 Fire , and that the Magi came after, finging Hymns according to 
 the Perflan Mode *j\ 
 
 God appear’d to Mofes under the Form of a Fire burning in 
 a Bufh. The Camp of Ifrael in the Wildernefs was condu&ed 
 in the Night by a Pillar of Fire. Now God having made feveral 
 
 E e 2 Re- 
 
 * Centum aras pofuit, vigilemque facraverat ignem, 
 
 Excubias divum aeternas. Virg. i*£neid. 4. 
 
 + Quint. Curtius, lib. i, Hyde de Perf Relig. c. iii. p. 69 
 
212 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 Revelations of himfelf, under the Appearance of Fire, might give- 
 occafion to the Chaldeans and Perjians to entertain fuch enormous- 
 Veneration for Fire, which is a Symbol of the Deity: The Lord 
 thy God , fays MoJ’es, is a confumingFire. At their high Solemni¬ 
 ties they fet feveral Trees (hung with diverfe Sorts of Beafts for- 
 Sacrifice) on fire; this they did after they had carried about 
 thefe Fires in Procefiion. 
 
 I Shall add here, a remarkable Contefi: that happen’d be¬ 
 tween the Chaldean and Egyptian Priefis about the Superiority of 
 their Gods .... In the time of Conflantine the Chaldean Priefts, to 
 prove that Fire , which was their God, excelled all other Gods 
 in Power, traveled over the Earth, carrying Fire with them,., 
 which foon confum’d all the Statues and Images of other Gods;, 
 whether of Brafs, Silver, Stone or Wood, fays Suidas *, who 
 gives a large Account of it, under the Word X«VW 7 T 0 f. At length 
 coming into Egypt , and making this Challenge; the Egyptian. 
 Priefis agreed upon a Battle of the Gods , and immediately brought 
 into the Field one of their Idols, which was a large Statue of 
 Nilus, full of Water, and full of little Holes, which they ftopt 
 with Wax not difcernable, and fo- artificially, that the Water 
 was kept in. 
 
 The Chaldeans (not aware of this Device) begun the Addon, 
 with much Afiurance, and with Eagernefs put Fire around the 
 Egyptian Statue , which foon melted the invifible Wax, and the 
 Water gufhing forth from all Parts, immediately put out the Fire,, 
 and drown’d the hitherto invincible Deity of the Perfans ; the 
 Tragedy ended in a triumphant Shout of Laughter among the 
 Spectators: And I might add -f* how the Arabians and Indians ; 
 Peruvians , Lithuanians , and Vandals worfhip’d Vegetables,—— 
 the Scythians Iron. Trees and Plants have been made Gods. 
 Leeks and Onions were Deities in Egypt. The ancient Gauls 
 and Britons bore a particular Devotion to the Oak ; from which 
 their Priefis took their Names. Ceres and Proferpina , woifhip’d 
 
 by the Ancients, were no other than Wheat, Corn, Seed.-The 
 
 Syrians and Egyptians ador’d Fiihes. What were Tritons , Nee- 
 reids , Syrens , but Sea-Gods? Infects,.as Flies, and Ants,had their 
 
 Priefis 
 
 * Vol. I pag. 1368. 
 
 f Ruffin. Hift. Ecclefiaftica, lib. 2~ Stanley's Lives of the Philofophers, pact 16. 
 chap. 8. page 28- 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 213 
 
 Priefts and Votaries : Yea, Minerals were eredted into Deities. 
 The Finlanders ador’d Stones. I don’t fee what can be faid for 
 fuchan Inftance of Stupidity. To fay the Practice took its rife 
 from Abram s anointing the Stone that he made ufe of for a Pil¬ 
 low, when he went to MeJ'opotamia , does not leflen the Reproach.. 
 The Mahometans think that 'Jacob' s Stone was convey’d to the 
 Temple at Jerufalem ; and is Hill there in a Mofque or Turkijh 
 Temple, where the Temple at Jerufalem flood before the final 
 Defolation. The monftrous Stupidity of Pagans in their Devo¬ 
 tions will further appear in the Clofe of this Performance. 
 
 Now among all thefe Inftances of Idolatry, the Adoration of 
 the Sun was the mofl excufable; for, who can behold that ftu- 
 pendous Globe of Fire and Light in perpetual Motion, Splendor, 
 and univerfal Ufefulnefs to Mankind, without awful Admiration, 
 and warm Emotions of Mind? No wonder then to find that it has 
 been the Objedl of Adoration fo long, and in fo many Places. It 
 was the Sun very probably that was worfhip’d by the Phoenicians 
 under the Name of Baal , by the Moabites under the Name of 
 ChemoJh, by the Ammonites under the Name of Moloch ; by the 
 degenerated Ifraelites by the Name of Baal y the King of the Hoft 
 of Heaven, to whom they join’d the Moon, whom they called 
 Ajlarta or Queen of Heaven. 
 
 Th is Worfhip was perform’d upon high Places, in Groves, 
 and upon the Roofs of their Houfes, which in thofe Countries, 
 were flat. It was againft: this kind of Worfhip that Mofes warn’d 
 the Ifraelites , and threatens the Tranfgreflors with Death. Deut a 
 iv. 19. ’tis faid Jofiah King of Judah took away the Horjes, that his 
 Royal Predeceflors had given to the Sun, and were fix’d at the 
 Entrance into the Houfe of the Lord, and burnt the Chariots of 
 the Sun with Fire. 
 
 III. Animal Gods k 
 
 I n the next place, I fhall briefly touch upon fome Brutes and 
 Birds, &c. that received Divine Honours from the Pagan People, 
 and even from thofe who were fuppofed to excel their Neigh¬ 
 bours in Underftanding and Wifdom. 
 
 Thus Crocodiles , Serpents , Eagles , Dogs, Cats , Wolves, Oxen, 
 were vvorfhip’d by the People of Egypt , thofe celebrated Sons 
 
 of 
 
214 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 of Wifdom •, but their greated Solemnities were confecrated to 
 the God Apis, or Serapis, under the Image of an Ox: or Bull. 
 
 They had an Ox confecrated to the Sun, which they fed at 
 Heliopolis in Egypt: They had another called Apis , dedicated to 
 the Moon, and fed at Memphis , (for fome time, the royal City) 
 where he had his Temple, and the Devils gave out their Oracles. 
 In the time of St. Jerom , who flourifh’d in the fourth Century, 
 they worfhipped here a brafs Bull as a God. 
 
 The famous God Ofris was adored under the Figure of this 
 Beaft, and when dead, it was buried with great Solemnity and 
 Mourning: And ’tis obfervable, that his Birth-day was celebrated 
 thro’ the whole Kingdom. N.B. ’Tis very probable, that the 
 Ifraelites worfhipped the golden Calf in the fame manner as the 
 Egyptiajis did their Bulls, their Cows and Calves. 
 
 Before I proceed, give me leave to fpeak fomething of this 
 golden Idol, which was the Figure of a Calf, which the Ifrae - 
 htes cad, and fet up to worfhip in Mofes 's Abfence; who, upon 
 his return from the Mount, burnt the Figure, ground it to Pow¬ 
 der, and made the People drink it mixt with Water, Exod. xxxii. 
 The Learned are divided in their Sentiments on this Article} that 
 is, the golden Calf, that was burnt and pulverized. . 
 
 T o pulverize Gold and render it potable, is an Operation in 
 Chymidry of the lad Difficulty} and ’tis hard to conceive how 
 it fhould be done at that time, before Chymidry was heard of, 
 and in a Wildernefs too, where they had no proper Indruments. 
 Many therefore fuppofe it to be done by a Miracle. But the chy- 
 mical Art feems to be of greater Antiquity, and was very pro¬ 
 bably pra&ifed in the antediluvian World by Tubal Cain. Mo¬ 
 fes is the next Chymid mention’d in the Bible, whofe Skill in 
 chymical Operations, in pulverizing the golden Calf, feems to be 
 incontedable, and artificial. 
 
 The Art is now much improved. Bid a Chymid convert 
 Gold into Glafs} and by means of a burning Concave, or other- 
 wife, he prefently does in Afk him to fhew you Gold in Powder, 
 and by mixing a little Antimony with that Metal, he will foon 
 render it pulverable *. 
 
 B u t to return : Among other living Creatures, the Egyptians 
 alio paid a great Devotion to Dogs and Cats . We read of a cer¬ 
 tain 
 
 * Boerhaave’s new Method. ProceJ. 2(53, 31** 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 tain Roman Soldier, that was like to be torn to pieces by the Peo¬ 
 ple, for having kill'd a Cat by Accident and that when a Dog 
 happen’d to die, the whole Houfe went into Mourning*: Yea, 
 in cafe of a great Famine, they would eat Man’s Fleih, before 
 they would touch their facred Animals; ibid. The Stork, Ra¬ 
 ven, Eagle, Hawk, Ibis, and other Birds, have had divine Ho¬ 
 nours paid them in Egypt and other Places. 
 
 The City of Mendez in Egypt worfhipped a Goat ; the City 
 of Mira , the Crocodile. In other Provinces they eredted Altars 
 to Lions, Baboons, Wolves .... The Hog was ador’d in the Bland 
 of Crete (now Candy) in the Mediterranean. Bats and Mice 
 had Altars confecrated to them in Proas and at Tenedos. 
 
 Nothing can be fuppofed more ridiculous than the Adora¬ 
 tion given by the Egyptians to their brutal Deities, which were 
 either within or near their Temples j had Tables with delicious 
 Meats and Beds prepared for them, and when any of them died, 
 they went into Mourning, prepared fumptuous Funerals and 
 magnificent Tombs for them, as may be feen at large in Diodorus 
 Siculus , Herodotus , and others -f*. 
 
 Some indeed ridiculed their fenfelefs and ilupid Neighbours, 
 tho’ they themfelves were not Mailers of fuperior Senfe in their 
 Devotions. Anaxandrides reproaches the Egyptians for their 
 wretched and fooliih Idolatry; but after all, this was only one 
 Idolater deriding another. Dionyjius was the moil notorious this 
 way: And moil knaviih in this kind was the Painter , who, 
 when he ihould have drawn the Picture of J'uch a Goddejs for a 
 Grecian City, drew the Picture oj his own Mijlrefs , and fo made 
 her to be adored by the Citizens. 
 
 What Man could have forbore laughing, faid the Greek 
 Poet above, to fee an Egyptian on his Marrowbones , praying to an 
 Ox as to a God , or howling over a Jick Cat, fearing lejl his feral ek¬ 
 ing God Jhould die ? 
 
 Upon the whole, ’tis no eafy matter to difeover the real Sen¬ 
 timents of the Heathens about their Gods: they admitted fo many 
 fuperior and inferior Deities, who ihared the Empire, that all 
 was full of Gods. 
 
 Some of the Antients fay, that a certain fubtile Matter that 
 made Stars intelligent , did relide in their facred Animals, Plants 
 
 and. 
 
 f Plut. Herodot. Jurieds Critical Hijtcry. 
 
 * Diodor. Siculus , Herodot. 
 
A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 2 s 6 
 
 and Men, and efcaped Death: And this made them fit to par¬ 
 take of fuch Worfhip, as they gave to the Stars.—- Sanchoniatho 
 meant only, that the celeftial Bodies are intelligent, and fee what 
 is done here below, and therefore were to be adored as Gods 
 
 SECT. III. 
 
 Adoration ^Serpents. 
 
 The next thing that comes under Confideration is, the Wer- 
 /hip of Serpents , which is obferved thro ’ all the Pagan Antiquity. 
 
 The Devil, who, under the Shape of a Serpent, tempted our 
 firft Parents, has, with unwearied Application, labour'd to deify 
 that Animal, as a Trophy of his firft Victory over Mankind. 
 The Conqueft made by the old Serpent in Paradife , and the won¬ 
 derful Cures made by the Shadow of a Serpent in the Wildernefs^ 
 contributed very much towards making that hateful Creature fo 
 venerable in the Eyes of fo many Nations. 
 
 God having paft Sentence upon the Serpent, Satan confecrates 
 that Form in which he deceived the Woman, and introduces it 
 •into the World as an Objedt of religious Veneration : This he did 
 with a view to enervate the Force of the divine Oracle, the 
 Seed of the Woman. Scarcely a Nation upon Earth, b«t he has 
 tempted to the grofleft Idolatry, and in particular got himfelf to 
 be worfhipped in the hideous Form of a Serpent. 
 
 The Almighty forefeeing this general Delufion, guarded the 
 World againft it, by infpiring Men with the greateft Averfion to 
 that venemous Creature, and yet was the Tempter ador’d in moft 
 places under the Appearance of a Serpent. If you fay, that Men 
 worfhip other Creatures j I anfwer, Thofe are beneficial to Man¬ 
 kind, and not fo odious and hurtful as thofe who carry Poifon 
 in their Tails and Teeth. 
 
