The Fables of Phædrus - Literally translated into English prose with notes

Phaedrus, Henry T. (Henry Thomas) Riley, Christopher Smart

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• Publié par: phyoh
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 19
• Langue: English

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The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Fables of Phædrus, by Phaedrus

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Title: The Fables of Phædrus  Literally translated into English prose with notes

Author: Phaedrus

Translator: Henry Thomas Riley  Christopher Smart

Release Date: May 18, 2008 [EBook #25512]

Language: English

Character set encoding: UTF-8

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The text is taken from an omnibus volume that also contained Riley’s translation of the six surviving plays of Terence. The full title page has been retained for completeness, but the sections of the Preface and Contents that apply only to Terence have been omitted.

Footnotes have been renumbered within each Book. Footnote tags that underlined were missing in the original are without further annotation. The name is spelled “Æsop” in Riley, “Esop” in Smart and in the Contents. Inconsistencies in fable numbering are described at the beginning of the Table of Contents.

A few typographical errors have been corrected. They are marked in the text with mouse-hover popups.

T

THE

COMEDIES

OF

AND

E

E.

R

THE FABLES OF PHÆDRUS.

LITERALLY TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH PROSE

WITH NOTES,

B Y HENRY THOMAS RILEY, B.A.

LATE SCHOLAR OF CLARE HALL, CAMBRIDGE.

TO WHICH IS ADDED

A METRICAL TRANSLATION OF PHÆDRUS,

B Y CHRISTOPHER SMART, A.M.

LONDON: GEORGE BELL & SONS, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN. 1887.

P

R

E

F

A

E

I N the Translation of Phædrus, the Critical Edition by Orellius, 1831, has been used, and in the Æsopian Fables, the text of the Parisian Edition of Gail, 1826. The Notes will, it is believed, be found to embody the little that is known of the contemporary history of the Author.

H. T. R.

The Table of Contents refers primarily to the Riley text. Fables I. XXIX , III. III , and several Fables in Book IV are missing in Smart; Riley’s Fable IV. I , “The Ass and the Priests of Cybele”, is Smart’s III. XIX . Where Smart’s numbers are different, they are shown with popups.

[iii] C

N

E

.

C

In the text, Book III, Fable XI is “The Eunuch to the Abusive Man”; all following fables in Riley are numbered one higher than in the Table of Contents. This fable is missing from Smart but the number X is skipped, as was number I. XVIII .

Fable I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. XIV. XV. XVI. XVII. XVIII. XIX. XX. XXI.

XXII. XXIII. XXIV. XXV. XXVI. XXVII.

CONTENTS.

THE FABLES OF PHÆDRUS.

Prologue The Wolf and the Lamb

B O O K I.

The Frogs asking for a King The vain Jackdaw and the Peacock The Dog carrying some Meat across a River The Cow, the She-Goat, the Sheep, and the Lion The Frogs’ complaint against the Sun The Fox and the Tragic Mask The Wolf and the Crane The Sparrow and the Hare The Wolf, the Fox, and the Ape The Ass and the Lion hunting The Stag at the Stream The Fox and the Raven The Cobbler turned Physician The Ass and the Old Shepherd The Stag, the Sheep, and the Wolf The Sheep, the Dog, and the Wolf The Woman in Labour The Bitch and her Whelps The hungry Dogs The aged Lion, the Wild Boar, the Bull, and the Ass The Man and the Weasel The Faithful Dog The Frog and the Ox The Dog and the Crocodile The Fox and the Stork The Dog, the Treasure, and the Vulture

Prose. 365 365

366 367 368 368 369 369 370 370 371 371 372 372 373 373 374 374 375 375 376 376

376 377 378 377 378 379

Verse. 473 473

474 475 476 476 476 477 477 478 478 478 479 480 480 481 481 482 — 482 483 483

483 484 484 485 485 486

[iv]

v

XXVIII. XXIX. XXX. XXXI.

Fable I. II.

