Perry 65: Two Men and a Bear

As I'm gearing up for the publication of Aesop’s Fables in Latin: Ancient Wit and Wisdom from the Animal Kingdom (coming soon from Bolchazy-Carducci!), I'm reviewing the different Perry numbers that will be included in that book. For each of the fables, I'm posting here a Latin version of the fable along with an illustration that can be compared/contrasted with the version in Barlow's book.

Today's fable is Perry #65, the story of two men whose friendship was put to the test when they ran into a bear unexpectedly on their travesl! At the Aesopus wiki, you can see a complete list of the versions of this fable that I have collected. This is a fable that enters into the Latin tradition by being included in the poems of Avianus. Avianus, however, is notoriously difficult to read, so I've decided to include here instead a very nice iambic poem by the Renaissance poet Caspar Barth:

Sodalitate mutua
Viam duo unam iniverant,
Fide data, ut periculis
Iuvaret alter alterum.
Parum viae cum itum foret
Fit obvia ursa: quae, prius
Inire quam fugam pote,
Prope ingruit. Tum in arborem
Levatus ille subfugit,
Supinus iste corruit,
Timore mortuum exprimens.
At ursa cum putaret hunc
Neci, olim obisse, traditum,
Anhelitum ore sublegens
Nec invenire eum potens,
Metu premente frigido.
Nec alterum altam in arborem
Pote esset usque consequi,
Utrumque liquit innocem.
Ibi ille qui alta in arbore
Periculum insuper sui
Amici habebat; Optime,
Quid, inquit, atra belua
Profundam in aurem, obambulans,
Tibi locuta sit, cedo.
At alter; a sodalibus
Cavere deinde ad hunc modum
Monebat infidelibus.
Pericla ni probant, fidem
Dare hanc sodalibus cave.

Here it is written out in segmented style to make it easier to follow, rearranging the Latin word as necessary to make the syntax more clear. Also, be careful with cedo - it is an imperative form meaning "come on! out with it!" (and so it is not a first-person indicative verb you might take it for at first).

duo
viam unam iniverant
sodalitate mutua,
fide data
ut iuvaret alter alterum
periculis.
cum itum foret
parum viae,
fit obvia ursa:
quae,
prius quam pote
inire fugam,
prope ingruit.
Tum
ille subfugit
in arborem levatus ,
iste corruit supinus,
mortuum exprimens timore.
at ursa
cum putaret
hunc olim obisse,
traditum neci,
sublegens anhelitum ore
et non potens invenire eum,
frigido metu premente.
et non pote esset
usque consequi alterum
altam in arborem,
liquit utrumque innocem.
ibi ille
qui habebat periculum
alta in arbore
insuper sui amici,
inquit:
"Optime, cedo,
quid
atra belua
obambulans
tibi locuta sit
profundam in aurem?"
at alter:
"monebat
deinde cavere ad hunc modum
a sodalibus infidelibus."
cave
fidem hanc dare
sodalibus,
ni probant pericla.

I like the way the quick-witted friend not only manages to escape the bear by playing dead, but also manages to come up with a witty comeback to his would-be friend as well!

For an image, here is an illustration from Milo Winter's Aesop:

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Perry 60: Old Man and Death

As one of the tasks preparing for my new book, Aesop’s Fables in Latin: Ancient Wit and Wisdom from the Animal Kingdom (coming soon from Bolchazy-Carducci!), I'm reviewing the different Perry numbers that will be included in that book. For each of the fables, I'm posting here a Latin version of the fable along with an illustration that can be compared/contrasted with the version in Barlow's book.

Today's fable is Perry #60, the story of the old man who thought he was so tired of life that he wanted to die... until Death showed up in order to take him away! At the Aesopus wiki, you can see a complete list of the versions of this fable that I have collected. Although this fable is not part of the ancient Latin tradition, it begins to appear in Latin during the Renaissance and shows up in some of the standard English translations of Aesop, such as L'Estrange and Townsend. Here, for example, is L'Estrange's version:

An old man that had travell’d a great way under a huge Burden of Sticks found himself so weary that he cast it down, and call’d upon Death to deliver him from a more miserable Life. Death came presently at his call, and asked him his business. Pray, good Sir, says he, Do me but the Favour to help me up with my burden again.
THE MORAL. Men call upon Death, as they do upon the Devil; when he comes they’re afraid of him.

For a Latin example, here is a simple prose version from the Jacobs & Doering Latin reader:

Senex in silva ligna ceciderat, iisque sublatis domum redire coepit. Cum aliquantum viae progressus esset, onere et via defatigatus, fascem deposuit, et secum aetatis et inopiae mala contemplatus, Mortem clara voce invocat quae ipsum ab omnibus his malis liberet. Tum Mors, senis precibus auditis, subito adstitit, et quid vellet percunctatur. At Senex, quem iam votorum suorum paenitebat, Nihil, inquit, sed requiro, qui onus paululum allevet, dum ego rursus subeo.

Here it is written out in segmented style to make it easier to follow, respecting the Latin word order:

Senex in silva ligna ceciderat,
iisque sublatis
domum redire coepit.
Cum aliquantum viae progressus esset,
onere et via defatigatus,
fascem deposuit,
et secum aetatis et inopiae mala contemplatus,
Mortem clara voce invocat
quae
ipsum ab omnibus his malis liberet.
Tum Mors,
senis precibus auditis,
subito adstitit,
et quid vellet percunctatur.
At Senex,
quem
iam votorum suorum paenitebat,
Nihil, inquit,
sed requiro,
qui onus paululum allevet,
dum ego rursus subeo.

For an illustration, here is an image by the Renaissance artist Bernard Solomon:

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Perry 302: Axe and Trees

As I'm gearing up for the publication of Aesop’s Fables in Latin: Ancient Wit and Wisdom from the Animal Kingdom (coming soon from Bolchazy-Carducci!), I'm reviewing the different Perry numbers that will be included in that book. For each of the fables, I'm posting here a Latin version of the fable along with an illustration that can be compared/contrasted with the version in Barlow's book.

Today's fable is Perry #302, the story of the trees who gave some wood to a man who used that wood to make a handle for his axe, and then chopped down the trees! At the Aesopus wiki, you can see a complete list of the versions of this fable that I have collected. There is another version of this fable in the Greek tradition, in which the trees go to Zeus to complain about the fact that men are using axes to chop them down, whereupon Zeus tells them it is their own fault for giving men wood to make axes with! (You can read a translation of that version of the fable at the Aesopica.net website.)

Here is the Latin version of the fable from Steinhowel's Aesop:

Auxilium hosti dare est suam necem facere. Sicut subiecta fabula probat. Secure facta homo postulabat ab arboribus, ut illi manubrium darent de ligno, quod esset firmum. Omnes oleastrum iusserunt. Sumpsit homo manubrium. Aptata autem secure ramos et robora magna ac omnia, quae voluit, cepit indubitanter incidere. Tunc quercus fraxino ait: Digne et bene patimur, quia roganti hosti nostro (ut caeci) manubria dedimus. Ideo quilibet homo ante praecogitare debet, ne hosti aliquod praestet auxilium.

