Cold, generally speaking, is prejudicial to bees. When tempted by a bright sun after a fall of snow,
Oxford in 1634, gives, in his quaint way, an amusing description of a scene of bee-pillage. After particularizing various enemies to the honey-gathering tribe, he proceeds—"But not any one of dese, nor all dese togeder, doo half so muc harm to de Bees, as de Bees. Apis api, ut homo homini, Lupus. Dey mak de greatest spoil bot of bees and of hoonnie. Dis robbing is practised all de yeer. In winter, soom wil bee prowling abroad; and soom ar so teevishly disposed, dat all de soommer long, wen abundance of hoonni is every wer to bee had, dey wil yet bee filcing, dowg (though) dey die for it. But in Virgo (August) is de most dangerous time of all: den sal all de stalls in your garden bee tryed of wat mettle dey ar made. De Robbers ar towgt (thought) to bee poor swarms and stoks, wic have not sufficiently provided demselvs for winter. But indeed, suc ar fitter to bee robbed dan to be robbers. Der is no teef to de rich teef: wo (who) aldowg (although) hee have enoug, and mor dan enoug; yet, by hook or by crook, hee will have more, dowg de poor starve for it. Wen de teeves, having first made an entri, begin to coom tik, and de true bees perceive demselvs to bee assaulted by many; dey suddenly make an outcrie; and issuing out of deir holds by troops, prepare demselvs to battel. Soom keep de gates; soom flie about; soom run in again, to see wat is doon dere; soom begin to grapple wid de enimi; and dat wit suc a noise and din, as if de drum did sound an all-arm. Besides wic base sound, you sal eftsoons in de heat of de battel, hear a more shril and sharp note, as it were of a flute; as saith Virgil,
Auditur fractos sonitus imitata tubarum,"
wic, I am out of doubt, is tuned by deir generall commander, encooraging dem to figt for deir Prince, deir lives, and deir goods. Den sal you see de enimies bestur demselves most venturously; soom violently, toorrow de tickest, trusting in at de gates; oders scalling de walls, and tearing dem down. On de oder side, de defendants will behave demselves as brave-
