Irenaeus Fable 80: Lepus et Vulpes

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 Lepore et Vulpe, the story of the rabbit and the fox making requests of Jupiter, a story you can also find in Abstemius.

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

Lepus et Vulpes, desse aliquid suae speciei causantes, simul ad pulvinar Iovis supplices accedunt, postulat ille sibi a Iove dari Vulpis calliditatem, qua sibi a periculis et hostibus caute prospiciat; ista optat Leporis celeritatem, sic utrique melius iri consultum. Quid Iupiter? Respondet caecas et inanes creaturarum postulationes minime audiendas; iam a principio e sinu suo cunctis naturis abunde provisum. Non omnibus omnia, sed sapientissima ratione, quae conducerent, cuique fuisse distributa.

Lepus et Vulpes,
desse aliquid suae speciei
causantes,
simul ad pulvinar Iovis
supplices accedunt,
postulat ille
sibi a Iove dari
Vulpis calliditatem,
qua sibi
a periculis et hostibus
caute prospiciat;
ista optat
Leporis celeritatem,
sic utrique
melius iri consultum.
Quid Iupiter?
Respondet
caecas et inanes
creaturarum postulationes
minime audiendas;
iam a principio
e sinu suo
cunctis naturis
abunde provisum.
Non omnibus omnia,
sed sapientissima ratione,
quae conducerent,
cuique fuisse distributa.

Here's an illustration for the fable (image source) that I found at the website of a wonderful artist, K. Bedson - take a look at the website for more wonderful artwork!

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