Sunday, April 3, 2011

Round-Up: April 3

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 tertium Nonas Apriles (and yes, you can have your own Roman Google Calendar).

VERBUM HODIERNUM: Today's word is PRAEDICO (praedicare) - read a brief essay about the word at the Verbosum blog. Here's one of the sayings you can find in the essay: Amicorum, magis quam tuam ipsius laudem, praedica, "Proclaim the merits of your friends, rather than your own."

BESTIARIA PROVERBS: There are some new animal proverbs today for SUS, the pig, and CABALLUS, the horse. Here's a nice one: Gratis donato non spectes ora caballo, "When horse is given to you for free, don't look it in the mouth" (i.e., "don't look a gift-horse in the mouth").

ANECDOTE OF THE DAY: Today's anecdote is Romuli Mors, the mysterious death of Romulus.

FABULAE FACILES: The new easy-to-read fable is Capra et Caprarius, the story of a goatherd who accidentally broke the horn of one of his goats.

MILLE FABULAE: FABLE OF THE DAY: The fable for today is Canis et Paterfamilias Indignatus, the story of a careless man who rebuked his dog for his own error. (You can also a free PDF copy of the Mille Fabulae et Una book.)

MILLE FABULAE: ILLUSTRATIONS: The latest fables with images are Salamandra et Musca, the story of the fire-loving salamander and a fly, and Diogenes et Fastuosi, in which Diogenes scorns the different forms of human pride.

GOOGLE BOOKS: Today's Google Books are Jacobs' Latin Reader and Howard's Latin Selections .

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

Tiny Mottoes: Today's tiny motto is: Cras mihi (English: Tomorrow [it will be] mine).

3-Word Proverbs Verb-less: Today's 3-word verb-less proverb is Omnium finis mors (English: Death is the end of all things)

Audio Latin Proverb: Today's audio Latin proverb is Si rota defuerit, tu pede carpe viam (English: If your wheel's broken, you better make your way on foot). 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: Multos timere debet, quem multi timent (English: The man whom many people fear must fear many people).

Animal Proverb from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb from Erasmus is Pica cum luscinia (English: The magpie in a contest with the nightingale - and of course the magpie cannot hope to defeat the nightingale in a singing contest; from Adagia 1.8.72).

Here's a medieval image of a salamander to go with the story of the salamander and the fly, 632. Salamandra et Musca. Salamandra, animal venenosum, cum semel esset in igne ubi aurum excoquebatur, loquitur ad muscam, dicens, “Cur angustia et periculo victum tuum adquiris? Venias ad me; dabo tibi aurum in abundantia ut victum habeas sine labore.” Musca vero, adquiescens, in medias flammas propter aurum se iniecit, et combusta est. (source)