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Devises Héroïques - Paradin, Claude
Devises Héroïques - Paradin, Claude
us 3351 00293049
ASP LOSS cs 1
Paradins Claudee 16th cent.
Devises hberohiaques /
DATE DUE
Scolar Press
The Introduction © copyright Alison Saunders, 1989.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise
without the prior permission of the publisher.
Published by
SCOLAR PRESS
Gower Publishing Company Limited
Gower House
Croft Road
Aldershot
Hants GU11 3HR
England
ISBN 0-85967-771-0
htips://archive.org/details/devisesheroiques0000para
Introduction
2
INTRODUCTION
3
INTRODUCTION
4
INTRODUCTION
5
INTRODUCTION
work in his own preface. In the Alliances, however, the initiative does
seem to have been Paradin’s, and similarly the Devises heroiques
seems to be Paradin’s own inspiration, since his name features on the
title page, and his dedication of the work to Théode de Marze is not
offset by any preface by De Tournes.
Since it is a pioneering work, it is interesting to see what Paradin says
about the purpose of the Devises heroiques. Emphasizing the antiquity
of devices in good humanist manner, he explains that their original aim
was to promote virtue, since something which is visually depicted can
concretize an idea which would otherwise be ephemeral (pp. 3-4).
Stressing the widespread use of such devices among the aristocracy, he
hopes that bringing such devices to the attention of a wider audience
may lead them also to greater virtue, again bringing in an allusion to
the Egyptian hieroglyphic tradition beloved of writers of emblems and
devices, but concluding on a firmly moral note, pointing to the didactic
value of his work as well as its purely decorative value (pp. 5-6).
Paradin’s 182 devices, covering a wide range of subject matter, were
obviously intended to provide, like many contemporary French em-
blem books, a palatable compendium of knowledge, both informative
and morally improving, and visually pleasing, preventing boredom by
the fragmentary nature of the text, changing subject from device to
device. It is interesting that in its initial form, without explanatory text,
the work was more hermetic, posing a greater intellectual challenge to
the reader. But from the second edition the emphasis changed en-
tirely, with stress being placed upon explanation of the background to
and meaning of each device. Indeed so important was its informative
nature considered that in the later editions Paradin’s text was further
developed by François d’Amboise, and the Latin mottoes rendered
into French (although the original Latin mottoes were also retained).
Thus the Latin couplet which ends Paradin’s commentary on Francois
ler’s salamander is translated by François d’Amboise, and to it is
added a further piece of information:
L’ours fier, l’Aigle legere, & le serpent tortu,
Salemandre ont cedé a ton feu & vertu.
Par ces trois s’entendent les victoires que ce Roy avoit eués sur les
Suisses, les Germains & les Milannois.
(Devises heroiques et emblemes (Paris, 1622), p. 15)
and the explanation of Marguerite de Navarre’s marigold device (p.
41) is also developed:
INTRODUCTION
7
INTRODUCTION
spells out the significance, but in the snake in the grass device figure
and motto both make the same point, and only in the prose commen-
tary is the significance of the symbol interpreted. Other non-specific
allegorical devices are the flies failing to get a grip on a mirror (p. 71),
the hedgehog spiking its food to transport it home (p. 140), or the crow
dropping stones into an urn to raise the water level so that it can drink
(p. 141).
The degree to which devices are open to more than one interpreta-
tion is clear in Paradin’s collection. Although sometimes the signifi-
cance is obvious, at other times Paradin is uncertain of the meaning
intended by the wearer of the device, and thus he suggests only
tentatively a possible interpretation, as in his commentary on the
Dauphin’s device (p. 74). He expresses similar uncertainty over the
significance of the device of a crocodile attached to a palm tree found
on ancient coins (p. 68). Sometimes he offers two possible interpreta-
tions, as in Maecenas’ frog device reflecting perhaps his dominance
over land and sea, but perhaps also symbolizing his discretion or
taciturnity, a characteristic of frogs noted by Pliny (p. 63).
Some of Paradin’s figures are well-known, appearing in emblem
book after emblem book, and often derived from bestiary sources, as,
for example, the immortal phoenix (p. 89) or the monkey hugging its
youth to death (p. 226), but more commonly they are less obvious, and
it is not surprising that he augmented his second edition with commen-
tary. Whether or not the devices relate to a particular owner, the
material on which they are based remains general in its application,
deriving from everyday life (as in Poco à poco (p. 170) on the analogy
between the impossibility of seeing the grass grow and the impos-
sibility of seeing virtue grow), from history (as in Ultorem ulciscitur
ultor (p. 65) based on an anecdote concerning Charles VI of France),
or from antiquity (as in Invitum fortuna fovet (p. 81) based on Strabo’s
account of the fish swallowing a ring). Apart from relevant facts about
the owner of the device, Paradin avoids any narrowly contemporary
allusions. The impersonal devices are universal, and the personal
devices are taken from all over the world. Thus the information and
moral lessons are as relevant to an English or a Dutch reader as they
would be to a French reader, and it could be for this reason that the
work was so popular, being translated into so many different lan-
guages, including Latin, the lingua franca of the sixteenth century.
