Page 155

Lxix

mal faire il se reduist comme en une boule son
groing et se pies nuichies. et se arme des aguillons
dentout sa peau tellement que nulle beste ne lose
atouchier doubtant ses pointures. Laiguel qui onc
ques ne vit le loup de sa propre nature le doubte et
le fuit. mais il ne doubte pas les aultres bestes
ains va hardiement entre elles. De la maniere
LAigle des oyseaulx dicelles contrees.
de sa nature prent ses faons par leurs
ongles a son becq. et celui qui se tient
fermement ayme moult et le garde aupres de lui.
mais celui qui se tient foiblement laisse aler et ne
sen prend garde. Quant laigle est moult viel il
vole tant hault quil passe au dessus des nues et tient
si longuement sa veue au soleil que il la toute per
due et arse et que ses pennes sont toutes brulees
Adont il chiet aval tout en ung mont en ung eaue
que il a paravant choisie et a en telle maniere
sa vie renouvellee. Et quant son becq est trop
long il le brise et ront a une dure pierre et le
raguise. Quant la tourterelle a perdu son

69

harm it, it squeezes itself into a kind of ball
with its feet tucked inside, and it protects itself
with its quills, which are all over its body, so
that no animal dare touch it for fear of its spiky ends.
The lamb that has never seen the wolf fears it by
its proper nature and flees it. But it does not fear
the other animals and goes bravely among them.
[rubric] Of the manner of birds in these countries. [/rubric]
The eagle by its proper nature takes its young by their
claws in its beak. And it greatly loves and protects
the ones that hold on tight.
But it lets drop the ones with a loose grip
and does not protect them. When the eagle is
very old it flies so high that it passes above the clouds
and stares at the sun so long that it loses itself
entirely in it and burns, so that its feathers become
completely scorched. Then it falls down onto a mountain
and into a pool of water that it had chosen beforehand, and in
this way its life is renewed. When its beak is too
long it rubs it against a hard stone and makes
it sharp again. When the turtledove has lost her

Lxix

mal faire il se reduist comme en une boule son
groing et se pies nuichies. et se arme des aguillons
dentout sa peau tellement que nulle beste ne lose
atouchier doubtant ses pointures. Laiguel qui onc
ques ne vit le loup de sa propre nature le doubte et
le fuit. mais il ne doubte pas les aultres bestes
ains va hardiement entre elles. De la maniere
LAigle des oyseaulx dicelles contrees.
de sa nature prent ses faons par leurs
ongles a son becq. et celui qui se tient
fermement ayme moult et le garde aupres de lui.
mais celui qui se tient foiblement laisse aler et ne
sen prend garde. Quant laigle est moult viel il
vole tant hault quil passe au dessus des nues et tient
si longuement sa veue au soleil que il la toute per
due et arse et que ses pennes sont toutes brulees
Adont il chiet aval tout en ung mont en ung eaue
que il a paravant choisie et a en telle maniere
sa vie renouvellee. Et quant son becq est trop
long il le brise et ront a une dure pierre et le
raguise. Quant la tourterelle a perdu son

69

harm it, it squeezes itself into a kind of ball
with its feet tucked inside, and it protects itself
with its quills, which are all over its body, so
that no animal dare touch for fear of its spiky ends.
The lamb that has never seen the wolf fears it by
its own nature and flees it. But it does not fear
the other animals goes bravely among them.
Of the manner of birds in these countries.
The eagle by its nature takes its young by their
claws in its beak. And the one that holds them tightly
loves them very much and protects them.
But the one that holds them loosely lets them go
and does not protect them. When the eagle is
very old it flies so high that it passes above the clouds
and stares at the sun so long that it loses itself
entirely in it and burns so that its feathers are
all scorched. Then it falls down onto a mountain
and into a pool of water that it had chosen beforehand, and in
this way its life is renewed. When its beak is too
long it rubs it against a hard stone and makes
it sharp again. When the turtledove has lost her