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wandering the mountains, he tracks down herbs for nourishment. But according to contemplation, the spiritual man observes the ways of life of the heavenly beings and seeks not the present things, but those in the carefree age. 39, 912 But will the unicorn be willing to serve you, or to lie down at your manger? And will you bind his yoke with thongs, or will he draw your furrows in the field? And do you trust in him, because his strength is great, and will you leave your works to him? And will you believe that he will return your seed, and will he bring it into your threshing floor? According to history, the unicorn, whom indeed another of the translators 348 called a rhinoceros because it has its horn in the middle of its head, being most mighty, is untamable, trusting in the strength and sharpness of its horn. Does the unicorn therefore endure, he says, to be tied down at a manger and to cut furrows and to plow and till the earth and to gather the produce into the threshing floor? But in a spiritual sense, the unicorn is the saint, because he looks to God alone and has Him alone as horn and strength and help, or because he pierces only worldly things; but the two-horned is he who also looks to the things of the world and has actions both right and left and pierces sometimes this, and sometimes that. But the unicorn, when contemplated, serves not human affairs, but God alone. 39, 1315 The wing of the exulting ones is a fine plume, if the stork and the ostrich should conceive, for she will leave her eggs on the ground and warm them on the dust and has forgotten that a foot will scatter them and wild beasts of the field will trample them. He wishes to speak of the difference of birds and that some were made intelligent by God, but some are less intelligent; and he says that the ostrich is pleasing to the sight, but God made the stork and the duck unintelligent. And some have said the 'asida' is the stork, understanding it wrongly; for the stork does not lay on the ground, but in the high places of the trees, and those who have written on birds said that the stork is a different species from the 'asida'. Therefore, he says, the duck and the 'asi 349 da' are unintelligent birds—for so also Jeremiah brought forth the reading: the 'asida' {and the ostrich}; for when they conceive and lay, they warm their eggs under the earth and fly away as if having forgotten that these are scattered by the feet of men and beasts trample them. And the reason is, that the 'asida' was made foolish by God for a purpose; for it excels in size and strength so as to be able to despise even a horseman, but with its strength it did not have intelligence, so that its young are not always saved and from this the species multiply. It is also possible to understand it thus: for those who delight in birds the ostrich is a beautiful