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Barlow 99. DE LEONE SENE

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Leo, longaevae senectutis laborans vitio et viribus deprivatus, odio et contemptui fuit omnium Ferarum. In quarum numero Asinus (omnium animantium vilissimus) apparebat, et Leoni imbelli calce minitatus est. Quod cum vidisset Leo, suspirans inquit iustum fuisse ut tandem iniurias suas Ferae ulciscerentur, et ut iam odio haberetur, qui olim omnibus metum intulisset.

Translation: A lion, suffering from the defect of a long old age, and deprived of his strength, had become an object of hatred and contempt for all the wild animals. Among the number of those animals appeared the donkey, the most worthless of all living things, and he threatened the feeble lion with his hoof. When the lion saw this, he sighed and said, that it was for the wild animals finally to get revenge for their injuries, and that he now should be regarded with hatred - he who had once instilled fear in them all!

[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:

Monet omnes

in magistratu suo

tam modeste sese contineant,

ut non,

cum de dignitate detrusi sint,

cachinnis et risu exciperentur.

Illustration: Here is an illustration from this edition, by the renowned artist Francis Barlow; click on the image for a larger view. In addition to the donkey kicking the lion, you can also see the other animals who have come to get their revenge. To the lower right is the boar (aper), whose appearance is specifically mentioned in the ancient Roman version of this fable by Phaedrus. In Phaedrus's fable, the lion says it is not so bad being attacked by the boar, who is a worthy opponent in battle - but the donkey, by comparison, is not a war-like creature, making it all the donkey's attack all the more humiliating for the lion.