proVERBS

Translation:
A true friend is seen when things are bad

Equivalent:
A friend in need is a friend indeed

notes:
certus and incertus are in origin participles of the verb cerno, so there is probably some word-play here

Translation:
A good start, and the job's half done

Equivalent:
Well begun is half done

Translation:
Dogs that bark most bite least often

Equivalent:
Barking dogs seldom bite

Meaning:
The people who threaten you angrily are often just blustering

Translation:
A raven does not pluck out another raven's eye

Equivalent:
Crows will not pick out crows' eyes

notes:
Ravens and other corvids are and were well-known for eating carrion

Translation:
Be foxy with a fox

Equivalent:
One must howl with the wolves

Translation:
If there is smoke, then there is fire

Equivalent:
No smoke without some fire

Meaning:
If you see the effect of something, somewhere will be the thing that caused it

Translation:
A wolf changes his hide, not his mind

Equivalent:
The wolf may lose his teeth, but never his nature

Meaning:
Someone can try and hide his true nature, but it always comes out and reveals itself, either by actions or by words

Translation:
A hand washes a hand

Equivalent:
One hand washes the other

notes:
Since manus can mean 'group of people' as well as 'hand', this may be a pun

Translation:
Don't inspect the teeth of a horse that's been given to you

Equivalent:
Look not a gift horse in the mouth

notes:
The condition of the teeth is a good indicator of the age of a horse

Meaning:
You should accept gifts willingly and without highlighting their shortcomings

Translation:
Not everything that glistens is gold

Equivalent:
All is not gold that glitters

Meaning:
Be wary of appearances, because not everything that looks good really is so

Translation:
A pitcher is carried so often to water that it is brought back broken

Equivalent:
The pitcher goes so often to the well that it is broken at last

Translation:
The memory must be compensated for by the feet

Equivalent:
Little wit in the head makes much work for the feet

Translation:
Two eyes see more than one eye

Equivalent:
Four eyes see more than two

Translation:
A fish and a guest often go bad after three days

Equivalent:
Fresh fish and new-come guests smell in three days

notes:
This proverb would be particularly poignant before the invention of the refrigerator

Meaning:
The prolonged stay of a guest cause annoyance and upset the rhythm of the house

Translation:
Better late than never

Equivalent:
Better late than never

Translation:
The person who has not been invited to the party sits right by the exit

Equivalent:
An unbidden guest knows not where to sit

notes:
Roman houses were typically built around a central atrium or hall. It would generally be the room used for receiving guests, who were considered very important in Graeco-Roman society

Translation:
Rome was not built up in just one day

Equivalent:
Rome was not built in a day

notes:
At the height of the Roman Empire, Rome was the greatest city in the known world. The Romans were intensely aware of their history, and the foundation of Rome would have seemed like the greatest task imaginable

Meaning:
It takes time and effort to achieve something important and hard

Translation:
A single bird in a cage is better than a thousand that are flying

Equivalent:
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

notes:
Wild birds were often considered delicacies in Roman cuisine. They were generally caught in traps or nets, sometimes in large numbers

notes:
The word 'bush' has two meanings, both a small round tree and an unfarmed unpopulated area of land with many trees and bushes.

Meaning:
Something you have for certain now is of more value than something better you may get, especially if you risk losing what you have in order to get it.

Translation:
A fool and a child speak the truth

Equivalent:
Children and fools speak the truth

Meaning:
People unable to think or conceal their feelings, either because of youth or mental infirmity, speak out loud what they feel and see.

Translation:
One swallow does not bring about springtime

Equivalent:
One swallow does not make a summer

notes:
In northern Europe the swallow heralds the start of summer, but the swallows reach southern Europe earlier, in spring

notes:
In the languages of southern Europe, the equivalent proverb usually has 'spring' rather than 'summer', because migrating swallows arrive earlier there than they do in northern Europe

Meaning:
You cannot infer a general rule or norm from just a single case