Guillaume de La Perrièrre, Le Theatre Des Bons Engins (Lyon, 1545)
Emblem 9
A man putting a ring that is too tight on his fingerAI-generated
Le plus souuent le fol soymesme lye.
Emblem IX. Most often the fool binds himself.AI-generated
Description of the woodcutAI-generated
A woodcut in a rectangular frame showing a landscape with hills and water at the left, an open sea or lake at the right with a small sailing boat, and a walled town with buildings on a far shore. In the foreground at the right of centre stands a bearded man in a long robe and cloak with a turban-like headdress; his hands are held together at his waist and he looks downward. At his feet on the left, low in the grassy foreground, a dog- or fox-like animal lies stretched out on the ground, apparently tethered or caught (erroneous, HB). Birds are sketched in the sky.
Subscriptio
TranscriptionAI-generated
CE mesme autheur, dict en vn autre édroictQue cest à l'homme vne grande folie.Mettre en son doigt vn anneau trop estroict:Car ce faisant trop sottement folieLe plus souuent le fol soy mesme lye,Et pour trouuer heur & beatitude,Laissant franchise, il entre en seruitude,Ce que ne faict, ne feit onc homme saige:Ains en vsant tousiours de fortitude.Fuit tant qu'il peult de se mettre en seruaige.
TranslationAI-generated
This same author says in another place that it is a great folly in a man to put on his finger a ring that is too tight: for in doing so, too foolishly raving, the fool most often binds himself, and, seeking good fortune and happiness, abandoning liberty he enters into servitude — which no wise man has ever done or will do; rather, always making use of strength of mind, he flees as much as he can from putting himself into bondage.
Iconclass
86(LE PLUS SOUVENT LE FOL SOYMESME LYE)proverbs, sayings, etc. (LE PLUS SOUVENT LE FOL SOYMESME LYE)25H13coast25H113(high) hill31D14adult man41D2664(+5)ring (+ dressing, putting on clothes)53CC2Voluntariness53CC1Subordination
Suggested Iconclass codesAI-generated
Additional codes proposed for this emblem, not (yet) part of the indexing.
41D221(TURBAN)head-gear: turbanhighThe correlate 'head-gear: turban' matches the bearded man's turban-like headdress described in the foreground figure.
46C24sailing-ship, sailing-boathighThe correlate 'sailing-ship, sailing-boat' matches the small sailing boat on the open sea or lake at the right.
25F23(FOX)beasts of prey, predatory animals: foxmediumThe correlate 'beasts of prey, predatory animals: fox' plausibly covers the fox-like animal lying stretched out and apparently caught at the man's feet.
Relationships to the Adagia of ErasmusAI-generated
Suggested relationships between this emblem and adages in Erasmus’ Adagia.
- Angustum annulum ne gestato (not identified) – essay quotehigh
The subscriptio explicitly paraphrases the Pythagorean symbolum 'do not wear a tight ring' ('Mettre en son doigt vn anneau trop estroict'), which Erasmus expounds among the Pythagorae symbola in the opening adages, glossing it exactly as the emblem does — do not bind yourself, keep a free and unfettered life rather than exchange liberty for servitude.
- I i 86 Faber compedes quas fecit, ipse gestet – thematic inventiomedium
Erasmus' essay quotes Theognis, 'No man forges fetters for himself' — precisely the emblem's point that 'the fool most often binds himself' by voluntarily putting on the narrow ring/shackle.
- I i 53 Suo ipsius laqueo captus est – thematic inventiomedium
The moral of self-inflicted bondage ('le fol soy mesme lye') matches being caught in one's own snare; the woodcut's animal lying tethered/snared in the foreground visualizes the image of a creature trapped in a noose it walked into.
- IV v 73 Leo cordula vinctus – thematic inventiomedium
Erasmus applies the 'lion tied with a thread' to a free man who, 'caught by a tiny advantage,' surrenders his independence to court service — the same exchange of franchise for servitude in pursuit of 'heur & beatitude' that the emblem condemns.
- V i 24 Argentum accepi, dote imperium vendidi – thematic inventiomedium
Erasmus' maxim 'accept a favour and lose your liberty' parallels the emblem's man who, seeking advantage, 'laissant franchise, il entre en seruitude'.
- IV v 91 Cum sarcinis enatare – thematic inventiolow
Erasmus explains that 'no one swims to shore with his baggage' means no one regains freedom unless he despises the rewards of servitude — the counsel the emblem's wise man follows in fleeing bondage.
- IV iii 47 Subjugus homo – thematic inventiolow
The adage's proverbial metaphors of putting one's neck under the yoke and shaking it off correspond to the emblem's contrast between entering servitude and fleeing it through fortitude.
Sources
Record ID: embhab_162-3-eth-b_emblem009
This emblem on the Iconclass site: https://iconclass.org/view/embhab_162-3-eth-b_emblem009
Page in the digital copy of the Herzog August Bibliothek: http://diglib.hab.de/drucke/162-3-eth-b/start.htm?image=00022