Here it is written out in segmented style to make it easier to follow, while respecting the Latin word order:

Auxilium hosti dare
est
suam necem facere.
Sicut subiecta fabula probat.
Secure facta
homo
postulabat ab arboribus,
ut illi manubrium darent
de ligno,
quod esset firmum.
Omnes
oleastrum iusserunt.
Sumpsit homo
manubrium.
Aptata autem secure
ramos
et robora magna ac omnia,
quae voluit,
cepit indubitanter incidere.
Tunc quercus
fraxino ait:
Digne et bene patimur,
quia roganti hosti nostro
(ut caeci)
manubria dedimus.
Ideo
quilibet homo
ante praecogitare debet,
ne hosti aliquod praestet auxilium.

For an image of the story, here is an illustration from Walter Crane's Aesop which tells the story in limerick form!

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Perry 503: Rooster and Pearl

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As I'm gearing up for the publication of Aesop’s Fables in Latin: Ancient Wit and Wisdom from the Animal Kingdom (coming soon from Bolchazy-Carducci!), I'm reviewing the different Perry numbers that will be included in that book. For each of the fables, I'm posting here a Latin version of the fable along with an illustration that can be compared/contrasted with the version in Barlow's book.

Today's fable is Perry #503, the story of the rooster who found a precious gem in the manure. At the Aesopus wiki, you can see a complete list of the versions of this fable that I have collected. This is an extremely well-attested fable in the Latin tradition, dating back to the poet Phaedrus. In the medieval collections based on Phaedrus, this fable often appears first in the book.

One of the most interesting things about the fable is the way it can lead to two very different morals. In Phaedrus, for example, the rooster is a fool who cannot recognize the real value of something he sees right in front of him - and for Phaedrus, this is an allegory of his situation as a poet, when foolish readers cannot appreciate his poems! In other authors, however, the rooster is a wise creature, who understands that jewels are far less useful than foodstuffs, and the fable is thus an endorsement of the pleasures of a simple life as opposed to the uselessness of wealth and luxury.

The version in Steinhowel's Aesop follows Phaedrus, where the pearl is a precious object, unluckily lying in a dung heap and discovered by a rooster who cannot appreciate her:

In sterquilinio quidam pullus gallinatius, dum quaereret escam, invenit margaritam in loco indigno iacentem, quam cum videret iacentem sic ait, O bona res, in stercore hic iaces! si te cupidus invenisset, cum quo gaudio rapuisset ac in pristinum decoris tui statum redisses! ego frustra te in hoc loco invenio iacentem, ubi potius mihi escam quaero, et nec ego tibi prosum, nec tu mihi. haec aesopus illis narrat, qui ipsum legunt et non intellegunt.

Here it is written out in segmented style to make it easier to follow, while respecting the Latin word order:

In sterquilinio
quidam pullus gallinatius,
dum quaereret escam,
invenit margaritam
in loco indigno iacentem,
quam cum videret iacentem
sic ait,
O bona res,
in stercore hic iaces!
si te cupidus invenisset,
cum quo gaudio rapuisset
ac in pristinum decoris tui statum redisses!
ego frustra
te in hoc loco invenio iacentem,
ubi potius mihi escam quaero,
et nec ego tibi prosum,
nec tu mihi.
haec aesopus illis narrat,
qui ipsum legunt et non intellegunt.

Notice the nice play on words with legunt and intellegunt there in the moral!

Meanwhile, for an example of a version which praises the rooster for his wisdom, here is Sir Roger L'Estrange's English version:

As a Cock was turning up a Dung-hill, he spy’d a Diamond. Well (he says to himself) this sparkling Foolery now to a Lapidary in my place, would have been the making of him; but as to any Use or Purpose of mine, a Barley-Corn had been worth forty on’t.
THE MORAL He that’s industrious in an honest Calling, shall never fail of a Blessing. ‘Tis the part of a wise Man to prefer Things necessary before Matters of Curiosity, Ornament, or Pleasure.

For an image of the story, here is an illustration from Walter Crane's Aesop which tells the story in limerick form!

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Perry 46: Wind and Sun (Avianus)

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As I'm gearing up for the publication of Aesop’s Fables in Latin: Ancient Wit and Wisdom from the Animal Kingdom (coming soon from Bolchazy-Carducci!), I'm reviewing the different Perry numbers that will be included in that book. For each of the fables, I'm posting here a Latin version of the fable along with an illustration that can be compared/contrasted with the version in Barlow's book.

Today's fable is Perry #46, the story of how the Sun defeated the North Wind, with warmth overcoming bluster. At the Aesopus wiki, you can see a complete list of the versions of this fable that I have collected.This is a fable that is attested in Avianus, but it not one of the fables of Avianus that was included in Steinhowel.

Here is the version in Avianus:

Immitis Boreas placidusque ad sidera Phoebus
Iurgia cum magno conseruere Iove,
Quis prior inceptum peragat: mediumque per orbem
Carpebat solitum forte viator iter.
Convenit hanc potius liti praefigere causam,
Pallia nudato decutienda viro.
Protinus impulsus ventis circumtonat aether
Et gelidus nimias depluit imber aquas:
Ille magis lateri duplicem circumdat amictum,
Turbida submotos quod trahit aura sinus.
Sed tenues radios paulatim increscere Phoebus
Iusserat, ut nimio surgeret igne iubar,
donec lassa volens requiescere membra, viator
deposita fessus veste sederet humi.
tunc victor docuit praesentia numina Titan,
Nullum praemissis vincere posse minis.

Here it is written out in segmented style to make it easier to follow, rearranging the Latin word as necessary to make the syntax more clear:

immitis Boreas et placidus Phoebus
conseruere iurgia ad sidera,
cum magno Iove,
quis prior inceptum peragat -
et forte carpebat viator
solitum iter
per medium orbem.
convenit potius
praefigere hanc causam liti:
pallia decutienda
nudato viro.
protinus
circumtonat aether
impulsus ventis
et gelidus imber
depluit nimias aquas:
ille magis
duplicem amictum circumdat lateri,
quod turbida aura trahit submotos sinus.
sed
Phoebus iusserat
tenues radios paulatim increscere
ut iubar surgeret nimio igne,
donec viator,
lassa membra volens requiescere,
deposita veste,
fessus sederet humi.
tunc Titan victor
docuit praesentia numina
nullum vincere posse
praemissis minis.

Avianus's version is remarkable for depicting the contest between the Sun and the Wind as something staged in the presence of the other gods, Jupiter included.

For an illustration, here is an image from Walter Crane's Aesop which puts the fable in the form of a limerick:

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Perry 50 and Perry 117: Animals into Humans

As one of the tasks preparing for my new book, Aesop’s Fables in Latin: Ancient Wit and Wisdom from the Animal Kingdom (coming soon from Bolchazy-Carducci!), I'm reviewing the different Perry numbers that will be included in that book. For each of the fables, I'm posting here a Latin version of the fable along with an illustration that can be compared/contrasted with the version in Barlow's book.

Today's fable is Perry #50, the story of how Aphrodite turned a weasel into a woman, but found out that she still chased mice, at which point she turned her back! It's a hilarious little story! At the Aesopus wiki, you can see a complete list of the versions of this fable that I have collected. One of the most interesting features of this story is the fact that while the ancient Greek version features a weasel, later European versions change the weasel into a cat - understandably, since Europeans keep cats in their houses, not weasels, to control the mice.

