Bestiaria Latina: Scala Sapientiae

Hiatus

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 02:57:00 +0000

The Scala Sapientiae is on hiatus right now while I'm working on the Latin Distich project - but there is lots to read and browse through here. I hope I will get back to this project during the summer!

Latin Proverbs: 193 Most Frequent Words

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 13:38:00 +0000

The DR number, Diederich Rank, refers to the highest number in Diederich's frequency listing, which you can see here: Diederich Ranking.

DR 189. Doctum doces. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings that Erasmus included in his Adagia, 1.2.12. It is a fool's errand, of course - the one who has already learned does not need you to teach him.

DR 189. Ire docetur eundo. ~ Note: The impersonal passive here, docetur, can be rendered with "you" or "one" in English: You learn to walk by walking.

DR 190. Maiores sequor. ~ Note: The masculine plural, maiores, refers to the "very great people" or "the ancestors" ... or "the mayors" if you prefer (our English word "mayor" derives from the Latin "maior").

DR 190. Maiora sequor. ~ Note: Here you have the neuter plural, not the masculine plural: I pursue greater things.

DR 190. Ad maiora veniamus. ~ Note: Note the subjunctive, veniamus: Let us move on to greater things. The idea is that we are setting aside trifles in order to move on: Sed nimis multa de nugis: ad maiora veniamus. You can find these words in one of Cicero's Philippics, 2.

DR 190. Totum parte maius est. ~ Note: You can find this expression in Euclid's Elements.

DR 191. Ne magna loquaris. ~ Note: The use of "ne" plus the subjunctive is a common way to express a negative command in Latin, as here: ne loquaris. (The indicative second person would be loqueris; just change the vowel and you've got the subjunctive: loquāris.)

DR 191. Res ipsa loquitur. ~ Note: You can read more about this legal principle in Wikipedia.

DR 191. Qui de terra est, de terra loquitur. ~ Note: You can find these words in the Gospel of John, 3, and the saying is included by Polydorus in his Adagia, B32.

DR 193. Vox populi, vox Dei. ~ Note: This Latin saying survives in the terminology of modern broadcast journalism, where "vox pop" refers to the voice of the man on the street, when reporters randomly ask people for their comments. The saying is first cited by the medieval English scholar Alcuin; compare also the similar saying, "Haud semper errat fama," "Rumor is not always wrong." The saying is included by Polydorus in his Adagia, B225.

Latin Proverbs: 189 Most Frequent Words

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:35:00 +0000

The DR number, Diederich Rank, refers to the highest number in Diederich's frequency listing, which you can see here: Diederich Ranking.

DR 187. Dulce domum. ~ Note: Notice the use of the neuter adjective here: the proverb does not say that a home is sweet, but that home is a sweet thing, a pleasant thing. This is also the title of the school song of the Winchester College, a boys' school in Winchester, England.

DR 187. Non omne dulce bonum. ~ Note: Here you see the neuter singular dulce again: Not every sweet thing is good. For example: CANDY. It is sweet to eat, but not good for you, alas!

DR 187. Dulce puella malum est! ~ Note: Note the nice paradox here, with the predicate wrapped around the subject: What is a girl? She is a dulce malum, a sweet evil.

DR 187. Nihil dulcius quam omnia scire. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 5.1.42. Note how the infinitive phrase here, omnia scire, is being used as a noun.

DR 188. Natura rerum omnium mater. ~ Note: Of course, we also speak about "Mother Nature" in English, too!

DR 188. Naturae vis maxima. ~ Note: You can understand maxima here as a true superlative ("the greatest of all") or just as an emphatic adjective: "extremely great."

DR 188. Frater est amicus quem nobis dedit Natura. ~ Note: You can also find this saying with the words: Frater est amicus quem donat natura.

DR 188. Ars vincit naturam. ~ Note: Contrary to the proverb about the power of nature (Naturae vis maxima.), this saying asserts the primacy of art (technology, craft, human ingenuity) over nature.

DR 189. Si vis scire, doce. ~ Note: Of course, every teacher knows that teaching is the best way to expand your own knowledge!

DR 189. Dies diem docet. ~ Note: We might say in English, "One day teaches another."

Latin Proverbs: 186 Most Frequent Words

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 01:14:00 +0000

The DR number, Diederich Rank, refers to the highest number in Diederich's frequency listing, which you can see here: Diederich Ranking.

DR 180. Agere sequitur credere. ~ Note: Here the infinitives are functioning as verbal nouns. The idea is that you have to have faith first, and action then follows: Agere (action) sequitur credere (believing). This is a phrase most often associated with theology, so the believing here is a matter of religious belief.

DR 180. Noctem dies sequitur. ~ Note: You can find this saying in Seneca's reflections on nature in one of his Epistulae ad Lucilium, 107.

DR 182. Non movenda moves. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 1.6.61. Note the substantive use of the gerundive: non movenda, "things-that-should-not-be-moved."

DR 183. Artes aliis aliae. ~ Note: This is another of those "aliud…aliud" sayings; in English we might say "Some arts are good for some people, while others are good for other people."

DR 184. In tuum ipsius caput. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 4.6.88, and it is a bit like a curse: (may whatever you are doing fall) in tuum ipsius caput. Note the use of the possessive genitive, ipsius, to go with the possessive adjective, tuum; the pronoun ipse does not have a possessive adjective of its own.

DR 185. Plures sunt res quam verba. ~ Note: Note that plus is being used as an adjective here: plures sunt res. The idea here is that language falls short of reality: we can make words and then more words, but there will always be more things than words.

DR 185. Esse quam videri. ~ Note: This is the motto of the state of North Carolina, as you can read about in this Wikipedia article. The quam here expresses the idea of comparison: to be (rather) than to seem.