III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII.

Fable I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XI. XII.

XIII. XIV. XV. XVI. XVII. XVIII.

The Fox and the Eagle The Ass deriding the Boar The Frogs frightened at the Battle of the Bulls The Kite and the Pigeons

B O O K II.

Prologue The Lion, the Robber, and the Traveller

Two Women of different Ages beloved by the Middle-aged Man The Man and the Dog The Eagle, the Cat, and the Sow Cæsar to the Chamberlain The Eagle, the Crow, and the Tortoise The Mules and Robbers The Stag and the Oxen Epilogue

B O O K III.

Prologue, to Eutychus The Old Woman and the Cask

The Panther and Shepherd Esop and the Farmer The Butcher and the Ape Esop and the Insolent Man The Fly and the Mule The Dog and the Wolf The Brother and Sister Socrates to his Friends The Poet on Believing and not Believing The Eunuch to the Abusive Man The Cock and the Pearl The Bees and the Drones, the Wasp sitting as judge Esop at play The Dog to the Lamb The Grasshopper and the Owl The Trees under the Protection of the Gods The Peacock to Juno Esop’s Answer to the Inquisitive Man Epilogue

380 380 380 381

382 383

383

384 384 385 386 387 387 388

390 393

394 395 395 395 396 397 398 398 399 401 401 402

402 403 404 405 405 406 407

486 — 487 487

488 488

489

489 490 491 492 492 493 494

497 498

498 — 499 499 499 500 501 502 502 — 504 505

505 506 507 508 509 509 —

vi

Fable I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII.

VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. XIV. XV. XVI. XVII. XVIII. XIX. XX. XXI. XXII. XXIII. XXIV.

Fable I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX.

B O O K IV.

Prologue The Ass and the Priests of Cybele

The Weasel and the Mice The Fox and the Grapes The Horse and the Wild Boar Esop interpreting a Will The Battle of the Mice and the Weasels The Poet’s Defence against the Censurers of his Fables The Viper and the File The Fox and the Goat Of the Vices of Men A Thief pillaging the Altar of Jupiter Hercules and Plutus The Lion reigning Prometheus The She-Goats and their Beards The Pilot and the Mariners The Embassy of the Dogs to Jupiter The Man and the Snake The Fox and the Dragon Phædrus The Shipwreck of Simonides The Mountain in Labour The Ant and the Fly Simonides preserved by the Gods Epilogue

B O O K V.

Prologue Demetrius and Menander

The Travellers and the Robber The Bald Man and the Fly The Man and the Ass The Buffoon and Countryman The Two Bald Men Princeps the Flute Player The Emblem of Opportunity The Bull and the Calf

409 410

411 411 411 412 413 414

415 415 416 416 417 417 418 418 419 419 420 421 422 422 423 424 425 426

427 427

428 429 429 429 431 431 433 433

510 509

510 511 511 512 514 514

515 516 516 517 517 — — 518 518 — 519 519 520 520 522 522 523 524

526 527

528 529 529 530 532 532 534 534

X.

Fable I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. XIV. XV. XVI. XVII. XVIII. XIX. XX. XXI. XXII. XXIII. XXIV. XXV. XXVI. XXVII. XXVIII. XXIX. XXX. XXXI.

Fable I. II. III. IV. V.

The Huntsman and the Dog

T HE N EW F ABLES — ATTRIBUTEDTO P HÆDRUS .

433

The Ape and the Fox The Author Mercury and the two Women Prometheus and Cunning The Author The signification of the Punishments of Tartarus The Author Æsop and the Author Pompeius Magnus and his Soldier Juno, Venus, and the Hen The Father of a Family and Æsop The Philosopher and the Victor in the Gymnastic Games The Ass and the Lyre The Widow and the Soldier The Rich Suitor and the Poor One Æsop and his Mistress A Cock carried in a Litter by Cats The Sow bringing forth and the Wolf The Runaway Slave and Æsop The Chariot Horse sold for the Mill The Hungry Bear The Traveller and the Raven The Shepherd and the She-Goat The Serpent and the Lizard The Crow and the Sheep The Servant and the Master The Hare and the Herdsman The Young Man and the Courtesan The Beaver The Butterfly and the Wasp The Ground-Swallow and the Fox Epilogue

Æ SO PIAN F ABLES — THEAUTHO RSO FWHICHARENO TKNO WN .

