FABLE XIV. Fox invited De VULPECULA & CICONIA. Of the Fox and the STORK. VULPECULA vocavit THE Ciconiam ad cœnam. the Stork to supper. Effundit opsonium in She pours out the victuals upon mensam, quod, cùm esset the table, which, when it was liquidum, Ciconia tentante liquid, the Stork endeavouring rostro frustrà, Vulpecula with her bill in vain, the Fox lingit. Elusa avis abit, licks up. The deluded bird goes pudetque, pigetque away, and is ashamed, and vexed injuriæ. Post plusculum at the injury. After some dierum redit & invitat days she returns and invites Vulpeculam. Vitreum vas the Fox. A glass vessel erat situm plenum opsonii; was placed full of victuals; quod vas, cum esset which vessel, as it arcti gutturis, licuit of a narrow neck, it was lawful Vulpeculæ videre, & esurire, for the Fox to see, and hunger, non gustare. Ciconia facile not to taste. The Stork easily exhausit rostro. drew it out with her beak. MOR. MOR. was trick Risus meretur risum; Laughter deserves laughter; dolus a jest a jest; a dolum;& fraus fraudem. a trick; and deceit deceit. jocus jocum; De GRACULO. GRACULUS vit Pavonis; pulchellus se ad se deinde sibi genus FABLE XV. Of the JACKDAW. orna- THE Jackdaw adorned plumis himself with the feathers of the visus Peacock; then seeming pretty contulit to himself, be betook himself to Pavo- the race of the Peacocks, num, suo genere fastidito. his own race being despised. Illi tandem intelligentes They at length understanding fraudem nudabant stolidam the cheat, stripped the foolish avem coloribus, bird of his colours, and belaboured him with blows.. affecerunt cum plagis. MOR. Hæc Fabula notat eos, qui MOR. This Fable denotes thore, who gerunt se sublimiùs, quàm carry themselves more loftily, est æquum; qui vivunt cum than is fit; who live with ditiores, those, who are both more rich, iis, qui sunt magis nobiles: quare sæpe and more noble: wherefore often sunt they become poor, and are fiunt inopes, ludibrio. De RANA & for a laughing stock. FABLE XVI. Bove. RANA cupida æquandi Of the FROG and the Ox. Bovem distentabat se. ling an Filius hortabatur matrem The son advised the mother desistere cæpto, in- to desist from the undertaking, quiens, Ranam esse nihil ad saying, that a Frog was nothing Bovem. Illa intumuit to an Ox. She swelled secundùm. Natus clamitat, a second time. The son cries out, Mater, licèt crepes, nun- Mother, altho' you burst, nequam vinces Bovem. Autem, ver will you exceed the Ox. But, cùm intumuisset tertium, when she had swelled a third crepuit. time, she burst. MOR. Quisque habet dotem. Hic excellit ille viribus. Hic opibus, ille amicis. cet unumquemq; esse tentum suo. Ille corpore, MOR. suam Every one has his gift. formâ, This man excels in beauty, pollet that in strength. This is powerDe- ful in riches, that in friends. It con- becometh every one to be convalet tent with his own. He is strong ingenio in body, thou in genius: quocirca quisque consulat wherefore let every one consult semet, nec invideat supe- himself, nor envy a superior, riori, quod est miserum; which is a miserable thing; certare, nor wish to contend, which is the part of folly. nec tu optet quod est stultitia. : FABLE XVII. De AVIBUS & Quadrupe- Of the BIRDS and the four dibus. footed Beasts. ERAT pugna Avibus THERE was a battle to the Quadrupedibus. Birds with the four-footed cum Erat utrinque utrinque metus, spes, Beasts. There was on both sides utrinque hope, on both sides fear, on periculum: autem Vesper- both sides danger: but the ilio relinquens socios, de- Bat leaving his companions, reficit ad hostes. vincunt, Aquilá & auspice; verò Aves volts to the enemies. The Birds duce overcome, the Eagle being capdam- tain and leader; but they conthe runaway Bat, nant transfugam Vesper- demn tilionem, utì nunquam that he never redeat ad Aves, utì nunquam return to the Birds,that he never est fly in the light. This is a ut reason for the Bat, that he fly not, unless in the night. Qui renuit esse particeps adversitatis et cum expers sociis, MOR. He that refuses to be partaker periculi