Mottoes and Devices of the Sforza

DoctorArcanus

Huck said:
Do you know all the 6 signs at the door, Marco? I can't interpret two them.

Hello Huck,
I think this page can be of help :)
 

Rosanne

My Latin is too literal, and my French too painful- so a translator helped.

All those who shall endeavor to rise above the other beings must work in all their forces to not spend their lives in an obscure silence as animals that nature has looked toward the earth and subjugated to their bellies. Yet the entire our strength lies in the spirit and in the body. The spirit is done more to order, the body to obey; one we is common with the gods, the other with beasts.

I do not forget.( Scroll rods)
By merit and time. (The Duster)
Deservedly. (The Dove) (A Good Law)*
With time.(The Growing Pines?)

This Manuscript was for Lodovico Maria Sforza as is described as

This manuscript presents the typical features of a luxury book in its library of a prince, both by the care given to formal writing and decor, and the poor quality of the text.
This 'littera antiqua' or humanistic, is far from being perfectly controlled and régular, but belongs to a very formal kind. The 'littera antiqua' is from research undertaken by the Florentine humanists from the second half of the fourteenth century, accomplished in the early fifteenth, and to find the elegance and clarity of the Carolingian minuscule. It was first used to copy the texts of ancient Latin, and his transfer from manuscript to print and Latin to the vernacular languages of Europe has provided a universal hegemony today.

* I think this refers to the translation before taking action think about, and after reflection, quickly take action ... That's the Good Law Motto.

Thank you very much.

~Rosanne
 

Huck

Hm ...

MIT RAIT ... somebody interpreted "Zeit", but "Reit" or "Rait" is given by Grimm's Wörterbuch as something like a "bill", German "Rechnung", something, which must be paid. "Mit" is the English "with" and together with "bill" it would mean "Mit Rechnung", perhaps indicating, that anything is paid back in life or whatever.

HIC VERGES NIT

"Verges nit" is clear, but it's not clear, if it means "I will not forget" or "you shall not forget".
"Hic" appears in the Grimm only in Latin contexts, reading a sure "I will not forget" is strange, "verges nit" sounds more like "you shall not forget".

"Here (from Latin "hic" as in "hic Rhodos, hic salta"), don't forget, the bill" would make some understandable meaning ... .-). Hic might also mean "this".
 

Rosanne

:p

You should have my Latin Text books Huck.......

I would have got
hic...Here or in This; In this place now

Verges...Slope, lie, Bend

Nit... Is a Proper Noun, somebody's Name

So.... This to bend NIT!!!! As in.... go right Stupid!!!

So I go with the Motto maker lol.

~Rosanne
 

Huck

verges nit (old, still used as lower German form) = vergiss nicht (modern German, imperative) = "you shall not forget"

I don't forget = Ich vergesse nicht

"Hic verges nit" = as a Latin-German mix = This don't forget.

nit = nicht = English "not"

In 15th century German language wasn't developed as a unified language. Since Luther and the success of the printing press a unified language developed ... so it's rather difficult to a modern German to read a Luther bible translation of 1521, but it's not a problem for a the translation of 1531.

:) ... but it's still rather difficult to read the letters of the catholic Kurfürst-Archbishop of Cologne of ca. 1600-1650, as this used a rather unbelievable mix of Latin-German and didn't read the Luther bible.

As a result of this the successful poets in German language of the late 18th / early 19th century were mostly protestants, not catholic.

Still there are considerable language differences between Austrian and German "Deutsch". In Germany the dialects in 1950's still were rather strong and much used. With the spread of television in the 60's and 70's this dropped back.

Now there are many English words implanted in German language ... :) .. creating a new slang not understood by elder persons, who didn't had English in their school time. Invading foreigners from Eastern countries create their own language mix, often loosing their old language without having learned German language properly. But some of them are really talented to use different languages easily, claiming they could speak 5-6 languages, well ... probably mostly not perfect.
 

Huck

fax.jpg

http://theleme.enc.sorbonne.fr/dossiers/vue8.php

You identified the symbol in the upper left as SCROLL rods ... why?

If "scrolls" is right, with the words "hic verges nit" together the logical idea would be a note book for important matters.

