Tempora mutantur
Encyclopedia
Tempora mutantur is a Latin
adage
meaning "times change", or more precisely "the times are changed" (passive). It is also stated as the longer hexametric
Tempora mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis, meaning "Times change, and we change with them", or more precisely "The times are changed and we are changed in them (or during them)".
: the rhythmical verse, typical of the great epic poetry, both in Greek and Latin literature.
The fact that "et" (and) is following "nos" and being accented in the hexameter's rhythm, attributes an emphasis to it. So the precise translation is "and we too", instead of the simple "and we".
The verb mūtō means both "to move" and "to change", so an alternate reading is "The times move [on], and we move [along] in them." This recalls the image of time as a river, moving along, as in Heraclitus' Πάντα ῥεῖ (panta rhei) "everything is in a state of flux".
. This formulation appears to be traditional; the variant omnia mutantur
("everything changes", "τἀ πἀντα ρει" in Greek
) occurs for instance in Ovid's
Metamorphoses.
In English vernacular literature it is quoted as "proverbial" in William Harrison's
Description of England, 1577, p. 170, part of Holinshed's Chronicles
, in the form:
It also appears as
in John Lyly
Euphues
I 276, 1578, as cited in Dictionary of Proverbs, by George Latimer Apperson, Martin Manser, p. 582
A couplet
, in which form it gained popularity, is:
by John Owen
, in his popular Epigrammata, 1613 Lib. I. ad Edoardum Noel, epigram 58 O Tempora!
Translated by Harvey, 1677, as:
References in German vernacular literature date back to the Protestant Reformation
and arise in that context:
Before 1554 Caspar Huberinus completes Ovid
's verse:
The German translation is added in 1565 by Johannes Nas:
Finally a couplet
dedicated by Matthew Borbonius in 1595 to emperor Lothair I
.
Also selected for the anthology
Delitiae Poetarum Germanorum, 1612, vol. 1, p. 685 (GIF).
In Pierson v. Post
, dissenting judge and future Supreme Court
Justice
Henry Brockholst Livingston
argued "If any thing, therefore, in the digests or pandects shall appear to militate against the defendant in error, who, on this occasion, was foxhunter, we have only to say tempora mutantur, and if men themselves change with the times, why should not laws also undergo an alteration?"
, presumably a confusion with his O tempora o mores!
Georg Büchmann, Geflügelte Worte: Der Citatenschatz des deutschen Volkes, ed. K. Weidling, 1898 edition, p. 506, confuses historical and poetical reality naming emperor Lothair I as the source and the couplet by Matthias Borbonius printed in 1612 as the quote.
Brewer's Dictionary
1898 edition confuses Borbonius' first name (Matthew) with another poet (Nicholas), the entry reading:
Symphony No. 64
.
In the popular UK sitcom Yes Prime Minister
, Prime Minister Jim Hacker suggests to civil servant Sir Humphrey Appleby
that "hardly anyone uses Latin nowadays". Sir Humphrey responds with "Tempora mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis".
omnia mutantur is inscribed on the Convention Center at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.
James Joyce
's Stephen Dedalus goes back with his father to County Cork in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and one of his dad's old cronies cross-questions him: "One of them, in order to put his Latin to the proof, had made him translate short passages from Dilectus and asked him whether it was correct to say: Tempora mutantur nos et mutamur in illis or Tempora mutantur et nos mutamur in illis."
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
adage
Adage
An adage is a short but memorable saying which holds some important fact of experience that is considered true by many people, or that has gained some credibility through its long use....
meaning "times change", or more precisely "the times are changed" (passive). It is also stated as the longer hexametric
Hexameter
Hexameter is a metrical line of verse consisting of six feet. It was the standard epic metre in classical Greek and Latin literature, such as in the Iliad and Aeneid. Its use in other genres of composition include Horace's satires, and Ovid's Metamorphoses. According to Greek mythology, hexameter...
Tempora mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis, meaning "Times change, and we change with them", or more precisely "The times are changed and we are changed in them (or during them)".
Wording
As many adages and proverbial or wisdom maxims handed on till nowadays from the Latin cultural tradition, this line is a hexameterHexameter
Hexameter is a metrical line of verse consisting of six feet. It was the standard epic metre in classical Greek and Latin literature, such as in the Iliad and Aeneid. Its use in other genres of composition include Horace's satires, and Ovid's Metamorphoses. According to Greek mythology, hexameter...
