Labore Et Constantia

Here is today's emblem and distich by Gabriel Rollenhagen, Book 2:9, with an English rendering by George Wither. Here are Wither's comments on the visual symbols of the emblem:

For, as to draw a Circle, with our hand,
We cause the brazen Compasses to stand
With one foot firmely fixed one the ground;
And move the other in a Constant-round:
Right so, when we shall purpose to proceed
In any just, and profitable deed,
We first, should by a constant-resolution,
Stand firme, to what we put in execution:
And, then, with perseverance, labour out
Those workings, which we are employ'd about.

And here is a close-up view of the wise men in the background; the circles of this earth are but a reflection of the celestial perfection of the circular form, drawn by the compass:



Labore Et Constantia
Omnia perficies constante labore, nec ullum
Difficile est illi, qui bene pergit, opus.

Good Hopes, we best accomplish may
By lab'ring in a constant-Way.

The vocabulary is keyed to the DCC Latin Vocabulary list. There are only two words in this poem that are not on the DCC list:

constantia, f. - steadiness, constancy, agreement
perficiō -ficere -fēcī -fectum: bring to a conclusion, accomplish

bene: well
cōnstō -stāre -stitī: agree; constat, it is established that (+ infin.)
difficilis -e: not easy, hard, difficult
et: and
ille illa illud: that
labor -ōris m.: toil, exertion
neque nec: and not, nor; neque . . . neque, neither . . . nor
omnis -e: all, every, as a whole
opus operis n.: work
pergō pergere perrēxī perrēctum: continue, proceeed; awaken
qui quae quod: who, which, what / quis quid: who? what? which?
sum, esse, fuī: be, exist
ūllus -a -um: any, anyone