The Oracles of Leo the Wise

The page is enclosed within an ornate red-ink border featuring symmetrical scrolling foliage and floral patterns. A central vertical border of the same design divides the page into two columns. The text is written in a neat humanist script for the Latin and a clear minuscule for the Greek. There are four decorative initial letters (two Greek Ω and two Latin Q) set within square boxes with gold leaf backgrounds over purple or blue ink.

On the Eagle

How a day of good times has arrived,
In which the center of the cross-marked place original: "σταυρικοῦ τόπου". This likely refers to a specific location in Constantinople, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles or a major crossroads. shall hold
The greatest of birds, all alone?
For this one, taking his beginning from the south,
Shall finish the day with the horned horse
While the evening star reaches the middle of the pole.

On the Horse

How noble you are, how bold and well-bred,
Having unity original: "μονάδα" (monad). In Neoplatonic thought, the monad represents the source or the one. as both beginning and end,
And he is most bold and very swift,
And ready for battles, the Byzantine-born?
You have ears closed to words,
And you neigh to friends without reins,
And not turning away from noble passions,
But the finality of the unintended original: "ἀβουλήσου". Suggests a fate that occurs against one's will or planning. wins you over.
In watery places, you shall fall contrary to hope,
For in you, the beginning and the end is a horn.

On the Eagle

How a day of good times has come,
In which he shall hold the middle of the cross-shaped place,
The greatest one, the sole king of birds.
For this one, taking his beginning from the south,
Shall end the day in the horned horse
While the evening star mediates the pole.

On the Horse

How very sharp, how bold and spirited,
Having unity as both beginning and end,
And you exist as ready and swift as possible,
And prepared for war, O offspring of Byzantium.
You have, however, ears closed to speeches,
And you neigh to your friends without a bridle,
And you do not turn away from true persuasion,
But the final handle of reason original: "ansa rationis". This Latin rendering interprets the Greek "unintended" as a "turning point" or "handle" of logic or fate. will conquer you.
But you will fall in damp places, and against expectation,
For in you, the beginning and the end is a horn.