Book Title: Andreae Alciati emblematvm libellvs.

Author: Alciati, Andrea, 1492-1550

Image Title: One Can Do Nothing, Two Can Do Much

Description: The pictura of this emblem by the Italian jurist and writer Andrea Alciati (1492 – 1550 CE) features a knight and scholar standing opposite one another. The former carries a pike, the latter a banner with Greek script. The subscriptio speaks of the collaboration of the mythical Greek heroes Diomedes and Odysseus in the night raid on Troy as recounted in the Iliad. Diomedes was considered the Achaean second only to Achilles in martial might and skill, and Odysseus was renowned for his eloquence and intelligence. The two were King Agamemnon’s most trusted officers. The epigrammatist regards the success of the raid as an allegory of the need to unite force with counsel.

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