DR 185. Quis amicior quam frater fratri? ~ Note: Although amicus is more often used substantively, as a noun ("friend"), it really is an adjective ("friendly"). So, as an adjective, it has a comparative form: amicior, "more friendly."

DR 186. Non nova, sed nove. ~ Note: Notice the constrast between the neuter plural, nova, and the adverb, nove: Not new things, but in a new way. You can also find the saying in this form: Nove, sed non nova.

DR 186. Erunt novissimi primi, et primi novissimi. ~ Note: These words come from the Gospel of Matthew, 20; the saying is included by Polydorus in his Adagia, B359. Notice that novissimus here can be translated as "latest" in a series, as opposed to the first in a series (primus) - hence the King James rendering of this verse: "So the last shall be first, and the first last." The Greek reads: οὕτως ἔσονται οἱ ἔσχατοι πρῶτοι καὶ οἱ πρῶτοι ἔσχατοι. Someone's "last words" in Latin are verba novissima.

Latin Proverbs: 180 Most Frequent Words

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 03:38:00 +0000

The DR number, Diederich Rank, refers to the highest number in Diederich's frequency listing, which you can see here: Diederich Ranking.

DR 176. Audi et alteram partem. ~ Note: Compare the saying you saw earlier: Audiatur et altera pars.

DR 176. Alter ego est amicus. ~ Note: For the various uses of the phrase "alter ego," see this Wikipedia article.

DR 176. Amicus alter ipse. ~ Note: This is a saying collected by Erasmus in his Adages, 1.1.2. Notice how ipse is being used here to mean something like the English word "self" - "A friend is another self."

DR 176. Quod tibi vis fieri, hoc fac alteri. ~ Note: Notice how fieri serves as the passive of facere: That which you want done to you, do to another. This is sometimes called "The Golden Rule," which you can read about at Wikipedia.

DR 176. Quod tibi non vis, alteri ne facias. ~ Note: This is the negative version of the Golden Rule, sometimes called the Silver Rule: What you don't want for yourself, don't do to another! You can also see this with the perfect instead of the present subjunctive to express the negative command: Quod tibi non vis, alteri ne feceris.

DR 176. Quod tibi, hoc alteri. ~ Note: This is another succinct statement of the Golden Rule, with the verb implied by not stated: That which you (do) to another, (should be what you would do) for yourself.

DR 176. Accipe quod tuum alterique da suum. ~ Note: Again, there are some words implied but not stated in the compact Latin: Accipe (hoc), quod tuum (est), alterique da suum. Note that suum refers to the person who is "alter" - give to another what is his (or hers).

DR 176. Alterius ne sit, qui suus esse potest. ~ Note: Note the genitive alterius - "ne sit alterius" means something like "do not become another's," i.e. do not become the slave of another, the servant of some other person.

DR 178. Quod scripsi, scripsi. ~ Note: This saying is included by Polydorus in his Adagia, B175.

DR 180. Rem tene; verba sequentur! ~ Note: Note the future tense: sequentur. (It's all a matter of vowels: sequuntur, present indicative; sequantur, present subjunctive; sequenter, future indicative.)

Latin Proverbs: 176 Most Frequent Words

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 23:59:00 +0000

The DR number, Diederich Rank, refers to the highest number in Diederich's frequency listing, which you can see here: Diederich Ranking.

DR 172. Genus est mortis male vivere. ~ Note: Note that the infinitive phrase "male vivere" is nominal here, the subject of the sentence, with "genus mortis" as the predicate noun phrase.

DR 173. Quis sine amico vivere possit? ~ Note: Note the subjunctive here: possit. This gives the question a hypothetical quality: Who could possibly live without a friend?

DR 173. Habes amicos, quia amicus ipse es. ~ Note: The pronominal ipse here agrees with the implied subject of the verb: quia (tu) ipse es amicus.

DR 173. Unus amicorum animus. ~ Note: The genitive expresses the idea of possession: There is one mind of friends = Friends have one mind.

DR 173. Unus Deus, et plures amici. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 3.4.88.

DR 173. Multus amicus, nullus amicus. ~ Note: Compare this similar saying: Amicus omnibus, amicus nemini. The idea is that someone who has too many friends is really no friend at all.

DR 173. Amici nec multi, nec nulli. ~ Note: Compare the saying in the Adagia of Erasmus, 3.6.37: Neque nullis sis amicus, neque multis.

DR 173. Nec nulli sis amicus, nec omnibus. ~ Note: If you are friendly towards someone in Latin, that requires the use of the dative as you can see here: omnibus is dative plural, and nulli is dative singular. Note also the nec... nec... construction, which is equivalent to "neither... nor..." in English.

DR 175. Vox unius, vox nullius. ~ Note: The Latin word "vox" expresses a whole range of meaning, including what we call "sound" in English, as well as "voice" and also the idea of "word" (hence "vocabulary," referring to a collection of words).

DR 176. Audiatur et altera pars. ~ Note: Note the subjunctive: audiatur. The word "et" is being used adverbially here: Let the other side also (et) be heard.

Latin Proverbs: 172 Most Frequent Words

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 04:52:00 +0000

The DR number, Diederich Rank, refers to the highest number in Diederich's frequency listing, which you can see here: Diederich Ranking.

DR 166. Fortis qui se vincit. ~ Note: As often, the antecedent of the relative pronoun is implied but not expressed: "Fortis (is) qui se vincit."

DR 166. Nihil non potest fortis animus. ~ Note: Note that here the double negative does make a positive: There is nothing a brave heart cannot do = a brave heart can do anything.

DR 169. O tempora, O mores! ~ Note: It probably makes sense to consider this famous saying to be an accusative of exclamation as well. You can read about these famous words of Cicero at Wikipedia.

DR 169. Mala vita, mali mores. ~ Note: The idea is that you can look at someone's life, vita, and judge that person's character, mores, by their life.

DR 169. Alia tempora, alii mores. ~ Note: This is another of those "aliud…aliud" sayings - the idea is that different times require different customs.

