Batman vppon Bartholome his booke De proprietatibus rerum, newly corrected, enlarged and amended: with such additions as are requisite, vnto euery seuerall booke: taken foorth of the most approued authors, the like heretofore not translated in English. Profitable for all estates, as well for the benefite of the mind as the bodie. 1582.

¶Of Ape. chap. 12.

THe Bée is called Apis, and is a lit∣tle short Incecti with many féete, & among all flyes with round bodyes, and so shapen, he beareth the price in manye things, as Plinius sayth libro. 11. cap. 6. Hugenesse of wit rewardeth him in lit∣tlenesse of body, and though he might be accounted among flyeng Flyes, yet for he vseth feete, and goeth vpon them, he may rightfully be accounted among beastes that goe on grounde: and ouer the properties that are sit before libro. 12. in litera A. other properties shall be set héere; the which properties Plinius rehearseth li. 10. cap. 6. and saith in this manner: Among all wonders, the wit and sleight of Bees is wonderfull, by the which wit they gather honnie, and make honnie combes of most swéetest iuyce and subtill, and most wholesome: and worke and make Waxe, that is full good and profitable to the vse of lyfe of mankinde, and lurke and be hid∣den in Winter: for they haue no might & strength to withstand the frost & snow, & blasts of Northen wind: and in spring∣ing time they go out to blooming beanes to worke & to trauaile, & none of them haue leaue to be idle in y^t time: and first they ordeine hony combes, & make waxe houses & cells, & then bréed young & make hony therafter, & bring it together. And they perget the roofe of their hiues with woose & gum all about, & with iuyce of trees that haue vertue of Gumme, and strength their hiues as well as they may agaynst the greedines and réeses of other small Birdes, and if there be any durte, they breake it off and casteth it ef•• and farre awaye, and they washe the Hiues with the foresayd woose and iuyce.

And first for foundation of their work, they lay and set a certaine péece of bit∣ter sauour: and manye men call that Comosim: and make then another péece more swéete, and that is the beginning of ware, and many men call that Duli∣ces: & the third time they set more grea∣ter matter & thicke, that is the stablish∣ment and fastening of the hony combs, and many men call that matter Propo∣lim: and in these three manner wises, they strengthen, and succour, and defend their honie combes, against colde and o∣ther wrongs.

And Bées sit not on fruite, but on flowers, not withered, but fresh & new, and gather matter, of the which they make both honie and wexe: and when the flowers that are nigh vnto them are wasted and spent, then they sende spyes, for to espie meate in farther pla∣ces, and if the night falleth vpon them in their iourney, then they lye vpright to defend their wings from rayne and from deaw, that they may in the mor∣row tide flye the more swifter to their worke with theyr drye wings and able to flye. And they ordayne watches after the manner of Castles, and rest all night vntill it be daye, till one Bée wake thē all with twice buzzing or thrice, or with some manner trumping: then they flye all, if the daye be faire on the morrowe: and they diuine and are ware before of rayne and of winde, and then they holde them in theyr house, and when they know and be ware before hand of faire weather, then they passe foorth to theyr worke with a swarme and companye: and then, some gather flowers with their feete, and some water with theyr mouthes, and beare drops together with all roughnes of their bodies. The youn∣ger goeth out to worke, and beginneth such thinges, and the elder worketh at home, with flowers that they bring.

First, they charge the fore féete, and af∣terward the hinder féet, vntil they turne home againe, with the mouth full and fully charged.

And they receiue them that be char∣ged in this manner: thrée or foure dis∣chargeth them, as they be ordayned at home, for theyr offices are diuers: For some make houses, and some cleanse and make fayre the Hiue, and some dresse meate of that that is brought home, and they eate not asunder, least vncleannesse of meate or of worke should be among them: and they make the combes ordi∣nately and by lyne, & hang them aboue, with certaine things, that them holdeth, and vndersetteth them that they shall not fall, and putteth a lyttle honnye in the first rowe, and ofte filleth the laste most full.

And the Bées that bringeth and bea∣reth what is needfull, dread blastes of winde, and flyeth therefore lowe by the ground when they are charged, least they be letted with some manner of blasts, & chargeth themselues somtime with gra∣uell or with small stones, that they may be the more stedfast against blastes of winde, by heauinesse of the stones. A∣mong them is wonderfull obseruaunce of discipline and of lore, for one mark∣eth and taketh héed of them that worke not, and chastiseth them anone, and slai∣eth them that will not worke. Among them is wonderfull great cleannesse, for they suffer no filthe among theyr workes.

