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αἱροῦνται δὲ οἱ λαγῲ ὑπὸ ἀλωπέκων οὐχ ἧττον ἀλλὰ καὶ μᾶλλον τέχνῃ: σοφὸν γὰρ ἀπατᾶν ἀλώπηξ, καὶ δόλους οἶδεν. ὅταν γοῦν νύκτωρ ἐς ἴχνος ἐμπέσῃ τοῦ λαγὼ καὶ αἴσθηται τοῦ θηρίου, σιγῇ τε ἐπιβαίνει καὶ ποδὶ ἀψόφῳ, καὶ ἀναστέλλει τὸ ἆσθμα, καὶ καταλαβοῦσα ἐν τῇ κοίτῃ πειρᾶται αἱρεῖν ὡς ἀδεᾶ καὶ ἄφροντιν. ὃ δὲ οὐ τρυφῶν οὐδὲ ῥᾳθύμως καθεύδει, ἀλλ᾽ ἅμα τε ᾔσθετο τοῦ ζῴου τοῦ προσιόντος καὶ τῆς εὐνῆς ἐξεπήδησε καὶ θεῖ: καὶ ὃ μὲν ἀνύτει τὸν δρόμον καὶ μάλα ὠκέως, ἡ δὲ ἀλώπηξ καὶ αὐτὴ κατ᾽ ἴχνος ἵεται καὶ τοῦ δρόμου ἔχεται. καὶ ὃ μὲν πολλὴν ὁδὸν διανύσας, ὡς ἤδη κρείττων καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἁλούς, ἐμπεσὼν ἐς λόχμην ἀσμένως ἀναπαύεται: ἡ δὲ ἀλώπηξ ἐφίσταται, καὶ ἀτρεμεῖν οὐκ ἐπιτρέπει, πάλιν τε αὐτὸν ἐγείρει, καὶ ἐς δρόμον ἐξηνέμωσεν ἕτερον. εἶτα οὐχ ἥττων τῆς προτέρας ὁδὸς καὶ δὴ διηνύσθη, καὶ ὃ μὲν ἀναπαύσασθαι διψᾷ πάλιν, ἣ δὲ ἐφίσταται, καὶ σείουσα τὸν θάμνον ἀγρυπνίαν ἐνεργάζεται αὐτῷ. ὃ δὲ πάλιν ἐκθεῖ, καὶ ἡ ἀλώπηξ οὐχ ὑστερεῖ. συνεχέστερον δὲ ὅταν αὐτὸν δρόμος ἐκ δρόμου διαλάβῃ καὶ ἀγρυπνία διαδέξηται, ὃ μὲν ἀπεῖπε, ἣ δὲ ἐπελθοῦσα κατέσχεν αὐτόν, οὐ μὰ Δία δρόμῳ ἀλλὰ τῷ χρόνῳ καὶ τῷ δόλῳ καθελοῦσα. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἄλλως προεκθέων ὁ λόγος ὑπὲρ τοῦ δρόμου [p. 325] τοῦ λαγὼ ἀναβέβληται, τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ ἐν τοῖς ἑπομένοις λέγειν ἐγκαιρότερον: ὅθεν δὲ ἐξετραπόμην καὶ δὴ ἐπάνειμι αὖθις. ἦν δὲ ἄρα τοῦ διασπείρειν τὰ ἔκγονα καὶ ἄλλο ἄλλῃ τρέφειν αἰτία ἥδε. ἔστι μὲν ὁ λαγὼς φιλότεκνον δεινῶς, δέδοικε δὲ καὶ τὰς ἐκ τῶν θηρώντων ἐπιβουλὰς καὶ τὰς ἐκ τῶν ἀλωπέκων ἐπιδρομάς, πέφρικέ γε μὴν καὶ τὰς ἐκ τῶν ὀρνίθων οὐχ ἧττον, φωνὴν δὲ κοράκων καὶ ἀετῶν μᾶλλον: πρὸς γὰρ δὴ ταῦτα τῶν πτηνῶν οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτῷ ἔνσπονδα. ὑποκρύπτει δὲ ἑαυτὸν ἢ θάμνῳ κομῶντι ἢ ληίῳ βαθεῖ, ἤ τινα ἄλλην ἑαυτοῦ προβάλλεται ἀναγκαίαν καὶ ἄμαχον σκέπην.
Claudii Aeliani de natura animalium libri xvii, varia historia, epistolae, fragmenta, Vol 1. Aelian. Rudolf Hercher. In Aedibus B.G. Teubneri. Lipsiae. 1864. Keyboarding.
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