 How furprizing this! that a Serpent, a Beaft to which Man¬ 
 kind has a ftrong natural Averfion, fhould be adord by Creatures 
 of Reafon , and yet nothing more common , as will appear by the fol¬ 
 lowing Inftances from Antiquity. 
 
 EGTPF was a Country that abounded with Variety of Ser¬ 
 pents, and where they were generally held in the greateft Vene¬ 
 ration. The fupreme God was reprefented by them in the Form 
 
 of 
 
 Sanchoniatho’s Vhmniciaji H<ft. by the Learned Bp. Cumberland , vol. i. p. 20,21. 
 
 V 
 
OF SBRPENT& 
 
 ■of a Serpent with a Hawk’s Head, becaufe of the wonderful 
 Agility of that Bird. We fee no Table of OJiris and IJis, two 
 Egyptian Idols , without a Serpent joined to them*. This.^/£r 
 married OJiris , King of that Country, and govern’d with fa 
 much Wifdom and Gentlenefs, that the Egyptians paid divine 
 Honours to them, who had been fuch Bleffings to the Land. 
 
 I n Egypt is a Serpent of the Afpick Kind, called Thermutis , 
 to which they gave divine Worfhip j therefore crown’d with it 
 the Statue of their Goddefs IJis. In the Corners of the Temples, 
 they built little Chapels under ground, where they carefully fed 
 this Tbermutic Serpent , as a facred Genius •f\ 
 
 The Egyptians alfo paid divine Honours to the Crocodile, that 
 monftrous kind of Serpent, particularly the Inhabitants of Arfinoe y 
 and they who dwelt in the Neighbourhood of Thebes , and the 
 Lake Mceris ; among whom*’twas fed by their Priefts with Bread, 
 Wine, Flefh, and diverfe Rarities J. 
 
 THJEAUTUS , fo often mentioned by Sanchoniatho, attri¬ 
 buted fome Deity to the Nature of the Serpent j an Opinion ap¬ 
 proved by the Phenicians , therefore look’d upon as holy and im¬ 
 mortal, and comes into the facred Myfteriesj[. 
 
 They reprefented the World by a Circle, in the middle of 
 which was a Serpent, reprefenting the good Demon, or Genius 
 of the World, by which 'tis animated, and is a Symbol of the 
 Almighty Creator. Behold here the Blafphemy of Satan, in 
 giving to God the Form of a Serpent, which he had borrow’d 
 himfelf to make war againft God in Paradife. They fometimes 
 reprefented their Gods with the Bodies of Serpents, and honour’d 
 thofe odious Animals with divine Worihip, as Symbols of Apollo , 
 of the Sun, and of Medicine , and were put into the Charge of 
 Ceres and Prefer pine. 
 
 HERODOTUS obferves, that in his time, near Thebes , 
 there were to be feen tame Serpents, adorn’d with Jewels, and 
 confecrated to yupiter , which did no harm to any body : When 
 they died, they were buried in yupiter s Temple **. Addian fpeaks 
 
 F f of 
 
 * Macrobii Oper. Sat. cap. XX. 
 
 f Mlian de Animalibus , lib. x. Conrad. Gefner. deSerp. p. 32. 
 
 ^ In Jonfionus de Quadruped, cap. viii. p. 142. 
 
 || Eufeb. Prap. Evangel. 1 . i. c. 10. from Philo Eibltus , the Tranflator of 
 Sanchon. 
 
 ** - Ex Crocodilts alunt. appendentes auribus vel gemmas - facris in urnis 
 
 fepeliant. Euterpe , lib. ii. p. 186. 
 
2 l8 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 of domeftick Serpents, that were in the Houfes of the Egyptianr r 
 and look’d upon as houjhold Gods ; and of another Serpent wor- 
 fhipped in a Tower at Melitus in Egypt , that had a Prieft and 
 other Officers attending it, and ferved every day upon an Altar 
 with Meal kneaded up with Honey, which the next day was 
 found to be eaten. In Melite Eg. Draco divinis honoribus affi- 
 citur in turri quadam .. . adfunt ei facer dotes & minijiri y menfa . . , 
 ex farina J'ubaBa .... Herod, lib. ii. cap. 17. 
 
 The Phenicians alfo facrificed to Dragons calling them their 
 good Angels , their propitious and kind Spirits. Nothing more 
 common in the Heathen Religion, than the Appearance of a Ser¬ 
 pent in fome Form or other. 
 
 The Babylonians worshipped a Dragon , which the Prophet 
 Daniel , by a Commiffion from the King, killedwhich, one 
 would think, was fufficient to convince the Royal Idolater of his 
 egregious Stupidity in worfhipping a Creature as Confervator of 
 Mankind, that could not preferve its own Life. They reprefented 
 the World by a Circle in the Form of a Greek Theta 0 , and the 
 good Demon , by a Serpent in the midft of it; under which Figure,; 
 the Protestors of Countries and Cities, called tutelary Gods, were 
 worfhipped. 
 
 The Arabians reputed Serpents facred Beings , and therefore 
 would allow no Violence to be offered to them 5 and this^Super- 
 llition yet remains among thofe People, according to Vefingius , 
 fays my Author. They take them into their Houfes, feed and 
 worfhip them as the Genii , or Guardians of the Place: Not only 
 Men, but every kind of Things, had its peculiar Genius . Two 
 were affigned to each Perfon, a good and evil Genius, and thofe 
 were thought to attend them from the Cradle to the Grave. We 
 read of a facred Dragon that was kept in Phrygia in Afia Minor , 
 whofe Refidence was in a Wood, dedicated to Diana , Goddefs 
 of the Woods. 
 
 Among other ftrange Animals in the Eafl-Indies, Alexander 
 found in a Cave, a monjlrous Dragon , which the Inhabitants 
 counted facred, and was adored by them, and daily fupplied with 
 Food: The poor, ignorant, fuperftitious People, humbly addreff 
 the Conqueror, not to attack that holy Place , and difturb the Re- 
 pcfe of their God. The victorious Army hearing its hideous and 
 dreadful Roarings, were not a little terrify’d; they only faw its 
 monflrous Head, when ftretch’d out of its Maiffion, and its Eyes 
 
 appeared 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 appeared to them to be as big as a large Macedonian Buckler , a 
 Species of defeniive Armour *. 
 
 The King of Calicut (in the Eaf-Indies, the mod; powerful 
 of all the Malabar Princes) caufes little Cottages to be eredted 
 for facred Serpents, to guard them againft the Inclemency of the 
 Weather, and ’tis made Death to hurt them, being they are look’d 
 upon as heavenly Spirits; and they believe them to be fuch for 
 this Reafon, becaufe they kill Men Jo fuddenly by the Wound they 
 give, which is only a little Pundlure , and would not prove fatal if 
 given by other Creatures. 
 
 It is obferved by fome, that Serpents at this day are highly 
 honour’d in the Kingdom of Calicut , on this tide the Ganges , 
 where the Inhabitants call their King Samori , or Zamorin , that 
 is, Sovereign Emperor, and God upon Earth. The Dragon be¬ 
 ing a Serpent of the vigilant Tribe, was conftituted and made 
 Guardian of their Houfes, of their oracular Temples, and of all 
 their Treafures. 
 
 These Protedors of Places and Pofteftions, they call’d Tute¬ 
 lary Gods, and were worfhipp’d by them under the Symbol of 
 Serpents , without whofe Sanction no Methods of Protection were 
 available. 
 
 It is remarkable, that where the Figure of two Serpents was 
 eredted in any place, it was look’d upon as a Sign of confecrated 
 Ground; that is, that the Place was holy, being dedicated to fome 
 God; for which Superftition they are ridiculed by one of their own 
 Writers, viz. Perfus the Satirift, that lived under Nero , who 
 tells us, that Children were forbid to empty themfelves in thofe 
 Places, and not fo much as make-water, for the Place is holy, 
 as appears by the Picture of the two Serpents ; the Language of 
 which is, Profane not holy Ground. 
 
 Would you. Sir, have your Poem pafs for a facred Com- 
 . pofure, then paint two Serpents in the Front of it. 
 
 Behold here the Original of that Popifh Superftition, which 
 forbids Men to make-water in the Church-Yard-f*. 
 
 A t Alba , in a Wood not far from Juno's Temple, is a Dragon 
 worfhipp’d by the Inhabitants, and for their greater Honour, fed 
 by Virgins, thereby intimating, that Innocence was a proper At¬ 
 tendant on the Gods. 
 
 F f 2 In 
 
 * Conrad. Gefner. p. 44., 45. Gyllius. 
 
 + Pinge duos angues, pueri, facer eft locus, extra 
 Meite- ", . 1 M Satir. i. 
 
20 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 I n Epirus , fouth of Macedonia, is a certain place facred to 
 Apollo, and wall’d about, within which are kept J'acred Dragons', 
 fed likewife by a Virgin Prieftefs, uncloathed, which they believe 
 to be moft acceptable to their idol Gods * j called by Juvenal, 
 one of their own Poets, wenching Gods. 
 
 The Epiroticks , who highly venerated Apollo , honour’d his 
 Temple with a confecrated Dragon, which they worfhipp’d in fo- 
 lemn remembrance of his killing the Pythonic Serpent. It were 
 well if the fame Spirit of Gratitude reign’d amongft Britons, to¬ 
 wards the Heroes that deliver’d their Country from the great Ec- 
 clefiaftical Dragon, by the glorious Revolution. 
 
 Near Lavinium was a Grove of ferpentine Gods, dedicated 
 to Juno of Argos, which was a City in Peloponnefus (famous for 
 the Shrine of JEfculapius) now the Morea, one of whofe Rivers is 
 called Styx ; or rather a Well, whofe Water is fo cold and vene- 
 mous, that it often kills fuch that drink thereof ; and therefore 
 defign’d by the Poets, to be a River of Hell: ’Tis faid by fome,, 
 that Alexander was poifon’d with it. 
 
 It’s well known what Worfhip was paid to the Serpent at 
 Epidaurus , a Peleponnejian City, and the Manner how ’twas pre¬ 
 tended that Serpent was brought to Rome, which is as follows,, 
 viz. 
 
 The Romans being forely diftreft by a Plague, they fent a. 
 Galley with Ambaifadors to Epidaurus, to bring the Serpent con¬ 
 fecrated to JEfculapius to Rome, which of its own accord went 
 aboard the Galley, and which was landed in the Ifle of Tyber, r 
 where divine Honours were paid to it; upon which the Plague 
 ceafed.-Take it as reprefented by the Hiftorian, who fays, 
 
 .. ..That the Plague raging terribly at Rome, and in the 
 Vicinity, above three Years, did not abate, by any divine or hu¬ 
 man Remedy, tho* Men had tried both ; therefore by the Coun- 
 fel of the Delphic Oracle, ten Ambalfadors were fent to fetch 
 the Statue of JEfculapius, that was ador’d in the Body of the great 
 Serpent; hereupon, a very ftrange thing enfued, and manifeflly 
 true, both from many faithful Hiftorians, and building the 'Tem¬ 
 ple (dedicated to it) in the Ifle of Tyber. 
 
 VVhen the Roman Ambafladors had delivered their Commands 
 to the Epidaurians, who brought them into the Temple of JEf- 
 
 culapius 
 
 * ALlian. lib. ii. cap. a. ;««* yvuvti 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 221 
 
 culapim .... while they were admiring a huge Shrine, a great 
 Serpent Aiding of a fudden from the Adytum (which was a Place 
 of Retirement in the Pagan Temples, where Oracles were given, 
 into which none but Priefts were admitted) upon fight of it the 
 Priefts, in a devout Pofture, faid to the Company, that the Deity 
 fhrouded itjelf in that Form , and when it appear’d in this Fafhion i 
 ’twas look’d upon as a happy Omen. 
 
 The Serpent was feen for two Days in the Temple, and af¬ 
 terwards difappeared, but on the third Day it pad: thro’ the Croud 
 (which gazed on and worfhip’d) and went diredtly to the Port 
 where the Roman Galley flood j and having enter’d into it, laid 
 itfelf down in the Cabin of j^. Ogulnius , the chief Ambaffador. 
 They fet fail from thence .... and foon arrived at Rome. The 
 
 whole City came out to fee this wonderful Thing-Altars were 
 
 built, Incenfe burnt, and Sacrifices offer’d. The Serpent fwam 
 over to the IJle of lyber , (which afterwards was called JEfcula- 
 pius's IJle) and fince was never feen. 
 
 The Senate concluding this Ifland to be the Place chofen 
 by the God, decreed that a Temple fhould be built for JEfculapius 
 there-whereupon the Plague ceafed. The Temple grew fa¬ 
 
 mous for rich Offerings, in Confideration of their Deliverance 
 from the Plague by that Deity *. 
 
