Abstemius (Hecatomythium)

 

Laurentius Abstemius (Lorenzo Bevilaqua) was a fifteenth-century Italian scholar. Although he was the author of various scholarly works, he was best known for his Hecatomythium Secundum, a collection of "original" Aesop's fables inspired by the classical tradition of Aesop's fables. It is a truly marvelous collection of fables, marked by sharp social satire, including satire directed against the church. Aesop himself would definitely approve!

 

You will not find much about Abstemius online, but I did find this delightful note in François Joseph Terrasse Desbillions's Fabulae Aesopiae, available at Google Books:  Laurentius Abstemius seculo post decimum quinto exeunte florebat. Fabellas 198, quarum primam partem hecatomythium vocavit, sermone scripsit latino soluto. Stilum adhibuit simplicem, saepe optimum, aliquando nimis abjectum ac prope barbarum. Quasdam etiam narrationes jocis honestis inseruit homine christiano atque ingenuo prorsus indignas. Well, pace Desbillons, I am including the "narrationes indignae" here, as you can see.

 

There is not a good edition of Abstemius at Google Books, but I did find page scans online of a 1499 edition of Abstemius, and his fables were also included in various Latin anthologies of the fables (along with various English versions of Aesop, such as L'Estrange, Clarke, etc.). You can find many of these fables put into verse by Heronymus Osius as well!

 

Abstemius 1. De mure in cista nato

Abstemius 2. De rustico et cerere

Abstemius 3. De accipitre columbam insequente

Abstemius 4. De aranea et hirundine

Abstemius 5. De rustico amnem transituro

Abstemius 6. De columba et pica

Abstemius 7. De cuculo et accipitre

Abstemius 8. De asino et vitulo

Abstemius 9. De vulpe et mulieribus gallinam edentibus

Abstemius 10. De caponibus pinguibus et macro

Abstemius 11. De trabe et bobus eam trahentibus

Abstemius 12. De arboribus pulchris et deformibus

Abstemius 13. De cygno in morte canente reprehenso a ciconia

Abstemius 14. De muliere virum morientem flente et patre eam consolante

Abstemius 15. De muliere amatoris discessum flente

Abstemius 16. De musca quadrigis insidente

Abstemius 17. De anguilla conquerente

Abstemius 18. De asino, simia et talpa

Abstemius 19. De nautis sanctorum auxilium implorantibus

Abstemius 20. De piscibus e sartagine in prunas desilientibus

Abstemius 21. De quadrupedibus societatem cum piscibus ineuntibus

Abstemius 22. De legato avaro tubicines decipiente

Abstemius 23. De viro qui ad cardinalem accessit

Abstemius 24. De iuvene senis curvitatem irridente

Abstemius 25. De sene puellam in uxorem accipiente

Abstemius 26. De aquila et pica

Abstemius 27. De turdo amicitiam cum hirundine ineunte

Abstemius 28. De rustico et mure

Abstemius 29. De heremita virgine aegrotante

Abstemius 30. De divite quodam et servo

Abstemius 31. De vidua virum petente

Abstemius 32. De canibus urbanis villaticum insequentibus

Abstemius 33. De anu daemonem accusante

Abstemius 34. De testudine et ranis

Abstemius 35. De gliribus quercum eruere volentibus

Abstemius 36. De cane et hero

Abstemius 37. De avibus scarabeos timentibus

Abstemius 38. De urso et apibus

Abstemius 39. De aucupe et fringilla

Abstemius 40. De milite et equo

Abstemius 41. De sue et cane

Abstemius 42. De trabe boum pigritiam increpante

Abstemius 43. De carduele et puero

Abstemius 44. De scurra et episcopo

Abstemius 45. De upupa indigne honorata

Abstemius 46. De sacerdote et piris

Abstemius 47. De mulo et equo

Abstemius 48. De porco et equo

Abstemius 49. De coriario emente pellem ursi a venatore nondum capti

Abstemius 50. De heremita et milite

Abstemius 51. De viro et uxore bigamis

Abstemius 52. De leone et mure

Abstemius 53. De ulmo et silere

Abstemius 54. De cera duritiem appetente

Abstemius 55. De agricola militiam et mercaturam affectante

Abstemius 56. De asino et scurra

Abstemius 57. De amne suum fontem conviciis lacessente

Abstemius 58. De viro maligno et daemone

Abstemius 59. De avibus plures reges eligere volentibus

Abstemius 60. De muliere, quae pro viro mori se velle dicebat

Abstemius 61. De adolescente in funere matris canente

Abstemius 62. De viro zelotypo, qui uxorem dederat custodiendam

Abstemius 63. De viro clusteria recusante

Abstemius 64. De asino aegrotante et lupis visitantibus

Abstemius 65. De nuce, asino et muliere

Abstemius 66. De asino laborum finem non inveniente

Abstemius 67. De mure, qui cum fele amicitiam contrahere volebat

Abstemius 68. De asino, qui hero ingrato serviebat

Abstemius 69. De lupo suadente histrici, ut tela deponeret

Abstemius 70. De mure liberante milvum

Abstemius 71. De cochlea et domo sua

Abstemius 72. De erinaceo viperam hospitem eiiciente

Abstemius 73. De lepore sese vulpi praeferente ob pedum velocitatem

Abstemius 74. De sene ob impotentiam libidinem carnis relinquente

Abstemius 75. De agricola quodam et poeta

Abstemius 76. De lupo ovis pelle induto, qui gregem devorabat

Abstemius 77. De patre filiuim ad virtutes frustra hortante

Abstemius 78. De cane oves domini sui occidente, a quo suspensus est

Abstemius 79. De ariete cum tauro pugnante

Abstemius 80. De vidua et asino viridi

Abstemius 81. De aquila filios cuniculi rapiente

Abstemius 82. De lupo pisce fluvii, maris regnum assectante

Abstemius 83. De ove pastori convitiante

Abstemius 84. De auriga et rota currus stridente

Abstemius 85. De viro amicos experiri volente

Abstemius 86. De vulpe carnem leporis cani laudante

Abstemius 87. De lepore calliditatem et vulpe celeritatem a Iove petentibus

Abstemius 88. De equo inculto sed veloci et ceteris eum irridentibus

Abstemius 89. De rustico per vocem hoedi ad iuriscultum admisso

Abstemius 90. De aolescente ex coitu infirmo et lupo

Abstemius 91. De sene iuvenem poma sibi surripentem saxis deiiciente

Abstemius 92. De lucinia cantum accipitri pro vita pollicente

Abstemius 93. De leone porcum sibi socium eligente

Abstemius 94. De culice cibum et hospitium ab appetente

Abstemius 95. De asino tubicine et lepore tabellario

Abstemius 96. De accipitribut inter se inimicis, quos columbae pacaverant

Abstemius 97. De muliere ignem in mariti domum ferente

Abstemius 98. De praetore repetundarum damnato

Abstemius 99. De sene mortem differre volente

Abstemius 100. De viro avaro, sacculum nummorum alloquente

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