Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Round-Up: August 3

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives for August. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email. There are notices also at Twitter - look for Aesopus and AesopusEnglish. Are you at Google+ perhaps? You can find me there.

HODIE: ante diem tertium Nonas Augustas.

SCALA SAPIENTIAE: The latest rung on the Scala is Scala 56 (2751-2800). Here's a fun one: Ridendo dicere verum quid vetat? "What forbids us from speaking the truth with laughter?" (indeed, I think it is often much better that way!).

VERBUM HODIERNUM: Today's word is NOMEN - read a brief essay about the word at the Verbosum blog. Here's one of the sayings you can find in the essay: Saepe sub nomine pacis bellum latet, "War is often lurking under the name of 'peace.'"

ANECDOTE OF THE DAY: Today's anecdote is about Pan, the wild god.

FABULAE FACILES: The new easy-to-read fable is Leo et Canis, a great story about personal freedom.

MILLE FABULAE: FABLE OF THE DAY: The fable for today is Saga Damnata, the story of a fortune-teller who did not do a good job of telling her own fortune.

MILLE FABULAE: ILLUSTRATIONS: The latest fables with images are Aquila et Mus, the story of a kind mouse and a very ungrateful eagle, and Cuculus, Luscinia, et Asinus, the story of what happens when you let a donkey be the judge at a talent contest.

GOOGLE BOOKS: Today's Google Books are Adagia Quaedam ac Carmina and Burke's Peerage.

TODAY'S MOTTOES & PROVERBS:

Tiny Mottoes: Today's tiny motto is: Pernicibus alis (English: On swift wings).

3-Word Proverbs Verb-less: Today's 3-word verb-less proverb is Amici fures temporis (English: Friends are thieves of time … ha ha, I have got to stop spending so much time at Google+ I guess!)

Audio Latin Proverb: Today's audio Latin proverb is Manus digiti coaequales non sunt, omnes tamen usui (English: The fingers of the hand are not equal, but all are useful). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Crudelis lacrimis pascitur, non frangitur (English: The cruel man feeds on tears; he is not swayed by them).

Animal Proverb from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb from Erasmus is Plaustrum bovem trahit (English: The cart is pulling the ox - which is preposterous, of course! Adagia 1.7.28).

For an image today, here is the story of that unfortunate fortune-teller: 889. Saga Damnata. Quaedam mulier, non modicum ex suis divinationibus et mendaciis quaestum captans apud imperitam plebem, promittebat deorum iras in se infensorum suis artibus placaturam. Contigit ut ipsa impietatis apud iudices postularetur eorumque iudicio damnata, ad patibulum duceretur. Cui plebs, “O insanam mendacemque creaturam! Tu, quae nuper caelestium iram a plebe avertere profitebaris, humanam in te mutare nec lenire potuisti?” (source: This artist imagines she is a real witch; you can see her making a pact with the devil off to the left.)

Saga