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DE LEONE ET QUATTUOR TAURIS

 

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Source: Aesop's Fables, 1687 (illustrated by Francis Barlow).

 

Introduction: In this story, you will see the lion apply the principle of "divide and conquer," so that he undermines the alliance that the four bulls have made with one another. Joseph Jacobs applies the English proverb to the fable: "United we stand, divided we fall." What do you think the lion says to these bulls to cause their alliance to fall apart? In a Greek version of the story, the lion says to each bull: "If you hand your partner over to me, I will keep you safe from harm." Can you imagine what other things the lion could say to the bulls to make them argue with each other? For another fable about someone who was able to divide and conquer, see the story of the bear, the lion and the fox. For a fable about the virtues of solidarity, see the story of the farmer and his quarrelsome sons.

 

Latin Text:

 

Quattuor fuere Tauri qui, inter se invicem societate inita, foedus faciebant communem ipsorum esse salutem et commune periculum. Hoc observavit esuriens et indignabundus Leo, qui quamvis grandi premeretur fame, coniunctos tamen aggredi non ausus est. Hoc ergo consilium cepit: primum verbis fallacibus unum ab altero segregavit, deinde segregatos facile laniavit.

 

Here is a segmented version to help you see the grammatical patterns:

 

Quattuor fuere Tauri

qui,

inter se invicem societate inita,

foedus faciebant

communem

ipsorum esse salutem

et commune periculum.

Hoc observavit

esuriens et indignabundus Leo,

qui

quamvis grandi premeretur fame,

coniunctos tamen aggredi

non ausus est.

Hoc ergo consilium cepit:

primum

verbis fallacibus

unum ab altero segregavit,

deinde

segregatos facile laniavit.

 

Translation: There were four bulls who entered into a mutual alliance and made a pact that their safety would be a shared concern, and that danger would be shared. A lion, frustrated and hungry, saw what they had done and, although he was afflicted with great hunger, still he did not dare to approach the bulls united as they were. Therefore he adopted this plan: first, by means of lying words he separated one bull from the other and then, after they were separated, he easily butchered them.

 

[This translation is meant as a help in understanding the story, not as a "crib" for the Latin. I have not hesitated to change the syntax to make it flow more smoothly in English, altering the verb tense consistently to narrative past tense, etc.]

 

Parallels: For parallel versions, see Perry 372.

 

Related Links: Crossword Puzzle

 

Illustration: Here is an illustration from this edition, by the renowned artist Francis Barlow; click on the image for a larger view.

 

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