780. Iuppiter et Hominum Peccata. Iuppiter Mercurio imperavit ut omnium peccata in testula scriberentur ac in arca quadam reponerentur, ut, singulorum peccatis in unum collectis, iustas cuique poenas statueret. Sed cum testulae illae sint simul admixtae atque confusae, proinde fit ut haec cito, illa sero in Iovis manus incidat, si quando ipsi eas in arcam intendere placet. Non itaque mirari debemus, si improbi homines celeriter quidem iniurias inferant, tarde vero poenas luant.
M0780 = Perry313. Source: De Furia 365. This is Perry 313. For a note about the pairing of Jupiter and Mercury, see #861. The testula (Greek ostraka) were broken bits of pottery that were used as writing material in ancient Greece, most notably for recording votes; hence the English word “ostracize,” when votes were cast for someone’s banishment.
