Lectitō › Phaedrus › Fables, Book 1
Phaedrus 1.22
The weasel and the man
Phaedrus, Fabulae I. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōPhaedr. 1.22.1Mūstēla ab homine prēnsa cum īnstantem necem
effugere vellet: Parce, quaesō inquit mihi,
quae tibi molestīs mūribus pūrgō domum.
A weasel had been caught by a man and wanted to escape the death that threatened her: 'Spare me, please,' she said, 'for I clear your house of troublesome mice.'
Note. Mustēla … prēnsa: 'a weasel, caught'. īnstantem necem: 'the death threatening her'. Parce + dative: 'spare'. quae … pūrgō: 'I who clear'.
Phaedr. 1.22.4Respondit ille: Facerēs sī causā meā,
5grātum esset et dedissem veniam supplicī.
He replied: 'If you were doing it for my sake, I would be grateful and would have granted pardon to you as you beg.
Note. Facerēs sī causā meā: 'if you did it for my sake' (causā + genitive or possessive). Mixed unreal condition: esset … dedissem.
Phaedr. 1.22.6Nunc quia labōrās ut fruāris reliquiīs,
quās sunt rōsūrī, simul et ipsōs dēvorēs,
nōlī imputāre vānum beneficium mihi.
As it is, because you work to enjoy the leftovers that the mice would have gnawed, and to eat the mice themselves as well, do not try to make me thank you for a favour that is empty.'
Note. frūāris reliquiīs: fruor takes the ablative. quās sunt rōsūrī: 'which (the mice) were going to gnaw'. nōlī imputāre: 'do not try to charge me with'.
Phaedr. 1.22.9Atque ita locūtus improbam lētō dedit.
And with these words he put the wicked creature to death.
Note. lētō dedit: 'gave to death', i.e. killed.
Phaedr. 1.22.10Hoc in sē dictum dēbent illī agnōscere,
quōrum prīvāta servit ūtilitās sibi,
et meritum ināne iactant imprūdentibus.
Those people ought to recognise that this is said against them, whose own private advantage is what they serve, and who boast to the unwary of an empty kindness.
Note. Hoc in sē dictum: 'that this is said against them'. quōrum prīvāta servit ūtilitās sibi: 'whose own private advantage serves only themselves'.
Vocabulary
| mūstēla, -ae f. | weasel |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| homō, hominis, m. | man |
| prēndō, -ere, prēndī, prēnsum | grasp, take hold of |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| īnstō, -āre, -stitī | press on; be at hand |
| nex, necis f. | death, killing |
| effugio, -fugere, -fūgī | flee out or away, escape |
| volō, velle, voluī | wish |
| parcō, -ere, pepercī, parsūrus | spare, show mercy to (+ dat.) |
| quaesō (defective) | I beg, please |
| inquam, inquis, inquit, defective verb | I say, you say, he says |
| ego, meī, pers. pron. | I |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| tū, tuī, pers. pron. | thou, you |
| molestus, -a, -um | troublesome; molestus esse (+ dat.), to bother |
| mūs, mūris m. | mouse, rat |
| pūrgō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | make clean, clean, cleanse |
| domus, -ūs, f. | house, home |
| respondeō, -spondēre, -spondī, -spōnsus | reply, answer |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| sī, conj. | if |
| causa, -ae, f. | cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of |
| meus, -a, -um | my, mine |
| grātus, -a, -um | pleasing, grateful |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| dō, dare, dedī, datus | give |
| venia, -ae f. | pardon, forgiveness |
| supplex, -icis | begging, as a suppliant |
| nunc, adv. | now |
| quia (conj.) | because |
| labōrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | labor, toil |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| fruor, -ī, frūctus sum (+ abl.) | enjoy |
| reliquiae, -ārum f. pl. | remains, what is left over, leftovers |
| rōdō, -ere, rōsī, rōsus | gnaw, nibble |
| simul, adv. | at the same time; simul atque or ac, as soon as |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| dēvorō, -vorāre, -vorāvī, -vorātus | swallow down, swallow, devour |
| nōlō, nōlle, nōluī | not wish, be unwilling |
| imputō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | charge to someone's account; claim credit for (a favour) |
| vānus, -a, -um | empty, idle, vain; in vanum: in vain |
| beneficium, -ī, n. | well-doing, kindness, service, benefit |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| ita, adv. | in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as |
| loquor, loquī, locūtus | speak |
| improbus, -a, -um | wicked. in, prep, with acc., into, in, to, upon; with abl., in, on |
| lētum, -ī n. | death |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus | say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day |
| dēbeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | owe; with infin., ought |
| agnōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus, recognize | |
| prīvātus, -a, -um | private |
| serviō, -ire, -īvī, -ītus | be subject to, serve |
| ūtilitās, -ātis f. | usefulness, advantage |
| meritum, -ī n. | service, desert |
| inānis, -e | empty |
| iactō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | toss about; discuss |
| imprūdēns, -entis | off guard, unaware |