DR 169. Alii homines, alii mores. ~ Note: This is another of those "aliud…aliud" sayings: Some people act one way, other people act a different way.

DR 169. Suus cuique mos. ~ Note: This dative here is what you could call a dative of possession: each person (has) their own custom.

DR 171. Vocatus et non vocatus, deus est. ~ Note: Compare this saying in Erasmus's Adagia, 2.3.32: Vocatus atque non vocatus Deus aderit.

DR 171. Malus est vocandus, qui sua est causa bonus. ~ Note: To be "sua causa bonus" means to be good only for one's own purposes, for one's own advantage. This is one of the sayings attributed to Publilius Syrus.

DR 172. Homines sunt eiusdem generis. ~ Note: A genitive phrase can be used in the predicate, as here, to describe something, much like the English idiom, "People are all of the same type," i.e. we belong to the same type, the same species.

Latin Proverbs: 166 Most Frequent Words

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 01:34:00 +0000

The DR number, Diederich Rank, refers to the highest number in Diederich's frequency listing, which you can see here: Diederich Ranking.

DR 160. Vivamus atque amemus. ~ Note: The words are adapted from one of the poems of Catullus, 5: Vivamus, mea Lesbia, atque amemus.

DR 161. Mens videt, mens audit. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 4.5.12.

DR 161. Mens cuiusque is est quisque. ~ Note: This is the motto of the Pepys family and, as such, it is inscribed on the Pepys Library.

DR 162. A magnis, maxima. ~ Note: This expresses the idea that from big things come the biggest things, the greatest outcomes, the largest effects, etc.

DR 163. Ne ignem ad ignem. ~ Note: The "ne" lets you know that you are dealing with a negative command, even without the verb: don't (add) fire to fire.

DR 163. Terra corpus est, at mens ignis. ~ Note: The words go back to the archaic Roman poet, Ennius.

DR 165. Male creditis hosti. ~ Note: You can find this observation of the danger of trusting one's enemies in Ovid's Fasti, 2: Quo ruitis, generosa domus? Male creditis hosti: / simplex nobilitas, perfida tela cave.

DR 166. Tene fortiter! ~ Note: Fortiter is the adverbial form of the adjective fortis.

DR 166. Ferte fortiter! ~ Note: With this one, it is possible to capture a bit of the Latin word play in English, too: "Bear up bravely!" (Ferte is the second-person imperative: fer, singular; ferte, plural.)

DR 166. Forti animo esto. ~ Note: The phrase "forti animo" is in the ablative and is being used descriptively in the predicative with the future imperative esto; we might say in English "Be brave in spirit!" or "Have a brave heart!"

Latin Proverbs: 160 Most Frequent Words

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 03:07:00 +0000

The DR number, Diederich Rank, refers to the highest number in Diederich's frequency listing, which you can see here: Diederich Ranking.

DR 159. Veni, vidi, vici. ~ Note: For more about these famous words of Julius Caesar, see this Wikipedia article.

DR 160. Vivamus et amemus. ~ Note: Adapted from the words of Catullus to Lesbia: Vivamus mea Lesbia, atque amemus (5).

DR 160. Dum potes, vive. ~ Note: You can see this illustrated in Whitney's Emblems here: image.

DR 160. Vive in diem. ~ Note: We use a slightly different idiom to express this idea in English: live for the day, live for today. This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 1.8.62.

DR 160. Vive ut semper vivas. ~ Note: This is the Falkner family motto.

DR 160. Vive dum vivis. ~ Note: You can find these words in a Roman epitaph.

DR 160. Vivat rex. ~ Note: Compare the English saying, "Long live the king!"

DR 160. Quis est vir qui vivat et non videat mortem? ~ Note: Note how the subjunctives vivat and videat give this a hypothetical quality: qui vivat et non videat... "who could live and not see..."

DR 160. Vivimus, non ut volumus, sed ut possumus. ~ Note: Note that this is the use of "ut" to mean simply "as" - ut possumus, "as we are able."

DR 160. Non possum tecum vivere, nec sine te. ~ Note: The saying is adapted from one of the poems in Ovid's Amores, 3.11: sic ego nec sine te nec tecum vivere possum.

Latin Proverbs: 159 Most Frequent Words

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 00:28:00 +0000

The DR number, Diederich Rank, refers to the highest number in Diederich's frequency listing, which you can see here: Diederich Ranking.

DR 158. Nisi causas scimus, nihil scimus. ~ Note: Compare the difference between knowing the causes of things and learning only from the outcome: Ex eventu sciemus.

DR 159. Animus omnia vincit. ~ Note: Just how you take the Latin word "animus" depends very much on context - mind? courage? The word is notoriously difficult to render in English!

DR 159. Amor vincit omnia. ~ Note: This motto famously appears in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, inscribed on the brooch of the prioress herself, Madame Eglantine, who is not your typical nun, of course.

DR 159. Tempus omnia vincit. ~ Note: This is but one of many "omnia vincit" sayings in Latin, e.g. "Virtus omnia vincit," "Amor vincit omnia," "Veritas omnia vincit," etc.

DR 159. Malum bono vince. ~ Note: This is the Hay family motto.

DR 159. Vi verum vincitur. ~ Note: Here the proverb depends on alliteration: v-v-v. You can find these words in Plautus's Amphitruo.

DR 159. Ferendum ut vincas. ~ Note: The impersonal neuter gerundive expresses the idea of a command: You must bear up, you must bear it - ferendum.

DR 159. Tibi ut vincas est credendum. ~ Note: Here you have ut with a subjunctive verb: "so that you might be victorious." The impersonal neuter gerundive expresses the idea of a command or necessity, with the agent in the dative: tibi est credendum, "You must have faith..."

DR 159. Vince te ipsum. ~ Note: This is the motto of St. Mary's Orphanage & Day School in Kolkata, India.

