Folio 19v - Dogs, continued
Folio 19v Translation
the corpse. Then the dog, briefly abandoning its doleful lament, took up the arms of vengeance, seized the man and held him, and, softly singing a pitiful song, as in the epilogue of a tragedy, moved everyone to tears; and the fact that the dog held that man alone, of the many that were there, and did not let him go, lent weight to its case. In the end, the murderer was at a loss because the evidence in the case was so plain; he could not clear himself by objecting that he was the victim of anyone's hate, enmity, envy or spite, and he could no longer rebut the charge. Because it was very difficult for him, he suffered punishment, because he could offer no defence.
A dog's tongue, licking a wound, heals it. A dog's way of life is said to be wholly temperate. A puppy's tongue is generally a cure for internal injuries. It is characteristic of a dog that it returns to its vomit and eats it again. If a dog swims across a river carrying a piece of meat or anything of that sort in its mouth, and sees its shadow, it opens its mouth and in hastening to seize the other piece of meat, it loses the one it was carrying.
In some ways preachers are like dogs: by their admonitions and righteous ways they are always driving off the ambushes laid by the Devil, lest he seize and carry off God's treasure - Christian souls. As the dog's tongue, licking a wound, heals it, the wounds of sinners, laid bare in confession, are cleansed by the correction of the priest. As the dog's tongue heals man's internal wounds, the secrets of his heart are often purified by the deeds and discourse of the Church's teachers. As the dog is said to be temperate in its ways, the man who is set over others diligently studies wisdom and must avoid drunkenness and gluttony in every way, for Sodom perished in a surfeit of food. Indeed, there is no quicker way for the Devil, his enemy, to take possession of man than through his greedy gullet. The dog returning to its vomit signifies those who, after making their confession, heedlessly return to wrongdoing. The dog leaving its meat behind in the river, out of desire for its shadow, signifies
- Commentary
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Commentary
Text
The dog identifies his master's murderer; dogs heal their wounds by licking; dogs bite at their reflection in the water.
- Transcription and Translation
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Transcription
ad funus. Tunc canis sequestrato paulisper questu doloris, \arma ultionis assumpsit, atque apprehensum tenuit, et velud \epilogo quodam miserabile carmen immurmurans, univer\sos convertit in lacrimas, fidemque probationi detulit, quod solum \tenuit ex plurimis nec dimisit. Denique perturbatus ille quod \tam manifestum rei indicium, neque odii neque inimiciciarum \neque invidie aut iniurie alicuius poterat obiectione vacuare, \crimenque diutius nequit refellere. Itaque quod erat difficilius [PL, ratione consonum] ultio\nem perpessus est, quia defensionem sibi prestare non potuit. Lingua \canis dum lingit vulnus, sanat illud. Victus eius admodum \modicus esse fertur. Catuli denique lingua vulneratorum solet \esse saluti intestinorum. Natura eius est ut ad vomitum suum rever\tatur iterumque comedat. Cumque fluvium transnataverit car\nem vel aliquid tale in ore tenens, cum viderit umbram \os suum aperit, atque dum properat aliam carnem sumere, ipsam \quam tenet amittit. Cuius figuram in quibusdam rebus predica\tores habent, qui semper admonendo ac exercendo que recta sunt \insidias diaboli propellunt, ne thesaurum domini, id est animas Christia\norum rapiendo ipse auferat. Lingua canis dum lingit vul\nus curat. Quia peccorum vulnera cum in confessione nudantur, \sacerdotum corrrectione mundantur. Intestina quoque hominis curat \lingua canis, quia secreta cordis sepe mundantur opere et sermone \doctoris. Modicus admodum victus canis dicitur esse, quia qui preest \aliis, sapientie studiis invigilat, crapulamque omnimodis vita\re debet, nam in saturitate panis Sodoma periit. Nullo demum \aditu tam cito possidet inimicus hominem quam voraci gula. \Quod canis ad vomitum redeat, significat quosdam post peractam \confessionem incaute ad perpetrata facinora redire. Quod carnem \in flumine propter concupitam umbram relinquid, significat\Translation
Folio 19v Translation the corpse. Then the dog, briefly abandoning its doleful lament, took up the arms of vengeance, seized the man and held him, and, softly singing a pitiful song, as in the epilogue of a tragedy, moved everyone to tears; and the fact that the dog held that man alone, of the many that were there, and did not let him go, lent weight to its case. In the end, the murderer was at a loss because the evidence in the case was so plain; he could not clear himself by objecting that he was the victim of anyone's hate, enmity, envy or spite, and he could no longer rebut the charge. Because it was very difficult for him, he suffered punishment, because he could offer no defence. A dog's tongue, licking a wound, heals it. A dog's way of life is said to be wholly temperate. A puppy's tongue is generally a cure for internal injuries. It is characteristic of a dog that it returns to its vomit and eats it again. If a dog swims across a river carrying a piece of meat or anything of that sort in its mouth, and sees its shadow, it opens its mouth and in hastening to seize the other piece of meat, it loses the one it was carrying. In some ways preachers are like dogs: by their admonitions and righteous ways they are always driving off the ambushes laid by the Devil, lest he seize and carry off God's treasure - Christian souls. As the dog's tongue, licking a wound, heals it, the wounds of sinners, laid bare in confession, are cleansed by the correction of the priest. As the dog's tongue heals man's internal wounds, the secrets of his heart are often purified by the deeds and discourse of the Church's teachers. As the dog is said to be temperate in its ways, the man who is set over others diligently studies wisdom and must avoid drunkenness and gluttony in every way, for Sodom perished in a surfeit of food. Indeed, there is no quicker way for the Devil, his enemy, to take possession of man than through his greedy gullet. The dog returning to its vomit signifies those who, after making their confession, heedlessly return to wrongdoing. The dog leaving its meat behind in the river, out of desire for its shadow, signifies
