
Publica privatis potiora.
Public is better than private
Quem pietas ducit patriae, & per saecula nomen,
Cui populus curae, bella salute regit:
Hunc nihil
absterret, cives conservat amatos,
Ac litem propria vult,
dirimitque nece.
Quām sese gessit Codrus, discrimen
Athenis
Quām grave servili conditione levat?
Curtius ut vocem divûm, monitusque redemit,
Sic Dores contrādevovet hic animam.
Egregiam laudem tulit
alter, funere Codrus
Sed maiora dedit, quō magč certus
erat.[1]
The man motivated by love of country and good name down the ages, who cares for the welfare of his people, and safely conducts war, him nothing frightens, he preserves the beloved citizens, and wishes and does put an end to strife with his own death. How bravely Codrus acted! How great a trial of servile state did he avert from Athens! Like Curtius, when he received the voice and warning of the gods, he sacrificed his life against the Dorians. The one received great praise, but Codrus gave a greater gift, being more certain as he was of dying.
1. Codrus was a mythological king of Athens, who sacrificed himself to defy an oracle in order to save Athens. Marcus Curtius was a Roman youth who sacrificed himself so that Rome could survive (also to defy an oracle), by jumping into a chasm on horseback in full armor.
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- adult man (+ two persons) [31D14(+72)] Search | Browse Iconclass
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- arm held downwards - AA - both arms or hands (+ holding something) [31AA2515(+933)] Search | Browse Iconclass
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Relating to the text:
- Agreement, Unity; 'Concordia', 'Concordia insuperabile', 'Concordia militare', 'Concordia di Pace', 'Unione civile' (Ripa) [54E31] Search | Browse Iconclass
- bourgeoisie, middle class, citizens, burghers [46A131] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Certainty [52B41] Search | Browse Iconclass
- commander-in-chief, general, marshal [45D311] Search | Browse Iconclass
- death of Codrus, king of Athens: disguised as a peasant, he seeks to be killed by enemy soldiers to save his city, because he had learned from the oracle that the side whose king fell would be victorious [95A(CODRUS)68] Search | Browse Iconclass
- death, i.e. the self-sacrifice of Marcus (Manlius) Curtius: he leaps on horseback into a chasm with lethal fumes [98B(CURTIUS, M.)68] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Disagreement, Discord; 'Discordia' (Ripa) [54EE31] Search | Browse Iconclass
- extinct, 'historical' peoples (with NAME) [32B2(DORIANS)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Fearlessness, Intrepidity; 'Intrepiditā & Costanza' (Ripa) [54A81] Search | Browse Iconclass
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- individual versus mass [46A71] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Mortality, Extinction of Life [58BB1] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Particularity, Individuality [51HH2] Search | Browse Iconclass
- patriotism [44C11] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Praise, Approbation, Approval; 'Lode' (Ripa) [57B1] Search | Browse Iconclass
- public welfare [46A3] Search | Browse Iconclass
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- slavery; serfs and slaves [46A18] Search | Browse Iconclass
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- warning, admonishing ĢĢ KEY (9324) TO 31B6 morphology of human expression [31B6(+9324)] Search | Browse Iconclass
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