Link to an image of this page [E6v f25v]
EMBLEMA XXXVII.
Νῆφε,
καὶ
μέμνησ’ἀπιστεῖν.
ἄρθρα
ταῦτα τῶν
φρενῶν.
Live soberly, do not believe readily. These are the sinews of the mind.
Sobriè vivendum & non temerè cre-
dendum.
Live soberly: do not believe readily.
Link to an image of this page [E7r f26r]
Ne credas, ne Epicharmus ait[1], non sobrius esto,
Hi nervi humanae membraque mentis erunt.
Ecce oculata manus[2] credens id quod videt: Ecce
Pulegium, antiquae sobrietatis olus:
Quo turbam ostenso sedaverit Heraclitus,[3]
Mulxerit & tumida seditione gravem.
Don’t give easy credence; don’t be intemperate. So said Epicharmus, and these maxims will prove the sinews and limbs of man’s mind. See here a hand with an eye, believing what it can see. See the pennyroyal, the plant of ancient soberness. By showing it, Heraclitus calmed the mob and milked it when heavy with bursting sedition
Das XXXVII.
Biß nüchter, glaub nit schnell, gedenck
Das seind deß Gmüts band und glenck.
Mann sol nüchter leben und nicht zu
bald glauben.
Nit all zu gach zu glauben sey
Halt dich darzu nüchter dabey
Das seind deß Menschlichen Gmüts band
Wie Epicharmus sagt und pfand
Schauw in der Hand die Augen stond
Nichts das was sehen glauben thond
Schauw an die Poley wolgestalt
Ein Kreutlin der nüchterkeit alt
Welches der Heraclitus zeigt
Damit ein grossen hauffen gschweigt
Und stillt die erregt hetten schon
Ein schwer auffruhr angfangen thon.
1. Epicharmus ait, ‘So said Epicharmus’. The saying is quoted in Polybius, The Histories, 18.40.
2. oculata manus, ‘a hand with an eye’. See Plautus, Asinaria, 202: ‘our hands always have eyes - seeing is believing for them’; Erasmus, Adagia, 73 (Oculatae manus).
3. Corrected from the errata; turbam...sedaverit Heraclitus, ‘Heraclitus calmed the mob’. For this incident concerning the sixth-century BC philosopher Heraclitus, see Plutarch, De garrulitate, 511C: when faced with a discordant mob, Heraclitus said nothing but took a cup of cold water, sprinkled on barley-meal and stirred it with a sprig of pennyroyal. Pennyroyal represents modest fare, contentment and control. Cf. Emblem 185 ([A67a051]), line 8. Heraclitus lived on a diet of herbs. For his pessimistic view of life see Emblem 150 ([A67a155]).
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Relating to the image:
- plants and herbs: pennyroyal (+ plants used symbolically) [25G4(PENNYROYAL)(+1)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- plants and herbs: pennyroyal (+ leaves, putting forth leaves) [25G4(PENNYROYAL)(+33)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- river bank [25H217] Search | Browse Iconclass
- landscape with ruins [25I9] Search | Browse Iconclass
- clouds [26A] Search | Browse Iconclass
- eyes [31A2212] Search | Browse Iconclass
- hand [31A2245] Search | Browse Iconclass
- floating in the air (+ variant) [31A2763(+0)] Search | Browse Iconclass
Relating to the text:
- Precaution (+ emblematical representation of concept) [52A24(+4)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Folly, Foolishness; 'Pazzia', 'Sciocchezza', 'Stoltitia' (Ripa) [52AA51] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Carefulness, Diligence; 'Diligenza' (Ripa) (+ emblematical representation of concept) [54A2(+4)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Temperance, Moderation; 'Misura' (Ripa) (+ emblematical representation of concept) [54A43(+4)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- male persons from classical history (with NAME) representations to which the NAME of a person from classical history may be attached [98B(EPICHARMUS)3] Search | Browse Iconclass
- (story of) Heraclitus, the philosopher representations to which the NAME of a person from classical history may be attached [98B(HERACLITUS)3] Search | Browse Iconclass
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