The history of four-footed beasts and serpents describing at large their true and lively figure, their several names, conditions, kinds, virtues ... countries of their breed, their love and hatred to mankind, and the wonderful work by Edward Topsell ; whereunto is now added, The theater of insects, or, Lesser living creatures ... by T. Muffet ...

of the SLOW-WORM.

[illustration]

THis Serpent was called in an∣cient time among the Grecians Tythlops and Typhlynes, and Cophia, because of the dimnesse of the sight thereof, and the deafnesse of the ears and hearing, and vulgarly at this day it is called in Greece, Tephloti, Tefliti, and Te∣phlini, and from hence the Latines have taken their word, Caecilia, que: caecus Serpens, a blinde Serpent, and it is also called Cerula, Caecula, and Coriella, as witnesseth Alber∣tus, because the eyes thereof are none at all, or very small. The Italians call it Bisaorbala; and the Florentines, Lucignola; the Germans, * 1.1 Blyndensclycher; the Helvetians, Envieux, al' annoilx, and the people of Narbon, Nadels.

It being most evident that it receiveth name from the blindenesse and deafnesse thereof, for I have often proved, that it neither heareth nor seeth here in England, or at the most it seeth no better then a Mole. The teeth are fastned in the mouth, like the teeth of a Chamaeleon, the skin is very thick, and therefore when the skin is broken by a hard blow, the whole body doth also break and park asunder. The colour is a pale blew, or sky-colour, with some blackish spots, intermixed at the sides. There is some question whether it hath one or two rims on the belly, for seeing they conceive their young ones in their womb, they have such a belly by nature, as may be distended and stretched out accordingly as the young ones grow in their womb. It hath a smooth skin without all scales. The neather eye-lid covereth all the eye it hath, which is very small: about the head they are more light coloured, then about the other parts of the body: The tongue is cloven, and the top thereof very black. They are in length about a span, and as thick as a mans finger, except toward the tail

which is more slender, and the female is more black then the male. The passage or place of excre∣ments or conception is transverse. If they be killed with the young in their belly, the little ones will instantly creep out at their dams mouth, and sometimes (as witnesseth Bellonius) in this little Ser∣pent are found forty little young ones. They are in Greece and England, and come not abroad till July, and they go into the earth in August, and so abide abroad all harvest, and they love to hide themselves in Corn-fields under the ripe corn when it is cut down. It is harmlesse except being pro∣voked, yet many times when an Ox or a Cow lyeth down in the pasture, if it chance to lie upon one of these Slow-worms, it biteth the Beast, and if remedy be not had, there followeth mortality or death, for the poyson thereof is very strong. If it swell, it is good to prick the place with a brazen bodkin, and then apply unto it Fullers-earth and Vinegar. There is a Triacle made of the * 1.2 Slow-worm, which smelleth like Aqua-vitae; with this some men are cured of the Plague. And thus much of this little Serpent.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Scaliger.
• * 1.2

  Oswaldus.