Lizards, Rochester Bestiary, c.1230
Transcription
Translation
habeat. Genera lacertarum sunt plura.
ut Botraca. Salamandra. Saura. Stellio.
Botraca dicta; quod rane habeat faciem. Nam
greci ranam botracam vocant.
Stellio a colore inditum nomen habet. Est
enim in tergore pictus. lucentibus guttis in
modum stellarum. de quo ovidius. Aptumque co-
lori; nomen habet variis stellatus corpore
guttis. Hic autem scorpionibus adeo contrarius
dicitur. ut viso eo pavorem habeant et tor-
porem . Omnes serpentes naturaliter frigi-
de sunt. Non percutiunt; nisi quando calescunt.
Unde et venena eorum que naturaliter frigi-
da sunt; plus die quam nocte nocent. In hieme
in nodos torpent. in estate solvuntur. Nec vene-
num quod frigidum est. prius nocet; quam ad sangui-
nem qui calidus est et fugit venenum per venas
A lizard is called a lizard because it has arms. There are many kinds of lizards, such as Botraca, Salamandra, Saura, Stellio. Botraca is said to have the face of a frog. For the Greeks call the frog botracus. A star has its name given by its color. For it is painted on the back, with shining drops in the form of stars, of which Ovid. And suitable for color; It has a name with various starry drops on its body. But here it is said to be so contrary to scorpions, that when they see it they are terrified and numb. All snakes are naturally cold. They do not strike; except when they are hot. Hence also their poisons, which are naturally cold; they hurt more by day than by night. In the winter they are tied up in knots, and in the summer they are untied. Nor does poison that is cold hurt first; how can the blood, which is hot and flees, reach the poison running through
tur est. frigidum. Omnia animantia serpens vi-
vacitate quadam sensus superat. Ferunt autem
quod non potest hominem nocere; nisi venenum
tetigerit sanguinem euis. Unde lucanus. Noxia
serpentum est admixto sanguine pestis. Dicunt
quod serpens hominem nudum non audet atti-
gere. De vivacitate sensus eius legitur in genesi.
quod serpens erat sapientior omnibus pecoribus
terre.
the veins. All poison is natural, cold. The serpent surpasses all living things in a certain vivacity of the senses. But they say that it cannot harm a man; unless the poison touches his blood. Hence Lucanus says a poisonous snake mixed with blood is a pest. They say that a snake dare not touch a naked man. It is read in Genesis that the serpent was wiser than all the cattle of the earth.