63 Colloquial and Li.. - Ganino.com

394 danuta shanzer
But on the other hand there is the warning whiff of generic sensitivity,
details such as Imp. 2 iogo tale, the ‘Proverbial’ flavour of the opening of
Frod. 4, details in the insult exchange that might indicate parody of insult
exchange: Frod. 4.26 non simulas tuo patre followed by the paraprosdokian
– vere nec tua matre! Literary critics might also smell a rat in Frod. 4.2 ut ne
similis fias stulto, nunquam respondes ei in mutto.Doesin mutto mean ‘in a
word’, ‘at all,’ or in multo ‘at length?’ (Walstra 1962: 175–6). The passage of
Proverbs alluded to (see the epigraph) presents completely contradictory
advice: ‘Don’t answer the fool according to his foolishness lest you become
like him’ and ‘Answer the fool according to his foolishness lest he seem
wise to himself.’ That said, despite Frod. 4.2’s recommendation that one
not answer or not answer at length, he followed the second course and
responded in kind. Perhaps we are being invited to see this as the exchange
of two stulti. The catalogue is extravagant when laid out side by side.
Importunus accused of Frodebert accused of
Sending rotten grain Taking Grimoald’s wife
Being a fool Having sex with her
Being a liar, whisperer, fool Ruining his lord/lady
Being an ingrate Loving the devil
Trampling on laws and decency Being the illegitimate son of a nun
Vomiting disgusting allegations Being manumitted by his domnus
Telling lies Being an ingrate
Impugning pure friendships Annexing nuns’ wealth
Being a fraudulent thief, a murderer, an
adulterer, and an abductor, a false
accuser
Having sex with nuns
Being errant and envious Having a cauta longa
Despised by God, trapped by the Devil And more...in praeteritio
Being not a man, but a fox Being a falsator
Being an informer Being a thief, a blackguard, a whisperer
Being a grunting, puff-cheeked, belching,
bursting, running, sweating,
smelly-phlegm-emitting beast!
Being a fox
Being a hound Collapsing before a stout dog
Being a dog in the manger Catching fallen nuns
Not being worth a rooster Eating dung
Not looking like his father – or his mother Being a failed hunter
Being a disgrace to his parents Being caught lying
Informing like a thief
Lying like an Irishman
Being a crooked liar