 VALERIUS MAXIMUS fays, that the Priefts looking 
 into the Sibyls Books , obferved there was no other way to reflore 
 the City to its former Health, but by bringing the Image of JEJ- 
 culapius from Epidaurus ... upon which Ambaffadors were lent t. 
 
 The Poets and Mythologifls, in order to fhew there was no 
 Diflemper but JEfculapius could cure, faid, he raifed the Dead. 
 Thus at the Requefl of Diana , he reflor’d Hippolytus to Life, 
 who had been torn to pieces by his Horfes. We can’t doubt of 
 the Credulity of the People in thinking him rank’d among the 
 Gods, after fo many Temples, Infcriptions, and Medals dedicated 
 to his Memory. 
 
 The mofl famous Temples confecrated to JEfculapius , were 
 that of Epidaurus J, that in the Ifle of Co, that of Cyrene , that 
 of Pergamos, that in the Ifle of lyber [J. 
 
 As. 
 
 * Livy. lib. xi. <*}uare , Whether the Hiftorian’s Faith kept pace with his Pen ? 
 
 f Val. Maxim, lib. i. cap. 8. S te Ovid. Metamcrpb. lib. 2.c. 
 
 j Pliny Nat. Hijl. lib. 4. c. 
 
 [j For thefe, fee Strabo, Val. Maxima, Hacdot, Livy, 
 
 5 
 
222 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 As to the Infcriptions in honour of Mfculapius, Gruterm 
 has thefe following, viz. 
 
 Mfculapio, Hygece , & ceteris Diis & Deabus , 
 
 Deo JEJ'culapio, & Hygece, confervatoribus. 
 
 Deo Mfculapio , Hygece. 
 
 N. B. The Title of Confervator, or Saviour, was the ordi¬ 
 nary Elogium of Mfculapius. 
 
 I n the Ifle of Co, there was a Coin whereon Mfculapius was 
 called the Saviour ; and fo on a Coin of Ancyra. Games are alfo 
 mentioned, inflituted in honour of him as Saviour. The Symbol 
 of Mfculapius was a Serpent, or Dragon, about a little Rod, as 
 may be feen in feveral Medals, and by the Teftimony of the 
 Poet *. Wherever he was worfhip’d in Statues of a human Figure, 
 a Staff was put into his Left-hand, with a Serpent about it. 
 
 This feems to be the reafon why Antiquity reprefents the firfl 
 Mahers of Phyfick (as Hermes , Mjculapius, Hippocrates , in their 
 Statues and Medals) with a Viper added to their Figure ; and alfo 
 why they worfhip’d thofe Phyfcians under the Form of Serpent s\. 
 
 The Serpent of Mfculapius, the reputed God of Phyfick, had 
 its Rife from the miraculous Cures done by Mofes* s Serpent in the 
 Camp of IJ'rael. Serpents of bright and golden Colour were all 
 counted facred to Mfculapius, and were cicur’d, or made tame by 
 human Arts. A Dragon was ufually annex’d to his Image, and 
 to that of Health, nothing being thought available without the 
 Prefence of a Serpent. 
 
 At Pella in Macedonia , the Royal Seat, and Alexander's Birth¬ 
 place, were Dragons of a large Bulk, but of a gentle Nature, 
 maintain’d at the Expence of the Government, as Creatures bear¬ 
 ing a facred Character, and worthy of the publick Regard. Be- 
 ■caufe many tame Serpents were kept in that Place, the fabulous 
 Poets faid, Alexander was born of a Serpent. 
 
 The People of Argos in Greece, had Serpents in fuch great 
 Veneration, that no-body was fuffer’d to kill them with impunity £. 
 
 The 
 
 * 0 *vid. Metam. lib. 5. Qualis in rede .. . Effe folet, baculuraque tenens agrefte 
 finiftra. 
 
 t Salomonis Cellarii—Origines & Antiquitates Medico:. Printed at Hall in Saxony. 
 
 + jElian. lib.'xii. cap. 34, 
 
OF SERPENTa 
 
 223 
 
 The Pagan Temples were wont to be haunted with Serpents, in 
 fo much that it grew into a Phrafe of Speech, the /acred Serpent 
 And thus Serpents are deified and folemnly enrolled among the 
 Gods. 
 
 S AN C HON IA T H O N, a Phoenician Hifioriographer, and 
 Philo Biblius, who tranflated his Antiquities, have left us a full 
 Account of the Origin of the Apotheofis, or Canonization of Ser¬ 
 pents E; which leads me to fay fomethmg of what the Ancients 
 called Apotheofis of departed Souls , and the ftrange Ceremonies 
 ufed in the Apotheofis or Deification of the deceafed Emperor, who 
 had deferved well of their Country. 
 
 A PO PR EO S IS among the Ancients was a Pagan Cere- 
 mony whereby Emperors and great Men were placed among the 
 Gods, called alfo j Deification, and ConJ'ecration : Temples and 
 Altars were eredted to the new Deities, viz. Serpents and Men, 
 Sacrifices offered to them; and for that end, Colleges of Priefts 
 were inftituted for the Honour of thefe Demi-Gods. 
 
 I t was one of the Dodtrines of Pythagoras , which he bor¬ 
 row ed from the Chaldeans , that ufeful and virtuous Perfons, after 
 their Death, were .raifed into the Order of the Gods, Hence the 
 Ancients deified all the Inventors of Things that were beneficial 
 to Mankind, and thofe who had done Services of Importance to 
 their Country. 
 
 By degrees thefe new Gods grew very numerous. One of 
 their own Poets rallying them for frequent Deifications, intro¬ 
 duces poor Atlas , who is faid to bear the Heavens on his Shoulders s 
 complaining, that he was ready to fink under the Number and 
 Weight of fo many new Gods , as were every day coin’d, and 
 added to the Heavens, which made his Shoulders to warch. 
 N. B. Atlas in Anatomy is the Name of the fir ft Vertebra of the 
 Neck, which fupportsthe Head, and is the higheft, fo called in 
 allufion to the famous Mountain Atlas in Africa , fuppos’d to be 
 the higheft in the World, fo that it feems to hold up the flea- 
 vens; and alfo to the Fable that makes Atlas King of Mauri¬ 
 tania in that Country, to bear up the vifible Heavens. I now 
 proceed to the Defcription which we have in Herodian , a Greek 
 Hiftorian in the third Century, who in fpeaking of the Apotheofis 
 
 of 
 
 * Sacer anguis. 
 
 f Saiuhnuathon is fuppofed by fome to be cotemporary with Gideon. 
 
 5 
 
224 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 of the Emperor Severus , gives us a very full Account of that ftrange 
 Ceremony, viz. 
 
 ....After the Body of the deceafed Emperor had been 
 burnt with the ufual Solemnities, they placed an Image of Wax 
 perfectly like him, but of a fickly Afpedft, on a large Bed of 
 Ivory, covered with Cloth of Gold, which they expofed to pub- 
 lick View at the Entrance of the Palace-Gate. 
 
 The greateft Part of the Day the Senate fat ranged on the 
 left fide of the Bed, dreft in Mourning Robes ; the Ladies of 
 the iirft Rank fitting on the right fide, in plain and white Robes, 
 without any Ornaments. . . . This lafted for feven Days fuccef- 
 fively; during which, the Phyficians came from time to time to 
 vifit the Sick, always making their Report that he grew worfe, 
 till at length they pubhfh’d it, that he was dead. 
 
 This done, the young Senators and Roman Knights took the 
 Bed of State upon their Shoulders, carrying it thro’ the Via facra 
 to the old Forum , where the Magistrates ufed to dived themfelves 
 of their Offices : There they fet it down between two kinds 
 of Amphitheatres; in the one, were the Youth, and in the other 
 the Maidens of the firft Families in Rome, Singing Hymns fet to 
 folemn Airs in praife of the Deceafed. 
 
 Those Hymns ended, the Bed was carried out of the City 
 into the Campus Martius , in the middle of which Place was e- 
 refted a kind of fquare Pavilion ; the Infide thereof was full of 
 combuftible Matter, and the Outfide hung with Cloth of Gold, 
 and adorned with Figures of Ivory, and various Paintings. 
 
 Over this Edifice were feveral others, like the firft in Form 
 and Decoration, but lefs; always diminishing, and growing Slen¬ 
 derer towards the Top, and a great many aromatick Perfumes, 
 and odoriferous Fruits and Herbs were thrown all around : After 
 which, the Knights made a Proceffion in folemn Meafures about 
 the Pile ; feveral Chariots ran round it, thofe who condu&ed 
 them being clad in purple Robes, and bearing the Images of the 
 greateft Roman Emperors and Generals. 
 
 This Ceremony ended, the new Emperor came to the Ca- 
 tafalco or Pile with a Torch in his hand, and at the fame time 
 Fire was put to it on all Sides by the Company, the Spices and 
 all Combuftibles kindling all at once. While this was doing, 
 they let fiy from the Top of the Building an Eagle , which 
 
 mounting 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 225 
 
 mounting into the Air with a Firebrand, carried the Soul of the 
 dead Emperor along with it into Heaven, as the Romans believ'd; 
 and thenceforward he was ranked among the Gods. ’Tis for this 
 Reafon that the Medals wherein th q Apotheofes are reprefented, 
 have ufually an Altar with Fire upon it, or however an Eagle 
 taking its Flight into the Air, and fometimes two Eagles *. 
 
 A Certain Emperor being asked, what he had done to 
 merit an Apotheofs ? He anfwered, He had always Jludied to re - 
 femble the Gods. And being alked again, In what did he endea¬ 
 vour to be like them ? He anfwered. In having as few Wants 
 as pofible of my o r ivn i and domg good in the mojl extenfve Way to 
 others. 
 
 There is no Place fo remote in the World, but has been 
 polluted with this monftrous Idolatry, of worjhipping Serpents. 
 The northern Hiftorians tell us, the People of Lithuania in Po¬ 
 land worfhip’d Serpents; and ’tis not long ago, fince that grofs 
 Idolatry was abolilh’d, of which Sigifmund Baron of Herberfein t 
 gives us this memorable Story, viz. 
 
 - Returning, fays he, from Maffovia near Wilna , my 
 
 Hoft acquainted me, he had bought a Hive of Bees, from one 
 of thefe Serpent-Worjhippers , whom with much ado he had per- 
 fuaded to kill the Serpent, and worfhip the true God: Within 
 a while after coming that Way, he found the poor Fellow mi- 
 ferably tortured and deformed, his Face wrinkl’d and turn’d awry; 
 and demanding the Caufe of it, he anfwer’d, viz. 
 
 THAT this Judgment was infilled upon him jor killing his 
 God , and that he was like to endure heavier Torments if he did 
 not return to his former Worfhip. Which brings to my Mind 
 a PalTage in one of the Fathers, relating to the Carthaginians , 
 who having been compelled by Agathocles King of Sicily to 
 leave off thofe horrid Sacrifices of human Vidtims to Saturn , for¬ 
 bore them a long time : But a great Calamity being brought 
 upon them for difufing thofe human Sacrifices; and to atone 
 for their Negledt, they facrifced at once two hundred Children of 
 the noblef Families in Carthage -f*. 
 
 G g But 
 
 * Rerodiav , who writ his Hiftory in 8 Books, from whom we have the Cere¬ 
 monies of the Apotheofis of the Roman Emperors, lib. 4. 
 
 f Cum victi eflent ab Agathocle regeSiculorurn,iratum fibiDeum putavilTe, ita- 
 que ut diligentius piaculum folverent ducentos nobilium filios immolafle. Ladhn- 
 tius. Lib. i.Sedt. 21. p. 67. Lu^d. -Batav. 
 
226 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 But to return to the Baron of the North, who adds, That 
 in his Time, the People in Samogitia , Eaft of the Baltick Sea, 
 did ftill pay divine Honours to a Serpent as a Deity .... Some of 
 thofe that inhabit the Deferts, adore a four-footed Serpent , 
 under the Name of Givofit. Few Families there, are without 
 Serpents , for their Domeftick Gods , to whom they give more than 
 ordinary Veneration, tho’ at the fame time they profefs the Chri- 
 flian Faith which favello their Prince received Anno Domini 
 1386. ibid. 
 
 The Englijh Cofmographer accounts for them thus, viz. 
 
 The People anciently had Fire and Serpents for their Gods, 
 “ nourilhing the laft in their Houfes, and keeping the other 
 “ continually burning; the Priefts of the Temple always adding 
 " Fuel, that it might not fail. The Veftal Fire was not kept 
 “ more carefully at Rome , nor with greater Ceremony .. . . To 
 “ this God, (whom they call'd. Lord of the Smoke,) they ufed 
 <{ to facrifice young Pullets, to the other their Cocks “f\” The 
 Seed of this Idolatry is fo implanted in them, that ’tis faid, that in 
 a Village of the King’s, called Lovaniski , their chief City, they 
 do, to this day worjhip Serpents, ibid. 
 
