One may compare the virtue of love to a bird called Calandrino which, according to Albert the Great, Plinius, Solinus and Bartholomew is possessed of the following gift proper to birds: brought before an ailing man, if the man is destined to die, the bird turns away and refuses to look at him. But if the man is destined to escape death, then it looks at him firmly and fixedly and frees him of all his ailments.

Bartholomaeus 12:22: His kind is such, when a man is held in great sickness, this bird Kaladrius turns away his face from him that is sick, and then without doubt the man shall die. And if the sick man shall escape, the bird Kaladrius sets his sight on him, and beholds him, as it were fawning and pleasing... [SB]

Quotes from St Thomas, St Augustine, Aristotle, St Paul, Albert the Great, Pliny, Solinus, Bartholomew.

We may compare the vice of envy to the kite who is a bird so envious that when she sees her young getting fat in the nest, she hits them in the ribs with her beak so as to infect their flesh and make them thin.

Bartholomaeus 12.26: And he dies for hunger at the last, and is a cruel bird about his chicks, and is sorry when he see them fat. And to make them thin, he beats them with his bill, and withdraws their food... [SB]

Quotes from Seneca, Solomon, St Gregory, Ovid, Plato, St Augustine, Homer, Ptolemy.

We may compare the virtue of joyfulness to the cock who sings day and night according to the hours, moved by the natural cheerfulness in his heart and who arranges his joyous life reasonably and in orderly fashion.

Bartholomaeus 12.16: And late in the night he crows most clearly and strongly, and about the morning tide, he shapes tight voice and song... [SB]

Quotes from Priscianus, Jesus son of Sirach, St Augustine, Solomon, Seneca.

We may compare the vice of sadness to the crow. Seeing her young ones hatching from the eggs white in color, the crow is so saddened that she leaves, abandoning them, thinking that they are not her own because they are not black as she is. And so long as they do not grow black feathers she does not bring them any food and they must nourish themselves on air and on the dew which falls from the heavens. And the crow also grieves more than any other bird if her young ones are taken away from her.

Bartholomaeus: Does not describe this property of the crow, but it is commonly told in bestiaries and encyclopedias.

Quotes from Macrobius, Hippocrates, Jesus son of Sirach, Plato, Socrates, St Bernard, Solomon, Seneca, Uguccione, Cassiodorus.

Peace may be compared to the beaver who is an animal often hunted because of his testicles which have therapeutic properties against certain infirmities. When the beaver sees that he is pursued and cannot escape, he takes his testicles in his teeth and cuts them off, leaving them for the hunters so that he may escape and live in peace.

Bartholomaeus 18.29: ...their gendering stones are useful for medicine, and because of the same stones they geld themselves when they are aware of the hunter, and bite off their gendering stones... they ransom themselves with that part of the body, for the which they be most pursued. [SB]

Quotes from St Bernard, Isidore of Seville, Barbalicus, Plato, Julius Caesar, Aristotle.

The vice of anger may be compared to the bear. He likes to eat honey and when he tries to get it from the hive the bees sting him in the eyes. Then he abandons the honey and pursues the bees to kill them. When more bees arrive and sting him on the nose, he forgets about the first ones and goes after the new ones. And his anger is such that even if there were thousands of bees, he would want to take revenge against all of them. But this would be in vain, for he abandons the one to pursue the other.

Bartholomaeus: Does not describe this property of the bear; its source is unknown.

Quotes from Aristotle, St Thomas, Jesus son of Sirach, Cassiodorus, Seneca, Socrates, Cato, Isidore of Seville, Ovid, St Jacob, St Augustine, St Gregory, Solomon, Varrus, Cicero.

The virtue of mercy may be compared to the children of a bird called Pola [hoopoe]. When they see their father and their mother growing very old and almost blind and incapable of flying, they build a nest for them and in it they feed them, and with the beaks they pull out their feathers, especially those around the eyes, doing this until new feathers grow there, thus, with the help of nature, renewing their sight.

Bartholomaeus 12.37: ...when they age, so that they may neither see nor fly, their young pull away the feeble feathers, and annoint their eyes with the juice of herbs, and hide them under their wings untill their feathers be grown: and so they are renewed, and fly, and see clearly... [SB]

Quotes from St Augustine, St Paul, Ovid, Plato, Longinus, Alexander, Solomon, Cassiodorus, Juvemal, Pythagoras, Seneca.

