SC - Royal food tastes
Karen
tyrca at yahoo.com
Tue Nov 10 16:38:02 PST 1998
> << Ok, for the simple city boy, what's a basilisk?
>
> Thanks.
> Stefan li Rous >>
>
> My friend Stefan, I find it hard to believe that you do not posses a
> dictionary. If you don't, I will bring one to War for you next year. It is a
> serpent that can change a person to stone if you look directly in it's eyes.
> There are numerous illuminations and references to it in period sources.
>
> Ras
As my more pugnacious friends would tell us, a basilisk is also a gun -
specifically (thank you, Oxford English Dictionary,)
********************
A large cannon, generally made of brass, and throwing a shot of about
200 pounds weight. (Other pieces of
ordnance of the time were named from venemous reptiles; e.g. culverin,
serpentine, slang, etc. Cf. Shaks. Hen. V, v. ii. 17.)
1577 Harrison England ii. xvi. (1877) 281 Basiliske [weigheth] 9000
pounds, eight inches and three quarters within
the mouth.
1586 Marlowe 1st Pt. Tamburl. iv. i, The basilisks, That, roaring,
shake Damascus turrets down!
****************
Uh... not that that gets us much further in life... just an amusing side
note ;)
Magdalena
- --
Tara
tsersen at browser.net lorax at tulgey.browser.net
soles occidere et redire possunt:
nobis cum semel occidit breuis lux,
nox est perpetua una dormienda.
- -Catullus
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