Folio 80r - Of trees, continued.
that when their binding is smeared with it they do not suffer damage from worms and they do not decay with the passage of time.
Again
The cypress is so called in Greek because its head rises from a round base to a point. For this reason it is also called conus, a cone, that is, 'a tall round shape'. On this account, its fruit, too, is called conus, because its round shape is such that it looks like a cone. As a result, the cypress is also called conifer, 'bearing fruit of a conical form'.
The wood of the cypress has a quality close to that of the cedar and is suitable for the roof-beams of temples, because it remains firm and unyielding.
The ancients used to place cypress branches near a funeral pyre, so that the stench of burning corpses would be smothered by their fragrance.
Again
The juniper is so called in Greek, either because its shape tapers from wide to narrow, like fire, or it continues to burn long after it has been kindled, so that if you cover live brands from its ashes, they will last for a year; piro [pur] is the Greek word for fire.
Again
The plane tree gets its name from the width of its leaves or because the tree itself has a wide spread. For the Greek word for 'broad' is platos. The Scripture portrays the name and shape of this tree, saying: 'As a plane tree I spread over the streets' (see Ecclesiasticus, 24:19). Its leaves are very tender and soft like those of the vine.
Again
The oak is called quercus or querimus because it was by means of this tree that heathen gods used to answer queries about the future.
It lives to a great age, as we read in the case of the oak of Mamre, under which Abraham lived, which is said to have lasted for many centuries until the reign of the Emperor Constantine.
The fruit of the oak is called gall.
Again
The ash tree, fraxinus, is said to get its name because its berry tends to grow in harsh and mountainous places; in this way fractinus is derived from fraga, as montanus, mountainous, comes from mons, mountain. Ovid says of it: 'the ash, good for making spears'.
The alder, alnus, is so called because it is nourished by water; for it grows near water and survives with difficulty away from water. For this reason it is a delicate
- Commentary
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Commentary
Text
The cypress, juniper, oak, ash.
Comment
Inaccurate spacing for rubric. Quire mark bottom of page centre 'M', and folio mark '+' bottom left. Two initials type 2, three initials type 4.
Folio Attributes
- Transcription and Translation
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Transcription
adeo est utilis ut perliniti ex ea nec tineas paciantur, nec per tem\pora consenescant.\ Iterum \ Cipressus Grece dicitur quod caput eius\ a rotunditate in canumen [A, cacumen] erigitur. Unde et conus vocatur, id est\ alta rotunditas. Hinc et fructus eius conum, quia rotunditas\ eius talis est ut conum imitetur. Unde et conifere cypressi\ dicuntur. Huius lignum cedro pene proximam habet virtutem, tem\ plorumque trabibus aptum inpenetrabili soliditate perseverat.\ Antiqui cipressi ramos prope rogum constituere solebant, ut odo\ rem cadaverum dum urerent oppriment iocunditate sui odoris.\ Item \ Juniperus Grece dicta sive quod ab amplo in angu\stum finit ut ignis sive conceptum diu teneat ignem, adeo\ ut si prune ex eius cinere fuerint cooperte, usque ad annum perve\niant, piro enim apud Grecos ignis est. \ Iterum \ Platanus a latitudine foliorum dicta vel quod arbor\ ipsa patula sit et ampla. Nam platos Greci latinum [PL, latum] vocant.\ Expressit huius arboris scriptura nomen et formam dicens:\ Quasi platanus dilata sum in plateis. Est autem tenerri\mus [A, tenerrimis] foliis ac mollibus vitium similibus. \ Iterum \ Quercus sive querimus quod ea soliti erant dii\ gentium responsum precanere, arbor multum an\nosa, sicut legitur de quercu Mambre sub qua habitavit\ Abraham, que fertur usque ad Constantini regis imperium per\ multa secula perdurasse, fructus huius galla appellatur. \ Item \ Fraxinus vocari fertur quod magis inter aspera loca\ montanaque fraga nascatur, hinc per dirivationem\ fractinus, sicut a monte montanus, de qua Ovidius: Et frax\inus utilis hastis. Alnus quod alatur amne, proxima enim\ aque nascitur, nec facile extra undas vivit, hinc et teneraTranslation
that when their binding is smeared with it they do not suffer damage from worms and they do not decay with the passage of time. Again The cypress is so called in Greek because its head rises from a round base to a point. For this reason it is also called conus, a cone, that is, 'a tall round shape'. On this account, its fruit, too, is called conus, because its round shape is such that it looks like a cone. As a result, the cypress is also called conifer, 'bearing fruit of a conical form'. The wood of the cypress has a quality close to that of the cedar and is suitable for the roof-beams of temples, because it remains firm and unyielding. The ancients used to place cypress branches near a funeral pyre, so that the stench of burning corpses would be smothered by their fragrance. Again The juniper is so called in Greek, either because its shape tapers from wide to narrow, like fire, or it continues to burn long after it has been kindled, so that if you cover live brands from its ashes, they will last for a year; piro [pur] is the Greek word for fire. Again The plane tree gets its name from the width of its leaves or because the tree itself has a wide spread. For the Greek word for 'broad' is platos. The Scripture portrays the name and shape of this tree, saying: 'As a plane tree I spread over the streets' (see Ecclesiasticus, 24:19). Its leaves are very tender and soft like those of the vine. Again The oak is called quercus or querimus because it was by means of this tree that heathen gods used to answer queries about the future. It lives to a great age, as we read in the case of the oak of Mamre, under which Abraham lived, which is said to have lasted for many centuries until the reign of the Emperor Constantine. The fruit of the oak is called gall. Again The ash tree, fraxinus, is said to get its name because its berry tends to grow in harsh and mountainous places; in this way fractinus is derived from fraga, as montanus, mountainous, comes from mons, mountain. Ovid says of it: 'the ash, good for making spears'. The alder, alnus, is so called because it is nourished by water; for it grows near water and survives with difficulty away from water. For this reason it is a delicate
