Popular treatises on science written during the Middle Ages, in Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Norman, and English / Edited from the original manuscripts by Thomas Wright.

  • Thomas Wright
Date:
1841
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Popular treatises on science written during the Middle Ages, in Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Norman, and English / Edited from the original manuscripts by Thomas Wright. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    140/164 (page 120)
    E par sun cuvement si li vent vehement, E que il pot ben aler, e la u il volt voler. Aprof lur fait semblant qu’il firent altre tant A li quant ouef esteit, gueredun lur deveit. Ceo est signefiance, aiez en remembrance. [g]NCOR dit escripture, que huppe ad tel nature, Ki del sane hume oindrait quant il se dormirait, Diables viendraient, estrangler le voldreient; Ceo li serait avis, dune ferait mult alt criz. Or oez par maisterie que igeo signefie. /^EO deit fiz fere a pere, ensur que tut a mere, Ki suef le portat, nuri, alaitat; Quant li pere enveillist e sa mere enfeblist, Qu’il sunt nun poant, qu’il vunt apoverissant, Li fiz lur dait aier, nurir, e cuveiller. [Tj1] SANC notat pechet dunt humes sunt lied ; ^ Quant hum en pechet dort, pechet le trait a mort; Deu le volt desoter Diable j estrangler; De 9eo devum loer Damne-Deu aurer, Quant itel esperement demustre a la gent; Grant essample nus dit par huppe ki 9eo fait. N’en voil ore plus traiter, de altre voil parler. [| ]BEX d’oisel [est] nun, que cigonie apelum; 1 De Egipte vint del Nil, mult par est beste vil; Vil oisel est cigunie, e si vit de caruine; Nen ose en eve entrer, ki ne set pas noer; Juste la nue prent le mort peissun pullent, Culoveres e vermine, serpenz e salvagine; De tel cose est sa vie: oez que signefie. the egg;—and by its cherishing it became strong,—till it could go well, and fly where it would.—After it makes semblance to them that they did as much to it —when it wTas young, it owes them the return.—That is a signification, have in remembrance. The writing says further, that the huppe has such a nature,—if any one shall anoint a man with its blood when he shall he asleep,—devils would come, and would be strangling him ;—it would appear so to him, then he would make a very great cry.—Now hear by science what that signifies. That a son ought to do to his father, and particularly to his mother,—who sweetly carried him, nourished him, and fed him with her breast;—when the fa¬ ther becomes old and the mother feeble,—that they are without strength, and go into poverty,—the son ought to help, nourish, and cherish them. The blood denotes sin with which men are bound;—wTien a man sleeps in sin, sin draws him to death -the Devil will take him from God and strangle him;— therefore we ought to praise God and worship him,—when he exhibits such ex¬ ample to people ;—he tells us a great example by the huppe which does this.— I will now treat no more of it, but will talk of another. Ibex is the name of a bird, which we call stork;—it comes from Egypt from the Nile: it is a very vile animal;—a vile bird is the stork, and it lives of carrion ;— it dares not enter into the water, because it does not know how to swim ;—near the bank it catches the stinking dead fish,—snakes, and vermin, serpents and game ;—of such things it lives ; hear what it signifies.