Jacob Cats, Spiegel (The Hague, 1632)
Emblem 93
Culex fodit oculum leonisLatin
A gnat digs out the eye of the lion.AI-generated
Description of the imageAI-generated
Within a large oval frame set in a rectangular border with scroll ornaments, a lion stands in an open landscape, its body turned to the left, forelegs raised and mouth open as if roaring, mane bristling and tail curled upward. A dense swarm of gnats or small flying insects fills the sky above and around its head, several of them settled on its face. At the right, on a rocky rise, two men in short tunics stand watching, one holding something in his hands and the other striding forward with arm outstretched. In the left distance are a river, a bridge and the towers of a town; clouds and rays fill the upper sky.
Subscriptio
TranscriptionAI-generated
Komt hier eens vrienden al-te-mael, Komt hier, en hoort een vreemt verhael, Koomt hoort een wonderbare daet Daer op voor u te letten staet: Al is de Leeuw een moedigh dier, Al brant sijn oogh gelijck een vier, Al is sijn wesen wonder fel, Al is sijn sprongh geweldigh snel, Al is hy, jae, een machtich beest Daer voor de gantsche werelt vreest, Noch is een mugge wel soo stout, Hoewel de minste van het wout, Noch is een mugge wel soo koen Dat sy het beest komt hinder doen, En dat niet met een slimme greep, Of met een onverwachte neep; Neen, neen, sy eyst haer vyant uyt, En maeckt daer toe een hel geluyt; En eer sy haer tot vechten set Soo steeckt sy klaerlijck haer trompet; Sy doet gelijck een dapper helt, Sy geeft haer open in het velt, Sy steeckt hem vry niet in de steert, Dat is haer niet de pijne weert; Sy steeckt hem daer hy klaerste siet, Daer ist dat sy hem d'oorlogh biet, Sy komt hem onder sijn gesicht, En vlieght hem in dat vierich licht; En schoon hy dan geweldich tiert, En al de leden omme-swiert, En schoon hy dan gants bijster raest, En dampen uyt sijn keele blaest, En schoon hy springt dan wonder hoogh, Sy steeckt hem in dat vinnigh oogh, Soo dat hy in het gantsche dal Niet weet waer hy hem keeren sal. Ick wou dat alle trotsche lien Hier op met oordeel wouden sien, En leeren uyt der leeuwen pijn Niet al te fier en moedigh zijn, Want siet! niet een soo grooten beest Dat oock sijn minder niet en vreest.
TranslationAI-generated
Come here once, friends, all together, come here and hear a strange tale; come, hear a wondrous deed on which you ought to reflect: although the lion is a courageous beast, although his eye burns like a fire, although his nature is wondrously fierce, although his leap is tremendously swift, although he is indeed a mighty beast whom the whole world fears, yet a gnat is bold enough — though the least creature of the wood — yet a gnat is brave enough to come and do the beast harm; and that not by a sly grip, nor by an unexpected pinch; no, no, she challenges her enemy, and makes a loud noise to do so; and before she sets herself to fight she plainly sounds her trumpet; she acts like a brave hero, she gives herself openly in the field; she certainly does not sting him in the tail — that is not worth her trouble to her; she stings him where he sees most clearly, there it is that she offers him war; she comes beneath his face and flies into that fiery light; and although he then rages mightily, and whirls about all his limbs, and although he then raves quite wildly, and blows vapours out of his throat, and although he then leaps wondrously high, she stings him in that fierce eye, so that in the whole valley he does not know where to turn. I wish that all proud people would look upon this with judgement, and learn from the lion's pain not to be too haughty and bold; for see! there is not one beast so great that it does not also fear its lesser.
CommentaryAI-generated
21 passages · original left, translation right (click to fold)
Wenn der feind ist wie ein omeiß / so halt in doch für ein Elephanten.
Even if the enemy is like an ant, still regard him as an elephant.
Inimicum quamvis humilem docti est metuere.
It is the part of a learned man to fear an enemy, however lowly.
A cane non magno sæpe tenetur aper.
The boar is often held by a dog that is not big.
Vn petit moucheron picque bien un grand chevale.
A little gnat may well sting a great horse.
Een kat siet wel op een koninck.
A cat may well look at a king.
Il n'y à si grand ny sage, Qui de petit n'ait bien domage,
There is none so great nor so wise who may not take great harm from a small one.
Il est bien petit qui ne peut nuire.
He is very small indeed who cannot do harm.
Il n'est pas sage qui n'a peur d'un fol.
He is not wise who has no fear of a fool.
Es ist nicht an der grosse gelegen / sonst erlieff eine kühe ein hasen.
It does not depend on size; otherwise a cow would outrun a hare.
Au petit bois prend on bien grand lievre.
In a small wood one may well catch a big hare.
