Bestiaria Latina Blog: Round-Up: March 9

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 septimum Idus Martias. 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:

Serpens, Vir et Vulpes, one of my very favorite medieval fables - found here in Yenni's Latin textbook.
Leo, Aper, Taurus et Asellus, the story of the tired old lion confronted by his many enemies.
Anser et Grus , a fable about some birds who are fat but not happy!
Serpens et Lacerta , a story about a lizard's clever trick for escaping a snake.
Duae Manticae , the famous fable about why we are so quick to see other people's faults while we are blind to our own.

I've picked out my favorite one, Serpens, Vir et Vulpes, to share with you here in the blog - it's a big on the long side, but well worth reading (you may know this in its Indian version as the story of The Tiger, The Brahmin and The Jackal)

Serpēns ingentī saxō oppressus rogāvit virum illāc iter facientem, ut ā sē onus āmōlīrētur, pollicitus, sē illī ingentem thēsaurum datūrum esse sī hoc faceret. Quod cum vir iste fēcisset, nōn modo prōmissa nōn solvit, sed hominem occīdere cōnātus est. Dum contendunt, accidit ut vulpes trānsīret. Quae arbitra ēlecta: Nōn possum (inquit) tantās lītēs compōnere, nisi vīderō prius, quōmodo serpēns saxō oppressus fuerit. Cum igitur vir serpentī saxum iterum imposuisset, vulpes astūta: Ingrātum animal (inquit) sub saxō relinquendum esse cēnseō.

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: Despicio terrena (English: I look down upon earthly things - and, of course, we get the English "despise" of this Latin way of "looking down" on things).

3-Word Proverbs Verb-less: Today's 3-word verb-less proverb is Suus cuique mos (English: To each his own custom).

Audio Latin Proverb: Today's audio Latin proverb is Magnus liber magnum malum (English: A big book is a big evil). 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: Multa ignoscendo fit potens potentior (English: By forgiving many things, the powerful man becomes more powerful).

Animal Proverb from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb from Erasmus is Duos insequens lepores, neutrum capit (English: By chasing two rabbits, he catches neither; from Adagia 3.3.36).

For an image today, here is an illustration for the story of the old lion's humiliation, Leo, Aper, Taurus et Asellus: