Curious Facts in the History of Insects; Including Spiders and Scorpions. / A Complete Collection of the Legends, Superstitions, Beliefs, and Ominous Signs Connected with Insects; Together with Their Uses in Medicine, Art, and as Food; and a Summary of Their Remarkable Injuries and Appearances.

by Frank Cowan

Of wife, of children, and of health bereft,

I hailed thee, friendly Spider, who hadst wove

Thy mazy net on yonder mouldering raft:

Would that the cleanlie housemaid’s foot had left

Thee tarrying here, nor took thy life away;

For thou, from out this seare old ceiling’s cleft,

Came down each morn to hede my plaintive lay;

Joying like me to heare sweete musick play,

Wherewith I’d fein beguile the dull, dark, lingering day.[1135]

“When the great and brilliant Lauzun was held in captivity, his only joy and comfort was a friendly Spider: she came at his call; she took her food from his finger, and well understood his word of command. In vain did jailors and soldiers try to deceive his tiny companion; she would not obey their voices, and refused the tempting bait from their hand. Here, then, was not only an ear, but a keen power of distinction. The despised little animal listened with sweet affection, and knew how to discriminate between not unsimilar tones.”[1136]