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Nicolaus Pergamenus. "Concerning the Leopard and the Unicorn Who Fought the Dragon." Global Medieval Sourcebook.Based on the edition by Johann Georg Theodor Grässe .
De leopardo et unicorni, qui pugnabant cum dracone | Concerning the Leopard and the Unicorn Who Fought the Dragon
Source Information
De leopardo et unicorni, qui pugnabant cum dracone | Concerning the Leopard and the Unicorn Who Fought the Dragon
by Nicolaus Pergamenus
Text Source:
Nicolas de Bergame [Nicolaus Pergamenus], Dialogus creaturarum, moralisatus, jucundus, fabulis plenus, Goudae, 1481
Transcribed in Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, Die beiden ältesten lateinischen fabelbücher des mittelalters Tübingen: Litterarischer verein in Stuttgart, 1880, pp. 235-236
Responsibility Statement:
- Based on the edition by Johann Georg Theodor Grässe
- Translation by Astrid Khoo
- Encoded in TEI P5 XML by Irene Han
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Transcriptions and translations are encoded in XML conforming to TEI (P5) guidelines. The original-language text is contained within <lem> tags and translations within <rdg> tags.
Texts are translated into modern American English with maximum fidelity to the original text, except where it would impair comprehension or good style. Archaisms are preserved where they do not conflict with the aesthetic of the original text. Scribal errors and creative translation choices are marked and discussed in the critical notes.
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Published by Global Medieval Sourcebook.
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De leopardo et unicorni, qui pugnabant cum dracone, dial. 88. Concerning the Leopard and the Unicorn Who Fought the Dragon, the eighty-eighth dialogue
Leopardus, ut Solmus dicit, animal est generatum ex leone et pardo. The leopard, as Solinus says, was born from the lion and the panther. Horum feminæ sunt audaciores et fortiores maribus. The females of this species are braver and stronger than the males. Plinius: aliquis volens resistere leopardis furentibus, fricet allia inter manus, nee mora, leopardus resiliet nec resistet, quia odorem allii sustinere non potest. Pliny writes that someone who wants to combat raging leopards should immediately rub garlic cloves between his hands. The leopard will retreat and fight no longer, since it cannot bear the odor of garlic. Leopardus subrufum colorem habet, maculas per totum nigras; multo minores sunt quam leones. Moreover, leopards are orange in color but covered in black spots, and are are much smaller than lions. Leopardus, quando comedit aliquod venenum, stercus hominis quærit, quod comedit, et sanatur. Ambrosius. Ambrose claims that if a leopard has eaten poison, it will seek out a man’s excrement, which, once consumed, heals it. Hæ bestiæ sunt crudelissimæ naturaliter, ita quod sic domesticari non possunt, ut obliviscantur crudelitatis suæ. These beasts are most cruel by nature, and cannot be tamed to forget their cruelty. Domesticantur tamen ad venandum. Nevertheless they can be trained to hunt. Igitur dum ad prædam in venatione ducuntur, relaxantur, quam si quarto aut quinto saltu non potest capere, subsistit iratus fortiter, et nisi statim venator furenti bestiæ aliquam bestiam offerat, cujus sanguine placetur, irruit in venatorem vel quoscunque obvios, quia impossibile est placari eum nisi in sanguine. When leopards are led to their prey in the course of a hunt, they become calm. However, if a leopard is unable to seize his prey in four or five leaps, he stops, profoundly angered. In such cases, unless a hunter offers some animal to the furious beast, so as to placate it with blood, it will charge at the hunter or whoever else happens to be in its way. It is impossible to calm a leopard down except by bloodshed.
