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2751. Sapiunt vasa quidquid primum acceperunt.
Here the verb "sapiunt" has the sense of "taste, having the taste of."
2752. Quidquid crescit, in cinere perit.
This is a motto of the Ashburner family, appropriately enough!
2753. Nil proprium ducas, quidquid mutari potest.
Note how the subjunctive form here, ducas, has the force of a command. The verb ducere has the sense of "consider" - nil proprium ducas, "don't consider anything to be your own." Finally, the passive form mutari can be equivalent to the intransitive use of the English word "change" (as opposed to the transitive "change" = mutare).
2754. Placeat homini quidquid deo placuit.
Note the subjunctive, placeat: "Let whatever has pleased god be pleasing to man." The words are from one of the letters of Seneca, 74.
2755. Quidquid des, celere.
Here the subjunctive, des, gives the sense a hypothetical quality: "Whatever you might give, (give) quickly."
2756. Melius quidquid erit pati.
[patior: suffer, undergo, endure] Although pati has the form of a passive infinitive, it is a transitive verb and can take an object: It is better to endure (pati) whatever will be. The words are from one of Horace's odes, 1.11.
2757. Disce ferenda pati.
The gerundive ferenda is neuter plural: the things that must be endured. It is in the accusative case, being the object of the infinitive, pati.
2758. Cognosce teipsum et disce pati.
This is a Rawlings family motto.
2759. Quod quisque facit, patitur.
The pronoun quisque serves the subject of both verbs: facit and patitur.
2760. Sua quisque exempla debet aequo animo pati.
The verb debet takes a complementary infinitive, pati, and that infinitive in turn takes its own object: sua exempla. The words are Phaedrus's moral for the fable of the fox and the crane.
2761. Malum virum semper pati malum decet.
The impersonal verb decet takes an accusative complement, malum virum, along with an infinitive, pati: it is fitting that the evil man (malum virum) always suffer evil (semper pati malum).
2762. Quae fecit sibimet mala quisque, pati quoque debet.
Note that quae is neuter plural, agreeing with mala, "evil things."
2763. Patere quam ipse fecisti legem.
The form patere is an imperative singular, from the deponent verb patior: patere legem, "abide by the law," quam ipse fecisti, "which you yourself have made."
2764. Si vis vincere, disce pati.
Note that vis is the second person singular form of the verb volo (velle): si vis vincere, "if you want to win."
2765. Ut vincas, disce pati; ut vivas, disce mori.
Note the parallel structure: vincas/vivas and pati/mori.
2766. Patitur qui vincit.
Like the previous saying, this proverb asserts the connection between victory and suffering. It is the motto of the Kinnaird family.
2767. Qui patitur, vincit.
This is the motto of the Latymer School in Edmonton, north London, England. Note the subtle difference in meaning between this saying and the saying you saw previously: Patitur qui vincit.
2768. Patientes vincunt.
This expresses the same idea as the previous saying, but this time with a participle, patientes, instead of a relative clause: patientes = qui patiuntur.
2769. Necessitas moram non patitur.
Note again that even though patitur is passive in form, it is transitive and can take a direct object: moram.
2770. Nemo sapiens nisi patiens.
Although sapiens is regularly listed as a separate word in the dictionary, this saying shows that it is indeed a present active participle, from the verb sapio.
2771. Patiens et fortis se ipsum felicem facit.
Note the double accusative with facit: se ipsum felicem facit, "makes himself (se ipsum) happy (felicem)."
2772. Patientes estote ad omnes.
The form estote is a plural future imperative, hence the plural adjective in the predicate: patientes.
2773. Disce patienter sustinere adversa.
The verb disce takes a complementary infinitive: sustinere, which is modified by the adverb patienter.
2774. Patior ut potiar.
[potior-verb: get possession of, become master of] This is the motto of Spotsylvania County in the state of Virginia.
2775. Summa cape, et medio potieris.
Note the future tense form, potieris, from the verb potior.
2776. Amare volo; potiri nolo.
Note the wonderful parallel structure: amare/potiri and volo/nolo.
