11a. Latin Epigram | ||
O Asside, Asside, dico te Romanos superare.1 | (see note); (t-note) |
11b. Latin Epigram | ||
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Tres infelices in mundo dicimus esse: Infelix qui pauca sapit spernitque doceri; Infelix qui multa sapit spernitque docere; Infelix qui sancta docet si vivat inique.1 |
(see note) |
1 O son of Assidus, son of Assidus, I say you will conquer the Romans (I say the Romans will conquer you)
1 O Asside, Asside dico te Romanos superare. The original form of the line, as it appears in Ennius’ Annales is “Aio te Aeacida Romanos vincere posse.” The repetition of Asside destroys the hexameter of the original, but the substance of the line remains the same.
1 We say there are three [kinds of] unfruitful [people] in the world: / [He is] unfruitful who knows little and refuses to be taught; / [He is] unfruitful who knows much and refuses to teach; / [He is] unfruitful who teaches holiness but lives wickedly
4 sancta. In many other versions of this proverb, the word is recta, “right” or “righteousness.” The alteration to sancta may direct the criticism more specifically towards morally corrupt clergy rather than teachers in general. The last line of the Latin is followed by a drawing of a fish and a flower; there is no other explicit or colophon.