Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Round-Up: November 2

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. There are notices also at Twitter - look for Aesopus and AesopusEnglish.

HODIE: ante diem quartum Nonas Novembres.

OWEN'S EPIGRAMS: The two new Owen epigrams, with Harvey's English versions, are Ad Parentes and Ad Medicos et Iurisconsultos.

ANECDOTE OF THE DAY: Today's anecdote is Hannibal et Antiochus, where Hannibal in a few words is able to deflate the ambitions of King Antiochus III, the Seleucid king who went to war with the Romans in 192 BCE.

SCALA SAPIENTIAE: Today you can find sayings that go up to Diederich frequency ranking 160 - so the proverbs contain nothing but words found among the 160 most commonly used words in Latin. Here is one of the items in today's list: Vivimus, non ut volumus, sed ut possumus, "We live, not as we want, but as we can."

VERBUM WIDGET: The word from the daily widget is MAIOR - which also has a brief essay at the Verbosum blog. Here's one of the sayings you can find in that essay: Ad maiora nati sumus, "We are born for greater things."

FABULAE FACILES: The NEW easy-to-read fable is Formica Transformata, a wonderful story about why ants act the way that they do!

FABULAE FACILES WIDGET: The fable from the Fabulae Faciles widget is Gladius in Via Iacens, a story about a talking sword!

MILLE FABULAE: ILLUSTRATIONS: The NEW fables with images are Malus et Rusticus, a story about the perils of transplanting a tree, and Musca et Vir Haereticus, a wonderful story about a fly who knows that she, too, is one of God's creatures.

MILLE FABULAE: ILLUSTRATIONS: The fable from the Mille Fabulae et Una widget is Serpens Calcata et Apollo, a story about a snake who needs to learn a lesson in self-defense.

GOOGLE BOOKS: Today's Google Books are Macdonnel's Dictionary of Quotations and Leutsch & Schneidewin's Corpus Paroemiographorum Graecorum .

TODAY'S MOTTOES & PROVERBS: Widgets available at Schoolhouse Widgets.

Tiny Proverbs: Today's tiny proverb is: Diligamus invicem (English: Let us love one another).

3-Word Mottoes Verb-less: Today's 3-word verb-less motto is Honesta quam magna (English: Honorable things, rather than big).

Latin Animal Proverb: Today's animal proverb is Ducito bovem volentem (English: Lead the ox that is willing).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Nihil invita Minerva facies (English: You will not accomplish anything if Minerva is unwilling).

Proper Name Proverb from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb from Erasmus is Deo Fortunaeque committo (English: I put my trust in God and Fortune; from Adagia 3.8.96).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Βοῦν ἐπὶ γλώττης φέρει (English: He's carrying an ox on his tongue - and the ox referred to there is the ox that appeared on ancient Greek coins; in other words, the man has been bribed to keep silent!).

For an image today, here is a fierce-looking snake from the Medici Aesop: 614. Serpens Calcata et Apollo. Serpens, cum humi reperet, multorum pedibus calcata erat. Accessit supplex fanum Apollinis; quam simulatque conspexit Deus, “Si primum statim,” inquit, “qui te calcaret, perdidisses, non ausus fuisset alter.” (source: you have to read the image from right to left; on the right, you see the snake being stepped on, and on the left he appeals to Apollo)

Serpens Calcatus et Iuppiter