E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Malengin [guile].
On his back he carried a net “to catch fools.” Being attacked by Sir Artegal and his iron man, he turned himself first into a fox, then to a bush, then to a bird, then to a hedgehog, then to a snake; but Talus was a match for all his deceits, and killed him. (Spenser: Faërie Queene, v. 9.)
