DEUS

The notes here are taken from the actual Scala, so be warned that references to the "previous" proverb refer to its order in the Scala, not its order here. You can read more about the word at the Verbosum blog: DEUS.

Dii omnia possunt. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings in Erasmus's Adagia, 4.6.11.

Deus omnia non dat omnibus. ~ Note: You can find this saying in Mantuanus, Eclogue 5.

Dis aliter visum. ~ Note: You can find this sentiment expressed in Vergil, Aeneid 2, when Aeneas is describing the death of Rhipeus, an altogether just and good man, although the gods must have thought otherwise.

Deus dat cui vult. ~ Note: This was the royal motto of King Eric XIV of Sweden.

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

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."

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.

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

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."

Omnia debeo deo. ~ Note: The sound play of "debeo" and "deo" is the key to this saying, although I am not sure how it would be possible to translate that into English! There is the Grenehalgh family motto.

Mentis sol amor dei. ~ Note: You can see this saying in one of Vaenius's emblems here: image.

Cuncta potest facere deus. ~ Note: Or, if you prefer: Cuncta potest facere Deus. I am really torn about what to do for the capitalization of singular instances of deus in the proverbs when I do the book in August - if people have ideas or suggestions about that, let me know!

Non cunctis dat cuncta deus. ~ Note: Here's an expanded version of this saying: Non cunctis dat cuncta Deus, formosus ut idem sit simul et sapiens et summa laude disertus. (I guess if I had my pick of the three qualities, I would pick sapiens as my allotment!)

Dei Gratia ~ Note: This Latin phrase is often abbreviated: D.G. Note that gratia is in the ablative, so the phrase means something like "by the grace of God." For the use of this phrase in the history of the European monarchies, see this Wikipedia article.

Dei gratia sumus quod sumus. ~ Note: The English equivalent for the Latin phrase Dei gratiā would be "Thank God..." or "By the grace of God..." This is the motto of the Barking Borough of London; you can see their coat of arms here: image.

A Deo rex, a rege lex. ~ Note: This proverb plays upon the sound similarities between "rex" and "lex" to assert a natural relationship between them, based on the principle of absolute monarchy.

Muneribus vel dii capiuntur. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings that Erasmus included in his Adagia, 1.3.18.

Vocatus atque non vocatus deus aderit. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 2.3.32.

Di fortioribus adsunt. ~ Note: The word "di" is a contracted form of "dii," which is a variant of "dei," the plural of deus: The gods appear to those who are strong (i.e. the gods help them, come to their aid, etc.).

Dii meliora dent! ~ Note: Note the independent use of the subjunctive here: Dii dent, "May the gods grant..."

Reddite quae sunt Caesaris Caesari, et quae sunt Dei Deo. ~ Note: This refers to the famous testing of Jesus in the Temple, which you can read about in the Wikipedia article entitled "Render unto Caesar."

Dei plena sunt omnia. ~ Note: Note that the adjective plena can take a genitive complement: dei plena.

Placeat homini quidquid deo placuit. ~ Note: Note the subjunctive, placeat: "Let whatever has pleased god be pleasing to man." The words are from one of the letters of Seneca, 74.

Unus Deus, sed plures amici parandi. ~ Note: This proverb is easier to grasp if you imagine the verbs that Latin has omitted: Unus (est) Deus, sed plures amici parandi (sunt). The gerundive parandi, expressing necessity ("should be obtained") agrees in gender, number and case with the subject: amici.

Lumen Dei, lex diei. ~ Note: This is a sundial inscription which plays nicely with the genitives "dei" and "diei" - I'm not sure how to capture that in English!

A deo lumen. ~ Note: This is a motto of the Kerr family.

Quem amat deus, moritur iuvenis. ~ Note: Notice how the adjective iuvenis agrees with the unexpressed subject of the verb, moritur; in English we might say, "dies young."

Si Deus pro nobis, quis contra nos? ~ Note: You can find these words in Paul's letter to the Romans, 8. You can also find the idea expressed in this way: Si Deus nobiscum; quis contra?

Cede deo. ~ Note: You can find this sentiment expressed in Vergil's Aeneid, 5.

Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam ~ Note: This Latin phrase is often abbreviated: A.M.D.G. This is also the motto of the Jesuit order; for more information, see this Wikipedia article. This item is listed in Tosi, 1485.

Time Deum, cole regem. ~ Note: This is the Coleridge family motto (note the nice echo of the Latin "cole" and the family name; you can often find elegant word echoes like that in family mottoes).

Saepe, premente deo, fert deus alter opem. ~ Note: The phrase "premente deo" is an ablative absolute. The words are from Ovid's Tristia, 3.2.

Solus non est quem diligant dii. ~ Note: Note the subjunctive diligant; this gives the statement a generalized quality: (anyone) whom the gods love.

Deo duce, comite Fortuna. ~ Note: This is the Palles family motto: "With God (as my) leader, and Fortune (as my) comrade."

Deo duce, comite Spe. ~ Note: As you can see by looking at this motto and the previous motto, there is a kind of formula at work here where you can add in whatever you want to the second part. Some other mottoes built on this pattern include "Deo duce, comite ferro" and "Deo duce, comite industria," etc.

Deum cole, regem serva. ~ Note: This is another proverb built on a parallelism: deum/regem - cole/serva.

Forma dei munus. ~ Note: You can find these words in Ovid's Art of Love, 3.

Audentes deus ipse iuvat. ~ Note: You can find this saying in the story of Hippomenes as told by Ovid in Metamorphoses, 10.

Deo dat, qui pauperi dat. ~ Note: This saying is a good way to remember that pauper is a third-declension noun (not second-declension like, for example, ager and puer) - pauperi shows the third-declension dative ending, while deo shows the second-declension dative.

Deo Optimo Maximo ~ Note: This Latin phrase is often abbreviated: D.O.M. It was used both in pagan times in reference to Jupiter, and its usage continued in Christian times, with reference to the Christian God. Compare the phrases "Iovi Optimo Maximo" and "Iuppiter Optimus Maximus" which refer to Jupiter specifically.

Estis templum Dei vivi. ~ Note: The words are from Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, 6.

Mundus ipse est ingens deorum omnium templum. ~ Note: The words are adapted from one of Seneca's letters, 14.90.

Homo videt in facie, deus autem in corde. ~ Note: Note the nice parallel structure: homo/deus, facie/corde, with the verb videt doing double duty.

Mente nihil homini dedit Deus ipse divinius. ~ Note: The words are from Cicero's De Officiis, 3. Note the neuter form of the comparative adjective: divinius.

Cito fit quod di volunt. ~ Note: You can find these words in Petronius's Satyricon.

Beati mundo corde, quoniam ipsi deum videbunt. ~ Note: This saying is included by Polydorus in his Adagia, B199.

Adhuc aliquis deus respicit nos. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 3.9.42. When the god gazes upon you, showing you "respect" as it were, it is a sign of favor. For example, "Fortuna Respiciens" was a favorable representation of the goddess Fortuna, who was notoriously fickle in her favors.

Deo nihil clausum est. ~ Note: As you can see, God plays the same role here as the all-seeing sun in the proverbs cited earlier, e.g. "Sol omnia aperit."

Pugnare cum deo atque fortuna grave. ~ Note: Here you have an infinitive phrase serving as the subject of the sentence (pugnare cum deo atque fortuna) and a predicate adjective. Because the infinitive is regarded as a neuter noun, you have the neuter form of the adjective: grave.

Cum diis non pugnandum. ~ Note: Here is another gerundive expressing an impersonal comment. In English, we might render that general idea as, "You shouldn't fight with the gods." This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 3.9.22.

Pugnare cum diis cumque Fortuna grave est. ~ Note: Compare the sayings you have already seen: "Non est pugnandum cum Fortuna" and "Cum diis non pugnandum." Compare also the saying in the Adagia of Erasmus, 2.5.44: Cum Diis pugnare.

Somnus donum deorum gratissimum. ~ Note: You can also find this saying in the form, "Somnus donum divum gratissimum" (i.e. donum divum instead of donum deorum).

