Irenaeus Fable 71. Anus et Daemon

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 Anu Daemonem Frustra Incusante, the story of how the Devil tried to defend himself against false charges laid against him. This is not a classical Aesop's fable, but one you can find in Abstemius.

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

Quia solent homines in Fortunam, modo in Daemonem, quidquid mali agunt et peccant, refundere, quandam vetulam volentem arborem ascendere soleatam, Daemon, praevidens casuram, astantibus dixit: "Testes vos, quotquot estis, advoco, me, si vetula ista cadat, innocentiae meae. Neque enim consilio sui ut ascendat." Illico ascendit anus, cecidit, et, cum prae dolore plangeret, interrogantibus quid ascendisset, "Daemon (inquit) causa fuit!" Qui, astans, probavit coram testibus non alio daemone, nisi se, ascendisse et cecidisse.

Quia solent homines
in Fortunam, modo in Daemonem,
quidquid mali
agunt et peccant,
refundere,
quandam vetulam
volentem arborem ascendere soleatam,
Daemon, praevidens casuram,
astantibus dixit:
"Testes vos,
quotquot estis,
advoco,
me,
si vetula ista cadat,
innocentiae meae.
Neque enim consilio sui
ut ascendat."
Illico ascendit anus,
cecidit,
et,
cum prae dolore plangeret,
interrogantibus quid ascendisset,
"Daemon (inquit) causa fuit!"
Qui, astans,
probavit coram testibus
non alio daemone, nisi se,
ascendisse et cecidisse.

Here's an illustration for the fable showing a woman in a tree!

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