things forget their foode, vntill he let him goe againe. I omit other infinite deceits, which we thought impossible to be done by naturall meanes, bicause he made no mention of them (though he shewed me their secrets) for that they were not things belonging to Shepherdes. And many of these I haue forgotten. He made mon∣struosities in the trees, & corne, preseruing them from that which might hurt them, and hastening their fruite, yea, and chaunging their nature. Hee deliuered the trees from any kinde of canker, and worme, and the corne from tempestes, and the birdes that came to deuoure it, with a certaine thing that he put in seede, he tooke them with his handes. He euer prouided vs with good store of fish out of that famous riuer, wherein, with casting the roule of Hartwoort, beaten and min∣gled with lyme or chalke, to the which paste the fish comming with all their force, and by tasting of the baite, did swim a pretie while as if they had beene dead, with their bellies aboue the water. And it was a strange thing to see, howe soone they came to the nets that he had laid for them; for I thinke hee did cast in the seedes of roses, mustard-seede, and wesell foote. I remember not what herbe he tooke in his hand, but putting it into the water, the fish did swim aboue. It were an endles peece of worke to tell you of the instructions, which hee gaue vs to take heede from what pastures wee shoulde keepe our flockes, and what we should seeke out. But to see with what securitie he slept in places where were great store of snakes, adders, and vipers, and other venemous and stinging serpents, it was a maruellous and strange thing, enuironing onely himselfe with Oken boughes, from the shadowes of which trees, we see by experience these vermine euer to flie. And other things he did in our presence, bicause we should see the hatred they had with this tree, for he made halfe a circle of fire, and another halfe circle of these boughes, and in the middes of it did cast a viper, the which not able to come out, but by the fire or the boughes, to auoide these, came to the fire. Hee did eate the deade flesh of a woolfe, for he saide, and so we found it indeed, that it was more sauorie then any other flesh: but he did not cloth himselfe with their skins, nor haire, bicause he said, they bred lice. He told vs of certaine howers, & times, and taught vs the nature of diuers things. By the moone he prognosticated the scarcitie or plentie of all that moneth. By the Sal∣low tree, white Poplar, Oliue tree, and others the Solsticies shewing to our eies, how they turned their leaues vp and downe in euery one of them, whether it were winter or sommer. The howers of the day, with the beames that he marked in the ground. Them of the night with certaine little tables that he made. The highth of the sun, by an herbe of a blue colour. The fuls and wanes of the Moone, by the Antes and dores. For the Antes betweene the Moones take their rest, and in the full, labour night and day. And that which made mee to maruell most about this matter (bi∣cause, being so common a thing, I neuer marked it so much, thinking there was not any thing in them worthy the noting) was that the dore, a little creature, so vile, and common, had such an instinct, that if we looke into it well, it shewes vs cleerely the coniunction of the Moone and Sunne. For rolling vp and downe a little ball which she makes of oxe dung, she fashions it in a round figure, and buries it in a ditch, or little pit that she makes, where eight and twentie daies she keepes it secret, while the Moone is passing towards the Sunne; and then opening it, (by that teaching vs the coniunction of the Sunne and the Moone,) she takes foorth her yoong ones, and knowes no other waies of generation. And with this pardon me, if I haue wea∣ried you. If you desire to know any more, another day, if we be al togither, I wil tell you the little, that I haue noted and gathered of that great store, which that learned
