And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.
Ver. 8. And the sucking child shall play upon the hole of the asp, &c.] There shall be no danger from calumniators and cruel crafties, asps and basilisks, a quorum in labris venenum sessitat Psa 140:4 These homines damnosissimi most damnable men shall have a new nature transfused into them; their malignities and mischievous qualities shall cease when once truly converted.
a A fabulous reptile, also called a cockatrice, alleged to be hatched by a serpent from a cock's egg; ancient authors stated that its hissing drove away all other serpents, and that its breath, and even its look, was fatal.