Erasmus’s Adagia, the first edition from 1500, and later published in various later editions throughout his life, lead one down many a dark lane of obscure knowledge. Let’s take a look at five.
I.
48. I, I, 48. Tota erras via
Τῇ πάσῃ ὁδῷ ᾰ̓φαμαρτάνειν1, id est Tota aberrare via. Proverbium est in eos, qui vehementer aberrant. Terentius in Eunucho: «tota erras via»2. Translatum a viatoribus, qui nonnunquam ita solent aberrare a via, ut non sine dispendio quidem, tamen quo tendebant, perveniant; nonnunquam sic aberrant, ut longe divertant et in diversum tendant. Unde et exorbitare dicuntur, qui a vero aberrant. Aristoteles in Ethicis: «Haud tota aberrant via»3. Idem Naturalium libro I4 scribit priscos illos philosophos, naturalium causarum scrutatores, exorbitasse ac velut e via depulsos prorsus aberrasse a vero. Sumptum est ex Aristophanis Pluto5:
Ἢ τῆς ὁδοῦ τὸ παράπαν ἡμαρτήκαμεν; id est, Viane tota prorsus exerravimus?
Quinetiam hodie dictitant eos in via esse, qui recto consilio quippiam instituunt, extra viam, qui qua non oportet ratione rem aggrediuntur. Sunt ferme proverbiales et illae metaphorae doctis usitatissimae : «Depellere a via»6, «reducere in viam», «monstrare viam», «facere viam», «sternere viam»7, «aperite viam», «praecludere viam», «intercludere viam»8. Cicero in prima Philippica :«Quod si putas, totam ignoras viam gloriae»9. Celebre habetur et illud apophthegma : «bene currant, sed extra viam», (Καλῶς μὲν τρέχουσιν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκτὸς τῆς ὁδοῦ10).
(English)
"Tota erras via" (You are completely off the path) Τῇ πάσῃ ὁδῷ ᾰ̓φαμαρτάνειν, meaning "To completely stray from the path." This proverb applies to those who err greatly. Terence uses it in Eunuchus: "Tota erras via". It is derived from travellers who sometimes stray from the path in such a way that, though not without loss, they eventually reach their destination; other times, they stray so far that they diverge completely and head in the wrong direction. Hence, those who deviate from the truth are said to go off course (exorbitare). Aristotle in Ethics says: “Haud tota aberrant via" (They do not completely stray from the path). In the first book of his Physics11, Aristotle writes that the ancient philosophers, investigators of natural causes, strayed and were completely driven off the path of truth. This is taken from Aristophanes' Plutus: Ἢ τῆς ὁδοῦ τὸ παράπαν ἡμαρτήκαμεν; meaning "Have we completely strayed from the path?"
Even today, people say that those who act with sound judgment are "on the path," while those who approach matters inappropriately are "off course". These metaphors are commonly proverbial and widely used by scholars: "To drive off the path," "to bring back to the path," "to show the path," "to make a path," "to pave the path," "to open the path," "to block the path," "to cut off the path." Cicero in his first Philippic says: "Quod si putas, totam ignoras viam gloriae" (If you think so, you completely misunderstand the path to glory). The famous saying is also celebrated: "They run well, but off the path" (Καλῶς μὲν τρέχουσιν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκτὸς τῆς ὁδοῦ).
II.
326. I, IV, 26. Toto pectore
Cum sincerum et absolutum amorem significamus, Toto pectore dicimus et toto animo : Παντὶ σθήτει καὶ παντὶ θυμᾫ. Cicero de legibus libro primo : «Ubi illa sancta amicitia, si non ipse amicus per se amatur toto pectore, ut dicitur?» Citatur et apud Aristotelem in Ethicis idque proverbii loco : toto animo, παντὶ θυμᾫ. Quamquam illud toto pectore etiam ad studium diligentiamque referri potest, ut facit M. Tullius libro epistolarum familiarium decimotertio, epistola prima: «De Scapulanis hortis toto pectore cogitemus». Idem libro duodecimo: «Hanc cogitationem toto pectore amplectare». Seneca epistola III: «Diu cogita an tibi in amicitiam aliquis recipiendus sit: cum placuerit fieri, toto illum pectore admitte». Cornelius Tacitus in Dialogo de oratibus: «Quae sinceritas ac disciplina eo pertinebat, ut sincera et integra et nullis pravitatibus detorta uniuscujusque natura toto statim pectore arriperet arteis honestas». Divus Augustinus, totis, -ut aiunt-, visceribus12 alicubi dixit veluti tropum vulgi consuetudini molliens. Hebraei dicunt: «toto corde»13.