The Devises heroiques belongs very much to its period, catering for a
taste for seeing the most disparate of phenomena as symbols with
8
INTRODUCTION
Italian palaces had long been decorated with devices, and this fashion
spread to France and England in the sixteenth century. Sometimes
simple, unadorned texts were inscribed or painted on the walls, as at
La Possonniére, Ronsard’s birthplace, or in Montaigne’s study. Alter-
natively both figure and text, or figure alone could be incorporated into
the decoration of the house in the form of plaster moulding, woodcarv-
ing, ceiling painting, tapestry or furnishings. (See M. Jourdain, Eng-
lish Decoration and Furniture of the Early Renaissance (London,
1924); English Decorative Plasterwork of the Renaissance (London,
1926). See also Praz, pp. 52-54, and R. Freeman, English Emblem
Books (London, 1967), pp. 49-51.) Craftsmen executing these de-
signs, and indeed other craftsmen such as goldsmiths or jewellers, or
leisured ladies, one of whose major pastimes was embroidery, needed
patterns to work from, and thus, quite apart from their informative
and moralizing character, collections such as the Devises heroiques
catered for this need also. Aware of this market, Roville, De Tournes’
rival publisher in Lyons, produced in 1560 a modified version of
Simeoni’s collection of devices and Giovio’s treatise on the subject,
with the text reduced to a series of quatrains, and with greater weight
accorded to the decorative aspect. Its title, Tetrastiques faictz sur les
devises du Seigneur Paulo Jovio, et de Messire Gabriel Simeon, pour
servir en verrieres, chassis, galeries, & tableaux, ainsi qu'il plaira au
lecteur de les accommoder, indicates its intended role. Paradin’s work
. also provided patterns for craftsmen. During her imprisonment Mary
Queen of Scots devoted a lot of time to embroidery, much of which has
os
INTRODUCTION
10
INTRODUCTION
Alison Saunders
University of Aberdeen
11
Appendix
12
APPENDIX
13
APPENDIX
14
APPENDIX
15
APPENDIX
NOTE: This last list omits those devices to which Paradin gave a
French title in the first place, and also fourteen devices for which
François d’Amboise did not provide a French title.
16
HEROIQVES,
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10 DEVISES
eftoitfiguré auf$i en la poitrine de leur Dieu Serapis,au
facraive duquel quand l'Empereur Theodofe fitrafer
Suidas. les temples des Grecs, Suidas efcrit qu'ily auoit des let-
Liidore, tres Hieroglifiques , qui portoient forme de Croix. 1ft-
dore recite ausi , que les Antiques pour remerquer en
leurs efcrirs, on noter le nombre des annex, ou des oc-
cis en guerre : peinwnoièt les mots a telle lettre © (com
me ayantledard a trariers) ¢ les efchapex, a cette cy
Afconius Pe. T. Et encores à ce propos dit Afconins Pedianus , que
dianus, ads au fort des ingemens il y auoit des merques de trois
lettres, à fanoir © en fine de condannacwon, T d'abfo-
lucion,¢~ À d'ampliacion.Or eft donques ce fine de T
Exode17. falutifere , ainfs que demontroit aufst Moife , priant
em eftendant les bras fur la montaizne , pendant la-
quelle extenfion , les Ifraélites fappcditoienr leurs en-
nemis , Co au contraire les abaiffant eftoient repouffex
des anerfaires.
HEROIQVES. 11
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femble reprefenter la guerre entre deus fors C7 puif-
fans Princes, par laquelle fonuent fe minent,con[ument,
ou ruinent l'un l'autre , outre le danzer ¢ dommage
rreparable qui en fort , courant € volant de toutes
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44 DEVISES
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98 DEVISES
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100 DEVISES
fommacion de lui renuoyer d'icelle , le pire , ou le meil-
leur membre: lui en renuoya feulement la Lanvue.Pour
eftre donques celle petite piece du corps de telle impor-
tance,ne fait a emerueiller fi Nature l'a enclofe de dou-
ble portal, duquel aucunement ne doit iouir de louucr-
ture, fans la licence de Raifon 7 Entendemét demou-
rans au fort : autrement venant à senuoler fans dire
Vagare , ceft pitié que du danger de fa trainee: > queue
de malheureufe confequence.
He R OF QUES. F1)
Putrefcet lugum.
Semine ab ætherio.
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loeph. La miferable destruccion de Ierufalem par les Rom
Aecgclipp.
meins
,(apres la pajsion de Iefuchrif?)
futfinifiee par
plifieurs fines , 7 mefmes entre les autres , par une
cfpouuenrable Comete , en forme d'efbee luifant cu feu,
laquelle aparut bien l'efpace dun an fur le Temple, com
me demontrant que lire Diuine fe vouloit veuver de
la nacion lmiaique, par feu, & pan fing, ce qui auint,
otre Le pirenufe calemite de famine, raifon de liquelie
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HEROIQVES, 11
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des Araignees , lefquelles prennent Cy retiennent les SF
petites Mouches , Papillons , ¢ autres bestions , ©”
laffent paffer les gros 7 fers , ce que de mefmes fone
anjsi les Loix, qui par mauuaife inrerpreracion ne lient
les riches go puiffans,maïs font rigoureufes 2” corretne
gnent feulement les poures,imbeciles, foibl:s € peti.
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122 DEVISES
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170 DEVISES
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Confultori peflimum.
Saint Paul, enVisle de Malte fut mordu d'un Vipe- Aus Actes 28,
re : ce ncanmoins (quoy que les Barbares du lieu le cai-
daffent autreinent) ne valut pu de la morfure, fecouant
de fa main la Befte dens le feu :car veritablementa
qui Dieu veut ayder,il ny ha rien quipuiffe nuire.
183 DEVISES
Mature.
Phitone perempto.
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777
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La fanglante ESpee du f
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Je counertit en Palmes de perpetuelle vitloire:portaus
Coronnes de regne immortcl.Et non feulemet font apel-
i a lex
2090 DEVISES
lex, Martirs ceus qui efpandent leur fang pour la Foy,
mas auf ceus qui pour paruenir au regne celelie, por-
tent leur Croix apres lefuchrift :en endurant pactem-
ment les afliccions, tourmens , ¢ oprubres de ce mon.
de, en quoy confiste (7 gir,un autre efbece de martire.
HEROÏQUVES. 201
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214 DEVISES
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234 DEVISES
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246 DEVISES
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