2626. About broken bread
In a vision I was being offered a small dish full of bread cut up into square pieces, which I thought to have symbolized what bread usually does, namely, heavenly things, and I was glad. It was put to my mouth for me to eat, but it was held there for some time, but not eaten, as I was of the opinion that that bread stood for heavenly things. I was told that broken bread, uncut, symbolizes what is heavenly, therefore bread as it is broken by the lips and tooth, thus first by the hand, before it is eaten, because this is according to nature. Therefore the symbol of heavenly things is bread broken by the hand, the lips, then the tooth, and further broken into most minute pieces by the muscles, tissues, and as it were most minute hands, lips, and tiny mouths of the receiving vessels.
2626. CONCERNING BROKEN BREAD.
There was put before me in [per] a vision a small plate full of bread [panem], cut up into squares [quadratas tesseras], which I imagined to have signified that which [is meant] by the communication of bread, to wit, celestial things, and I rejoiced: it was placed to my mouth that I might eat, but was there held a little while, but was not eaten. So long as I was in that opinion that that bread signified celestial things, I was told that broken bread, not cut, signifies celestial things, for bread is broken with the lips and teeth, as at first with the hand, before it is eaten, which because [it is] according to nature, therefore celestial things are signified by bread broken with the hand, lips, so with the teeth, and so on into the minutest [particles] by the muscles, fibers, and minutest hands, as it were, lips and little mouths of the recipient vessels.
2626. De pane fracto
Per visionem mihi offerebatur parva patina panum scissorum in quadratas tessellas 1
, plena, quod opinabar significavisse id, quod panis communiter, nempe coelestia, et gavisus sum, apponebatur ad os, ut ederem, sed ibi tenebatur aliquamdiu, sed non edebatur, cum in opinione ista essem, quod panis iste significaret coelestia; dicebatur mihi, quod fractus panis, non scissus coelestia significet, panis enim sicut frangitur labiis et dente, ita primum manu antequam comeditur, quod quia secundum naturam, ideo significatio coelestium per panem fractum manu, labiis, sic dente, et porro in minutissima musculis, fibris, et minutissimis quasi manibus, labiis, et osculis, vasorum recipientium.
Footnotes:
1. The Manuscript has tesselas