DR 159. Vincit qui se vincit. ~ Note: You can see this saying as a tattoo here: image.

Latin Proverbs: 158 Most Frequent Words

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 02:24:00 +0000

The DR number, Diederich Rank, refers to the highest number in Diederich's frequency listing, which you can see here: Diederich Ranking.

DR 154. Id quod volunt, credunt quoque. ~ Note: The idea here is that when someone wants something, they are quick to believe it. The words are from Quintilian.

DR 155. Cura omnia potest. ~ Note: Here cura has the positive sense of concern, care, attention, etc. So, by being careful, you can accomplish anything!

DR 157. Plus potest plurium cura. ~ Note: Here you have a nice play on words with plus, neuter singular, and plurium, genitive plural: The attentive effort of more people (plurium) can accomplish more (plus).

DR 157. E pluribus unum. ~ Note: This Latin motto appears on the seal of the United States of America, as you can see here: image.

DR 157. Solus in pluribus. ~ Note: This is a motto of the Forbes family.

DR 157. Quid plura dicam? ~ Note: Here the interrogative quid has the sense of why? for what reason?

DR 158. Scito teipsum. ~ Note: The famous admonition to "know thyself" was also the title of one of the philosophical treatises by Peter Abelard.

DR 158. Nullus omnia scire potest. ~ Note: You can also find the saying in these forms: "Nemo enim potest omnia scire" and "Nemo est, cui omnia scire datum sit."

DR 158. Hoc solum scio, quod nihil scio. ~ Note: You can see here how the word "quod" came to introduce indirect statement in later Latin: I know (this thing): that I know nothing.

DR 158. Hoc unum scio: me nihil scire. ~ Note: Note that "me nihil scire" is an accusative+infinitive construction in indirect statement: this one thing I know: (that) I know nothing.

Latin Proverbs: 154 Most Frequent Words

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 02:24:00 +0000

The DR number, Diederich Rank, refers to the highest number in Diederich's frequency listing, which you can see here: Diederich Ranking.

DR 151. Nihil vero verius. ~ Note: Compare the saying in the Adagia of Erasmus, 4.9.2: Vero verius.

DR 153. Multum legendum, non multa. ~ Note: Note the distinction between multum and multa: the goal is not to read lots of books (multa) but to read "muchly" (multum) - to read deeply, with understanding, fully, etc.

DR 154. Vide et crede. ~ Note: Compare the English saying: Seeing is believing.

DR 154. Quod video, id credo mihi. ~ Note: You can find these words in Plautus' Miles Gloriosus.

DR 154. Quod non legitur, non creditur. ~ Note: This proverb advises us that not seeing, but reading is believing!

DR 154. Non omnibus crede. ~ Note: Notice that the "non" does not go with the verb here, but rather with the word "omnibus" so that you could render it in English as "Believe not everything" (although that sounds a bit more odd in English than it does in the Latin!).

DR 154. Ne omnibus credas. ~ Note: Here the negating word is "ne," which means it goes with the subjunctive verb: ne credas, "don't believe."

DR 154. Non omni verbo credas. ~ Note: Notice here the independent use of the subjunctive as a kind of imperative - you should trust... but not every word!

DR 154. Non est credendum omni verbo. ~ Note: This proverbs shows the gerundive used impersonally to express a command: credendum - but non omni verbo!

DR 154. Non opus est verbis; credite rebus. ~ Note: The phrase opus est takes an ablative complement, verbis, while credite takes a dative complement: rebus.

Latin Proverbs: 151 Most Frequent Words

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 03:18:00 +0000

The DR number, Diederich Rank, refers to the highest number in Diederich's frequency listing, which you can see here: Diederich Ranking.

DR 146. Petenti dabitur. ~ Note: Note the use of the future here: "It will be given..." The reference is to the power of prayer: what you ask God for in your prayers will be given, dabitur. You can find the Latin saying invoked by Pascal in his Pensées, 514. Compare Matthew 7.7: Petite, et dabitur vobis, "Ask, and it will be given to you."

DR 148. Magna opera Domini. ~ Note: The words are from Psalms, 110.

DR 148. Quid opus est verbis? ~ Note: The phrase opus est takes an ablative complement: verbis. We would say in English, "What need is there of words?"

DR 148. Non verbis, at factis opus est. ~ Note: Note the parallel structure: Non verbis (opus est), at factis opus est.

DR 148. Qui nihil amat, quid ei homini opus vita est? ~ Note: Here you have both the dative (ei homini) and ablative (vita) complements of the phrase opus est.

DR 150. Ducit Dominus. ~ Note: This is the motto of the Dirom family.

DR 150. Non ducor: duco. ~ Note: This proverb plays very nicely on the active, duco, and passive, ducor, forms of the verb. It serves as the motto of the city of São Paulo in Brazil.

DR 151. Quod verum est, meum est. ~ Note: This is a sentiment expressed by Seneca in his Epistulae Morales, 1.

DR 151. Quaerimus verum. ~ Note: The neuter adjective verum can be used substantively to mean "the true (thing)," "the truth," etc. This is the motto of Bethany College.

DR 151. Verum non dicimus, ne audiamus. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings collected by Publilius Syrus.

Latin Proverbs: 146 Most Frequent Words

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 02:24:00 +0000

The DR number, Diederich Rank, refers to the highest number in Diederich's frequency listing, which you can see here: Diederich Ranking.

DR 136. Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno. ~ Note: This is the motto of Alexandre Dumas' Three Musketeers. You can read more about the history of this saying at Wikipedia.

DR 137. Tanti eris aliis, quanti tibi fueris. ~ Note: Here you see the correlative use of tanti...quanti in the genitive, which is used descriptively, to express how something is valued, how much it is worth: how much you will be worth to others is how much you are worth to yourself!

