
Littera occidit, spiritus vivificat.[1]
The letter kills but the spirit gives life
Emblema clxxxv.
Vipereos Cadmus dentes ut credidit arvis,
Sevit & Aonio semina dira solo:
Terrigenûm clypeata cohors exorta virorum est,
Hostili inter se qui cecidere manu.
Evasere quibus monitu Tritonidos armis
Abiectis data pax, dextráque iuncta fuit.[2]
Primus Agenorides[3] elementa, notasque magistris
Tradidit, iis suavem iunxit & harmoniam.[4]
Quorum discipulos contraria plurima vexant,
Non nisi Palladia quae dirimuntur ope.
When Cadmus entrusted the dragon’s teeth to the furrows and sowed the dread seed in Aonian [Theban] soil, there sprang up a shield-bearing band of earth-born men, who fell by fighting among themselves. Those escaped who at Tritonia’s [Athena’s] command threw down their arms, granted peace and joined right hands. Agenor’s son first gave to teachers letters and symbols and also put together for them sweet musical concord. Many adversities assail those who follow these disciplines, adversities which are resolved only by Pallas Athena’s aid.

CAdmi haec fabula commodè traducitur in literarum
& literatorum conditionem. Cadmus enim dicitur è
Phoenicia in Graeciam literas primus attulisse: dra-
conem sontis Castalii[5] custodem interfecisse, ex cu-
ius dentibus humo mandatis, & tanquam iactis se-
minibus, feruntur armati milites exiliisse, sese mu-
tuò confecisse, & in mutuam quasi perniciem con-
spirasse: tamen Minervae consilio in gratiam rediisse.
Quod omnino vel de sermone, vel de contentioni-
bus studiosorum atque philologorum est intelligen-
dum. Sermonem enim dictum esse à serendis verbis
Grammatici veteres notant: qui sermo primùm se-
decim literis constabat (tot verò sunt draconum
dentes) quae literae, seu notae literarum mutuò se con-
ficiunt, neque in gratiam redire possunt, nisi vocales
consonantibus, animae vice sint adiectae. Hastas ar-
matorum possumus traducere ad accentuum, seu
spirituum notas, quae non nisi Palladis, id est ra-
tionis & intelligentiae beneficio cohiberi, & quasi in
gratiam redire possunt. Quod si hoc referamus ad
doctorum hominum contentiones, facilè observa-
bimus ex Draconis, id est philosophiae satis denti-
bus, nempe libris editis, magnas oriri rixas & dispu-
tationum labyrinthos: quae certè lites terminari vix
posse videntur, nisi divini numinis afflatus aliquis
accesserit.

La lettre occit, l’esprit vivifie.
CAdmus ayant semé l’engeance malefique
Des dents du grand Dragon, au terroir Thessalique,
Sortit bien tost apres du fonds ainsi semé
Une bande de gens, un squadron tout armé,
Qui ne s’accordans point, soudain s’entredeffirent:
Mais aucuns du conflit eschappez la paix firent,
Se touchans en la main & se tendans les bras,
Suyvant l’advis plus seur de la docte Pallas.
Cadmus est le premier qui enseigna les lettres,
Et les arts liberaux à ceux qu’ilre ndit [=qu’il rendit]
maistres,
Et si les assembla par amyable accord:
Desquels les auditeurs se mettent en discord,
Et se picquans souvent point ne se veulent rendre
Et jamais sans Pallas ne se peuvent entendre.

