Saturday, April 9, 2011

Round-Up: April 9

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email. I'm Twittering again now at Aesopus and AesopusEnglish.

HODIE: ante diem quintum Idus Apriles (and yes, you can have your own Roman Google Calendar).

VERBUM HODIERNUM: Today's word is QUIDAM - read a brief essay about the word at the Verbosum blog. Here's one of the sayings you can find in the essay: Inter verba et actus magnus quidam mons est, "Between the words and the deed there is a certain big mountain" (in other words: easier said than done).

BESTIARIA PROVERBS: There are some new animal proverbs today for PICA, the magpie, and LYNX, the lynx. Here's a nice one: Foris lynx, domi Tiresias, "A lynx abroad, Tiresias at home" (which is to say, keen-sighted when it comes to other people's faults, and blind to your own).

ANECDOTE OF THE DAY: Today's anecdote is Servius Tullius Rex, the righteous rule of King Servius Tullius.

FABULAE FACILES: The new easy-to-read fable is Ranae et Taurorum Proelia, the story of what the battle of the bulls meant for the frogs.

MILLE FABULAE: FABLE OF THE DAY: The fable for today is Galli Inter Se Pugnantes, the story of the paradoxical outcome of the cock fight. (You can also a free PDF copy of the Mille Fabulae et Una book.)

MILLE FABULAE: ILLUSTRATIONS: The latest fables with images are Testudo et Aquila, Certantes, the race between the turtle and the eagle, and Servus Profugiens et Aesopus, which shows Aesop advising a runaway slave... and the advice he gives might surprise you.

GOOGLE BOOKS: Today's Google Books are Greenough & D'Ooge & Daniell's Second Year Latin and Bingham & McCabe's Latin Reader.

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

Tiny Mottoes: Today's tiny motto is: Fortitudine vinco (English: Through bravery, I am victorious).

3-Word Proverbs Verb-less: Today's 3-word verb-less proverb is Fames optimus coquus (English: Hunger is the best cook)

Audio Latin Proverb: Today's audio Latin proverb is Est avis in dextra melior quam quattuor extra (English: A bird in the right hand is better than four outside). 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: Quemcumque quaerit calamitas, facile invenit (English: When disaster seeks someone, she finds him easily).

Animal Proverb from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb from Erasmus is Qui canem alit peregrinum, huic praeter funiculum nihil fit reliqui (English: He who feeds a stray dog is left with nothing but the leash; from Adagia 3.3.46).

For an image today, here is a fabulous illustration for the story of the two roosters fighting, 563. Galli Inter Se Pugnantes. Galli duo, ut eorum mos est, inter se de ducatu gallinarum acerrime certabant. Qui superior in pugna fuerat, alarum plausu vocisque cantu se victorem fuisse significans, Venere et otio emarcuit. Victus autem, a conspectu gallinarum profugiens, cum cornicibus et pavonibus sese quotidie pugnando exercebat; inferendi vitandique ictus artem ediscebat. Qui, ubi se satis instructum vidit, rediens, adversarium ad pugnam provocatum nullo negotio superavit. (source):

Galli Pugnantes