sight, especially when it is found with the 'asida' and the duck and they consort with one another. And the 'asida' is a simple-minded bird. But Aquila rendered it _of_ _the_ _heron_ _and_ _the_ _hawk_ as if these too warm their eggs under the dust. But for now I cannot be persuaded that the heron lays its eggs on the ground, because the psalmist says: the dwelling of the heron leads them, since the bird inhabits the tops of the highest trees. But those who have investigated these things and have seen for themselves know the precise details, but we have no leisure to discuss such minutiae, having once understood the meaning of the scripture, that it wishes to speak of the difference of birds. But some have said that the ostrich is the Arabian bird, which is found in Mesopotamia. 39, 16 She has hardened her children as if they were not her own. This bird, therefore, he says, which abandoned its egg and was neglectful, hardened—instead of: allowed to suffer—its young, so that she might not 350 exhaust herself raising her young. 39, 16 she has labored in vain without fear. Not fearing, therefore, the loss of her young, but being neglectful, she labored in vain in conceiving and giving birth, since the young are not always saved. 39, 17 Because God has kept wisdom silent from her and has not given her a share in understanding. And the bird endures this, because he kept silent—instead of: he withheld—and God did not measure out understanding to her. 39, 18 At the right time she will lift herself on high; she will laugh at the horse and its rider. But after the time, he says, of giving birth, they fly away into the air, according to Aquila, the heron and hawk, being confident in their flight

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τὰ ὄρη περινοστῶν τὰς βοτάνας ἀνιχνεύει πρὸς διατροφήν. κατὰ δὲ τὴν θεωρίαν ὁ πνευματικὸς ἄνθρωπος τῶν οὐρανίων τὰς πολιτείας κατασκέπτεται καὶ ἐπιζητεῖ οὐ τὰ παρόντα, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐν τῷ ἀμερίμνῳ αἰῶνι. 39, 912 βουλήσεται δέ σοι μονόκερως δουλεῦσαι ἢ κοιμηθῆναι ἐπὶ φάτνης σου; δήσεις δὲ ἐν ἱμᾶσι ζυγὸν αὐτοῦ ἢ ἑλκύσει σου αὔλακας ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ; πέποιθάς τε ἐπ' αὐτῷ, ὅτι πολλὴ ἡ ἰσχὺς αὐτοῦ, ἐπαφήσεις δὲ αὐτῷ τὰ ἔργα σου; πιστεύσεις δέ, ὅτι ἀποδώσει σοι τὸν σπόρον, εἰσοίσει δέ σοι τὴν ἅλωνα; καθ' ἱστορίαν ὁ μονόκερως, ὃν δὴ ἕτερος τῶν ἑρμηνευτῶν ῥινοκέρωτα 348 ἔφη διὰ τὸ κατὰ μέσου τῆς κεφαλῆς τὸ κέρας ἔχειν, ἀλκιμώτατος ὢν ἀνυπότακτός ἐστι τῇ ἰσχύι καὶ τῇ ὀξύτητι τοῦ κέρατος πεποιθώς. μὴ ἀνέχεται οὖν, φησίν, ὁ μονόκερως ἐπὶ φάτνης καταδεῖσθαι καὶ αὔλακας τέμνειν καὶ ἀροῦν καὶ γεηπονεῖν καὶ εἰς ἅλωνα συνάγειν τὰ γενήματα; πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν μονόκερώς ἐστιν ὁ ἅγιος, ὅτι πρὸς θεὸν μόνον ὁρᾷ καὶ αὐτὸν μόνον ἔχει κέρας καὶ ἰσχὺν καὶ ἀντίληψιν, ἢ ὅτι μόνα τὰ κοσμικὰ κερατίζει, δίκερως δὲ ὁ καὶ πρὸς τὰ τοῦ κόσμου βλέπων καὶ ἔχων πράξεις καὶ δεξιὰς καὶ ἀριστερὰς καὶ ποτὲ μὲν τοῦτο, ποτὲ δὲ ἐκεῖνο κερατίζων. ὁ δὲ θεωρηθεὶς μονόκερως οὐκ ἀνθρωπίνοις πράγμασιν, ἀλλὰ μόνῳ θεῷ δουλεύει. 