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Ibex

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The story of The Ibex is adapted from Pliny's Natural History, Isidore's Etymologiae and the text of the Aberdeen Bestiary, along with information from Hofmann's Lexicon Universale.

For more information about the ibex, visit the Ibex in the Zoo. You can also visit the Ibex page at the bestiary.ca website for a discussion in English, bibliography and other useful references.

   Use this Study Guide to organize your learning activities.

Est animal
quod dicitur ibex,
duo cornua habens,
quae a capite
usque ad clunes
protenduntur.

quae: relative pronoun, antecedent is cornua
Sunt
pernicitatis mirandae,
quamquam onerato capite
vastissimis cornibus.		 pernicitatis mirandae: genitive of description
Ad instar avium
ardua et excelsa
tenent
et in sublime inhabitant,
ita ut vix pateant
humanis obtutibus.

ardua et excelsa: substantive adjectives ("places that are...")

pateant: subjunctive with ut
In petris altissimis
commorantur,
et si quando
ferarum vel hominum adversitatem
persenserint,
de altissimis saxorum cacuminibus
sese praecipitantes
in suis cornibus
se suscipiunt.

si quando = si aliquando

persenserint: subjunctive in conditional statement

praecipitantes...suscipiunt: participle plus verb
(they plunge... and catch themselves...)

Cornuum tanta vis est,
corpus eius totum
iis duobus cornibus
sustentatur.
Porro in cornibus
duo sunt foramina,
per quae respirent,
quibusque obturatis
pereunt ilico.

duo...foramina: split phrase

quae: relative pronoun, antecedent is foramina
quibus: relative pronoun, antecedent is foramina

quibus obturatis: ablative absolute

Significat autem hoc animal
eruditos homines
qui
duorum testamentorum consonantia
temperare solent
quicquid eis adversi acciderit,

quae: relative pronoun, antecedent is homines

consonantia: ablative case

temperare: complementary infinitive with solent

quicquid...adversi: split phrase
adversi: partitive genitive

et velut duobus cornibus fulti,
veteris testamenti ac
evangelicae lectionis attestatione
bona opera sustentant.

vetus testamentum et evangelica lectio: Old Testament and New Testament

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