[Ads-l] Adage: An army of stags led by a lion is more formidable than an army of lions led by a stag. Attributed to Plutarch

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Excellent information. Thanks Dave Wilton, James Eric Lawson, and
Jonathan Lighter.

An online database with open access translations coupled with precise
identifications of each source document should be a goal in this area
of scholarship in my opinion. (Funding would be required.) How
credible are the source documents? Are there conflicting texts in
different source documents? Perhaps specialists can determine this
information, but how can a layperson determine the credibility of
these attributions?

I agree that using citations to the Loeb Classical Library makes sense
for QI articles, and I am not eager to create additional work for
myself, but it would be nice to point to a modern scholarly analysis.

In a previous QI article I pointed to a 1927 volume in the Loeb
Classical Library for a Plutarch quotation. See citation 3.

The Mind Is Not a Vessel That Needs Filling, But Wood That Needs Igniting
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/03/28/mind-fire/

Garson

On Sat, Jan 23, 2021 at 9:00 AM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> The quotation is on p. 105/107 of the third vol. of Frank Cole Babbitt's
> 1931 trans. of Plutarch's _Moralia_. Plutarch attributes it to Chabrias:
>
> "He was wont to say that an army of deer commanded by a lion is more to be
> feared than an army of lions commanded by a deer."
>
> JL
>
> On Sat, Jan 23, 2021 at 8:49 AM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Sorry that I forgot what went where. But it's OK. Lawson unearthed earlier
> > stuff on his own.
> >
> > I was hoping you'd get around to this one.
> >
> > Interesting that for centuries the contrast was between ferocity and
> > cowardice or weakness.  In the nineteenth century the latter switched to
> > obstinacy or stupidity.
> >
> > Jon
> >
> > On Sat, Jan 23, 2021 at 3:59 AM ADSGarson O'Toole <
> > adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> Jonathan Lighter  wrote:
> >> > Garson, I sent it to the list to encourage other contributions.
> >> >
> >> > A lamer but more literal rendering of the Latin is, "An army of deer is
> >> more formidable with a lion as commander than [is an army] of lions with a
> >> deer [as commander]."
> >> >
> >> > The Greek is Greek to me.
> >> >
> >> > You've done great work on this.
> >>
> >> Dear JL,
> >>   Thanks for your compliment. Your original inquiry was intriguing,
> >> and the new citations you have located are valuable.
> >> Thanks for the English rendition of the Latin adage.
> >>
> >> There appears to be some miscommunication. In my previous message I
> >> was attempting to notify you that your previous message containing the
> >> 1643 citation had not been sent to the list. Your message was only
> >> sent to me.
> >>
> >> The ADS archive reveals that your message is absent. (The thread is
> >> near the bottom.)
> >> http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2021-January/thread.html
> >>
> >> This may have occurred because my original message was cc'ed to you.
> >> Hence, your reply was only sent to me.
> >>
> >> You may wish to send your message again to the ADS list after
> >> scrutinizing the "To" slot.
> >> Garson
> >>
> >
> >
> > --
> > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
> >
>
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org