I hope these notes will help you tackle this group of proverbs in Latin Via Proverbs. This group features another set of proverbial sayings based on the comparative form of the adjective.
Please note: to read the proverbs in Latin, you need to acquire a copy of the book from lulu.com! What I am providing here in the blog are notes to help people who are making their way through the book either in a Latin class or on their own.
Group 55
729. Wiser after bad events. (This is a saying that found its way into Erasmus's Adagia, 1.3.99.)
730. Every day, life is closer to death. (You can find this saying in the epilogue to Phaedrus's third book of fables.)
731. More or less. (This is a common turn of phrase that you can find in Latin authors, such as Ovid.)
732. There is more danger in delay. (You can find this phrase in Livy.)
733. Not even Hercules goes against more than one opponent. (There is no verb in the Latin, but in English, Hercules needs to be the subject of an actual verb. You can also find a variant on this saying: Ne Hercules quidem adversus duos., "Not even Hercules fights against two opponents.")
734. A person is a world in miniature. (This is the common philosophical notion of the microcosmos.)
735. A lesser crime, a lesser punishment. (Notice here that the form minor is used for both masculine and feminine nouns.)
736. Time is greedy, man is greedier. (This is a saying made famous by its use in Victor Hugo's Hunchback of Notre Dame.)
737. Near to Jupiter, nearer to the thunderbolt. (You can read a discussion of a similar proverb, procul a Iove, procul a fulmine, at the Latin Audio Proverbs.)
738. Duties belong to young men, command belongs to the older men. (This is a saying found in Palladius's treatise on farming.)
739. Plato is a friend, but a greater friend is truth. (This sentiment is attributed to Aristotle, although what he says in his Nicomachean Ethics is simply that it is right to prefer truth to our friends, with no specific mention of Plato, as here.)
This blog post is part of an evolving online guide for users of the book Latin Via Proverbs.
Keep up with the latest posts... Subscribe by Email. I also post a daily round-up of all the Bestiaria Latina blogs: fables, proverbs, crosswords, and audio.
No comments:
Post a Comment