Thursday, February 16, 2012

Hoc Virtutis Amor

Here is today's emblem and distich by Joachim Camerarius, 2:13. This emblem shows the way that a chaste virgin is overcome the unicorn. In the ancient legend, this was a trick that the hunters used to catch the unicorn: the woman would lure the unicorn and then the hunters would be able to kill the captivated beast. In this emblem, Camerarius leaves out the hunters and instead presents the power of virginal love in a positive light, as an emblem for the power of virtue to overcome anyone and everyone, no matter how wild.

Hoc Virtutis Amor
Quem non vincat amor castae virtutis et ardor?
Virtus tanta potest, vincat ut illa feram.




Here is the vocabulary: