Le Loup plaidant contre le Renard par-devant le Singe.

 

Un Loup disait que l'on l'avait volé :
Un Renard, son voisin, d'assez mauvaise vie,
Pour ce prétendu vol par lui fut appelé.
Devant le Singe il fut plaidé,
Non point par Avocats, mais par chaque Partie.
Thémis n'avait point travaillé,
De mémoire de Singe, à fait plus embrouillé.
Le Magistrat suait en son lit de Justice.
Après qu'on eut bien contesté,
Répliqué, crié, tempêté,
Le Juge, instruit de leur malice,
Leur dit : "Je vous connais de longtemps, mes amis,
Et tous deux vous paierez l'amende ;
Car toi, Loup, tu te plains, quoiqu'on ne t'ait rien pris ;
Et toi, Renard, as pris ce que l'on te demande. "
Le juge prétendait qu'à tort et à travers
On ne saurait manquer, condamnant un pervers.
Quelques personnes de bon sens ont cru que
l'impossibilité et la contradiction qui est dans le
Jugement de ce Singe était une chose à censurer ; mais je
ne m'en suis servi qu'après
Phédre ; et c'est en cela que consiste le bon mot, selon
mon avis.

The Wolf accusing the Fox before the Monkey. (6)

 

A wolf, affirming his belief
That he had suffer'd by a thief,
Brought up his neighbour fox--
Of whom it was by all confess'd,
His character was not the best--
To fill the prisoner's box.
As judge between these vermin,
A monkey graced the ermine;
And truly other gifts of Themis[7]
Did scarcely seem his;
For while each party plead his cause,
Appealing boldly to the laws,
And much the question vex'd,
Our monkey sat perplex'd.
Their words and wrath expended,
Their strife at length was ended;
When, by their malice taught,
The judge this judgment brought:
'Your characters, my friends, I long have known,
As on this trial clearly shown;
And hence I fine you both--the grounds at large
To state would little profit--
You wolf, in short, as bringing groundless charge,
You fox, as guilty of it.'

Come at it right or wrong, the judge opined
No other than a villain could be fined.[8]

[6] Phaedrus, I. 10.
[7] _Themis_.--The goddess of Justice.
[8] So Philip of Macedon is said to have decided a suit by condemning the defendant to banishment and the plaintiff to follow him. The wisdom of each decision lies in taking advantage of a doubtful case to convict two well-known rogues of--previous bad character.

Il Lupo e la Volpe davanti al Tribunale della Scimmia.

 

Un Lupo, che accusò di ladreria
una Volpe birbona sua vicina,
o vera o falsa che l'accusa sia,
davanti al tribunal d'una Bertuccia
senza tanti avvocati la trascina.

A memoria di scimmia imbroglio simile
giammai non s'era visto, anzi si dice
che a distrigare il bandolo,
la Bertuccia sudò quattro camicie.

Dopo molte proteste e grida e repliche,
il giudice, ch'è vecchio del mestiero,
- Basta, - risponde lor, - o falso o vero,
pagate entrambi e che la sia finita.

Tu, Lupo, paga, perché fai figura
d'accusator bugiardo,
e tu, perché sei ladra di natura -.

Pensò la Scimmia, a torto od a ragione,
che il luogo dei birbanti è la prigione.