FABLE VIII.

De LEONE & MURE. Of the LION and the Mouse. LEO defessus æstu THE Lion tired with heat cursuque quiescebat sub and running rested under umbra, super viridi gra- the shade, upon the green grass; mine; grege Murium per- a company of Mice runcurrente ejus tergum, ex- ning over his back, having aperrectus, comprehendit rose,

unum ex illis.

he

takes

Captivus one of them. The captive supplicat, clamitat, se esse begs, cries, that he was

indignum, cui irascatur. Ille,

Leo unworthy, with whom the Lion reputans should be angry. He, thinking fore nihil laudis there would be nothing of praise in nece tantillæ bestia, in the death of so little a beast, dimittit captivum. Non diu dismisses the captive. Not long postea, Leo, dum currit after, the Lion, whilst he runs per saltum, incidit in through the forest, falls into non the toils: he roars, but canaudit not get out.

plagas : rugit, sed
potest exire. Mus
Leonem miserabiliter rugi- the

entem, agnoscit

The Mouse hears

Lion miserably

roar

vocem, ing, knows the voice,

repit in cuniculos, quarit creeps into the holes, seeks

nodos, quos corroditque; Leo evadit and gnaws; the Lion escapes

invenit, the knots, which he finds,

out of the toils.

MOR.

This Fable recommends cle

un

Hæc Fabula suadet clementiam potentibus; etenim mency to the powerful; for ut humanæ res sunt in- as human things are stabiles, potentes ipsi stable, the powerful themselves interdum egent ope humil- sometimes want the help of the limorum ; quare prudens lowest; wherefore a prudent vir, etsi potest, timet man, altho' he is able, feareth nocere vel vili homini; sed to hurt even a mean man; but qui non timet nocere he that does not fear to hurt alteri, desipit valdè. another, plays the fool very much. Quid ita? Quia, etsi jam Why so? Because, altho’now havfretus potentiâ, metuit ing relied on his power, he feareth neminem, forsan, posthac nobody, perhaps, hereafter erit, ut indiguerit it will be,that he may have wanted vel gratiâ viljum bomun- either the favour of mean men, cionum, vel metuerit iram. or have feared their anger,

FABLE IX.

esset libera,

supplicabat it

De RANIS & earum Rege. Of the FROGS and their King. GENS Ranarum, cum THE nation of Frogs, when was free, besought Regem da- Jupiter, for a King to be givJupiter ridebat en to them. Jupiter laughed at Illæ the wishes of the Frogs. They iterum, nevertheless pressed him again,

Jovem,

ri sibi.

vota

ranarum.

tamen instabant

;

insultant, iners Rex

&

He threw down that mass

shakes

atque iterum, donec perpel- and again, until they drove lerent ipsum. Ille dejecit him to it. trabem ea moles quassat a log; fluvium ingenti fragore. the river with a great noise. Ranæ territa silent; The Frogs affrighted are silent; venerantur Regem ; ac- they reverence their King; they cedunt propiùs pedetentim; come nearer step by step: tandem, metu abjecto, at length, fear being thrown adesultant; way, they leap upon, and leap off est lusui & him; the sluggish King is their contemptui. Rursum laces- sport and contempt. and contempt. Again, sunt Jovem; orant Regem they provoke Jupiter; they pray dari sibi, qui sit for a King to be given to them, strenuus; quibus Jupiter dat who may be valiant; to whom ciconiam. Is perstrenuè Jupiter gives the stork. He very perambulans paludem, nimbly walking thro' the marsh vorat quicquid Ranarum devours whatever of the Frogs fit obviam. Igitur comes in the way. Therefore Ranæ frustrà questæ fue- the Frogs in vain have comrunt de sævitia hujus. plained of the cruelty of him. Jupiter non non audit, nam Jupiter does not hear, for queruntur & hodie: they complain even this day etenim vesperi ciconia for in the evening the stork eunte cubitum, egressæ ex going to rest, having come out of murmurant their caves they murmur rauco ululatu; sed with a hoarse croaking; but canunt surdo. surdo. Nam Ju- they sing to one deaf. For Jupiter vult, ut quæ depre- piter wills, that they who beticata sunt elementem Regem, tioned against a merciful King, jam ferant inclementem. now bear an unmerciful.

antris

Solet

ut

MOR.
evenire plebi,
ranis,

MOR.

:

It is wont to happentothe comque, mon people, as to the Frogs, whe

si habent Regem paulo man- if they have a King a little mildsuetiorem, damnant eum ig- er, condemn him of idlenavia & inertia, & optant, ness and sluggishness, and wish aliquando virum dari at sometime for a manto be given sibi: contra, si quan- to them: : on the contrary, if at do necta sunt strenuum any time they have got an active Regem, damnant savitiam King, they condemn the cruelty hujus, & laudant clemen- of him, and praise the clementiam prioris; sive quòd cy of the former; either besemper pœnitet nos præsen- cause it always repents us of the tium, sive quòd est verum present, or because it is a true dictum, nova nova esse potiora saying, that new things are betveteribus. ter than old.