Omne bonum dei donum. ~ Note: Here again bonum is being used substantively: omne bonum, "every good (thing)." It makes for a very nice rhyme, too: bonum-donum.

Deo et Fortunae me committo. ~ Note: Here you have Deo et Fortunae, "God and Luck." Compare the saying in the Adagia of Erasmus, 3.8.96: Deo fortunaeque committo.

Astra regunt homines sed regit astra Deus. ~ Note: Note the elegant parallel astra-Deus and homines-astra, with a chiastic inversion that has astra the subject of regunt and then the object of regit. Lovely! Even Sir Walter Scott was fond of this one, and inserted it into the words of the astrologer in Kenilworth.

Noli peccare; Deus videt. ~ Note: Compare this secular saying which conveys a similar idea: Sic fac omnia, tamquam spectet aliquis, "Do all things in such a way as if somebody were watching."

Habet deus suas horas et moras. ~ Note: This proverb also plays on the nice rhyme of "hora" and "mora."

Tu tibi fer opem; Deus afferet ipse salutem. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings collected by Wegeler, 1387.

Reperit deus nocentem. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 2.6.11.

In Deo spero. ~ Note: Note that you can hope for things in the accusative, as in the previous proverb (altiora spero), or you can put your hope in something as in this saying.

Quod di dant boni cave culpa tua amissis. ~ Note: The line is from Plautus's Bacchides, with amissis as a syncopated form of amiseris, a perfect subjunctive introduced by cave: take care that you don't lose...

A deo victoria. ~ Note: The verb is implied but not stated - in English, though, you have to supply some kind of verb: "From God (comes) victory," "By God victory (is granted)," etc. You can see this motto inscribed on a coin here: image.

Non clamor, sed amor cantat in aure dei. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings collected by Wegeler, 185: Frustra lingua laborat, si cor non simul orat; / non clamor, sed amor cantat in aure Dei.

Non est enim potestas nisi a Deo. ~ Note: The words are from Paul's letter to the Romans, 13. This saying is included by Polydorus in his Adagia, B203.

Deus et Natura nihil faciunt frustra. ~ Note: This expands on the idea of the previous proverb to add God into the equation with nature. In medieval philosophy this was connected with the idea of parsimony, made most famous in the principle of Ockham's Razor.

Dis iuvantibus, omnia feliciter evenient. ~ Note: The phrase "dis iuvantibus" is an ablative absolute. Note also the future tense: evenient. (It's all a matter of vowels: present indicative, eveniunt; subjunctive, eveniant; future, evenient.)

Qui negat esse deum, spectet modo sidera caeli! ~ Note: You can also find the saying expressed this way: Sidera qui spectat, non negat esse deum.

Deo favente, florebo. ~ Note: This motto begins with an ablative absolute: Deo favente, "if God is favorable..."

Preces diis, non boves, offer. ~ Note: Note the parallel structure of this saying: preces diis (offer), non boves (diis) offer.

Assiduos deus ipse iuvat. ~ Note: Assiduos Deus ipse iuvat, verum odit inertes / et sua dat nullis absque labore bona.

Homo homini aut deus aut lupus. ~ Note: Erasmus cited two different sayings in his Adagia - he included "homo homini lupus" (see previous saying) along with "homo homini deus" (Adagia 1.1.69), thus providing a more optimistic perspective on the human condition. The saying "Homo homini aut deus aut lupus" is widely attributed to Erasmus, but I do not have a citation for that - if anybody can provide a specific Erasmus citation, that would be great! The saying "Homo homini deus" is included by Polydorus in his Adagia, A1.

Desine grande loqui: frangit deus omne superbum. ~ Note: Compare the version in Wegeler, 378: Est verum verbum: frangit deus omne superbum.

Dum fata deusque sinebat. ~ Note: The words are from Vergil's Aeneid, 4.

Quem di diligunt, adolescens moritur. ~ Note: Quem di diligunt, adolescens moritur, dum valet, sentit, sapit.

Quod deus donavit, custodiamus! ~ Note: Note the subjunctive: custodiamus. You can find this saying invoked in a story by Petrus Alfonsi.