(English)
"326. I, IV, 26. With all one's heart. When we signify sincere and absolute love, we say 'with all one's heart' and 'with all one's soul': Παντὶ σθήτει καὶ παντὶ θυμᾫ. Cicero, in the first book of De Legibus, says: 'Where is that sacred friendship, if the friend himself is not loved for his own sake with all one's heart, as it is said?' It is also cited by Aristotle in Ethics as a proverbial expression: 'with all one's soul,' Παντὶ θυμᾫ. However, 'with all one's heart' can also refer to zeal and diligence, as M. Tullius does in the thirteenth book of Epistulae Familiares, first letter: 'Let us think about the Scapulan gardens with all our heart.' Similarly, in the twelfth book: 'Embrace this thought with all your heart.' Seneca, in the third letter: 'Think long about whether someone should be received into your friendship; when it pleases you to do so, admit him with all your heart.' Cornelius Tacitus, in Dialogus de Oratoribus: 'That sincerity and discipline pertained to this, so that the sincere and integral nature of each person, undistorted by any depravity, would immediately seize honest arts with all one's heart.' Divine Augustine, as they say, somewhere used 'with all one's entrails' as a trope, softening it to the custom of the common people. The Hebrews say: “with all one's heart".
III.
356. I, IV, 56. In aqua scribis
«Καθ’ ὕδατος γράφεις ἥ εἰς ὕδωρ γράφεις»14, id est In aqua scribis15, hoc est nihil agis. Lucianos in Tyranno: «Παίζεις, ὧ Φάρων, ἥ καθ’ ὕδατος, φασίν, ἤδη γράφεις παρὰ Μικύλλου τινα ὀβολὸν προσδοκὦν»16, id est Utrum ludis Charon, an jam in aqua, quod aiunt, scribis, qui quidem a Micyllo obolum aliquem expectes? Plato in Phaedro: «Οὐκ ἄρα σπουδῆ αὐτὰ ἐν ὕδατι γράψει μέλανι σπείρων διά καλάμου»17, id est Num haec studiose in aqua scribet nigra seminans calamo. Exstat hujusmodi senarius inter sententias Graecas: «Ἀνδρὦν δὲ φαύλων ὅρκον εἰς ὕδωρ γράφε»18, id est Hominum improborum inscribe jusjurandum aquae. Id ita depravat Xenarchus in Pentathlo apud Athenaeum libro decimo:
«Ὅρκον δ’ ἐγὼ γυναικὸς εἰς οἷνον γράφω»19, id est, Inscribo vino si qua jurat foemina. Idem Catullus: «Mulier cupido quod dicit amanti, In vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua»20.
(English)
"356. I, IV, 56. Writing in water. Καθ’ ὕδατος γράφεις ἥ εἰς ὕδωρ γράφεις, that is, 'You write in water,' meaning 'You achieve nothing.' Lucian in Tyrannus: “Are you playing, O Charon, or are you already writing in water, as they say, expecting some obol from Micyllus?” Plato in Phaedrus: 'Will he then seriously write these things in water, sowing black ink with a reed?' There exists a similar line among Greek sayings: 'Write the oath of wicked men in water,' meaning that the promises of dishonest people are worthless.
Xenarchus, in Pentathlus as cited by Athenaeus in the tenth book, twists this idea: 'I write the oath of a woman in wine,' implying that a woman's promises are as fleeting as writing in wine.