Grande ville rien dedans Petite chose nuit souvent.
A big town with nothing inside; a small thing often does harm.
Tis beter een Hont te vriendt / als te vyant te hebben.
It is better to have a dog as a friend than as an enemy.
Leo etiam minimarum avium sit pabulum. Curtius.
Even a lion may become the food of the smallest birds. Curtius.
Men treet oock een vors wel soo lange tot hy eens quaeckt.
One may tread on a frog so long that at last it croaks.
Anche la moscha ha la sua collera.
Even the fly has its anger.
A mouse in time maye bite a two a cable.
A mouse may in time bite a cable in two.
Wat hoornen heeft wil steken.
Whatever has horns wants to gore.
Anche le ranocchie morderebbone s'havessi denti.
Even the frogs would bite if they had teeth.
Tread a worm on the tayle an it wil turne againe.
Tread on a worm's tail and it will turn again.
Ne despicias debilem, nam culex fodit oculum leonis.
Do not despise the weak, for a gnat digs out the eye of a lion.
Hoc Adagium petitum est ex Arabum historia : Nam culices in Mesopotania mirè infestant leones. Marcellin. lib. 18. Strabo. l. 16. quos vide.
This adage is taken from the history of the Arabs: for in Mesopotamia gnats remarkably infest lions. Marcellinus, book 18; Strabo, book 16 — see them.
Iconclass
86(CULEX FODIT OCULUM LEONIS)proverbs, sayings, etc. (CULEX FODIT OCULUM LEONIS)
Suggested Iconclass codesAI-generated
Additional codes proposed for this emblem, not (yet) part of the indexing.
25F711(GNAT)insects: gnathighThe correlate 'insects: gnat' matches the dense swarm of gnats depicted attacking the lion, the very subject of the adage that a gnat digs out the eye of a lion.
25F711(FLY)insects: flylow'Insects: fly' could cover the small flying insects shown and the commentary's proverb 'even the fly has its anger', though the image is specifically of gnats.
25F51(FROG)tailless amphibians: froglow'Tailless amphibians: frog' corresponds only to the commentary's proverbs about treading on a frog and frogs biting, with no frog actually depicted.
Relationships to the Adagia of ErasmusAI-generated
Suggested relationships between this emblem and adages in Erasmus’ Adagia.
- II v 31 Inest et formicae et serpho bilis – thematic inventiohigh
Erasmus' essay states the exact moral of the emblem: 'non esse contemnendum inimicum quempiam, nec ullum temere lacessendum, quandoquidem nullum animal tam minutum aut imbecillum, quod irritatum non excandescat' — matching the emblem's Latin commentary 'Inimicum quamvis humilem docti est metuere' and 'Ne despicias debilem, nam culex fodit oculum leonis', and even the gnat (serphus) as the exemplary tiny creature.
- III v 7 Habet et musca splenem – thematic inventiohigh
The emblem's Italian commentary 'Anche la moscha ha la sua collera' (Even the fly has its anger) is the vernacular equivalent of this adage, which Erasmus himself links to 'Inest et formicae bilis' — the smallest creature too has gall and can strike back.
- I viii 94 Multis ictibus dejicitur quercus – thematic inventiomedium
The emblem's second motto, 'Un petit homme abat bien grand chesne', and its subscriptio about a small knife or little axe felling the tallest, thickest-barked tree restate this adage's image of a massive oak brought down by repeated small blows.
- I iii 49 Hinnulus leonem – thematic inventiomedium
Erasmus explains the proverb as used 'quoties praepostero rerum ordine, qui viribus multo est inferior, superat potentiorem' — precisely the emblem's wonder that the least creature of the wood conquers the lion, and like the emblem it pairs a tiny animal against the lion.
- I viii 96 Virum improbum vel mus mordeat – thematic inventiomedium
The adage that even a mouse can bite stands behind the emblem's chain of commonplaces ('Een muys ontset een oliphant', 'A mouse in time maye bite a two a cable'), teaching that the smallest creature can inflict harm on the great.
- IV vi 80 Qui inspuerit in cavernam formicarum, etc – thematic inventiolow
Erasmus applies it to those who provoke a swarming multitude of individually feeble creatures; the picture's dense swarm of gnats tormenting the roaring lion embodies the same warning not to despise weak but numerous foes.
- I x 66 Indus elephantus haud curat culicem – thematic inventiolow
The emblem works with the same gnat-versus-huge-beast topos (and its subscriptio includes 'Een muys ontset een oliphant'), but inverts Erasmus' point: here the culex is precisely what the great beast cannot ignore.
Sources
Record ID: embstma_1288_emblem093
This emblem on the Iconclass site: https://iconclass.org/view/embstma_1288_emblem093
Copy: University Library, Glasgow, Stirling Maxwell 1288