Folio 79v - Item de arboribus; Again of trees.
The word for oak, ilex, comes from electus, chosen. For the fruit of this tree was the first to be chosen by men for food. In this context, the poet says: 'The first mortals belched the nut from their throats'; for before the ancients used corn for food, they lived on nuts.
Again
The beech tree, fagus, and the Italian oak, esculus, both nut-bearing trees, get their names, it is said or at any rate believed, because men formerly existed on their fruit, using them for their own food and for fodder. For esculus comes from esca, food; while fagus is a Greek word, for fagein in Greek means 'to eat'.
The carob tree, cilicicon, is corrupted in Latin to siliqua. It got its Greek name because the fruit of its wood was sweet. For xilon is 'wood' in Greek and ilicon, 'sweet'. The juice pressed from its fruit is called in Greek acacia.
Again
The pistachio tree is so called because the shell of its fruit gives forth the scent of pure nard.
The pitch-pine gets its name from its pointed leaves, for the ancients used the word pinnus to mean 'pointed'. The Greeks called one kind of pine possis, another peuce; we call it picea, because it oozes resin, pix. In the islands of Germany the 'tears' of this tree produce amber. For the sap, flowing down, solidifies, either in the cold or by the passage of time, and creates a precious stone, which gets its name, sucinum, amber, from its nature, because it is the juice, sucus, of the tree.
The pine is thought to be beneficial to everything that grows beneath it, just as the fig tree does harm to everything.
Again
The fir tree, abies, is so called because it grows higher than other trees and stands high above them. It is characterised by the fact that it contains no earthly fluid and is accordingly considered easy and light to work. Some call it 'Gallic' because of its white colour. It has no knots in it.
Again
The cedar, cedrus, is the tree which the Greeks call cedros. Its leaves resemble those of the cypress. Its wood, however, has a pleasant scent which lingers for a long time and can never be destroyed by worms. For this reason - its durability - temple ceilings are made of cedar wood. The resin of this wood is called cedria and is so good for preserving books
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Commentary
Text
Various trees.
Comment
This page was left incomplete in the twelfth century, with only one initial type 2 inserted. In the thirteenth century, the scribe who finished the book after ff. 94r filled in the four initials type 4 on this page. His hasty work is exemplified by the incorrect insertion of 'U', subsequently corrected to 'F' for fagus, beech tree.
Folio Attributes
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Transcription
Ilex ab electo vocata. Huius enim arboris fructum, homi\nes primum ad victum sibi elegerunt. Unde et poeta: Morta\les primi ructabant gutture glandem, prius enim quam frumen\ti usus essent, antiqui glande vixerunt. \ Iterum \ Fagus et esculus arbores et glandifere ideo vocate dicuntur,\ vel creduntur quod earum fructibus olim homines vixerunt,\ cibumque sumpserunt, escamque habuerunt. Nam esculus ab\ esca dicta, fagus vero a Greco vocata, fage enim Grece comedere\ dicitur. Cilicicon quam Latini corrupte siliquam vocant. Et ideo\ a Grecis tale nomen accepit, eo quod ligni eius fructus sit dulcis.\ Xilon quippe Greci dicunt lignum ilicon dulcem. Huius ar\boris pomo succus expressus, accatia a Grecis dicitur. \ Iterum \ Pistatia arbor quod cortex pomi eius nardi pistici odorem\ referat. Primus ardor [PL, Pinus arbor] picea, ab acumine foliorum vocata, pin\num autem antiqui acutum nominabant, pinnum autem\ aliam possin aliam Greci peucen vocant, quam nos piceam dici\mus, eo quod desudet picem. In Germannie autem insulis huius\ arboris lacrima electrum gignit. Gutta enim defluens rigore\ vel tempore in soliditatem durescit, et gemmam facit, de qua\litate sua et nomen accipiens, id est sucinum, eo quod succus arbo\ris. Pinus creditur prodesse cunctis que sub ea servantur, sicut ficus\ nocere omnibus. \ Iterum \ Abies dicta est quod pre ceteris ar\boribus eat longe, et in excelsum promineat. Cuius natura expers\ est terreni humoris, ac proinde habilis atque levis habetur. Hanc\ quidam [PL, Gallicam] vocant propter candorem est autem sine nodo. \ Iterum \ Cedrus est quam Greci cedros vocant, cuius folia ci\pressi similitudinem habent. Lignum vero iocundi odo\ris est, et diu durans, nec a tinea unquam exterminatur. Unde et\ in templis propter diuturnitatem ex hoc ligno lacunaria fi\unt. Huius ligni resina cedria dicitur, que in conservandis libris\Translation
The word for oak, ilex, comes from electus, chosen. For the fruit of this tree was the first to be chosen by men for food. In this context, the poet says: 'The first mortals belched the nut from their throats'; for before the ancients used corn for food, they lived on nuts. Again The beech tree, fagus, and the Italian oak, esculus, both nut-bearing trees, get their names, it is said or at any rate believed, because men formerly existed on their fruit, using them for their own food and for fodder. For esculus comes from esca, food; while fagus is a Greek word, for fagein in Greek means 'to eat'. The carob tree, cilicicon, is corrupted in Latin to siliqua. It got its Greek name because the fruit of its wood was sweet. For xilon is 'wood' in Greek and ilicon, 'sweet'. The juice pressed from its fruit is called in Greek acacia. Again The pistachio tree is so called because the shell of its fruit gives forth the scent of pure nard. The pitch-pine gets its name from its pointed leaves, for the ancients used the word pinnus to mean 'pointed'. The Greeks called one kind of pine possis, another peuce; we call it picea, because it oozes resin, pix. In the islands of Germany the 'tears' of this tree produce amber. For the sap, flowing down, solidifies, either in the cold or by the passage of time, and creates a precious stone, which gets its name, sucinum, amber, from its nature, because it is the juice, sucus, of the tree. The pine is thought to be beneficial to everything that grows beneath it, just as the fig tree does harm to everything. Again The fir tree, abies, is so called because it grows higher than other trees and stands high above them. It is characterised by the fact that it contains no earthly fluid and is accordingly considered easy and light to work. Some call it 'Gallic' because of its white colour. It has no knots in it. Again The cedar, cedrus, is the tree which the Greeks call cedros. Its leaves resemble those of the cypress. Its wood, however, has a pleasant scent which lingers for a long time and can never be destroyed by worms. For this reason - its durability - temple ceilings are made of cedar wood. The resin of this wood is called cedria and is so good for preserving books