The story of the weasel turned into a woman is not a fable attested in the Latin tradition in the classical or medieval periods (although it does show up in Renaissance and later Latin), but there is a fable in the medieval Romulus tradition which is quite similar in theme, so I've decided to include it here for comparison! It is the story of a fox who was turned into a human being, and it is classified as Perry 107. It undoubtedly comes from Phaedrus (although it is not extant), and Joseph Jacobs reconstructs the verse as follows:

Naturam turpem nulla fortuna obtegit.
Humanam in speciem cum vertisset Iupiter
vulpem legitimis ut sedit in toris
scarabeum vidit prorepentem ex angulo
notamque ad praedam celeri prosiluit gradu.
Superi risere, magnus erubuit pater,
vulpemque repudiatam thalamis exuplit,
his prosecutus: vive quo digna es modo,
quia digna nostris meritis non potes esse.

Here it is written out in segmented style to make it easier to follow, while respecting the Latin word order:

Naturam turpem
nulla fortuna obtegit.
Humanam in speciem
cum vertisset Iupiter vulpem
legitimis ut sedit in toris
scarabeum vidit
prorepentem ex angulo
notamque ad praedam
celeri prosiluit gradu.
Superi risere,
magnus erubuit pater,
vulpemque repudiatam
thalamis exuplit,
his prosecutus:
vive quo digna es modo,
quia digna nostris meritis
non potes esse.

Compare this to the delightful story of the weasel and Aphrodite, as told here by Sir Roger L'Estrange: "A young Fellow that was passionately in Love with a Cat made it his humble Suit to Venus to turn Puss into a Woman. The Transformation was wrought in the twinkling of an Eye, and out she comes, a very bucksome Lass. The doating Sot took her home to his Bed; and bad fair for a Litter of Kittens by her that Night: But as the loving Couple lay snugging together, a Toy took Venus in the Head, to try if the Cat had chang’d her Manners with her Shape; and so for Experiment, turn’d a Mouse loose into the Chamber. The Cat, upon this Temptation, started out of the Bed, and without any regard to the Marriage-Joys, made a leap at the Mouse, which Venus took for so high an Affront, that she turn’d the Madam into a Puss again."

For an illustration, here is an image from Walter Crane's Aesop which pairs this fable with the fable of belling the cat:

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Perry 53: Old Man and his Sons

As one of the tasks preparing for my new book, Aesop’s Fables in Latin: Ancient Wit and Wisdom from the Animal Kingdom (coming soon from Bolchazy-Carducci!), I'm reviewing the different Perry numbers that will be included in that book. For each of the fables, I'm posting here a Latin version of the fable along with an illustration that can be compared/contrasted with the version in Barlow's book.

Today's fable is Perry #53, the story of the old man who uses a bundle of sticks to teach the power of unity to his quarreling son. At the Aesopus wiki, you can see a complete list of the versions of this fable that I have collected. This is not a fable represented in the classical or medieval Latin traditions, but it joins the Latin tradition in Renaissance and later writers. As one of the most "uplifting" of Aesop's fables, it naturally finds itself at home in the books of Aesop intended to teach positive moral lessons to children.

Here is a simple prose version in Jacobs & Doering's Latin reader:

Agricola senex, cum mortem sibi appropinquare sentiret, filios convocavit, quos, ut fieri solet, interdum discordare noverat, et fascem virgularum afferri jubet. Quibus allatis, filios hortabatur, ut hunc fascem frangerent. Quod cum facere non possent, distribuit singulis singulas virgas, iisque celeriter fractis, docuit illos, quam firma res esset concordia, quamque imbecillis discordia.

Here is the version in Osius:

Languentem senio cum mors vicina maneret
Agricolam, soboles cui numerosa fuit:
Et vexare frequens hanc mutua rixa soleret,
Ipse modo tali conciliare parat:
Vimine connexas in fascem frangere virgas
Praecipit, at vis has frangere nulla potest.
Ille datam cuivis unam tum frangere virgam
Iussit, at haec nullo fracta labore fuit.
Firma docens hoc quam res sit concordia facto,
Distractosque iuvent robora parva viros.
Praebet ut humanis vires concordia rebus,
Sic horum discors robore vita caret.

Here it is written out in segmented style to make it easier to follow, rearranging the Latin word as necessary to make the syntax more clear:

Cum mors vicina maneret
agricolam languentem senio,
cui soboles numerosa fuit,
et mutua rixa
frequens soleret
vexare hanc [sobolem],
ipse conciliare parat
modo tali:
praecipit
frangere
virgas
connexas in fascem vimine,
at vis nulla
potest has frangere.
Tum
virgam unam datam cuivis
ille iussit frangere,
at haec fracta fuit
nullo labore,
docens
hoc facto
quam
firma res sit concordia,
et [quam] parva robora
iuvent viros distractos.
Ut concordia
praebet vires humanis rebus,
sic discors vita horum
robore caret.

For an illustration, here is an image from Bewick's edition of Aesop which shows the boys as children, not yet young men:



In contrast, here is an image from Jacobs's edition of Aesop which shows the sons as young men:

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Perry 55: Maids and Rooser

As one of the tasks preparing for my new book, Aesop’s Fables in Latin: Ancient Wit and Wisdom from the Animal Kingdom (coming soon from Bolchazy-Carducci!), I'm reviewing the different Perry numbers that will be included in that book. For each of the fables, I'm posting here a Latin version of the fable along with an illustration that can be compared/contrasted with the version in Barlow's book.

Today's fable is Perry #55, the story of the maids who killed the rooster, thinking (wrongly) that they would be able to sleep late as a result. At the Aesopus wiki, you can see a complete list of the versions of this fable that I have collected. This is one of my favorite fables since even though we do not wake up to the sound of the cock crow anymore, we've probably all contemplated violence directed towards our electric alarm clocks at some point or other!

This is a fable not attested in the classical or medieval Latin tradition, and it becomes part of the Latin tradition only in the later Latin authors.

Here is a simple prose version from the Jacobs & Doering Latin reader:

Mulier vidua, quae texendo vitam sustentabat, solebat ancillas suas de nocte excitare ad opus, cum primum galli cantum audivisset. At illae, diuturno labore fatigatae, statuerunt gallum interficere. Quo facto, deteriore conditione quam prius esse coeperunt. Nam domina, de hora noctis incerta, nunc famulas saepe iam prima nocte excitabat.

Here is a Renaissance version by Hieronymus Osius:

Femina cum viduos quaedam traduceret annos,
Et sibi texendi quaereret arte cibum,
Ad solitum famulas noctu mox illa laborem,
Nempe sonat Galli vox ubi prima, vocat.
Illa fatigatas exhausti mole laboris,
Hanc interficerent, causa iubebat, avem.
Quam dignam dixere mori, quia voce quietem
Importuna sequi non pateretur heram.
Sed magis hoc facto quas dura priore fatigat
Conditio, quam non ferre labore caret.
Nam non rite notans hera lapsi temporis horas
Saepius has prima surgere nocte iubet.
Consilii spem saepe bonam comitabitur error,
Raro conveniens exitus esse solet.

