Minor Latin poets; with introductions and English translations

THE FABLES OF AX'IANUS" \'ain is the confidence in your human birth thathas entered into you, if you desire to have for a witnessan artist's hand. If oio' ingenuity admitted ofan extra sense, allowing a lion to engrave stones withskilful touch, then you would behold how the man,overwhelmed by a loud roar, closed his final destinyin ravening jaws."XXVThe Boy and the ThiefA boy sat down in tears at the edge of the waterof a well, deceitfully opening wide his mouth ingroundless blubbering. A smart thief, on seeing himAvith tears starting from his eyes, asked what was thecause of his distress now. The boy pretended hisrope had parted in two ; thereby, he sobbed, hisgolden pitcher had fallen down the well. At oncethe rascal's hand dragged off his hampering garment,and, when stripped, he made straight for the bottomof the well. The youngster, so the story has it, putthe cloak round his own little neck, plunged into thebrambles and was lost to sight. But when, afterencountering danger on a deceptive hope, he hadseated himself again on the ground, miserable overthe loss of his cloak, the shrewd knave (so the storygoes) gave utterance to these laments and mademoaning supplication to the high gods: "Henceforthlet anyone, whoever he be, who thinks a jarlies hid in clear water," reckon that he has richlydeserved to lose his cloak."to see if the gold was visible in the water, Natet or natatimplies that anyone who expected a jar to be floating at thebottom of a well would be served right by losing his cloak.3 A721