Balduinus' manuscript is lost, not even a medieval copy has been preserved: the only source we have is the Utrecht edition from around 1474. A translation is of course further removed from the original than a copy, but it is likely that the Latin version has changed less over the course of those two centuries than the Dutch has in one. Elements of the Latin text may therefore be closer to the original text. This makes the comparison of the vulpes and the vos interesting... The Latin translation of Reynaert de vos is much more moralizing than the original. The medieval reader can certainly feel sympathy for Reynaert when he trumps animals that are bigger and more powerful than he is, but Reynardus is portrayed as a depraved, a sadistic wretch. The author of Reynaert carelessly mocks the church and the clergy, which is much less the case with Balduinus. - [Author]

Language: Dutch