Tavernier.
A serpent which that aspidis
Is cleped, of his kinde hath this,
That he the stone noblest of all
The whiche that men carbuncle call,
Bereth in his head above on high.
For whiche whan that a man by slight
The stone to wynne, and him to dante,
With his carecte him wolde enchante,
Anone as he perceiveth that
He leyth downe his one ear all plat
Unto the ground, and halt it fast,
And eke that other eare als faste
He shoppeth with his taille so sore,
That he the wordes, lasse or more
Of his enchantement ne hereth.
And in this wise himself he skiereth,
So that he hath the wordes wayved,
And thus his eare is nought deceived.
Gower.
Does not “the deaf adder, that heareth not the voice of the charmer, charm he never so wisely,” allude to some snake that cannot be enticed by music, as they catch them in Egypt?
[150] As for the wax it is the finest and whitest that may be had tho’ of bees: and there is such plenty as serves the whole empire. Several provinces produce it, but that of Huquam exceeds all the others, as well in quantity as whiteness. It is gathered in the province of Xantung upon little trees; but in that of Huquam upon large ones, as big as those of the Indian Pagods, or chesnut-trees in Europe. The way nature has found to produce it, to us appears strange enough. There is in this province a creature, or insect of the bigness of a flea, so sharp at stinging, that it not only pierces the skins of men and beasts, but the boughs and bodies of the trees. Those of the province of Xantung are much valued; where the inhabitants gather their eggs from the trees, and carry them to sell in the province of Huquam. In the spring, there come from these eggs certain worms, which about the beginning of the summer they place at the foot of the tree, whence they creep up, spreading themselves wonderfully over all the branches. Having placed themselves there, they gnaw, pierce, and bore to the very pith, and their nourishment they convert into wax as white as snow, which they drive out to the mouth of the hole they have made, where it remains congealed in drops by the wind, and cold. Then the owners of the trees gather it, and make it into cakes as we do, which are sold about China.
Gemelli Careri.
Du Halde’s account is somewhat different from this, the worms, he says, fasten on the leaves of the tree, and in a short time form combs of wax, much smaller than the Honey Combs.
[151] It being notorious that fire enters into the composition of a Devil, because he breathes smoke and flames, there is an obvious propriety in supposing every Witch her own tinder-box, as they approximate to diabolic nature. I am sorry that I have not the Hierarchie of the Blessed Angels to refer to, otherwise by the best authorities, I could show that is the trick of Beelzebub to parody the costume of religion, the inflammability of Saints may be abundantly exampled.
It happened upon a time, before St. Elfled was chosen Abbesse, that being in the Church at mattins, before day, with the rest of her sisters, and going into the middest according to the custome, to read a lesson, the candle wherewith she saw to read, chanced to be put out, and thereupon wanting light, there came from the fingers of her right hand such an exceeding brightnesse upon the suddaine, that not only herselfe, but all the rest of the Quire also might read by it.
English Martyrologe. 1608.