
REVERENTIAM IN MATRIMO
NIO REQUIRI .
Respect is required in marriage

Cum furit in Venerem, pelagi se in littore sistit,
Vipera, & ab stomacho dira venena vomit.
Murenamque ciens ingentia sybila tollit,
At subito amplexus appetit illa viri.[1]
Maxima debetur thalamo reverentia, coniunx,
Alterum debet coniugi & obsequium.
When the viper is sexually aroused, it stations itself on the seashore and ejects the dread poisons from its gut. To summon the moray eel, it raises a loud hissing, and suddenly she comes to the embrace of her mate. - Great reverence is owed to the marriage bed, and the partners owe each other mutual respect.
1. For the mating of the viper with the moray eel, see Pliny, Natural History 9.39.76; Aelian, De natura animalium 1.50; 9.66. The viper spits out the poison in order to be gentle and safe for the union.
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Iconclass Keywords
Relating to the image:
- animals courting [25F(+431)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- snakes: viper (+ animals courting) [25F42(VIPER)(+431)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- snakes: viper (+ poison ~ product of animal) [25F42(VIPER)(+92)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- fishes [25F6] Search | Browse Iconclass
- eels (with NAME) (+ postures of the head ~ animal) [25F63(MURAENA)(+54)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- trees [25G3] Search | Browse Iconclass
- trees (+ stump, stub) [25G3(+211)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- water course [25H21] Search | Browse Iconclass
- river [25H213] Search | Browse Iconclass
- river bank [25H217] Search | Browse Iconclass
Relating to the text:
- bed [41A761] Search | Browse Iconclass
- marriage, married couple, 'matrimonium' [42D3] Search | Browse Iconclass
- 'Castità matrimoniale', 'Fede maritale', 'Matrimonio' (Ripa) [42D30] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Compliance (+ emblematical representation of concept) [54E32(+4)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Respect, Reverence, Esteem (+ emblematical representation of concept) [57B2(+4)] Search | Browse Iconclass
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