Folio 57r - the caladrius, continued.
knows that the man is going to die. But if the man's sickness is one from which he will recover, the bird looks him in the face and takes the entire illness upon itself; it flies up into the air, towards the sun, burns off the sickness and scatters it, and the sick man is cured. The caladrius represents our Saviour. Our Lord is pure white without a trace of black, 'who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth' (1 Peter, 2:22). The Lord, moreover, coming from on high, turned his face from the Jews, because they did not believe, and turned to us, Gentiles, taking away our weakness and carrying our sins; raised up on the wood of the cross and ascending on high, 'he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men, (Ephesians, 4:8). Each day Christ, like the caladrius, attends us in our sickness, examines our mind when we confess, and heals those to whom he shows the grace of repentance. But he turns his face away from those whose heart he knows to be unrepentant. These he casts off; but those to whom he turns his face, he makes whole again. But, you say, because the caladrius is unclean accoording to the law, it ought not to be likened to Christ. Yet John says of God: 'And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up' (4:14); and according to the law, 'the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field' (Genesis, 3:1). The lion and the eagle are unclean, yet they are likened to Christ, because of their royal rank
Commentary

Commentary

Text

The Caladrius looks at a sick person, takes the illness upon itself and flies away with the disease to the sun.

Illustration

A caladrius looks towards a sick king, indicating that he will recover.

Comment

Quire indicator 'I' at the bottom of the page. Folio mark 'C' at bottom left.

Folio Attributes

Transcription and Translation

Transcription

cognoscunt quia moriturus est. Si autem infirmitas eius pertinuerit\ ad vitam, intendit in faciem et assumit omnem egritudinem\ hominis intra se, et volat in aera contra solem, et comburit\ infirmitatem eius et dispergit eam, et sanatur infirmus. Caladrius\ habet personam salvatoris nostri. Totus est candidus dominus noster\ nullam habens nigredinem, qui peccatum non fecit nec inventus est\ dolus in ore eius. Veniens autem dominus de excelsis avertit faciem\ suam a Judeis propter incredulitatem illorum, et convertit se ad nos\ gentes tollens infirmitates nostras, et peccata nostra portans, exaltatus\ in lignum crucis et ascendens in altum captivam duxit cap\ tivitatem dedit dona hominibus. Sed et cotidie predictus caladrius\ infirmitates nostras visitat, mentem per confessionem considerat,\ et eos sanat, quibus gratiam penitendi prestat. Ab illis vero faciem aver\ tit, quorum cor impenitens novit. Istos respuit, sed illos in quos\ faciem intendit, sanos reddit. Sed dicis quia caladrius secundum legem\ immundus est, Christo assimilari non debet. Johannes tamen dicit de deo: Quia sicut Moyses exaltavit serpentem in deserto ita exaltari oportet filium hominis,\ et in lege dictus est prudentior omnibus bestiis serpens. Leo et a\ quila immunda sunt, et tamen Christo assimilata sunt, secundum decus\

Translation

knows that the man is going to die. But if the man's sickness is one from which he will recover, the bird looks him in the face and takes the entire illness upon itself; it flies up into the air, towards the sun, burns off the sickness and scatters it, and the sick man is cured. The caladrius represents our Saviour. Our Lord is pure white without a trace of black, 'who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth' (1 Peter, 2:22). The Lord, moreover, coming from on high, turned his face from the Jews, because they did not believe, and turned to us, Gentiles, taking away our weakness and carrying our sins; raised up on the wood of the cross and ascending on high, 'he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men, (Ephesians, 4:8). Each day Christ, like the caladrius, attends us in our sickness, examines our mind when we confess, and heals those to whom he shows the grace of repentance. But he turns his face away from those whose heart he knows to be unrepentant. These he casts off; but those to whom he turns his face, he makes whole again. But, you say, because the caladrius is unclean accoording to the law, it ought not to be likened to Christ. Yet John says of God: 'And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up' (4:14); and according to the law, 'the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field' (Genesis, 3:1). The lion and the eagle are unclean, yet they are likened to Christ, because of their royal rank
Folio 57r - the caladrius, continued. | The Aberdeen Bestiary | The University of Aberdeen