The Dialogue of Creatures

A woodcut illustration within a rectangular border at the top of the page. On the left side is a large, seven-pointed star with radiating internal lines. On the right side is a rainbow, represented as a semi-circular arch consisting of three concentric bands.

An ornate square woodcut drop cap 'A' featuring intricate floral and vine motifs.The Rainbow original: "Arcus domini," literally the Bow of the Lord of the Lord first appeared in the clouds after the Great Flood. it possesses two colors: watery and fiery. The watery color is a reminder of the first flood, and the fiery color represents the coming Judgment a reference to the medieval belief that the world would end in fire. It is said in the Scholastic Histories original: "historijs scolasticis," referring to a popular 12th-century biblical paraphrase by Peter Comestor that this bow did not appear for forty years before the construction of the Ark had even begun.

Cancer the Crab Now, Cancer is a certain sign of the heavens, about which a verse exists: "Cancer is a sign; Cancer is everywhere malignant." Correctly Cancer, however, approached the Rainbow with an angry spirit and said: "Your audacity is great, for you seize the whole heaven and busy yourself with hindering my path and the course of the other stars. You shall be removed quickly, or you will be beaten by us most vehemently."

To him, the Rainbow replied: "You are not well, brother; for I do not seek to hinder your path. For this reason, I show myself during the day, while you always run through the night. If you desire to do battle with me, you have meditated poorly on this, because a great company of stars stays with me, and the clouds and thunders are ready to fight against you. But I counsel that we go to a just judge, so that he may be able to end our complaint by a formal sentence."

And when they stood together before the judge and reported all these things, the judge said: "Wicked Cancer, what you seek is against the law. If you only travel in the night and the Rainbow only in the day, how can it be believed that he could hinder your path? Therefore, I deliver this sentence against you: that you shall never appear in the day and that you are condemned to pay the legal costs." Cancer, stripped of his case, blushed with shame, saying: "He who seeks out disputes brings confusion upon himself."

For in this way, many desire to argue against the law and to litigate with others without cause; wherefore, having been stripped of their wealth, these evil men are subdued. Ecclesiastes The quote that follows is actually from the Book of Proverbs 16:28, though the margin attributes it to Ecclesiastes Whence it is said: "A perverse man stirs up strife, and a wordy man separates princes." An evil man always seeks out quarrels. Whence Isidore St. Isidore of Seville, a 7th-century encyclopedist says: "Just as concord is accustomed to build up, so contention and discord destroy." Bede Bede The Venerable Bede, an 8th-century English monk and scholar says: "Through discord, the greatest things fall apart."

A certain father of a family had three sons. As he was dying, he called them to him, saying: "Bring me some small sticks." When they had been brought, he said to them: "Bend them and break them." They were not able to do so because the sticks had been bound together. The father said to them: "Pull out one, and then break the others." They were able to bend them, but not at all to break The text ends mid-sentence: "interrūpe..." likely meaning "interrumpere" (to break apart)