Here it is written out in segmented style to make it easier to follow, rearranging the Latin word as necessary to make the syntax more clear:

Cum femina quaedam
traduceret viduos annos
et quaereret sibi cibum
texendi arte,
illa
ad solitum laborem
mox noctu
famulas vocat
ubi nempe sonat
vox prima Galli.
Illa causa iubebat
fatigatas exhausti mole laboris,
(ut) hanc interficerent avem,
quam dixere
dignam mori,
quia voce importuna
non pateretur heram
sequi quietem.
Sed hoc facto
quas [ancillas] fatigat
magis priore
dura conditio,
quam ferre
non caret labore,
nam hera
non rite notans
lapsi temporis horas,
saepius iubet has
prima surgere nocte.
Saepe comitabitur
spem bonam
error consilii;
raro exitus
conveniens esse solet.

I like the detail in Osius that the maids are hypocrites into the bargain, claiming that they are killing the rooster on behalf of their mistress!

For an illustration, here is an image from Walter Crane's Aesop which tells the story in limerick form:

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Perry 44: The Frogs and their King

As I'm gearing up for the publication of Aesop’s Fables in Latin: Ancient Wit and Wisdom from the Animal Kingdom (coming soon from Bolchazy-Carducci!), I'm reviewing the different Perry numbers that will be included in that book. For each of the fables, I'm posting here a Latin version of the fable along with an illustration that can be compared/contrasted with the version in Barlow's book.

Today's fable is Perry #44, the story of the frogs electing a king. At the Aesopus wiki, you can see a complete list of the versions of this fable that I have collected. It is one of my favorite fables, teaching a great lesson about the value of living in a free society!

Here is the version in Steinhowel:

Ranae, inquit, vagantes in liberis paludibus et stagnis clamore magno ad Iovem facto, petierunt sibi rectorem, qui errantes corrigeret. Cum haec vellent, risit Iupiter, deinde iterum clamores fecerunt. Cum nulla signa viderent, potius rogare coeperunt. Iupiter pius innocentibus misit in stagnum lignum magnum tigillum, quo sono paventes fugierunt, postea vero una protulit caput super stagnum, volens cunctari regem; ut vidit lignum, cunctas advocavit. Aliquae plenae timore natant ac salutare maximum rectorem accedunt pavide simul. Ergo, ut nullus in ligno erat spiritus sentientes, ascendunt super illud et intelligunt esse nihil et pedibus conculcaverunt. Iterum rogare coeperunt. Tunc Iupiter misit illis hydrum, hoc est magnum colubrum, qui singulas necare coepit. Tunc voces cum lacrimis omnes ad sidera tollunt: Sucurre, Iupiter, omnes morimur! E contra illis altitonans ait: Cum vos peteretis, nolui; cum nollem, invidiose petistis; dedi tigillum quem sprevistis, deinde dedi quem habebitis. Et quia noluistis bonum ferre, sustinete malum.

Here it is written out in segmented style to make it easier to follow, while respecting the Latin word order:

Ranae, inquit,
vagantes in liberis paludibus et stagnis
clamore magno ad Iovem facto,
petierunt sibi rectorem,
qui errantes corrigeret.
Cum haec vellent,
risit Iupiter,
deinde iterum clamores fecerunt.
Cum nulla signa viderent,
potius rogare coeperunt.
Iupiter pius
innocentibus misit in stagnum
lignum magnum tigillum,
quo sono paventes
fugierunt,
postea vero
una protulit caput super stagnum,
volens cunctari regem;
ut vidit lignum,
cunctas advocavit.
Aliquae plenae timore
natant
ac salutare maximum rectorem
accedunt pavide simul.
Ergo,
ut nullus in ligno erat spiritus
sentientes,
ascendunt super illud
et intelligunt esse nihil
et pedibus conculcaverunt.
Iterum rogare coeperunt.
Tunc Iupiter misit illis hydrum,
hoc est magnum colubrum,
qui singulas necare coepit.
Tunc voces cum lacrimis
omnes ad sidera tollunt:
Sucurre, Iupiter,
omnes morimur!
E contra
illis altitonans ait:
Cum vos peteretis,
nolui;
cum nollem,
invidiose petistis;
dedi tigillum quem sprevistis,
deinde dedi quem habebitis.
Et quia noluistis bonum ferre,
sustinete malum.

For an illustration, here is an image from Steinhowel's Aesop which shows Jupiter throwing in the log (left) and then (right) the bird who is eating the frogs one by one - wiht one of the frogs trying to hide there under the log!

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Perry 18: The Fisherman and the Little Fish (Avianus)

As I'm gearing up for the publication of Aesop’s Fables in Latin: Ancient Wit and Wisdom from the Animal Kingdom (coming soon from Bolchazy-Carducci!), I'm reviewing the different Perry numbers that will be included in that book. For each of the fables, I'm posting here a Latin version of the fable along with an illustration that can be compared/contrasted with the version in Barlow's book.

Today's fable is Perry #18, the story of the fisherman and the little fish who begs for mercy; the fisherman, however, prefers a little fish now to the promise of a big fish later. At the Aesopus wiki, you can see a complete list of the versions of this fable that I have collected. This is a fable that is attested in the Latin tradition starting with Avianus, and it is one of the fables of Avianus that Steinhowel included in his collection.

Here is the version in Avianus:

Piscator solitus praedam suspendere saeta
exigui piscis vile trahebat onus.
sed postquam superas captum perduxit ad auras
atquc avido fixum vulnus ab ore tulit,
"parce, precor," supplex lacrimis ita dixit obortis;
"nam quanta ex nostro corpore dona feres?"
nunc me saxosis genitrix fecunda sub antris
fudit et in propriis ludere iussit aquis.
tolle minas, tenerumque tuis sine crescere mensis.
haec tibi me rursum litoris ora dabit.
protinus immensi depastus caerula ponti
pinguior ad calamum sponte recurro tuum.
ille nefas captum referens absolvere piscem,
difficiles queritur cassibus esse vices.
"nam miserum est" inquit "praesentem amittere praedam
stultius ct rursum vota futura sequi."

Here it is written out in segmented style to make it easier to follow, rearranging the Latin word as necessary to make the syntax more clear:

piscator,
solitus suspendere praedam saeta,
trahebat exigui piscis vile onus.
sed postquam captum perduxit
ad superas auras
atquc tulit fixum vulnus
ab avido ore,
"parce, precor,"
supplex ita dixit
lacrimis obortis;
"nam ex nostro corpore
quanta dona feres?"
nunc fudit me genitrix fecunda
sub antris saxosis
et in propriis aquis
ludere iussit.
tolle minas,
et sine
tenerum crescere
tuis mensis.
haec ora litoris
dabit tibi me rursum.
protinus depastus
caerula ponti immensi
sponte recurro pinguior
ad calamum tuum.
ille referens
nefas absolvere captum piscem,
queritur
difficiles esse vices
cassibus.
inquit:
"nam miserum est
praesentem praedam amittere
et stultius
vota futura rursum sequi."

My favorite detail about this version is the way that the fish was also a bit greedy himself, with his avidum os, hence his undoing!

For an illustration, here is an image from Steinhowel's Aesop which shows the fisherman with the fish in hand:

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Perry 17: Fox without a Tail

As one of the tasks preparing for my new book, Aesop’s Fables in Latin: Ancient Wit and Wisdom from the Animal Kingdom (coming soon from Bolchazy-Carducci!), I'm reviewing the different Perry numbers that will be included in that book. For each of the fables, I'm posting here a Latin version of the fable along with an illustration that can be compared/contrasted with the version in Barlow's book.

