Folio 41v Translation and Transcription

Folio 41v Translation

and set you together with the princes of his people in his kingdom of glory.

Again of the ostrich

The wing of the ostrich resembles those of the gyrfalcon and the hawk. Who does not know how the speed of the gyrfalcon and hawk in flight exceeds that of other birds? The ostrich certainly has wings like theirs but not their speed of flight. Truly, it has not the capacity to be lifted from the ground and gives only the impression of spreading its wings as if to fly; however, it never supports itself above the earth in flight.

It is exactly the same with all those hypocrites who pretend to live a life of piety, giving the impression of holiness without the reality of holy behaviour. They certainly have wings, as far as appearance goes, but in terms of action, they creep along the ground, because they spread their wings only to give an illusion of holiness, but they cannot possibly raise themselves from earth, weighed down as they are by the weight of worldly preoccupations.

For the Lord rebuked the pretensions of the Pharisees as if he exposed the wing of the ostrich, which does one thing in deed and another in show, saying: 'Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!' (Matthew, 23:14). It is as if he were saying: 'Your wings look as they they had the power to raise you up, but the weight of your life forces you down into the depths.' Of this weight, the prophet says: 'Sons of men, how long will you have a heavy heart?' (see BSV, NEB, Psalms, 4:2).

The Lord promises that he will convert the hypocritical ostrich, saying through the prophet: 'The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the ostriches' (see BSV, NEB, Isaiah: 43:20). For what is meant by the word 'dragons', if not, clearly, malicious minds, which creep across the earth forever, revealing themselves in the basest thoughts? Who are signified by the word 'ostrich' if not those who pretend to be worthy? Those who lead a life of holiness, in appearance, like the wing that seems to have the power of flight, but do not put it into practice by their deeds. Thus the Lord declares that he will be glorified by the dragon or the ostrich, when he converts to his side, deep in their hearts, both those who are openly evil and those who pretend to be worthy.

In considering the ostrich, we should look more carefully at the hawk and the gyrfalcon. Their bodies are small but their feathers are more densely packed; as a result, they fly at great speed, because they have little to weigh them down, much to uplift them. In contrast

Transcription

et collocaret cum principibus populi sui in regno glorie sue.\ Item de strutione Penna strucionis similis est pennis herodii et\ accipitris. Quis herodium et accipitrem nesciat, aves\ reliquas quanto volatus sui velocitate transcendat? Strucio\ vere penne eorum similitudinem habet, sed volatus eorum celeritatem\ non habet. A terra quippe elevari non valet, et alas quasi ad volatum\ specie tenus erigit, sed tamen nunquam se a terra volando suspendit. Ita sunt\ nimirum omnes ypocrite qui dum bonorum vitam simulant,\ imitationem sancte visionis habent, sed veritatem sancte actionis non habent.\ Habent quippe volandi pennas per speciem, sed in terram repunt per action\ nem, quia alas per figuram sanctitatis extendunt, sed curarum secularium\ pondere pregravati, nullatenus a terra sublevantur.\ Speciem namque Phari\ seorum reprobans dominus quasi strucionis pennam redarguit,\ que in opere aliud exercuit, et in colore aliud ostendit dicens: Ve\ vobis scribe et Pharisei ypocrite. Ac si diceret: Sublevare vos videtur\ species penne; sed in infimis vos deprimit pondus vite. De hoc pondere\ per prophetam dicitur: Filii hominum usquequo graves corde. Huius strucionis con\ versurum se ypocrisim dominus pollicetur, in prophetam dicens: Glorificabit\ me bestia agri, dracones et struciones. Quid enim draconum nomine\ nisi in aperto maliciose mentes exprimuntur, que per terram semper in infimis\ cogitationibus repunt? Quid vero per strucionis\ vocabulum nisi hii qui\ se bonos simulant designantur? Qui sanctitatis vitam quasi volatus\ pennam per speciem retinent, sed per opera non exercent. Glorificari itaque se\ Dominus a dracone vel strucione asserit, quia et aperte malos et ficte\ bonos plerumque ad sua obsequia ex intima cogitatione convertit.\ Habemus quod in considerationem strucionis huius de accipitre et hero\ dio attentius perpendamus. Accipitris quippe et herodii parva sunt\ corpora sed pennis densioribus fulta, et iccirco cum celeritate transvo\ lant, quia eis parum inest quod aggravat, multum quod levat. At contra\

Translation

and set you together with the princes of his people in his kingdom of glory.

Again of the ostrich

The wing of the ostrich resembles those of the gyrfalcon and the hawk. Who does not know how the speed of the gyrfalcon and hawk in flight exceeds that of other birds? The ostrich certainly has wings like theirs but not their speed of flight. Truly, it has not the capacity to be lifted from the ground and gives only the impression of spreading its wings as if to fly; however, it never supports itself above the earth in flight.

It is exactly the same with all those hypocrites who pretend to live a life of piety, giving the impression of holiness without the reality of holy behaviour. They certainly have wings, as far as appearance goes, but in terms of action, they creep along the ground, because they spread their wings only to give an illusion of holiness, but they cannot possibly raise themselves from earth, weighed down as they are by the weight of worldly preoccupations.

For the Lord rebuked the pretensions of the Pharisees as if he exposed the wing of the ostrich, which does one thing in deed and another in show, saying: 'Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!' (Matthew, 23:14). It is as if he were saying: 'Your wings look as they they had the power to raise you up, but the weight of your life forces you down into the depths.' Of this weight, the prophet says: 'Sons of men, how long will you have a heavy heart?' (see BSV, NEB, Psalms, 4:2).

The Lord promises that he will convert the hypocritical ostrich, saying through the prophet: 'The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the ostriches' (see BSV, NEB, Isaiah: 43:20). For what is meant by the word 'dragons', if not, clearly, malicious minds, which creep across the earth forever, revealing themselves in the basest thoughts? Who are signified by the word 'ostrich' if not those who pretend to be worthy? Those who lead a life of holiness, in appearance, like the wing that seems to have the power of flight, but do not put it into practice by their deeds. Thus the Lord declares that he will be glorified by the dragon or the ostrich, when he converts to his side, deep in their hearts, both those who are openly evil and those who pretend to be worthy.

In considering the ostrich, we should look more carefully at the hawk and the gyrfalcon. Their bodies are small but their feathers are more densely packed; as a result, they fly at great speed, because they have little to weigh them down, much to uplift them. In contrast

Historic Collections - University of Aberdeen - King's College - Aberdeen - AB24 3SW
Michael Arnott m.arnott@aberdeen.ac.uk