Folio 73r - [De balena]; Of the whale. De belua que dicitur serra; Of the monster called the flying-fish. De delfinibus; Of dolphins.
[Of the whale]
[They suffer in the same way, those who are unbelievers and know nothing of the Devil's cunning, who place their hope in him,] bind themselves to do his work, together they will be plunged with him into the fires of Gehenna.
The nature of this animal is such that when it feeds, it opens its mouth and breathes out from it a kind of sweet-smelling odour, so that when smaller fish scent it, they gather in its mouth. When the whale feels that its mouth is full, it closes it suddenly and swallows the fish.
They suffer in the same way, those who are of limited faith, who succumb to the food of desires and enticements, they are suddenly devoured by the Devil as if they had been overwhelmed by certain scents
Again of the whale
Whales are beasts of huge size, so called because of their habit of drawing in and spouting out water; for they make waves higher than other sea creatures; the Greek word balenim [balein] means 'to emit'.
The male is called musculus; for it is alleged that the females conceive by intercourse.
Of the monster called the flying-fish.
There is a sea monster called the flying-fish, which has huge wings. When it sees a ship under sail on the sea, it raises its wings over the water and tries to keep pace with the ship for three or four miles; when it fails to keep pace, it lowers its wings and folds them. The waves carry it, exhausted, back to its home in their depths.
The flying-fish represents this world. The ship symbolises the righteous, who sail through its storms and tempests without putting their faith in danger or at risk of shipwreck. But the flying-fish, which could not keep up with the ship, represents those who at the start apply themselves to good works, but do not afterwards persevere with them and yield to all sorts of vice, which carry them, like the restless waves of the sea, down to hell. For the prize goes not to those who begin the race, but to those who stay the course.
Of dolphins
Dolphins are known by that particular name or word because they follow the sound of men's voices, or gather in schools at the sound of music.
There is no swifter creature in the sea. For they often leap through the air over ships; but when they play beforehand in the swell and leap headlong through the mighty waves, they seem to foretell storms.
- Commentary
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Commentary
Text
The whale, flying fish, dolphins.
Comment
Folio mark 'll' in top right corner. This represents folio 2 of quire 'L', but folio 1 is missing. Initials, type 2.
Folio Attributes
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Transcription
[De balena] \ [A ... Sic illi paciuntur qui incredulo animo sunt, et ignorant diaboli astucias spem suam in eum ponentes, atqe suis operibus se obligan-]tes, simul merguntur cum illo in Gehennam ignis. Natura belue est\ talis quando esurit aperit os suum, et odorem quendam bene\ olentem exalat de ore eius, cuius dulcedinem ut sentiunt mino\res pisces, congregant se in ore eius. Cum vero senserit os suum\ esse repletum, subito claudit os suum et transglutit eos. Sic pa\ciuntur illi qui sunt modice fidei addicti voluptatibus et leno\ciniis ad escam, quamsi quibusdam odoribus subito absorbentur a diabolo.\ Item de balena \ Balene autem sunt immense\ magnitudinis bestie ab emittendo et fundendo aquas\ vocate ceteris enim bestiis maris alcius iaciunt undas, balenim\ Grece emittere dicitur. Masculus balene est musculus enim\ coitu concipere hec belua perhibetur. \De belua que dicitur serra \ Est belua in mari que dicitur serra, pennas habens immanes.\ Hec cum viderit navim in pelago velificantem, elevat\ pennas suas super aquam et contendit velificare contra navim\ stadiis triginta vel quadraginta, et non sustinens laborem deficit, et deponens\ pennas ad se attrahit eas. Unde vero maris iam lassam reportant\ ad locum suum in profundum. Hec belua figuram habet seculi. Navis\ vero iustorum habet exemplum, qui sine periculo et naufragio fidei\ transierunt per medias huius mundi procellas et tempestates. Serra vero\ id est belua illa que non valuit velificare cum navi, figuram il\lorum gerit, qui in inicio ceperunt bonis operibus insistere, postea\ non permanentes in eis, victi sunt diversis viciorum generibus que\ illos tanquam fluctuantes maris unde mergunt usque ad inferos. Non\ enim incipientibus sed perseverantibus premium promittitur. \ De delfinibus \ Delfines certum habent nomen vel vocabulum\ quod voces hominum sequantur, vel quod ad simphoniam\ gregatim conveniunt. Nichil in mari velocius. Nam plerumque\ naves salientes transvolant, quando autem preludunt in fluctibus et un\darum se molibus saltu precipiti feriunt, tempestates significare\Translation
[Of the whale] [They suffer in the same way, those who are unbelievers and know nothing of the Devil's cunning, who place their hope in him,] bind themselves to do his work, together they will be plunged with him into the fires of Gehenna. The nature of this animal is such that when it feeds, it opens its mouth and breathes out from it a kind of sweet-smelling odour, so that when smaller fish scent it, they gather in its mouth. When the whale feels that its mouth is full, it closes it suddenly and swallows the fish. They suffer in the same way, those who are of limited faith, who succumb to the food of desires and enticements, they are suddenly devoured by the Devil as if they had been overwhelmed by certain scents Again of the whale Whales are beasts of huge size, so called because of their habit of drawing in and spouting out water; for they make waves higher than other sea creatures; the Greek word balenim [balein] means 'to emit'. The male is called musculus; for it is alleged that the females conceive by intercourse. Of the monster called the flying-fish. There is a sea monster called the flying-fish, which has huge wings. When it sees a ship under sail on the sea, it raises its wings over the water and tries to keep pace with the ship for three or four miles; when it fails to keep pace, it lowers its wings and folds them. The waves carry it, exhausted, back to its home in their depths. The flying-fish represents this world. The ship symbolises the righteous, who sail through its storms and tempests without putting their faith in danger or at risk of shipwreck. But the flying-fish, which could not keep up with the ship, represents those who at the start apply themselves to good works, but do not afterwards persevere with them and yield to all sorts of vice, which carry them, like the restless waves of the sea, down to hell. For the prize goes not to those who begin the race, but to those who stay the course. Of dolphins Dolphins are known by that particular name or word because they follow the sound of men's voices, or gather in schools at the sound of music. There is no swifter creature in the sea. For they often leap through the air over ships; but when they play beforehand in the swell and leap headlong through the mighty waves, they seem to foretell storms.
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