DR 141. Omnia causa fiunt. ~ Note: Note that omnia is neuter plural nominative, while causa is ablative singular feminine - don't let that "a" ending fool you!

DR 141. Nihil fit sine causa. ~ Note: You can see this principle invoked by Cicero against the Epicurean philosophy, in his treatise De Finibus, 1(ait enim declinare atomum sine causa; quo nihil turpius physico, quam fieri quicquam sine causa dicere).

DR 141. Nihil in terra sine causa fit. ~ Note: You can find these words in the Biblical book of Job, 5.

DR 141. Bonum ex malo non fit. ~ Note: This is a contention advanced by the philosopher Seneca in his Epistles, 87.

DR 144. Nos iubere volumus, non iuberi. ~ Note: Note the contrast between the active infinitive, iubere, and the passive infinitive, iuberi.

DR 145. Qualis pater, talis filius. ~ Note: Compare the English saying, "Like father, like son." This saying is included by Polydorus in his Adagia, B247.

DR 146. Petite, et accepietis. ~ Note: Note the future tense form, accipietis. (Present indicative: accipitis; present subjunctive: accipiatis; future indicative: accipietis.)

DR 146. Qui petit a te, da ei. ~ Note: As often in Latin, the relative cause comes before its so-called antecedent. You can re-arrange the saying as: Da ei, qui petit a te. You can find this Biblical saying in Matthew 5:42.

Latin Proverbs: 136 Most Frequent Words

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 03:20:00 +0000

The DR number, Diederich Rank, refers to the highest number in Diederich's frequency listing, which you can see here: Diederich Ranking.

DR 131. Quid verba audiam, cum facta videam? ~ Note: This is included by André Rouillé in his anthology of Cicero's notable sententiae; these words come from the Tusculan Disputations, 3. The word "quid" here has the sense of "(for) what, why."

DR 133. Hominem quaero. ~ Note: This alludes to the famous quest of Diogenes, burning daylight, holding aloft his lamp and looking for a man, i.e. a real man - or, as it's often said in English, "an honest man." The story is sometimes told about Aesop, too; see a discussion here.

DR 133. Quaerite bonum et non malum. ~ Note: The words are from the Biblical book of Amos, 5.

DR 133. Omnes quae sua sunt, quaerunt. ~ Note: The words from the Paul's letter to the Philippians, 2. The saying is included by Polydorus in his Adagia, B368.

DR 133. Cui multum datum est, multum quaeretur ab eo. ~ Note: Note the future tense: quaeretur. This saying is included by Polydorus in his Adagia, B51; the words are from the Gospel of Luke, 12.

DR 135. Da et accipe. ~ Note: You can find these words in the Biblical book of Sirach (Ecclesiasticus): Da et accipe, et iustifica animam tuam.

DR 135. Da, si vis accipere. ~ Note: You can also find this saying with an "ut" clause: Da, ut accipias.

DR 135. Quod datur, accipe. ~ Note: As often, the antecedent of the relative pronoun is not expressed: (Hoc), quod datur, accipe.

DR 135. Dare Deo accipere est. ~ Note: This is the one of the sayings collected by the Renaissance scholar Andreas Eborensis (Andrea de Resende).

DR 136. Nulli malum pro malo. ~ Note: With the information provided by the cases - dative, accusative - it is possible to express this idea without a stated verb: To no one (return) evil for evil.

Latin Proverbs: 131 Most Frequent Words

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 02:32:00 +0000

The DR number, Diederich Rank, refers to the highest number in Diederich's frequency listing, which you can see here: Diederich Ranking.

DR 125. Si vis amari, ama. ~ Note: You can find this sentiment in a variety of ancient sources, including Publilius Syrus and Seneca.

DR 125. Ut ameris, ama. ~ Note: You can find this sentiment in Martial, Epigram 6.11.

DR 125. Ut ameris, amabilis esto. ~ Note: You can find this advice in Ovid's Art of Love, 2.

DR 128. Sumus quod semper facimus. ~ Note: As often, the antecedent of the relative pronoun is not expressed: Sumus (hoc) quod semper facimus.

DR 128. Non semper ea sunt quae videntur. ~ Note: Recall that the verb "videre" in the passive, as here (videntur), conveys the notion of "seeming" in English: Things are not always what they seem. You can find this saying expressed in a poem by Phaedrus, 4.2: "Non semper ea sunt quae videntur: decipit / frons prima multos," "Things are not always what they seem: the first appearance deceives many people."

DR 128. Dicere et facere non semper eiusdem. ~ Note: There are two different ways to take this saying, depending on context. It can mean that saying and doing are not always of equal value (eiusdem, genitive of value from idem, neuter singular), and it can also mean that it is not always within the power of the same person (from idem, masculine singular) to speak and to act.

DR 131. Acta, non verba. ~ Note: As you have seen before, there is proverbial opposition between words and things (res), words and deeds (facta) and, as here, words and actions (acta).

DR 131. Factis, non verbis. ~ Note: This proverb expresses an opposition similar to that of the proverb "rebus, non verbis," which you saw earlier.

DR 131. Rebus, non verbis. ~ Note: The superiority of things to words - mere words as it were - is a popular theme in Latin proverbs. The use of the ablative without an expressed verb can be understood in all kinds of ways, depending on the context, e.g. (opus est) rebus, non verbis - we need real things, not mere words.

DR 131. Non verbis, sed rebus. ~ Note: This is an even more emphatic version of the previous proverb, beginning with the negative, and then affirming the positive: we don't need words - what we need are the things themselves.

Latin Proverbs: 125 Most Frequent Words

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 04:31:00 +0000

The DR number, Diederich Rank, refers to the highest number in Diederich's frequency listing, which you can see here: Diederich Ranking.

DR 121. Malum quidem nullum sine aliquo bono. ~ Note: The words are adapted from Pliny the Elder's Natural History, 27.

