Tondet equus prātum, petit hunc leō. Causa leōnem
haec movet, ut fīat ēsca leōnis equus.
Inquit equō: “Mī frāter, ave, fruor arte medendī,
et comes et medicus sum tibi.” Pāret equus,
sentit enim fraudēs et fraudī fraude resistit. 5
Mente prius texēns rētia fraudis, ait:
“Quaesītus placitusque venīs, tē temporis offert
grātia, tē rogitat pēs mihi sente gravis.”
Hic favet, īnstat equō: subiectō vertice calcem
inprimit et sōpit membra leōnis equus. 10
Vix fugit ille sopor, vix audet vīta revertī,
vix leō, colla movēns, respicit: hostis abest.
Sē leō sīc damnat: “Patior prō crīmine poenam,
nam gessī speciem pācis et hostis eram.”
Quod nōn es, nōn esse velīs, quod es, esse fatēre: 15
est male quod nōn est, quī negat esse quod est.
notes
The Lion and the Horse
A lion approaches a horse and offers medical attention, hoping to trick him so that he can eat him. The horse sees through the deceit and offers to let the lion remove a thorn from his hoof, but when the lion bends over to examine the hoof he kicks the lion senseless. Do not pretend to be what you are not.
Other versions: Perry 187, Prose Romulus 52 (pp. 162-66 Thiele).
1 Tondet: "grazes on."
1 petit: "seeks," with hostile intent, a common meaning of the verb.
1-2: Causa ... / haec: "this purpose" (DMLBS causa 3), introducing the purpose clause ut fīat.
3 fruor: "I have the use of," i.e., "I practice," + abl.
3 arte medendī: = medicinā.
4 Paret: "complies," "submits," to the offer of medical attention > pareō parēre paruī.
5 fraudi: dat. after resistit.
5 fraude: ablative of means.
6 texēns rētia fraudis: "weaving nets of deceit," i.e., planning a trick, a poetic metaphor, see LS rete II. In the Greek version of Babrius, a wolf offers to play doctor to a donkey, who does in fact have a thorn in his hoof. Here the horse deceives the lion into thinking he does.
7 Quaesītus placitusque: perfect passive participles, pred. nom. with venīs, “you come sought after and agreeable.” A mock friendly greeting.
7-8 temporis offert / grātia: “the favor of time presents you,” i.e., you come at a good time.
8 sente gravis: “pained by a thorn.” Gravis is nom. with pēs ("hoof").
9 Hic favet, īnstat equō: "this one (the lion) shows favor and approaches the horse." Faveō -ēre means to befriend or favor a person (+ dat.), in this case by showing concern for the allegedly painful hoof. Instō -āre means to draw near, often with hostile intent (LS insto I.A.γ), and also takes the dative.
9 subiectō vertice: “the top of his (the lion’s) head having been bent down,” ablative absolute.
10 sōpit membra: "stupefies the limbs," i.e., knocks out.
13 gessī speciem pācis: “I gave the appearance of peace,” i.e., of peaceful intent.
15 velīs: “do not wish" (pres. subj. > volō velle voluī), i.e., "don't try," + infin.
15 esse fatēre: “confess to be,” "admit to being," 2nd sing. imperative.
16 est male quod nōn est, quī negat esse quod est: order (is) quī negat esse quod est, est male quod nōn est.
16 est male: “is badly,” i.e., acts badly as. In the version of Babrius the wolf, after getting kicked in the face by the donkey, blames himself for trying to play the doctor at this late stage, when all he has ever been is a butcher.
16 negat esse: "denies being," "denies that he is."
vocabulary
tondeo –ere totondi tonsus: to cut, clip, graze
pratum –i n.: a meadow
leo –onis m.: a lion
Inquam: to say
ave: hail!
medeor –eri: (dep.) to heal
medicus –i m.: a doctor, physician
fraus fraudis f.: fraud, trickery
resisto –ere –stiti –– : to pause, continue
texo –ere –xui –xtus: to weave
rete –is n.: a net, snare
placitus –a –um: pleasing
rogito –are –avi –– : to ask, inquire
sentis –is m.: a thorn, briar
faveo –ēre favi fauturus: to favor, support
insto –are –stiti –staturus : to be close to (+ dat.)
subicio –ieci –iectus: to throw under, bend down
vertex –icis m.: crown (of his head)
calx –cis m./f.: heel, hoof
inprimo –ere –pressi –pressus: to impress, imprint
sopor –oris m.: insensibility
sopio –ire –ivi –itus: to render insensible by a blow
collum –i n.: a neck, throat