IN ILLAUDATA LAU-
DANTES.

Praising the wrong things

Ingentes Galatum semerini [=semermi] milite turmas,
Spem praeter trepidus fuderat Antiochus.[1]
Lucarum cum saeva boum vis,[2] ira proboscis,
Tum primum[3] hostiles corripuisset equos.
Ergo trophea locans Elephantis imagine pinxit,
Insuper & sociis occideramus ait.
Bellua servasset ni nos foedissima barrus,
Ut superasse iuvat, sic superasse pudet.

Antiochus, in spite of his fears, had beyond all expectation routed the huge squadrons of Galatians with his light-armed troops, when the savage might of elephants, their raging and their trunks, for the first time ever fell upon the enemy’s cavalry. So when he set up the trophy, he adorned it with the picture of an elephant and furthermore said to his troops: “We would have fallen, if this revolting beast, the elephant, had not preserved us. Pleasing as it is to conquer, it is galling to conquer like this”.

In illaudata laudantes.

Praising the wrong things

Ingentes Galatûm semermi milite turmas.
Spem praeter trepidus fuderat Antiochus.[1]
Lucarum cùm saeva boum vis,[2] dira proboscis,
Tum primùm[3] hostiles corripuisset equos.
Ergo trophaea locans Elephantis imagine pinxit,
Insuper & sociis occideramus ait.
Bellua servasset ni nos foedissima barrus:
Ut superasse iuvat, sic superasse pudet.

Antiochus, in spite of his fears, had beyond all expectation routed the huge squadrons of Galatians with his light-armed troops, when the savage might of elephants, their raging and their trunks, for the first time ever fell upon the enemy’s cavalry. So when he set up the trophy, he adorned it with the picture of an elephant and furthermore said to his troops: “We would have fallen, if this revolting beast, the elephant, had not preserved us. Pleasing as it is to conquer, it is galling to conquer like this”.

Hoc Emblema sumptum est ex historia quae
habetur apud Clearchum Solensem,[4] qui de
varia historia non minus eleganter quàm eru-
ditè scripsit, in lib. 12 cap. 29. cuius haec sunt
verba: Antiochus Syriae Rex, cùm Galatas
  Link to an image of this page  [d8v p64]expugnare statuisset, copiosum exercitum col
legit tam ex militibus quàm Elephantibus
quibus tum temporis periculosis in bellis
utebantur. Galatae ubi primùm hostes semiar-
matos conspexere, victoriam sperantes non
dubitarunt cum Antiocho congredi, inito
certamine ferè actum erat de Antiocho, nisi
de-repente Elephanti quos secum solitus erat
in praelium proferre, hostium Galatarum
equos corripuissent ac in fugam vertissent,
quo insperato auxilio Antiochus Galatas
profligavit ac penitus subegit: quare cùm de
more trophaeum, id est victoriae signa locaret
Elephantis pinxit imaginem, Elephantibus po-
tius quàm sibi victoriam tribuens: haec ille.
Barrum Nonius Marcellus Elephantem dicit,
barrire enim proprium esse Elephantorum,
inquit M. Varro, quamvis Vegetius de re mi-
litari dicat barritum etiam esse clamorem Ro-
manorum militum cùm acies utraeque se iun-
xerint, Elephantos autem primum vidit Italia
Pyrrhi Epirotarum Regis bello, in Lucanis.
testis est Pomponius Letus.[5] Sunt autem Lu-
cani populi inter Calabros & Apulos siti, & à
Sabinis orti: & propterea Elephantos Boves
Lucas appellant, quòd maximam ea tempesta-
te quadrupedem quam haberent Bovem vo-
carent, & uti dictum, primùm in Lucania Ele-
phantum vidissent. Galatum pro Galatarum
  Link to an image of this page  [e1r p65]per syncopem dicit, sunt autem Galatae populi,
qui Galaciam habitant, quae Regio minoris
Asie est. Gallae olim ex Europa venientes haec
habitarunt regionem, unde Gallogrecia dicta
est. Autor est Fenestella.[6] Ad Gallatas scripsit
divus Paulus, maxima Ecclesiae tuba. Antio-
chus itaque militibus suis de victoria exultan-
tibus, perieramus, inquit, nisi nos Elephanti
beluae foedissimae servassent, quantum igitur
nos vicisse laetamur, tantum nos ignominio-
sae victoriae pudeat. Proboscis in Elephantos
manus dicitur quòd ea tanquam manu uta-
tur. Autor est Pompeius.