LA fable de Cadmus peut estre commo-
dement rapportee à la condition de let-
tres & lettrez. Car on dit que Cadmus fut le
premier qui apporta les lettres de Phenicie
en la Grece, qui tua le dragon, gardien de la
fontaine Castalienne, des dents duquel mises
en la terre, & comme semees, on tient que gendar-
mes armez sortirent, qui s’entretuerent, comme
ayans conspiré la mort les uns des aultres[6]: en
fin toutesfois s’accorderent suyvans l’advis de
Minerve. Ce que peut estre entendu de la pa-
role, ou des piques qui entreviennent entre
gens de sçavoir. Car la parole, est dicte sermo
en Latin, à serendis verbis, c’est à dire, parce que
les mots y sont comme semez, ainsi que l’ont
enseigné les anciens Grammariens: laquelle pa-
role estoit jadis comprinse en 16. lettres (or est
il que les dragons ont autant de dents) lesquelles
lettres se tuent l’une l’autre & ne peuvent ja-
mais tomber d’accord, si les voyelles ne sont
accommodees aux consonnes, qui servent comme
d’ames au corps. Les lances & picques des hom-
mes armez, sont icy les accents, ou les notes
des esprits, qu’on appelle, que sont les aspira
tions, qui jamais ne se peuvent entendre, & ve
nire a un bon acord, sinon par le moyen de Pallas,
c’est à dire, de la raison & intelligence. Que si
nous rapportons cecy aux contentions & disputes
des hommes doctes, nous remarquerons bien ai-
sement que beaucoup de grans altercats viennent
des dents semees du dragon, c’est de la Philoso-
phie, & livres mis en lumiere: lequelles dis
putes contentieuses à peine peuvent prendre fin,
sinon que quelque divine inspiration entrevienne.
1. II Corinthians 3:6.
2. For the story of Cadmus, founder of Thebes (in Aonia, or less correctly in the French, in Thessaly), and the dragon’s teeth, see Ovid, Metamorphoses, 3.99ff. Athena, goddess of wisdom - here called Tritonia, from the place of her birth in North Africa - brought the internecine struggle between the earth-born warriors to an end.
3. Agenorides, ‘Agenor’s son’, i.e. Cadmus, who supposedly introduced writing to Greece. The scattering of the dragon’s teeth was interpreted as the invention of the alphabet.
4. harmoniam, ‘musical concord’. Cadmus’ wife was called Harmonia.
5. The Castallian fountain, originally a nymph turned into a fountain or a spring by Apollo, was on Mount Parnassus, guarded by a dragon, and sacred to the Muses.
6. Corrected from the Errata.
Related Emblems
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Relating to the image:
- adult man [31D14] Search | Browse Iconclass
- agricultural implements: plough [47I15(PLOUGH)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- arm held downwards [31A2515] Search | Browse Iconclass
- arm stretched forward [31A2512] Search | Browse Iconclass
- beard [31A534] Search | Browse Iconclass
- clothes covering the entire body (+ men's clothes) [41D213(+81)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- clouds [26A] Search | Browse Iconclass
- cultivated land [25H18] Search | Browse Iconclass
- dragon (large fabulous serpent, sometimes with wings and legs) (+ anatomy of animals) [25FF422(+73):31A2363] Search | Browse Iconclass
- dragon (large fabulous serpent, sometimes with wings and legs) (+ dying animal; death of animal; dead animal) [25FF422(+763)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- gear for legs and feet (+ men's clothes) [41D233(+81)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- landscape with tower or castle [25I5] Search | Browse Iconclass
- looking over the shoulder [31A247] Search | Browse Iconclass
- low hill country [25H114] Search | Browse Iconclass
- on Minerva's advice, Cadmus sows the dragon's teeth; a host of armed men springs up [95A(CADMUS)35] Search | Browse Iconclass
- one leg in front of the other (+ standing) [31A2621(+51)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- ploughing [47I123] Search | Browse Iconclass
- sowing [47I131] Search | Browse Iconclass
- walking [31A2711] Search | Browse Iconclass
Relating to the text:
- 'litterae', symbolic representations, allegories and emblems ~ literature; 'Lettere' (Ripa) [48C90] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Accord, Accordance (+ emblematical representation of concept) [54E3(+4)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Cadmus slays the dragon [95A(CADMUS)34] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Cadmus' companions, sent to fetch water, are slain by the dragon which guarded the spring [95A(CADMUS)33] Search | Browse Iconclass
- discussion, dialogue, dispute ~ scholar, philosopher [49C40] Search | Browse Iconclass
- geographical names of countries, regions, mountains, rivers, etc. (names of cities and villages excepted) (with NAME) [61D(THESSALIA)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- invention of letters [49L10] Search | Browse Iconclass
- music [48C7] Search | Browse Iconclass
- names of cities and villages (with NAME) [61E(THEBES)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- professor [49B43] Search | Browse Iconclass
- proverbs, sayings, etc. (with TEXT) [86(LA LETTRE OCCIT: L'ESPRIT VIVIFIE)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- proverbs, sayings, etc. (with TEXT) [86(LITERA OCCIDIT: SPIRITUS VIVIFICAT)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- symbolic representations, allegories and emblems ~ science, 'Scientia'; 'Scienza', 'Studio' (Ripa) [49C0] Search | Browse Iconclass
- the liberal arts, 'Artes Liberales' [49C1] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Wisdom; 'Sapienza', 'Sapienza humana', 'Sapienza vera' (Ripa) (+ emblematical representation of concept) [52A51(+4)] Search | Browse Iconclass
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