We may compare the vice of cruelty to the Basilisk, a serpent who kills with his look alone and never knows any pity. If he cannot find anyone to poison, he scorches the grass and the trees which are around him by blowing on them with the cruel breath coming from his poisonous body.

Bartholomaeus 18.16: ...for he slays them with his smell and with his breath: and slays also all thing that have life, with breath and with sight. ...he drys and burns leaves and herbs, not only with touch, but also by hissing and blast; he rots and corrupts all things around him. [SB]

Quotes from Aristotle, Andronicus, Jesus son of Sirach, Claudianus, Hermetes, Cassiodorus, Ovid.

The virtue of generosity may be compared to the eagle who is the most generous bird there is in the world. No matter how hungry the eagle may be, he will always leave half of his prey to other birds who are there. That is why we so seldom see him flying. Because many birds who cannot feed themselves follow the eagle every time they see him flying, follow him in order to eat the food he leaves behind.

Bartholomaeus 12.1: Among all manner and kinds of divers birds, the eagle is the more liberal and free of heart. For the prey that she takes, except in great hunger, she eats not alone, but puts it forth in common to birds that follow her. But first she takes her own portion and part. And therefore often other birds follow the eagle for hope and trust to have some part of her prey. But when the prey that is taken is not sufficient to herself, then as a king that takes heed to a community, she takes the bird that is next to her, and gives it among the others, and serves them therewith. [JT]

Quotes from Aristotle, St Thomas, Solomon, Alexander, Ovid, Facetus, Jesus son of Sirach, Cato, Cicero, Socrates, Terence, St Peter, Eldecretus, Seneca, Lelfus, Plato, Pope Innocent, Celcus.

We may compare avarice to the toad who lives exclusively of earth. Out of fear that he might have to go without he never eats as much of it as he needs.

Bartholomaeus: Does not describe this property of the frog or toad, but it is a common theme in the Four Creatures, Four Elements texts.

Quotes from Cicero, St Gregory, St Jerome, St Paul, Solomon, Anglicus, Pythagoras, Seneca, Priscianus, Cassiodorus, Juvenal, St Cyprian.

The virtue of correction may be compared to the wolf. When he goes near a settlement and trips, falling and making noise so that he is heard, he takes the tripping foot into his mouth and bites it to punish it so that it be more careful on another occasion.

Bartholomaeus 18.70: And when he goes by night to a fold to take his prey, he goes against the wind so that hounds will not smell him. And if it happens in any way that his foot makes noise, treading upon anything, then he chastens that foot with hard biting. [JT]

Quotes from Priscianus, Solomon, Seneca, Diogenes, Cassiodorus, Plato.

The vice of flattery may be compared to the siren. This is an animal, or rather a fish who, from the middle down, is fashioned after a fish with two tails twisted upwards, and from the middle upward looks like a maiden. It lives in the waves and in the most dangerous corners of the sea. When a ship sets its course by those places, the siren sings so sweetly that the sailors and the passengers fall asleep. And while they sleep the siren comes to the ship and slays them all.

Bartholomaeus 18.96: ... it is a beast of the sea, wondrously shaped as a maid from the navel upward and a fish from the navel downward, and this wonderful beast is glad and merry in a tempest, and sad and heavy in fair weather. With sweetness of song this beast makes shipmen sleep, and when she sees that they are asleep, she goes into the ship, and ravishes what she may take with her... [JT]

Quotes from Andronicus, Cicero, Ovid, Aesop, Virgil, Seneca, Cato, Plato, Varrus, Socrates.

The virtue of prudence, or providence, may be compared to the ant who is careful to find during the summer all that it will need to nourish itself in wintertime. It remembers things past and recognizes the present, the summer, as the time when it can gather all that it needs, thus providing for the future. The ant divides each grain it gathers into two parts so that it will not germinate during the winter. It does all this following the advice, as it were, of a natural prudence or providence.

Bartholomaeus 18.52: ...bearing crums or grains of corn that they gather, and bite off the end of the grain so they should not grow, sleight and business of them is much, for they make provision and gather store against time that comes: for in Summer they gather their stores, by the which they may live in Winter... [SB]

Quotes from Cicero, Aristotle, Solomon, Jesus son of Sirach, David, Seneca, Ptolemy, Persius, Socrates, Branchus, Alexander, Eldecretus, Martial, Cato, Pythagoras, Juvenal, Theophrastus, St Sixtus, Plato.