of adversity and danger erit with his companions, shall be prosperitatis, destitute of their prosperity, and safety. ribus, Rusticus liceat tollere Of the WooD and the COUN TRYMAN. erat AT what time there was Arbo- a speech even venit Trees, a Countryman came to in Sylvam & rogat, ut into the Wood & asks, that capu- it may be lawful to take a hanlum ad suam securim. Sylva dle to his ax. The Wood annuit. Rusticus, consents. The Countryman, securi aptatâ, cœpit suc- the ax being fitted, began to cidere Arbores. Tum, et cut down the Trees. Then, and quidem serò poenituit indeed too late it repented Sylvam suæ facilitatis; the Wood of her easiness ; doluit esse seipsam causam it grieved her to be herself the sui exitii. MOR. Vide, de quo cause of her own destruction. MOR. merearis See, of whom thou mayest de benè fuère multi, qui serve well: there have been many, in perniciem autoris. abusi sunt beneficio accepto who have abused a benefit receiv ed tothe destruction of the author. FABLE XIX. Of the WOLF and the Fox. LUPUS, cùm esset De LUPO & VULPE. THE Wolf, when there was in satis prædæ, degebat in enough of prey, lived Vulpecula otio. accedit, idleness. The Fox comes to him, otii. demands the cause of the idlefieri ness. The Wolf perceived there mor- were treacheries, pretends a disorat ease to be the cause, desires the Vulpeculam ire precatum Fox to go to pray the Gods. Deos, Illa dolens, dolum She grieving, that the trick non succedere, adit pastorem, did not succeed, goes to the monet, latebras shepherd, advises him, that the den Lúpi patere, & bo- of the Wolf lay open, and the enestem securum posse opprimi my being secure could be destroyinoptinatò. Pastor adori- edunawares. The shepherd rises tur Lupum & mactat. Vul- upon the Wolf & slays him. The pes potitur antro et prædâ; Fox obtains the den and the prey; sed breve fuit gaudium but short was the joy sui sceleris illi; nam paulò of her villany to her; for a little pòst idem pastor capit after the same shepherd takes psam. MOR. her. MOR. Invidia est fœda res, et Envy is a foul thing, and interdum perniciosa quoque sometimes pernicious to the author himself. authori ipsi. even FABLE XX. Of the VIPER and the FILE. De VIPERA & LIMA. VIPERA offendens Li a A VIPER finding a File mam in Fabricâ, cœpit in Smith's shop, began rodere Lima subrisit, in- to gnaw it: the File smiled,sayquiens, Inepta, quid agis? ing, Fool, what dost thou do? Tu contriveris tuos Thou wilt have worn out thy dentes antequam atteras teeth, before thou wearest out me, quæ soleo præmordere me, who am wont to gnaw off duritiem æris. the hardness of brass. etiam See again and again FABLE XXI. Of the STAG. CERVUS, conspicatys se A STAG, having beheld himin perspicuo fonte, pro- self in a clear fountain, apbat procera & ramosa proves his lofty and branched cornua, sed damnat exili- horns, but condemns the smalltatem tibiarum : forte ness of his legs. By chance, dum contemplatur, dum ju- whilst he looks, whilst he judges, dicat, venator intervenit: the huntsman passes by: the Cervus fugit. Canes insec- Stag flies away. The dogs purtantur fugientem; sed cùm sue him flying; but when intravisset densam sylvam, he had entered a thick wood, cornua erant implicita his horns were entangled ramis. Tum demum in the boughs. Then at last laudabat tibias, & damna- he praised his legs, and condemnbat cornua, quæ fecêre, ed his horns, which caused, ut esset prada Canibus.. that he was a prey to the Dogs. MOR. MOR. Petimus fugienda, We desire things to be shunned, fugimus petenda; quæ we fly things to be desired; what officiunt placent; que con- hurt please; what profferunt displicent. Cupimus it displease. We desire beatitudinem, priusquam happiness, before that we unintelligamus, ubi sit; quæ- derstand, where it is; rimus excellentiam opum, seek the excellency of riches; we celsitudinem honorum; and the loftiness of honours; opinamur beatitudinem si- we think happiness placed tam in his, in quibus est in these, in which there is tam multum laboris, & so much of labour, and doloris. pain. |