
LA MAJESTE DE DIEU
est à tous inscrutable.
Il est bien dangereux d’esplucher trop avant
L’inscrutable secret de la saincte parolle.
Il faut discretement entrer en ceste escolle;
Ou le plus curieux se faict le moins sçavant.
Et ceux sont opprimez de la gloire souvent
Qui sondent trop de prés, d’une esprouvette molle,
La Majesté de Dieu. Les mysteres du pole
Nostre humaine raison vont tousjours decevant.
Promethé pour avoir l’ame trop curieuse,
Endure sur Caucas la pince furieuse
Dé [=De]
l’Aigle, qui se paist de son coeur renaissant.
Contentons nous d’avoir la permise science
De ce qui n’est caché. Du surplus, l’ignorance
Est sainctement loüable; & plaist au tout-puissant.

Ad Michaelem Cormaeum Paxium Pannonium.[1]
Periculosa scrutatio
Searching is dangerous
ESt divinorum scrutatio plena periclis:
Sacra lege: ulterius te Deus ire vetat.
Ausus rimari Divorum arcana Prometheus
Caucaseam lacero viscere pavit avem.
Examination/searching of divine things is full of dangers; by sacred law God forbids you to go too far. Prometheus, daring to pry into the secrets of the gods was terrified by the Caucasian bird, his entrails torn to pieces.
1. Mihály Cormaeus de Paks, a Hungarian who lived in Padua when Boissard did; a Calvinist minister (d. 1585).
Iconclass Keywords
Relating to the image:
- 'for men to search their own glory is not glory [71Y1(Prov. 25:27)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- adult man [31D14] Search | Browse Iconclass
- an eagle tears at Prometheus' liver [91E4611] Search | Browse Iconclass
- animals threatening man [34F1] Search | Browse Iconclass
- book [49M32] Search | Browse Iconclass
- city-view in general; 'veduta' [25I1] Search | Browse Iconclass
- clouds [26A] Search | Browse Iconclass
- dress, gown [41D211] Search | Browse Iconclass
- globe [25A13] Search | Browse Iconclass
- grave, tomb [42E31] Search | Browse Iconclass
- holding something «« KEY (933) TO 31B6 morphology of human expression [31B6(+933)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- inscription [49L8] Search | Browse Iconclass
- intestines [31A2234] Search | Browse Iconclass
- low hill country [25H114] Search | Browse Iconclass
- lying figure [31A236] Search | Browse Iconclass
- lying on one side, with uplifted upper part of the body and leaning on the arm [31A2364] Search | Browse Iconclass
- pedestal of a piece of sculpture (perhaps in the form of a herm) [48C244] Search | Browse Iconclass
- predatory birds (with NAME) [25F33(EAGLE)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- rain [26B] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Roman script; scripts based on the Roman alphabet [49L12] Search | Browse Iconclass
- the (nude) human figure; 'Corpo humano' (Ripa) [31A] Search | Browse Iconclass
- trees [25G3] Search | Browse Iconclass
Relating to the text:
- Curiosity, Inquisitiveness, Desire of Knowledge; 'Curiosit?' (Ripa) [52A12] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Danger; 'Pericolo' (Ripa) [54DD51] Search | Browse Iconclass
- geographical names of countries, regions, mountains, rivers, etc. (names of cities and villages excepted) (with NAME) [61D(CAUCASUS)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- God the Father [11C] Search | Browse Iconclass
- holding something «« KEY (933) TO 31B6 morphology of human expression [31B6(+933)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Ignorance; 'Ignoranza', 'Ignoranza di tutte le cose', 'Ignoranza in un ricco senza lettere' (Ripa) [52AA5] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Mortality, Extinction of Life [58BB1] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Presumption [52BB4] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Punishment; 'Castigo', 'Pena', 'Punitione' (Ripa) [57BB13] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Reason; 'Ragione' (Ripa) [52B51] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Restriction, Limitation [51EE11] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Secret [52DD11] Search | Browse Iconclass
- the Bible as a book [11Q511] Search | Browse Iconclass
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