39, 1315 πτέρυξ τερπομένων νεέλασσα, ἐὰν συλλαβῇ ἀσίδα καὶ νέσσα, ὅτι ἀφήσει εἰς γῆν τὰ ᾠὰ αὐτῆς καὶ ἐπὶ χοῦν θάλψει καὶ ἐπελάθετο, ὅτι ποὺς σκορπιεῖ καὶ θηρία ἀγροῦ καταπατήσει. βούλεται εἰπεῖν διαφορὰν ὀρνέων καὶ ὅτι τινὰ μὲν ὑπὸ θεοῦ συνητίσθησαν, τινὰ δὲ ἀσυνετώτερά εἰσιν· καί φησιν, ὅτι τερπνὸν μέν ἐστιν τῇ θέᾳ ἡ νεέλασσα, τὴν δὲ ἀσίδαν καὶ νέσσαν ἀσύνετα θεὸς ἐποίησεν. καὶ ἀσίδαν μὲν ἔφασάν τινες τὸν πελαργόν, κακῶς νοήσαντες· οὔτε γὰρ εἰς γῆν τίκτει ὁ πελαργός, ἀλλὰ εἰς τὰ ὑψηλὰ τῶν δένδρων, καὶ οἱ τὰ ὀρνιθιακὰ γράψαντες ἕτερον γένος ἔφησαν εἶναι παρὰ τὴν ἀσίδαν τὸν πελαργόν. ἀσύνετα οὖν, φησίν, ὄρνεα ἡ νέσσα καὶ ἡ ἀσί 349 δαοὕτω γὰρ καὶ Ἰερεμίας τὴν εὐθεῖαν προσηνέγκατο· ἡ ἀσίδα {καὶ ἡ νεέλασσα}· ἐπὰν γὰρ συλλαβόντα τέκωσιν, ὑπὸ τὴν γῆν θάλπουσι τὰ ᾠὰ καὶ ἀφίπτανται ὥσπερ ἐπιλαθόμενα, ὅτι καὶ ποσὶν ἀνθρώπων σκορπίζονται ταῦτα καὶ θηρία καταπατοῦσιν αὐτά. λόγος δέ, τὴν ἀσίδαν οἰκονομικῶς ἀνόητον ὑπὸ θεοῦ γενέσθαι· καὶ γὰρ ὑπεραίρει μεγέθει καὶ ἰσχύι ὡς δύνασθαι καταφρονεῖν καὶ ἱππέως, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὴν ἰσχὺν οὐκ ἔσχε σύνεσιν, ὥστε μὴ πάντως σώζεσθαι τοὺς νεοττοὺς καὶ ἐκ τούτου πληθύνεσθαι τὸ εἶδος. ἔστι δὲ καὶ οὕτω νοῆσαι· τοῖς τερπομένοις τοῖς ὄρνισιν ὡραῖον θέαμα ἡ νεέλασσα, μάλιστα ὅταν εὑρίσκηται μετὰ ἀσίδης καὶ νέσσας καὶ συλλάβωσιν ἀλλήλοις. ἔστι δὲ ἡ ἀσίδα εὐηθὲς ὄρνεον. ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας _ἐ_ρ_ω_δ_ι_ο_ῦ_ _κ_α_ὶ_ _ἱ_έ_ρ_α_κ_ο_ς ἐκδέδωκεν ὡς καὶ τούτων ὑπὸ χοῦν θαλπόντων τὰ ᾠά. ἐγὼ δὲ τέως οὐκ ἔχω πείθεσθαι, ὅτι ἐρωδιὸς ἐν γῇ τίκτει διὰ τὸ λέγειν τὸν ψαλμῳδόν· τοῦ ἐρωδιοῦ ἡ κατοικία ἡγεῖται αὐτῶν ὡς τῶν δένδρων τῶν ὑψηλοτάτων τὰς κόμας οἰκοῦντος τοῦ ὄρνιθος. οἱ δὲ τὰ περὶ τούτων ζητήσαντες καὶ αὐτοπτήσαντες τὸ ἀκριβὲς ἴσασιν, ἡμῖν δὲ οὐ σχολή, τὰ τοιαῦτα λεπτολογεῖν ἅπαξ τὸν νοῦν ἐγνωκόσι τῆς γραφῆς, ὅτι βούλεται εἰπεῖν ὀρνέων διαφοράν. τινὲς δὲ ἔφασαν τὴν νεέλασσαν τὴν Ἀραβίδα εἶναι τὴν ὄρνιν, ἥτις ἐν τῇ Μεσοποταμίᾳ εὑρίσκεται. 39, 16 ἀπεσκλήρυνε τὰ τέκνα αὐτῆς ὥστε μὴ ἑαυτήν. αὕτη οὖν, φησίν, ἡ ὄρνις ἡ τὸ ᾠὸν μεθεῖσα καὶ ἀμελήσασα ἀπεσκλήρυνενἀντὶ τοῦ· εἴασε καταπονεῖσθαιτοὺς νεοττούς, ἵνα μὴ 350 ἑαυτὴν καταπονήσῃ νεοττοτροφοῦσα. 39, 16 εἰς κενὸν ἐκοπίασεν ἄνευ φόβου. μὴ φοβηθεῖσα οὖν τὴν τῶν νεοττῶν ἀπώλειαν, ἀλλὰ ἀμελήσασα εἰς κενὸν ἐκοπίασε συλλαβοῦσα καὶ ἀποτεκοῦσα οὐ πάντως περισῳζομένων τῶν νεοττῶν. 39, 17 ὅτι κατεσιώπησεν αὐτῇ ὁ θεὸς σοφίαν καὶ οὐκ ἐμέρισεν αὐτῇ ἐν τῇ συνέσει. τοῦτο δὲ ἡ ὄρνις ὑφίσταται, ἐπειδὴ ἀπεσιώπησενἀντὶ τοῦ· ἀνέσχενκαὶ οὐκ ἐπεμέτρησεν αὐτῇ ὁ θεὸς σύνεσιν. 39, 18 κατὰ καιρὸν ἐν ὕψει ὑψώσει, καταγελάσεται ἵππου καὶ τοῦ ἐπιβάτου αὐτοῦ. μετὰ δὲ τὸν καιρόν, φησίν, τοῦ ἀποτεκεῖν εἰς τὸν ἀέρα ἀφίπτανται, κατὰ μὲν τὸν Ἀκύλαν ὁ ἐρωδιὸς καὶ ἱέραξ, ἐν τῇ πτήσει τὸ θαρρεῖν