Alciato's Book of Emblems

Emblem 74

The tomb of a prostitute

Whose tomb is this, whose urn? Does it belong to Lais of Ephyra? Oh, did the Fate not blush to destroy such beauty? There was no beauty then, age had already seized it; the crafty hag had already dedicated her mirror to Venus. What's the meaning of the carved ram, whose hindquarters a lioness has seized in her claws? She likewise held her lovers captive. A ram is master of the flock, a lover is held by the buttocks.