Folio 91r - the parts of man's body, continued.De etate hominis; Of the age of man.
if her seed is stronger; for this reason countenances have a similar appearance.
Infants who have the face of both parents were conceived in an equal mix of their their paternal and maternal seed.
They resemble grandparents and great-grandparents because, just as there are many seeds hidden in the earth, so there are seeds hidden in mankind, which give us the features of our ancestors.
From the paternal seed girls are born; from the maternal, boys; because each birth consists of a double seed, and when the greater of the two parts overcomes the other, it produces a similarity in sex.
In our body certain things are created for a functional purpose, such as the intestines; some for utility and ornament, like the sensory organs on the face and the hands and feet on the body. The usefulness of these parts is great and their appearance most seemly.
Some are there for ornament only, like men's nipples and the navel in both sexes.
Some are there to distinguish one sex from the other, like the genitals, the long beard and the broad chest in men; the soft cheeks and narrow breast in women; but for conceiving and carrying babies their loins and hips are widened.
What pertains to man and the parts of his body has already been said; now we will go on to the ages of his life.
Of the age of man
There are six stages of life. Infancy, childhood, adolescence, youth, maturity and old age.
The first age is infancy, which lasts from the time the child enters the light till it is seven.
The second is childhood, that is, when the child is pure and not yet old enough to generate young; it extends to the fourteenth year.
The third is adolescence, when the child is old enough to generate children; it lasts until the twenty-eighth year.
The fourth is youth, the the most robust of all the ages; it ends in the fiftieth year.
The fifth age is that of riper years, that is, of maturity, and represents the movement away from youth to
- Commentary
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Commentary
Text
Isidore on heredity. The Six Stages of Life.
Comment
Type 3 initial to introduce a new section, on the six stages of life.
Folio Attributes
- Transcription and Translation
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Transcription
si ma[t]ris hac ratione[s] similes exprimi vultus. Qui autem\ utriusque parentis figuram reddunt, equaliter mixto pa\terno maternoque semine concipiuntur. Avorum proavorumque\ similes fieri, quia sicut in terra multa semina occulta\ sic in hominibus semina celantur, nobis figuram parentum\ redditura. Ex paterno autem semine puellas nasci, et\ ex materno pueros, quia omnis partus constat duplici se\mine, cuius pars maior cum involvit, occupat similitudi\nem sexus. In corpore nostro quedam et utilitatis causa facta\ sunt ut viscera, quedam et utilitatis et decoris ut sensus in\ facie, et in corpore manus et pedes. Quorum membrorum et uti\litas magna est, et species decentissima. Quedam tantum\ decoris, ut mamille in viris, et in utroque sexu umbilicus. Que\dam discretionis ut in viris genitalia, barba prolixa, pectus\ amplum. In mulieribus leves gene et angustum pectus, ad\ concipiendos autem et portandos fetus renes et latera dilatata.\ Quod ad hominem et partes attinet corporis ex parte dictum\ est, nunc etatis [PL, etates] eius subiungamus. \ De etate hominis \ Gradus etatis vi sunt. Infancia, puericia,\ adolescentia, iuventus, gravitas, atque se\nectus. Prima etas infantia est, pueri nas\centis ad lucem, que porrigit in vii annis.\ Secunda puericia est, id est pura et nec dum ad\ generandum apta, tendens usque ad quartum decimum an\num. Tercia adolescentia ad gignendum adulta, que porri\gitur usque viginti octo annos. Quarta iuventus firmissima\ omnium etatum finiens in quinquagesimo anno. Quinta\ etas senioris, id est gravitas que est declinatio a iuventute in\Translation
if her seed is stronger; for this reason countenances have a similar appearance. Infants who have the face of both parents were conceived in an equal mix of their their paternal and maternal seed. They resemble grandparents and great-grandparents because, just as there are many seeds hidden in the earth, so there are seeds hidden in mankind, which give us the features of our ancestors. From the paternal seed girls are born; from the maternal, boys; because each birth consists of a double seed, and when the greater of the two parts overcomes the other, it produces a similarity in sex. In our body certain things are created for a functional purpose, such as the intestines; some for utility and ornament, like the sensory organs on the face and the hands and feet on the body. The usefulness of these parts is great and their appearance most seemly. Some are there for ornament only, like men's nipples and the navel in both sexes. Some are there to distinguish one sex from the other, like the genitals, the long beard and the broad chest in men; the soft cheeks and narrow breast in women; but for conceiving and carrying babies their loins and hips are widened. What pertains to man and the parts of his body has already been said; now we will go on to the ages of his life. Of the age of man There are six stages of life. Infancy, childhood, adolescence, youth, maturity and old age. The first age is infancy, which lasts from the time the child enters the light till it is seven. The second is childhood, that is, when the child is pure and not yet old enough to generate young; it extends to the fourteenth year. The third is adolescence, when the child is old enough to generate children; it lasts until the twenty-eighth year. The fourth is youth, the the most robust of all the ages; it ends in the fiftieth year. The fifth age is that of riper years, that is, of maturity, and represents the movement away from youth to