Folly may be compared to the wild bull who by his nature hates anything red. Therefore the hunters who want to kill him dress in red and go where the wild bull is known to be. And immediately, without thinking and without looking around, but only because of his strong impulse, the bull runs after them furiously. The hunters flee and hide behind a tree. The bull, in an effort to strike the hunters, strikes the tree with such fury that he sticks his horns in that tree in such a manner that he cannot pull them out anymore. Then the hunters come out and kill him.

Bartholomaeus 18.15: These Bulls hate all thing that are red: and therefore hunters clothe themselves in red, to make these bulls pursue them, and when the hunter sees this beast is close him, then he moves behind a strong tree, and the bull in his wrath he strikes with the horns strongly, and pitches his horns into the trée, and is so held in the tree by his horns, and then is destroyed and thrown down by the hunter's darts. [SB]

Quotes from Plato, Solomon.

We may compare the virtue of justice to the king of the bees who orders and distributes everything according to reason. Certain bees are ordered to go in search of flowers to produce honey; others are ordered to work on the construction of their dwelling places, using wax and honey; still others are ordered to purify the honey; others have as their duties to accompany the king; others are meant to be fighters, since naturally bees have their own big wars, wanting to take the honey away from one another. Never will any bee leave the dwelling place before the king and they all show great reverence for him. And when the king becomes old and loses his wings and is unable to fly, great multitudes of bees carry him and never do they abandon him. All bees have the dart in their tails except the king. And some of these kings are black, while others are red, and they are all larger than common bees.

Bartholomaeus 12.4: Bees make among them a king, and ordain among them common people. ... and their king is so greatly honored that none of them dare go out of their house, nor to get food, unless the king goes out and takes the first flight. ... For though their king has a sting he does not use it in anger. ... Some fight, as it were in battle, in the field against other bees, some are busy gathering food, and some watch for the coming of showers. ... And yet nevertheless, among so diverse works none of them does spy nor wait to take other’s work, neither takes wrongfully, neither steals food but each seeks and gathers by his own flight and work among herbs and flowers that are good and suitable. [JT]

Quotes from Macrobius, Solomon, Hermetes, Zedekiah, Aristotle, Seneca, Cicero, Eldecretus, Boethius, Socrates, Egidius, Plato, Ptolemy.

The virtue of loyalty may be compared to the cranes. They have a king and they all serve him with more loyalty than is encountered in any other animal. At night, when they go to sleep, they place their king in the middle and they surround him and they always send two or three among them to stand guard. And these, in order not to fall asleep, keep a foot up in the air, while the other stands on the ground. And in the foot which is up they always hold a stone so that, should sleep surprise them, the stone would fall and they would feel it. And this they do out of loyalty to one another to protect their king and the other cranes who sleep.

Bartholomaeus 12.15: And after they fall to the earth crying, for to rest, and when they sit on the ground, to keep and save them, they ordain watches that they may rest the more surely, and the wakers stand upon one foot, and each of them holds a little stone in the other foot, high from the earth, that they may be waked by falling of the stone, if it chance that they sleep. [JT]

Quotes from Terence, Seneca, Solomon, Aristotle, Socrates, Juvenal, Longinus.

The vice of falsity may be compared to the fox. When it cannot find food it throws itself to the ground in some field as though it were dead, with its tongue hanging out of its mouth. The birds, thinking that 1t is dead, come around it and sit on top of it and when they are reassured, the fox raises its head, opens its mouth and catches what it can.

Bartholomaeus 18.113: And it is a false beast and deceiving, for when he lacks food, he pretends to be dead, and then birds come to him, as it were to carrion, and soon he catches one and devours it. [JT]

Quotes from St Thomas, Aristotle.

We may compare the virtue of truthfulness to the young ones of the partridge. When a partridge lays some eggs, another partridge comes and steals them and sits on them. But when the young are born they are taught by nature to recognize the voice of their real mother. As soon as they hear her singing they desert their false mother and run after the real one.

Bartholomaeus 12.30: And they are so guilefull, that the one steals the eggs of the other, and sits to brood on them. But this fraud has no reward, for when the chicks are hatched, and hear the voice of their own mother, they leave her that brooded them when they were eggs, and kept them as her own chicks, and they turn and follow their own natural mother... [SB]

Quotes from St Augustine, Jesus son of Sirach, Aristotle, Cato.

The vice of falsehood may be compared to the mole who has no eyes and always lives underground and dies when it comes out into the light of day.

Bartholomaeus 18.101: ...he is damned in everlasting blindnesse and darknesse, and is without eyes ...and hates the sun, and flees the light, and may not live above the earth... [SB]

Quotes from Aristotle, Solomon, St Gregory, Socrates.