DR 122. Qui capit, capitur. ~ Note: This is one of those "karma" proverbs, which expresses the idea that what you do unto others will be done unto you.

DR 122. Qui potest capere, capiat. ~ Note: This is a motto of the Gleg family. Note the subjunctive: capiat, "let him grab."

DR 123. Ite, si itis. ~ Note: You can find these words in Plautus's Poenulus.

DR 123. Ite et videte. ~ Note: You can find these words in the Gospel of Mark, 6.

DR 123. Terra es, et in terram ibis. ~ Note: You can see this phrase represented as a "word rebus" here: image.

DR 124. Quod tuum, tene! ~ Note: As often, the antecedent of the relative pronoun is not expressed: (Hoc), quod tuum, tene!

DR 124. Sua tenenda cuique. ~ Note: Here you have a gerundive expressing the idea of necessity; sua is neuter plural, hence the neuter plural tenenda. As usual, the dative - cuique - is being used to express agency. In English, you might say: "Each person should hold on to what is his" (or hers!).

DR 125. Deus ante omnia amandus. ~ Note: Note how the gerundive expresses the idea of necessity or obligation: Deus amandus (est), God should be loved...

DR 125. Amandi sunt nec multi nec nulli. ~ Note: Note the nec...nec... construction, which is equivalent to the English "neither... nor..."

Latin Proverbs: 121 Most Frequent Words

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 03:17:00 +0000

The DR number, Diederich Rank, refers to the highest number in Diederich's frequency listing, which you can see here: Diederich Ranking.

DR 114. Non nobis, sed omnibus. ~ Note: This is the motto of Soham Village College in Soham (Cambridgeshire), England.

DR 114. Non mihi, non tibi, sed nobis. ~ Note: This is the motto of the borough of Battersea in London, England.

DR 115. O si sic omnes! ~ Note: Even without a verb, the Latin expresses a wish: Oh, if only all (were) thus.

DR 115. O si sic omnia! ~ Note: Again, this expresses a wish even without a verb: Oh, if only everything (were) thus.

DR 117. Cuique suum. ~ Note: You need supply an implied verb to go with that dative: for example, Cuique suum (placet).

DR 117. Suo quaeque tempore facienda. ~ Note: Here is another use of that gerundive of necessity. The neuter plural pronoun, quaeque (everything), becomes the subject, and the gerundive agrees in gender, case and number: facienda.

DR 117. Sibi quisque habeat quod suum est. ~ Note: Note the independent use of the subjunctive, habeat: "let each person have..."

DR 118. post mortem ~ Note: This Latin phrase is often abbreviated: P.M. For more information about the use of this phrase, and the Greek phrase autopsia, see this Wikipedia article.

DR 118. Post mortem nihil est, ipsaque mors nihil. ~ Note: Note the parallel structure: Post mortem nihil est, ipsaque mors nihil (est). The words are from Seneca's Trojan Women.

DR 121. Age, si quid agis. ~ Note: Note that the quid here is functioning as aliquid (following si). This item is listed in Tosi, 933.

Latin Proverbs: 113 Most Frequent Words

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 03:33:00 +0000

The DR number, Diederich Rank, refers to the highest number in Diederich's frequency listing, which you can see here: Diederich Ranking.

DR 100. Non est bonum esse hominem solum. ~ Note: The infinitive is the subject for the sentence, with hominem as the accusative subject and solum as the predicate. You could render it into English this way: A man being alone is not a good thing, For a man to be alone is not a good thing, It is not a good thing for a man to be alone, etc. The words are God's, from Genesis 2, when he is deciding to create a companion for Adam.

DR 101. sine qua non ~ Note: This phrase is still used in English; it is a shortened form of "causa sine qua non" or "condicio sine qua non" - that is, the essential reason.

DR 104. Nihil dat qui non habet. ~ Note: This is another Latin legal maxim.

DR 105. Longae regum manus. ~ Note: Here is another one of those ambiguous fourth-declension noun forms: manus - but the adjective gives you the clue you need: longae, "long are the hands of kings," metaphorically speaking. This is one of the sayings that Erasmus included in his Adagia, 1.2.3.

DR 105. Nullus agenti dies longus est. ~ Note: Nullus here agrees with dies and give you the subject: "no day" (nullus dies) "is long" (longus est) for the person who is working (agenti).

DR 107. Ita vita. ~ Note: Compare the English saying, "Such is life."

DR 108. Patris est filius. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 4.3.36. Note the genitive, patris. This is something like the English saying "he is his father's son."

DR 108. Omnes filii Dei estis. ~ Note: You can find these words in Paul's letter to the Galatians, 3. Note that the word omnes modifies the unexpressed subject of the verb, estis: (you) all.

DR 109. Ubi sunt? ~ Note: The unexpressed subject of this verb is those who have passed on before us - where are they (now)? To learn about the poetic tradition associated with these words, see the Wikipedia article.

DR 113. Vir quidem unus, nullus est. ~ Note: Compare the proverb cited earlier: Unus vir non omnia videt. Compare also the saying in the Adagia of Erasmus, 1.5.40: Unus vir, nullus vir.

Latin Proverbs: 100 Most Frequent Words

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 02:26:00 +0000

The DR number, Diederich Rank, refers to the highest number in Diederich's frequency listing, which you can see here: Diederich Ranking.

DR 97. Actum ne agas. ~ Note: This is an elegant use of the Latin participle: do not do something that has already been done! Latin, of course, manages to say all that with just three little words. This item is listed in Tosi, 1114. Compare the saying cited by Polydorus in his Adagia, A83: Acta agis.

DR 97. Age quod agis. ~ Note: This item is listed in Tosi, 933. You can consider it an argument against multitasking!