Today's fable is Perry #17, the story of the fox without a tail. At the Aesopus wiki, you can see a complete list of the versions of this fable that I have collected. This is one of my favorite Aesop's fables, because of the great way in which the fox manipulates her fellow foxes. In some versions of the story, she actually succeeds, but in other versions, the foxes see through her self-serving advice! This is not a fable attested in the classical Latin tradition, but it makes its way into the modern Latin authors, including this version in Hieronymus Osius:

De laqueo Vulpes elabens linquere caudam
Cogitur, hac trunco corpore parte fugit.
Attulit haec illi tantum iactura pudorem,
Quam sic esse, lubens mallet ut ipsa mori.
Unde sibi quaerens foedi solacia damni,
His alias Vulpes fertur adorta dolis:
Suadet ut hae pariter truncari corpora caudis,
Cetera deforment ne sibi membra, sinant.
Dedecus illa suum sic posse latere putabat,
Si vitii socium posset habere gregem.
Has quid enim indecores, onus aut quid inutile gestant
Corpora nostra, quid hac mole gravamur, ait?
Aut fatuae nobis hinc quemnam quaerimus usum,
Ni iuvet his tractis verrere pone solum?
Plura locuturam quam iunior una moratur,
Talibus huic contra vocibus ausa loqui:
Heus suasura fores meane hoc matercula nobis,
Hinc ventura tibi commoda ni qua putes?
Ne gere consiliis morem, si dantur, ut obsint
Illa tibi, utque; alios utilitate iuvent.
Saepe volent alii tibi consuluisse videri,
Quos tamen eventu teste nocere probes.

Here it is written out in segmented style to make it easier to follow, rearranging the Latin word as necessary to make the syntax more clear:

Vulpes
elabens de laqueo
cogitur linquere caudam;
fugit
hac trunco corpore parte.
Haec iactura
attulit illi tantum pudorem,
lubens mallet ut ipsa mori
quam sic esse.
Unde sibi quaerens
foedi solacia damni,
his dolis
alias Vulpes fertur adorta:
suadet
ut hae sinant
pariter truncari corpora caudis,
ne deforment sibi membra cetera.
Illa putabat
dedecus suum
sic posse latere,
si posset habere
gregem vitii socium.
Ait:
Quid enim has indecores [caudas],
aut quid inutile onus
corpora nostra gestant;
quid hac mole gravamur?
aut quemnam usum nobis hinc
fatuae quaerimus,
ni iuvet
verrere pone solum
his tractis?
Quam
plura locuturam
iunior una moratur,
talibus vocibus
ausa huic contra loqui:
"Heus, meane matercula fores
nobis suasura hoc,
ni putes
hinc ventura tibi qua commoda?"
Ne gere morem consiliis,
si dantur,
ut obsint illa tibi
utque iuvent utilitate alios.
Saepe volent alii
tibi consuluisse videri,
quos tamen
eventu teste
nocere probes.

I like the way that it is one of the younger fox's who sees through the tricks of the older fox! Usually in Aesop it is an older animal that is able to discern danger, but here it is the old and sly fox who is outfoxed by one of her younger contemporaries!

For an illustration, here is an image from Osius which shows the foxes - it looks like the fox who has lost her tail is sitting down in embarassment!

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Perry 12: Fox and Leopard (Avianus)

As I'm gearing up for the publication of Aesop’s Fables in Latin: Ancient Wit and Wisdom from the Animal Kingdom (coming soon from Bolchazy-Carducci!), I'm reviewing the different Perry numbers that will be included in that book. For each of the fables, I'm posting here a Latin version of the fable along with an illustration that can be compared/contrasted with the version in Barlow's book.

Today's fable is Perry #12, the story of the debate between the fox and the leopard. At the Aesopus wiki, you can see a complete list of the versions of this fable that I have collected. This is one of the fables which enters the Latin tradition from its inclusion in the poems of Avianus, not Phaedrus. Unfortunately, however, this story was not one of the poems of Avianus which Steinhowel included in his edition of Aesop. As a result, it is not especially well-known in the Latin tradition, although it is a fine little story, with the fox reminding the leopard that beauty is only skin deep!

Here is a simple prose version from Clarke's reader:

Pardus, cui est pictum tergum, ceteris feris, etiam leonibus, despectis ab eo, intumescebat. Vulpecula accedit ad hunc, suadet non superbire, dicens illi quidem esse speciosam pellem, sibi vero esse speciosam mentem. Est discrimen et ordo bonorum: bona corporis praestant bonis fortunae, sed bona animi sunt praeferenda his.

Here is the version in Avianus, which is more elaborate, and builds up the leopard's sense of pride in greater detail:

Distinctus maculis et pulchro pectore, pardus
Inter consimiles ibat inire feras;
Sed quia nulla graves variarent terga leones,
Protinus his miserum credidit esse genus.
Cetera sordenti damnans animalia vultu
Solus in exemplum nobilitatis erat.
Hunc arguta novo gaudentem vulpis amictu
Corripit, et vanas approbat esse notas:
Vade, ait, et pictae nimium confide iuventae,
Dum mihi consilium pulchrius esse queat,
Miremurque magis quos munera mentis adornant,
Quam qui corporeis enituere bonis.

Here it is written out in segmented style to make it easier to follow, rearranging the Latin word as necessary to make the syntax more clear:

Pardus,
distinctus maculis et pulchro pectore,
ibat inire inter feras consimiles;
sed
quia variarent leones graves nulla terga,
protinus credidit
miserum esse his genus.
Damnans cetera animalia
sordenti vultu,
solus erat
in exemplum nobilitatis.
Hunc gaudentem novo amictu
arguta vulpis
corripit
et approbat
vanas esse notas;
ait:
Vade
et nimium confide pictae iuventae,
dum consilium mihi queat esse pulchrius,
et miremur magis
quos munera mentis adornant,
quam
qui corporeis enituere bonis.

When the leopard compares himself to the lions, he shows himself to be rather foolish, even before the fox sets him straight! I also like the alliteration of munera mentis, "the mental endowments" - I'm not quite sure how to get that same sense of alliteration in English - "brain bonanza" perhaps? And yes, the English word "bonanza" does ultimately derive from the Latin word bonus, via Spanish from a medieval Latin bonacia.

For an illustration, here is an image from Milo Winter's illustrations for Aesop's fables:

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Perry 15: Fox and Grapes

As I'm gearing up for the publication of Aesop’s Fables in Latin: Ancient Wit and Wisdom from the Animal Kingdom (coming soon from Bolchazy-Carducci!), I'm reviewing the different Perry numbers that will be included in that book. For each of the fables, I'm posting here a Latin version of the fable along with an illustration that can be compared/contrasted with the version in Barlow's book.

Today's fable is Perry #15, the story of the fox and the grapes. At the Aesopus wiki, you can see a complete list of the versions of this fable that I have collected. One of my favorite versions is the Greek version in which a mouse makes fun of the fox for her bad attitude; you can read an English translation of that version at the aesopica.net website.