The Sick Kite The Hares tired of Life Jupiter and the Fox The Lion and the Mouse The Man and the Trees

535

435 436 436 437 438 438 439 439 440 441 442 442 443 443 444 445 446 446 447 447 448 449 449 449 450 450 450 451 451 452 453 453

454 454 455 455 456

vii

S MART

VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. XIV. XV. XVI. XVII. XVIII. XIX. XX. XXI. XXII. XXIII. XXIV. XXV. XXVI. XXVII. XXVIII. XXIX. XXX. XXXI. XXXII. XXXIII. XXXIV.

The Mouse and the Frog The Two Cocks and the Hawk The Snail and the Ape The City Mouse and the Country Mouse The Ass fawning upon his Master The Crane, the Crow, and the Countryman The Birds and the Swallow The Partridge and the Fox The Ass, the Ox, and the Birds The Lion and the Shepherd The Goat and the Bull The Horse and the Ass The Birds, the Beasts, and the Bat The Nightingale, the Hawk, and the Fowler The Wolf, the Fox, and the Shepherd The Sheep and the Wolves The Ape and the Fox The Wolf, the Huntsman, and the Shepherd The Truthful Man, the Liar, and the Apes The Man and the Lion The Stork, the Goose, and the Hawk The Sheep and the Crow The Ant and the Grasshopper The Horse and the Ass The Old Lion and the Fox The Camel and the Flea The Kid and the Wolf The Poor Man and the Serpent The Eagle and the Kite

THE FABLES OF PHÆDRUS.

BOOK I.

THE PROLOGUE.

456 456 457 457 458 459 459 460 461 461 462 462 463 463 464 464 465 465 466 467 467 468 468 469 469 469 470 470 471

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365

S MART

S MART

T HE matter which Æsop, the inventorof Fables, has provided, I have polished in Iambic verse. The advantages ofthislittle work are twofold—that it excites laughter, and by counsel guides the lifeof man. But if any one shall think fit to cavil, because not only wild beasts, but even trees speak, let him remember that we are disporting in fables.

F ABLE I. THE WOLF AND THE LAMB.

Driven by thirst, a Wolf and a Lamb had come to the same stream; the Wolf stood above, and the Lamb at a distance below. Then, the spoiler, prompted by a ravenous maw, alleged a pretext for a quarrel. “Why,” said he, “have you made the water muddy for mewhile I amdrinking?” The Fleece-bearer, trembling,answered: “Prithee, Wolf, how can I do what you complain of? The water is flowing downwards from you to where I am drinking.” The other, disconcerted by the force of truth,exclaimed: “Six months ago, you slandered me.” “Indeed,” answered the Lamb, “I was not bornthen.” “By Hercules,” said the Wolf, “then ’twasyour father slandered me;” and so, snatching him up, he tore him to pieces, killing him unjustly. This Fable is applicable to those men who, under false pretences, oppress the innocent.

F ABLE II. THE FROGS ASKING FOR A KING.

