Lectitō › Phaedrus › Fables, Book 1
Phaedrus 1.14
The cobbler turned doctor
Phaedrus, Fabulae I. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōPhaedr. 1.14.1Malus cum sūtor inopiā dēperditus
medicīnam ignōtō facere coepisset locō
et venditāret falsō antidotum nōmine,
verbōsīs acquīsīvit sibi fāmam strophīs.
A bad cobbler, ruined by poverty, had begun to practise medicine in a place where he was unknown, and was selling an antidote under a false name; with wordy tricks he won himself a reputation.
Note. sūtor: a cobbler. inopiā dēperditus: 'ruined by poverty'. ignōtō … locō: 'in a place where he was unknown'. falsō … nōmine: 'under a false name'. verbōsīs … strophīs: 'with wordy tricks'.
Phaedr. 1.14.5Hic cum iacēret morbō cōnfectus gravī
rēx urbis, eius experiendī grātiā
scyphum poposcit: fūsā dein simulāns aquā
miscēre illīus antidotō sē toxicum,
ēbibere iussit ipsum positō praemiō.
When the king of the city was lying here, worn out by a serious illness, he asked for a cup to test him; then, pouring in water and pretending that he was mixing poison with the man's antidote, he ordered him to drink it off himself, offering a reward.
Note. Hīc … Rēx urbis: 'the king of the city'. eius experiendī grātiā: 'for the sake of testing him'. fūsā … aquā: ablative absolute. simulāns … miscēre … sē toxicum: 'pretending that he was mixing poison'. positō praemiō: 'a reward having been offered'.
Phaedr. 1.14.10Timōre mortis ille tum cōnfessus est
nōn artis ūllā medicum sē prūdentiā,
vērum stupōre vulgī factum nōbilem.
Then in fear of death the man confessed that he had become a famous doctor not through any skill in the art, but through the stupidity of the crowd.
Note. nōn artis ūllā … prūdentiā … vērum stupōre vulgī: 'not by any skill in his art but by the stupidity of the crowd'. factum nōbilem: '(that he had) become famous'.
Phaedr. 1.14.13Rēx advocātā cōntiōne haec addidit:
quantae putātis esse vōs dēmentiae,
15quī capita vestra nōn dubitātis crēdere,
cui calceandōs nēmō commīsit pedēs?
The king called an assembly and added these words: 'How mad do you think you are, when you do not hesitate to trust your heads to a man to whom nobody has trusted his feet to be shod?'
Note. advocātā cōntiōne: ablative absolute, 'having called an assembly'. quantae … dēmentiae: genitive of description, 'of how great madness'. cui calceandōs … pedēs: gerundive, 'to whom no one has trusted his feet for shoeing'.
Phaedr. 1.14.17Hoc pertinēre vērē ad illōs dīxerim,
quōrum stultitia quaestus impudentiae est.
I would truly say that this applies to those whose foolishness is a source of profit for impudence.
Note. dīxerim: polite perfect subjunctive, 'I would say'. quaestus impudentiae: 'a source of profit for impudence'.
Vocabulary
| malus, -a, -um | bad |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| sūtor, -ōris m. | shoemaker, cobbler |
| inopia, -ae f. | lack, want, scarcity |
| dēperdō, -ere, dēperdidī, dēperditum | lose |
| medicīna, -ae, f. | art of healing, medicine |
| ignōtus, -a, -um | unknown |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| coepī, coepisse, coeptus (used in tenses of completed action) | have begun, began |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| venditō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | offer for sale, peddle; cry up |
| falsus, -a, -um | feigned, pretended, false |
| antidotum, -ī n. | antidote, remedy against poison |
| nōmen, -minis, n. | name (that by which one is known) |
| verbōsus, -a, -um | wordy, full of talk |
| adquīrō, -quīrere, -quīsīvī, -quīsītus | acquire, gain in addition |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| fāma, -ae, f. | report, rumor |
| stropha, -ae f. | trick, dodge |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| iaceō, -ēre, -uī | lie, be prostrate |
| morbus, -ī m. | sickness, disease |
| cōnficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | make or do completely, complete, finish, accomplish, make; wear out |
| gravis, -e | heavy; severe, grievous, serious |
| rēx, rēgis, m. | king |
| urbs, urbis, f. | city |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| experior, -īrī, expertus sum | try, test, experience |
| grātia, -ae, f. | favor; gratitude, thanks; plur., thanks; grātiās agere, to give thanks, thank; grātiam referre, to return a favor, show gratitude, requite |
| scyphus, -ī m. | cup, goblet |
| poscō, poscere, poposcī | ask, demand |
| fundō, -ere, fūdī, fūsum | pour; rout, scatter (an enemy) |
| deinde, adv. | then, next |
| simulō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | pretend |
| aqua, -ae, f. | water |
| misceō, miscēre, miscuī, mīxtus | mix, mingle |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| toxicum, -ī n. | poison |
| ēbibō, -bibere, -bibī | drink up, drain |
| iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus | bid, order, command |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| pōnō, pōnere, posuī, positus | place, put; pōnī with in and abl., to be placed in, rest or depend on |
| praemium, -ī, n. | reward |
| timor, -ōris, m. | fear |
| mors, mortīs, f. | death |
| tum, adv. | then, at that time |
| cōnfiteor, -ērī, -fessus sum | admit, confess |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| ars, artis, f. | art |
| ūllus, -a, -um | any |
| medicus, -ī m. | doctor |
| prūdentia, -ae, f. | prudence |
| vērum (conj.) | but, but in fact; nōn modo ... vērum etiam: not only ... but also |
| stupor, -ōris m. | astonishment, amazement |
| vulgus, -ī n. | the common people, the crowd |
| nōbilis, -e | well-known, noble |
| advocō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | call, summon (contiōnem advocāre: call an assembly) |
| cōntiō, -ōnis f. | assembly, meeting; speech to an assembly |
| addō, -ere, -didī, -ditus | add, put to |
| quantus, -a, -um | how great or much? |
| putō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | think |
| vōs | plur. of tū |
| dēmentia, -ae f. | madness, folly |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| caput, capitis, n. | head |
| vester, -tra, -trum | your |
| dubitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | doubt, hesitate |
| crēdō, -dere, -didī, -ditus | believe |
| calceō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | put shoes on, shoe |
| nēmō, nēminis, m. and f. | no one, nobody |
| committō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send together; commit, intrust; expose; proelium committere, to join battle |
| pēs, pedis, m. | foot |
| pertineō, -ēre, -uī | extend, reach; tend toward, concern |
| vērē (adv.) | truly, really |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus | say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day |
| stultitia, -ae f. | folly, foolishness |
| quaestus, -ūs m. | gain, profit |
| impudentia, -ae f. | shamelessness, effrontery |