Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Asinus et Vitulus (Abstemius)

SOURCE: This fable comes from the first Hecatomythium ("100 Fables") of Laurentius Abstemius (Lorenzo Bevilaqua), a fifteenth-century Italian scholar. Of all the neo-Latin fable collections, Abstemius's was the most popular, and his stories are frequently anthologized in the 16th-, 17th- and 18th-century collections of Aesop's fables in Latin. Here is a 1499 edition of the book online. This is fable 8 in the collection, and has a great deal in common with the traditional fable of the donkey and the old man, Perry 486.

READ OUT LOUD. Choose which marked text you prefer to practice with - macrons or accent marks - and read the text out loud until you feel comfortable and confident. Then, try reading the unmarked text at the bottom. It should be easy for you after practicing with the marked texts. :-)


MACRONS. Here is the text with macrons:

Asinus et vitulus in eōdem pascentēs prātō, sonitū campanae hostīlem exercitum adventāre praesēnserant. Tum vitulus: "Fugiāmus hinc, ō sodālis (inquit), nē hostēs nōs captīvōs abdūcant." Cui asinus: "Fuge tū (inquit) quem hostēs occīdere et ēsse cōnsuēvērunt; asinī nihil interest, cui ubīque eadem ferendī oneris est prōposita conditio." Haec fābula servōs admonet nē dominōs magnoperē mūtāre formīdent, modo priōribus dēteriōrēs futūrī nōn sint.



ACCENT MARKS. Here is the text with stress accents, plus some color-coding for the words of three or more syllables (blue: penultimate stress; red: antepenultimate stress):

Ásinus et vítulus in eódem pascéntes prato, sónitu cámpanae hostílem exércitum adventáre praesénserant. Tum vítulus: "Fugiámus hinc, o sodális (inquit), ne hostes nos captívos abdúcant." Cui ásinus: "Fuge tu (inquit) quem hostes occídere et esse consuevérunt; ásini nihil ínterest, cui ubíque éadem feréndi óneris est propósita condítio." Haec fábula servos ádmonet ne dóminos magnópere mutáre formídent, modo prióribus deterióres futúri non sint.



UNMARKED TEXT. Here is the unmarked text - after practicing with the marked text that you prefer, you should not have any trouble with the unmarked text. I've put in some line breaks to show the natural pauses in the story:

Asinus et vitulus
in eodem pascentes prato,
sonitu campanae
hostilem exercitum adventare
praesenserant.
Tum vitulus:
"Fugiamus hinc,
o sodalis (inquit),
ne hostes
nos captivos abducant."
Cui asinus:
"Fuge tu (inquit)
quem
hostes occidere et esse
consueverunt;
asini nihil interest,
cui ubique
eadem ferendi oneris
est proposita conditio."
Haec fabula servos admonet
ne dominos
magnopere mutare formident,
modo
prioribus
deteriores futuri non sint.




IMAGE. Here is an illustration for the story (image source):