I.1 When Athens was flourishing under just laws, liberty grown wanton embroiled the city, and license relaxed the reins of ancient discipline. Upon I.2 this, the partisans of factions conspiring, Pisistratus the Tyrant seized the citadel. When the Athenians were lamenting their sad servitude (not that he was cruel, but because every burden is grievous to those who are unused to it), and began to complain, Æsop related a Fable to the following effect:—

“The Frogs, roaming at large in their marshy fens, with loud clamour demanded of Jupiter a king, who, byhisauthority, might check their dissolute manners. The Father of the Gods smiled, and gave them a little Log, which, on being thrownamong themstartled the timorous race by the noise and sudden commotion in the bog. When it had lain for some time immersed in the mud, oneof themby chance silently lifted his head above the water, and having taken a peep at the king, called up all the rest. Having got the better of their fears, vying with each other, they swim towards him, and the insolent mob leap upon the Log. After defiling it with every kind of insult, they sent to Jupiter, requesting another king, because the one that had been given them was I.3 useless. Upon this, he sent them a Water Snake, who with his sharp teeth began to gobble them up one after another. Helpless they strive in vain to escape death; terror deprives them of voice. By stealth, therefore, they send through Mercury a request to Jupiter, to succour them in their distress. Then said the God in reply: ‘Since you would not be content with your good fortune, continue to endure your bad fortune.’”

“Do you also, O fellow-citizens,” saidÆsop, “submit to the present evil, lest a greater one befall you.”

366

367

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F ABLE III. THE VAIN JACKDAW AND THE PEACOCK.

That one ought not to plume oneself on the merits which belong to another, but ought rather to pass his life in his own proper guise, Æsop has given us this illustration:—

I.4 A Jackdaw, swelling with empty pride, picked up some feathers which had fallen from a Peacock, and decked himself outtherewith; upon which, despising his ownkind, he mingled with a beauteous flock of Peacocks. They tore his feathers from off the impudent bird, and put him to flight with their beaks. The Jackdaw,thusroughly handled, in grief hastened to return to his own kind; repulsed by whom, he had to submit to sad disgrace. Then said one of those whom he had formerly despised: “If you had been content with our station, and had been ready to put up with what nature had given, you would neither have experienced the former affront, nor would your ill fortune have had to feelthe additional pangof this repulse.”

F ABLE IV. THE DOG CARRYING SOME MEAT ACROSS A RIVER.

He who covets what belongs to another, deservedly loses his own.

I.5 As a Dog, swimming through a river, was carrying a piece of meat, he saw his own shadow in the watery mirror; and, thinking that it was another booty carried by anotherdog, attempted to snatch it away; but his greedinesswas disappointed, he both dropped the food which he was holding in his mouth, and was after all unable to reach that at which he grasped.

F ABLE V. THE COW, THE SHE-GOAT, THE SHEEP, AND THE LION.

An alliance with the powerful is never to be relied upon: the present Fable testifies the truth of my maxim.

I.6 A Cow, a She-Goat, and a Sheep patient under injuries, were partners in the forests with a Lion. When they had captured a Stag of vast bulk, thus spoke the Lion, after it had been divided into shares: “Because my name is Lion, I take the first; the second you will yield to me because I am courageous; then, because I I.7 am the strongest, the third will fall to my lot; if anyone touches the fourth, woe betide him.”

Thus did unscrupulousness seize upon the whole prey for itself.

F ABLE VI. THE FROGS’ COMPLAINT AGAINST THE SUN.

Æsop, on seeing the pompous wedding of a thief, who was his neighbour, immediately began to relate the following story:

368

369

S MART

S MART

S MART

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I.8 Once on a time, when the Sun was thinking of taking a wife, the Frogs sent forth their clamour to the stars. Disturbed by their croakings, Jupiter asked the cause of their complaints. Thensaidone of the inhabitants of the pool: “As it is, by himself he parches up all the standing waters, and compels us unfortunates to languish and die inourscorched abode. What is to become of us, if he beget children?”

F ABLE VII. THE FOX AND THE TRAGIC MASK.

A Fox, by chance, casting his eyes on a Tragic Mask: “Ah,” said she, “great as I.9 is its beauty, still it has no brains.” This is meant for those to whom fortune has granted honor and renown, leaving them void of common sense.

F ABLE VIII. THE WOLF AND THE CRANE.

