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Barlow 81. DE CANE ET ASINO
*Not included in the Bolchazy-Carducci book.*
Parallels: For parallel versions, see Perry 91.
Latin Text:
Dum blandiretur Canis Hero et Familiae, Herus et Familia Canem demulcent. Quod Asellus videns coepit eum pigere sortis suae, inique etenim putabat comparatum: Canem gratum esse omnibus et de mensa Herili pasci, idque otio ludoque consequi; sese contra nunquam otiosum esse, portare clitellas, quotidiano caedi flagello et odiosum praeterea omnibus haberi. Artem igitur statuebat insectari quae tam multis utilis esset. Hero igitur domum redeunti obviam occurrit, subsilit, pulsatque ungulis. Exclamante Hero, accurrebant Servi et ineptus Asellus, qui se urbanum credidit, fuste vapulat.
Here is a segmented version to help you see the grammatical patterns:
Dum blandiretur Canis
Hero et Familiae,
Herus et Familia
Canem demulcent.
Quod Asellus videns
coepit eum pigere
sortis suae,
inique etenim putabat
comparatum:
Canem gratum esse omnibus
et de mensa Herili pasci,
idque otio ludoque consequi;
sese contra
nunquam otiosum esse,
portare clitellas,
quotidiano caedi flagello
et odiosum praeterea
omnibus haberi.
Artem igitur
statuebat insectari
quae
tam multis
utilis esset.
Hero igitur
domum redeunti
obviam occurrit,
subsilit,
pulsatque ungulis.
Exclamante Hero,
accurrebant Servi
et ineptus Asellus,
qui
se urbanum
credidit,
fuste vapulat.
Translation: When the dog fawned upon his master and the household servants, the master and the servants pet the dog. The donkey saw this and was frustrated by his lot in life, for he thought that he was unjustly compared to the dog: the dog was welcomed by all and was fed from the master's table and he spent his time in leisure and play; the donkey, on the other hand, never had any leisure time, he carried sacks, and on a daily basis he was beaten with the whip and was, moreover, considered detestible by all. Therefore, he resolved to pursue a strategy which would be useful in so many ways. So when the master came back home, he ran to meet him, jumped up, and clapped him with his hooves. The master shouted and the servants ran up, and the foolish donkey, who thought he was so sophisticated, was beaten with a stick.
[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.]
Illustration: Here is an illustration from this edition, by the renowned artist Francis Barlow; click on the image for a larger view.
