Dragon, Rochester Bestiary, c.1230
The dragon has a crest, a small mouth and narrow nostrils; its strength is in its tail not its teeth, its lashing tail causes more harm by blows, and it kills anything caught in its coils . The dragon is the enemy of the elephant, and hides near paths where elephants walk, entangling their feet and suffocating them. When the dragon is tempted from its cave and into the air, it stirs up the air and makes it glow. Dragons are found in India and Ethiopia. The word "dragon" is derived from the Latin "draconum", which means"huge serpent".
The devil is like a dragon because he is the worst of all serpents. The dragons crest reminds us that the devil is the king of pride, and just as the dragon leaves his cave, rising into the air making it glow, so the devil rises from the abyss and makes himself appear as an angel of light to deceive the foolish with the hope of worldly pleasures. The devil, deprived of his strength, deceives with lies, and just as a dragon lies in wait for the elephant, so the devil attacks people, lying in wait on their path to heaven, wrapping them in his coils and suffocating them with sin.
Transcription
Translation
omnium animantium super terram. Qui sepe
a speluncis extractus; fertur in aerem. Concitatur
que propter eum aer. Est autem cristatus. ore parvo.
et artis fistulis. per quas trahit spiritum. et linquam;
exerit. Vim autem non in dentibus. sed in caudam;
habet. et verbere potius quam ictu nocet. Innoxius
The dragon is the greatest of all serpents, or of all living creatures upon the earth. Who was drawn from the cave by the fence; carried into the air. He is excited that because of him the air But he is crested, with a small mouth, and artful pipes, through which he draws breath, and leaves; it will be But the force is not in the teeth, but in the tail; he has, and a beating hurts rather than a blow. He is, however, harmless
dit. A quo nec elephans tutus est. sui corporis magnitu-
dine. Nam circa semitas delitescens per quas elephan-
tes soliti gradiuntur; crura eorum nodis illigat(changed from alligat). ac
suffocatos perimit. Gignitur autem in ethiopia et in india
ubi ipso incendio iugis est estus. Huic draconi dia-
bolus assimilatur. qui est inmanissimus serpens. Se-
pe in aerem concitatur. et lucet propter eum aer; quia
diabolus ab imis se erigens; transfigurat se in ange-
lum lucis. et decipit stultos sepe false glorie leticieque
humane. Cristatus dicitur; quia ipse est. rex superbie.
Vim non in dentibus sed in cauda habet; quia suis vi-
ribus perditis; mendatio decipit quos ad se trahit. Circa
semitas per quas elephantes gradiuntur delitescit; quia
iter eorum ad celum nodis peccatorum illigat; ac suf-
focatos interimit. Quia si quis criminum vinculo
irretitus moritur; sine dubio in inferno dampnatur;
from poisons; But he tied the tail; killed From which not even an elephant is safe. the size of his body. For he was hiding around the paths along which elephants usually walk; he ties their legs with knots, and destroys those who are suffocated. But it is born in Ethiopia and in India, where it is consumed by the very burning of the ridges. The devil is likened to this dragon, who is a most inhuman serpent. The hedge is stirred into the air, and the air shines because of it; because the devil raising himself from the bottom; he transforms himself into an angel of light. and deceives fools with false glory and human flattery. It is called cristatus; because he is a proud king. He has strength not in his teeth but in his tail; because they lost their strength; a lie deceives those it draws to itself. He hides around the paths along which the elephants walk; because their journey to heaven ties the knots of sins; and destroys those who are suffocated. Because if someone dies entangled in the chain of crimes; without a doubt he is damned in hell.