It's interesting to see 8 important symbols on this paper ...

top: hic verges nit - (I can't see it) - merito ...
middle: (this occasionally appears) - (main text) - the dove
bottom: the dog - the viper - "mit rait" (the bill)

Still two unknown objects. You identify "growing pines" at the "mit rait" picture ...

There is a "1467" in the description, not clear, if this is the year of production (?) or simply a number.

If it's a year, then Lodovico Sforza would have been 15 years old. Actually one would suspect, that such worthwhile manuscript was made, when he was a man for some more importance ... but it's said, that Lodovico was favored by the mother Bianca Maria, perhaps he showed many talents.

Some web sources seem to think, that this is a year (?, but the snippets are not easy to interpret). Salluste was used as school text in my youth, possibly this writer already in medieval times was especially usable for persons, who don't speak Latin very well ... so a school book (?).
 

Rosanne

Church Latin is very different from vulgar Latin the basis of Italian, and I have often found that I forget the Lombard bit (The German part) of the Renaissance words. I had a classical education, which meant Catholic, and Irish Nuns taught me French, German, Greek, Latin and English- quite often most likely by reading the Lessons the night before. Their expertise was not always good, but their passion and enthusiasm was unbounded. Consequently...Ich mag diesen geschichtsunterricht ummm Tarock? :D So what do you think the Motto This not forget refers to? The Fight for Milan or something else?

~Rosanne

I just saw your question- scrolls rods were on my school motto just like that- Actus Bene Partis ibi Honoris- indicates words to be read and spoken I thought.
The site that showed the manuscript- if you placed your mouse on image it read the motto.
 

Huck

You replied, when I still was editing the post ... please read above again

If it are really scrolls, it's simply a note book ... and indirectly it says, write anything of importance in this book, that you don't forget to act accordingly.

Well, the point is the year ... if 1467, then it's addressed to a very young man still in education, if it's from the time of 1494 or later the use of German motti might refer to actions, which happened between Lodovico and young Roman king Maximilian. They had "bill's" with each other. They had contracts, which shouldn't be forgotten.

This "Rait" might have been an expression used in Bavaria, as the Grimm indicates, and so it might belong to expressions common to Maximilian (Austria not far from Bavaria). Using this German motti might be a way of Lodovico to remind Maximilian on earlier promises. In these early years of Maximilian's reign the young king of the empire got more money from Lodovico Sforza than from anybody else.

If it are scrolls, then it are double scrolls - so it seems to indicate "diplomatic contracts". Two sides have signed, and both are bound by a chain to fulfill, what is written. So "don't forget the contract" is the meaning of "hic verges nit" - not in Latin, but "half Latin, half German", so that's clear, that this a German-Italian contract.

The "1467" is somewhat disturbing. It would be interesting to know, when the symbol with motto was used for the first time.
 

Rosanne

The manuscript is a Book called a 'Humanistic' -classical texts written into Latin with care about spelling; from scrolls. Scrolls have a rod at each end. I guess they (the scrolls) are symbols of education, it certainly could well mean contract between two for mutual benefit. I think on the Humanistic it could well mean don't forget where your education comes from.
http://www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/gallery/cambridgeilluminations/themes/7.html

Well we know it is in Milan 1452 (the Motto). I will try and find it in the Marche in that form.

~Rosanne
 

Rosanne

OK here is what I have found out about Francesco Sforza's Impresse and Mottos. The man sounds like he was an innovator!

Anyway his dog under the tree or a greyhound (veltro) in repose or sitting
motto is quietum nemo impune lacessit and no dates that I can find.

but the duster is a horse brush because it was used for a restive horse to make it obedient- so it became a symbol of good Government and was borrowed from Francesco Sforza by Federico da Montefeltro the Duke of Urbino circa 1442.
The Gonzaga Family and Sforza family seem to have quite a lot of these impresse and Motto. Both seems to be into public relations in a big way.
Did you know they had strict rules? They could not be in the language of the user, they could not have humans in them, they were supposed to be very clear and not ambiguous (hahaha). I cannot find a book in English that lists them and dates granted. I am sure there is one- maybe there is one in German?
There was no information that I could find about scroll rods and motto.

~Rosanne