And some Bées gather into one place the dirte of the Bées that worke, be∣cause they shoulde not goe farre from their works, and throw out their durt at euen, and goeth into their houses & bide still vntill the same Bée that hath wat∣ched, flye about and call them to rest, and then they holde all their peace and be stil sodeinlye. Item in eodem cap. 13. Bées doe most equitie and right, and smite all that distroubleth their peace, and all that desire to destroy their honnie. And Bées haue a King, that is not armed with a sting, but with Lordshippe and mage∣stie, as he sayth, cap. 18. Or if he haue a string, kinde denieth him the vse thereof. For kind wil not y^t he should bée cruell, to the intent hée shoulde not be hastie to take wreake, and therefore taketh away from him his Speare, and leaueth him vnarmed. And so it is truth, that y^e Em∣perour vseth not his sting. The obedi∣ence of Bées is wonderfull aboute the

King: for when he passeth foorth, all the swarm in one cluster passeth with him, & he is compassed about with y^e swarm, as it were with an hoast of knights, & is then vnneth séene that time, for mul∣titude that followeth and serueth him: and when the swarm of Bees be in tra∣uell, he is within, and as it were gouer∣nour, and goeth about to comfort other for to worke, and onely he is not bound to trauayle, and all about him are cer∣tain Bées with stings, as it wer cham∣pions, and continuall wardens of the kings body: and he passeth seldome out, but when all the swarme shall go out. His out going is knowen certaine daies before by voyce of the hoast, as it were araieng it selfe to passe out with y^e King; and so if it should chaunce that y^e king of the Bees: wing were cat at that time, then the swarme shoulde not passe out of the hiue; and when he passeth out of the hiue, all the Bées profereth them to the Kings seruice, and labour to bée next him, and beareth the King on their shol∣ders, if he be weary and ouercome with trauayle, and if any Bée be wearie and faileth, or erreth, and goeth out of the hoast, then they follow by smell after the King, and where euer the King com∣maundeth, there the boast pitcheth their tents. And all the hoast is comforted, & hearted when they see the King: and if they loose the king, then all the swarme breaketh, and commeth vnto, another King: For they may not be without a King.

To the Bée hiues commeth certaine false Bees that are called Fuci in y^e plu∣rall number, and haue a great wombe, and eate and deuoure hony, & true Bées slayeth these false Bees when they take them therewith. When springing time is wet and moist, then the brood of Bées is multiplyed, and if meate fayleth in the Bée hiues, then they réese and assaile their neighbors, to take from them their honie, and to spoyle them: and the other lead an hoast against them if they haue a king, and if any Bee in the other side, fauoureth them y^e rise & assaileth them, then the Bées that assaile them, spareth them that fauour them, and smite not at them, but take them in companye, and defendeth them. For many other causes hoasts that be contrarye, ordayne them two Emperours with great strife: and the fighting and battaile is all destroyed and disperpled, with throwing of pouder and of dirt.

Item in eod. ca. 19. Some Bées, are fled Bées, and some be woode Bées and fowle to sight, and more wrathfull than other, but they trauayld better, and may better away therewith: & some be tame Bées, and some of them be short, diuers & round. And some be long as waspes, and those are worse than other, but they trauayle better, and may better awaye therewith and be rough: and some of these Bées are white, and gender honie, and make their neostes among corne: and in the woode, Bées gender honye a∣mong trées, and somtime in dens in the earth. And so these kinde giueth a sting, y^t sticketh ther he smiteth at one stroke: and some for great wrath and desire of wreake stingeth so déepe, that the gutte followeth sodainly the speare and suche dye soone: and some loose the speare, and liue afterward, and maye not make ho∣nie, for their vertue is taken away from them, and lyue to doe profite, or to noye. Bees hate stinking & other euill smels, & namely smoke, and flye there from, & be glad & merry in things with good smell: and be comforted with smell of crabs, if they be sod nigh them. And when theyr King is dead, then they be woe for sor∣rowe, and doe for him, as it wer seruice for the dead, and all the swarme of them maketh great sorow & dole: if the King be dead in pestilence, then they beare meate togethers, and passe not out, but with sorrowfull mone they be gathered on a heap about his bodie, and abate not their sorrow and woe, but they dye for hunger and wo, except the body be taken away. Helth of Bées is knowen in their mirth and cléernesse.

Also he sayth, that Bées fall into ma∣nie sicknesses: for as it is said cap. 20. they wer sicke when their brood faileth, and also sound that reboundeth of noyse is enemy to them, for it maketh them full sore afraid with sodaine noyse.

Also corrupt myst, that corrupteth flow∣ers that they eate is enemie to them.

Also spinners be enimies to them, when they come in the hiue, and make webs, that grieue them. Also a flye that is like to a Butter flye, that Flieth into can∣dles, is enemie to them: for that but∣ter flye eateth wexe, and leaueth there dirt, of the which dirt commeth Cater∣pillers, wormes that loue well war pas∣sing other things. Also the great desire of meate grieueth them, when they eate too much of flowers; and that hapneth namely in springing time, and they dye all with oyle, as such round beasts doe, and namely if the head be noynted: and such beasts set in the Sunne, quickneth againe if they be besprong with vineger. Also somtime they take sicknesse, and cause of sicknesse, when they euer gree∣delye eating, féele that theyr honnie is withdrawen and taken away. Huc vs∣que Plinius.