 The Lithuanians , 'tis laid, ador’d three Gods, Fire , Woody 
 and Serpents. Thefe laft were counted their Guardian Gods. And 
 according to a certain Hiftorian, this kind of fuperftitious and 
 diabolical Worfhip continues yet in fome Parts of the Kingdoms 
 of Norway and Vermolandia 
 
 The Inhabitants of PruJjia were barbarous and wild in the 
 higheft degree, having of old no manner of Religion, or next 
 to none, and firft began with the Worjhip of Serpents ||. There 
 are Countries in the Indies , fays furieu, where Serpents are wor- 
 fhip’d to this day. 
 
 ARISTOPHANES , in the Comedy entitled Plutus , ob- 
 ferves that the Deity gave the Sign, viz. by hijjing-, upon which 
 two monftrous Dragons ikip’d out of the Temple 
 
 When 
 
 * Mas Europe, p. 261. f Hey tins Cofmogr. lib. 2. Eolar.d p. 143. 
 
 J Olans Magnus, Archbifhop of Upfal. Hiftory of the Goths. 
 
 ** Erafm. Stella in the Antiquities of PruJjia. Lib. 1. 
 
 44 Auio tycaiovT* ex Ta wtu. Fragmenta p. 52. 
 
 Dixerat hxc adytis cum lubricus a»guis ab imis. 
 
 4 
 
22 
 
 OF SERPENTS, 
 
 Wh e n JEneas facrificed to the Manes, (the departed Soul) 
 of his Father AnchiJ'es, he faw a Serpent come out of his 
 Grave, which he concluded to be either the Tutelar God of his 
 Father, or of that Place, which was counted a good Omen. 
 
 W e have an Account of fome Priefts in Afia that expofe to 
 publick View a Serpent in a brazen VelTel, attended with a great 
 Variety of Mulick. The Serpent appears in an eredt Pofture 
 opens its Mouth, and inftead of a forked Tongue, appears the 
 Head of a beautiful Virgin *. 
 
 NICHOLAS de Lyra makes mention of fuch another idle 
 Conceit, viz. That the Serpent afTumed the Face of a beautiful 
 Maid, when it tempted Eve. N.B. In the German Bibles print¬ 
 ed before Luther , among other Figures may be feen that of a Ser¬ 
 pent with the Face of a very handfome Maid. 
 
 I n Ihort, fo great was the Devotion paid to Serpents, that 
 Perfons and Things were denominated from them : Yea * fome 
 would be thought to proceed from Serpents, as the higheft De¬ 
 gree of Honour. Cadmus s Companion was called a Serpent , fo 
 the Giant in Homer , and a certain Prophet in Paufanias. * 
 
 I n the Primitive Church were an heretical Sedt, called Ophites , 
 that is Serpents. In Cyprus^ and about the Hellefpont, were a certain 
 People that went by the Name Serpe?it. So a Soothfayer in Mef. 
 Jenia , &c. But thefe came fhort of Alexander the Great , and 
 Scipio Africanus , who were faid to be born of Serpents , which they 
 look’d upon to be the brighteft Infignia in their EJ'cutcheon , but 
 more of this Serpentine Pride in the next Chapter. 
 
 I n fuch wonderful Efteem were Serpents among them, that 
 all manner of Creatures were called by their Name, as Stars 
 Animals, Plants, Trees, Herbs, Pvivers, Stones, Illands, Proverbs; 
 .... Nothing was accounted Divine and Grand, unlefs graced 
 by a Serpent *f\ From this Divuiity afcrib’d to Serpents, Phe- 
 recides took occafion to make a DilTertation concerning the Deity 
 called Ophion, from Opt? a Serpent 
 
 * Phi/. Melanchton. f Conradus Gefner. ± Eufeb. Prreparac. Evang. 
 
 G g 2 
 
 CHAP. 
 
228 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Contents. 
 
 ReaJ'ons for worjhipping Serpents, feem to rife from Mifapplication 
 of fame Scripture Pafjages : But efpecially, i. From the Tri¬ 
 umphs of the ParadTfaic Serpent . Pagan Hiftory from Mofes. 
 In the primitive Church, a Sell of Chrifians worjhip'd Serpents , 
 and faid the Serpent in Paradife was a good Creature. 2. 
 From the miraculous Cures done by the brazen Serpent. Alexan¬ 
 der affeEted the Honour of being begot by a Serpent , ador'd as a 
 God, by a Decree of the Priefs. 
 
 W HAT Reafon can be afjigned for giving religious Worjhip 
 to Serpents f I anfwer, 
 
 I t is no eafy Matter to find out the Original of Pagan Idola¬ 
 try, having no authentick Records of thofe remote Times, there¬ 
 fore Conje&ures, or nothing mull content the honeft Enquirer : 
 Something may be offer'd, without going beyond our Depth. 
 Before I proceed, it may be proper to obferve, viz. That Know¬ 
 ledge fprung from the Sons of Noah, who doubtlefs intruded 
 their Succeflors in the Hiftory of the Creation, the Conqueft of 
 Paradife by a Serpent, that introduced the Knowledge of Good 
 and Evil upon Earth. 
 
 Those whom we call Heathens , at firft were Members of the 
 true Church j the further Men went from the Spring, the Streams 
 grew more muddy, and ftrange Conftrudtions were put upon the 
 Hiftory of Adam and Eve, Noah , and his Progeny, which in pro- 
 cefs of Time was metamorphofed into a Narrative of Fooleries and 
 fabulous Gods. 
 
 S o the Mofaick Hiftory of their Travels thro’ the Wildernefs, 
 and the Promulgation of the Law upon Mount Sinai y were ftrange 
 and ftupendous Events, that foon fpread over the Nations in fome 
 Shape or other. 
 
 In the Phenician Theology , we find the Creation defcribed, 
 almoft in the Terms ufed by Mofes. Diodorus Siculus fays, the 
 Antients liv’d upon Roots and Fruits. The Phenician Re¬ 
 cords mention XJjoris , i. e. Adam-, the firft that wore Garments 
 made of Animal Skins, The Vulcan of the Heathen was the 
 
 Tubal- 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 229 
 
 Tubal-cain of Mofes , {Gen. iv. 22.) the firft Artificer in Brafs and 
 Iron : Plato’s Atlanticm is a Fable founded upon the Hiftory of 
 Noah’s Flood: The Fable of the Giants ftorming Heaven, is ta¬ 
 ken from the Builders of the Tower of Babe /, as before: Yea, 
 fays a Learned Father (after Numenius , the celebrated Pythagorean 
 and Platonijl) what is Plato but MoJ'es in an Athenian Drefs * ? 
 But to be more particular, 
 
 1. SATAN , who conducted the War in Eden , difplay’d his Art 
 under the Form of a Serpent, which MoJ'es represents as a Creature 
 of fuperior Wifdom, and Illuminator of Mankind. Now the 
 Tradition, that the firf Serpent had not only the Gift of fpeaking, 
 but of communicating Science, and had held a Conference with 
 the firft Woman, to the vaft Increafe of her Knowledge, might 
 at laft fwell to fuch a degree, that ignorant People might attri¬ 
 bute to that Serpent, and her Race, a kind of Divinity; and for 
 this Reafon alfo, becaufe in the Perfe&ions of the Mind fbe ex¬ 
 ceeded our firft Parents, who being conftituted Governors of the 
 Earth, mu ft be fuppofed to be furniftfd with extraordinary Ac- 
 complifhments: But, fays Tradition, here is one who infufed 
 greater Knowledge into them, and made them more wife; and 
 they, for contefting with the Wifdom of the Serpent , were turned 
 out of Paradife, and ordain’d their Dwelling to be among the 
 Beafts of the Field. 
 
 Surely, might the People fay, fo great a Being as this Ser¬ 
 pent merits our awful Regards. Now, how far fuch Thoughts 
 might operate in thofe early days of Ignorance and Superftition, 
 I determine not: The Serpent indeed, is faid to be more fubtle 
 than the Beafts of the Field, but not more wife than Adam and 
 Eve. 
 
 It is more ftrange, to think that in the primitive Church there 
 were certain Hereticks call’d Ophites , took their Name from 
 Qphisf , who worfhipped the Serpent that betray’d Eve , and af- 
 cribed all forts of Knowledge to that Animal, maintain’d ’twas a 
 good Creature, and that our firft Parents were inftrudted by it to 
 know Good and Evil. Yea, they believed, “ the Serpent that 
 
 “ tempted 
 
 * Ti yuf tqi Tlxctruv arriHiluiv. ffid enim eft Plato, nip Mofes qui loquitur 
 
 Attic'e ? Ur, fluid enim aliud eft Plato , quam Mofes Atticijfans l Clemcntrs 
 Alexandria Opera, Strom, libi. Colonice p.342. 
 
 f A Greek word that fignifies a Serpens. 
 
A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 230 
 
 “ tempted Eve was the Chrifl , who afterwards came down and 
 “ was incarnate in the Perfon of Jefus: That it was JeJus } but 
 “ not the Chrifty that differ'd ; for which reafon they made all 
 “ Profelytes to their Sedt, to renounce Jefus If a Sedt of 
 Chridians fpeak after this manner, what Ideas mud the Heathen 
 form of things ? 
 
 One of the Fathers fpeaking of thefe Hereticks, obferves how 
 
 they affirm’d, - -That Wifdom made itfelf a Serpent—— -had given 
 
 Knowledge to Man, and that the Portion of Man’s Bowels, 
 winding about like Serpents, fhews that there is in us a hidden 
 Subdance that engenders the Figure of Serpents -f*. Surely thole 
 Fathers of the Church were Children in Underdanding, that gave 
 way to fuch mydical Conundrums. Call them no more Fathers, 
 but Children of Antiquity. 
 
 These Hereticks, in the Confecration of the Eucharid, al¬ 
 ways had a Serpent ready in a Box, which they produced on that 
 Occafion, making it come out by certain Charms, and lick the 
 Bread, and having kiffed the fame, they eat it f. Another Hi do¬ 
 rian exprefles it thus, viz . “ When their Prieds celebrated their 
 “ Myderies, they made one of thefe Creatures to come out of 
 <e his Hole, and after he had roll’d himfelf upon the Things that 
 Si were to be offer’d in Sacrifice, they faid JeJ'us Chrifl had fandti- 
 
 fied them, and then gave them to the People to worffiip them ||.” 
 N. B. I don’t apprehend how the Learned Abbot makes them 
 bring in the Name Jefus here, a Name which in the fame Page 
 he fays, they obliged their Profelytes to renounce. 
 
 This ftrange Superdition feems to be derived from the Hea¬ 
 then, who at the Feads of Bacchus, ufed to carry a Serpent , and 
 to cry, Evia, Evia ** ; And Evia , fays Clemens Alexandrinus , 
 if it be afperated, Hevia , fignifies in the Hebrew , a female Ser¬ 
 pent. Dr. Lightfoot obferves, that there being no fuch Word in 
 the Hebrew , Clemens mud mean the Chaldee , in which Hivia 
 fignifies a Serpent. 
 
 2. T h e Reputation gain’d by the Serpent in Paradife, was heigh¬ 
 ten’d by the wonderful Cures done by the brazen Serpent in the 
 
 Wildernefs, 
 
 * Caimet. 
 
 f lrenaus adv. Hceref. ^'liS. 1. cap. 3 ^.'—fopbiam fer^entem f £1 m—) who flou- 
 rifh’d in the dofe of the 2d Century. 
 
 X Bingh. Index Hcret. |] Calmet's Hi fur. Diff. v A, ii. p. < 568 . 
 
 ** Eviec, evict* 
 
OF SERPEN TS. 
 
 231 
 
 Wildernefs. As this ftrange Occurrence was capable of various 
 Glofles, fo it muft undergo different Con ft ructions. The Brazem 
 Serpent was brought to Canaan , where ’twas kept in remembrance 
 of the miraculous Cures their Forefathers had received from it in 
 the Wildernefs; and, ’tis probable, the Ifraelites themfelves were 
 the firft that paid divine Honours to it, and the Idolatry might 
 begin in the days of the Judges j others fay, under the Kings of 
 Judah *. 
 
 It lay quiet there, until thofe Days, the Children of Ifrael burnt 
 Incenfe to it. That is, from the days Ifrael began to commit 
 Idolatry, to the days of Hezekiah ; who, to prevent the Growth 
 of that Serpentine Idolatry, brake in pieces the brazen Serpent that 
 Mofes had made. 2 Kings xviii. 4, 
 
 The Sound of the ftrange Cures done by the brazen Serpent , 
 foon fpread over the forfaken Nations, who, obferving how the 
 Wounded were healed by looking at it, conceived it to be a pro¬ 
 per Inftrument to be their Mediator, and confequently a fit Object 
 for their Adoration, when even the Wounded in IJrael, by ad¬ 
 drefling to its Shadow, were healed. 
 
