Thursday, January 14, 2010

Capones et Cocus (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 10 in the collection.

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:

Vir quīdam complūrēs cāpōnēs in eōdem ornīthobosciō inclūsōs largō nūtrīcāverat cibō, quī pinguēs effectī sunt omnēs praeter ūnum, quem ut macilentum irrīdēbant frātrēs. Dominus, nōbilēs hospitēs lautō et sumptuōsō acceptūrus convīviō, imperat cocō ut ex hīs interimat coquatque quōs pinguiōrēs invēnerit. Hoc audientēs corpulentī sēsē afflictābant dīcentēs, "Quantō praestitisset nōs macilentōs esse." Haec fābula in pauperum solāmen conficta est, quōrum vīta tūtior quam dīvitum.



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):

Vir quidam complúres capónes in eódem ornithobóscio inclúsos largo nutricáverat cibo, qui pingues effécti sunt omnes praeter unum, quem ut maciléntum irridébant fratres. Dóminus, nóbiles hóspites lauto et sumptuóso acceptúrus convívio, ímperat coco ut ex his intérimat coquátque quos pinguióres invénerit. Hoc audiéntes corpulénti sese afflictábant dicéntes, "Quanto praestitísset nos maciléntos esse." Haec fábula in paúperum solámen confícta est, quorum vita tútior quam dívitum.



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:

Vir quidam
complures capones
in eodem ornithoboscio
inclusos
largo nutricaverat cibo,
qui
pingues effecti sunt omnes
praeter unum,
quem ut macilentum
irridebant fratres.
Dominus,
nobiles hospites
lauto et sumptuoso
accepturus convivio,
imperat coco
ut ex his interimat coquatque
quos pinguiores invenerit.
Hoc audientes
corpulenti sese afflictabant
dicentes,
"Quanto praestitisset
nos macilentos esse."
Haec fabula
in pauperum solamen
conficta est,
quorum vita tutior
quam divitum.




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