History of Monsters. 264

seen, the title of which is: *The wicked man is swayed by no submission.* In this way, the author explains the nature of the wicked and the cruel, who are moved by no prayers; he thus likens them to death, which spares no one.

Now we must explain those symbols in which figures of men are depicted alongside other living creatures. To this end, Cardinal Ferrante Gonzaga represented Hercules striking the hydra with his club, with the title: *Do not yield to misfortunes.* This suggests that he would overcome the monsters of envy with equal mental fortitude. Pierre Coustau presents an image of a man beating a horse that lies on the ground, crushed by the weight of its pack, with the inscription: *Nothing beyond one's strength.* He implies that in all tasks, one's capabilities must be carefully weighed. There is also a figure of a man attempting to strike a serpent with a staff as it enters a burrow, only for it to slip away; this was a symbol used by Johannes Sambucus to demonstrate that disease must be met with timely remedies.

Similarly, an image of a shepherd shearing sheep is found in the work of Coustau, with the title: *Moderation toward subjects.* He intended to show that a Prince’s kindness toward his people is something to be valued. In the same author, one observes the figure of a man snatching something from a deceased person, with the inscription: *Moderation in taxation.* The theme of this seems to be taken from proverbs concerning greedy men who extort money even from the dead—much like those Princes who are overly burdensome with their taxes. Gabriel Simeoni, meanwhile, depicts a man treading upon dock—a herb the Latins call *rumex*—with the inscription: *Virtue grows green from a wound.* The author signifies that a man endowed with virtue is sometimes hounded by the envious; nevertheless, the scholar’s virtue and talent manifest more and more every day, just as the dock plant grows greener the more it is trodden upon.

In Coustau’s work, one sees an image of a man speaking to a pig to represent the pursuit of pleasure, which everyone—even the most monstrous and low—follows. In the same place, a man is seen restraining a wolf by its ears, denoting those who rashly undertake a task from which they can later extract themselves only with the greatest difficulty. A man carrying an egg from which a chick is emerging is a symbol by Sambucus used to express certain hope. Likewise, a man restraining a snake as it sheds its skin was a symbol of Sambucus to demonstrate that timely actions are beneficial; for it is said that a serpent caught while shedding its skin lacks its venom. Archduke Albert of Austria depicted a serpent and a bull at the feet of Jason, who holds the Golden Fleece in his hand, with the title: *By persistence.* This symbol displayed the hope of some heroic endeavor, in emulation of Jason, who sailed to Colchis with the Argonauts to recover the Golden Fleece.

Finally, various symbols of this kind are observed among different authors. Sambucus devised an image of an armed man equipped with a lightning bolt being painted by another man. This denotes Apelles painting Alexander so that he might be believed to be the son of Jupiter; Apelles was later criticized by Lysippus, who depicted the same Alexander armed only with a spear. Through this symbol, the author shows us the nature of a flatterer. Coustau portrayed a man dressed in a toga, holding a green branch in his right hand and a folded scroll in his left, to indicate those who despise legal experts. In the same author, one sees the figure of a man digging the earth to show that there is nothing we cannot achieve through persistent labor. The same author depicts a one-eyed man sitting on a tribunal to represent a judge who judges corruptly, as he looks only at one side and not both.

The figure of a man breaking nuts with his teeth and cutting bread with a sword was a symbol attributed to Sambucus to show that a bad habit can be very difficult to break; for hard nuts should be broken with iron rather than teeth, and soft bread should be cut by teeth rather than iron. In the same author, a man throwing a piece of oak into a river was a symbol signifying that unsuitable things should be cast aside; for oak, or *robur*, turns to stone in water, whereas other woods rot there. Finally, a man looking into a mirror without its metallic foil, which cannot reflect the image of the viewer, is a symbol used by Sambucus to express a sordid and empty friendship in which mutual grace or benevolence is not returned.

There is no shortage of symbols in which the figures of old men and women are observed. Some