Irenaeus Fable 97: Lepus et Vulpes, De Nobilitate

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 fox and the rabbit debating their respective virtues. This is another fable from Abstemius.

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

Orta est aliquando contentio Vulpem inter et Leporem de nobilitate et praestantia. Ego te, dicebat Lepus Vulpi, praecello cursu. Ego te, respondebat Vulpes, mente. Ille: Sum te velocior pedibus. Ista: Ego ingenio, quo venatorum retia et plagas et canes saepius eludo, quam tu celeritate pedum. Docet non a dotibus corporis, sed mentis, metiendam cuiuscumque excellentiam.

Orta est aliquando
contentio
Vulpem inter et Leporem
de nobilitate et praestantia.
Ego te,
dicebat Lepus Vulpi,
praecello cursu.
Ego te,
respondebat Vulpes,
mente.
Ille:
Sum te velocior pedibus.
Ista:
Ego ingenio,
quo
venatorum retia
et plagas et canes
saepius eludo,
quam tu
celeritate pedum.
Docet
non a dotibus corporis,
sed mentis,
metiendam
cuiuscumque excellentiam.

Here's an illustration for the fable (image source) showing a sculpture of a fox and a rabbit; if you have time, visit the website to see some more wonderful artwork like this:

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