Source: Steinhowel's Aesop.
Parallels: For parallel versions, see Perry 155.
Latin Text:
Esopus de innocente et improbo talem retulit fabulam. Agnus et lupus sitientes ad rivum e diverso venerunt; sursum bibebat lupus, longeque inferior agnus. Lupus ut agnum vidit sic ait: Turbasti mihi aquam bibenti. Agnus patiens dixit: Quomodo aquam turbavi tibi, quae ad me de te recurrit? Lupus non erubuit veritatem ac: Maledicis mihi? inquit. Agnus ait: Non maledixi tibi. At lupus: Et ante sex menses ita pater tuus mihi fecit. Agnus ait: nec ego tunc natus eram. At lupus denuo ait: Agrum mihi pascendo devastasti. Agnus inquit: Cum dentibus caream, quomodo id facere potui? Lupus demum ira concitus ait: Licet tua nequeam solvere argumenta, cenare tamen opipare intendo; agnumque cepit, innocentique vitam eripuit ac manducavit. Fabula significat, quod apud improbos calumniatores ratio et veritas non habent.
Here is a segmented version to help you see the grammatical patterns:
Esopus
de innocente et improbo
talem retulit fabulam.
Agnus et lupus
sitientes
ad rivum e diverso venerunt;
sursum bibebat lupus,
longeque inferior agnus.
Lupus
ut agnum vidit
sic ait:
Turbasti mihi aquam
bibenti.
Agnus patiens dixit:
Quomodo aquam turbavi tibi,
quae ad me de te recurrit?
Lupus non erubuit veritatem ac:
Maledicis mihi? inquit.
Agnus ait:
Non maledixi tibi.
At lupus:
Et ante sex menses
ita pater tuus mihi fecit.
Agnus ait:
nec ego tunc natus eram.
At lupus denuo ait:
Agrum mihi
pascendo devastasti.
Agnus inquit:
Cum dentibus caream,
quomodo id facere potui?
Lupus demum
ira concitus ait:
Licet
tua nequeam solvere argumenta,
cenare tamen opipare intendo;
agnumque cepit,
innocentique vitam eripuit
ac manducavit.
Fabula significat,
quod
apud improbos calumniatores
ratio et veritas non habent.
Translation:
Aesop reported this fable about an innocent person and a scoundrel. The lamb and the wolf were thirsty and from their separate places they came to the stream. The wolf was drinking upstream, and the lamb was drinking way off downstream. The wolf, when he saw the lamb, spoke as follows: "You have muddied my water while I am drinking." The lamb patiently replied, "How could I disturb your water, when the water is flowing down to me from you?" The wolf, who did not blush at the truth, said, "Are you cursing me?" The lamb said, "I didn't curse you." The wolf said: "And six months ago your father did the same thing to me." The lamb said, "I wasn't even born then." The wolf spoke up again, "You have laid waste my field by feeding on the grass there." The lamb said: "Since I don't have any teeth, how could I have done that?" The wolf finally got all fired up with anger and said: "Even if I am not able to refute your arguments, I nevertheless plan to have a sumptuous dinner." And he grabbed the lamb, and killed that innocent creature, and ate his fill. The moral of the story is the among wicked scoundrels, reason and truth are of no account.
[This translation is meant as a help in understanding the story, not as a "crib" for the Latin. I have not hesitated to change the syntax to make it flow more smoothly in English, altering the verb tense consistently to narrative past tense, etc.]
The first printed edition of Aesop's fables in English was published in 1484 by William Caxton. Here is his version of this fable!
Of the Innocent and of the shrewe Esope reherceth to vs suche a fable / how it was so / that the lambe and the wulf had bothe thurst / and went bothe to a Ryuer for to drynke / It happed that the wulf dranke aboue & the lambe dranke bynethe / And as the wulf sawe and perceyued the lambe / he sayd with a hyghe voys / Ha knaue why hast thou troubled and fowled my water / whiche I shold now drynke / Allas my lord sauf your grece / For the water cometh fro yow toward me / Thenne sayd the wulf to the lambe / Hast thow no shame ne drede to curse me / And the lambe sayd My lord with your leue / And the wulf sayd ageyne / Hit is not syxe monethes passyd that thy fader dyd to me as moche / And the lambe ansuerd yet was I not at that tyme born / And the wlf said ageyne to hym / Thou hast ete my fader / And the lambe ansuerd / I haue no teeth / Thenne said the wulf / thou arte wel lyke thy fader / and for his synne & mysded thow shalt deye / The wulf thenne toke the lambe and ete hym /
This fable sheweth that the euylle man retcheth not by what maner he may robbe & destroye the good & innocent man
Illustration:
Here is an illustration from an edition of the fables published in 1501; click on the image for a larger view.
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