Respondēre lupō dē fūrtī lābe tenētur
vulpēs; causa vocat: hic petit, ille negat.
Sīmius est iūdex; doctī nōn errat acūmen
iūdicis: arcānum mentis in ōre lēgit.
Iūdicium fīgit: “Poscīs quod poscere fraus est 5
vīsque fidem dē rē quam negat ipsa fidēs.
Tū bene fūrta negās: tē vītae pūrior ūsus
līberat. Hanc lītem pāx domet, īra cadat.”
Simplicitās vērī fraus estque puerpera falsī:
esse solent vītae dissona verba suae.10
Sordibus imbūtī nequeunt dīmittere sordēs.
Fallere quī didicit, fallere semper amat.
notes
Here, the two greatest villains of the fable collection meet, but it is only the wolf that is wicked in this fable. The fox is accused of theft, but is acquitted by the judge, an ape, on account of his virtuous living. The moral condemns living an unjust lifestyle. The implication is that the filthy lifestyle of the wolf has proven him to be an unsavory character repeatedly, and so the judge is unable to take his claim seriously.
lupo: “respond to the wolf”; dat. after respondere.
furti: subjective gen with dē lābe : “concerning the debacle of theft.”
causa: since this is a legal fable, a transition like, “lawsuit,” or “trial” works best here. LS causa II E.
quod: “a thing which.” Direct object of poscīs.
poscere: “it is a fraud to demand”; epexegetical inf. after fraus.
dē rē quam negat ipsa fidēs: lit., “concerning a situation which faith itself denies (itself).” i.e. in a situation where even faith denies itself entrance.
vītae pūrior ūsus: “purer way of life,” subject of līberat.
domet ... cadat: “let peace subdue ... let anger subside”; pres. subj. in a jussive clause.
simplicitas veri: “innocence of the truth,” i.e., being unaware of the truth, a paradoxical metaphor.
vitae suae: dat. with dissona.
dissona: “are accustomed to be discordant to”; pred. nom. (+ dat.).
imbuti: participle used substantively: “those soaked” + abl. (sordibus).
vocabulary
lupus –i m.: a wolf
furtum –i n.: theft
labes –is f.: disaster, debacle
vulpes –is f.: a fox
simius –i m./f.: ape
acumen –inis n.: sharpened point, fraud
doctus –a –um: learned, cunning, shrewd
arcanum –i n.: a secret
figo –ere fixi fixus: to establish
posco –ere poposci: to ask, demand
fraus fraudis f.: fraud
purus –a –um: pure, clean
libero –are –avi –atus: to free, release
lis litis f.: lawsuit, quarrel
domo –are –ui –itus: to subdue, master
simplicitas –tatis f.: innocence
verum –i n.: truth
puerpera –ae f.: a mother
falsum –i n.: falsehood
vita –ae f.: anger
dissonus –a –um: discordant, different
sordes –is f.: filth, dirt
Imbuo –ere –ui –utus: wet, soak
nequeo –ire –ivi (–ii) –itum: to be unable (+ inf.)