Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Virtus Bona Opes Gignit

This is an item from Anton Moker's Decalogus metricus et paraenetica disticha, published in 1573. You can see the book at GoogleBooks.

Virtus Bona Opes Gignit
Non praefer nummos, hi non quia gignere possunt
Virtutem, virtus sed bona gignit opes.


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

nummus (nummī, m.): coin, cash, money
praeferō, praeferre: put before, prefer

bonus -a -um: good
gīgnō gīgnere genuī genitum: beget, bear, bring forth
hic haec hoc: this; hōc: on this account
nōn: not
ops opis f.: assistance, resources
possum posse potuī: be able
quia: because
sed: but
virtūs -ūtis f.: valor, manliness, virtue