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Barlow 90. DE AUCUPE ET PERDICE

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Auceps, retibus extensis, captabat Perdicem. Volucris illa captata supplicabunde illum rogabat ut se demitteret, promittens se in retia plurimas Aves allecturam. Cui Auceps: “Nequaquam hoc faciam, nam procul dubio me decipies, quae sodales tuos proditura es.”

Auceps, rētibus extensīs, captābat Perdicem. Volucris illa captāta supplicabundē illum rogābat ut sē dēmitteret, prōmittens sē in rētia plūrimās Aves allectūram. Cui Auceps: “Nēquāquam hoc faciam, nam procul dubiō mē dēcipiēs, quae sodālēs tuōs prōditūra es.”

Translation: A bird-catcher laid his nets and caught a partridge. That bird, seeing as she was captured, pleaded and asked him to let her go, promising that she would lure many more birds into the nets. The bird-catcher said to her: I will most certainly not do that, because without a doubt you will deceive me, since you are ready to betray your companions. 

[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.]

The Moral of the Story:

Docet

nunquam fidem

illis adhibituram,

qui

alios semel fefellerunt.

Illustration: Here is an illustration from this edition, by the renowned artist Francis Barlow; click on the image for a larger view.