Folio 17r - Wolf, continued
but far away. If it has to hunt its prey at night, it goes like a tame dog here and there to a sheepfold, and lest the sheepdogs catch its scent and wake the shepherds, it goes upwind. And if a twig or anything, under the pressure of its paw, makes a noise, it nips the the paw as a punishment. The wolf's eyes shine in the night like lamps. It has this characteristic, that if it sees a man first, it takes away his power of speech and looks at him with scorn, as victor over the voiceless. If it senses that the man has seen it first, it loses its fierceness and its power to run. Solinus, who has a lot to say about the nature of things, says that on the tail of this animal there is a tiny patch of hair which is a love-charm; if the wolf fears that it may be captured, it tears the hair out with its teeth; the charm has no power unless the the hair is taken from the wolf while it is still alive. The Devil has the nature of a wolf; he always looks with an evil eye upon mankind and continually circles the sheepfold of the faithful of the Church, to ruin and destroy their souls. The fact that the she-wolf gives birth when the thunder first sounds in the month of May signifies the Devil, who fell from heaven at the first display of his pride. The fact that its strength lies in its forequarters and not in its hindquarters also signfies the Devil, who was formerly the angel of light in heaven, but has now been made an apostate below. The wolf's eyes shine in the night like lamps because the works of the Devil seem beautiful and wholesome to blind and foolish men. When the she-wolf bears her young, she will only catch food for them far away from her lair, because the Devil cherishes with wordly goods those he is sure will suffer punishment with him in the confines of hell. But he constantly pursues those who distance themselves from him by good works; as we read of the blessed Job, whose name, substance, sons and daughters the devil carried off to make him desert the Lord in his heart. The fact that the wolf cannot turn his neck without turning the whole of his body signifies that the Devil
- Commentary
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Commentary
Text
The wolf and his evil nature.
Comment
Pricking and ruling are visible. Two faint spelling corrections in lower right margin, and corresponding alterations in text.
Folio Attributes
- Transcription and Translation
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Transcription
non capiat catulis suis sed in longinquo. Quod si opus fuerit ut\ predam noctu querat, tanquam canis mansuetus passim ad ovi\le pergit, et ne fortuitu sui flatus odorem senciant canes, et\ evigilent pastores, contra ventum vadit. Et si ramus aut\ aliquid tangendo sub eius pede sonaverit, ipsum pedem\ castigat morsu aperto. Oculi eius in nocte lucent velud lucer\ne. Cuius natura talis est, ut si prior hominem viderit, vocem eripet\ et despicit eum tanquam vircor [A: victor] vocis ablate. Idem si se pre\visum senserit, deponit ferocitatem et non potest currere.\ Solinus refert qui plura de naturis rerum dicit, caude ani\malis huius vellus amatorium inesse perexiguum, quod dentibus\ ipse evellit, si forte capi timuerit, non habet potenciam, nisi\ illo vivente detrahatur. Lupi figuram diabolus portat,\ qui semper humano generi invidet, ac iugiter circuit caulas\ ecclesie fidelium, ut mactet et perdat eorum animas. Quod\ vero generat tonitruo primo mensis May, significat dia\bolum, in primo superbie motu cecidisse de celo. Quod autem\ in anterioribus membris vires habet, et non in posterioribus eundem\ diabolum significat, prius in celo angelum lucis fuisse nunc\ vero deorsum apostatum factum esse. Oculi eius in nocte lucent,\ velud lucerne quia quedam diaboli opera cecis et fatuis viris,\ videntur esse pulchra et salubria. Cum catulos gignit, \ non nisi in longinquo predam capit, quia eos diabolus bo\nis temporalibus fovet, de quibus certus est, in gehennalibus\ claustris secum penas perpeti. Illos autem omnino insequitur\ qui bonis operibus ab eo elongantur, sicut de beato Iob legitur,\ cui nomen substanciam, necnon filios et filias abstulit, ut a do\mino recederet cor eius. Quod nunquam collum retro sine to\to corpore valet flectere, significat diabolum ad peni\Translation
but far away. If it has to hunt its prey at night, it goes like a tame dog here and there to a sheepfold, and lest the sheepdogs catch its scent and wake the shepherds, it goes upwind. And if a twig or anything, under the pressure of its paw, makes a noise, it nips the the paw as a punishment. The wolf's eyes shine in the night like lamps. It has this characteristic, that if it sees a man first, it takes away his power of speech and looks at him with scorn, as victor over the voiceless. If it senses that the man has seen it first, it loses its fierceness and its power to run. Solinus, who has a lot to say about the nature of things, says that on the tail of this animal there is a tiny patch of hair which is a love-charm; if the wolf fears that it may be captured, it tears the hair out with its teeth; the charm has no power unless the the hair is taken from the wolf while it is still alive. The Devil has the nature of a wolf; he always looks with an evil eye upon mankind and continually circles the sheepfold of the faithful of the Church, to ruin and destroy their souls. The fact that the she-wolf gives birth when the thunder first sounds in the month of May signifies the Devil, who fell from heaven at the first display of his pride. The fact that its strength lies in its forequarters and not in its hindquarters also signfies the Devil, who was formerly the angel of light in heaven, but has now been made an apostate below. The wolf's eyes shine in the night like lamps because the works of the Devil seem beautiful and wholesome to blind and foolish men. When the she-wolf bears her young, she will only catch food for them far away from her lair, because the Devil cherishes with wordly goods those he is sure will suffer punishment with him in the confines of hell. But he constantly pursues those who distance themselves from him by good works; as we read of the blessed Job, whose name, substance, sons and daughters the devil carried off to make him desert the Lord in his heart. The fact that the wolf cannot turn his neck without turning the whole of his body signifies that the Devil