DR 97. Agamus quod agendum. ~ Note: Note the subjunctive, agamus, "Let us do..." As for agendum, this is the origin of our English word "agenda," "the things which are to be done." As often, the relative pronoun "quod" does not have an expressed antecedent; it is only implied, as is the "est" at the end: Agamus [hoc] quod agendum [est].

DR 97. Aliter cum aliis agendum. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 3.8.58. It is another of those "aliud…aliud" sayings, this time with the gerundive agendum (see previous proverb): You have to deal with some people one way, and with other people another way.

DR 97. Aliter enim cum alio agendum. ~ Note: Here you see the postpositive particle enim in its expected position, indicating that the proverb is being used to explain something that has already been stated: The fact of the matter is, you have to deal with different thing(s) differently.

DR 97. Tuas res tibi habeto, tuas res tibi agito. ~ Note: This was a formula for requesting a divorce; both habeto and agito are future imperatives, commonly found in ritualistic expressions.

DR 99. Mors tua, vita mea. ~ Note: This is the ultimate zero-sum situation: it takes your death for me to live.

DR 99. Mors nec bonum nec malum est. ~ Note: You can find this sentiment expressed by the Roman philosopher, Seneca, in his treatise De Consolatione.

DR 100. Non sibi solum. ~ Note: This is an even more abbreviated form of the same idea, now with sibi as the dative and the adverbial solum: Not for oneself only. This is the motto of the Pike School in Andover, Massachusetts.

DR 100. Ego meorum solus sum meus. ~ Note: You can find these words in Terence's Phormio.

Latin Proverbs: 94 Most Frequent Words

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 00:39:00 +0000

The DR number, Diederich Rank, refers to the highest number in Diederich's frequency listing, which you can see here: Diederich Ranking.

DR 87. Omnia bona mecum sunt. ~ Note: Here the word bona is being used substantively to refer to possessions, much as we also use the plural "goods" in English. Note also the special form mecum here, which is equivalent to "cum me," "with me."

DR 87. Quod bonum est, bonos facit. ~ Note: This is a Stoic principle you can find expressed in the writings of Seneca, where he is making the argument that virtue must be a good thing, because the practice of virtue makes people good.

DR 91. Animo et corpore. ~ Note: You can find this phrase used in the Latin legal maxim, referring both to intention (animo) and action (corpore): Nulla possessio adquiri nisi animo et corpore potest.

DR 92. Audies male, si male dicas. ~ Note: Note that this is the adverbial form of the adjective malus: male. Note also the combination of subjunctive (dicas) and future indicative (audies) to express a condition.

DR 92. Qui sibi malus, cui bonus? ~ Note: Note the two pronouns: interrogative pronoun, cui, asking the question "for whom?" or "to whom?" - and also the relative pronoun, qui. That's hard to do in English, where we would probably use a hypothetical instead: If a man is bad to himself, for whom is he good?

DR 92. Qui sibi malus, nulli bonus. ~ Note: Note that the unambiguously dative sibi gives you a nice little reminder that the form nulli is also dative. (Nullus is one of those sneaky adjectives that takes mostly first-second declension endings, but which has -ius in the genitive and -i in the dative.)

DR 92. Bonus esse non potest aliis malus sibi. ~ Note: Note the parallel structure: bonus/aliis and malus/sibi. The adjectival phrase "bonus...aliis" wraps around the verb phrase, "esse non potest," while "malus sibi" is the subject.

DR 93. Sunt quidam non re, sed nomine homines. ~ Note: This is included by André Rouillé in his anthology of Cicero's notable sententiae.

DR 94. Ab uno amore multa bona. ~ Note: You can see this motto illustrated in one of the love emblems of Otto Vaenius.

DR 94. Amor omnibus idem. ~ Note: The words are from Vergil's Georgics, 3, where he is describing the feeling of love and desire that animates the whole natural world: Omne adeo genus in terris hominumque ferarumque / et genus aequoreum, pecudes pictaeque volucres, / in furias ignemque ruunt: amor omnibus idem.

Latin Proverbs: 87 Most Frequent Words

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 01:11:00 +0000

The DR number, Diederich Rank, refers to the highest number in Diederich's frequency listing, which you can see here: Diederich Ranking.

DR 82. Audientes non audiunt. ~ Note: The words are from Matthew 13, and it is also included by Polydorus in his Adagia, B342.

DR 82. Cum dixeris quod vis, audies quod non vis. ~ Note: Note the nice parallel structure: dixeris/audies and vis/non-vis. You can find a similar saying in Erasmus's Adagia, 1.1.27: Qui quae vult dicit, quae non vult audiet.

DR 83. Pars est in toto, totum non est in parte. ~ Note: This is a Latin legal maxim which can be applied to many aspects of life, of course.

DR 84. Qui habet tempus, habet vitam. ~ Note: This is a medical principle, the idea being that with time, an ailing person can hope to recover - an idea that can be applied, metaphorically, to all of life's difficulties.

DR 84. Tota hominis vita, unus est dies. ~ Note: Note how the predicate phrase, unus dies, wraps nicely around the verb.

DR 87. Bono animo esto. ~ Note: Here you see the future imperative esto used with an ablative predicate, the so-called "ablative of description" or "ablative of quality." In English we might say: Keep a positive attitude!

DR 87. Bonum habe animum. ~ Note: This good advice shows up in Plautus's play, Captivi.

DR 87. Bonus esto bonis. ~ Note: You can find this advice in the dictichs attributed to the so-called Cato: Sic bonus esto bonis, ne te mala damna sequantur.

DR 87. Cui bono? ~ Note: This famous double-dative proverb expresses the idea that if you want to know who did something (in particular, if you want to know who committed a crime), then you should ask who benefited from it. For an example from Roman oratory, see Cicero's speech Pro Roscio.

DR 87. Bonis omnia bona. ~ Note: This is the motto of the Orr family. Note that you see here the adjective bonus used substantively to refer both to people (bonis, for the good people) and also to things (bona, agreeing with omnia: all things are good).