 3. It is moft probable, that the Adoration of Serpents by the 
 Pagans, fprung from thefe two Fountains, 
 
 The JVifdom of the Serpent in Paradife, and the miraculous 
 Cures done by the Shadow of a Serpent in the Wildernefs ; which 
 were improved by the Devil to fecure his Honour and Intereft, 
 who wanted not Priefts to difplay the Glories of their Chara&er, 
 to make the Serpent honourable in the fight of his Vaffals. From 
 hence, the Egyptians, Phenicians , yea moft Nations, did imagine 
 the Serpent to have fome Divinity in its Nature , and for that 
 reafon (as hinted before) honour’d it with facred Homage; this 
 the Devil did, with a view to leffen Men’s Efteem for the Al¬ 
 mighty Creator. 
 
 Hence alfo fome Men of fuperior Dignity have affedled to 
 be efteem’d more than meer Men, making this as an Argument, 
 that they were begot by Serpents , as we obferved already, therefore 
 I {hall only add, viz. 
 
 T h a t Alexander the Great , after he had taken Rhodes , Egypt 
 and Cilicia , addreft JupiterHammon to know his Original, for his 
 
 Mother 
 
 * Jurieu , vol. ii. from Rabbi Kimchi , who fays they burnt Incenfe to it, frotsv 
 the tune the Kings of judaio had corrupted themielves , ■ ,, m locum. 
 
A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 Mother Olympias had confeft to his Father Philip , that Alexan¬ 
 der was not begot by him, but by a Serpent of vafl Bulk ; where¬ 
 upon Philip was divorced from his Wife Olympias , and Alexander 
 was faluted Son of Hammon , and by Order of the Priefts, his Com¬ 
 panions were enjoin’d to worihip him as a God , and not as a 
 King. 
 
 ALEXANDER, when he hadconquer’dDtfrwIII. furnam’d 
 Codomannus , and was polfeft of the Perjian Empire, writ to the 
 Grecians , that they fhould decree him to be a God. Hereupon 
 feveral Decrees were made : The Lacedemonians exprefl their 
 Compliance in this fhort Decree, viz. ForaJ'much as Alexander 
 r ivould be a God , let him be a God. Thus with Laconick Brevity, 
 fafhionable among the Lacedemonians , they humour’d and repro¬ 
 ved the Pride of their King at once *. 
 
 VARRO was of Opinion, that all gallant and heroick Men 
 fhould believe themfelves, tho’ falfly, to iffue from the Gods.... 
 that upon this Suppofition, they might attempt great things 
 with moreCourage, and profecute them with more Ardency ; and 
 tho’ the Motive was but imaginary, yet might produce glorious 
 Effects ■j'\ When Varro writ this, ’tisprobable he had Alexander the 
 Great in his view. 
 
 Such is their Opinion of their King in China , that they think 
 he is defeended from the Race of fome Demi-God, and fo adore 
 him accordingly. They believe there is fome Divinity in his 
 Blood, in fo much that he never marries any but his next Rela¬ 
 tives, for fear of ftaining the Royal Bloody. 
 
 Among the Antients, Serpents were Emblems of Power; 
 therefore Epaminondas , the brave Theban General, to encourage 
 his Army againft a powerful Enemy, bruifed the Head of a Serpent 
 before them as a Prognoftick of Victory. 
 
 Thus King fames I. tho’ the Dupe of all Chriflendom , fays a 
 certain Gentleman, yet was the grand Idol of the Court-Clergy. 
 That Pedantry which would have brought a School-Boy under 
 the juft Difcipline of the Rod, in him was reprefented by his pa- 
 rafitical Preferment-hunting Ecclefiafticks, as divine Eloquence, 
 and the Infpiration of the Almighty. .. . 
 
 CHAP. 
 
 • Ea-giS^ AAeSavSpos/BouAerai ©S3? sivai 'Iqa Gek- ALliani varias Hill. lib. ii. cap. xix. 
 
 ■f- Ex Diis genitos— Aug. de Civitate Dei. cap. 4. 
 
 j Howets Londb.opohs. p. 384. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 233 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 Reafons for worfhipping hurtful as well as ufeful Creatures , founded 
 on a Notion of two eternal contrary Principles: They believe God 
 was goody and could not be the Author of moral Evil , therefore 
 fram'd the Ditheijlical DoBrine ; an Error , efpoufed by J'ome 
 primitive Chrifians , confuted by the Sentence pajl upon the Ser¬ 
 pent. Reafons for worjhipping different Species of Animals by 
 the Egyptians. 
 
 HENCE arifes the Honour given by Heathens to difFe- 
 
 vv rent Species of Beings, to the noxious and hurtful, as 
 well as to the falutary and beneficent Tribe ? 
 
 Probably, it might be from their obferving the Mixtures 
 of Good and Evil in the vifible Creation, when as yet in their 
 infantile State of Knowledge : The reafon of this they could no 
 otherwife account for, but by giving into the Notion of two dijlindl 
 independent governing Powers ; the one a good, the other an evil 
 Genius : accordingly they worshipped Creatures that were ufeful, 
 as being the Minifters of the good Genius; and thofe that were 
 hurtful they paid Homage to, out of fervile Fear, and to ingra¬ 
 tiate themfelves into their Favour. In the Morning they wor¬ 
 shipped the celefial Gods ; in the Evening, the infernal: On the 
 Plain they worfhipped the terreflrial Gods, on Hills the fuperna- 
 tural; in Groto’s and Caves, the infernal. 
 
 H ence it is they afferted a Duplicity of Gods, viz. Two 
 perceptive feif-exiflent Beings, one the Principle of Good, and 
 the other of Evil. This Opinion originally fprung from a flrong, 
 firm Perfuafion, That God was invariably Goody and therefore could 
 not poffibly be the Author of the Evil upon Earth. Nor could they 
 otherwife folve the Difficulty about the Entrance of moral Evil 
 into our World, but by fuppofing another eternal felf-exiflent evil 
 Caufe. 
 
 Yea, fome among the primitive Chriflians fell into the Error 
 of afferting this Ditheijlical Dodlrine; that is, two felf-exiflent 
 Principles in the Univerfe, to wit, a good God, , and an evil Demon. 
 Thus the Cerdonites t an heretical Sedt, that fprung up in the fe- 
 cond Century, held there were two Gods; one, the Author of 
 
 H h 
 
 all 
 
234 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 all good, the other, of all evil Things. So the Marcionites held 
 two contrary Gods 5 and in the third Century, the Manichees 
 did the fame. 
 
 Perhaps, this might be one reafon why God pad Sentence 
 upon the Devil in the Serpent, in the prefence and hearing of our 
 tirii Parents, viz, to prevent the Error of imagining that there 
 was any Principle of Evil, which was independent upon the Al¬ 
 mighty. The Sentence paft upon Satan in the Curfe upon the 
 Serpent, was a Conviction to Adam and Eve of his Dependency 
 upon the Almighty Creator, before whofe Tribunal he now was 
 con drained to appear, to receive the Sentence merited by thofe, 
 who make a Lye, and tempt their Fellow-creatures to rebel. 
 
 REASONS about the Adoration of different kind of Animals 
 by the Egyptians. 
 
 I f you afk, that if they worfhipped a Serpent, why did they 
 pay religious Honours to fo many ether Beads ? I anfwer. This 
 mondrous Idolatry begun in Egypt , and the nrd occafion for it 
 feems to be this, viz. 
 
 OSIRIS , a certain King of Egypt y who reign’d with great" 
 Equity and Mildnefs, having divided his Kingdom into feveral 
 didinCt Provinces, appointed Prefidents over them, and in their 
 Banners he placed the Figures, or Pictures of certain Animals, that 
 bore fome Similitude to the Peculiarities of thofe Countries, over 
 which they were to prefide : Thus to the Governor, whofe Land 
 was proper for Tillage, he defign’d an Ox in his Standard, to 
 which the Inhabitants of that Place paid a particular Veneration,, 
 which in procefs of time was worshipped by the whole Nation, 
 for its Ufefulnefs, and as the Symbol of Agriculture: Hence the. 
 Image of Ofiris is fet off" with Horns. 
 
 T k e golden Calf which Aaron made in the Wildernefs, and 
 the Calves fet up by ferobaam to be worfhipped in his Kingdom, 
 were an Imitation of the idolatrous Adoration, which the Egyp¬ 
 tians paid to their Bull Apis. 
 
 That part of the Country, in which was abundance of Wa¬ 
 ter, the King fet a Crocodile (an amphibious Animal) in his Ban¬ 
 ner, that was to govern there, which was had in high Venera¬ 
 tion, efpecially in the City of Mira - 3 and at lad the Crocodile was 
 worfhipped all over Egypt . 
 
 Where 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 235 
 
 Where the Country abounded with Wood, a Dog was fixt 
 in the Governor’s Standard, to which the Egyptians gave no little 
 Veneration, efpecially Sportfmen .... as the Poet obferves *. 
 
 That which gives fome colour to this Partition of Ofiris s 
 Kingdom, is, “ that God ordained very near the fame thing to be 
 “ obferved in the Encampments of the lfraelites , when he divided 
 “ the twelve Tribes into four Bodies, and allotted to one of the 
 “ three Tribes, belonging to each Body, the Figure of an Animal 
 “ to be placed in the Banner'. Thus, that of Reuben Carried the 
 “ Figure of a Man ; that of Judah , a Lion ; that of Dan i an 
 “ Eagle ; and that of Ephraim , an Ox 
 
 After this manner the Egyptian Monarch did place in their 
 Banners the Figures of certain Animals, which by degrees were 
 ufher’d into their Religion and Temples. 
 
 N. B. These Banners thus painted with different Animals, 
 were fixt upon Poles, between their feveral Provinces, by which 
 their Bounds were determined. Semiramis , being conquered by 
 Staurobates , Antiquity feign’d fhe was changed by the Gods into 
 a Dove, the Bird of Venus , which is the reafon why the Dove 
 was worfliipped by the Babylonians , and why they gave it in their 
 Enfign. 
 
 I Conclude this Part with fome Inftances, that are given of 
 the Sottifhnefs of Pagans in what they called religious Worfhip, 
 which indeed is almoft incredible, if they were not common, and 
 
 well attefted.-The Egyptians did not only worfhip variety of 
 
 Beafts, but alfo the Figures of them, as the Reprefentatives of 
 their Gods: Each City and Diftridt entertain’d a peculiar Devo¬ 
 tion for fome particular Beaft or other, in honour of which they 
 built Temples ; yea, every one of the Pagan Deities had his own 
 Beaft, Tree and Plant confecrated to him. Thus the Pigeon was 
 confecrated to Venus ; the Dragon and Owl to Minerva j the Eagle 
 to Jupiter ; the Cock to ALfculapius and the Sun. This, fays Ju- 
 rieu , is the true Origin of the Egyptian Idolatry. Ibid. Who 
 adds, The Egyptians aflign’d to their Gods certain Animals, as 
 their Reprefentatives, and being introduced into the Temples, 
 as the Images were in fome Chriftian Churches, they at laft he¬ 
 ld h 2 gan 
 
 * Oppida tota canem •venerantnr^ nemo Than am. Juvenal. Satir. XV. 
 
 The Dog whole Towns, Diana none implore, 
 f Jurietis Crit. Hijt. vol. ii. 
 
 5 ' 
 
A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 gall to worfhip them. This points out the Impiety of admitting 
 any fymbolical Reprefentations of Divinity into Places of publick 
 Worfhip. 
 
 Nothing more monJftrous than the Divinity of the Pagans ; 
 their Gods were innumerable. Every thing on Earth , in the 
 Sea , in the Heavens , yea, and in Hell, had their peculiar Gods. 
 If Egyptians, who pad for the wifeft of Mortals, paid religious 
 Adoration to meer Animals , not only to Serpents, but Apes, 
 Wolves, yea, Dogs, Cats, .... and to Vegetables, as Onions, 
 Garlick .... what (hall we think of ftupid Nations, who had no 
 Claim to Wifdom ? 
 
 Even in Athens (that celebrated Fountain of Light) were 
 more Idols than in all Greece ; yea, fo numerous were their Idols* 
 that they had almofl as many Gods as Men 
 
 STRABO , Procopius , and Ben Jonas fay, the antient Per¬ 
 sians kept and worfhipped their perpetual Fire on Mount Albors, 
 a Branch of Caucafus. The Japonefe worfhip the Devil, and the 
 Head of their Religion is called Dairy whom they worfhip as a 
 God. Atlas. 
 
