READ OUT LOUD. Choose which marked text you prefer to practice with - macrons in verse form, or macrons in prose order, or accent marks in prose order, or focusing on the meter. You will find materials for all of these options below. :-)
VERSE MACRONS. Here is the verse text with macrons:
Fūr plācāre Canem lātrantem nocte labōrat,
Quem putat oblātō velle silēre cibō.Cuī Canis ut nunc sim pastū satiātus herīlī,
Nōn parcē soleō mūnere cuius alī:Īnsidiōse domum sī tē spoliante tacērem,
Unde cibum vacuō postmodo ventre petam?Āversēre dolōs fac impostōris et artēs,
Blanditiīs rārō nōris inesse fīdem.Cōnsilium spectā, nōn facta tegentia fraudem,
Arte scit īnsidiīs ille vacāre suīs. PROSE MACRONS. Here is the same text with macrons written out in prose word order:
Nocte Fūr labōrat Canem lātrantem plācāre, quem putat silēre velle, cibō oblātō. Cuī Canis: Ut nunc pastū herīlī satiātus sim, cuius mūnere nōn parcē alī soleō: īnsidiōse domum sī tē spoliante tacērem, unde postmodo cibum petam, vacuō ventre? Fac āversēre impostōris dolōs et artēs; rārō nōris fīdem blanditiīs inesse. Cōnsilium spectā, nōn facta fraudem tegentia; ille arte īnsidiīs suīs vacāre scit.
STRESS (ACCENT) MARKS. Here is the prose text with accents, plus some color-coding for the words of three or more syllables (blue: penultimate stress; red: antepenultimate stress):
Nocte Fur labórat Canem latrántem placáre, quem putat silére velle, cibo obláto. Cui Canis: Ut nunc pastu heríli satiátus sim, cuius múnere non parce ali sóleo: insidióse domum si te spoliánte tacérem, unde póstmodo cibum petam, vácuo ventre? Fac aversére impostóris dolos et artes; raro noris fidem blandítiis inésse. Consílium specta, non facta fraudem tegéntia; ille arte insídiis suis vacáre scit.
ELEGIAC COUPLET METER. Below I have used an interpunct dot · to indicate the metrical elements in each line, and a double line || to indicate the hemistichs of the pentameter line.
Fūr plā·cāre Ca·nem lā·trantem· nocte la·bōrat,
Quem putat· oblā·tō || velle si·lēre ci·bō.Cuī Canis· ut nunc· sim pas·tū sati·ātus he·rīlī,
Nōn par·cē sole·ō || mūnere· cuius a·lī:Īnsidi·ōse do·mum sī· tē spoli·ante ta·cērem,
Unde ci·bum vacu·ō || postmodo· ventre pe·tam?Āver·sēre do·lōs fac· impos·tōris et· artēs,
Blanditi·īs rā·rō || nōris in·esse fī·dem.Cōnsili·um spec·tā, nōn· facta te·gentia· fraudem,
Arte sci·t īnsidi·īs || ille va·cāre su·īs.IMAGE. Here is an illustration for the story from the 1574 edition of Osius:
What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches: Nocte Fur laborat Canem latrantem placare, quem putat silere velle, cibo oblato. Cui Canis: Ut nunc pastu herili satiatus sim, cuius munere non parce ali soleo: insidiose domum si te spoliante tacerem, unde postmodo cibum petam, vacuo ventre? Fac aversere impostoris dolos et artes; raro noris fidem blanditiis inesse. Consilium specta, non facta fraudem tegentia; ille arte insidiis suis vacare scit.