c
Hic pugnabat cum dracone, sed non prævalebat, propter quod ad unicornem perrexit et humiliter ipsum obsecravit dicens: eminens es ac virtuosus et doctus belli, peto obnixe, quod me defendas a furore draconis. Once, a Leopard fought with a Dragon, but he did not prevail. Therefore, he headed to the Unicorn and humbly entreated him, saying, “You are lofty, and virtuous, and learned in war. I beseech you with all my heart to defend me from the Dragon’s madness.” Unicornis autem se sublimare cœpit et audiens de se talia dici ait: verum dicis, quia doctus sum prælii, propterea optime defensabo te, noli pavere, cum enim aperiet draco os suum, in gutture ipsum cornu perforabo. The Unicorn began to rise upon hearing such words spoken about himself. He said, “You speak truly, since I am battlewise, and I shall protect you in the best way possible. Do not fear, for when the Dragon opens his mouth I will pierce his throat with my horn.” Cum autem ad draconem pariter venissent, leopardus bellum initiavit sperans de auxilio unicornis. After they had found the Dragon together, the Leopard began the fight, pinning his hopes on the Unicorn’s help. Draco vero certavit adversus eos et ignem et fœtorem ex ore emittebat, sed cum os aperiret, unicornis quam citius cucurrit volens ipsum in gutture transvibrare, draco vero agitavit caput et unicornis cornu in terram fixit dicens moriendo: qui pro alio vult pugnare, cupit se trucidare. The Dragon fought against them, spitting out fire and fumes. When he opened his mouth, the Unicorn charged at him as swiftly as he could, aiming to pierce through his throat. However, the Dragon shook his head, and drove the Unicorn’s horn into the earth. As the Unicorn died, the Dragon said to him, “He who wants to fight for another desires to slay himself. Sic enim stultum est, de se confidere ac de quo sibi non pertinet agonizare. It is foolish to be so self-assured and to fight over that which does not concern you.” Unde Eccl. XI0: de ea re, quæ te non molestat, ne certaveris. Indeed, as Ecclesiastes XI says, “Do not fight on account of that which does not vex you.” Ergo require in animo tuo a te ipso, quis es, quid facere vis, utrum factum illud ad te pertineat. Make yourself certain as to who you are, what you desire to do, and whether the matter concerns you. Ad minus ad alium te immiscere non debes. At the very least, you should not implicate yourself with another. Noli pro alio pugnare nec inter discordantes discordiam augere, sed fac, ut dicit Seneca: semper dissensio ab alio ineipiat, a te reconciliatio. Do not fight for someone else, and do not add fire to fire. Critical note:
More literally, ‘except in blood’.
c
Instead, follow the advice of Seneca: “Let conflict always begin from another, but let reconciliation always begin from you.” Quidam bellantes aggressi sunt inimicum, sed alius quidam cucurrit volens ipsum defendere et armavit se versus inimicos illius. Once, some warriors attacked their enemy, but some other man hastened to the fight, wanting only to defend the enemy; he even took up arms against the warriors. Illi autem dixerunt: amice, tibi injuriam non facimus, tolle quod tuum est et vade, quoniam de inimico nostro vindictam quærimus. Nevertheless, the warriors said, “Friend, we shall do you no injury. Take what is yours and depart, for we seek vengeance from our enemy alone.” Qui non acquiescens sermonibus corum ad bellum contra eos se paravit. The man, refusing to take heed of their words, prepared himself for war against them. Illi autem indignati cum inimico ipsum mutilaverunt. Indignant, the warriors cut him down along with their enemy. Critical note:
More literally, ‘Do not grow discord among those who are already in conflict.”
De leopardo et unicorni, qui pugnabant cum dracone, dial. 88. Concerning the Leopard and the Unicorn Who Fought the Dragon, the eighty-eighth dialogue
Leopardus, ut Solmus dicit, animal est generatum ex leone et pardo. The leopard, as Solinus says, was born from the lion and the panther. Horum feminæ sunt audaciores et fortiores maribus. The females of this species are braver and stronger than the males. Plinius: aliquis volens resistere leopardis furentibus, fricet allia inter manus, nee mora, leopardus resiliet nec resistet, quia odorem allii sustinere non potest. Pliny writes that someone who wants to combat raging leopards should immediately rub garlic cloves between his hands. The leopard will retreat and fight no longer, since it cannot bear the odor of garlic. Leopardus subrufum colorem habet, maculas per totum nigras; multo minores sunt quam leones. Moreover, leopards are orange in color but covered in black spots, and are are much smaller than lions. Leopardus, quando comedit aliquod venenum, stercus hominis quærit, quod comedit, et sanatur. Ambrosius. Ambrose claims that if a leopard has eaten poison, it will seek out a man’s excrement, which, once consumed, heals it. Hæ bestiæ sunt crudelissimæ naturaliter, ita quod sic domesticari non possunt, ut obliviscantur crudelitatis suæ. These beasts are most cruel by nature, and cannot be tamed to forget their cruelty. Domesticantur tamen ad venandum. Nevertheless they can be trained to hunt. Igitur dum ad prædam in venatione ducuntur, relaxantur, quam si quarto aut quinto saltu non potest capere, subsistit iratus fortiter, et nisi statim venator furenti bestiæ aliquam bestiam offerat, cujus sanguine placetur, irruit in venatorem vel quoscunque obvios, quia impossibile est placari eum nisi in sanguine. When leopards are led to their prey in the course of a hunt, they become calm. However, if a leopard is unable to seize his prey in four or five leaps, he stops, profoundly angered. In such cases, unless a hunter offers some animal to the furious beast, so as to placate it with blood, it will charge at the hunter or whoever else happens to be in its way. It is impossible to calm a leopard down except by bloodshed.
