
Un n’est rien, deux est beaucoup.
CX.
Diomedes & Ulysses,
L’un fort, l’autre plein de prudence,[1]

Furent par Zenalis[2] tracés
En un tableau: pour demonstrance,
Qu’un homme fort sans providence,
Et le sage, sans force adextre,
Ne font cas de grande evidence:
Pource faut ces deux ensemble estre.[3]
commentaires.
Zenalis, excellent peintre, peignit en un mesme
tableau Ulysse, fils de Laërte, & Diomoede, fils de
Tydee. Le premier estoit doué d’un merveilleuse-
ment bel esprit, & d’une prudence insigne: mais Dio-
mede estoit vaillant & puissant
guerrier. Toutesfois
pas un des deux ne se pouvoit passer de l’aide de son
compagnon. Car à grand’ peine
pourra vaincre, celuy
qui n’a que la seule force, s’il n’a aussi la prudence:
non plus que celuy qui sera sage & prudent, mais
sans aucune force du corps. Pour obtenir la victoire,
Link to an image of this page [L2r p163]
il faut que les deux soyent joincts ensemble. Ulysse
fut le plus caut, le plus inventif, & le plus disert de
tous les Grecs qui allerent à la guerre de Troye. Et Dio-
mede estoit muni de telle force,
qu’apres Achille &
Ajax il l’emportoit sur tous les autres: aussi eut-il plu-
sieurs duels avec les plus forts des Troyens: & entre
autres un contre Enee, lequel estant secouru par Venus
sa mere, qui le vouloit couvrir, elle fut blecee par Dio-
mede, auquel pour vengeance elle fit porter les cornes.
1. (The cunning) Odysseus and (the strong) Diomedes. They collaborated in a successful night raid raid into Troy, for which see Homer, Iliad 10.218ff. See further Erasmus, Adagia 2051, Duobus pariter euntibus. (This title translates Iliad 10.224)
2. Two unidentified busts signed by Zenas are in the Capitoline Museum in Rome. Two sculptors of the second, or third century AD, possibly father and son, are known by this name.
3. Cf. Horace, Odes 3.4.65: force without counsel is destroyed by its own might.
Related Emblems
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Relating to the image:
- (story of) Ulysses specific aspects, allegorical aspects, as patron of [95A(ULYSSES)7] Search | Browse Iconclass
- adult man [31D14] Search | Browse Iconclass
- arm held downwards (+ holding something) [31A2515(+933)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- arm stretched forward (+ addressing) [31A2512(+932)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- arm stretched forward (+ holding something) [31A2512(+933)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- armour [45C22] Search | Browse Iconclass
- beard [31A534] Search | Browse Iconclass
- casting weapons: spear [45C11(SPEAR)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Diomedes specific aspects, allegorical aspects, as patron of [95A(DIOMEDES)7] Search | Browse Iconclass
- drapery, draped garment, 'Gewandgebung' (+ men's clothes) [41D27(+81)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- dress, gown (+ men's clothes) [41D211(+81)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- gear for legs and feet (+ men's clothes) [41D233(+81)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- hacking and thrusting weapons: sword [45C13(SWORD)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- helmet [45C221] Search | Browse Iconclass
- index finger forwards, pointing, indicating (+ addressing) [31A25552(+932)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- old man [31D16] Search | Browse Iconclass
- one leg in front of the other, walking position (+ standing) [31A26211(+51)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- prospect of city, town panorama, silhouette of city [25I12] Search | Browse Iconclass
- protective weapons: shield [45C19(SHIELD)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- ruin of a building ~ architecture [48C149] Search | Browse Iconclass
- scroll [49L71] Search | Browse Iconclass
- standing or leaning with both legs straight, side by side, feet flat on the ground (+ standing) [31A26111(+51)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Ulysses and Diomedes raid the Trojan lines at night (+ variant) [94F62(+0)] Search | Browse Iconclass
Relating to the text:
- Counsel; 'Consiglio' (Ripa) [52E3] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Intellect, Intelligence; 'Intelletto', 'Intelligenza' (Ripa) (+ emblematical representation of concept) [52A1(+4)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- male persons from classical history (with NAME) [98B(ZENAS)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Necessity of Mutual Co-operation (+ emblematical representation of concept) [54E11(+4)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Strength, Power; 'Fortezza', 'Fortezza d'Animo e di corpo', 'Fortezza del corpo congiunta con la generosit� dell'animo', 'Fortezza & valore del corpo congiunto con la prudenza & virt� del animo', 'Forza' (Ripa) (+ emblematical representation of conce [54A7(+4)] Search | Browse Iconclass
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