Irenaeus Fabula 47. De Urtica et Filio Hortolani.

I've embarked 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 Urtica et Filio Hortolani, the story of a young boy who did not listen to some good advice. This is not a story found in Perry; if anybody has seen this story elsewhere, let me know!

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

Cuiusdam Hortolani filius punctus ab urtica, flens, conquerebatur ad patrem, quod olus domesticum in suo fundo ausum esset se pungere. Cui pater: Desine, inquit, plangere, fili; hoc vitium a Natura Urticae est, nulla arte medicabile, nulli parcit, nec potest aliter facere.

Cuiusdam Hortolani filius
punctus ab urtica,
flens, conquerebatur ad patrem,
quod olus domesticum
in suo fundo
ausum esset se pungere.
Cui pater:
Desine, inquit, plangere, fili;
hoc vitium
a Natura Urticae est,
nulla arte medicabile,
nulli parcit,
nec potest aliter facere.

Here's an illustration for the fable (image source), showing some stinging nettle:

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