Meanwhile, here is the version in Steinhowel's Aesop:

Vulpes cum racemos uvarum plenos ac maturescentes prospiceret, cupida de illis manducare, omnem viam et saltandi et scandendi est machinata, qua illos habere posset. Sed cum omnem viam frustra temptasset, nec desiderio satisfacere quevisset, maestitiam vertens in gaudium ait: Racemi illi adhuc nimium sunt acerbi; si habere possem, nollem comedere. Fabula significat quod prudentis est fingere se ea nolle quae consequi non posse cognoscit.

Here it is written out in segmented style to make it easier to follow, while respecting the Latin word order:

Vulpes
cum
racemos uvarum plenos ac maturescentes
prospiceret,
cupida de illis manducare,
omnem viam
et saltandi et scandendi
est machinata,
qua illos habere posset.
Sed cum omnem viam frustra temptasset,
nec desiderio satisfacere quevisset, maestitiam vertens in gaudium
ait:
Racemi illi
adhuc nimium sunt acerbi;
si habere possem,
nollem comedere.
Fabula significat quod
prudentis est fingere
se ea nolle
quae
consequi non posse
cognoscit.

The moral of the story here is an interesting one! Instead of condemning the fox for being a hypocrite, the story seems to praise the fox for coming up with such a satisfactory way of mitigating her frustration. I'm not sure what type of cognitive therapy this is, but I'm sure there is a term for it in modern psychotherapy!

For an illustration, here is an illustration from Walter Crane's Aesop which tells the story in limerick form!

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Perry 4 and Perry 567: Hawk and Nightingale (Abstemius)

As I'm gearing up for the publication of Aesop’s Fables in Latin: Ancient Wit and Wisdom from the Animal Kingdom (coming soon from Bolchazy-Carducci!), I'm reviewing the different Perry numbers that will be included in that book. For each of the fables, I'm posting here a Latin version of the fable along with an illustration that can be compared/contrasted with the version in Barlow's book.

Today's fable is Perry #4, the story of the the nightingale pleading with the hawk to let her go. I'll also be commenting here on Perry #567, a variant form of the fable. At the Aesopus wiki, you can see a complete list of the versions of this fable that I have collected. It is quite intriguing that Perry assigned two different numbers to the different "branches" of this fable, as there are other instances where he freely compiled widely differing variations under the same number.

In Perry #4, the tradition begins with the ancient tradition in Hesiod's Works and Days of the nightingale caught by the pitiless hawk. The nightingale begs for mercy, but the hawk only scoffs at her and boasts of his power. In some versions, the hawk pronounces a moral along the lines of "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." Alternatively, the nightingale may offer to sing to please the hawk, but the hawk insists that what he needs is food, not amusement. Those are both very practical morals, often endorsed in Aesop's fables, so the hawk is both a villain and a pronouncer of wisdom. Perry does not list any Latin examples under the heading of Perry #4, although I have found some modern Latin examples, such as the version here in Abstemius:

Luscinia, ab accipitre famelico comprehensa, dummodo se ab eo devorandam esse intelligeret, blande eum rogabat, ut se dimitteret, pollicita pro tanto beneficio ingentem mercedem se relaturam. Cum autem accipiter eam interrogaret, quid gratiae sibi referre posset. Aures, inquit, tuas mellifluis cantibus demulcebo. At ego, inquit accipiter, malo mihi ventrem demulceas. Sine tuis enim cantibus vivere, sine cibo non possum. Haec fabula innuit utilia iucundis anteponenda.

In Perry #567, first attested in Ademar, there is a sense of divine justice at work. The hawk has caught the nightingale's chicks in the nest and pretends to make a bargain with the mother: he will spare her chicks if she sings a pretty song. The nightingale sings, but the hawk accuses her of singing an ugly song, and then beings devouring her chicks. Just at that moment, a bird catcher approaches and catches the hawk. Although we do not have a version of this fable in Phaedrus, it seems to me absolutely typical of the kind of story variation that Phaedrus would introduce, so I would concur with the scholars who believe the medieval versions we have of this story represent a lost version by Phaedrus. Thanks to its inclusion in the medieval tradition, this is the version that made its way into Steinhowel's Aesop, so here is the version in Steinhowel's Aesop:

In nido lusciniae cum sederet accipiter, ut specularetur auras, parvos illic invenit pullos. Supervenit cito luscinia et rogavit parcere pullis suis. Faciam, quod vis, inquit, si bene mihi cantaveris. At illa, quamvis animus excederet, tanto metu coacta, pavens et dolore plena cantavit. Accipiter, qui praedam invenerat: Non bene cantasti, inquit. Et apprehendit unum de pullis ac devorare coepit. Tunc ex diverso quidam auceps venit et calamo silentio levato accipitrem visco contractum in terram deiecit. Si qui aliis insidiabatur non cavit, ideo captus est.

Here it is written out in segmented style to make it easier to follow, while respecting the Latin word order:

In nido lusciniae
cum sederet accipiter,
ut specularetur auras,
parvos illic invenit pullos.
Supervenit cito luscinia
et rogavit parcere pullis suis.
Faciam, quod vis, inquit,
si bene mihi cantaveris.
At illa,
quamvis animus excederet,
tanto metu coacta,
pavens et dolore plena
cantavit.
Accipiter,
qui praedam invenerat,
"Non bene cantasti," inquit.
Et apprehendit unum de pullis
ac devorare coepit.
Tunc ex diverso
quidam auceps venit
et calamo silentio levato
accipitrem
visco contractum
in terram deiecit.
Si qui aliis insidiabatur non cavit,
ideo captus est.

My favorite part of this story is the poor nightingale who does her best to sing a song to placate the hawk, but who is so distressed that she cannot sing her usual song, so that the hawk thinks she has failed to live up to her end of the bargain, providing a "justification" as it were of his cruel deed. That seems to me an insightful psychological portrait of what some bullies are like indeed.

For an illustration, here is an image from Steinhowel's Aesop which shows hawk in the nest, and the nightingale attempting to sing:

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Perry 9: Fox and Goat in Well

As I'm gearing up for the publication of Aesop’s Fables in Latin: Ancient Wit and Wisdom from the Animal Kingdom (coming soon from Bolchazy-Carducci!), I'm reviewing the different Perry numbers that will be included in that book. For each of the fables, I'm posting here a Latin version of the fable along with an illustration that can be compared/contrasted with the version in Barlow's book.

Today's fable is Perry #9, the story of the fox and the goat trapped in the well. At the Aesopus wiki, you can see a complete list of the versions of this fable that I have collected. In some of the fables, there is an emphasis placed on the fact that the fox got herself stuck in the well first and lured the goat down there (as in Phaedrus); in versions like this one, the goat makes two mistakes: he lets the fox lure him down into the well, and then helps the fox to make her escape.

In other versions, there is only one trick: the fox and the goat get into the well together (no trick involved), but then the fox tricks the goat into helping her get out of the well, whereupon she abandons him there. That is the version you will see here in Steinhowel:

Homines consilio praediti prius finem prospiciunt, quam dant operam rebus gerendis. De hoc audi fabulam. Vulpes et hircus sitientes in quendam puteum ut sitim extinguerent descenderunt, verum enim post potum, cum egressum circumspiceret hircus, vulpes ei comiter ait: Bono sis animo, nam quid saluti nostrae opus sit, probe animadverti. Si enim rectus stabis et pedibus anterioribus cornibusve muro adhaerebis, tuas ergo scapulas cornuaque conscendens exibo. Cumque egressa fuero, te manu comprehendens hinc desuper traham; huic caper prompte deservivit. Vulpes suo exultans egressu circa os putei hirco alludebat. At dum caper illam incusat sibi pacta haud servasse, ei facete vulpecula inquit: Si ea, caper, sapientia praeditus esses, quo pilorum ornatu istaec tua barba referta est, non prius in puteum descendisses, quam egressum pensiculate vidisses. Significat ergo fabula quod prudentes prius finem rei prospiciunt, quam opus inierint.