FABLE X.

De COLUMBIS & MILVO. Of the PIGEONS and the KITE. COLUMBÆ olim ges- THE Pigeons formerly car

tus Rex, agit hostem,
Regem rapit ac
:
non segniùs, ac Milvus.
nitet Columbas

a

sêre bellum cum Mil- ried on war with the 90, quem ut expug- Kite, whom that they might subnarent, delegerunt sibi due, they chose to themselves Accipitrem regem. Ille fac- the Hawk king. He being non made King, acts the enemy, not laniat the King: he tears and butchers Pa- no slower, than the Kite. It reIncap- pents the Pigeons of their underfuisse taking, thinking that it had been Mil- better to endure the war of tyrannidem the Kite, than the tyranny of the Hawk.

ti,

putantes, satius pati bellum vi, quàn

Accipitris.

MOR.

Pigeat Neminem

conditionis nimiùm.

MOR.

suæ Let it repent no man of his Ut condition too much. As Horatius ait, nihil est bea- Horace says, nothing is haptum ab omni parte. py from every part. Equidem non optarem mu- Truly I would not wish to tare meam sortem, modò sit change my lot, provided it be tolerabilis. Multi, cum quæ- tolerable. Many, when they have siverint novam sortem, sought α new state, rursus optaverunt veterem. again have wished for the old.

Sumus ferè omnes ita vario We are almost all of so various poeniteat a temper, that it repenteth

ingenio, ut

nosmet nostri.

us of ourselves.

FABLE XI.

Of the WOLF and the Sow.

De LUPO & SUCULA.

SUCULA parturiebat; THE Sow brought forth.

Lupus pollicetur,

fore custodem

se the Wolf promises, that he fœtus. would be the keeper of the young. Sucula respondit, Se non The Sow answered, That she did' egere obsequio Lupi; not want the service of the Wolf; si ille velit haberi if he is willing to be counted afpius, si cupiat facere id, fectionate, if he desires to do quod est est gratum, abeat that, which is grateful, let him longiùs: etenim officium go further off for that the ofLupi constare non præsen- fice of the Wolf consisted not in tiâ, sed absentiâ. his presence, but absence.

Omnia non sunt creden- All things are not to be da omnibus. Multi pollicen- trusted to all men. Many pro tur suam operam, non amore mise their service, not out of love tui, / sed sui Į; non of you, but of themselves; not quærentes tuum commo- seeking thy advantage, but dum, sed suum. their own.

FABLE XII.

De Partu Montium.

Of the Bringing forth of the
Mountains.

OLIM erat rumor, FORMERLY there was a quòd montes parturi- rumour, that the Mountains rent. Homines accurrunt, would bring forth. The men run circumsistunt, expectantes thither, stand round about, exquippiam monstri, non pecting something of a monster, sine pavore. Tandem not without fear. At length the montes parturiunt. Mus Mountains bring forth. A Mouse

exit, tum omnes ridebant.

D

comes out, then all laughed.

MOR.

joci

MOR.

also

Jactatores, cùm profi- Braggers, when they protentur & ostentant magna, fess and boast great things, vix faciunt parva. Qua- scarce do little things. Wherepropter isti Thrasones sunt fore those Thrasos are by right jure materia & the matter of jest and scommatum. Hæc Fabula item scoffs. This Fable vetat inanes timores. Nam forbids vain fears. plerumque timor periculi commonly the fear of danger est gravior periculo is more grievous than the danger ipso; imò id, quod itself; nay that, which metuimus, est sape ridiculum. we fear, is often ridiculous.

turbine,

FABLE XIII.

For

esset on both sides. And what was

De LEPORIBUS & RANIS. Of the HARES and the FROGS. SYLVA mugiente insolito THE wood roaring with an trepidi unusual whirlwind, the tremLepores occipiunt rapidè fu- bling Hares begin hastily to fly gere. Cùm palus obsisteret away. When a fen stoped them fugientibus, ftetere anxii, flying, they stood anxious, comprehensi periculis encompassed with dangers utrinque. Quodque incitamentum majoris an incitement of greater timoris, vident Ranas fear, they perceive the Frogs mergi in palude. Tunc to be plunged in the fen. Then unus ex Leporibus pruden- one of the Hares more tior ac disertior cæteris dent and more eloquent than the inquit, Quid inaniter time- rest said, What vainly do we mus ? Est opus animo fear? There is need of courage quidem est nobis agilitas indeed there is to us agility corporis, sed animus deest. of body, but courage is wanting. Hoc periculum turbinis This danger of the whirlwind non est fugiendum, sed con- is not to be fled from, but contemnendum. temned.

MOR.

Est opus animo in

omni

re.

:

MOR.

pru

There is need of courage in Virtus jacet every thing. Virtue lies dead sine confidentia. Nam con- without confidence. For darfidentia est dux & regina ingness is the leader and queen wirtutis. of virtue.