Two Horses and Their Master. A soldier who had an excellent horse bought another one, in no way equal to the quality of the first horse but he fed this new horse far more attentively than the first horse. So the new horse said to the first horse, "Why does our master take so much better care of me than you, when I am not your equal in beauty or strength or speed?" The first horse replied, "That is the nature of men: they are always kinder to new guests." This fable shows how crazy it is for people to prefer new things to old ones, even when the new things are worse.
Equi Duo et Dominus Eorum. Miles, Equum habens optimum, emit alium, nequaquam illi bonitate parem, quem multo diligentius quam priorem nutricabat. Tunc priori sic ait, "Cur me dominus quam te impensius curat, cum tibi neque pulchritudine nec robore neque velocitate comparandus sim?" Cui ille "Est haec," inquit, "hominum natura, ut semper in novos hospites benigniores sint." Morale. Haec fabula indicat hominum amentiam, qui nova, etiamsi deteriora sint, solent veteribus anteponere.
Notes. This is Abstemius 40. As usual with Abstemius, it is not found in Perry's inventory.This is a fable that can have all kinds of applications - a fad for new things or, even more sadly, a love of new friends that eclipses the love of old friends.
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