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IV.13. Simius Tyrannus

Parallels: For parallel versions, see Perry 569.

"Vtilius homini nil est quam recte loqui."
Probanda cunctis est quidem sententia;
sed ad perniciem solet agi sinceritas,
[ubi ueritate plus ualet mendacium.]
Duo homines, unus fallax et alter uerax, iter simul agebant. Et cum ambularent, uenerunt inprouinciam simiarum. Quos ut uidit una ex multitudine simiarum, ipse qui prior esse uidebatur,iussit eos teneri, ut interrogaret quid de illo homines dicerent. Iussitque omnes sibi similes adstareante se ordine longo, dextra laeuaque, et sibi sedile parari; sicut uiderat imperatorem aliquando,taliter sibi adstare fecit. Iubentur homines adduci in medio. Ait maior: "Quis sum ego?" Fallaxdixit: "Tu es imperator." Iterum interrogat: "Et isti quos uides ante me stare?"Respondit: "Hi suntcomites tui, primicerii, campidoctores, militares officii." Et quia mendacio laudatus est cum turbasua, iubet illum munerari, et quia adulatus est, omnes illos fefellit. Verax autem apud se cogitabar:"Si iste mendax, qui omnia mentitur, sic accepit, si uerum dixero, magis munerabor." Tunc aitmaior simia: "Dic et tu, quis sum ego, et hi quos ante me uides?" At ille, qui semper ueritatemamabat et loqui consueuerat, respondit: "Tu es uere simia, et omnes hi similes tui simiae sempersunt." Iubentur continuo lacerari dentibus et unguibus, eo quod uerum dixisset.
Malis hominibus, qui fallaciam et malitiam amant, honestatem et ueritatem lacerant.

Here is the poem in a more prose-like word order for easy reading:

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Here is the poem with meter marks:

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Translation:

There were two men travelling together: one was a liar and the other always told the truth. Their journey led them to the land of the monkeys. There was a whole crowd of monkeys there and one of them noticed the travellers. The monkey who was clearly their leader ordered that the men be detained. Since he wanted to know what the men thought of him, he commanded all rest of the monkeys to stand before him in a long line to his right and to his left, while a seat was prepared for him to sit on (this monkey had once seen the emperor, so he was ordering his monkeys to line up for him in the same way). The men were then told to come forward into the midst of the monkeys. The chief monkey said, 'Who am I?' The liar said, 'You are the emperor!' Then the monkey asked, 'And those whom you see standing before me: who are they?' The man answered, 'They are your noble companions, your chancellors, your officials and the commanders of your armies!' Because these lies flattered the monkey and his troops, he ordered that the man be showered with presents. All the monkeys were fooled by his flattery. Meanwhile, the man who always told the truth thought to himself, 'If that liar received such rewards for telling lies, then surely I will receive an even greater reward for telling the truth.' The chief monkey said to the second man, 'Now you tell me who I am, and who are these whom you see standing before me?' And the man who always loved the truth and never lied said to the monkey, 'You are simply a monkey, and all of these similar simians are monkeys as well!' The chief monkey immediately ordered the monkeys to attack the man with their teeth and claws because he had spoken the truth.

For wicked people who love to tell lies and to make trouble, attacking honesty and truth.

Illustration:

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