Link to an image of this page [Ddd5v f397v as 395]
IUSTA ULTIO.
Just revenge
Emblema 171
Raptabat volucres captum pede corvus in auras
Scorpion, audaci praemia parta gulae.
Ast ille infuso sensim[1] per membra veneno
Raptorem in stygias compulit ultor aquas.
O risu res digna. aliis qui fata parabat,
Ipse perit, propriis subcubuitque dolis.[2]
A raven was carrying off into the flying winds a scorpion gripped in its talons, a prize won for its audacious gullet. But the scorpion, injecting its poison drop by drop through the raven’s limbs, despatched the predator to the waters of the Styx and so took its revenge. - What a laughable thing! The one who was preparing death for others himself perishes and has succumbed to his own wiles.
1. Corrected by hand in the Glasgow copy.
2. This is a fairly free translation of Anthologia graeca 9.339. See Erasmus, Adagia 58, Cornix scorpium, where the Greek epigram is again translated.
To view the commentary for this emblem, press the link to the facsimile image of this page above, and thereafter use the 'Next facsimile' and 'Previous facsimile' links to navigate through the commentary.
Related Emblems
Show related emblemsHint: You can set whether related emblems are displayed by default on the preferences page
Iconclass Keywords
Relating to the image:
- clouds [26A] Search | Browse Iconclass
- dale, valley [25H12] Search | Browse Iconclass
- plants and herbs [25G4] Search | Browse Iconclass
- scorpions (+ animal(s) attacking) [25F715(+512)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- scorpions (+ animal(s) being hit, shot, caught) [25F715(+621)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- song-birds: raven (+ animal with prey) [25F32(RAVEN)(+452)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- song-birds: raven (+ animal(s) being wounded) [25F32(RAVEN)(+62)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- trees (+ stem, trunk) [25G3(+21)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- trees (+ stump, stub) [25G3(+211)] Search | Browse Iconclass
Relating to the text:
- Cunning, Slyness; 'Astutia ingannevole' (Ripa) [57AA613] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Mockery, Derision, Irreverence; 'Derisione', 'Dispreggio della Virtù' (Ripa) [57BB2] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Revenge, Requital, Retaliation; 'Vendetta' (Ripa) (+ emblematical representation of concept) [57AA741(+4):52B5111(+4)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- scorpions (+ poison ~ product of animal) [25F715(+92)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Styx (river of Hades); 'Stige' (Ripa) [9.30E+22] Search | Browse Iconclass
Hint: You can turn translations and name underlining on or off using the preferences page.
