0199767203 .   Serpens, nisi serpentem comederit, non fit draco. Translation: "A serpent, if it does not devour a serpent, does not become a dragon." Francis Bacon , Essays (1612), apparently translating a Greek proverb . [3] Michael Apostolius , Proverbs (15th century), translates the Greek proverb: Serpens nisi serpentem edat, non