The colour
of their skin is for the most part like rusty iron or iron grey, but
such as be very old resemble a ruddy blue; and as once in the year (to
wit, in April or about the beginning of May) they cast their old skins
(whereby as it is thought their age reneweth), so their stinging
bringeth death without present remedy be at hand, the wounded never
ceasing to swell, neither the venom to work till the skin of the one
break, and the other ascend upward to the heart, where it finisheth
the natural effect, except the juice of dragons (in Latin called
_dracunculus minor_) be speedily ministered and drunk in strong ale,
or else some other medicine taken of like force that may countervail
and overcome the venom of the same. The length of them is most
commonly two feet, and somewhat more, but seldom doth it extend into
two feet six inches, except it be in some rare and monstrous one,
whereas our snakes are much longer, and seen sometimes to surmount a
yard, or three feet, although their poison be nothing so grievous and
deadly as the others. Our adders lie in winter under stones, as
Aristotle also saith of the viper (lib.
Pages:
611
612
613
614
615
616
617
618
619
620
621
622
623
624
625
626
627
628
629
630
631
632
633
634
635