c
Hic pugnabat cum dracone, sed non prævalebat, propter quod ad unicornem perrexit et humiliter ipsum obsecravit dicens: eminens es ac virtuosus et doctus belli, peto obnixe, quod me defendas a furore draconis. Once, a Leopard fought with a Dragon, but he did not prevail. Therefore, he headed to the Unicorn and humbly entreated him, saying, “You are lofty, and virtuous, and learned in war. I beseech you with all my heart to defend me from the Dragon’s madness.” Unicornis autem se sublimare cœpit et audiens de se talia dici ait: verum dicis, quia doctus sum prælii, propterea optime defensabo te, noli pavere, cum enim aperiet draco os suum, in gutture ipsum cornu perforabo. The Unicorn began to rise upon hearing such words spoken about himself. He said, “You speak truly, since I am battlewise, and I shall protect you in the best way possible. Do not fear, for when the Dragon opens his mouth I will pierce his throat with my horn.” Cum autem ad draconem pariter venissent, leopardus bellum initiavit sperans de auxilio unicornis. After they had found the Dragon together, the Leopard began the fight, pinning his hopes on the Unicorn’s help. Draco vero certavit adversus eos et ignem et fœtorem ex ore emittebat, sed cum os aperiret, unicornis quam citius cucurrit volens ipsum in gutture transvibrare, draco vero agitavit caput et unicornis cornu in terram fixit dicens moriendo: qui pro alio vult pugnare, cupit se trucidare. The Dragon fought against them, spitting out fire and fumes. When he opened his mouth, the Unicorn charged at him as swiftly as he could, aiming to pierce through his throat. However, the Dragon shook his head, and drove the Unicorn’s horn into the earth. As the Unicorn died, the Dragon said to him, “He who wants to fight for another desires to slay himself. Sic enim stultum est, de se confidere ac de quo sibi non pertinet agonizare. It is foolish to be so self-assured and to fight over that which does not concern you.” Unde Eccl. XI0: de ea re, quæ te non molestat, ne certaveris. Indeed, as Ecclesiastes XI says, “Do not fight on account of that which does not vex you.” Ergo require in animo tuo a te ipso, quis es, quid facere vis, utrum factum illud ad te pertineat. Make yourself certain as to who you are, what you desire to do, and whether the matter concerns you. Ad minus ad alium te immiscere non debes. At the very least, you should not implicate yourself with another. Noli pro alio pugnare nec inter discordantes discordiam augere, sed fac, ut dicit Seneca: semper dissensio ab alio ineipiat, a te reconciliatio. Do not fight for someone else, and do not add fire to fire. Critical note:
More literally, ‘except in blood’.
c
Instead, follow the advice of Seneca: “Let conflict always begin from another, but let reconciliation always begin from you.” Quidam bellantes aggressi sunt inimicum, sed alius quidam cucurrit volens ipsum defendere et armavit se versus inimicos illius. Once, some warriors attacked their enemy, but some other man hastened to the fight, wanting only to defend the enemy; he even took up arms against the warriors. Illi autem dixerunt: amice, tibi injuriam non facimus, tolle quod tuum est et vade, quoniam de inimico nostro vindictam quærimus. Nevertheless, the warriors said, “Friend, we shall do you no injury. Take what is yours and depart, for we seek vengeance from our enemy alone.” Qui non acquiescens sermonibus corum ad bellum contra eos se paravit. The man, refusing to take heed of their words, prepared himself for war against them. Illi autem indignati cum inimico ipsum mutilaverunt. Indignant, the warriors cut him down along with their enemy. Critical note:
More literally, ‘Do not grow discord among those who are already in conflict.”
Critical Notes
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Critical note: More literally, ‘except in blood’.
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Critical note: More literally, ‘Do not grow discord among those who are already in conflict.”
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