To the Bear

The manuscript page is divided into two columns by a vertical decorative border in red ink. A matching red border surrounds the entire text block. Each column begins with an illuminated initial letter 'A' set within a decorative square: blue on the left and red on the right, both accented with gold.

A certain other second Bear original: ἄρκτος (arktos) who rears her whelps,
And is in all things like the former, yet merely a shadowy outline,
A nature of the times, a birth brought forth prematurely, The term "aborted birth" (ἐξημβλωμένη) here suggests a ruler or event that is incomplete, ill-formed, or fails to reach full fruition.
Destined to be recorded as the final end of the last.
From the shore and the air, those crowns
Flowing around reveal the extent of the whole dominion.

Another second Bear original: Ursa nourishes her cubs,
And is entirely that other, save that she is but a shadow,
An abortive birth of the nature of the times:
For she is written down for the very last end.
But the maritime crowns original: maritimæ coronæ on either side
Show the division of the entire sovereign power. This likely refers to the fragmentation of imperial authority or the control of coastal territories by different factions.