53: De Viro et Securi

With a moral similar to the previous fable, here an axe-blade is without a handle, so it travels into the woods, asking a tree to supply a handle. The tree agrees, but soon the ax, equipped with a handle, is used to chop down the entire forest. The tree then laments his foolishness, and the readers are again reminded not to strengthen their enemy.

Perry 302

quo teneatur: “lacks (something) by which it is held,” i.e. a handle; pres. subj. in a relative clause of characteristic.

ausa: “an ax having dared to cut nothing,” i.e., able to cut nothing; perf. part.

armet: “the man asks the grove to equip her (the ax)”; pres. subj. in an indirect question after rogat.

ille: i.e., the grove.

nemus: the direct object of impugnat. 

lassāns in caede secūrim: “exhausting the axe in the slaughter.” 

ūna ruīna trahit: “one ruin destroys.” Omne genus is the direct object.  

mihimet: “to my own self”;  -met is intensive. Dative with causa. 

queas: “whence you could die”; pres. subj. in a relative clause of characteristic.

caveto: “beware”; fut. imperat. (+ inf.).

quo pereat: “by which he may perish”; pres. subj. in a relative clause of characteristic.

hoste: “dies from an enemy whom he helps”; ablative of cause.

ex dōnō meō: lit., “from my gift,” but works well as, “by means of a gift that I gave him.” 

rūsticā dextrā: “with (his) right hand.” abl. of means. 

Unde perīre queās: the unde refers to the hostem in the next clause, “from whom” or “from which.” It works well to swap these two clauses. 

hostem mūnīre cavētō: “beware to fortify an enemy!”

quō pereat: “the means by which he perishes.” 

quem iuvat hoste perit: “dies by an enemy whom he helps.” Hoste is an abl. of agent with perit.