Similarly, Catullus says: 'What a woman says to her eager lover Should be written in the wind and rushing water'."
IV.
1377. II, IV, 77. Delphinum silvis appingit, fluctibus aprum
Horatius in Arte poetica proverbiali schemate dixit :
«Delphinum silvis appingit, fluctibus aprum»21, indocti poetae stultitiam taxans, qui multa non suo loco neque tempestiviter describit, perinde quasi pictor delphinum piscem, juxta Callimachi dictum, in nemoribus pingeret, rursus aprum in undis. Confine illi: «Ἐν φακᾜ τὸ μύρον», id est In lenticula unguentum.
(English)
"1377. II, IV, 77. Painting a dolphin in the woods, a boar in the waves. Horace, in his Ars Poetica, uses a proverbial expression: 'Painting a dolphin in the woods, a boar in the waves,' criticizing the foolishness of unskilled poets who describe many things out of place and untimely, just as if a painter were to depict a dolphin, a fish, in the forests, or conversely, a boar in the waves. This is akin to Callimachus' saying about painting inappropriately. Related to this is: Ἐν φακᾜ τὸ μύρον22, meaning 'Perfume in lentils,' which conveys a similar idea of misplacement."
V.
1021. II, I, 21. Rara avis
Rara avis proverbio dicebatur res quaevis nova et inventu perrara. Persius: «Si forte quid aptius exit, Quando haec rara avis est»23. Juvenalis: «Rara avis in terris nigroque simillima cycno»24. Idem: «Corvo quoque rarior albo»25. Quin et phoenicis raritas in proverbium abiit. Ducta allegoria ab avibus peregrinis et inusitatis, quae nonnunquam casu in nostram regionem devolant vel miraculi gratia deportantur. Unde illud saepius iteratum apud Aristophanem26: «Σίς ἐστιν ὄρνις οὑτοσί ;», id est Quae est haec avis? de hospite et ignoto.
(English)
"1021. II, I, 21. Rare bird. The proverb Rara avis referred to anything new and exceedingly rare to find. Persius says: 'If by chance something more fitting emerges, / Since this is a rare bird.' Juvenal writes: 'A rare bird on earth, and very much like a black swan.' And also: 'Rarer even than a white crow.'
Indeed, the rarity of the phoenix has also passed into a proverb. The allegory is drawn from foreign and unusual birds, which sometimes by chance fly into our region or are brought here as a marvel. Hence the phrase often repeated in Aristophanes: Σίς ἐστιν ὄρνις οὑτοσί; meaning 'What bird is this?' referring to a guest or stranger."
1 Erasmus’s text reads “Τῇ πάσῃ ὁδῷ ἀφαμαρτάνεσθαι”, which is the middle/passive form ᾰ̓φᾰμᾰρτᾰ́νειν. I have not been able to source the original Greek; either Erasmus’s text is corrupt or the Greek source he used is no longer extant. “Τῇ πάσῃ ὁδῷ ἀμαρτάνεσθαι” with the verb in the infinitive form is a more likely reading.
2Eunuchus Actus 2 , Scaena 2.
3Nicomachean Ethics, book IV, 5.
4 191a24: “ζητοῦντες γὰρ οἱ κατὰ φιλοσοφίαν πρῶτοι τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ τὴν φύσιν τῶν ὄντων ἐξετράπησαν οἷον ὁδόν τινα ἄλλην ἀπωσθέντες ὑπὸ ἀπειρίας,”."For the first people to seek philosophically the truth and the nature of beings were turned aside, as though they had been pushed back to another road by inexperience”.
5Aristoph. Pl. 1002.
6Nescio.
7 Thomas Aquinas, Catena aurea (1274): In Ioannem , Caput 7 , Lectio 1: Sed dominus voluit ad ipsam celsitudinem per humilitatem viam sternere; dicit ergo tempus meum, idest gloriae meae, qua veniam in altitudine iudicaturus, nondum venit; tempus autem vestrum, idest, mundi gloria, semper est paratum. ["But the Lord wished to pave the way to that very height through humility; therefore, He says: My time, that is, the time of my glory, when I shall come in exaltation to judge, has not yet come; but your time, that is, the glory of the world, is always ready”].
