The History of Monsters. 172

homer, who blocked his own ears and those of his companions against the treacherous songs of the Sirens. "It sits on the tips of the ears" is a phrase used when we listen to something superficially, or when we scarcely believe a report. "To speak into the ear" naturally means to share something privately with another; the adage arises from those who whisper right next to the ear. "Not even leisure to scratch one's ears" is said when not even the slightest moment remains to attend to a task. "With ears cleaned out" means to listen attentively and diligently; this is why Plautus once said: "With both ears thoroughly cleaned, we attend to you."

"Up to both ears" is commonly said of those who gorge their deep bellies by constant eating. The adage seems to be taken from gluttons whose mouths, full of delicacies, are stretched all the way to either ear.

"Softer than the lowest earlobe" refers to a person who is not at all severe, the metaphor being taken from that part of the ear where nothing softer can be found on the whole body. "To carry oil in the ear" is turned against those who are bored by someone’s speech, a metaphor snatched from divers who are accustomed to drop oil into their ears so that water cannot flow in. "A Batavian ear" pertains to severity, since Domitius Calderinus explains "Batavian" as severe.

The Batavians were people of Germany who, driven out by domestic strife, occupied the empty fringes of Gaul and especially that island which we today call Holland. "Kings have many ears and eyes" refers to the fact that princes see and understand everything done and said in the city through their spies. "To tell a story to a deaf man" is nothing other than wasting oil and labor, as Ovid wrote: "What use is it if Phoebus sings to deaf ears?" This is not unlike another phrase reported by Suidas: "to fart in front of a deaf man." "A man deafer than a thrush" is an adage turned against those who chatter incessantly and do not hear what is said by others in return, for deafness is attributed to the thrush, which is otherwise a most talkative bird.

Next come the proverbs regarding the beard and face.

"To pluck the beard" refers to ultimate contempt and mockery, as in Juvenal: "For that reason, he offers you his stupid beard to pluck." "To pluck a beard from the cheeks of boys" is recorded by Lucian regarding those who undergo useless labor, since no kind of beard can be pulled from the smooth cheeks of little boys. "He teaches his elders before he has a beard" is said when a beardless youth instructs his seniors. "Wise only to the beard" was the name given to those who, except for their beard and cloak, displayed nothing of the philosopher. Thus Bagoas says in *The Eunuch* that if a philosopher is to be measured by his beard, then goats would surely hold the first rank. "The beard of Pronomus" is said of something unseemly, as Pronomus was a flute-player with a long beard, which seems superfluous for a musician.

"He shows himself a good man by his face" refers to a man whose character we judge by his appearance. "Your face matches your years" concerns people whose facial wrinkles reveal their age. This was recorded by Juvenal and directed at a certain woman who, though burdened with years, still acted like a young girl.

Now we descend through the chest, shoulders, and elbow to the hand.

"A body without a chest (or heart)" is a proverb used for unwise men, since wisdom and prudence are said to reside in the chest and heart; therefore, the prudent are called "hearty." "The lung would have arrived sooner" refers to men who are slow and sluggish in their actions, for the lung, residing in the chest, moves continuously yet never moves from its place. "To support on the shoulders" is said of those who preserve the safety of another with great industry; thus, those who support a state that is seemingly on the verge of collapse are commonly called "Atlases." "To wipe with the elbow" is hurled at men of sordid condition, the proverb being drawn from fishmongers who developed the habit of wiping mucus from their noses with their elbows because their hands were soaked in brine.

The hand, being the "organ of organs," offers an infinite number of adages; however, we shall bring forward only the most significant. "With a full hand" means copiously, the adage being taken from those who bestow something not sparingly, but with a full hand. Its opposite is "To have the hand in the bosom," which Theocritus mentioned regarding those who are stingy and slow to give.