Guillaume de La Perrièrre, Le Theatre Des Bons Engins (Lyon, 1545)
Emblem 32
An eagle with spread wings surrounded by fliesAI-generated
Ne faictz effort à plus moindre que toy.
Do not exert yourself against one lesser than you.AI-generated
Description of the woodcutAI-generated
A woodcut in a rectangular frame showing a large eagle standing on a rocky mound with wings outspread and beak open, head turned to the left. The air around it is filled with numerous small flies or insects scattered across the sky on both sides of the bird.
Subscriptio
TranscriptionAI-generated
L'Aigle ha le cueur de si noble nature,Qu'elle ne veult côtre mousches côtédre,Bien les pourroit mettre à desconfiture:Mais ce faisant, honneur n'en peult pretendre,Tout bon esprit en cecy peult comprendre,Que contre gens de cueur pusillanimes,Ne font effors les hommes magnanimes:Mais aux pareilz taschent liurer la guerre.D'auoir vaincu gens de tous poincts infimes,Lon n'en pourroit que deshonneur acquerre.
TranslationAI-generated
The eagle has a heart of so noble a nature that she will not contend against flies; she could well put them to rout, but by doing so she could claim no honour. Every good mind can understand from this that magnanimous men make no effort against people of pusillanimous heart, but seek to wage war on their equals. From having conquered people lowly in every respect one could gain nothing but dishonour.
Iconclass
86(NE FAICTZ EFFORT À PLUS MOINDRE QUE TOY)proverbs, sayings, etc. (NE FAICTZ EFFORT À PLUS MOINDRE QUE TOY)25F33(EAGLE)(+531)predatory birds: eagle (+ standing animal)25F33(EAGLE)(+44)predatory birds: eagle (+ relationship between animals)25F711(FLY)insects: fly57A6Virtuousness; 'Amor di Virtù', 'Attione virtuosa', 'Guida sicura de' veri honori', 'Virtù', 'Virtù insuperabile' (Ripa)57A68Nobility; 'Nobiltà' (Ripa)
Suggested Iconclass codesAI-generated
Additional codes proposed for this emblem, not (yet) part of the indexing.
25F33(EAGLE)predatory birds: eaglehighThe central figure is a large eagle, matching 'predatory birds: eagle'.
25F711insectshighThe sky is filled with numerous small flies/insects, matching the generic 'insects' correlate.
Relationships to the Adagia of ErasmusAI-generated
Suggested relationships between this emblem and adages in Erasmus’ Adagia.
- III ii 65 Aquila non captat muscas – direct mottohigh
The subscriptio states verbatim that 'L'Aigle ... ne veult contre mousches contendre', a French rendering of 'Aquila non captat muscas', and the woodcut shows precisely an eagle surrounded by flies; the moral (the lofty mind disdains what is beneath it) is Erasmus' own gloss.
- I ix 70 Elephantum non capit murem – thematic inventiomedium
Erasmus' essay here explicitly cites the cognate saying 'Aquila non capit muscas' and expounds the same moral used by the emblem: a noble, lofty spirit disdains worthless prey and a powerful man does not resent injuries from the weak.
- I ix 71 Aquila thripas aspiciens – thematic inventiomedium
Same image and point: the eagle sees the tiny creature but does not deign to pursue it, as prey unworthy of its talons — exactly the emblem's claim that conquering the lowly brings no honour.
- III iii 18 Aquilam cornix provocat – thematic inventiolow
Shares the eagle's magnanimous indifference to provocation by creatures that can neither help nor harm, the emblem's lesson that magnanimous men do not exert themselves against pusillanimous ones.
Sources
Record ID: embhab_162-3-eth-b_emblem032
This emblem on the Iconclass site: https://iconclass.org/view/embhab_162-3-eth-b_emblem032
Page in the digital copy of the Herzog August Bibliothek: http://diglib.hab.de/drucke/162-3-eth-b/start.htm?image=00045