
SANS ADVERSAIRES VERTU DE-
vient lasche, flestrie, & deffaillie.
TAndis que sans labeur les armes inutiles
S’engourdissent au croc, la rouylle les pourrit:
Car des outils de Mars l’emery se nourrit,
Par les exploits guerriers d’entreprises virilles.
Vertu, qui foulle au pieds les choses qui sont viles,
Sans contraire fameux languissante perit:
Et le morne sommeil oysivement tarit
La gloire, qui luy vient d’ouvrages difficiles.
Si le soc annuel embesongné n’ouvroit
L’ample flanc de la terre, elle ne produyroit
Oysive, à son fermier rien qui fust proffitable.
Vertu verroit ainsi de ses perfections
La louange, qui gist és belles actions,
Perdre, sans opposant, son lustre souhaitable.

Ad Veturium Leontium Hydruntinum.[1]
Sine adversario marcet virtus.[2]
Without opposition, Virtue withers
DUm non exerces, scabrum rubigine ferrum
Redditur; ast usu spicula trita nitent:
Et languer positis (si fugerit hostis) in armis,
Et tanquam virtus victa sopore iacet.
If you do not exercise it, a weapon is made scabrous by rust; but burnished arrows gleam with use. Virtue languishes amidst arms which have been laid aside [if the enemy has taken flight] and lies as if overcome by sleep.
Iconclass Keywords
Relating to the image:
- adult woman [31D15] Search | Browse Iconclass
- animals nesting; making nests, lodges, webs, etc. [25F(+4712)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- archer's weapons (with NAME) [45C15(ARROW)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- armour [45C22] Search | Browse Iconclass
- book [49M32] Search | Browse Iconclass
- casting weapons (with NAME) [45C11(SPEAR)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- flowers (with NAME) [25G41(ROSE)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- flowers in a vase [41A6711] Search | Browse Iconclass
- grave, tomb [42E31] Search | Browse Iconclass
- hacking and thrusting weapons (with NAME) [45C13(SWORD)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- hangings and drapery [41A422] Search | Browse Iconclass
- helmet [45C221] Search | Browse Iconclass
- inscription [49L8] Search | Browse Iconclass
- lyre, cithara, psaltery [48C7321] Search | Browse Iconclass
- mantle, gown, dress (symbol of sovereignty) [44B197] Search | Browse Iconclass
- pedestal of a piece of sculpture (perhaps in the form of a herm) [48C244] Search | Browse Iconclass
- protective weapons (with NAME) [45C19(SHIELD)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Roman script; scripts based on the Roman alphabet [49L12] Search | Browse Iconclass
- sleeping in chair [31B12] Search | Browse Iconclass
- throne [44B1212] Search | Browse Iconclass
- trees (with NAME) [25G3(PALM-TREE)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- triangle (~ planimetry, geometry) [49D33] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Virtuousness; 'Amor di Virtù', 'Attione virtuosa', 'Guida sicura de' veri honori', 'Virtù', 'Virtù insuperabile' (Ripa) [57A6] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Virtus as Roman personification [96A5(VIRTUS)] Search | Browse Iconclass
Relating to the text:
- (story of) Mars (Ares) [92B4] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Acquisition, Gain, Profit [55A1] Search | Browse Iconclass
- adversary [33B51] Search | Browse Iconclass
- cultivation ~ agriculture [47I13] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Difficulty [54DD4] Search | Browse Iconclass
- farmers [46A14] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Fruitfulness, Fertility, Fecundity; 'Fecondità' (Ripa) [58A3] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Honour, Glory; 'Ampiezza della Gloria', 'Gloria', 'Gloria de prencipi', 'Gloria & Honore', 'Honore', 'Sublimat? della Gloria' (Ripa) [59B31] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Idleness; 'Otio' (Ripa) [54DD2] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Industriousness, Assiduity; 'Assiduità', 'Industria', 'Zelo' (Ripa) [54A11] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Praise, Approbation, Approval; 'Lode' (Ripa) [57B1] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Repute, Renown; 'Splendore del nome' (Ripa) [59B3] Search | Browse Iconclass
- trampling, treading, stamping on someone or something [31A2726] Search | Browse Iconclass
- triumphs (allegorical and symbolic) [43A43] Search | Browse Iconclass
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