: the rhythmical verse, typical of the great epic poetry, both in Greek and Latin literature.
The fact that "et" (and) is following "nos" and being accented in the hexameter's rhythm, attributes an emphasis to it. So the precise translation is "and we too", instead of the simple "and we".
The verb mūtō means both "to move" and "to change", so an alternate reading is "The times move [on], and we move [along] in them." This recalls the image of time as a river, moving along, as in Heraclitus' Πάντα ῥεῖ (panta rhei) "everything is in a state of flux".
History
The notion of change, of everything changing, dates in Western philosophy at least to HeraclitusHeraclitus
Heraclitus of Ephesus was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher, a native of the Greek city Ephesus, Ionia, on the coast of Asia Minor. He was of distinguished parentage. Little is known about his early life and education, but he regarded himself as self-taught and a pioneer of wisdom...
. This formulation appears to be traditional; the variant omnia mutantur
Omnia mutantur
Omnia mutantur is a Latin phrase meaning "everything changes".It is most often used as part of two other phrases:* Omnia mutantur, nihil interit , by Ovid in his Metamorphoses, and...
("everything changes", "τἀ πἀντα ρει" in Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
) occurs for instance in Ovid's
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
Metamorphoses.
In English vernacular literature it is quoted as "proverbial" in William Harrison's
William Harrison (clergyman)
William Harrison was an English clergyman, whose Description of England was produced as part of the publishing venture of a group of London stationers who produced Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles...
Description of England, 1577, p. 170, part of Holinshed's Chronicles
Raphael Holinshed
Raphael Holinshed was an English chronicler, whose work, commonly known as Holinshed's Chronicles, was one of the major sources used by William Shakespeare for a number of his plays....
, in the form:
- Tempora mutantur et nos mutamur in illis with the translation: "The times change, and we change with them."
It also appears as
- "The tymes are chaunged as Ouid sayeth, and wee are chaunged in the times." which in modern spelling reads: "The times are changed, as Ovid says, and we are changed in the times."
in John Lyly
John Lyly
John Lyly was an English writer, best known for his books Euphues,The Anatomy of Wit and Euphues and His England. Lyly's linguistic style, originating in his first books, is known as Euphuism.-Biography:John Lyly was born in Kent, England, in 1553/1554...
Euphues
Euphues (1578)
Euphues: The Anatomy of Wyt published in 1578 was a didactic romance written by John Lyly and followed two years later by Euphues and his England ; the term "Euphues" is derived from Greek meaning "graceful, witty". Lyly's mannered style is characterized by parallel arrangements and...
I 276, 1578, as cited in Dictionary of Proverbs, by George Latimer Apperson, Martin Manser, p. 582
A couplet
Couplet
A couplet is a pair of lines of meter in poetry. It usually consists of two lines that rhyme and have the same meter.While traditionally couplets rhyme, not all do. A poem may use white space to mark out couplets if they do not rhyme. Couplets with a meter of iambic pentameter are called heroic...
, in which form it gained popularity, is:
- Tempora mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis;
- Quo modo? fit semper tempore pejor homo. "How 's that? The man (mankind) always gets worse with time"
by John Owen
John Owen (epigrammatist)
John Owen was a Welsh epigrammatist, most known for his Latin epigrams, collected in his Epigrammata.He is also cited by various Latinizations including Ioannes Owen, Joannes Oweni, Ovenus and Audoenus....
, in his popular Epigrammata, 1613 Lib. I. ad Edoardum Noel, epigram 58 O Tempora!
Translated by Harvey, 1677, as:
- "The Times are Chang’d, and in them Chang’d are we:
- How? Man as Times grow worse, grows worse we see."
References in German vernacular literature date back to the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
and arise in that context:
Before 1554 Caspar Huberinus completes Ovid
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
's verse:
- Tempora labuntur, tacitisque senescimus annis; "Times are slipping away, and we get older by (through, during, with, because of) the silent years"
Tempora mutantur, nosque mutamur in illis. ("nosque" = the same as "nos et", with different hexameter rhythm)
The German translation is added in 1565 by Johannes Nas:
- Tempora mutantur et nos mutamur in ipsis; ("ipsis" = "themselves")
Die zeit wirdt verendert / vnd wir in der zeit.