 I Should rather think the Perjians ador’t/ the fupreme God, 
 under the Image of Fire, by reafon ’tis Fire gives Motion to every, 
 thing in Nature, and therefore they made it an Emblem of Di¬ 
 vinity. 
 
 The Hebrews kept up the holy Fire in the Temple , and the 
 Vejlals were appointed to keep the facred Fire of the Romans . 
 
 VULCAN was worfhipped among the Antients, and parti¬ 
 cularly the Egyptians , as the Inventor of Fire. 
 
 The People of Egypt exceeded moft Nations in depreciating 
 Divinity by grofs Superflitions and Idolatry; they did not err in 
 wonhipping Mortals only, but they gave Reverence to Beafts, 
 Birds, Infedls, Winds, Earth, Water, Air, Fire, Plants, &c. 
 whom Rkodius Anaxandrides , one of themfelves, derides in this 
 manner: 
 
 1 facrifce to God the Beef, which you adore ; 
 
 I broil th' Egyptian Eels , which you as God implore. 
 
 You 
 
 Facilius poEs Deum, quam hominem invenire. 
 
OF SERPENTS. 
 
 Ton fear to eat the Flejh of Swine , I find it fiweeti 
 
 Ton worfhip Dogs , to beat them 1 think meet , 
 
 When they my Store devour 
 
 Thus Juvenal , another Heathen Poet, ridicules their reli¬ 
 gious Fooleries: 
 
 Oh happy Nations ! which , of their own fowing , 
 
 Have fiore of Gods, in evry Garden growing-f. 
 
 The Images of the Gods, fays Seneca , are worfhipped ; thefs 
 they pray unto and adore, and while they greatly admire them, 
 at the fame time defpife the Workmen that made them £. Which 
 alfo Sedulius their Poet feoffs at, faying,-Who worfhip Vani¬ 
 
 ties .... defpife their own Maker.... fear the Works of their, 
 own Hands.... What Madnefs! that Man fhould ugly Shapes 
 adore of Bulls, Birds, Dragons* the vile Half-Dog, or Half-Man*, 
 on Knees for Aid implore ||.—■ 
 
 Yet among the Nations were fome who thought it Impiety 
 to reprefent their Gods.by Images, as the Perfians> Indian Brach- 
 mans, &c**. Yea, th q Romans, for 170 Years, would not allow 
 Images in their Temples, obferving the Law of Numa. It was 
 Harquinius Prifcus that followed the Vanity of the Grecians (a. 
 Nation of all others, excepting Egypt, . moft deluded by the old 
 Serpent) fet up the Images of their Gods, which even the Learned 
 Varro bewailed and condemned. The Mahometans have a per¬ 
 fect Averfion to Images, The Jews hate all Images, will not al¬ 
 low any in their Houfes, much lefs in Places of Worfhip. But to,, 
 proceed: 
 
 The apoflate Indians worfhip both Gods and Devils, over 
 which they acknowledge a Supreme, who fends forth other Dei¬ 
 ties as his Deputies 5 which they think to be the Souls of good 
 
 Men j 
 
 * Bovem colis, ego Deis ma&o Bovem; 
 
 Tu maximum anguillam, Deum putas: ego, 
 
 Obfoniorum credidi, fuaviffimum, 
 
 Carnes fuillas, tu eaves, at gaudeo 
 
 His maxime. Canem colis, quern verbero. 
 
 Edentem, ubi deprebe'ndo, forte obfonium. 
 
 •J' Porrum & ctepe nefas violare & frangere morfu,. 
 
 Oh fandtas gentes quibus hxc nafeuntur in hortis 
 Numina!-- Sat.xv. 1 . 8,9,10. 
 
 J Sitnulachra Deorum venerantur——fabros qui ilia fecere, contemnunt. 
 
 || Heu mtferi vana colunt-uc volucrem, turpemque Bovem, toivumque Dra= - 
 
 conem, fem-hominemque canetn fupplex homo promts adorer. 
 
 ** Eofpinian. de Origins lmagimtn. 
 
 2 2-7 
 
23'8 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY 
 
 Men ; and Devils, the Souls of the Wicked .... They imagine 
 the Sun and Moon to be Gods j their Idols are reprefented as 
 Menders of the kind *. 
 
 “ In the Kingdom of Pegu in the Ead, the People are exceed- 
 “ ing fuperditious, and fcruple not to worfhip the Devil, whom 
 “ they reckon the Author of Evil; as they do God, of Good: 
 c ‘ And in all Calamities, their hid Addreffes are to the evil Spirit, 
 
 <c for Deliverance ; and they make Vows to him, which they 
 <c perform upon their Recovery, with the Afiidance of their 
 “ Prieds, whom they call the Devil’s Father^ and he directs them 
 “ to make facred Feads with Mufick.” Many of them run about 
 in the Morning with a Torch in one Hand, and Rice in the 
 other; pretending to give the Devil his Breakfad, that he may 
 not hurt them that Day. Others at their Meals, throw part of 
 what they have over their Shoulders, to feed him, before they 
 eat any themfelves. Ibid, p.662. 
 
 A t Tavay in that Country, they replenidi their Houfes with 
 Victuals, and leave them for three Months, that the Devils may 
 dwell and feed there, and be favourable all the red of the Year. 
 ibid. They have a fort of Monks called Palapoins , who endea¬ 
 vour to root out this Devil-Worfhip, but without effe<d. 
 
 The Arujpices , were an Order of Priejis among the antient 
 Romans, who pretended to foretell Events, chiefly by infpeding 
 the Entrails of Beads killed in Sacrifice .... Birds, and celedial 
 Appearances. Cato, who was one of the Augurs , confcious of 
 their impious Politicks, ufed to fay, He wondered how one Priejl 
 could look at another without laughing in his Face. Thefe Augu¬ 
 ral Prieds made a College, or Community 5 they bore an Augural. 
 Staff or Wand, called Lituus , made in form of a Crozier, or a 
 Bifhop’s Staff, or Shepherd’s Crook, as the Enfign of their Office 
 and Authority-—And what is mod ridiculous is, that no Affair 
 of Moment could be refolved upon, without fird confulting thefe 
 holy Cheats; and their Advice, be what it would, was by a De¬ 
 cree of the Senate appointed to be exactly and religioudy obferved. 
 Ornithomancy , or Divination by Birds, was, among the Greeks , 
 the fame with Augury among the Romans. 
 
 A t Angola and Congo in the Eaft-lndies , wooden Idols, re- 
 fembling Negroes, are eredted in the midd of their Towns, which 
 they daily worfhip. ’Tis their Belief they are never fick, but 
 
 when 
 
 * Atlas AJia . page 662. , 
 
OF SERPEN TS; 
 
 239 
 
 when their Idols are angry with them ; therefore to appeafe them, 
 they pour at their Feet the Wine of Palms. They wath, paint, 
 and new cloath their Dead, and bury with them Meat, Drink, 
 and fome of their Goods, and fprinkle the Grave with the Blood 
 of Goats. Their Priefts are in fuch high Efteem, that they think 
 Plenty and Famine, Life and Death, are in their power *. 
 
 The old Inhabitants of Virginia believed many Gods, but 
 one principally, who made the reft .... and that the Woman 
 was made before the Man, and propagated by the Help of one 
 of the inferior Gods. The Natives are Anthropomorpbites , giving 
 
 to their Gods the Forms of Men.When they go abroad, 
 
 they carry their Gods about with them, and in Matters of Doubt 
 alk Counfel of them. Much of their Devotion conlifts in howl¬ 
 ing and dancing about Fires, with Rattles in their Hands. 
 Quaere, Whether this Cuftom be not the Original of Caftanets or 
 Snappers in Dancing -f* ? 
 
 Another Inftance of monftrous Degeneracy, we have a- 
 mong the Phenicians , who offer’d yearly Sacrifices to Saturn of 
 young Infants ; and in the Temple of Venus, prabtifed not only 
 Whoredom, but the moft unnatural Sin of Sodomy alfo j yea,, 
 by the Laws of their Religion, were bound to proftitute their 
 Daughters to Venus , before they married them : In their Temple 
 the Women who refufed to be fhaved, were obliged to yield up 
 their Honour to Strangers for one day. 
 
 In the Country, now called New Spain , the old Inhabitants 
 would neither eat nor drink, till they had caft towards the Sun,, 
 fome part of their Food; nor would they fmell a Flower, with¬ 
 out throwing up in the Air fome Leaves of it, thereby acknow¬ 
 ledging the Gods to be their great Benefactors: Tho’ this be ri¬ 
 diculous, yet having an Air of religious Gratitude, it is com¬ 
 mendable. Among other Idols ador’d at Mexico , they had one 
 called Vitziliputzli , placed in an azure colour’d Chair, with Ser¬ 
 pent's Heads at each Corner. 
 
 Yea the Pagans, to authorize their own Crimes, and juftify 
 their vicious Lives, have conftituted licentious, drunker?, vicious 
 Gods, &c. Inftances of this kind we have in their religious In- 
 ftitutions, as the Saturnalia of the Romans , which were Feafts 
 facred to the God Saturn ; This Feaft was oblerved in December , 
 
 at 
 
 * See Purchas , Hackluit in Purchase 
 
24 ° 
 
 A NATURAL HISTORY, &>c. 
 
 at fir ft kept for one day, then for three days, and afterwards for 
 feven days. So facred was this Feftival, that while it lafted, no 
 Criminals were to be executed, no War to begin .... And yet at 
 the fame time, a Sandtion was given to univerfal Debauchery j all 
 Rules of Virtue and common Decency were intirely baniftied, and 
 all things run into a wild Scene of Diftradtion and Lewdnefs, and 
 all this under the Umbrage of doing Honour to their Gods*. 
 
 The fame Game was adted in the Lupercalian Feafts, inftitu- 
 ted in honour of the God Pan (under the fhape of a Goat) whofe 
 Priefts, on the Morning of the Feaft, ran naked thro’ the Streets, 
 ftriking the married Women they met, on the Hands and Belly 
 with Straps cut out of Goats Skim , which was held an Omen, 
 promising Fruitfulnefs, and happy Deliveries. 
 
 I Shall only add the Bacchanalian Feafts, celebrated in ho¬ 
 nour of Bacchus , the God of Wine, and Mafter of the Revels j 
 fometimes called Orgia 4 , from a Greek Word that fignifies Anger 
 and Rage, becaufe in the Celebration of it, People adted in fo raging 
 and furious a manner, as if they had been abfolutely diftradted. 
 Thefe religious Feafts were not only encumber’d with a great num¬ 
 ber of Ceremonies, but attended with mod notorious Diflolutenefs; 
 for Men and Women met at them, ail naked, except their "Heads 
 and Hips, that were fhaded with Vine Leaves. 
 
 The Women, who were installed Prieftefles, during this Feaft, 
 ran thro’ the Streets, and other Places, cover’d with Tyger’s Skins, 
 Scepters in one Hand, and Torches in the other, howling and roar¬ 
 ing out the Praife of Bacchus , with Hair difhevell’d, dangling about 
 their Shoulders. They were call’d Mcsnades from their Madnefs, 
 
 \Thyades from their Rage, Bacchce from their Intemperance. 
 
 The Poets tell us, that in the Bacchanalian Train, were a 
 Croud of Nymphs and Naiades , a fort of Heathen Divinities j fome 
 crown’d with Ivy, their Flair loofe, and intermix’d with Snakes, 
 clothed with the Skins of Beafts^nd girt about with large Serpents, 
 and running frantick in the Woods and Mountains. 
 
 I n fhort, their facred Games, Feftivals, and Sacrifices, were 
 little more than drunken Banquets, nocturnal Revels, tumultuous 
 Dancings, all wild, ridiculous and extravagant. 
 
 * Uno die... . trium dierum .... feptcm dierum_Bellutn fumere nefas ha- 
 
 bi'urn'- —Macrobii opera, Londini , A. D. 1594. p. 155, 16c, l 63 . 
 
 t ‘'O/W 
 
 F 
 
 N I S. 
 
INDEX 
 
 A. 
 
 AC 0 NT IA Serpent, (the Figure, Plate 4 ;) why call’d a flying 
 Serpent, .. - 81 
 
 — - ' 7 * 
 
 - i73 
 
 —— --181 
 
 --182, 3 
 
 ~ -- 184. 
 
 Adam , why not made impeccable, - 
 
 -Converfe betwixt him and Angels, 
 
 ■-in Innocency put in mind of Death, 
 
 . —,— — his Fall defcribed by Pagans, 
 
 ■by Mahometans , 
 Adder; fee Viper, (the Figure, Plate 1.) 
 
