
Ars deluditur arte.
Trickery foiled by a trick.
Insidias Nili Varus[1] dum tendit inanes,
Et metuit praedam se fore rana, cavet.
Quippe statim accurrens, ubi copia arundinis extat,
Dentibus accisam praeripit, ore tenet.
Sic prensam à Varo praedam transversa tuetur
Cannula, sic inhians luditur arte fames.
Haud igitur veterem repetit limosa querelam,
Decipit & magnos infima turba viros.
While the Varus of the Nile stretches out his empty ambush, and the frog fears that it will fall prey, it takes precaution; for it hastens up where there is a thick stand of rushes, bites one through, tears it off, and holds it in its mouth. In this way a sideways little reed protects the prey caught by the Varus. So gasping hunger is tricked by a trick. In this way the slimy reed recreates no ancient complaint and the dregs of the people trick great men.
1. This word is not in Lewis & Short, but appears to be a kind of catfish. The French edition calls it ‘le vare’; Cotgrave has an entry ‘var’, which is equivalent to ‘bar’, or the barbel, a whiskered fish.
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Relating to the image:
- arm or hand held in front of the body (+ holding something) [31A2516(+933)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- barefoot [41D2339] Search | Browse Iconclass
- fishes (+ animal with prey) [25F6(+452)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- head turned to the right [31A2422] Search | Browse Iconclass
- island [25H14] Search | Browse Iconclass
- looking downwards [31B6212] Search | Browse Iconclass
- mountains [25H11] Search | Browse Iconclass
- plants and herbs: reed [25G4(REED)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- prospect of city, town panorama, silhouette of city [25I12] Search | Browse Iconclass
- river [25H213] Search | Browse Iconclass
- sitting on the ground [31A2351] Search | Browse Iconclass
- tailless amphibians: frog (+ animal psychology) [25F51(FROG)(+47)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- walking-stick, staff [41D263] Search | Browse Iconclass
Relating to the text:
- bony fishes (with NAME) [25F62(BARBEL)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Cunning, Slyness; 'Astutia ingannevole' (Ripa) [57AA613] Search | Browse Iconclass
- geographical names of countries, regions, mountains, rivers, etc. (names of cities and villages excepted) (with NAME) [61D(NILE)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- hunger [41C119] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Littleness, Smallness (+ emblematical representation of concept) [51GG1(+4)] Search | Browse Iconclass
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