We may compare the virtue of fortitude to the lion. He always sleeps with his eyes open and when hunters come after him, he immediately begins sweeping his footsteps with his tail so as not to betray himself by leaving traces. But when he sees that he cannot escape, he comes against the hunters without any fear, valiantly engaging them in battle.

Bartholomaeus 18.64: And when they sleep their eyes are open: and when they go forth or about they erase and hide their tracks, so hunters will not find them. ... when he is pursued by hounds and hunters, the lion does not lurk or hide himself, but sits in fields where he may be seen, and arrays himself for defence. [JT]

Quotes from Macrobius, Cicero, Seneca, Lucius, Socrates, Egidius, Solomon, Ptolemy, Homer.

We may compare the vice of faintness, or fearfulness, to the hare who ts the weakest and most cowardly animal in the world. When he is in a forest and hears the moving leaves as the wind rustles them in the trees, immediately the hare darts away and flees.

Bartholomaeus 18.67: ...every swift beast is fearful and does not fight, and has no kind of armor or weapon, but only lightness of members and of limbs... [SB]

Quotes from Aristotle, Solomon, Cicero, Terence.

We may compare the virtue of magnanimity to the falcon who would rather die of starvation than eat any rotten meat. And he only captures large birds.

Bartholomaeus 12.20: He flees and avoids carrion, and touches not stinking flesh, not even in strong hunger: But he may well stop his work, abstain and abide until he may find suitable prey, which he seeks... [SB]

Quotes from Cicero, St Augustine, Hippocrates, Alexander.

We may compare the vice of vainglory to the peacock who is full of vainglory and who knows no greater pleasure than to admire his own feathers and spread out his tail to be praised by everybody.

Bartholomaeus 12.31: And he wonders about the fairness of his feathers, and raises them up as if they were a circle about his head, and then he looks to his feet, and sees the foulness of his feet, and as if he was ashamed he lets his feathers fall suddenly, and his tail falls downward, as though he took no heed of the fairness of his feathers. [JT]

Quotes from St Thomas, Solomon, Cato, Plato, Isidore of Seville, Seneca, St Gregory.

We may compare the virtue of constancy to a bird called the phoenix, which lives three hundred and fifteen years. When it feels old age and decrepitude it gathers certain dry and aromatic twigs and builds a nest and crawls into it and, turning its face to the sphere of the sun, it beats its wings until the heat of the sun lights a fire. The phoenix is so constant that it does not move out of this fire but lets itself be burned because it naturally knows that it must regenerate itself. After nine days a small worm is born from the dust, or ashes, or humor of its body and grows gradually by virtue of nature and after thirty days becomes bird as it was before. And there is never more than one phoenix in the world at one time.

Bartholomaeus 12.14: ... phoenix is a bird without match, and lives three hundred or five hundred years: when the which years are past, and he feels his own weakness and feebleness, he makes a nest of sweet smelling sticks, that are entirely dry, and in summer when the western wind blows, the sticks and the nest are set on fire by the burning heat of the sun, and burn strongly. Then this bird phoenix comes willingly into the burning nest, and is there burned to ashes among these burning sticks, and within three days a little worm is born in the ashes, and grows little by little, and grows feathers and is shaped and turned into a bird. [JT]

Quotes from Isidore of Seville, Andronicus, Cicero, Cato.

The vice of inconstancy may be compared to the swallow who spends all its life just flying here and there.

Bartholomaeus 12.21: It is a crying bird, that flies not straightly but hither and thither, and all about, and is busy in making nests, and in feeding of chicks. [SB]

Quotes from Priscianus, Solomon, Sallust, Aristotle.

The virtue of temperance may be compared to an animal called the camel who by nature is the most lustful animal in the world. He is capable of following a female camel for a hundred miles to possess her or even just to see her. But he has so much sufferance and temperance in him that when he is with his mother or his sisters he will never touch them carnally.

Bartholomaeus 18.19: And her talent and desire is strong and fervent in time of love, and she eats then but little, and desires always to mate with the male ...but the camel does not do the work of generation with his own mother. [SB]

Quotes from Cicero, Seneca, Ovid, Ptolemy, Socrates, Plato.

The vice of intemperance may be compared to the unicorn. He is an animal who has such a taste for being in the company of young maidens that whenever he sees one he goes to her and falls asleep in her arms. Then the hunters can come and capture him. And except for this intemperance of his they would never be able to capture him.

