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Barlow 66. DE VULPE SINE CAUDA

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In foveam incidit Vulpecula inde, cauda detruncata, occurrit multis Vulpeculis. Quas cum indignabunde conspexerat, inquit, “Fraterculi, quo vaditis?” “Ad Leonis basilicam eundum est nobis,” respondebant. “Ad Leonis basilicam?” inquit Vulpes. “Profecto ego ab ea nuperrime redii et mos iamiam novellus est, ut omnes ferae detruncent caudas.” Quibus auditis, illico detruncabant illae suas caudas. Quas cum vidit Vulpes, irrisit et consolabatur se socios, si non periculi, saltem pudoris, creavisse.

Translation: A fox fell into a pit fall. Her tail got cut off, and then she ran into a bunch of other foxes. When she had looked at them indignantly, she said, "Brothers, where are you going?" They answered, "We've got to go to the lion's palace." The fox said: "To the lion's palace? As a matter of fact I'm just coming back from there and the latest fashion these days is for all the animals to cut their tails off." When they heard this, right on the spot they cut off their tails. When the fox saw them, she laughed and was consoled because she had found some partners if not in danger at least in embarrassment.

[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:

Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris.

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