Folio 42r - the ostrich, continued.
the ostrich has few feathers and is weighed down with a huge body, so that even if it were to try to fly, its sparse feathers would not support the mass of such a large a body in the air.
The gyrfalcon and the hawk, therefore, well represent the elect who, in this life, are not without the contamination of sin, no matter how trivial. But when the very small amount of sin that is within them causes them to sink, the large amount of virtue amassed from their good works is at hand to lift them back up to the heights.
In contrast, the hypocrite, even if he does a few good things to raise him up, does many bad things to weigh him down. He does not fail entirely to do good but commits many perverse deeds by which he cancels out what good he has done.
The few feathers of the ostrich, therefore, do not lift up its body, in the sense that the large number of the hypocrite's bad deeds, compared to his too few good deeds, weigh him down.
The wing of the ostrich is similar in colour to those of the gyrfalcon and the hawk, but does not resemble them in strength. For theirs are compressed and stronger and, in flight, can press down on the air because of their density. In contrast, the wings of the ostrich are loose, to the extent that they cannot sustain flight because the air, on which they are meant to press, passes over them.
What do we see in this, if not that the solid virtues of the elect fly up, pressing down on the currents of human favour? But the deeds of the hypocrites, although they seem correct, cannot support flight, because clearly the breath of human praise flows through the wing of slack virtue.
But when we discern the same outward aspect among the good and the bad, when we see the very same appearance of religious observance among the elect and the sinful, we perceive what should inform our understanding, that it may distinguish the elect from the sinful, as it separates true men from false. We will recognise the distinction more quickly, however, if we fix indelibly in our memory the words of our teacher, who said: 'Ye shall know them by their fruits' (Matthew, 7:16). For you should not judge them by the image they present of themselves but by the principles they observe in their actions.
As a result, the author of the book of Job, after introducing the image of the ostrich, thereupon adds examples of its behaviour, saying: 'It abandons its eggs in the ground' (BSV; see NEB, Job, 39:14).
What is meant by its eggs if not the child, still of tender years, who has to be cherished over a long period in order that it might be turned into a living bird? Indeed, the eggs
- Commentary
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Commentary
Text
The ostrich cannot fly and abandons its eggs.
Comment
Folio mark of two chevrons in top right corner. One text correction in margin: -'nas' [completing ‘penas’ 'feathers/plumages']
Folio Attributes
- Transcription and Translation
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Transcription
strucio raris pennis [mark] induitur, et immani corpore gravatur,\ ut et si volare appetat ipsa pen[n]arum paucitas molem tanti\ corporis in aere non suspendat. Bene ergo in herodio et acciptre\ electorum persona signatur, qui quamdiu in hac vita sunt sine quan\ tulocumque culpe contagio esse non possunt. Sed cum eis parum\ quid inest quod deprimit, multa virtus bone actionis suppetit, que\ illos in superna sustollit. At contra ypocrita et siqua facit pauca que\ elevent, perpetrat multa que gravent. Neque nulla bona agit ypocrita\ sed quibus ea ipsa deprimat multa perversa committit.\ Pauce igitur penne\ strucionis corpus non sublevant, quia parum bonum ypocrite multi\ tudo prave actionis gravat. Hec quoque ipsa strucionis\ penna ad pen[nas]\ herodii et acciptris similitudinem coloris habet, virtutis vero simi\ litudinem non habet. Illorum namque concluse et firmiores sunt, et vo\ latu aerem premere virtute soliditatis possunt. At contra strucionis\ penne dissolute eo volatum sumere nequeunt, quo ab ipso quem\ premere debuerant aere transcenduntur. Quid ergo in his aspicimus, nisi quod\ electorum virtutes solide evolant, ut ventos humani favoris\ premant? Hypocritarum vero actio quamlibet recta videatur, volare non\ sufficit, quia videlicet fluxe virtutis pennam humane laudis au\ ra pertransit. Sed cum unum eundemque bonorum malorumque habitum cernimus,\ cum ipsam in electis ac reprobis professionis speciem videmus, unde intel\ ligentie nostre suppetat, ut electos a reprobis ut a falsis veros compre\ hendendo discernat perspicimus. Quod tamen cicius agnoscimus si inteme\ rata memoria preceptoris nostri verba signamus, qui ait: Ex fructibus\ eorum cognoscetis eos. Neque enim pensanda sunt que ostendunt in\ ymagine, sed que servant in actione. Unde hic postquam speciem stru\ cionis huius intulit, mox subiunxit facta dicens: Que derelinquit\ in terra ova sua. Quid enim per ova nisi tenera adhuc proles exprimitur,\ que diu fovenda est ut ad vivum volatile perducatur? Ova quippe\Translation
the ostrich has few feathers and is weighed down with a huge body, so that even if it were to try to fly, its sparse feathers would not support the mass of such a large a body in the air. The gyrfalcon and the hawk, therefore, well represent the elect who, in this life, are not without the contamination of sin, no matter how trivial. But when the very small amount of sin that is within them causes them to sink, the large amount of virtue amassed from their good works is at hand to lift them back up to the heights. In contrast, the hypocrite, even if he does a few good things to raise him up, does many bad things to weigh him down. He does not fail entirely to do good but commits many perverse deeds by which he cancels out what good he has done. The few feathers of the ostrich, therefore, do not lift up its body, in the sense that the large number of the hypocrite's bad deeds, compared to his too few good deeds, weigh him down. The wing of the ostrich is similar in colour to those of the gyrfalcon and the hawk, but does not resemble them in strength. For theirs are compressed and stronger and, in flight, can press down on the air because of their density. In contrast, the wings of the ostrich are loose, to the extent that they cannot sustain flight because the air, on which they are meant to press, passes over them. What do we see in this, if not that the solid virtues of the elect fly up, pressing down on the currents of human favour? But the deeds of the hypocrites, although they seem correct, cannot support flight, because clearly the breath of human praise flows through the wing of slack virtue. But when we discern the same outward aspect among the good and the bad, when we see the very same appearance of religious observance among the elect and the sinful, we perceive what should inform our understanding, that it may distinguish the elect from the sinful, as it separates true men from false. We will recognise the distinction more quickly, however, if we fix indelibly in our memory the words of our teacher, who said: 'Ye shall know them by their fruits' (Matthew, 7:16). For you should not judge them by the image they present of themselves but by the principles they observe in their actions. As a result, the author of the book of Job, after introducing the image of the ostrich, thereupon adds examples of its behaviour, saying: 'It abandons its eggs in the ground' (BSV; see NEB, Job, 39:14). What is meant by its eggs if not the child, still of tender years, who has to be cherished over a long period in order that it might be turned into a living bird? Indeed, the eggs
