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Vespertilio

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The story of The Bat is a poem by Alexander Nequam. It is written in elegiac couplets. The Perry number for this fable is Perry 566. You can see a 1501 woodcut illustration for this fable at the University of Mannheim website. You can find a translation of different Latin version of this story in Aesop's Fables, by Laura Gibbs (Oxford University Press, 2003).

   Use this Study Guide to organize your learning activities.

Here is the poem (click "play" icon for brief audio sample):

Quadrupedes et Aves gererent dum bella furentes,
Et modo Quadrupedes, nunc fugiunt Volucres,

Versutus Vespertilio se mersit utrisque,
Ut, quidquid fieret, tutus utraque foret.

Auribus et magnis se Quadrupedem simulabat:
Credi par alis alitibus poterat.

Hac se fraude tegens inter fera proelia tutus,
Fallebat stolidum cautus utrumque genus.

Ut fraus nota fuit, genus hunc abiecit utrumque,
Et merito placuit ut neutrum neutri.

Hac re Quadrupedes et Aves, dum vespere pulsat,
Antiquae fraudis conscius ipse fugit.

Sic qui se fallans, nunc his, nunc ingerit illis,
Omnibus ingratus, iure repulsus erit.

The following version puts the words in a more prose-like order so that it will be easier for you to read:

Dum Quadrupedes et Aves, furentes, gererent bella,	furentes...gererent : participle plus verb (they were raving mad... and waging...) gererent: subjunctive with dum
et modo Quadrupedes, nunc Volucres, fugiunt,
versutus Vespertilio se mersit utrisque, ut, quidquid fieret, tutus foret utraque.	fieret...foret: potential subjunctives
Auribus magnis se simulabat Quadrupedem.
Alis poterat credi par alitibus.	credi: complementary infinitive with poterat
Hac fraude se tegens tutus inter fera proelia, cautus fallebat genus utrumque stolidum.	tegens...fallebat : participle plus verb (he hid... and fooled...)
Ut fraus nota fuit, hunc abiecit genus utrumque et merito, ut neutrum, placuit neutri.
Hac re, ipse fugit Quadrupedes et Aves, conscius antiquae fraudis, dum vespere pulsat.
Sic qui se fallans, ingerit nunc his, nunc illis, omnibus ingratus, iure repulsus erit.	qui: relative pronoun without stated antecedent (hic, qui..., repulsus erit) fallans...ingerit: participle plus verb (he fools... and rushes...)