The doome warning all men to the iudgemente wherein are contayned for the most parte all the straunge prodigies hapned in the worlde, with diuers secrete figures of reuelations tending to mannes stayed conuersion towardes God: in maner of a generall chronicle, gathered out of sundrie approued authors by St. Batman professor in diuinite.

Of creping things.

[illustration]

BAsiliscus,* 1.1 or Cocatrice, a∣mong the crée∣••ing Creatures, a pestilent Serpent, which chieflye abi∣ding in the deserts of Africke, hathe a white spotte on his ••eade, as it were a Diademe, his head ••s very copped, his mouth il fauoured, and his eyes & co∣lour blackish: he is not aboue a span long, yet his venome is so sharpe, that with his breath on∣ly, he strangleth any great Serpent: if one doe but touch him with a staffe he dieth immediatly. Neither doth he winde his bodie,* 1.2 as other Serpents doe, but goeth straight and vpright in the midst: he maketh trées & herbes to die, and breaketh stones, by the violent force of his poyson.

[illustration]

Salamander* 1.3 some∣what like a Neute or Lizarde, but much bygger, séel∣dome séene, but in rainy & moist wea¦ther: of such a cold operation, that he putteth out fire as soone as shée tou∣cheth it, as yse: he may kill men vn∣awares, for if he créepe about a trée he infecteth all the fruit with poyson, & those which eate thereof he killeth, by a cold operation, differing nothing from the poyson Aconitum: moreouer if he touch a péece of wood, or a crust of bread with his foote, & therevpon be boyled, it is as ve∣nemous as if it fel into a wel: they take away his venym which eate him.

Praester, is a most pestilent Serpent, whose byting maketh men pre∣sently madde, and not able to mooue, it taketh away the haire, so that it fal∣leth off their heads sodainely, the bodyes so bytten or stong, fall into an ytch and laske, whereof they die: Lucan in his .9. booke, aboue al other describeth this Serpent.

Seps, a little Serpent, and yet by his stinging groweth a sore that doth rot and putrifie the bodie so sodeinly, that in a short season the bodye dyeth: also it wasteth the bones, as writeth Lucan in lib. 9.

Boa, a Serpent waxing so great, as in one of them was found a yong childe in the belly of it, in the time of Claudius Caesar was one such slaine.

There be also diuerse other Serpents, of mightie bignesse, and wyth many heads: also there are Dragons, for the most part in India and Egypt: diuerse Authors make mention of them, as Plinie, Aetius Medicus, Nican∣der, Paulus Iouius, and those which write of the Actes of Alexander the great.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Basiliscus.
• * 1.2

  Plinie, Lucan l••b. 9. & o••••ers.
• * 1.3

  Salamander.