[276] {Felis}[1] <Feles> et Gallus - {Felis} <Feles[2]>, comprehenso Gallo, cum rationabili ipsum causa devorare vellet{:}<,> accusabat ipsum, dicendo molestum esse hominibus, quoniam nocte clamaret, neque somno frui permitteret. Eo vero respondente ad illorum utilitatem id se facere, ut ad consueta opera excitarentur{. Rursus felis} <, rursus feles> causam afferebat, quod impius esset erga naturam, cum matre[3], ac sororibus coeundo. Eo autem et hoc ad utilitatem dominorum facere dicente, cum multa hinc ipsis ova pariantur, {felis} <feles> praefatus, sed si tu multis abundas evidentibus responsionibus, ego tamen ieiunus non perstabo, ipsum devoravit. Affabulatio[4]<. Fabula> significat pravam naturam peccare volentem, si non verisimili cum praetextu facere id possit, aperte tamen malignari.

The cat and the cock - A cat – a weasel? a beech marten? - after had caught a rooster, since for obvious reasons whished to devour him, accused the rooster in saying that he was troublesome for humans, because he cackled during the night and didn’t allow them to enjoy their sleep. But he replied that he was doing this in their interest, so that they were driven to carrying out their usual jobs. The cat was putting forward another reason, that he was impious towards nature since he fucked his mother and sisters. But since he was saying that he also did this for profit of masters, since it follows that they lay many eggs for them, the cat prevented him in saying: but if you have in plenty so many evident replies, I shall not, however, remain hungry; and he ate up him. Moral. The fable means that when a wicked nature desires to sin, if it cannot do this with a likely pretext, then acts openly in a wicked way.

{Gallus} <Galli> et Perdix - Gallos quidam habens domi, emptam et Perdicem cum illis pasci dimisit, qui cum illam verberarent, ac expellerent, illa tristabatur valde {existimas} <existimans> ut alienigenam haec se pati a Gallis. Cum vero paulo post et illos videret pugnare, et seipsos caedere, moerore soluta, ait: sed ego posthac non tristabor <videns et ipsos pugnare inter se. Affabulatio.> {Apologus} <Fabula> significat, prudentes facile ferre ab alienis iniurias, cum ipsos videant nec a suis abstinere.

The cocks and the partridge - A man who had at home some roosters sent to pasture with them also a partridge he had bought, and since they struck her and drove her away, she was saddened quite a lot, thinking that she had to suffer these things from the roosters because she was foreign. But a short time later when seeing that they also fought between themselves, and killing each other, she dispelled her sadness and said: but henceforward I won’t grow sad since I see that they also fought between themselves. Moral. The fable means that judicious persons easily bear insults brought by extraneous when they realize that the latter do not abstain even from bring insults to the likes of them.

Galli duo pugnantes - Duobus Gallis pugnantibus de Gallinis faeminis, alter alterum in fugam vertit, ac victus in locum obscurum profectus delituit: sed qui vicit, in altum elevatus, stansque super alto pariete magna voce clamavit, et statim advolans Aquila eum rapuit. At qui in tenebris delitescebat, ex illo intrepide Gallinas conscendit. <Affabulatio.> Fabula docet, dominum superbis opponi, dare autem humilibus gratiam.

Two fighting cocks - While two roosters were fighting because of hens their wives, one drove the other into flight, and the defeated, retired in a dark place, hid himself: but the winner, alighted aloft, and standing on a high wall, started to shout at the top of his voice, and at once an eagle in flying swooped down on him and swept him away. But he who was hiding himself in the darkness, came forth from his hiding-place and boldly fucked the hens. Moral. The fable teaches that the sovereign clashes with those who are proud, and that he grants his benevolence to humble persons.

Gallus verrens stercorarium offendit gemmam, cuius cum usum ignoraret, secum loquebatur, si hanc gemmam aurifex quispiam reperisset, nihil ei gratius accidere potuisset. Ego granum hordei pluris facio. Morale significat multos, dum de magnis iudicant, velut minima, et inutilia spernunt. Apologum eundem leges hoc tetrasticho comprehensum.

Dum rigido fodit ore fimum, dum quaeritat escam,

Dum stupet inventa iaspide Gallus, ait:

Res vili pretiosa loco, nitidique decoris

Hac in sorde manens, nil mihi messis habet.

A rooster while scratching dung knocked against a gem, and since he ignored its use was saying to himself: if some goldsmith had found this pleasant gem, nothing more pleasant could have happened to him. I appreciate more a grain of barley. The moral means that many people when judging important things spurn them as quite insignificant and useless. You can read the same tale contained in these four verses:

While he is digging manure with his stiff beak, while he is stubbornly seeking for food,

while he is surprised for the discovery of a jasper, a rooster says:

A precious thing and of shining beauty in a vile place

remaining in this dirt doesn’t represent a crop for me at all.

