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DE LUPO OVIS PELLE INDUTO

 

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

 

Introduction: The notion of the "wolf in sheep's clothing" is an old idea which you can find even in the Bible, when Jesus warns his followers: "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." (Matthew 7:15). In this fable by the Renaissance Latin author Abstemius, you will see a literal example of a wolf who wears a sheep skin in order to try to fool the shepherd. We may be tempted to judge by appearances, but this is not always reliable, as the fable shows. According to the wise shepherd in this story, what should we rely on, instead of appearance, in order to make our judgements For a quite different story about disguise, see the fable of the donkey in the lion's skin. For another story of the wolf finding ways to infiltrate the flock, see the story of the treaty between the wolves and the sheep.

 

Latin Text:

 

Lupus, Ovis pelle indutus, Ovium se immiscuit gregi, quotidieque aliquam ex eis occidebat. Quod cum Pastor animadvertisset, illum in altissima arbore suspendit. Interrogantibus autem ceteris Pastoribus cur Ovem suspendisset, respondebat, "Pellis quidem est Ovis, opera autem erant Lupi."

 

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

 

Lupus,

Ovis pelle indutus,

Ovium se immiscuit gregi,

quotidieque

aliquam ex eis occidebat.

Quod cum Pastor animadvertisset,

illum

in altissima arbore suspendit.

Interrogantibus autem ceteris Pastoribus

cur Ovem suspendisset,

respondebat,

"Pellis quidem est Ovis,

opera autem erant Lupi."

 

Translation: A wolf, dressed in a sheep's skin, blended himself in with the flock of sheep, every day killed one of the sheep. When the shepherd noticed this was happening, he hanged the wolf on a very tall tree. When other shepherds asked him why he had hanged a sheep, the shepherd answered: The skin is that of a sheep, but the activities were those of a wolf.

 

[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 451.

 

Related Links

 

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Illustration:  Click on the image for a larger view. What a dramatic representation of the sheep in wolf's clothing - even in death, that wolf looks pretty fierce! Meanwhile, you can see the shepherds talking amongst themselves about what is going on, while one of the dogs looks up at the scene with curiosity. The sheep, untroubled, are grazing in the distance.

 

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