Finally a couplet
Couplet
A couplet is a pair of lines of meter in poetry. It usually consists of two lines that rhyme and have the same meter.While traditionally couplets rhyme, not all do. A poem may use white space to mark out couplets if they do not rhyme. Couplets with a meter of iambic pentameter are called heroic...
dedicated by Matthew Borbonius in 1595 to emperor Lothair I
Lothair I
Lothair I or Lothar I was the Emperor of the Romans , co-ruling with his father until 840, and the King of Bavaria , Italy and Middle Francia...
.
Also selected for the anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
Delitiae Poetarum Germanorum, 1612, vol. 1, p. 685 (GIF).
| Omnia mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis Illa vices quasdam res habet, illa vices. |
"All things are changed, and we are changed with them that matter has some changements, it (does have) changements". |
In Pierson v. Post
Pierson v. Post
Pierson v. Post, 3 Cai. R. 175, 2 Am. Dec. 264 , is a Supreme Court of New York case about a disagreement over a dead fox that serves as an important cornerstone in American legal education.- Background :...
, dissenting judge and future Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
Justice
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States are the members of the Supreme Court of the United States other than the Chief Justice of the United States...
Henry Brockholst Livingston
Henry Brockholst Livingston
Henry Brockholst Livingston was an American Revolutionary War officer, a justice of the Supreme Court of New York and eventually an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States....
argued "If any thing, therefore, in the digests or pandects shall appear to militate against the defendant in error, who, on this occasion, was foxhunter, we have only to say tempora mutantur, and if men themselves change with the times, why should not laws also undergo an alteration?"
Incorrect attributions
It is incorrectly attributed to CiceroCicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
, presumably a confusion with his O tempora o mores!
O tempora o mores!
O tempora o mores is a famous sentence by Cicero in the fourth book of his second oration against Verres and First Oration against Catiline...
Georg Büchmann, Geflügelte Worte: Der Citatenschatz des deutschen Volkes, ed. K. Weidling, 1898 edition, p. 506, confuses historical and poetical reality naming emperor Lothair I as the source and the couplet by Matthias Borbonius printed in 1612 as the quote.
Brewer's Dictionary
Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, sometimes referred to simply as Brewer's, is a reference work containing definitions and explanations of many famous phrases, allusions and figures, whether historical or mythical.-History:...
1898 edition confuses Borbonius' first name (Matthew) with another poet (Nicholas), the entry reading:
- "Omnia mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis," is by Nicholas Borbonius, a Latin poet of the sixteenth century. Dr. Sandys says that the Emperor Lothair, of the Holy Roman Empire, had already said, "Tempora mutantur, nos et muta’mur in illis."
Cultural references
It is used as the nickname for Joseph Haydn'sJoseph Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn , known as Joseph Haydn , was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these forms...
Symphony No. 64
Symphony No. 64 (Haydn)
The Symphony No. 64 in A major is a symphony by Joseph Haydn dated between 1773 and 1775. The likely date of composition puts it at the tail end of the Sturm und Drang period that produced masterpieces such as symphonies 44 to 48. It is often known by the nickname Tempora mutantur.- Nickname ...
.
In the popular UK sitcom Yes Prime Minister
Yes Minister
Yes Minister is a satirical British sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn that was first transmitted by BBC Television between 1980–1982 and 1984, split over three seven-episode series. The sequel, Yes, Prime Minister, ran from 1986 to 1988. In total there were 38 episodes—of which all but...
, Prime Minister Jim Hacker suggests to civil servant Sir Humphrey Appleby
Humphrey Appleby
Sir Humphrey Appleby, GCB, KBE, MVO, MA , is a fictional character from the British television series Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister. He was played by Sir Nigel Hawthorne. In Yes Minister, he is the Permanent Secretary for the Department of Administrative Affairs...
that "hardly anyone uses Latin nowadays". Sir Humphrey responds with "Tempora mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis".
omnia mutantur is inscribed on the Convention Center at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.
James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
's Stephen Dedalus goes back with his father to County Cork in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and one of his dad's old cronies cross-questions him: "One of them, in order to put his Latin to the proof, had made him translate short passages from Dilectus and asked him whether it was correct to say: Tempora mutantur nos et mutamur in illis or Tempora mutantur et nos mutamur in illis."