Lepus et Vulpes et Iuppiter (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 87 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. :-)

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MACRONS. Here is the text with macrons:

Lepus et Vulpes ā Iōve petēbant: haec ut calliditātī suae pedum celeritātem ille ut vēlōcitātī suae calliditātem adiungeret. Quibus Iuppiter ita rēspondit ab origine mundī ē sinū nostrō līberālissimē singulīs animantibus sua mūnera sumus ēlargītī: ūnī autem omnia dedisse aliōrum fuisset iniūria. Haec innuit fābula Deum singulīs sua mūnera ita esse aequālī lance largītum, ut quisque esse dēbeat suā sorte contentus.

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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):

Lepus et Vulpes a Iove petébant: haec ut calliditáti suae pedum celeritátem ille ut velocitáti suae calliditátem adiúngeret. Quibus Iúppiter ita respóndit: "Ab orígine mundi e sinu nostro liberalíssime síngulis animántibus sua múnera sumus elargíti: uni autem ómnia dedísse aliórum fuísset iniúria." Haec ínnuit fábula Deum síngulis sua múnera ita esse aequáli lance largítum, ut quisque esse débeat sua sorte conténtus.

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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:

Lepus et Vulpes
a Iove petebant:
haec
ut calliditati suae
pedum celeritatem
ille
ut velocitati suae
calliditatem adiungeret.
Quibus Iuppiter ita respondit:
"Ab origine mundi
e sinu nostro
liberalissime singulis animantibus
sua munera sumus elargiti:
uni autem omnia dedisse
aliorum fuisset iniuria."
Haec innuit fabula
Deum
singulis sua munera
ita esse aequali lance
largitum,
ut quisque
esse debeat sua sorte contentus.

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IMAGE. Here is an illustration for the story (Hermitage Museum) showing Zeus enthroned: