■ Book VI of Jacob van Maerlant's Der naturen bloeme - the so-called snake book - has been subject of my thesis. In order to execute the comparatistic and stemmatological activities which were necessary for this investigation, I needed to translitterate all the available manuscripts and fragments of this book. This activity not only yielded good results, but also raised the question if comparison with other books would confirm or contradict the results of the snake book. In order to answer this question, I made the last book of Der naturen bloeme which deals with seven metals the touchstone of my first comparatistic investigation.

Regarding the cultural-historical component of the book of metals: I appreciate very much the cooperation with a specialist in metallurgy who has also an interest in the historical devellopments in his speciality, to formulate the metallurgical " glosses" in accordance with the " herpetological glosses" in my thesis. Or reversed: a philologist with the same passion for metals as I have for snakes.

You'll also find here the Latin text and its Dutch translation of the book of herbs, taken from the encyclopedia by Thomas of Cantimpré. The Latin text is Boese's, the Dutch translation is made by dr. Frans Slits.

Bartholomaeus Anglicus has written in hisn De proprietatibus rerum (Van den proprieteyten der dinghen) about snakes too. Dr. Saskia Bogaart and I have translitteratied these parts.

If you will use my translitterations whether or not in a scientific way, I appreciate your message.

Make your choice in the menu for the translitteration of the following manuscripts:

■ Legenda
A: KA XVI, De Haag, Koninklijke Bibliotheek
Al: Ms NR 381, 'Dyckse handschrift', UB Münster
B: Hs. 19546, Koninklijke Bibliotheek, Brussel
Br: Ms. 39, Stadtbibliothek, Bremen
D: Ms. 70, Lippische Landesbibliothek, Detmold
H: Hs. Philol. germ. 19 (in scrinio), Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek, Hamburg
J: Ms. germ, fol. 52, Staatsbibliotheek zu Berlin
L: BPL 14A, Universiteitsbibliotheek, Leiden
Lo: add. ms. 11390, British Library, London
T: Mappe IV, nr. 6, Deutsche Fragmente, Stadtbibliothek, Trier
V: 76 E 4, Koninklijke Bibliotheek, Den Haag
Wo: Hs. 58.7 Aug. 2°, Herzog August Bibliothek, Wolfenbüttel