Perry 376: Puffed-Up Frog

Today's fable is Perry 376, the story of the frog who puffed herself, trying to rival an ox in size... a fatal mistake! At del.icio.us, you can see a complete list of the versions of this fable type that I have collected.

This is another one of the fables that you can find in Odo of Cheriton, so I thought I would include his version here. I especially like his moral for the story, about the great oxen of the church hierarchy!

Contra magna appetentes ex invidia. Rana vidit Bouem in prato incedentem.
Cogitavit si posset esse ita magna ut Bos ille, et vocavit filios, dicens: Ecce quanta decentia et magnificientia, si possem ad magnitudinem Bovis pervenire! Et intumuit et inflata est quantum potuit. Et ait filiis suis: Adhuc ita magna sum ut ille Bos? Dixerunt filii: Nondum magna es ut caput Bovis. Est ita, dixit Rana; adhuc inflabor. Et in tantum intumuit quod media crepuit.
Sic sunt plerique qui vident episcopos, abbates, archidiaconos, quasi boues, cum magna pompa incedentes. Cogitant qualiter possent ita magni fieri, et in tantum conantur quod in anima uel corpore moriuntur.

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

Contra magna appetentes
ex invidia.
Rana
vidit Bouem
in prato incedentem.
Cogitavit
si posset esse ita magna
ut Bos ille,
et vocavit filios,
dicens:
Ecce quanta decentia et magnificientia,
si possem ad magnitudinem Bovis pervenire!
Et intumuit et inflata est
quantum potuit.
Et ait filiis suis:
Adhuc ita magna sum
ut ille Bos?
Dixerunt filii:
Nondum magna es
ut caput Bovis.
Est ita, dixit Rana;
adhuc inflabor.
Et in tantum intumuit
quod media crepuit.
Sic sunt plerique
qui vident episcopos, abbates, archidiaconos,
quasi boues,
cum magna pompa incedentes.
Cogitant
qualiter possent ita magni fieri,
et in tantum conantur
quod in anima uel corpore moriuntur.

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