He who expects a recompense for his services from the dishonest commits a twofold mistake; first, because he assists the undeserving, and in the next place, because he cannot be gone while he is yet safe.

A bone that he had swallowed stuck in the jaws of a Wolf. Thereupon, overcome by extreme pain, he began to tempt all and sundry by great rewards to extract the cause of misery. At length, on his taking an oath, a Crane was prevailed on, and, trusting the length of her neck to his throat, she wrought, with danger to herself, a cure for the Wolf. When she demanded the promised reward for thisservice, “You are an ungrateful one,” repliedthe Wolf, “to have taken your head in safety out of my mouth, andthento ask for a reward.”

F ABLE IX. THE SPARROW AND THE HARE.

I.10 Let us show, in a few lines, that it is unwise to be heedless of ourselves, while we are giving advice to others.

A Sparrow upbraided a Hare that had been pounced upon by an Eagle, and was sending forth piercing cries. “Where now,” said he, “is that fleetness for which you are so remarkable? Why were your feetthustardy?” While he was speaking, a Hawk seizes him unawares, and kills him, shrieking aloud with vain complaints. The Hare, almost dead, as a consolation in his agony, exclaimed: “You, who so lately, free from care, were ridiculing my misfortunes, have now to deplore your own fate with as woful cause.”

F ABLE X. THE WOLF, THE FOX, AND THE APE.

Whoever has once become notorious by base fraud, even if he speaks the truth, gains no belief. To this, a short Fable of Æsop bears witness.

370

371

S MART

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A Wolf indicted a Fox upon a charge of theft; the latter denied that she was amenable to the charge. Upon this, the Ape sat as judge between them; and when each of them had pleaded his cause, the Ape is said to have pronounced thissentence: “You,Wolf, appear not to have lost what you demand; I believe that you,Fox, have stolen what you so speciously deny.”

F ABLE XI. THE ASS AND THE LION HUNTING.

I.11 A dastard, who in his talk brags of his prowess, and is devoid of courage, imposes upon strangers, but is the jest of all who know him. A Lion having resolved to hunt in company with an Ass, concealed him in a thicket, and at the same time enjoined him to frighten the wild beasts with his voice, to which they were unused, while he himself was to catch them as they fled. Upon this, Long-ears, with all his might, suddenly raised a cry, and terrified I.12 the beasts withthisWhile, in their alarm, theynew cause of astonishment. are flying to the well-known outlets, they are overpowered by the dread onset of the Lion; who, after he was wearied with slaughter, called forth the Assfrom his retreat, and bade him cease his clamour. On this the other, in his insolence, inquired: “What think you of the assistance given by my voice?” “Excellent!” saidthe Lion, “so much so, that if I had not been acquainted with your spirit and your race, I should have fled in alarm likethe rest.”

F ABLE XII. THE STAG AT THE STREAM.

This story shows that what you contemn is often found of more utility than what you load with praises.

A Stag, when he had drunk at a stream, stood still, and gazed upon his likeness in the water. While there, in admiration, he was praising his branching horns, and finding fault with the extreme thinness of his legs, suddenly roused by the cries of the huntsmen, he took to flight over the plain, and with nimble course escaped the dogs. Then a wood received the beast; in which, being entangled and caught by his horns, the dogs began to tear him to pieces with savage bites. While dying, he is said to have uttered these words: “Oh, how unhappy am I, who now too late find out how useful to me were the things that I despised; and what sorrow the things I used to praise, have caused me.”

F ABLE XIII. THE FOX AND THE RAVEN.

He who is delighted at being flattered with artful words,generallypays the ignominious penalty of a late repentance.

As a Raven, perched in a lofty tree, was about to eat a piece of cheese, stolen I.13 from a window, a Fox espied him,andthereupon began thus to speak: “O Raven, what a glossiness there is upon those feathers of yours! What grace you carry in your shape and air! If you had a voice, no bird whatever would be superior toyou.” On this, the other, while, in his folly, attemptingto show off his

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