Dove, Rochester Bestiary, c.1230
The dove has particular significance in Christian art as representing the Holy Spirit.
The medieval bestiary records that the dove is a simple bird and doesn't irritate anyone or anything. It is a loving bird and sighs rather than sing. It picks out the best grain when it feeds. It sits near to running water ready to dive in if a hawk approaches and nests with others in holes in rocks (Barber 2008).
Transcription
Translation
amorem concitat. Ita predicatores sancti carent
ira. et amaritudine, quia licet irascantur; tamen
non dicitur ira cum rationabiliter irascantur.
Habet gemitum pro cantu. Ita predicatores pro-
cul a moto cantus et amore seculi; gemunt pro
suis et aliorum peccatis. Nec lacerat rostro. Et
The dove is a simple bird, lacking feathers and a kiss; it stirs up love. Thus holy preachers lack anger and bitterness, because they may be angry; yet it is not called anger when they are reasonably angry. He has a moan for a song. Thus the preachers are far from the movement of song and love of the age; they weep for their own sins and those of others. Nor should he tear it with his beak. And
76v
tas scripturas non corrumpunt sicut hereti-
ci faciunt. Meliora grana eligit. Eodem modo ipsi
meliores sentencias scripturarum eligunt. Alie-
nos pullos nutrit. Ita predicatores filios huius secu-
li alienatos a deo per peccatum suis predicatio-
nibus nutriunt trahentes eos ad christum. Iuxta
fluenta sedet ut viso accipitre; se demergat;
et sic evadat. Similiter iuxta sanctas scripturas
predicatores habitant, ut viso impetu et tempta-
tione diaboli in illis scripturis demergantur,
agendo scilicet iuxta precepta scripturarum
et sic evadant. Alis se defendunt. Ita predicato-
res sententiis patrum se muniunt et defendunt
In foraminibus petre nidificant, sic et predicatores
in vulneribus id est in fide vulnerum christi de quo dicitur,
petra autem erat christus; nidum id est indumentum sibi et illis
faciunt. Habet et hanc naturam ut visionem amis-
sam recuperet. Ita predicatores ecclesie rationem inter-
missam per aliquod peccatum; dono spiritus sancti
recuperant. Sic et david qui spiritum prophetie quem
this is well suited to preachers who do not corrupt the holy scriptures as heretics do. He chooses better grains. In the same way they choose the better sentences of the scriptures. She feeds alien chicks. Thus the preachers nurture the children of this age alienated from God through sin with their preaching, drawing them to Christ. He sits by the stream like a hawk at sight; he drowns himself; and so he escapes. Similarly, preachers live according to the holy scriptures, so that when they see the attack and temptation of the devil they drown in those scriptures, acting according to the precepts of the scriptures and thus escape. Wings defend themselves. Thus the preachers defend and defend themselves by the opinions of the fathers. They nest in the holes of the rock, so also the preachers in the wounds, that is, in the faith of the wounds of Christ, of which it is said, but the rock was Christ; they make a nest that is clothing for themselves and for them. It also has this nature to recover lost vision. Thus, those who bring the church into account have been interrupted by some sin; they recover by the gift of the Holy Spirit. So also David, who had lost the spirit of prophecy;
predicatores gregatim fidem catholicam tenentes
tendunt gressibus bonorum operum atque virtutum.
Nam quot bona opera facimus; tot gressibus ad deum
properamus.