 Agnajen Serpent, ■■ - - - — 
 
 Air , ador’d by Pagans, 
 
 132 
 • 210 
 140 
 
 53 > 4 
 
 72 
 
 Alexander the Great , and Alexander the Little, 
 
 Amodytes Serpent, defcrib’d, -- 
 
 Amphisbcena , a two-headed Serpent, defcrib’d, 
 
 -- Inftances of one in Oxfordshire , and in Chiapa in 
 
 America, --——— ——-- — — 
 
 Ambua Serpent, 
 
 Ameiva Serpent, 
 
 Americina , 
 
 Anacandia Serpent, 
 
 Ants , their Penetration, 
 
 — 8 , 
 
 107 
 122 
 122 
 
 8 
 
 132 
 8 
 
 136 
 2I 3 
 
 Their Adoration ridicul’d by fome of themfelves, 215, 2 3 6, 
 
 237 
 
 I i Apollo * 
 
 in America great Mafter-Builders, 
 
 - Remarkable Sorts in the Eaft-Indies, 
 
 A/ignis laqueus , or the enfnaring Serpent, 
 Animals , turn’d into Gods by Pagans , 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Apollo , catechis’d for his dubious Anfwers, 
 
 -His She-Pried, » ■ * 1 — 
 
 Apotheofs, or Deification defcrib’d, — 
 
 AJp , (the Figure, Plate 2,) defcribed, 
 
 -— Its Fore light, - 
 
 — A Poem on the Afp and its Poifon, 
 
 -Highly venerated among the Egyptians , 
 
 Attaligatus Serpent; - 
 
 B. 
 
 Baflisk Serpent, (the Figure, Plate 3.) defcrib’d, - 78 
 
 --* why call’d King of Serpents, —-— 79 
 
 {African, Plate 3.) 
 
 Battle of the Gods --— 212 
 
 Bees , (the Figure, Plate 5.) their Sagacity, great Geometricians, 8 
 
 ►—— Their Sting defcrib’d, - -- 148 
 
 Birds , why fome here only in Winter, and others only in Summer, 7 
 
 Biobi , or green Serpent defcrib’d, *- 103 
 
 Bibera Serpent, —--— -—— 107 
 
 Bitin Serpent, — . . — - - ■■ 137 
 
 Blowing Serpent, - -- — 130 
 
 Boignacu Serpent, very beautiful, -- 106 
 
 Boytiapua Serpent,-- ■ ■ - ■ - 108 
 
 -—- An Instrument of Conjuration, — ■ ■ 109 
 
 Bomfnake Serpent, -- ——-- 109 
 
 Boicupecanga Serpent, prickle-back’d, - —— 11 o 
 
 Boitiapo Serpent, --- - - - J17 
 
 Brochet de Torre , or Land-pike, --- -- 124 
 
 Brimjlone Snake, -- --- ——*— 130 
 
 & 
 
 223 
 
 59 
 
 60 
 
 61 
 70 
 
 i34 
 
 C. 
 
 Cabiri , characteriz’d, - - -— - 81 
 
 Caudifonant, or Rattle-Snake, (the Figure, Plate 7.) defcrib’d, 91 
 
 - — Its Wounds and Cures, -- —- 92 
 
 Camelion , (the Figure, Plate 5.) defcrib’d; the reafon why it appears 
 
 - 96 
 
 - —- 97 
 
 - -— 103 
 
 ■■■ 104 
 
 -- - 108 
 
 1 ■ » 122 
 
 Cacilia 
 
 in a change of Colours, 
 
 Why call’d a living Skin, 
 
 Canina Serpent, defcrib’d, 
 
 —-- A Domeftick Animal, 
 
 Caminana Serpent, 
 
 Carapobeba , — —■ 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Cczcilia Serpent defcrib’d, why call’d blind, -- 80 
 
 Cencris Serpent defcrib’d, why call’d miliary, -- 80, i 
 
 Cerajles, (the Figure, Plate i.) defcrib’d, the Executioner of Juftice, 
 
 Ceylon , a Land of Delights, ■ ■—- 
 
 Ceylonic Hotambceia Serpent, - —. 
 
 Chickens , produc’d by artificial Heat, - 
 
 Chajlity conjugal, how try’d, ■ 
 
 Charming of Serpents, various Infiances, -- 
 
 - of Rats, a remarkable Inftance in Germany , 
 
 -— of Serpents, by a Wand, - - 
 
 Cheefe , an odd Cufiom in Antiquity about it, 
 
 Chicken Snake, -- - - 
 
 Cherubims i Emblems of Mercy and Juftice, — ■ 
 
 Chrifl 's Death, publifh’d before that of Adam, - 
 
 Cleopatra , her own Executioner by a Serpent, - 
 
 Cloth i walh’d in Fire, - — 
 
 Cobres Capellos Serpent, defcrib’d, — — > 
 
 Colour Green, why hated by the Turks , - 
 
 -— Blue, why hated by the Perjians , - 
 
 Cordylus , a noxious Reptile, - 
 
 Corn Snake, - .-. 
 
 Crocodile , (the Figure, Plate 5.) deicrib’d at large, 
 
 • - eats Stones, --- — 
 
 • - venerated in Egypt , ■■ ■ ■ ■ . 
 
 -— the occafion of a War, -— 
 
 - -- a Judge of Controverfies, -- 
 
 — - the manner of deftroying it, - 
 
 --— Symbol of the Deity, -- 
 
 Creation , a Poem, -- - ——-- 
 
 Cuckold , its Origin, ■ - --—. 
 
 Cuckow Spittle, Gralhoppers hatch’d in it, — 
 
 Cucurijuba i a Serpent monftrous, --• 
 
 54, 5 
 ”3 
 
 6, 147 
 55 
 
 - 129 
 
 * 3 * 
 
 — 175,6 
 
 - 180 
 
 34, 60, 61 
 
 95 
 
 90 
 
 ioS 
 
 109 
 
 — 121 
 129 
 
 — 118 
 ibid, 
 ibid. 
 
 — ibid. 
 ll 9 
 
 • 120 
 
 -* 178 
 
 162 
 
 54 
 
 108 
 
 110 
 
 D. 
 
 Darknefs, the Deftru&ion of Colours 
 
 Dcemons explain’d, ——- 
 
 Devil ador’d, -- 
 
 “-- 7 T 
 
 - 2°5 
 
 - 236,238 
 
 --—-*■ 56, 7 
 
 Dipfas Serpent, defcrib’d j its Wounds bring incurable Thirfi:, 85 
 
 I i 2 D ogs % 
 
 Diftempers cur’d by manual Touch, 
 
INDEX, 
 
 Dogs , fuperiour to Men in the Senfe of Smelling, —— 66 
 
 — -- the manner of Senfation philofophically explain’d, <—* 67 
 
 — - Providence vindicated in that matter, — 68 
 
 Dopon Serpent, •-- -- 133 
 
 Dragons defcrib’d, various Sorts and Forms, —- 74 
 
 «—monftrous one flain by Gozon, Knight, by a ftrange con¬ 
 trivance, -- . —■ —— 75 
 
 -- another flain by the Roman Army, --■ 76 
 
 Dragon , Pythian , Guardian of the Delphick Oracle, — ibid. 
 Dragons , Guardians of Treafures, -——— 78 
 
 .- winged, defcrib’d, (the Figure, Plate 2.) < —- 192 
 
 ——— /Ethiopian, (the Figure, Plate 2.) 
 
 Druina Serpent, defcrib’d, -- - . 83 
 
 E. 
 
 Eagles , how they take their Prey, ■ —. 145 
 
 Ecatoth, or Serpent of the Wind, -- 135 
 
 Eggs, the reafon of Propagation by them, * 5 
 
 .-the Method wonderful, -- ibid. 
 
 Egg , Symbol of the World, *- 6 
 
 Eggs hatch’d in Ovens, the Young-ones generally imperfedt, ibid , 
 
 ■-- myflierious Egg. 
 
 Egg, a furprizing Compound, —-—— 128 
 
 —the White of it a moft Angular Menftruum, -■ ibid. 
 
 .-- how reduc’d to the likenefs of Poifon, *-- ibid. 
 
 Egyptians , a People of Contradi&ion, *-—-— 60 
 
 -- whipp’d their inattentive Gods, 60 
 
 Elephantia Serpents, why fo call’d, . —— -- 86 
 
 Elops Serpent, (the Figure, Plate 3.) defcrib’d, —> 84 
 
 Elephants , Creatures of great Bulk, ——- 86 
 
 ----fubjedt to Refentment, Inftances of it, — 87 
 
 - a Battle betwixt them and Serpents, ■—— 91 
 
 Enchantment by noxious Herbs, &c. --— 47 
 
 Ethetulla Serpent, —-- —- 113 
 
 Eve, how fhe came to converfe with the Serpent, —~ 174 
 
 -—- her Converfe with it before the Account of Mofes very probable, 
 
 1 77 
 
 a Negative would have preferv’d her Innocence, ——■ 179 
 
 3 
 
 F. Faith 
 
INDEX. 
 
 F. 
 
 Faith , the Magnet of Magicians, 
 
 Fafcinating Eyes, --- 
 
 Fife, how they breathe in Water, 
 
 Fire , ador’d, ■■ — - . . 
 
 Funerals , their firft Institution, 
 
 64 
 
 4* 
 
 i 
 
 211, 236 
 181 
 
 G. 
 
 Generation equivocal exploded, 4 
 
 Ghalghulawa Serpent, - —. 114 
 
 Giraupiagara Serpent, I08 
 
 Gobe Moujes , - —- 124 
 
 Gods , Men transformed into them, . - -— ■ ■ 201 
 
 —— inanimate Things turn’d into them, — —- 207 
 
 GoddeJJes , Women transform’d into them, 206 
 
 Golden Calf, - 1 - *- 214 
 
 Grotto di Cani, a particular Account of it, - 2 5, 6 
 
 . -- Experiments made in it by Mr. Addifon , 26 
 
 Grotto de i Serpi , a remarkable fubterraneous Cavern, and Hofpital 
 
 for particular Difeafes, 38 
 
 Ground Rattle-Snake, --- 125 
 
 Griffin defcrib’d, » 1 . — 145 
 
 Guaku , or Lyboya Serpent defcrib’d, one of the moil monftrous, 
 
 102 
 
 H. 
 
 Harus Serpent, 1 - 
 
 Heathens, their Fictions about Punishments in Hell, 
 
 •-- their Opinion about Heaven, 
 
 Hereditary Right, the Title, how try’d, 
 
 138 
 49 
 5° 
 
 5 6 
 
 Hemorrhous , (the Figure, Plate 1.) defcrib’d j its Wounds force the 
 
 57 
 
 81 
 
 ll 5 
 126 
 148 
 
 126, 141, 2 
 
 Blood out thro’ every Pore of the Body, 
 
 Horfe- Tail, a Furkijh Standard, the Original of it, — 
 
 Hooded , or Monk-Serpent, -- 
 
 Horn Snake, - - 
 
 Hornet , (the Figure, Plate 7.) defcrib’d, — 
 
 Hydrusj or Water-Snake, —-- 
 
 I. 'Japonians 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Japonians , their way of punishing Chriftians, 
 Jararaka Serpent, defcrib’d, 
 
 Jacore Lizard, 
 
 Ibiara Serpent, defcrib’d, 
 
 Ibitobaca Serpent, (the Figure, Plate 4.) defcrib’d, —. 
 
 ibiboboca Serpent, defcrib’d. 
 
 Ibizacoan Serpent, Cure of its Wound very lingular. 
 Idolatry , the Original of it, —— 
 
 —-more ancient than Image-Worfhip, 
 
 --— the Incentives to it, 
 
 Jeboya Serpent, — - 
 
 Images , why Laban call’d them Gods, 
 
 Indian Prince, a very remarkable Saying of his about Spanijh 
 
 Infelts , little, great Executioners, — — 
 
 - various Instances, ■ * 
 
 Iquanna Serpent defcrib’d, -— 
 
 Iron , one of the hardeft Metals, yet the moft brittle, 
 IJrael , why punifh’d by Serpents, — — 
 
 -- why punilh’d by fiery Serpents, --— 
 
 47 
 
 103 
 
 99 
 
 102 
 
 - 106 
 
 197 
 
 198 
 
 199 
 108 
 
 20 3 
 
 Cruelty, 
 
 133 
 
 139 
 
 ibid. 
 
 102 
 
 130 
 
 188 
 
 ibid. 
 
 K. 
 
 Kakaboya Serpent, - —r- 
 
 Kingdom won by an Heroick Anfwer, 
 
 King Snake, - — 
 
 —Safhes made of its Skin, - 
 
 Koko Serpent, a Reprefen tation of the French Monarch, 
 Kukuruki Serpent, defcrib’d, - 
 
 L. 
 
