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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