2777. Vetitis potiri dulcius est.
[veto: forbid, prohibit, prevent] Here the infinitive potiri is functioning like a noun, and it takes an ablative complement: vetitis, "forbidden things."
2778. Ridendo dicere verum quid vetat?
Here you have a gerund in the ablative case, ridendo: "by laughing, with laughter, jokingly."
2779. Quod non est vetitum, licet.
This is very much the permission approach that I take in life generally: that which is not forbidden (quod non est vetitum), is permitted (licet).
2780. Non omnibus, quod libet, licet.
[libet: it pleases, is agreeable] This proverb plays on the difference between quod libet, what is pleasing, and quod licet, what is allowed.
2781. Non omne quod nitet aurum est.
[niteo: shine, glitter, be bright] Compare the famous English saying, made famous by Shakespeare: "All that glitters is not gold" (although Shakespeare may actually have written: "All that glisters is not gold").
2782. Argentum auro, utrumque virtuti cedit.
[uterque: each, either, both] Note the elaborate parallel structure in this little saying: Argentum auro (cedit), utrumque (=argentum et aurum) virtuti cedit.
2783. Utrumque vitium est: et omnibus credere et nulli.
Note that the two verb phrases, "omnibus credere" and "nulli credere," are acting as nouns here, coordinated by et...et... (both... and...).
2784. Inter utrumque tene; medio tutissimus ibis.
Note the future tense, ibis. The phrase "inter utrumque" is another way to say "medio" or "in medio."
2785. Uterque nostrum idem simul trahit iugum.
Note how the form "nostrum" is used as the genitive here for the pronoun "nos" - uterque nostrum, "both of us."
2786. Sorti aequus utrique.
This is a motto of the Maclean family. The two lots in life referred to here, sorti utrique, are what we would call "good luck" and "bad luck."
2787. Audi utramque partem, et recte iudica.
Notice how the word uterque declines: the uter- part changes (utram agrees with partem), while the -que does not change.
2788. Ex nido avem iudicamus.
[nidus: nest; dim. nidulus] Compare the saying you saw earlier about recognizing the bird by its song: E cantu cognoscitur avis.
2789. Qualis avis, talis nidus.
You have seen these qualis...talis sayings before, e.g. "Qualis vir, talis oratio."
2790. Parva avis, parvus nidus.
This is a specific example of the "Qualis avis, talis nidus" principle - you could likewise say, "Magna avis, magnus nidus."
2791. Omni avi, suus nidus pulcher.
Note the dative, omni avi. This saying is a variation on the basic "cuique suum" type of proverb, of which you have seen many examples, e.g. Suum cuique pulchrum videtur.
2792. Aestas non semper durabit; condite nidos.
There are many proverbs which rely on the metaphor of the passage of time, the "summer of life" and the "winter of life," to convey an important message.
2793. Lepus nidum suum prodit.
[lepus: hare, rabbit] If you want to learn more about this and other rabbit sayings, taking a look at the early 17th-century treatise Lagographia: Natura Leporum by Wolfgang Waldung.
2794. In pace leo, in bello lepus.
The rabbit was a proverbial coward in the ancient world, as you can see from the Aesop's fable about the rabbits and the frogs.
2795. Multitudo canum, mors leporis.
[multitudo: great number, multitude] Note the nice alliteration: multiudo...mors. You can also find the saying in this form, with pups instead of dogs: Excidium leporis, catulorum copia semper.
2796. Cedat unus multitudini.
Note the subjunctive, cedat: "Let the lone man give way..."
2797. Cedendum multitudini.
Here the impersonal gerundive expresess the idea of command or necessity: "You have to yield..." or "One must yield..."
2798. Multitudo pastorum perdit gregem.
[pastor: shepherd] Compare the English saying, "Too many cooks spoil the soup."
2799. Dum male pastori vadit, vadit male gregi.
The German humanist Heinrich Bebel included this saying in his Proverbia Germanica. He described it as "barbarissime versificatus" - the line is, in fact, a dactylic hexamter.
2800. Qualis grex, talis et pastor.
This is another of those qualis...talis proverbs. Note the adverbial use of et: talis et pastor, "so too is the shepherd."
Scala 57 (2801-2850)
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