
Ordo.
Order
Est via quae potus, atque escas ducit in alvum,
Est quoque quae vitam suppetit aura levem:
Hos natura sagax discrevit rit่ canales,
Ut certas servet quilibet ordo vices.
Si mica, aut gutta infestet spiracula vitae,
Exoritur tussis, saevaque damna movet.
Ordine nil melius, nocuit confusio turbae,
Constare & numeris dixerat omne σοφός.[1]
There is a road by which food and drink reaches the belly, and air, as well, holds fragile life in store. Wise nature has separated these two channels, so that any order can preserve certain roles. Should a crumb or a drop infest the breath-path of life, a cough is called up to chase grave doom away. There’s nothing better than order! The confusion of the crowd does harm; and a wise man once said that all is a matter of numbers.
1. The ‘wise man’ referred to here is probably Cicero. Quintilian refers to the orator as having frequently made this point in Institutio oratoria, 9.4.52.
Related Emblems
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Relating to the image:
- adult man (+ nude human being) [31D14(+89)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- arm held downwards [31A2515] Search | Browse Iconclass
- arm or hand held in front of the body [31A2516] Search | Browse Iconclass
- arm stretched forward (+ indicating, pointing at) [31A2512(+931)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- beard [31A534] Search | Browse Iconclass
- both legs straight (+ lying) [31A2611(+56)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- clouds [26A] Search | Browse Iconclass
- head bent forward; bowing [31A244] Search | Browse Iconclass
- head slanting to the left [31A245] Search | Browse Iconclass
- index finger forwards, pointing, indicating [31A25552] Search | Browse Iconclass
- leaning forward [31A2321] Search | Browse Iconclass
- lying on the back with uplifted upper part of the body [31A2361] Search | Browse Iconclass
- man (showing himself) undressed, quasi-nude [41D91] Search | Browse Iconclass
- mountains [25H11] Search | Browse Iconclass
- old man [31D16] Search | Browse Iconclass
- prospect of city, town panorama, silhouette of city [25I12] Search | Browse Iconclass
- the corpse [31000] Search | Browse Iconclass
- trees (+ stem, trunk) [25G3(+21)] Search | Browse Iconclass
Relating to the text:
- air (one of the four elements) [21A] Search | Browse Iconclass
- anatomy lesson (+ variant) [49G6212(+0)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- coughing [31A463322] Search | Browse Iconclass
- crowd, mob [46A7] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Disorder, Confusion, Derangement, Disorganization, Chaos [51DD1] Search | Browse Iconclass
- foodstuffs; still life of foodstuffs [41C6] Search | Browse Iconclass
- gullet [31A22331] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Instinct, Natural Disposition; 'Instinto naturale' (Ripa) [58B6] Search | Browse Iconclass
- lungs, bronchia [31A2222] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Nature [2] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Order, Arrangement, Organization (+ emblematical representation of concept) [51D1(+4)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Pain, Sorrow, Sadness; 'Dolore', 'Dolore di Zeusi' (Ripa) [56BB1] Search | Browse Iconclass
- physiology and anatomy ~ alimentary tract (digestive system) [49G613] Search | Browse Iconclass
- physiology and anatomy ~ respiratory system [49G612] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Wisdom; 'Sapienza', 'Sapienza humana', 'Sapienza vera' (Ripa) [52A51] Search | Browse Iconclass
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