Irenaeus Fabula 35. De Hericio et Vipera

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 Hericio et Vipera, the story of the hedgehog who moved into the viper's den. Although this fable does not show up in Perry, you can find it in Abstemius 72.

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

Hericius frigus praesentiens rogavit Viperam, ut se in cavum suum reciperet, fore ut simul hiemis incommoda facilius tolerarent. Excepit hospitio supplicantem Vipera, sed vix ille limen intraverat, quod se huc et illuc volutat, spinas explicat, cavum implet, et Viperam, si intus stare velit, pungit. Quod illa videns rogat hospitem, aut se alio recipere, aut se contrahere. Cui Hericius, durus hospes, "Exeat (inquit), qui hic stare non potest. Ego non moveor; bene mihi est. Sufficit."

Hericius
frigus praesentiens
rogavit Viperam,
ut se
in cavum suum reciperet,
fore ut
simul
hiemis incommoda
facilius tolerarent.
Excepit
hospitio supplicantem
Vipera,
sed vix
ille limen intraverat,
quod
se huc et illuc volutat,
spinas explicat,
cavum implet,
et Viperam,
si intus stare velit,
pungit.
Quod illa videns
rogat hospitem,
aut se alio recipere,
aut se contrahere.
Cui Hericius,
durus hospes,
"Exeat (inquit),
qui hic stare non potest.
Ego non moveor;
bene mihi est.
Sufficit."

Here is the illustration of the fable by Francis Barlow:

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