Auicen lib. 8. cap. 3. rehearseth noble properties and worthy of Bées, & saith that Bees are fed with hony, and lyttle they eate thereof, but they eate honie when they be sicke, & go not out of their house. And when they find cleane hiues, they make therin houses and chambers of waxe, with sire manner castes: and whē y^e mouth of y^e hiue is too large, they make it lesse with some manner glewie matter, that is blacke with sharpe odor and smell: and first they build the kings house, and that house is lyke an hoale vauted, and afterward they buyld other houses, by diuersitie of the more mai∣sters or lesse.

And onely the males builde theyr houses, and afterwarde is no working, but to eate and make hony: & first Bées dwell in their honie combes, and passe out when it is time, and flye vpwarde top wise, and come againe and eate hon∣nie. And the King passeth neuer out without an hoast: and the males haue no stings, except a few, and then they de∣sire to sting, but they may not: & Bées haue two maner Kings, the one is red, and that other as blacke as a coale, and is twice so much as a Bée that maketh honnie: and the male Bées, are more than the females: and the lesse Bees & round, with diuers colours be best: and Bées that are fed in mountaines, gar∣dens and meades, are small and good, and make honnie, like in parts light.

Bées that be not good, maketh not hon∣nie euen, nor lyke in parts, but the Bee that cleaueth alway to the hole of the honie, maketh best honie, and els y^t hon∣nie should be soone corrupt, and spinners should gender therein, and destroye the hony. And Bees that make the hony, vse a sting for double cause: for the defence, for there is firie vertue in the sting, and therefore it worketh greatly to wast su∣perfluitie of moisture, and to amend and kéepe, and to saue the honie.

Also ofte into hiues come certaine euill flyes, and bréede there other small flyes, that are grieuous, and he called Gusanes, that pearceth the winges of other: but the very Bées pursue those flyes, and fight with them, and will not suffer them to fal vpon their house, and Bees that make hony slayeth the males that grieue them, and euill kings, that rule them not a right, but onely eate too much hony, and that they doe, namelye when honye is scarfe: and small Bees fight with long Bées, when they worke not nor trauel, and are busie to put them out of the hiues: and by such out put∣ting the hony is the better, & the more in quantitie.

There is a manner kinde of Bées, that are called Labion, and these slaye Bées that make hony, and destroy their houses: and that is, for they are wake∣full. And when they come into theyr hiues, they pitche themselues into the honie because of eating, and stick so fast therein, that they may not escape, & then the very Bées slayeth them anone. And two dayes before that the King passeth out, the other Bées are skilfullye war∣ned, and haue knowledge what the king shall doe, that they may be obedient and readie to the king. And when y^e kings be made, each hath one company, & that companie will haue none other, but him that they first choose: and if anye other king will be king of that companye, they slay him.

And if young Bées that come forth bée fow, they abide the companye of another swarme, and passeth so forth the more surely: and after that the young Bees begin to flye, if they be euen and lyke, then they hast their worke, and help the olde to worke. And no creature is more wreakful, nor more feruēt to take wreak than is the Bée when he is wrath ther∣fore a multitude of the hoast of Bées, throw downe great hedges, when they are compelled to withstande them that destroye theyr honny, passing all other things.

Bees hate dirte and smoake, and la∣bour to delyuer them of their owne dirt when they flye, for their dirte stinketh full fowle, & clense therfore their houses of their owne dirt: & young virgin Bées work better, and make better hony than olde, and smite not so much, nor theyr smiting grieueth not so sore, as doth the smiting of the olde. And Bees drinke, & that is onely cléere water, whether it be farre or nigh, and drinketh not, but they purge them first of their owne dirte.

And Bées maketh most honnie in Har∣uest, and in springing time is best, be∣cause of new floures of great purenes. And Bées be pleased with harmony and melodie of sound of song, and with flap∣ping of hands, and beating of basons: & therfore with beating of basons, tinging and tinckling of timbrells, they be com∣forted and called to the hiues. When much hony is lefte in theyr hiues, they wexe slow and worke the lesse, therefore it néedeth to leaue in the hiue, honnye meanly, not too much, nor too little. Huc vsque Auicen. li. 7. And he writeth ma∣ny other properties, in the which he ac∣cordeth with Aristotle libro. 8. and also with Plin. libro. 11: Looke before lib. 12. in litera A, there ye maye finde manye properties that Aristotle, Seneca, and o∣ther Authours write: but this sufficeth for this time.

Notes

• Drones.
• The long taper gnat