Bestiary: the Tarantula and the Owls, with a recipe of measures
Two short animal notes followed by a list of pitch, wax, incense and rose oil
A bestiary page in mirror script set upside down: the tarantula's bite fixes a man in whatever thought he held when bitten, and the horned and little owls kill those who mock them because nature has so ordained for their feeding. Below follows a short recipe listing measured ingredients: four ounces each of pitch and new wax, two ounces of incense, and one ounce of rose oil. At the top of the leaf, above the bestiary text, further numeric jottings appear that are not included in the transcription.
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The tarantula and the owls
The bite of the tarantula keeps a man fixed in his resolve, that is, in whatever he was thinking when he was bitten. The horned owl and the little owl punish those who mock them by taking their lives, for nature has ordained this so that they may feed.
Recipe: pitch, wax, incense, rose oil
A short list of measured ingredients follows the animal notes: pitch, four ounces; new wax, four ounces; incense, two ounces; rose oil, one ounce. The proportions suggest a salve or plaster preparation.
Numeric jottings at head of leaf
Above the bestiary passage the leaf carries rows of dots and figures in a bracketed column, apparently tallies or measures. These marks are not part of the supplied transcription and are noted here only from the image.