Here it is written out in segmented style to make it easier to follow, while respecting the Latin word order:

Homines consilio praediti
prius finem prospiciunt,
quam dant operam rebus gerendis.
De hoc audi fabulam.
Vulpes et hircus
sitientes
in quendam puteum
ut sitim extinguerent
descenderunt,
verum enim post potum,
cum egressum circumspiceret hircus,
vulpes ei comiter ait:
Bono sis animo,
nam
quid saluti nostrae opus sit,
probe animadverti.
Si enim rectus stabis
et pedibus anterioribus cornibusve
muro adhaerebis,
tuas ergo scapulas cornuaque conscendens
exibo.
Cumque egressa fuero,
te manu comprehendens
hinc desuper traham;
huic caper prompte deservivit.
Vulpes
suo exultans egressu
circa os putei
hirco alludebat.
At dum caper illam incusat
sibi pacta haud servasse,
ei facete vulpecula inquit:
Si ea, caper, sapientia praeditus esses,
quo pilorum ornatu
istaec tua barba referta est,
non prius in puteum descendisses,
quam egressum pensiculate vidisses.
Significat ergo fabula quod
prudentes
prius finem rei prospiciunt,
quam opus inierint.

Here is the illustration for Steinhowel's version, which shows the fox leaping up on the goat's horns:



Meanwhile, here is an image from an edition of Townsend's Aesop which shows very clearly that the fox was in trouble and asked the goat for help - and note the goat's very very long beard, of course!

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Perry 613: Belling the Cat

The Aesopic fable of "belling the cat" is a very famous fable - but it is not attested in the ancient Greek or Roman tradition. There are many fables about the cat and the mice, but for the fable of "who will bell the cat?" we must turn to the medieval author of fables, Odo of Cheriton, a preacher and scholar of the 13th century. You can read more about Odo in the Catholic Encyclopedia online.

The Latin text of Odo shown here is taken from Léopold Hervieux, Les fabulistes latins depuis le siècle d'Auguste jusqu'à la. fin du Moyen-Age (1893-1899). There is a delightful English translation of Odo by John Jacobs, which is still in print. It's a lovely book - highly recommended!

Here is the text of Odo's version of the story in Latin:

Mures habuerunt semel consilium qualiter se a Catto possent praemunire. Et ait quidam Mus sapiens: Ligetur campanella in collo Catti, et tunc poterimus ipsum, quocumque perrexerit, audire et insidias eius praecauere. Placuit omnibus hoc consilium. Et ait Mus unus: Quis ligabit campanellam in collo Catti? Respondit Mus unus: Certo non ego. Respondit alius: Nec ego pro toto mundo ei vellem tantum appropinquare.

Here it is in segments, to make the phrase boundaries more clear:

Mures
habuerunt semel consilium
qualiter se a Catto possent praemunire.
Et ait quidam Mus sapiens:
Ligetur campanella in collo Catti,
et tunc
poterimus ipsum, quocumque perrexerit, audire
et insidias eius praecauere.
Placuit omnibus hoc consilium.
Et ait Mus unus:
Quis ligabit campanellam in collo Catti?
Respondit Mus unus:
Certo non ego.
Respondit alius:
Nec ego
pro toto mundo
ei vellem tantum appropinquare.

That's a fine use of the passive voice as a means to avoid the question of agency: ligetur campanella allows you to propose the solution without saying who will carry it out!

For an image to accompany the story, here is Barlow's depiction of the cat, and the mice, and - if you look closely enough - the bell! (It's there where the mice are scurrying about.)



Here's another charming illustration, this time from Joseph Jacobs's edition of the fables:



Finally, here is a picture of the mice in deliberation - note the cat lurking around the corner!

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Perry 35: The Satyr and the Traveler (Avianus)

As I'm gearing up for the publication of Aesop’s Fables in Latin: Ancient Wit and Wisdom from the Animal Kingdom (coming soon from Bolchazy-Carducci!), I'm reviewing the different Perry numbers that will be included in that book. For each of the fables, I'm posting here a Latin version of the fable along with an illustration that can be compared/contrasted with the version in Barlow's book.

Today's fable is Perry #35, the story of the satyr who rescued the man in the snow. At the Aesopus wiki, you can see a complete list of the versions of this fable that I have collected. This is a fable that is attested in both the Greek tradition and also in the Latin tradition, beginning with the version in Avianus.

Here is Avianus's version of the story:

Horrida congestis cum staret bruma pruinis,
Cunctaque durato stringeret arva gelu,
Haesit in adversa nimborum mole viator;
Perdita nam prohibet semita ferre gradum.
Hunc nemorum custos fertur miseratus in antro
Exceptum Satirus continuisse suo.
Quem simul adspiciens ruris miratur alumnus
Vimque homini tantam protinus esse pavet
Nam gelidos artus vitae ut revocaret in usum,
Afflatas calido solverat ore manus.
Sed cum depulso coepisset frigore laetus
Hospitis eximia sedulitate frui,
Namque illi agrestem cupiens ostendere vitam,
Silvarum referens optima quaeque dabat,
Obtulit et calido plenum cratera Liaeo,
Laxet ut infusus frigida membra tepor,
Ille ubi ferventem labris contingere testam
Horruit, algenti rursus ab ore reflat.
Obstipuit duplici monstro perterritus hospes,
Et pulsum silvis longius ire iubet:
Nolo, ait, ut nostris umquam succederet antris,
Tam diversa duo qui simul ora ferat.

Here it is written out in segmented style to make it easier to follow, rearranging the Latin word as necessary to make the syntax more clear:

Cum bruma
horrida staret congestis pruinis,
et stringeret arva cuncta durato gelu,
haesit viator
in adversa nimborum mole,
nam perdita semita
prohibet ferre gradum.
Satirus, nemorum custos,
miseratus
fertur
hunc continuisse
exceptum in suo antro.
Quem simul adspiciens
miratur alumnus ruris
et protinus pavet
vim homini tantam esse
nam
ut revocaret gelidos artus in usum vitae,
solverat manus afflatas calido ore.
Sed
cum laetus
depulso frigore
coepisset
frui hospitis eximia sedulitate,
namque,
cupiens illi ostendere agrestem vitam,
dabat referens optima quaeque silvarum
et obtulit cratera plenum calido Liaeo,
ut tepor infusus
laxet membra frigida,
ubi ille
horruit contingere labris testam ferventem, rursus reflat ab ore algenti.
Perterritus hospes
obstipuit duplici monstro,
et iubet
longius ire pulsum silvis:
nolo, ait,
ut nostris antris umquam succederet,
qui simul ferat ora duo tam diversa.

