Irenaeus Fable 66. Pauper et Thesaurus.

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 Paupere et Thesauro, the story of a poor man and his unexpected good fortune. This is not a fable in the Perry index, and I am not familiar with it from any other source. If anyone has information about this fable, please let me know!

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

Quidam pauper, nil praeter tuguriolum possidens idque ruinam minitans, quibusdam propterea palis suffultum, ex agro rediens reperit eversum, eiusque reparandi impotens, acerbos ploratus edebat. Accidit autem ut cum inconsolabiliter plangeret, huc et illuc oculos versans, adverteret urnulam inter rudera et saxa maceriae deiectam, quam cum sustulisset, et aureis nummis plenam invenisset, insolito gaudio perfusus, lacrimas abstersit et eiulatus repressit. Quo docemur miserabilibus quandoque personis fortunam cum minus sperant, adesse, et mutare vultum.

Quidam pauper,
nil praeter tuguriolum possidens
idque ruinam minitans,
quibusdam propterea palis suffultum,
ex agro rediens
reperit eversum,
eiusque reparandi impotens,
acerbos ploratus edebat.
Accidit autem
ut cum inconsolabiliter plangeret,
huc et illuc oculos versans,
adverteret urnulam inter rudera
et saxa maceriae deiectam,
quam cum sustulisset,
et aureis nummis plenam invenisset,
insolito gaudio perfusus,
lacrimas abstersit
et eiulatus repressit.
Quo docemur
miserabilibus quandoque personis
fortunam cum minus sperant,
adesse,
et mutare vultum.

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

---

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