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DE CANIBUS URBANIS VILLATICUM INSEQUENTIBUS

Source: Abstemius 32 (You can see a 1499 edition of Abstemius online, but I am doing my transcription from the 1568 edition of Aesopi fabulae in the EEBO catalog.)

Latin Text:

Canes complures urbani quendam villaticum praecipiti insequebantur cursu, quamdiu ille fugit nec repugnare ausus est. At ubi ad insequentes conversus subsistit et dentes ipse quoque ostendere coepit, omnes pariter substiterunt nec aliquis urbanorum illi appropinquare audebat. Tunc imperator exercitus, qui ibi forte aderat, ad suos conversus milites: "Commilitones! (inquit) hoc spectaculum nos admonet ne fugiamus, cum praesentiora fugientibus quam repugnantibus videamus imminere pericula.

Here is a segmented version to help you see the grammatical patterns:

quendam villaticum

praecipiti insequebantur cursu,

quamdiu ille fugit

nec repugnare ausus est.

At ubi ad insequentes conversus

subsistit

et dentes

ipse quoque ostendere coepit,

omnes pariter substiterunt

nec aliquis urbanorum

illi appropinquare audebat.

Tunc imperator exercitus,

qui ibi forte aderat,

ad suos conversus milites:

"Commilitones! (inquit)

hoc spectaculum

nos admonet

ne fugiamus,

cum praesentiora

fugientibus quam repugnantibus

videamus

imminere pericula.

Translation: A large number of city-dogs were chasing a certain country dog at a headlong dash so long as he ran away and did not dare to fight back. But when he stopped and turned on his pursuers, and he also began to bare his teeth, all the dogs also stopped and not one of the city dogs dared to approach him. Then the commander of an army, who happened to be present, turned to his soldiers and said, "My fellow soldiers! This scene warns us not to run away, since we can see that dangers threaten more pressingly those who are running away than those who stand and fight back."

[This translation is meant as a help in understanding the story, not as a "crib" for the Latin. I have not hesitated to change the syntax to make it flow more smoothly in English, altering the verb tense consistently to narrative past tense, etc.]

Sir Roger L'Estrange

Sir Roger L'Estrange included the fables of Abstemius in his amazing 17th-century edition of Aesop's fables. Here is L'Estrange's translation:

'Tis a common thing upon the passing of a strange Dog through a Town, to have a hundred Curs bawling at his Breech, and every Yap gets a Snap at him. There was one particular Dog, that when he saw there was no saving his Skin by running away, turn'd upon his Pursuers, and then found upon the Trial, that one Set of Teeth was worth two Pair of Heels; for upon that Revolution, they all fell off, and sneak'd their way. A Captain took Occasion to apply this Instance to his People. Fellow-Soldiers (says he) take this for a Rule, Those that run away, are in more Danger than the Others that stand the Shock. The putting up of one Affront draws on another.

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