Who coined this phrase....
PMD
I've been told it comes from an HG Wells book, but I have a feeling it
is far older than that. Anyone know the origin of it?
--
>> PMD aa#167
--
Jeremiah 4:6-7; Proverbs 15:1; Romans 3:10 : Matthew 5:44; Luke 19:27
"ALL OF A SUDDEN and BY CHANCE, a great being that always was suddenly
decided it was dark" - Genesis (inspired by the humour of Ankhor 26/8/01)
:God is a solipsist
:civility = my_view*your_view/my_certainty^2
Robert M. Wilson
"PMD" <pd015c1974@SPAMNOT_blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
news:gnjn8ug9gb1pqcpko...@4ax.com...
> In the land of the blind the one-eyes man is king?
>
> I've been told it comes from an HG Wells book, but I have a feeling it
> is far older than that. Anyone know the origin of it?
It was popularised by Wells in the title of a story, *The Country of the
Blind.*
In various forms it is an old proverb.
In Erasmus's Adages:
"in regione caucorum rex est luscus"
In English, the first known use was J. Skelton, 1522:
"An one eyed man is well syghted when he is among blynde men."
John C. Shepard
Among the blind the one-eyed man is king.
[Lat., Scitum est inter caecos luscum requare posse.]
- DESIDERIUS GERHARD ERASMUS, Dutch scholar, philosopher and writer (1465 -
1536)
Adagia, Dignitas et Excellentia et Inequalitas, sub-division, Excel. et
Ineq., (about 1500)
Earlier, but slightly different is:
Ambes perdidit ille oculus et luscis invidet.
(which I think roughly translates to "the blind envy the one-eyed")
- Juvenal, Italian Latin poet (1st cent.)
Regards, John Shepard
David C Kifer
>
> How about:
>
> Among the blind the one-eyed man is king.
> [Lat., Scitum est inter caecos luscum requare posse.]
> - DESIDERIUS GERHARD ERASMUS, Dutch scholar, philosopher and writer (1465 -
> 1536)
> Adagia, Dignitas et Excellentia et Inequalitas, sub-division, Excel. et
> Ineq., (about 1500)
I have this as:
In regione caecorum rex est luscus
In the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king.
--Desiderius Erasmus (1465-1536), _Adagia_, 3.4.96., 1508
Does anyone have a copy of the original to check? I tried a quick Search,
found a number of copies of the above, but not the original. Ir did he
write it both ways?
>
> Earlier, but slightly different is:
>
> Ambes perdidit ille oculus et luscis invidet.
> (which I think roughly translates to "the blind envy the one-eyed")
> - Juvenal, Italian Latin poet (1st cent.)
I have this, without attribution:
Inter caecos regnat strabus.
Among the blind, the squinter rules.
[p&e]
--
Dave
"Tam multi libri, tam breve tempus!"
(Et brevis pecunia.) [Et breve spatium.]
John C. Shepard
My version is found in Hoyt's New Cyclopedia of Practical Quotations & in
Stevenson's Home Book of Quotations. Your version is in Stevenson's Home
Book of Proverbs, Maxims & Familiar Phrases.
Sorry don't have a copy of Erasmus work.
I also have "Among the blind the one-eyed blinkard reigns" - Andrew Marvell
(English poet 1621-78), in "Character of Holland"
Also have unattributed proverb from Henderson's Latin Proverbs: "In
Blindman's land your one-eyed man's a god."
Regards, John
PMD
<r...@island.net> was seen to type in alt.quotations:
Thank you very much. :)
David C Kifer
>
> Dave:
>
> My version is found in Hoyt's New Cyclopedia of Practical Quotations & in
> Stevenson's Home Book of Quotations. Your version is in Stevenson's Home
> Book of Proverbs, Maxims & Familiar Phrases.
>
> Sorry don't have a copy of Erasmus work.
So, until we find someone with a copy of Erasmus, or a Web Search is more
successful, we have two different versions quoted by the same editor,
Stevenson, both citing the same source _Adagia_. Kind of makes one wonder
just how reliable Stevenson is, doesn't it? Such fun! :-)>
William C Waterhouse
> "John C. Shepard" wrote:
> >
> > How about:
> >
> > Among the blind the one-eyed man is king.
> > [Lat., Scitum est inter caecos luscum requare posse.]
> > - DESIDERIUS GERHARD ERASMUS, Dutch scholar, philosopher and writer (1465 -
> > 1536)
> > Adagia, Dignitas et Excellentia et Inequalitas, sub-division, Excel. et
> > Ineq., (about 1500)
>
> I have this as:
> In regione caecorum rex est luscus
> In the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king.
> --Desiderius Erasmus (1465-1536), _Adagia_, 3.4.96., 1508
This came up a couple of years ago, so I can save a trip to
the library by tracking down what I found then:
Fortunately, the (reprint of an) old edition of Erasmus in our
library has several indices. The adage in question is number
3.4.96. The heading is
Inter caecos regnat strabus.
This means
Among the blind, the squinter rules.
But then Erasmus prints a Greek version and translates it
(correctly, of course) as the second form above,
In regione caecorum rex est luscus.
This means very literally
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
Erasmus goes on to explain how the saying is used metaphorically
but does not quote any examples. (I don't think he is
claiming to originate it; he just means that he knows only
modern instances, no ancient sources.)
For what it's worth, the form
Scitum est inter caecos luscum regnare posse
means
It is well known that a one-eyed man can rule among the blind.
It's probably just an example of someone incorporating the same
saying into his own writing.
William C. Waterhouse
Penn State
David C Kifer
>
> In article <3C8C3DCC...@sky-access.com>,
> David C Kifer <dki...@sky-access.com> writes:
> > I have this as:
> > In regione caecorum rex est luscus
> > In the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king.
> > --Desiderius Erasmus (1465-1536), _Adagia_, 3.4.96., 1508
>
> This came up a couple of years ago, so I can save a trip to
> the library by tracking down what I found then:
>
> Fortunately, the (reprint of an) old edition of Erasmus in our
> library has several indices. The adage in question is number
> 3.4.96. The heading is
Thanks, William,
I should have remembered that, and just Googled the group! Sorry 'bout that!
John C. Shepard
John Shepard
"William C Waterhouse" <w...@math.psu.edu> wrote in message
news:a6tva0$1l...@r02n01.cac.psu.edu...