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Phryx Aesopus (Osius, 1574)

4. MUS ET RANA ALITER (Perry 384)

RANA ferox agili bellum cum Mure gerebat,
Vincendi studio saevus uterque fuit.
Mus parit insidiis animosam vincere Ranam,
At quae non vinci viribus usa potest.
Saevit uterque suum sic dum securus in hostem,
Quo nihil excepto posse nocere putat:
Improvisus adest, rapideque hos Milvius aufert,
Atque cibum rostro dilaniante facit.
Non scelerata diu poenas audacia vitat,
Quas solet illa graves, auspice ferre Deo.
Lite movent stulti dum bella domestica cives,
Hinc externus opem, qua valet hostis, habet.

(no illustration)


Phryx Aesopus Habitu Poetico, by Hieronymus Osius, 1574 (artist not identified). Available online at the University of Mannheim. This book clearly recycles a set of images from another book of Aesop's fables. In some cases, the illustration does not match the fable shown, and in some cases I have not been able to identify what fable a given illustration is supposed to illustrate.