Geffrey Whitney, A choice of emblemes (Leiden, 1586)
Emblem 7
A man is setting fire to a house, another man ascends a ladder with a bucket; two men fighting
Intestinae simultatesLatin
Internal dissensions
- Interpretation
- Arson and assassin (Internal dissensions)
- Interpretation (German)
- Verdebliche Zwietracht
Description of the imageAI-generated
Within an ornamental woodcut border, a scene of a burning house: flames and smoke pour from the roof and from a doorway in the brick wall. A ladder leans against the building, and a man climbs it carrying a vessel; another figure below carries a bucket, and a third kneels or crouches at the left. At the right, a half-naked man stands against the wall of the house, reaching up with both arms towards the fire. An overturned tub or barrel lies on the ground at the foot of the ladder.
Subscriptio
TranscriptionAI-generated
WHEN ciuill sworde is drawen out of the sheathe, And bluddie broiles, at home are set a broache, Then furious Mars with sworde doth rage beneathe, And to the Toppe, deuowring flames incroache, None helpes to quenche, but rather blowes the flame, And oile doe adde, and powder to the same. Intestine strife, is fearefull moste of all, This, makes the Sonne, to cut his fathers throate, This, parteth frendes, this, brothers makes to bralle, This, robbes the good, and setts the theeues a floate, This, Rome did feele, this, Germanie did taste, And often times, this noble Lande did waste.
TranslationAI-generated
When the civil sword is drawn out of the sheath, and bloody brawls are set going at home, then furious Mars rages with the sword below, and devouring flames creep up to the top; no one helps to quench it, but rather blows up the flame, and adds oil and gunpowder to it. Internal strife is the most fearful of all: this makes the son cut his father's throat; this parts friends, this makes brothers brawl; this robs the good and sets the thieves afloat; this Rome did feel, this Germany did taste, and often times it has laid waste this noble Land.
Notes and related emblems
- Compare: embmne_sam1569_149
Iconclass
21Cfire (one of the four elements)25H11mountains25I14public road31A2364lying on one side, with uplifted upper part of the body and leaning on the arm31A2511(+933)arm raised upward (+ holding something)31A2512arm stretched forward31A2512(+921)arm stretched forward (+ threatening; fury)31A2512(+923)arm stretched forward (+ defending oneself)31AA2512(+933)arm stretched forward - AA - both arms or hands (+ holding something)31A2515(+933)arm held downwards (+ holding something)31A26211one leg in front of the other, walking position31A2723climbing31A534beard31B6211looking upwards31D14(+74)adult man (+ four persons)33B6killing ~ aggressive relationships41A141the usual house or row of houses41A343ladder41A771container of metal: bucket, can, canister, drum, tin, etc.41B12(OIL)burning as process: oil41B121flame41B32torch41B4(+0)on fire, ablaze (+ variant)41B5fire-fighting41D211(+81)dress, gown (+ men's clothes)41D233(+81)gear for legs and feet (+ men's clothes)44F0'Seditio'; 'Rebellione', 'Seditione civile' (Ripa)45C13(DAGGER)hacking and thrusting weapons: dagger54EE31(+4)Disagreement, Discord; 'Discordia' (Ripa) (+ emblematical representation of concept)58AA1(+4)Destruction (+ emblematical representation of concept)86(INTESTINAE SIMULTATES)proverbs, sayings, etc. (INTESTINAE SIMULTATES)
Suggested Iconclass codesAI-generated
Additional codes proposed for this emblem, not (yet) part of the indexing.
41A343ladderhighThe correlate 'ladder' directly matches the ladder leaning against the burning house that a man climbs with a vessel.
41B521pails (fire-extinguishing equipment)highThe correlate 'pails (fire-extinguishing equipment)' matches the bucket and vessel carried by the men to douse the flames.
41B51fire-department, fire-brigademediumThe correlate 'fire-department, fire-brigade' fits the depicted group of men collectively fighting the house fire with ladder, buckets and tub.
Relationships to the Adagia of ErasmusAI-generated
Suggested relationships between this emblem and adages in Erasmus’ Adagia.
- I ii 9 Oleum camino addere – thematic inventiohigh
The subscriptio describes the burning house of civil strife where 'None helpes to quenche, but rather blowes the flame, / And oile doe adde, and powder to the same' — a direct English rendering of the proverbial 'add oil to the fire,' meaning to feed an evil so that it grows.
- I ii 10 Oleo incendium restinguere – thematic inventiomedium
The picture shows men apparently trying to put out the house-fire while the verse says that instead of quenching it they pour on oil; Erasmus's adage on 'quenching fire with oil' (remedies that worsen the evil) underlies exactly this conceit.
- III x 44 Domesticum dissidium – thematic inventiomedium
Erasmus's adage against 'discord in the home' — the impious plotting of evil by those who live together — matches the emblem's motto 'Intestinae simultates' and its catalogue of sons killing fathers and brothers brawling.
- IV x 13 Ferrum et flamma – thematic inventiolow
The emblem couples the drawn civil sword with devouring flames consuming a house, echoing the proverbial pairing of 'sword and flame' for utterly destructive (and specifically Roman civil/Catilinarian) war, which the verse recalls with 'this Rome did feele.'
- II ii 91 In seditione vel Androclides belli ducem agit – thematic inventiolow
The line 'This, robbes the good, and setts the theeues a floate' repeats the adage's point that in civil tumult the basest sort rise to power and profit at the expense of the good.
Sources
Record ID: embstma_1667_emblem007
This emblem on the Iconclass site: https://iconclass.org/view/embstma_1667_emblem007
Copy: University Library, Glasgow, Stirling Maxwell 1667