
Bonis auspiciis incipiendum.
Begin with good auspices
EMBLEMA CXXVII.
Auspiciis res coepta malis, bene cedere nescit.
Felici quae sunt omine facta, iuvant.
Quidquid agis, mustela tibi si occurrat, omitte:
Signa malae haec sortis bestia prava gerit.[1]
A business begun with bad auspices cannot turn out well. Things done with good omens bring happiness. Whatever you are doing, if a weasel crosses your path, abandon it. This evil creature bears signs of ill luck.
1. For the weasel as a creature of ill omen, see Erasmus, Adagia, 173, (Mustelam habes).
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- (high) hill [25H113] Search | Browse Iconclass
- prospect of city, town panorama, silhouette of city [25I12] Search | Browse Iconclass
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- walking [31A2711] Search | Browse Iconclass
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EMBLEMA CXCI [=190] .
Nihil reliqui.
Nothing left
Scilicet hoc deerat, post tot mala denique nostris
Locustae ut raperent, quicquid inesset agris.[1]
Vidimus innumeras Euro[2] duce tendere turmas:
Qualia non Atilae, castrave Xerxis erant.[3]
Hae foenum, milium, farra[4] omnia consumpserunt:
Spes & in angusto est, stant nisi vota super.
This was all it needed - that after so many misfortunes, finally locusts should seize whatever was in our fields. We have seen countless squadrons encamped, led by Eurus, hosts such as Attila and Xerxes never had. These creatures have eaten up all hay, millet and barley. There is little scope for hope unless our prayers prevail.

Das CXCI [=190] .
Alls verthon, nichts ubrigs.
Ich hör wol es hat an dem gfelt
Daß die Heuwschrecken unser Feld
Auffressen und blündertens Land
Nach soviel unglück das wir hand
Erlitten, wir haben gesehn
Das der Ostwind her hat thon wehn
Ein grössern hauffen den ghabt hat
Der Azel oder Xerxes drat
Die haben alles Heuw und dweid
Auffgefressen den Hirsch und das Gtreid
Die hoffnung wir jetzt haben klein
Nichts ubrigs dann das gbet allein.
1. Referring to a plague of locusts in North Italy in 1541/2 (as in the commentary).
2. Eurus was the wind from the East.
3. Attila the Hun and Xerxes, King of Persia, were leaders who invaded the Roman Empire and Greece with vast armies in mid fifth century AD and 480 BC respectively. Xerxes’ invasion and Attila’s first invasion both came from the east.
4. Variant reading: corda, ‘later crops’.
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