Here is today's emblem and distich by
Joachim Camerarius, 2:12. The "te quoque" of the poem means that you along with the unicorn are the object of the savage serpents' attentions! Camerarius reports that the horn of the unicorn was able to act as an antidote to the venom of snakes, as you can see in the emblem, where the unicorn is lowering its horn into the waters where the snakes have spit their venom. This allows the unicorn to safely drink from the waters, exploring all places while avoiding the poisons that lurk there.
Nil Inexplorato
Te quoque serpentum sitiunt mala saecla ferarum;
Explora et cautus taetra venena fuge.Here is the vocabulary:
nil - nothing
inexploratus - unexplored
tu - you
quoque - also
serpens - serpent, snake
sitio - thirst after, covet, be greedy
malus - bad, evil
saeculum - age, time, generation
fera - wild creature, beast
exploro - search out, investigate
et - and
cautus - cautious, secure, wary
taeter - foul, ugly, disgraceful
venenum - poison
fugio - flee, run away from
