
IN AVAROS, VEL QUIBUS
melior conditio ab extraneis offertur.
On the avaricious; or being treated better by strangers.
Emblema 88.
Delphini insidens vada caerula sulcat Arion[1],
Hocque aures mulcet, fraenat & ora sono,[2]
Quam sit avari hominis non tam mens dira ferarum est:
Quique viris rapimur, piscibus eripimur.
Astride a dolphin, Arion cleaves the dark blue waves, and with this song charms the creature’s ears and muzzles its mouth: ‘The mind of wild beasts is not so savage as that of greedy man. We who are savaged by men are saved by fish’.
1. The crew of the ship on which the celebrated musician Arion was travelling, after robbing him, prepared to throw him overboard. He persuaded them to allow him to play his lyre for the last time. Then, after invoking the gods, he jumped into the sea, whereupon a music-loving dolphin conveyed him to land. See Aulus Gellius, Noctes Atticae 16.19.
2. Variant reading, et citharae mulcet ... sono, ‘and with the sound of the lyre charms ...’.
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Related Emblems

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Iconclass Keywords
Relating to the image:
- (story of) Arion suffering, misfortune of person from classical history [98B(ARION)6] Search | Browse Iconclass
- animal taking care of man [34F2] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Arion rides on a dolphin, holding his lyre [98B(ARION)51] Search | Browse Iconclass
- arm held downwards - AA - both arms or hands (+ holding something) [31AA2515(+933)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- arm raised upward (+ holding something) [31A2511(+933)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- being thrown [31A2735] Search | Browse Iconclass
- clouds [26A] Search | Browse Iconclass
- dress, gown (+ men's clothes) [41D211(+81)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- falling overboard (+ variant) [46C2923(+0)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- gripping someone by other parts of the body (+ relations with aggressive, hostile character (expressive connotations)) [31A2549(+92)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- groups of birds (+ flying animal(s)) [25F31(+5262)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- harp - CC - out of doors [48CC7322] Search | Browse Iconclass
- looking upwards [31B6211] Search | Browse Iconclass
- on the bridge (manoeuvering) [46C2851] Search | Browse Iconclass
- one person playing string instrument (plucked) - CC - out of doors [48CC7522] Search | Browse Iconclass
- prospect of city, town panorama, silhouette of city [25I12] Search | Browse Iconclass
- riding on animal other than horse, ass, or mule [46C132] Search | Browse Iconclass
- sailing-ship, sailing-boat (+ under way, at sea (~ travelling)) [46C24(+63)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- sea (seascape) [25H23] Search | Browse Iconclass
- singer accompanying himself - CC - out of doors [48CC7541] Search | Browse Iconclass
- swimming mammals: dolphin (+ animal with mouth wide open) [25F27(DOLPHIN)(+5733)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- swimming mammals: dolphin (+ postures of the head ~ animal) [25F27(DOLPHIN)(+54)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- wave [25H2311] Search | Browse Iconclass
Relating to the text:
- 'Ajuto', 'Soccorso' (Ripa) [33A610] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Greed, Covetousness, Cupidity; 'Cupidità ' (Ripa) (+ emblematical representation of concept) [55CC11(+4)] Search | Browse Iconclass
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