Section: FORTUNA (Fortune, good or bad). View all emblems in this section.
Link to an image of this page [I5v p138]
Bonis auspiciis incipiendum.
Begin with good auspices
Auspiciis res coepta malis, bene cedere nescit.
Felici quae sunt omine facta, iuvant.
Quicquid agis, mustella 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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- beasts of prey, predatory animals: weasel (+ animals used symbolically) [25F23(WEASEL)(+1)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- groups of plants (herbs) [25G13] Search | Browse Iconclass
- trees [25G3] Search | Browse Iconclass
- trees (+ stump, stub) [25G3(+211)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- low hill country [25H114] Search | Browse Iconclass
- city-walls [25I146] Search | Browse Iconclass
- clouds [26A] Search | Browse Iconclass
- arm raised upward [31A2511] Search | Browse Iconclass
- arm held downwards (+ holding something) [31A2515(+933)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- walking [31A2711] Search | Browse Iconclass
- gear for legs and feet (+ men's clothes) [41D233(+81)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- drapery, draped garment, 'Gewandgebung' [41D27] Search | Browse Iconclass
- flag, colours (as symbol of the state, etc.) [44A3] Search | Browse Iconclass
- the soldier; the soldier's life [45B] Search | Browse Iconclass
- helved weapons, polearms (for striking, hacking, thrusting): lance [45C14(LANCE)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- armour [45C22] Search | Browse Iconclass
- helmet [45C221] Search | Browse Iconclass
- sheep [47I213] Search | Browse Iconclass
- herding, herdsman, herdswoman, shepherd, shepherdess, cowherd, etc. [47I221] Search | Browse Iconclass
- herd, flock [47I2211] Search | Browse Iconclass
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- Bad Omen; 'Augurio cattivo' (Ripa) (+ symbolical representation of concept) [52E22(+3)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Start (+ emblematical representation of concept) [54DD3(+4):52E21(+4)] Search | Browse Iconclass
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Link to an image of this page [M5v p186]
Le glaive d’un furieux.
XXIII.
Ajax estant
parmi son troupeau porte soye,
Estime, en les tuant, tuer Grecs par la voye:[1]
Ainsi les porcs souffroyent, comme
hostie empruntee,
Au lieu d’Ulysse, & des principaux de
l’armee.
La fureur l’empeschoit de nuire à ses haineux,
Link to an image of this page []
Si qu’il tue & abbat ses porceaux au lieu d’eux.
Commentaires.
Advisons sur tout, que la cholere ne nous emporte,
& ne nous laissons point surmonter à icelle: car en
fin la cholere devient fureur & rage, laquelle ayant
pris place en nos coeurs, en chasse la raison, qui apres,
à grand’ peine y peut jamais rentrer. Ajax ayant
esté meschamment & à tort
condamné au plaidé des
armes d’Achilles, estant enflammé de rage, tue ses
propres porceaux, pensant tuer Agamemnon, Ulysse,
& les autres Grecs.
1. See [FALd038] for Ajax’ madness and suicide. In his madness, he slaughtered a herd of sheep, thinking them to be the Greeks. The two largest rams he took to be Agamemnon and Menelaus. See Zenobius, Proverbs, 1.43; Horace, Satires, 2.3.197-8; Erasmus, Adagia, 646 (Aiacis risus) - Erasmus makes the animals pigs, which Alciato here follows.
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- emotional illness, derangement, madness [31A464] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Europeans (with NAME) [32B311(GREEKS)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- hacking and thrusting weapons: sword (+ handling of weapons) [45C13(SWORD)(+63)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- pig (+ dying animal; death of animal; dead animal) [47I212(+963)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Ridiculousness (+ emblematical representation of concept) [52AA511(+4)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Fury; 'Furore', 'Furore implacabile', 'Furore & Rabbia', 'Furore superbo & Indomito' (Ripa) (+ emblematical representation of concept) [56E3(+4)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- madness of Ajax: he slaughters the Greek cattle [94G62] Search | Browse Iconclass
- (story of) Ulysses [95A(ULYSSES)] Search | Browse Iconclass
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