Erasmus: a dolphin, an anchor and the time to act

“Festina lente”: “Make haste slowly.” The phrase seems to ask our feet to move and stay still at the same time. Erasmus begins commentary II.1.1 of his Adages with these words, also giving the corresponding Greek expression. He is not inventing a personal slogan: he discusses an ancient saying and its paradox. The brief English rendering used here is conventional; the Latin text can be read in Otto Steinmayer’s edition for The Philological Museum. [1]

Its associated image is a dolphin intertwined with an anchor. In Erasmus’s argument, the dolphin represents energy and speed, while the anchor supplies restraint and stability. These are symbolic meanings: his accounts of animals should not be turned into modern zoology. The point is that each figure corrects the other. An anchor alone takes us nowhere; energy alone cannot decide whether a direction is worth following. Both belong in the same question about action. [1]

The commentary offers several uses of the saying. One distinguishes deliberation from execution: consider a choice carefully, then act promptly once it has been made. It does not advise slowing everything down equally. Early in the text, Erasmus also stresses the consequences of decisions made by rulers: neglecting a necessary action can cause harm too. Prudence therefore cannot become a universal excuse for leaving everything as it is. Attention matters because something real eventually needs to be done. [1]

The image also belongs to the history of books. A Grolier Club exhibition describes the expanded edition of the Adages printed by Aldus Manutius in Venice in September 1508. In his commentary, Erasmus praises the printer’s work and interprets the dolphin and anchor he uses. The pair links the circulation of texts with the care needed to prepare them. This is more than an abstract invitation to calmness: the context is work that must be completed and shared. [3][1]

Consider an editorial example, not an episode from Erasmus’s life. We are about to send out a programme of meetings: checking the day and location requires a useful pause; endlessly adjusting the title’s colour may become postponement. How can we tell them apart? We might ask which check really protects the people involved, and which mainly helps us avoid making a choice. The quotation guarantees no automatic answer. It gives us a question and leaves us responsible for addressing it in the particular situation before us. There is no need to make either speed or slowness a virtue by itself. [1]