Folio 8r Translation and Transcription

Folio 8r Translation

In the years which follow, they reduce the number by one at a time. Afterwards, when they are down to one cub, the fertility of the mother is diminished; they become sterile for ever.

The lion disdains to eat the Previous day's meat and turns away from the remains of its own meal.

Which beast dares to rouse the lion, whose voice, by its nature, inspires such terror, that many living things which could evade its attack by their speed, grow faint at the sound of its roar as if dazed and overcome by force.

A sick lion seeks out an ape to devour it, in order to be cured.

The lion fears the cock, especially the white one. King of the beasts, it is tormented by the tiny sting of the scorpion and is killed by the venom of the snake.

We learn of small beasts called leontophones, lion-killers. When captured, they are burnt; meat contaminated by a sprinkling of their ashes and thrown down at crossroads kills lions, even if they eat only a small an amount. For this reason, lions pursue leontophones with an instinctive hatred and, when they have the opportunity, they refrain from biting them but kill them by rending them to pieces under their paws.

The tiger is named for its swiftness in flight; the Persians and Greeks call it 'arrow'. It is a beast distinguished by its varied

Transcription

inde per singulos numerum decoquunt annis in sequentibus.\ Et postremo cum ad unum pervenerint, materna fecunditas\ reciditur, sterilescunt in eternum. Leo cibum fastidit hester\num, et ipsas sue esce reliquias aversatur. Que autem ei se cire fere\ audeat; cuius voci tantus naturaliter inest terror ut multa animan\tium que per celeritatem possunt evadere eius impetum, rugitus eius\ sonitum velud quadam vi attonita atque victa deficiant?\ Leo eger simiam querit ut devoret, quo possit sanari. Leo \ gallum et maxime album veretur. Leo quidem rex ferarum,\ exiguo scorpionis aculeo exagitatur, et veneno serpentis\ occiditur. Leontophones vocari accipimus modicas bestias.\ Que capte exuruntur ut earum cineres [A: cineris] aspergine carnes pol\lute iacteque carnes pita [A:per compita] concurrentium semitarum leones ne\cent, si quantulumcumque ex illis sumpserint. Propterea leones\ naturali eas primunt odio atque ubi facultas data est morsu\ quidem abstinent, sed dilaniatas exanimant pedum nisibus.\ Tigris vocata propter volucrem fugam ita eum nominant\ perse greci et medi sagittam. Est enim bestia variis\

Translation

In the years which follow, they reduce the number by one at a time. Afterwards, when they are down to one cub, the fertility of the mother is diminished; they become sterile for ever.

The lion disdains to eat the Previous day's meat and turns away from the remains of its own meal.

Which beast dares to rouse the lion, whose voice, by its nature, inspires such terror, that many living things which could evade its attack by their speed, grow faint at the sound of its roar as if dazed and overcome by force.

A sick lion seeks out an ape to devour it, in order to be cured.

The lion fears the cock, especially the white one. King of the beasts, it is tormented by the tiny sting of the scorpion and is killed by the venom of the snake.

We learn of small beasts called leontophones, lion-killers. When captured, they are burnt; meat contaminated by a sprinkling of their ashes and thrown down at crossroads kills lions, even if they eat only a small an amount. For this reason, lions pursue leontophones with an instinctive hatred and, when they have the opportunity, they refrain from biting them but kill them by rending them to pieces under their paws.

The tiger is named for its swiftness in flight; the Persians and Greeks call it 'arrow'. It is a beast distinguished by its varied

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