A medieval book of beasts : Pierre de Beauvais' Bestiary

This is an English translation of the short version of the French "Bestiary" of Pierre de Beauvais. The original text, the "Physiologus" was probably written during the 2nd century, in Greek, then translated to Latin, and then translated into Old French by de Beauvais. These are stories of animals given as symbols of Man's eternal fears and hopes. This bestiary can be used as a means of understanding the thought processes of people in the Middle Ages.