Bartholomaeus 18.19: ...a maid is placed there as he shall come, and she opens her lap, and the unicorn lays his head there, and leaves all his fierceness and sleeps in that way: and is taken as a beast without weapons, and slain with darts of hunters. [SB]

Quotes from Plato, Varrus, Seneca, Socrates.

We may compare the virtue of humility to the lamb who is the mildest animal in the world. He endures all that is done to him and submits to everybody’s will.

Bartholomaeus 18.4: For among all the beasts of the earth, the lamb is most innocent, soft and mild, for he does not grieve or hurt anything, not with teeth, or with horn, or with claws... [SB]

Quotes from Andronicus, Solomon, Jesus son of Sirach, St Peter, St Jerome, Aristotle, Longinus, Seneca, Socrates, Cato, Isidore of Seville, Galen.

We may compare the vice of pride to the falcon who always wants to lord over all other birds. We know of cases when a falcon was presumptuous enough to attempt to kill the king of birds, the eagle. The falcon will not allow any other bird of prey to live where he builds his nest and controls the whole neighborhood to be the sole master.

Quotes from Aristotle, Solomon, St Bernard, Jesus son of Sirach, Job, St Augustine, Isidore of Seville, Juvenal, Seneca, Socrates, Melatus.

We may compare the virtue of abstinence to the wild ass who never drinks water unless it is clear. When he goes to a river or a spring and the water is muddy, he is capable of remaining two or three days without drink, waiting for the water to clear.

Bartholomaeus 18.77: ...a beast that may well be thirsty, and suffer it long, but abides until he may drink water that is suitable for him. [SB]

Quotes from St Basil, Varrus.

We may compare the vice of greed to the vulture who is such a greedy bird that he would fly a hundred miles to devour a carcass. For this he always follows armies and battles. When he appears it is a sign there will be a battle.

Bartholomaeus 12.35: And therefore by smelling he savors carrion that is far from him, that is beyond the sea, and farther. Therefore the vulture follows the army that he may feed himself with carrion of men and of horses. And therefore when many vultures come and fly together, it means there will be battle. And they know that such a battle shall be, by some privy wit of kind. [JT]

Quotes from Cicero, Solomon, Isidore of Seville, Aristotle.

We may compare the virtue of chastity to the dove who never becomes untrue to her mate. If one of them dies, the other observes perpetual chastity and never seeks another mate and remains alone all its life and drinks no clear water and roosts not among green trees.

Bartholomaeus 12.34: The turtledove is a chaste bird, and has that name of conditions. For he follows chastity, and if he looses his mate, he seeks not the company of any other, but goes alone, and remembers the fellowship it has lost: and groans always, and loves and chooses solitary places... [SB]

Quotes from Aristotle, Cicero, St Jerome, Ovid, St Bernard, St Gregory, St Sylvester, Pythagorus.

The vice of lust may be compared to the bat who is truly the most lustful animal in the world. Because of his excessive desires in this vice he never observes any natural way as other animals do, but male with male and female with female, just as they find themselves, they unite carnally.

Bartholomaeus: Does not describe this property of the bat, but other texts ascribe this behavior to the partridge.

Quotes from St Jerome, St Gregory, Cicero, Isidore of Seville, Horace, Ovid, Seneca, Solomon, Aristotle, Aesop, Socrates.

The virtue of moderation may be compared to the ermine who is the most moderate and most courteous and noblest animal in the world. Because of his great moderation and natural nobility he never eats more than once a day and would never touch any bad food. When it rains he never leaves his lair so as not to soil himself with mud. He does this because of his nobility. He never lives in a damp place but always chooses a dry spot. When hunters want to capture him they surround his lair with mud and as the ermine comes out, they immediately shut the entrance to his lair to keep him from going back. As he sees the hunters he flees. But coming to the mud, he lets himself be captured rather than smear his mantle. Such is his nobility.

Bartholomaeus: Does not describe ermine.

Quotes from Andronicus, Macrobius, Priscianus, Alexander, Varrus, Socrates, Eldecretus, Juvenal, Galen, Seneca, Aristotle, Gualfred, Plato, Avicenna, Solomon, Isidore of Seville, Cassiodorus, Albertanus, Cato, St Augustine, Ptolemy, David, St Gregory, St Jacob, Longinus, Persius, St Sixtus, Jesus son of Sirach, Sallust, Valerius Maximus, Horace, Aesop, St Paul, Homer.