Meaning & Analysis
The act of giving things freely has completely stopped, and the practice of returning borrowed items or repaying debts is nearly extinct.
Insights
Decline of Social Virtue
The proverb metaphorically describes a severe decay in social virtues. Generosity ('giving') and accountability ('restoring') are depicted as dead or dying, symbolizing a breakdown in the moral fabric and trust that holds a community together.
Economic Pessimism
It serves as a cynical warning about economic transactions. In a world where charity is non-existent and debts are not repaid, the proverb advises extreme caution against lending or expecting any form of material grace from others.
Moral Contagion
The 'sickness' of restoring suggests a moral contagion. The failure to repay debts is not just an individual failing but a widespread societal ailment that undermines the health of the entire community.
Historical Cynicism
The proverb uses personification, treating 'Giving' and 'Restoring' as figures who are either dead or dying. This reflects a deep-seated cynicism prevalent in the early modern period about the decline of social reciprocity and the rise of self-interest in an increasingly commercial world.
Cross-Cultural Wordplay
The Italian variant, 'Donatus is dead, and Ristorus is sick', reveals a shared European sentiment and wordplay (from Latin 'donatus' for given and 'ristoro' for restored). This linguistic cleverness suggests the proverb was a piece of witty, dark humor used to comment on the unreliability of others in economic matters.
Psychology of Disillusionment
Psychologically, the proverb captures a state of societal disillusionment. It serves as a defense mechanism against disappointment by setting the lowest possible expectations for others' behavior, reflecting a world where trust in basic human decency is perilously low.
Rhetorical Devices
Personification
The proverb's central device is the personification of 'Giving' and 'Restoring' as deceased or gravely ill individuals, which transforms abstract social concepts into vivid, relatable figures of tragedy.
Hyperbole
The statement uses exaggeration for cynical effect. Declaring giving 'dead' and restoring 'sick' heightens the sense of moral crisis and makes the social commentary more pointed and memorable.
Parallelism
The proverb is structured with two parallel clauses that build on each other. The finality of 'dead' is paired with the lingering but terminal state of 'very sick', creating a powerful image of total societal decline.
Transcription
Quotations
Geuying is dead, and restoring is ill at ease.
Giuing is dead, and restoring is dying.
[As in 1611 Dav.]
Given is dead, and restored is nought.
Giving is dead, restoring very sicke.
[As in 1640 Herb.]
(is very sick)
Donatus is dead, and Ristorus is sick.
Giving is dead, and restoring is deadly sick.
Annotations
- Note 72, p. 79: Meant by way of Drollery, that few give any thing, and such as lend seldom have any restitution made them.
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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