Sunday, August 21, 2011

Scala 60 (2951-3000)

<== Go back to Scala 59 (2901-2950)

(click image for a larger view)


2951. Fatum immutabile.

This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 3.9.53.


2952. Diverso tempore, diversa fata.

[diversus: separate, different, diverse] This saying has been used as the title of an epigram: Tempus idem non est, vario pro tempore fata / Mutantur, pluviis proxima sole dies.


2953. Natura diverso gaudet.

You can find this same idea expressed in many forms: natura agit ad opulentiam, non ad paupertatem; natura ludit in individuis, etc.


2954. Diversos diversa iuvant.

Compare the alius...alius type of sayings which you have seen before; the idea here is the same: "Different things please different people."


2955. Diversi diversa putant.

[puto: think, reckon; prune, trim] This follows the same model as the preceding saying: "Different people (diversi) think different things (diversa)."


2956. Quod senior loquitur, omnes consilium putant.

As often, the antecedent of the relative pronoun is not expressed: (Hoc), quod senior loquitur...


2957. Stultus quoque, si tacuerit, sapiens putabitur.

The saying is from the Biblical book of Proverbs, 17.


2958. Semper iratus plus se posse putat quam possit.

This is one of the sayings attributed to Publilius Syrus.


2959. Homo sum: humani nil a me alienum puto.

The words are from Terence's Heauton Timorumenos.


2960. Humani nihil a te alienum putes.

These words are a variation on the previous saying, with the subjunctive, putes, serving as a type of command: "You should think..."


2961. Doctus nemo satis se didicisse putet.

Note the subjunctive, putet: "No learned man should think that..."


2962. Non est sapientis dicere: non putabam.

Note the genitive plus infinitive construction, which we would probably render in English as, "A wise man does not say..." or "It is not for a wise man to say..."


2963. Male vivunt qui se semper victuros putant.

The saying is one of those collected by Publilius Syrus.


2964. Singulos dies singulas vitas puta.

[singulus: one each, apiece, every, single] The words are from one of the letters of Seneca, 101.


2965. Singula regio habet suos cantus.

[regio: area, region, country] This is one of the sayings collected by Polydorus.


2966. Regio quaeque suis utitur legibus.

Note how the ablative complement, suis legibus, wraps around its verb: utitur.


2967. Omnibus licet esse lupos in regione luporum.

The verb licet introduces a dative and an infinitive construction: omnibus licet, "it is permitted to all," esse lupos, "to be wolves."


2968. Quot regiones, tot mores.

This is one of those correlative quot...tot sayings that you have seen before, e.g. "Quot servi, tot hostes,""Quot homines, tot sententiae," etc.


2969. Cuius regio, illius et religio.

[religio: worship, rite, religion] Note the adverbial use of "et" here, meaning something like "even" or "also."


2970. Homo sine religione sicut equus sine freno.

You can find this same metaphor used for similar expressions, such as: Claustrum absque observatione silentii est velut equus sine freno.


2971. Frenis saepe repugnat equus.

[repugno: fight back, oppose] Note that the verb repugno takes a dative complement: frenis.


2972. Fato non repugnandum.

This is one of the sayings Erasmus included in his Adagia, 5.1.90.


2973. Necessitati nec deus ipse repugnat.

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


2974. Necessitati ne dii quidem ipsi repugnant.

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


2975. Facile vincere non repugnantes.

In English, we would probably use a relative clause to express the idea conveyed by the Latin participle: non repugnantes, "people who do not fight back."


2976. Laesa saepius repugnat ovis.

[laedo: strike, injure, wound] Note here that the comparative form of the adverb expresses the idea of "very often" or "extremely often." You can also find a similar idea in the words of the poet Propertius: verum etiam instanti laesa repugnat ovis.


2977. Mala lingua plus gladio laedit.

Note that mala lingua is in the ablative case, just as the word gladio is; the subject is not expressed. Compare this version in which a subject is expressed: Plus gladio mendax offendit lingua minaci.


2978. Laedi possum, vinci non possum.

Note the parallel use of the passive infinitives: laedi/vinci.


2979. Miserius est nocere quam laedi.

The comparative adjective here is in the neuter form, agreeing with the infinitive subject, nocere.


2980. Nemo laeditur nisi a se ipso.

The saying is attributed to John Chrysostum.


2981. Quod nimium est, laedit.

Compare the earlier sayings you saw that warned against excess, e.g. "Omne nimium non bonum."


2982. Odimus quem laesimus.

Note that laesimus is perfect: we hate the man whom we have injured (at some point in the past).


2983. Neminem laede.

Here is a fuller form of the saying: Neminem laede, immo omnes, quantum potes, iuva.


2984. Honeste vivere, alterum non laedere, suum cuique tribuere.

[tribuo: assign, bestow, divide] This series of infinitives is a legal maxim in Latin, found in the Digesta 1.1.10.


2985. Non omnia omnibus tribuenda sunt, sed suum cuique.

Note the use of the gerundive to express necessity; the neuter plural form agrees with the subject: omnia.


2986. Suum cuique tribue.

Here you see the imperative being used to express a command: tribue.


2987. Ius suum unicuique tribue.

This legal maxim is a good reminder that the noun ius is one of those sneaky third-declension nouns ending in -us which is neuter in gender: ius suum.


2988. Dormit aliquando ius; moritur numquam.

[aliquando: sometimes, at any time, ever] Note the elegant parallel structure: dormit/moritur, aliquando/numquam.


2989. Dormiunt aliquando leges, numquam moriuntur.

This is a variation on the previous saying, this time with leges instead of ius.


2990. Melior aliquando quam numquam.

This saying shows that any two things can be compared with quam; here you have two adverbs being compared: aliquando and numquam.


2991. Praestat aliquando quam numquam.

As you have seen before, the verb praestat can introduce a comparison, in the sense of something, "outstanding" in the sense of standing farther out in front.


2992. Laedere qui potuit, prodesse aliquando valebit.

Note that the antecedent of the relative pronoun, as often, is not expressed: (Is), laedere qui potuit, ...


2993. Ex bono aliquando sequitur malum.

This is one of those paradoxical proverbs; you have seen many proverbs about how like gives rise to like, but here, paradoxically, out of good can come something bad.


2994. Ut mala vitentur, aliquando vera tacentur.

This is one of the sayings collected by Wegeler, 1412. Note the internal rhyme: vitentur-tacentur.


2995. Nulla medicina aliquando optima medicina.

Compare the saying you saw earlier: Optima medicina nulla uti medicina.


2996. Remedium aliquando peius est quam malum.

This saying goes along with the idea of the previous saying: if the cure really is worse than the illness, then no medicine might indeed be best!


2997. Ioco vir verum fert aliquando.

[iocus: joke, jest] You can also find the saying in this fuller form: Ludo sive ioco vir verum fert aliquando.


2998. Iocos et dii amant.

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


2999. Misce iocis seria.

[serius: grave, serious, important] Compare the similar notion of "Dulce et utile."


3000. Post ludos ad seria.

[ludus: game, play, pastime, school] Here the idea is not so much of mixing but of sequencing: first the fun, then you get around to more serious matters.



No comments: