Bestiaria Latina Blog: Round-Up: February 4

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email. Plus, you can find some Latin "pipilationes" at my Proverbia Latina feed.

HODIE: pridie Nonas Februarias. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S FABLES: Here are today's fables from the Ictibus Felicibus project. These fables ALL have long marks, plus stress marks for easy reading, and the poems have meter marks, too, along with an easy-to-read prose presentation of the story:

Mus et Rana, the story of the mouse and the treacherous frog.
Canis Carnem Ferens, the story of the dog fooled by his own reflection.
Lanius et Simius, Phaedrus's joking fable at the expense of a monkey in a butcher's shop.
Sacerdos et Pira, a very funny little story about an arrogant priest.
Mus et Ostrea, LaFontaine's version of the mouse fooled by an oyster.

I've picked out my favorite one, Sacerdos et Pira, to share with you here in the blog - this is one of Abstemius's longer fables, but it is worth the read - very funny!

Sacerdōs quīdam gulōsus extrā patriam ad nuptiās profisciscēns, ad quās fuerat invītātus, reperit in itinere pirōrum acervum, quōrum nē ūnum quidem attigit, quamvīs magnā affectus famē: quīn potius ea lūdībriō habēns lōtiō cōnspersit, indignābātur enim huiusmodī cibōs in itinere offerrī, quī ad lautās accēdēbat epulās. Sed cum in itinere torrentem quendam ita imbribus auctum offendisset, ut sine vītae perīculō eum trānsīre nōn posset, domum redīre cōnstituit. Revertēns autem iēiūnus, tantā est oppressus famē, ut nisi pira illa, quae ūrīnā cōnsperserat, comēsset, cum aliud nōn invenīret, extinguerētur.

TODAY'S MOTTOES & PROVERBS: You can get access to ALL the "proverb of the day scripts" (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

3-Word Mottoes: Today's 3-word motto is Deus mihi providebit (English: God will provide for me).

3-Word Proverbs: Today's 3-word proverb is Fletus aerumnas levat (English: Weeping alleviates troubles).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb with rhyme is: Det pira, det poma, qui non habet aurea dona (English: Let him give pears, let him give apples, if he does not have gifts of gold - which fits nicely with the story of the priest and the pears above: even pears are precious!).

Vulgate Verse: Today's verse is Omnia in futuro servantur incerta (Ecc. 9:2). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Elizabethan Proverb Commentary: Here is today's proverb commentary, this time by Conybeare: Herculis cothurnos: Was used for a proverbe, wherein a thinge of litle importance was set forthe with great eloquence, or other thinge solemne, more apte for a greater matter. As one shoulde put Hercules hosen on a childes legges. This is so comon a vice nowe adayes among students of eloquence that in writing and speaking, they seme to prepare the hose before they knowe the measure of the legge, whereon they will put it.

Today's Poem: Today's poem is from Martial, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com:

Quem recitas meus est, o Fidentine, libellus:
sed male cum recitas, incipit esse tuus.

English: "O Fidentinus, the little book which you are reciting is mine, but when you recite it badly, it begins to be yours." A great example of how sharp a bite a single couplet can have!

Here is an illustration for the story of the foolish dog, Canis Carnem Ferens, by Walter Crane (image source):