Latin Via Proverbs 150

This blog is back from a long break while I was finishing up my newest book from Lulu Publishers: Vulgate Verses: 4000 Sayings from the Bible for Teachers and Students of Latin. Now that the book is done (at last!), I should be able to get back on schedule posting Study notes for the Latin Via Proverbs book.

I hope these notes will help you tackle this group of proverbs in Latin Via Proverbs. This group includes fourth declension nouns and third conjugation verbs.

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. You can find more help at the LatinViaProverbs.com wiki website.

Group 150

1923. Nature does not make leaps. (This is an aphorism adopted by many natural philosophers and scientists, including Leibniz and Newton, among others. See wikipedia for more information.)

1924. You are gathering fruits from the garden of Tantalus. (You will find this in Erasmus, 4.3.31. For Tantalus, see wikipedia.)

1925. A good tree makes good fruits. (This is a commonly found variant of the citation from the Gospel of Matthew; see the following item.)

1926. Every good tree makes good fruits. (Compare the fuller form in the Gospel of Matthew: Sic omnis arbor bona fructus bonos facit mala autem arbor fructus malos facit.)

1927. The lofty oak does not fall at the first blows. (Note that one -us word, ictus, is masculine plural accusative, with a long "u", while the other -us word, quercus, is feminine singular nominative, having a short "u". You can tell that the distinction between the vowel quantity had ceased to function here, as this medieval proverb was considered to have a rhyming quality, as so many medieval proverbs do. Compare this similar saying about the aged oak: Non annosa uno quercus deciditur ictu, "The aged oak is not knocked down by a single stroke.")

1928. A single short pleasure yields a thousand griefs. (Compare this similar saying about pleasure: Brevis et damnosa voluptas, "Pleasure is brief and ruinous." There is a similar saying in Apostolius: Brevis voluptas mox doloris est parens.)

1929. Bad associations destroy good character. (You can find this saying in Tertullian.)

1930. God regards clean hands, not full ones. (You will find this in Publilius Syrus.)

1931. No one scorns the cultivation of learning unless he is a fool. (Note that one -us word, cultus, is genitive, with a long "u", while the other -us word, stultus, is nominative, having a short "u". You can tell that the distinction between the vowel quantity had ceased to function here, as this medieval proverb was considered to have a rhyming quality, as so many medieval proverbs do. Compare this similar saying: Artem non odit nisi ignarus, "No one hates skill unless he is an ignoramus.")

1932. He's painting a dolphin in the woods, a wild boar in the waves. (You will find this in Horace's Ars poetica.)

1933. We lose the eel when we squeeze it with our hands. (There are quite a few Latin proverbs about eels.)

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This blog post is part of an evolving online guide for users of the book Latin Via Proverbs.

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