As often, Avianus is a bit awkward, but the meaning of the story comes through very clearly! The story gained a new fame through being included in Erasmus's Adagia, under the heading: Ex eodem calidum, et frigidum efflare. Here is Erasmus's version of the story:

Satyrus quidam, cum vehementer algeret, hiberno gelu supra modum saeviente, a rustico quodam inductus est in hospitium. Admiratus autem, cur homo inflaret in manus ori admotas, rogavit, cur ita faceret: is respondit, ut frigidas manus halitus tepore calefaceret. Deinde, ubi exstructo foco, apposita mensa, in pultem fervidam rursum inflaret, magis etiam admiratus, sciscitatus est, quid hoc sibi vellet: ut pultem, inquit, nimium ferventem halitu refrigerem. Tum Satyrus, surgens a mensa: Quid ego audio? inquit. Tun' eodem ex ore pariter et calidum, et frigidum efflas? Valebis, neque enim mihi ratio est, cum eiusmodi homine commune habere hospitium.

For an illustration, here is a lovely illustration by Walter Crane which also includes Crane's little poem (click on the image for a larger view):

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Perry 39: The Wise Swallow

As I'm gearing up for the publication of Aesop’s Fables in Latin: Ancient Wit and Wisdom from the Animal Kingdom (coming soon from Bolchazy-Carducci!), I'm reviewing the different Perry numbers that will be included in that book. For each of the fables, I'm posting here a Latin version of the fable along with an illustration that can be compared/contrasted with the version in Barlow's book.

Today's fable is Perry #39, the story of the wise swallow who tried to warn the other birds about the flax seed. At the Aesopus wiki, you can see a complete list of the versions of this fable that I have collected. This is one of those interesting fables which is attested in the Greek tradition but also in the medieval Latin tradition, including Ademar, but without an extant poem by Phaedrus. On those grounds, it is probably quite reasonable to suppose that the fable was indeed in Phaedrus, but has not survived in any of the copies which have reached us.

Here is the version in Steinhowel's Aesop (1.20):

Qui non audit bonum consilium, in se inveniet malum, ut haec approbat fabula. Spargi et arari lini semen aves omnes cum viderent, pro nihilo hoc habuerunt. Hirundo autem hoc intellexit. Et convocatis omnibus retulit hoc esse malum. Deinde ut adolevit semen ac bene excrevit, iterum hirundo ait illis: Hoc in nostrum crescit interitum; venite, eruamus illud. Nam cum creverit retia facient ex illo et humanis quidem artibus capi possumus! Eius autem consilium omnes contempserunt. Cum autem contemni consilium illud hirundo videret, ad homines se transtulit, ut sub eorum tectis tutius degeret et quae respuerunt consilium, audire nolentes, semper anxie in retia caderent. Audiant haec propriis semper innitentes opinionibus neque aliorum consiliis assentientes.

Here it is written out in segmented style to make it easier to follow, while respecting the Latin word order:

Qui
non audit bonum consilium,
in se inveniet malum,
ut haec approbat fabula.
Spargi et arari lini semen
aves omnes
cum viderent,
pro nihilo
hoc habuerunt.
Hirundo autem
hoc intellexit.
Et
convocatis omnibus
retulit
hoc esse malum.
Deinde
ut adolevit semen
ac bene excrevit,
iterum
hirundo ait illis:
Hoc
in nostrum crescit interitum;
venite,
eruamus illud.
Nam
cum creverit
retia facient ex illo
et humanis quidem artibus
capi possumus!
Eius autem consilium
omnes contempserunt.
Cum autem
contemni consilium illud
hirundo videret,
ad homines se transtulit,
ut sub eorum tectis tutius degeret
et
quae respuerunt consilium,
audire nolentes,
semper anxie in retia caderent.
Audiant haec
propriis semper innitentes opinionibus
neque aliorum consiliis assentientes.

I like the way this version includes direct speech spoken by the swallow herself!

For an illustration, here is an image from Steinhowel's Aesop which shows the swallow (recognizable by her wings!) speaking to the other birds, who seem to be paying attention... even though they are not going to heed her advice:

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Perry 1: Fox and Eagle

As one of the tasks preparing for my new book, Aesop’s Fables in Latin: Ancient Wit and Wisdom from the Animal Kingdom (coming soon from Bolchazy-Carducci!), I'm reviewing the different Perry numbers that will be included in that book. For each of the fables, I'll be posting here a Latin version of the fable along with an illustration that can be compared/contrasted with the version in Barlow's book.

I decided to start with Perry #1, the story of the the fox, the eagle, and their offspring. At the Aesopus wiki, you can see a complete list of the versions of this fable that I have collected. This is a rather complicated fable to start with, since it appears in two quite distinct variants. In one set of stories (predominantly in the Greek tradition, but also in the later Latin and then English traditions), the eagle kidnaps the fox's cubs and feeds them to her chicks, whereupon the fox exacts a terrible vengeance so that the eagle's nest catches on fire and her chicks are killed. In a more optimistic variation (represented in Phaedrus and his imitators), the eagle kidnaps the fox's cubs but returns them when the fox threatens to do harm to the chicks; as a result, no harm comes to either the fox's cubs or the eagle's chicks.

Here is the version in Steinhowel's Aesop (1.13):

Potentes metuere debere infimos haec attestatur fabula. Vulpinos catulos aquila rapuit ac in nidum deportavit, ut pullis suis escam daret; prosecuta vulpes aquilam rogabat catulos suos sibi reddi. Aquila contempsit vulpem quasi inferiorem; vulpes plena dolo ab ara ignem rapuit et arborem circumdedit, collecta stipula. Cumque fumus et flamma perstreperent, aquila, dolore pulsa natorum, ne flammis simul perirent, incolumes vulpinos catulos supplex reddidit matri. Docet haec fabula multos, ne quis insultet inferiori et ab aliqua flamma vindictae incendatur.

Here it is written out in segmented style to make it easier to follow, while respecting the Latin word order:

Potentes
metuere debere infimos
haec attestatur fabula.
Vulpinos catulos
aquila rapuit
ac in nidum deportavit,
ut pullis suis escam daret;
prosecuta vulpes aquilam
rogabat
catulos suos sibi reddi.
Aquila
contempsit vulpem
quasi inferiorem;
vulpes
plena dolo
ab ara ignem rapuit
et arborem circumdedit,
collecta stipula.
Cumque fumus et flamma perstreperent,
aquila,
dolore pulsa natorum,
ne flammis simul perirent,
incolumes vulpinos catulos
supplex
reddidit matri.
Docet haec fabula
multos,
ne quis
insultet inferiori
et
ab aliqua flamma vindictae
incendatur.

The fact that the fox grabs the flame ab ara, from an altar, is the link between this version and the ancient Greek tradition, in which it is a kind of divine justice (flame from the altar of the gods) which is at work in the story. Although the Roman poet Phaedrus seems to have initiated the version of the fable in which the mere threat of violence secures the release of the fox's cubs, he still includes the detail of the altar (Vulpes rapuit ab ara ardentem facem), which of course made much more sense in his time than it did for later Latin authors in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Notice that in William Caxton, the altar which is still found in Steinhowel is no longer included: And thenne the foxe fulle of shrewdnes and of malyce beganne to put to gyder grete habondaunce of strawe round aboute the tree / where vpon the egle and his yonge were in theyr nest / and kyndeled it with fyre.

For an illustration, here is an image from Steinhowel's Aesop which shows the fox as she methodically builds the fire around the tree!

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