 Lancajhire Beauties, --—— 
 
 Lacertus viridis , or green Lizard, —— ■ ■ 
 
 Les Anoles Serpent, - ■ — 
 
 Les Roquet Serpent, 
 
 Light, how the Senfation of it is produc’d, 
 
 - all Colours depend upon it, 
 
 Long black Snake, ■ ■ ■ ■ ———- 
 
 106 
 
 58 
 
 129 
 
 ibid. 
 
 5 8 >9 
 
 99 
 
 69 
 
 121 
 
 123 
 
 ibid. 
 
 7 l 
 
 7 l 
 
 127 
 
 M. Magical 
 
INDEX. 
 
 M. 
 
 Magical Balls, *- 
 
 Magick Art, the Original of it, -- 
 
 --its Degeneracy, -- 
 
 -furprizing Inftances of magick Wit, 
 
 Magick Egg, --- 
 
 Magicians , St. Matthew's wife Men in their time, 
 
 Manima Serpent, monftrous, -- 
 
 Malcargbeta Serpent, ■ ■ 
 
 Malpopon Serpent, -- 
 
 Manballa Serpent. 
 
 Maboujas, 
 
 46 , 7 
 68 
 68, 9 
 ■ 69 
 
 ibid. 
 70 
 in 
 
 113 
 ibid . 
 
 114 
 
 123 
 
 124 
 132 
 
 J 43 
 
 16 
 
 an Emblem of the old Serpent, - 
 
 Macacoth, an horned Serpent, ■- 
 
 Marine Dragon, or Serpent, -—-- 
 
 Men, Giants and Pygmies among ’em, - 
 
 Mexico , two unparallel’d Inftances of Cruelty, one by the Mexican , 
 the other by Spanijh Priefts, — 100, 1 
 
 Milk , its wonderful Nature defcrib’d, — 128 
 
 Mithridate , the Original of its Name, - 40, 5 
 
 Monoxillo , or mucronated Serpent. - 137 
 
 Musk Serpent, „ --- — 116 
 
 Musk Rats, and Musk Cats, -—— ibid. 
 
 Musk , a fhort Account of it, * ■ 11 6 , 17 
 
 Mu/ick , its wonderful Effects on the Mind and the Body in feveral 
 
 remarkable Inflances. - 156 to 160 
 
 --Conjectures about medicinal Cures by it, - 164 
 
 N. 
 
 Natrix Torquata Snake, (the Figure, Plate 5.) 
 
 Nintipolonga Serpent, - 
 
 Noya Serpent, - 
 
 J42 
 
 114 
 
 90 
 
 O. 
 
 Obfidian Stones, Looking-Glaffes made of them, — 105 
 
 Opium , the Darling of the Turks, — 21 
 
 Orators , as well as Poets enthufiaftical, — 64 
 
 Oracular Anfwers, various Opinions about them, — — 77 
 
 Otus Serpent, - -— — 133 
 
 P. P areas 
 
index; 
 
 p. 
 
 Pareas Serpent defcrib’d, - ■- 84 
 
 Paper, that is incombuftible, — — — 95 
 
 Parrot, a rational Dialogue betwixt it and Prince Maurice, 144, 5 
 
 Parthians , the be ft Fighters when retreating, — 132 
 
 Paradife , Self-denial a Duty there, —- — 180 
 
 - Threatnings neceftary there, — — 181 
 
 Pagan Fables founded on the Writings of Mofes , —■ 182 
 
 Perjian Kings, their Recipe for an eafy Death, ■— 70 
 
 People, without Fraud, - — 125 
 
 -- have no Name for it, — — ibid. 
 
 Pimhera Serpent, defcrib’d, *- 90 
 
 Pluto , his Attendants and Executioners cover’d with Snakes, as the 
 Harpies , Furies , Cerberus, Chimcera , -- 47, 48, 49 
 
 Poifon , vegetable Inftances of it, -— 19, 20 
 
 * -Mineral, various Inftances in Damps from Copper, Mercury, 
 
 Tin, Lead, — — 22,23 
 
 -Animal, Debates about the Seat of it in Serpents, 26,7 
 
 • -various Remedies for it, as Oil, experimented on one Wil¬ 
 
 liam Oliver , bit by a Serpent; Lichen Cinereus Per re fir is, Ve¬ 
 nice Treacle, and feveral Vegetables, &c. — 29,30,31,145 
 
 -— one Drop of it a Match for a Sea of Blood, 32 
 
 -when not dangerous, - 33 
 
 ---exhauftible in Serpents by quick repeated Adts, but foon 
 
 recruited, — ■— — 35 
 
 Poetical Apology for a Sot, •— — 73,4 
 
 Polonga Serpent, defcrib’d, •——- — 90 
 
 Priejls , their Genius for Cruelty. See Mexico. 
 
 Pruffians and Lithuanians, Serpent-Worlhippers, — 226 
 
 R. 
 
 jR^//i?-Snake. Vid. Caudifonant. 
 Red -belly Snake, —— 
 
 Red -back Snake, --- 
 
 Rivers ador’d, — 
 
 Rubetarian Serpent, 
 
 —-—--loud and pretty. 
 
 126 
 
 127 
 2 10 
 
 H3 
 
 ibid. 
 
 S. Sandals , 
 
INDEX. 
 
 S. 
 
 Sandals , ufed by the Ladles, - — 208-' 
 
 Salamander , (the Figure, Plate 5,) defcribed, - 92 
 
 ■ ■ how faid to live in the Fire, -■ — 93 
 
 —— ■ Corvini' s Experiment upon one, - 94 
 
 Salamander's Wool, ■■■■-■ • - 95 
 
 -Shrouds made of it for Kihgs, - 95 
 
 Satan , why punifh’d under the Figure of a Serpent, -- 185 
 
 Scorpions, (the Figure, Plate 7,) Countries deftroy’d by them, as in 
 /Ethiopia, Amycla a Town in Italy , Pefcara an ancient City in 
 
 Italy , India , . . 45, 6 
 
 their various Kinds, Sizes, and malignant Nature, —87, 8 
 
 -— the Perjians curfe by them, —— 88 
 
 Scytale Serpent, (the Figure, Plate 2,) defcribed, - 70 
 
 -an Aggregate of charming Colours, —- 71 
 
 Scolopendra , (the Figure, Plate 5,) - - 151 
 
 Serpents , general Defcription of them, —-- 2 
 
 their Mode of Propagation viviparous and oviparous, 4, 5 
 their Sagacity, with regard to their different Lodgments, 
 
 6, 7, 172 
 
 ■ . during Winter, lleep with open Eyes, ■■ ■■ ■■ 7 
 
 -- their Enemies, viz. Eagle, Hawk, Stork, Ibis, Ichneumon, 
 
 Magaure, and fome Vegetables, » ■ - 10, 11 
 
 •- Duft, not their original Food. A moral Reflection upon 
 
 it, . » " < -- ■ -12 
 
 - their Food, which they fwallow whole, - 12, 13 
 
 - their Size, fome monftrous, others remarkably fmall, 13, 
 
 14, 15, 16, 146 
 
 . their Apparatus for Motion curious, ■ . . 17 
 
 ■ ■■— their Skin an elegant Compofltion, . .. 18 
 
 -- of fpecial Service to Mankind, of great Ufe in Phyfick, 
 
 various at home and abroad, -- - 36, 7 
 
 ■ - the common Food of many Nations in Europe , Afia , A- 
 
 frica, America, — *- 381040 
 
 - - Inftruments of divine and human Vengeance, 
 
 - JewiJlj Camp infefted with them, — - 44 
 
 - Victory gain’d by them on Sea and Land, ■— 46 
 
 Serpent , its Conteft with St. Paul , ■ ■ - 44 
 
 K k Seps 9 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Seps , (the Figure, Plate i,) why call’d the putid Serpent, -- 58 
 
 Serpens Indicus Coronatus, -— » - 112 
 
 Serpens Put or ius' -- --- - 113 
 
 The Sea-Serpent , (the Figure, Plate 6.) 
 
 Serpent de Boa, ■ —-»——■—— - . ■' 144 
 
 Mi ft refs of Serpents , (the Figure, Plate 6.) 
 
 Serpent , an Account of a remarkable one in Lancajhire , -- 144 
 
 Serpent in Paradife, various Opinions about it, ——* 168 
 
 American Serpent , (the Figure, Plate 3.) 
 
 Serpent brazen, --— —-—— 191, 2 
 
 ■-— prefigur’d Chrift, ■ - *—— 194 
 
 - Ifrael , why cured by it, —-- - 193 
 
 Serpents , the Adoration of them, ——-— 216 to 227 
 
 • - Reafons for that Worfhip, —- 228 
 
 - Worshippers of ’em among Chriftians, ■ - ■ ■ 229 
 
 Shrew- Serpent, ——- --- ——• 151 
 
 Shechina defcrib’d. -- —— — -—• --— 187 
 
 Silence , a Pythagorick Rudiment, -- - 112 
 
 * - the Safety of Venice , --- -— 1 12 
 
 Sin , its firft Entrance, -— --—- 168 
 
 Sleep , a living Death, —-—■ ———■ — 70 
 
 Snake common, (the Figure, Plate 4.) defcrib’d, -—■ 85 
 
 Spiders , (the Figure, Plate 5.) 
 
 •—- Black, (the Figure, Plate 4,) their various Kinds,-149 
 
 •»--- their Autumn Webs, ■ —-—■ 150 
 
 -- American , ■ ---- 150 
 
 St Alio , r——— —■-—* “‘123 
 
 Stupid Serpent, » 1 " » --- —==——-— 136 
 
 .— -a living Loadftone, as defcrib’d by fome, -- ■■ 136 
 
 Sun and Moon, chief Deities of the Pagans , - — - —209 
 
 Swamp Snakes, —-—• —«— —— ■—126 
 
 T. 
 
 Parcibcya Serpent, --—— - ■ —— 106 
 
 Pap ay axis Serpent, — — — - - — — 121 
 
 Paraguira , ————- 111 ———■-—- T21 
 
 Paraqiuco Aycuraba Serpent, - --- —— 122 
 
 Papayaxin Serpent, . » 137 
 
 Papayaxin , 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Tapayaxin Serpent, the Friend of Man, — 
 T amacolin Serpent-, of the Toad kind, 
 
 ‘tame and tractable Serpent, 
 
 --- jfy 
 
 -~ i*t 
 
 —~ i—■* I4Q 
 
 Tarantula , (the Figure, Plate 7,) its Poifon and Cure by Muhck; 
 
 the Manner how, - .- 151 to 155 
 
 Teuthlacokanqui , in Mexico , call’d the Fortrefs of the Serpents, de- 
 
 —-;- 100 
 
 — . . 104 
 
 — -- 1 1 1 
 
 -- —■—- ibid. 
 
 - 121 
 
 •- 122 
 
 - 139 
 
 - -202 
 
 --- 140 
 
 --141 
 
 - -—. 138 
 
 —“ - I 3 2 
 
 - ibid. 
 
 Scrib'd, 
 
 Tetzawhcoatl Serpent, — — " 
 
 Terpomongo Serpent, —*— 
 
 •>-- a Symbol of Friendship, 
 
 Tejugnacu , - ■ 
 
 Tejunhana Serpent, - 
 
 ‘ Tetzancoath , or the rare Serpent, 
 
 Teraphim , explain’d, .- 
 
 Tleora , or Tetloa Serpent, 
 
 an Inhabitant of the Mountains, 
 Toads, as large as Cats and Dogs, 
 
 Tzicatlinan Serpent, -— 
 
 -* the Darling of the Ladies, 
 
 V. 
 
 Vegetation , none without Air, ———— —- 3 
 
 Vegetables , deep in Winter, - - ■ ^ •-7, 8 
 
 -- worshipped, ■ ■ — - — 2 12 
 
 VeBis, - -- -— 131 
 
 Vipers , different from the Snake, ■ - - 32 
 
 -a Battle betwixt one and a Magpye, --— 32 
 
 ■-■— Battle betwixt one and a Dog, —- 33 
 
 --don’t eat after they are taken, . —--- 33 
 
 Viper a Indica Tricolor Major , —-— - -- j 12 
 
 Vipera Zelanica Minor , MadudiL Mega nter Variegata ,-112 
 
 Unifon , its Wonders. *— --160, 1 
 
 W. 
 
 Wafts , (the Figure, Plate 7,) defcrib’d, —— •— 148 
 
 Wepelon Serpent,----- 1 \ 3 
 
 Woman with two Horns, —— •—— - 34 
 
 Women warlike,-— -——-129 
 
 ~— ■ the hard Condition of their Marriage, —— —-- ibid. 
 
 Words, 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Words , their Efficacy, Inftance of it in Cafar , —— — — 63, 4 
 
 Worms , I a fiances of Execution by them, - 134, 5 
 
 Worjbip of hurtful Creatures, why, - 233 
 
 --of different Animals in Egypt, theReafons, — 234 
 
 FINIS.