Hypomnēmata Dē Rēbus Variīs

Friday, January 6, 2023

"Spem successus alit."

"Success nourishes hope."

~ Anonymous

a.d. VIII Idus Ianuarias anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI

"Lis litem parit."

"Lawsuit brings forth lawsuit." ("One lawsuit leads to another," "one lawsuit creates another")

~ Anonymous

The Nones of January

Nonis Ianuariis anno A.U.C. MMDCCLXXVI

[quaeris] "ab asino lanam"

[you seek] "wool from a donkey," i.e. an equivalent expression to English "blood from a stone," meaning to attempt to obtain what is impossible.

"Mirum videtur quod sit factum iam diu?"

"Does it seem wondrous because it happened long ago?"

~ Livius Andronicus, Aiax Mastigophorus (c. 284 - c. 205 B.C.E.)

[Appius Claudius Caecus dicebat] "Negotium populo Romano melius quam otium committi."

[Appius Claudius Caecus used to say] "That work was more familiar to the Roman people than leisure."

~ Appius Claudius Caecus (c. 340 - c. 273 B.C.E.)

January 1st, 2023 Latin of the Day - "Tui animi compote es, ne quid fraudis stuprique ferocia pariat."

Tui animi compote es, ne quid fraudis stuprique ferocia pariat.

"Be in control of your soul, lest your fierceness bring forth some deceit and disgrace."

~ Appius Claudius Caecus (c. 340 - c. 273 B.C.E.)

Nullumst iam dictum quod non sit dictum prius.

"Nothing is said now that has not been said before."

(nullumst is a fairly common contraction of nullum est - often words ending in -Vm before est become contracted to -Vmst in colloquial Latin)

~ Publius Terentius Afer, c. 195/185 - c. 159 B.C.E. (playwright commonly called "Terence" in English)