Latin Proverbs: 81 Most Frequent Words

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 02:06:00 +0000

The DR number, Diederich Rank, refers to the highest number in Diederich's frequency listing, which you can see here: Diederich Ranking.

DR 66. Unius dictum, dictum nullius. ~ Note: This Latin legal maxim expresses the principle that one witness is not enough; you need corroborating evidence. As a result, the word of just one person is no better than no word at all. This saying is also a great way to remember the genitive singular endings of unus and nullus; they both take that -ius ending.

DR 70. Erat manus Domini cum eis. ~ Note: The words are from the Biblical book of Acts, 11.

DR 71. Alii alio modo. ~ Note: This is one of those "aliud…aliud" sayings, allowing the Latin to be extremely succinct! We would have to say in English, "Some people do things one way; other people do things another way."

DR 71. Est modus in rebus. ~ Note: The word "modus" here expresses the idea of a limit or a measure, as in the English word "moderation." The idea is that there is a limit to things, a measure that is proper to each thing.

DR 71. Faciam meo modo. ~ Note: You could call this the Frank Sinatra proverb: "My Way" (the lyrics are by Paul Anka, though).

DR 74. Omnes terra sumus. ~ Note: Note that omnes (masculine plural) agrees with the implied subject of the verb: Omnes (nos) terra sumus.

DR 75. Unus vir non omnia videt. ~ Note: Notice the nice alliteration between vir and videt in the Latin; vir is preferred to homo here not for semantic reasons, but for the stylistic appeal of the alliteration.

DR 77. Omnis est rex in domo sua. ~ Note: Compare the English saying, "A man's home is his castle."

DR 81. Est gula totius fons et origo mali. ~ Note: Note how the genitive phrase, totius mali, wraps around its noun phrase, fons et origo.

DR 81. Non sibi sed toti. ~ Note: This saying is a great way to remember that totus is one of those adjectives (like solus, unus, ullus, etc.) with a genitive in -ius and a dative in -i.

Latin Proverbs: 64 Most Frequent Words

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 04:04:00 +0000

The DR number, Diederich Rank, refers to the highest number in Diederich's frequency listing, which you can see here: Diederich Ranking.

DR 58. Dicunt enim et non faciunt. ~ Note: The words are from the Gospel of Matthew, 23, in reference to the scribes and Pharisees, scribae et pharisaei.

DR 60. Ferendo feram. ~ Note: This is an example of the wonderful Latin gerund, a noun that is formed from the verbal stem and which is most often used in the ablative case, as here: By bearing (i.e. enduring, bearing up under difficulties), I will bear (endure, bear up under difficulties).

DR 60. Omnia fert tempus. ~ Note: This is fert in the sense not just of "carry" but "carry off" or "carry away." Time as it marches on takes all things away with it.

DR 62. Deo Volente ~ Note: This Latin phrase (an ablative absolute!) is often abbreviated: D.V. Compare the Arabic Insha'Allah.

DR 62. Si vis, potes. ~ Note: You can find this saying invoked in Horace, Satire 2.6.

DR 62. Deus dat, cui vult. ~ Note: This was the royal motto of King Eric XIV of Sweden. As often, the antecedent of the relative pronoun is implied but not stated: Deus dat (ei), cui vult.

DR 62. Quod vis videri, esto. ~ Note: The contrast here is between seeming, videri, and being, esse: BE what you want to be, and appearances will take care of themselves!

DR 62. Aliud est velle, aliud posse. ~ Note: This is one of those "aliud…aliud" sayings: "to want is one (thing), and to be able to do it is another (thing)."

DR 62. Si non ut volumus, tamen ut possumus. ~ Note: Note that here the word ut has the basic meaning of "as" or "so," with indicative verbs (no final clause, no subjunctive verbs).

DR 64. Sic dii voluerunt. ~ Note: Note the perfect past form of the verb, voluerunt: "Thus have the gods willed" or "Such was the will of the gods."

Latin Proverbs: 57 Most Frequent Words

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 23:45:00 +0000

The DR number, Diederich Rank, refers to the highest number in Diederich's frequency listing, which you can see here: Diederich Ranking.

DR 46. Non multa sed multum. You can also find this saying in the form: Multum, non multa. The contrast is between "many things" and "much" (i.e. deeply, fully, etc.). Instead of trying to accomplish many tasks, you should do fewer tasks but with much care and attention.

DR 46. Quid multa? Here the word question word quid has the meaning "why?" or "for what reason?" Compare the English saying, "Need I say more?"

DR 47. Ex uno multa. This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 2.1.49. The idea refers to any circumstance in which someone is able to take one thing and turn it into many things, to such a degree that the result may seem paradoxical.

DR 51. ad hominem Also found in the form "argumentum ad hominem," this is a logical fallacy that bases the attack on the personal qualities of the opponent, not on the topic in question. You can read more about this fallacy at Wikipedia.

DR 52. Habent omnia tempora sua. Note the distinction between the subject, "omnia," and noun phrase "tempora sua" which is the object of the verb.

DR 52. Omnia tempus habent. These are the opening words of the Biblical book of Ecclesiastes 3 and it is included by Polydorus in his Adagia, B338.

DR 52. Omnia tempus habent, omnia tempus habet. Note the different verbs: for habent, omnia must be the subject, but for habet, tempus must be the subject!

DR 53. Etiam si omnes, ego non. Notice that the verb is unstated here, and can be supplied from context. This is the motto of Clermont-Tonnerre.

DR 57. Non possunt primi esse omnes omni in tempore. This line of verse is cited in Macrobius's Saturnalia, 2. Notice the elegant way "omni...tempore" wraps around its preposition!

DR 57. Primus sum egomet mihi. You can find these words in Terence's Andria. The word "egomet" is an emphatic form of the pronoun "ego."