Folio 69v - the iaculus, continued. De sirenis; Of sirens. [De sepe]; Of the seps. [De dipsade]; Of the dipsa. De lacerto; Of the lizard. De salamandra; Of the salamander.
Folio 70r - the salamander, continued. De saura serpente; Of the serpent called the saura
COMMENTARY
Text
The siren can run faster than horses and can fly; seps, dipsa, lizard with arms and salamander.
Illustration
The speedy siren is at the top of the page. The small seps is seen in profile. The lizard has legs as well as arms.
Comment
Initials type 2.
COMMENTARY
Text
Salamanders are proof against fire, they can poison all apples in a tree, poison water in a well, killing anyone who drinks from it. They can survive in flames and put a fire out. The saura snake.
Illustration
The tree writhes with salamanders; a salamander poisons a well; salamanders leap from flames; a man lies poisoned at the foot of the tree.
Comment
The image of a man lying dead at the foot of a tree relates to the Tree of Jesse iconography. Above him a salamander plunges into a tub, an episode illustrated in Bern 318 f. 14v. The other salamanders are poisoning fruit in a tree and surviving in a fire. In certain conditions a bonfire can appear to be releasing live, red, wriggling snakes when the wood is damp and the flying sparks carry long red tails. The star and roof at the top have seeped through from the next page.