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DE TUBICINE CAPTIVO

 

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

 

Introduction: Throughout history, there are musicians - trumpeters, drummers, and so on - who have played a role in the military, even if they were not fighting men themselves. In this Aesop's fable, you will find out what happens when one of these musicians is captured by the enemy. The trumpeter begs for mercy because he did not actually injure any of the enemy soldiers. What do you think: is the trumpeter as innocent as he claims to be? For another fable of a prisoner protesting his innocence, see the story of the stork caught with the cranes and the geese. For another fable of a musician held captive, see the story of the hawk and the nightingale.

 

Latin Text:

 

Tubicen quidam in bello captivus detinebatur. Qui Hostes supplicabundus orabat ut non se interficerent, quandoquidem totum inermis esset et nullum eorum vulnerasset. Cui sic Hostes: "Quia tu sis inermis et pugnandi excors, ideo moriere, qui tubae cantu inimicos nostros ad pugnam concitaveris."

 

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

 

Tubicen quidam

in bello captivus detinebatur.

Qui Hostes supplicabundus orabat

ut non se interficerent,

quandoquidem totum inermis esset

et nullum eorum vulnerasset.

Cui sic Hostes:

"Quia tu sis inermis

et pugnandi excors,

ideo moriere,

qui

tubae cantu

inimicos nostros

ad pugnam concitaveris."

 

Translation: A certain trumpet-player was held captive during a war. He pleaded and begged the enemy soldiers to not kill him, since he was completely harmless and had hurt none of them. The enemy soldiers said to him, "Because you were harmless and witless in war, thus you will die, since you stirred up our enemies to battle with the song of your war-trumpet."

 

[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 370.

 

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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