Folio 71v - the nature of snakes, continued.
of the darkness of this world, then the serpent, that is, the Devil, cannot attack you.
The snake, at the onset of blindness, wards it off by eating fennel. Thus, when it feels its eyes growing dim, it has recourse to remedies it knows, knowing that it can rely on their effect.
The tortoise, when it feeds on the snake's entrails and becomes aware of the venom spreading through its own body, cures itself with oregano.
If a snake tastes the spittle of a fasting man, it dies.
Pliny says:It is believed that if the head of a snake escapes, even if only two fingers' length of the body is attached, it continues to live. For this reason it places its whole body in the way to protect its head against its assailants. All snakes suffer from poor sight; they can rarely see what is in front of them. This is not without reason, since their eyes are not at the front but in the temples of the head, so that they hear better than they see. No creature moves its tongue as swiftly as the snake, to such an extent that it seems to have a triple tongue, when in fact there is only one.
The bodies of snakes are moist, so that wherever they go, they mark their path with moisture. The tracks of snakes are such that, since they seem to lack feet, they crawl using their flanks and the pressure of their scales, which are laid out in the same pattern from the throat to the lowest part of the belly. For they support themselves on their scales as if on claws, and on their flanks as if on legs.
As a result, if a snake is struck on any part of the body, from the belly to the head, it is disabled and cannot get away quickly, because where the blow falls, it dislocates the spine, through which the foot-like movement of the flanks and the motion of the body are activated.
Snakes are said to live for a long time, to such an extent that it also claimed that when they shed their old skins, they shed their old age and regain their youth. The snake's skin is called exuvie, because they shed it, exuere, when they grow old. We refer to clothing as both exuvie and induvie because it is both taken off, exuere, and put on, induere.
Pythagoras says that the snake is created from the marrow of dead men, which is to be found in the spine. Ovid has the same point in mind in the Metamorphoses, when he says: 'There are those who believe that when the spine has rotted in the grave, the human
- Commentary
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Commentary
Text
Snakes have poor sight and moist bodies.
Comment
In fact, only grass snakes have moist bodies.
- Transcription and Translation
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Transcription
seculo huius tenebrarum, tunc non poterit exilire in te serpens, id est\ diabolus. Serpens quoque pastu feniculi cecitatem repellit ex\ceptam. Itaque ubi oculos sibi obduci senserit, nota remedia pe\tit, ne fraudatur effectu. Testudo visceribus pasta serpentis,\ cum venenum adverterit sibi serpere, origano medicinam sue sa\lutis exercet. Ieiuni hominis sputum si serpens gustaverit, moritur.\ Dicit autem Plinius: Creditur quod si serpentis caput etiam si cum\ duobus digitis evaserit, nichilominus vivit. Unde et totum\ corpus obicit pro capite ferientibus. Anguibus universis hebes visus\ est, raro in adversum contuentur. Nec frustra cum oculos non\ in fronte sed in timporibus habeant, adeo ut cicius audiant quam\ aspiciant. Nullum autem animal in tanta celeritate linguam\ movet ut serpens, adeo ut triplicem linguam habere videatur,\ cum una sit. Serpentium humida sunt corpora, adeo ut quaque\ eunt viam humore designent. Vestigia sunt serpentium talia\ ut cum pedibus carere videantur, costis tamen et squamarum ni\sibus repunt, quas a summo gutture usque ad imam alvum pa\rili modo dispositas habent. Squamis enim quasi unguibus, costis\ quasi cruribus innituntur. Unde si in qualibet corporis parte ab\ alvo usque ad caput aliquo ictu collidatur, debilis reddita cursum\ habere non possit, quia ubicumque ille ictus inciderit, spinam sol\vit, per quam costarum pedes et motus corporis agebantur. Serpen\tes autem diu vivere dicuntur, adeo ut deposita veteri tunica\ senectutem deponere atque in iuventutem redire perhibeantur.\ Tunice serpentium exuvie nuncupantur, eo quod his quando\ senescunt sese exuunt. Dicuntur autem exuvie et induvie quia\ exuuntur et induuntur. Pytagoras dicit de medulla hominis\ mortui que in spina est serpentem creari. Quod etiam Ovidius\ in Metamorphoseorum libris commemorat dicens: Sunt qui\ cum putrefacta spina sepulchro mutari credant, humanas\Translation
of the darkness of this world, then the serpent, that is, the Devil, cannot attack you. The snake, at the onset of blindness, wards it off by eating fennel. Thus, when it feels its eyes growing dim, it has recourse to remedies it knows, knowing that it can rely on their effect. The tortoise, when it feeds on the snake's entrails and becomes aware of the venom spreading through its own body, cures itself with oregano. If a snake tastes the spittle of a fasting man, it dies. Pliny says:It is believed that if the head of a snake escapes, even if only two fingers' length of the body is attached, it continues to live. For this reason it places its whole body in the way to protect its head against its assailants. All snakes suffer from poor sight; they can rarely see what is in front of them. This is not without reason, since their eyes are not at the front but in the temples of the head, so that they hear better than they see. No creature moves its tongue as swiftly as the snake, to such an extent that it seems to have a triple tongue, when in fact there is only one. The bodies of snakes are moist, so that wherever they go, they mark their path with moisture. The tracks of snakes are such that, since they seem to lack feet, they crawl using their flanks and the pressure of their scales, which are laid out in the same pattern from the throat to the lowest part of the belly. For they support themselves on their scales as if on claws, and on their flanks as if on legs. As a result, if a snake is struck on any part of the body, from the belly to the head, it is disabled and cannot get away quickly, because where the blow falls, it dislocates the spine, through which the foot-like movement of the flanks and the motion of the body are activated. Snakes are said to live for a long time, to such an extent that it also claimed that when they shed their old skins, they shed their old age and regain their youth. The snake's skin is called exuvie, because they shed it, exuere, when they grow old. We refer to clothing as both exuvie and induvie because it is both taken off, exuere, and put on, induere. Pythagoras says that the snake is created from the marrow of dead men, which is to be found in the spine. Ovid has the same point in mind in the Metamorphoses, when he says: 'There are those who believe that when the spine has rotted in the grave, the human
