Sunday, December 19, 2010

Boothby: The Ram, the Dog, and the Wolf

He who false evidence has given,
Carries the curse of earth and heaven.
A rascal of a Dog pretended,
That corn he to the Ram had vended.
The Wolf, produc'd as witness, swore
All he was ask'd, and ten times more;
And honest Ram his process lost,
Interest and principal and cost.
A few days after, passing by,
He saw the Wolf a carcass lie.
"Vile wretch," he said, "the gods have paid
In proper coin thy cursed trade!"


Source: Boothby - Phaedrus 1.17.
canis et ovis

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Barlow images. Notice that in Boothby there is no mention of the kite and vulture also called as witnesses who are shown here in Barlow's illustration. The sheep finding the wolf dead in the end is also a distinctive feature in the Phaedrus version of the story.

M0299 Perry478

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