Deus avertat. ~ Note: Compare the English expressions "God forbid!" and "Heaven forfend!"

Qui confidit in Deo, fortis est ut leo. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings collected by Wegeler, 1006.

Deus non est velox ad poenam. ~ Note: The idea is that divine judgment does not come swiftly, but it is sure to come. Compare this similar saying: Dii lenti, sed certi vindices, "The gods are slow but certain avengers."

Ubi veritas, Deus ibi est. ~ Note: This is another "ubi...ibi..." saying where the notion seems more definitely spatial rather than temporal: Where there is truth...

Diis Manibus Sacrum ~ Note: This Latin phrase is often abbreviated in funeral inscriptions as D.M.S. For more about the Roman "Di Manes," see this Wikipedia article.

Cui deus auxilio est, huic onus omne leve est. ~ Note: Note the predicate use of auxilio: deus auxilio est. In English, you might say "god is a helper" or "god is helpful."

Iocos et dii amant. ~ Note: Note the adverbial use of "et" here, meaning something like "even," "also," etc. - et dii, "even the gods."

Deus, adiuva me! ~ Note: You can find this plea in Psalm 69: Ego vero egenus et pauper sum; Deus, adjuva me.

Dii facientes adiuvant. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 1.6.17.

Deo adiuvante, non timendum. ~ Note: The first part of this saying is an ablative absolute, and the second part is the gerundive used impersonally to express necessity: "it is not to be feared" - in other words, "don't be afraid!"

Audendum est: fortes adiuvat ipse deus. ~ Note: Here you have the gerundive being used impersonally to express a command: audendum est, "dare to do it!"

Dei facientes adiuvant. ~ Note: Compare the proverb cited earlier, Industriam adiuvat deus. This saying is included by Polydorus in his Adagia, A173.

Deus adest ubique. ~ Note: This saying expresses the omnipresence of God; you can read more about divine omnipresence in this Wikipedia article.

Avarus aurum deum habet. ~ Note: Remember that the word "habere" can mean something like hold in the sense of consider: The miser considers gold (to be) a god.

Paucorum est intellegere, quid celet Deus. ~ Note: Here you have the genitive used with an infinitive, paucorum est intellegere, which can be rendered in English as "Few people can understand." The subjunctive celet is because of the indirect question introduced by quid.

Cum diis ne contendas. ~ Note: This locates the previous proverb in a clearly pagan context: cum diis, "with the gods."

Non convenit cum deo contendere. ~ Note: Here the infinitive (contendere) serves as the subject of the verb: It is not fitting to compete with a god (or, in a Christian context: with God).

Nunc ipse quid peragito, dein deos voca. ~ Note: Note that quid here has the force of aliquid.

Audentes forsque deusque iuvat. ~ Note: For these words, see Ovid's Fasti, 2.

Deus est ratio quae cuncta gubernat. ~ Note: You can find these words in Manilius's Astronomicon, 2. Compare also the use of "logos" in the Gospel of John (Greek "logos" being equivalent both to Latin verbum and also to ratio).

Deus gubernat navem. ~ Note: This is a Leckie family motto.

Dii sint mihi testes. ~ Note: Note the subjunctive, sint, with a dative we would probably express in terms of possession in English: Let the gods be my witnesses.

Qui dat beneficia, deos imitatur. ~ Note: Notice the nice alliteration in this saying: dat-deos.

Industriam adiuvat deus. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 3.9.55. It is something like the English saying, "God helps them that help themselves."

Preces iniustas non audit Deus. ~ Note: Here it is not a matter of offerings versus prayers but rather the two different types of prayers, righteous and wrong.

Oderunt di homines iniustos. ~ Note: You will also find this saying in the form: Oderunt di homines iniuros.

Deus ulciscetur. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 3.9.63.

Semper enim Deus iniustas ulciscitur iras. ~ Note: Contra hominem iustum prave contendere noli: / semper enim Deus iniustas ulciscitur iras.

Dii omen avertant! ~ Note: Note the subjunctive: avertant, "may the gods turn aside" any bad omen.