8 Augustinus Hipponensis, Contra Faustum Manichaeum (430): , CAPUT XXX: “Et hostis intercludere molitus viam, extensis Moysi manibus signo crucis dominicae superatur”. ["And the enemy, attempting to block the way, was overcome by the sign of the Lord’s cross, with Moses’ hands extended"].
9Philippicae Orationes in M. Antonium, caput IV.
10I have not been able to source the author of the Greek text.
11"For the first people to seek philosophically the truth and the nature of beings were turned aside, as though they had been pushed back to another road by inexperience”.
12 Never said by Augustine, but rather by Ambrose. Ambrosius Mediolanensis, Expositio in psalmum David CXVIII (397): SERMO UNDECIMUS. , 22: “Intentus erat sicut mendicus intimae ad Deum mentis affectus: illi adhaerebat, nec ullas cogitationes obstrepentes sibi precantis animus sentiebat: totis visceribus fundebatur oratio, et quidam miscebatur sermo cum Domino; quotidiana meditatio habebat jam contemptum periculi, et usum calcandae mortis receperat”. ["He was intent like a beggar in the depths of his mind toward God; he clung to Him, and the soul of the one praying felt no disturbing thoughts. The prayer was poured out from the depths of his being, and in a way, his speech was mingled with the Lord. His daily meditation had already led him to despise danger, and he had acquired the habit of trampling upon death"].
13בכל לב (b'chol lev); Cf. Deuteronomy 6,5: “ה ואהבת את יהוה אלהיך בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך ובכל מאדך" [And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart].
14I have not been able to locate the original source of this Greek quote.
15Erasmus did not translate the Greek completely. The full translation would be “Trans aquam scribis an in aquam scribis?”. ["Do you write across water or do you write into water?"].
16Κατάπλους ἢ Τύραννος [Cataplus] 21: “Παίζεις, ὦ Χάρων, ἢ καθ᾽ ὕδατος, φασίν, γράφεις παρὰ Μικύλλου δή τινα ὀβολὸν προσδοκῶν. ἀρχὴν δὲ οὐδὲ οἶδα εἰ τετράγωνόν ἐστιν ὁ ὀβολὸς ἢ στρογγύλον”. ["You are joking, Charon, or, as they say, writing upon water, expecting to get an obol from Micyllus. To begin with, I do not even know whether an obol is square or round".].
17Phaedrus, 276c: “οὐκ ἄρα σπουδῇ αὐτὰ ἐν ὕδατι γράψει μέλανι σπείρων διὰ καλάμου μετὰ λόγων ἀδυνάτων μὲν αὑτοῖς λόγῳ βοηθεῖν, ἀδυνάτων δὲ ἱκανῶς τἀληθῆ διδάξαι”. [“Therefore, do not study these things in water, written with ink, with a reed, with words that are unable to help with their words, and are unable to teach the truth effectively".].
18atrib. to Menander, Γνῶμαι μονόστιχοι 27.
19 Δειπνοσοφισταί, Deipnosophistae, lib. X. The Xenarchus in question are only known in quotes from Athenaeus of Naucratis.
20Carmen LXX.
21De arte poetica, 30. Many editions, such as that of the MLAT database, opt for adpingit.
22Should probably be "Ἐν φακῇ τὸ μύρον." [ointment in the lentils]. I have not been able to locate the original Greek text, or find evidence of Callimachus being the author. Perhaps the source material Erasmus was using is now lost.
23Satura I, 45-46.
24Satura VI, 165.
25Satura VII, 202.
26 Ὄρνιθες, The Birds.
Gallery
Hans Holbein the Younger,
Note the Greek text:
" Ἡρακλείοι Πόνοι ",
The labours of Hercules.
I.e., the work he put in to compile his
collection. Pretty cool, no?
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