Single Emblem View

« Previous EmblemNext Emblem »
Link to an image of this page  Link to an image of this page  [O1v p210]

Concordia.

Concord

EMBLEMA XXXIX.

Two armoured soldiers shaking hands in front of tents
[Click on image to enlarge]

In bellum civile duces cùm Roma pararet,
Viribus & caderet Martia terra[1] suis:[2]
Mos fuit in partes turmis coeuntibus easdem,
Coniunctas dextras[3] mutua dona dari.
Foederis haec species: id habet concordia signum,
Ut quos iungit amor, iungat & ipsa manus.

When Rome was marshalling her generals to fight in civil war and that martial land was being destroyed by her own might, it was the custom for squadrons coming together on the same side to exchange joined right hands as gifts. This is a token of alliance; concord has this for a sign - those whom affection joins the hand joins also.

Notes:

1.  ‘Martial land’, a reference not only to Rome’s bellicose history but to the legend that Rome’s founder Romulus was the son of Mars, the god of war.

2.  Cf. Horace, Epodes 16.2, ‘Rome is being destroyed by her own might’ (written during the civil conflicts of 41 BC).

3.  These were fashioned in some kind of metal for use as tokens of friendship; see e.g. Tacitus, The Histories 1.54 and 2.8, (referring to another time of civil conflict, 69 - 70 AD). Alciato worked on the text of Tacitus and wrote some annotations.

« Previous EmblemNext Emblem »

Related Emblems

Show related emblems Show related emblems

Hint: You can set whether related emblems are displayed by default on the preferences page

Iconclass Keywords

Relating to the image:

Relating to the text:

Hint: You can turn translations and name underlining on or off using the preferences page.

Single Emblem View

« Previous EmblemNext Emblem »

Section: CONCORDE. View all emblems in this section.

Link to an image of this page  Link to an image of this page  [E1r p65]

Un ne peut rien: Deux peuvent beaucoup.

A soldier and an old man carrying a large book meeting on a road.
[Click on image to enlarge]

Zenal tailla double image,[1] qui semble
Diomedes, & Ulysses ensemble.[2]
L’Un vault en force, & l’autre en bon conseil.
L’un ne peut rien, sans l’autre son pareil.
Quand ilz sont joinctz: victoire est seure, en somme.
Car ou l’esprit, ou la main fault à l’homme.

Force de corps ha besoing de conduycte d’esprit,
Et le bon esprit ha besoin de puissance, & adresse
de corps, pour executer grandes choses.

Notes:

1.  Two unidentified busts signed by Zenas are in the Capitoline Museum in Rome. Two sculptors of the second, or third century AD, possibly father and son, are known by this name.

2.   Odysseus and Diomedes collaborated in a successful night raid raid into Troy, for which see Homer, Iliad 10.218ff. See further Erasmus, Adagia 2051, ‘Duobus pariter euntibus’. (This title translates Iliad 10.224, a line which appears in Greek in the woodcut)

« Previous EmblemNext Emblem »

Related Emblems

Show related emblems Show related emblems

Hint: You can set whether related emblems are displayed by default on the preferences page

Iconclass Keywords

Relating to the image:

Relating to the text:

Hint: You can turn translations and name underlining on or off using the preferences page.

 

Back to top