Folio 88r - the nature of man, continued.
For virus strictly means the fluid which comes from a man's organs of generation.
The word for testicles, testiculi, is a diminutive of testis, witness; there is a minumum of two. They supply to the penis, calamus, semen which the kidneys and loins take from the spinal cord, in order to create a fetus.
The skin which contains the testicles is called viscus.
The posterior parts of the body are so called because they are at the rear, turned away from the face, lest when we empty our bowels, we should defile our gaze. The anus or passage, meatus, is so called because excrement passes, meare, through it, that is, it is discharged from it.
The thighs, femur, are so called because the male sex is distinguished from the female, a femina, by that part; they extend from the groin to the knee.
The word femen comes from femur; the femina are the parts of the thighs with which we grip the horse's back when we ride. For this reason, it used formerly to be said that warriors lost their horses 'from under their thighs'.
The word for hips, coxe, comes, so to speak, from coniuncte axes, 'axles joined together', for the thighs are moved on them. Their joints are called hollows, concava, because the heads of the thigh bones turn in them.
The hollows of the knee, suffragines, are so called because they are broken underneath, subtus franguntur, that is, they bend downwards and not upwards like the arm.
The knees are the junction between the thighs and the legs. They are called genua because in the womb they are opposite the upper part of the face, gena; knees and cheeks press closely together and, in the same way as the eyes signify grief, the knees signify the desire for mercy. For genua comes from gena. Finally, they say that a man is born in a folded shape, so that his knees are on top, as a result of which his eyes are formed so that they are hollow and hidden. Ennius: 'And the cheek presses against bent knees' (Incerta, 14). For this reason, when men fall on their knees, they start to cry. For nature wills them to remember their mother's womb, where they stayed, before they came into the light.
The legs, crura, are so called because we run, currere, and take steps on them; they extend from under the knee to the lower calf.
The word for shins, tibia, comes, so to speak, from tuba, trumpets, which they resemble.
The ankle, talus, comes from from the word for a dome, tholus; for a dome is
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Commentary
Text
Isidore on the hips, knees and legs.
Comment
At the bottom centre is a quire mark 'N'.
Folio Attributes
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Transcription
Nam virus proprie humor dicitur, fluens a natura viri. Testicula\ per diminutionem a testibus dicti, quorum numerus incipit\ a duobus. Hii semen calamo ministrant quod ab spine me\dulla et renes et lumbi suscipiunt, ad germen procreandi.\ Viscus est pellis in qua testiculi sunt. Posteriora vocata quod\ retro sunt, et a vultu aversa, ne dum alvum purgamus\ inquinaremus aspectum. Meatus inde appellatus quod\ per eum meant, id est egeruntur stercora. Femora dicta quod ea\ parte a femina sexus viri discrepet, sunt autem ab inguini\bus usque ad genua. Femina autem per dirivationem femorum\ partes sunt, quibus in equitando tergis equorum inheremus.\ Unde olim preliatores sub feminibus equos amisisse dicebantur.\ Coxe quasi coniuncte axes in ipsis enim femora moventur\ quorum concava vertebra vocantur, quod in eis capita femorum\ vertunt. Suffragines quia subtus fra[n]guntur, id est flectuntur, non\ supra sicut in brachiis. Genua sunt commixtiones femorum\ et crurium, et dicta genua eo quod in utero sint genis opposita,\ coherent enim sibi et cognita [PL, cognata] sunt oculis lacrimarum indicibus\ et misercordie. Nam a genis genua dicuntur. Denique complica\tum gigni formarique hominem, ita ut genua sursum sint\ quibus oculi formantur, ut cavi ac reconditi fiant. Hennius:\ Atque genua comprimit arta gena. Inde est quod homines dum\ ad genua se prosternunt, statim lacrimantur. Voluit enim eos\ natura uterum maternum rememorare ubi quasi in tenebris\ considebant, antequam venirent ad lucem. Crura dicta\ quia in his currimus et gressum facimus, sunt autem sub genibus\ usque ad suras. Tibie vocate quasi tube sunt autem et longi\tudine et specie similes. Talus dictus a tolo, nam tolus est\Translation
For virus strictly means the fluid which comes from a man's organs of generation. The word for testicles, testiculi, is a diminutive of testis, witness; there is a minumum of two. They supply to the penis, calamus, semen which the kidneys and loins take from the spinal cord, in order to create a fetus. The skin which contains the testicles is called viscus. The posterior parts of the body are so called because they are at the rear, turned away from the face, lest when we empty our bowels, we should defile our gaze. The anus or passage, meatus, is so called because excrement passes, meare, through it, that is, it is discharged from it. The thighs, femur, are so called because the male sex is distinguished from the female, a femina, by that part; they extend from the groin to the knee. The word femen comes from femur; the femina are the parts of the thighs with which we grip the horse's back when we ride. For this reason, it used formerly to be said that warriors lost their horses 'from under their thighs'. The word for hips, coxe, comes, so to speak, from coniuncte axes, 'axles joined together', for the thighs are moved on them. Their joints are called hollows, concava, because the heads of the thigh bones turn in them. The hollows of the knee, suffragines, are so called because they are broken underneath, subtus franguntur, that is, they bend downwards and not upwards like the arm. The knees are the junction between the thighs and the legs. They are called genua because in the womb they are opposite the upper part of the face, gena; knees and cheeks press closely together and, in the same way as the eyes signify grief, the knees signify the desire for mercy. For genua comes from gena. Finally, they say that a man is born in a folded shape, so that his knees are on top, as a result of which his eyes are formed so that they are hollow and hidden. Ennius: 'And the cheek presses against bent knees' (Incerta, 14). For this reason, when men fall on their knees, they start to cry. For nature wills them to remember their mother's womb, where they stayed, before they came into the light. The legs, crura, are so called because we run, currere, and take steps on them; they extend from under the knee to the lower calf. The word for shins, tibia, comes, so to speak, from tuba, trumpets, which they resemble. The ankle, talus, comes from from the word for a dome, tholus; for a dome is
