Folio 28r - De columbe pedibus; Of the feet of the dove. De pennis deargentatis; Of its feathers.
bequeathed by will. As a result, the sons of Levi, among the children of Israel, were to have no allotted portion, that is, no part of an inheritance, but were to support themselves from tithes.
There are two inheritances. The earthly inheritance of the Old Testament and the eternal inheritance of the New. You 'sleep' between them, therefore, when you come to the end of your life with contempt for earthly things and hope for the things of heaven; when you do not gaze longingly at things of the present but wait patiently for those that are to come.
'And its tail feathers are in the pale colour of gold.' For the eyes of the righteous will see the king in his glory. You will have gold on your tail feathers, when the glory of the divine majesty appears in time to come.
Kingly crowns are fashioned from the purest gold; and coins are minted from true silver, on which the royal portrait is stamped. On an ordinary coin of silver or bronze there is stamped a representation of the king's appearance; on a gold crown, the symbol of his victory. The coinage of God's word teaches us to imitate the life of Christ, but the crown of his victory teaches us that after our struggles in this world, there is an end of conflict. There is the gold, then, as if on the tail feathers of a dove. The silver, here on the flight feathers, is the silver of preaching; because when the dove comes to receive those gifts, it will no longer need the eloquence of the pulpit, but in recompense will live in the purity of perfection without end.
Of the feet of the dove
The dove, the subject of this account, is said to have red feet. This dove signifies the Church, which had feet on which it covered the extent of the whole world. The feet of the Church are its martyrs, who traverse the earth with as many steps as there are examples of righteous conduct whereby they demonstrate to their followers the way of righteousness. They touch the ground when they reprimand with fitting reproaches earthly deeds and desires. But when they tread on the earth, their feet are injured by its harshness. Thus the feet of the Church are turned red, because the martyrs shed their blood in the name of Christ. The red of the dove's feet, therefore, is the blood of martyrs.
Of its feathers, sheathed in silver
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Commentary
Text
The mystic aspects of the dove. The dove's red feet. The silver wings.
Illustration
Two excisions on this folio. They would have been two paintings of doves inside a circle inside a square as seen in Ashmole 1511, f.39v. In Ashmole, as here, the rubric is squeezed in vertically, up the side of the illustration. On the top right margin are two faint sketches of circles in squares. The feature shown in the lower sketch may be like the cat on f.5r. Illegible text correction in margin but no corresponding alteration to the text. Initial type 2, quire mark of four 'matchsticks', colour indication in top right margin (a);Editorial addition in right margin, four lines from bottom: 'id est terrenorum'. The standard text reads 'id est terrenorum crudelitate/ that is the cruelty of earthly things' (Clark, 192, 130).
Folio Attributes
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Transcription
mento. Inde contigit [A, ut filii Levi inter] filios Israel non haberent \sortem, id est heredit[A,-atis] partem, sed ex decimis \viverent. Due [A, sunt] autem hereditates. \Terrena veteris test-[amenti] et eterna novi. \In medio igitur istarum [A, dormit qui in con-] \temptu terrenarum et spe celestium vitam \finit, dum [PL, nec] nimis ardenter presentibus inhiat, \et futura pacienter expectat. Et posteriora dor-[A, si] \eius in pallore auri. Oculi enim iustorum videbunt \regem in decore suo. Tunc enim aurum in posterioribus habetis, \cum apparuerit in futuro gloria divine maiestatis. Corone siquidem \regum ex auro purissimo fabricantur, ex argento vero monete fi\unt quibus imagines regum imprimunt [PL, imprimuntur]. In moneta, notatur imi\tatio forme, in corona signum victorie. Moneta siquidem divi\ni eloquii, docet imitationem vite Christi. Corona vero victorie, \post labores presentis seculi finem pugne. Ibi igitur quasi in posterioribus \aurum, hic in pennis predicationis argentum, quia cum ad illa do\na columba pervenerit, iam predicationis eloquio non indigebit, sed \in eo quod in retributione percipiet, in puritate perfectionis sine fine vivet. \ De columbe pedibus \ Columba de qua hic agitur, \rubeos pedes habere perhibetur. Hec columba est ecclesia, que \pedes habuit, quibus tocius mundi spacium perambulavit. Pedes \sunt martyres, qui tot passibus terram perambulant, quot bonorum \operum exemplis viam iusticie sequentibus se demonstrant. Ter\ram tangunt cum dignis increpationibus actus et voluntates ter\renas reprehendunt. Sed, dum terra premitur, asperitate terre pedes vul\nerantur. Et sic pedes ecclesie rubei facti sunt, quia sanguinem su\um pro Christi nomine martyres effuderunt. Rubor igitur pedum \est cruor martyrum. \ De pennis deargentatis \Translation
bequeathed by will. As a result, the sons of Levi, among the children of Israel, were to have no allotted portion, that is, no part of an inheritance, but were to support themselves from tithes. There are two inheritances. The earthly inheritance of the Old Testament and the eternal inheritance of the New. You 'sleep' between them, therefore, when you come to the end of your life with contempt for earthly things and hope for the things of heaven; when you do not gaze longingly at things of the present but wait patiently for those that are to come. 'And its tail feathers are in the pale colour of gold.' For the eyes of the righteous will see the king in his glory. You will have gold on your tail feathers, when the glory of the divine majesty appears in time to come. Kingly crowns are fashioned from the purest gold; and coins are minted from true silver, on which the royal portrait is stamped. On an ordinary coin of silver or bronze there is stamped a representation of the king's appearance; on a gold crown, the symbol of his victory. The coinage of God's word teaches us to imitate the life of Christ, but the crown of his victory teaches us that after our struggles in this world, there is an end of conflict. There is the gold, then, as if on the tail feathers of a dove. The silver, here on the flight feathers, is the silver of preaching; because when the dove comes to receive those gifts, it will no longer need the eloquence of the pulpit, but in recompense will live in the purity of perfection without end. Of the feet of the dove The dove, the subject of this account, is said to have red feet. This dove signifies the Church, which had feet on which it covered the extent of the whole world. The feet of the Church are its martyrs, who traverse the earth with as many steps as there are examples of righteous conduct whereby they demonstrate to their followers the way of righteousness. They touch the ground when they reprimand with fitting reproaches earthly deeds and desires. But when they tread on the earth, their feet are injured by its harshness. Thus the feet of the Church are turned red, because the martyrs shed their blood in the name of Christ. The red of the dove's feet, therefore, is the blood of martyrs. Of its feathers, sheathed in silver
