Latin — 1533, repaired
Venerea sunt inter elementa, aer atque aqua: inter humores, pituita, tacum sanguine, spiritu ac semine genitali: inter sapores habet dulcem, unctuosum et delectabilem: inter metalla habet aurichalcum, et aes croceum atque rubeum: inter lapides conveniunt illi beryllus, chrysolithus, smaragdus, sapphirus, iaspis viridis, corneola, lapis atites, lapis lazuli, corallus, omnesque pulchri, varii, albi vel viridis coloris.
Inter plantas et arbores, verbena, viola, capillus Veneris, herba lucia, [†sme] valeriana quae Arabice dicitur phu. Item thymus, ladanum, ambra, muscus, sandalum, coriandrum, et omnia thymiamata, et fructus delectabiles et suaves, ut pira dulcia, ficus, et mala Punica, quae poetae dicunt in Cypro a Venere primo sata. Praeterea dedicata illi sunt Luciferi rosa, Hesperi etiam myrtus. Animalia habet luxuriosa, deliciosa, fortis amoris, ut catuli, cuniculi, hirci, et [†rf], scrofae, oves, caprae, et hircus caeteris animantibus citius generans, quae etiam post septimum diem ab ortu coire dicunt. Item taurus propter fastum, et vitulus propter lasciviam, etiam Venerei sunt. Ex avibus vero cygnus, motacilla, hirundo, pellicanus, et chenalopex, pullorum maxime amantes. Item corvus et columba Veneri sacra, et turtur, quarum avium alterutra offerri iubebatur in purificationem partus: passer etiam Veneri sacer, qui iubente lege dabatur in purificationem leprae [†Martii mali], quo nil aeque proficuum resistit: aquilam etiam Aegyptii Venerem vocant, quod sit in Venere prona, terdecies enim in die oppressa, si mas vocet, denuo accurrit. Ex piscibus vero Venerei sunt, grues libidinosi, scari fallacissimi, merulae ob foetus amorem, et cancharus pro coniuge pugnans, et tithymallus ob odoris fragrantiam et suavitatem.
Close translation
Venereal things: among the elements, air and water; among the humors, phlegm, mixed with blood, spirit, and the generative seed; among flavors it has the sweet, the unctuous, and the delightful; among metals it has orichalcum, and copper of a saffron and red hue; among stones there agree with it beryl, chrysolite, emerald, sapphire, green jasper, cornelian, the eagle-stone, lapis lazuli, coral, and all stones that are beautiful, variegated, white, or green in color.
Among plants and trees: vervain, violet, maidenhair fern, [a plant name resists reading], valerian, which in Arabic is called phu. Likewise thyme, ladanum, amber, musk, sandalwood, coriander, and all sweet perfumes, and delightful and pleasant fruits, such as sweet pears, figs, and pomegranates, which the poets say were first planted in Cyprus by Venus. Besides these, the rose of Lucifer is dedicated to her, and the myrtle of Hesperus. Among animals she has the lustful, the delicate, those of strong desire, such as puppies, rabbits, he-goats, and [a word resists reading], sows, sheep, goats, and the he-goat, which generates sooner than the other animals — they say it can even mate seven days after its own birth. Likewise the bull, on account of its pride, and the calf, on account of its wantonness, are also Venereal. Among birds: the swan, the wagtail, the swallow, the pelican, and the fox-goose, which are especially fond of their young. Likewise the raven and the dove are sacred to Venus, and the turtledove — of which birds either one was commanded to be offered in the purification after childbirth; the sparrow too is sacred to Venus, which by the law's command was given for the purification of the leprosy [of the disease called Martian], against which nothing else avails so well; the Egyptians also call the eagle Venus, because it is submissive in coupling, being mounted as many as thirteen times in a day, and, if the male calls, it returns again at once. Among fishes, Venereal are: the lustful cranes, the most deceitful parrot-wrasses, blackbirds for their love of their young, the hermit-crab that fights for its mate, and the sea-spurge for the fragrance and sweetness of its scent.
Modern rendering
Venus governs air and water among the elements. Among the humors: phlegm, blended with blood, spirit, and the generative seed. Among flavors: sweet, oily, delightful tastes. Among metals: orichalcum (a gold-like brass), and copper with a saffron-red tint. Among stones: beryl, chrysolite, emerald, sapphire, green jasper, cornelian, the eagle-stone, lapis lazuli, coral, and any stone that's beautiful, many-colored, white, or green.
Among plants and trees: vervain, violet, maidenhair fern, [a plant name won't resolve], and valerian, called 'phu' in Arabic. Also thyme, ladanum, amber, musk, sandalwood, coriander, and every fragrant resin, plus pleasant, delightful fruits — sweet pears, figs, pomegranates, which poets say were first planted on Cyprus by Venus herself. She's also given the morning rose and the evening myrtle. Among animals: the lustful and pampered, the strongly desiring — puppies, rabbits, billy-goats, [a word won't resolve], sows, sheep, goats, and the he-goat, which breeds faster than any other animal (they say it can mate as soon as seven days after its own birth). The bull too, for its arrogance, and the calf, for its wantonness, count as Venus's. Among birds: swan, wagtail, swallow, pelican, and the fox-goose, all especially devoted to their young. The raven and dove are sacred to Venus too, along with the turtledove — either bird was traditionally offered for purification after childbirth. The sparrow is sacred to her as well, prescribed by law for purifying the [an illness called 'Martian'] disease, against which nothing else works as well. The Egyptians even call the eagle 'Venus,' because it submits so readily in mating — mounted as often as thirteen times a day, returning at once if the male calls again. Among fish, Venus claims: lustful cranes, the deeply deceptive parrot-wrasse, blackbirds for their devotion to their young, the hermit-crab that fights for its mate, and the sea-spurge for its fragrant, pleasant scent.
Editorial flags — draft status
- list: Full Venereal correspondence catalogue (metals, stones, plants, animals, birds, fish) — mostly high confidence; the stone and plant lists especially should be checked item-by-item against the page image.
- lacuna: 'sme' fragment between 'herba lucia' and the valerian clause has no confident reading; likely a partial word or the start of another plant name lost to OCR damage.
- lacuna: 'rf' fragment in the animal list (between 'hirci' and 'scrofae') resists reading entirely — do not guess an animal name here without the page image.
- uncertain: 'arjenslum'/'ar< en sjtum' reconstructed as 'aurichalcum' (orichalcum) — this is a sense-plausible guess given the metals context but only moderate confidence; verify against page image before treating as settled.
- uncertain: 'Martii mali' (name of the disease the sparrow purifies) does not match any disease name I can confirm; may be a corruption of a different word entirely (possibly referencing a form of leprosy/scurf specific to a body part or season). Flag for correspondence re-keying.
- uncertain: 'cancharus' (crab/shellfish fighting for its mate) — genus/species identification uncertain, kept as the Latin common name per spec rather than resolved to a modern binomial.