Musica donum Dei optimum. ~ Note: If you compare this proverb to the earlier one - Somnus donum deorum gratissimum - I am not sure which to say: sleep is good and so is music!

Nummis atque Deo servire potest nemo bene. ~ Note: Note that the verb servio takes a dative complement: nummis atque Deo. Compare the words of the Gospel of Matthew, 6: Non potestis Deo servire et mammonae. (For more about the word mammon, see this Wikipedia article.)

In unoquoque virorum bonorum habitat deus. ~ Note: The words are from one of Seneca's letters, 41.

Dis faventibus, multae sunt viae felicitatis. ~ Note: This proverb also begins with an ablative absolute: Dis faventibus, "When the gods are favorable..."

Necessitati nec deus ipse repugnat. ~ Note: Like et, the word nec can also be used adverbially, meaning "not even," as here: nec deus ipse, "not even God himself."

Necessitati ne dii quidem ipsi repugnant. ~ Note: Here you see a different way of expressing the idea of "not even," ne...quidem: ne dii quidem, "not even the gods."

Non sine diis animosus infans. ~ Note: http://mysite.verizon.net/vzeqg1oh/libertas.htm

Ante Dei vultum nihil unquam restat inultum. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings collected by Wegeler, 48.

Non tentabis Dominum Deum tuum. ~ Note: Here the verb tentare has the sense of putting on trial, testing, etc.; see the Gospel of Matthew, 4. This saying is included by Polydorus in his Adagia, B11.

Dii irati laneos pedes habent. ~ Note: This makes the same idea even more sinister: now the gods are enraged, irati! Compare the saying in the Adagia of Erasmus, 1.10.82: Dii laneos habent pedes.

Dei laneos pedes habent. ~ Note: The idea here is that woolen feet, laneos pedes, are quiet: you cannot hear them sneaking up on you! This saying is included by Polydorus in his Adagia, A167.

Sero molunt deorum molae. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 4.4.82.

Deus reddet unicuique secundum opera eius. ~ Note: Here you have the future tense again, reddet, now in the third person. The words are from Paul's letter to the Romans, 2.

In pulicis morsu deum invocat. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 3.4.4.

Ego vero egenus et pauper sum; Deus, adjuva me. ~ Note: This is from Psalm 69.

Hilarem datorem diligit deus. ~ Note: This saying is included by Polydorus in his Adagia, B22.

Esto laborator et erit Deus auxiliator. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings collected by Wegeler, 360.

Frustra conatur, cui non Deus auxiliatur. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings collected by Wegeler, 457.

Cordis scrutator Deus est mentisque probator. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings collected by Wegeler, 167.

Diligentibus deum omnia cooperantur in bonum. ~ Note: This saying is included by Polydorus in his Adagia, B44.

Afflavit deus et dissipati sunt. ~ Note: This item is listed in Tosi, 1262.

Nil desperandum, auspice Deo. ~ Note: This is a motto of the Anderson family.

Vive Deo gratus, toti mundo tumulatus. ~ Note: This is one of the sayings collected by Wegeler, 1467: Vive Deo gratus, toti mundo tumulatus, / pectore pacatus, semper transire paratus.

Beati pacifici quoniam filii dei vocabuntur. ~ Note: This saying is included by Polydorus in his Adagia, B200.

Simia caelicolum risusque iocusque deorum est. ~ Note: Simia caelicolum risusque iocusque deorum est. / Homo temere ingenio confidit et audet / abdita naturae scrutari.

Ecce agnus dei, ecce qui tollit peccatum mundi. ~ Note: This saying is included by Polydorus in his Adagia, B302.

Solius est proprium scire futura Dei. ~ Note: Fata silent, stellaeque tacent, nil praedicat ales; / solius est proprium scire futura Dei.

Cur Deus os unum, geminas tibi contulit aures? Nempe audire decet plurima; pauca loqui.

Crimina qui sua celat homo, Deus ipse revelat.

Accipere humanum est; inopi donare Deorum. ~ Note: An epigram by Owen: Accipere humanum est; inopi donare Deorum: / numquam tam paucos credo fuisse Deos.