Bestiaria Latina Blog: Round-Up: March 25

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: ante diem octavum Kalendas Apriles. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

MORE 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:

Rana et Bos, the story of the puffed-up frog in a medieval version.
Pueri et Apes in Horto, the story of "goofus and gallant" in the garden.
Murilegus Monachus, the story of a cat who pretended to be a monk.
Simius et Vulpes, the story of the monkey who wanted to cover his bare butt.
Fortunae Hominum, a story by Phaedrus featuring Aesop himself.

I've picked out my favorite one, Odo's story of the pious cat, Murilegus Monachus, to share with you here in the blog - again, it's on the long side, but so funny! I love the part about how the cat pretends to scorn the worldly vanity of the dancing rat!

In quōdam refectōriō fuit quīdam Mūrilegus, quī omnēs Mūrēs, exceptō ūnō magnō Rattō, cēpit et interfēcit. Cōgitāvit Cattus quāliter Mūrem illum magnum dēciperet et dēvorāret. Tandem fēcit sibi rādī corōnam; induit cucullam et fēcit sē monachum, inter aliōs monachōs sēdit et comēdit. Vidēns hoc, Rattus gāvīsus est, crēdēns quod nōllet eī nocēre. Saltāvit igitur Rattus huc et illuc, et Cattus dissimulāns oculōs suōs ā vānitāte āvertit. Tandem sēcūrē Rattus appropinquāvit ad Cattum. Cattus vērō cum unguibus virīliter Rattum cēpit et firmiter tenuit. Dīxit Rattus: Quārē tālem crūdēlitātem facis? Quārē mē nōn dīmittis? Nonne monachus factus es? Dīxit Cattus: Nunquam ita bene praedicābis quod tē dīmittam, frāter: quando volō, sum monachus; quando volo, sum canonicus. Et dēvorāvit Rattum.

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.

Tiny Mottoes: Today's tiny motto is: Dominus providebit (English: The Lord will provide).

3-Word Proverbs Verb-less: Today's 3-word verb-less proverb is Virtuti damnosa quies (English: Repose is hazardous to excellence... although I did enjoy Spring Break!!!)

Audio Latin Proverb: Today's audio Latin proverb is Quod licet Iovi, non licet bovi (English: What is permitted to Jove is not permitted to an ox). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Malitia unius cito fit maledictum omnium (English: The wickedness of one soon becomes a curse for everyone).

Animal Proverb from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb from Erasmus is Asinus stramenta mavult quam aurum (English: The donkey prefers straw to gold - which sounds pretty smart to me, although to some this is a sign of the donkey's lack of refinement; the saying is from Adagia 4.8.38).

For an image today, here are some medieval cats making trouble for the rats, as in the story of Murilegus Monachus: