Camariʹna

Ne movĕas Camarīnam (Donʹt meddle with Camarina). Camarīna was a lake in Sicily, which, in time of drought, yielded a pestilential stench. The inhabitants consulted an oracle about draining it, and Apollo replied, “Donʹt meddle with it.” Nevertheless, they drained it, and ere long an enemy marched an army over the bed of the lake and plundered the city. The proverb is applied to those who remove one evil, but thus give place to a greater. The Channel may be an evil to those who suffer sea-sickness, but it is a million times better to endure this evil than to make it a high road to invaders. The application is very extensive, as Donʹt kill the small birds, or you will be devoured by insects. One pest is a safeguard against a greater one.