Gallina et Hirundo - Gallina serpentis ovis inventis diligenter calefacta {excludit} <excudit>. Hirundo autem cum eam vidisset, ait, o demens, quid haec nutris? Quae cum excreverint, a te prima iniuriam auspicabuntur. Significat apologus implacabilem esse pravitatem, licet afficiatur maximis beneficiis.

The hen and the swallow - A hen, having found some serpent eggs, diligently warmed and hatched them. But a swallow, having seen her doing this, said: You mad, why are you rearing them? When they will have grown up you will be the first to whom they will begin to do harm. The fable means that the wickedness is implacable, even though it receives very big benefits.

Gallina aurea ova pariens - Gallinam quis habens ova aurea parientem, ratus intra ipsam auri massam inesse, occisam aliis Gallinis similem reperit. Hic multum sperans invenire divitiarum, et exiguis illis privatus est. Monet apologus, oportere contentum esse praesentibus, et fugere inexplebilitatem. De hac fabula tale carmen {Gabriae}[5] <Babrii> exstat authoris Graeci.

Ἔτικτε χρυσοῦν ὠὸν ὄρνις εἰσάπαξ,

Καὶ τις πλανηθείς χρυσεραστὴς / χρυσεοαστὴς[6] τὴν φρένα,

Ἔκτεινε ταύτην χρυσὸν ὡς λαβεῖν θέλων.

Ἐλπίς δὲ, μεῖζον δῶρον ὠλέκει τύχης. id est.

Ovum aureum Gallina semel peperit,

Quidamque avarus deceptus animo

Eam occidit aurum accepturus.

Sed spes perdidit maius fortunae donum.

<Affabulatio. In eos qui spe lucri in damnum ex pusillanimitate incidunt.>

The hen laying golden eggs - A man, who had a hen laying golden eggs, persuaded that inside her there was a gold heap, after killed her discovered that she was identical to other hens. This man, hopeful of finding a great deal of wealth, deprived himself of the small too. The fable teaches that we must be satisfied with present things and to shun insatiability. On this fable the following composition is existing by the Greek author Babrius:

Étikte chrysoûn øòn órnis eisápax,

Kaì tis planëtheís chryserastës / chryseoastës tèn phréna,

Ékteine taútën chrysòn høs labeîn théløn.

Elpís dè, meîzon dôron ølékei týchës. that is:

Only once a hen laid a golden egg.

And a miser man, deceived in his reasoning,

killed her to take the gold.

But the hope destroyed the greatest gift of fortune.

Moral. It is addressed to those people who in the hope of profit fall in a damage due to meanness.

<Mulier et Gallina> - Mulier quaedam <vidua> Gallinam habebat, singulis diebus ovum sibi parientem, rata vero si plus Gallinae hordei proiiceret, bis parituram die, hoc fecit. Sed Gallina pinguefacta ne semel quidem die parere potuit. Fabula innuit eos, qui ob avaritiam plurium sunt appetentes, et quae adsunt, amittere.

The woman and the hen - A widowed woman had a hen laying an egg every day, but persuaded that if she had given the hen more barley the bird would have laid twice a day, she did so. But the hen, grown fat, didn’t succeed in laying neither once a day. The fable hints at those who desire too much because of avarice and lose what is at hand.

USUS IN MEDICINA.

USE IN MEDICINE

Tantam equidem hoc Gallinaceum genus ad medicinae usum hominibus utilitatem praebet, ut nullus propemodum corporis cum internus, tum externus sit affectus, qui praeterquam quod, teste Rase, (qui centum annos medicinam fecit, omniaque ex diuturna experientia nobis scripta prodidit) nullus alius cibus est, qui in aegritudine alat, et non oneret[7], excepto eo, qui ab his avibus petitur, hinc sua non hauriat remedia. Unde nimirum sapienter, etsi alioqui superstitiose veteres Aesculapio suo Gallinas immolabant tanquam salubritatis indicium.

This genus of gallinaceous offers so great an utility indeed to human beings for its use in medicine that there is almost no illness of the body both internal and external which doesn’t draw remedy from it, apart from that there is no other food which is able to sustain during an illness and doesn’t burden, as Razi affirms (who practiced medicine for a century [± 860 - 932 AD] and handed down to us in his writings everything coming from his diuturnal experience), except that food made from these birds. Hence in a wise way indeed, although in other respects superstitiously, the ancients immolated to their Aesculapius the hens as reward for healthiness.