Irenaeus Fabula 20. De Vulpe Deos precante

I'm embarking on a new Latin fable project here at the Latin Via Fables blog: digitizing the 300 fables in the Mithologica sacro-profana, seu florilegium fabularum by P. Irenaeus, published in 1666, which has recently become available at GoogleBooks. For a complete index of the fables in the book, with links to the fables I've digitized so far, check out the Aesopus wiki page at Aesopus.PBwiki.com.

Today's fable is De Vulpe Deos precante, the story of a fox whose prayers were sometimes, but not always, answered by the gods. This is a fable I have not seen before; is anybody else familiar with this fable? It is not in Perry's index.

To make reading the fable easier, I've provided a segmented version of the story below.

Vulpes Gallinis cuiusdam Coloni insidians, foramen, per quod in gallinarium via esse poterat, angustius quam ut intraret, offendens, precatur Deos, ut dilatarent. Obtinuit; intravit. Rursus, cum inde vellet evadere, Gallinam secum asportans, latratum canum audivit; et timens ne secum eodem quo intraverat canes foramine intrarent, intus abdita, precabatur Deos ut contraherent. Sed frustra: nam Dii iusti et boni non audiunt aut probant vota perfidorum, sola commodi sui ratione, non aequi lance, ad se confugientium.

Vulpes
Gallinis cuiusdam Coloni insidians,
foramen,
per quod
in gallinarium via esse poterat,
angustius quam ut intraret,
offendens,
precatur Deos,
ut dilatarent.
Obtinuit; intravit.
Rursus,
cum inde vellet evadere,
Gallinam secum asportans,
latratum canum audivit;
et timens
ne secum
eodem quo intraverat
canes foramine intrarent,
intus abdita,
precabatur Deos
ut contraherent.
Sed frustra:
nam Dii iusti et boni
non audiunt aut probant
vota perfidorum,
sola commodi sui ratione,
non aequi lance,
ad se confugientium.

Here's an illustration for the fable (image source) showing a fox:

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Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.