Medieval Bestiary : Encyclopedia : Ecbasis captivi

Texts : Ecbasis captivi

The inner fable of the Ecbasis captivi, sometimes called "The sick lion", appeared in other texts, though they are not the source of the Ecbasis. The inner fable is excerpted here, along with the corresponding fable from Aesop's Fables, Ysengrimus and the Roman de Renart

The Inner Fable of the Ecbasis captivi (10th century)

Excerpts from the translation by Edwin H. Zeydel.

... [Line 395]
It happened by chance at the time the law of the tithe was decreed,
That the edict went out that the beasts of the forest should hurry to the cave
And bring anything sanative for the limbs of the sick king.
All hurry hither but bring nothing life-giving
Which might benefit head, leg, stomach or foot.
My ancestor is chosen, he is designated chamberlain,
And he is ordered to go through the gathering of brethren;
He ponders with frequent meditation who may be missing.
There are absent from the rest the medicines of the clever fox.
The fox's eager foe soon bears this to the ears of the king,
And worse things than these he reports: that the fox is trying to betray the king.
The sick king commands that whoever is a loyal friend
Should seize the fox and tear him limb from limb.
When my ancestor learns it, he demands remarkable torture:
A lofty cross is hung for the fox from a high tree.
The panther alone in the gathering of brethren was sorry,
He went on a run to report the order of the king.
After five hundred stadia had been completed,
The fox happened to meet the panther as he was almost exhausted;
What he saw he reports, nor does he conceal the tortures.
When the fox had learned the news, he raised up both his hands
And implores the Alpha and Omega (God) to spare him that torment,
And smiling he pretends that what he knows to be truth is meaningless.
... [Line 430]
He takes off the shackles of his feet (his shoes) and makes for the lion's cave.
When he came near he said, "Take pity upon me, Lord."
(Fox to panther) "Stay here until you know the mighty disposition of the king.
There is an oak nearby against which you may stand with your back."
None the less not without reward did his queen (the fox: vulpis, f.) leave the panther,
For to the comrade of his way he gave three-quarters pounds of gold.
With measured step the fox had approached the cave.
With trembling heart he stood at the outer limits,
Bent his head forward and asked the master to bless him.
He is blessed, and "Amen" is spoken twice by the comrades.
440 (Lion) "Beast of many heads (hypocrite), do you come to visit one who is dying?"
(Fox) "For what would I have come if not to bring medicine?"
(Lion) "Why do you strive to keep your step away from the gathering of brethren?
Inspect the council, if any of our comrades is missing."
(Fox) "By Hercules, your sick-bed, oppressed by great silence (loneliness)!"
(Lion) "I thirst to find out what kept you from our cave."
... [Line 446]
(Fox) "When the coot was flying across the sea of Gennesaret,
It saw me and returned and presently revealed such words about you:
"Dear sister fox, what news do you bring us in our sadness?
Has the lion got well, whom dreadful pain (stabbing) oppressed?
In these seaside parts great mourning occurs.
Run, hurry: life is concealed in this medicine,
What I entrust to you, entrust it faithfully to the invalid.
That you may be speedy and not err about in these mountains:
From here take the road to the left and by it go down toward Rome,
And with hasty step make for the fortress of Bordeaux;
The parrot will meet you, seeking the tents of the king,
Tell him forthwith what you will then know for certain:
I commend my prayers as a suppliant to our lord, the king."
... [Line 467]
(Lion to fox) "Many things fly about concerning you which besmirch your life with crime."
(Fox) "Let the inquisitor come, let him disclose my whole guilt that has been mentioned:
If it is deserving of death, let me be forced to succumb to the law;
470 If I am judged innocent, I shall rejoice in the palace of my master."
The entire gathering was silent and the law of the cross hushed.
(Fox) "Whatever is under the surface of the earth, time will bring it into the sun.
The passing years take one thing after another from us,
Gray hair, premature, is already diffused over my head,
And see how the down of old age has already grown around my ears,
And how a hide, already coarse, has settled upon my legs;
By night and day my legs are racked with severe pain,
I cannot excel the dog in running, nor the boar in strength,
I am like the swan, changing all over my body,
I shrivel up, as the happy Indian crow (phoenix) is wont to do:
To find health for you I traversed the breadth of the earth."
Thus then he lies, thus he mixes falsehood with truth,
So that the middle would not be at variance with the beginning nor the end with the middle,
Ready rather to follow the tortuous path than to speak the truth.
This weepy mood of the fox pleased the beasts,
And all shout in unison: "Let the Olympian fox be venerated!"
They kneel at his feet, and no one stands aside,
And pity remains the lot of the fox for his heavy toil.
The wrath of the ruler vanishes, and the reputation of the fox grows:
With a solemn hymn he is brought before the king.
He touched the scepter of the king to be assured of the pledge of peace,
This being the way to pledge peace among kings at that time.
(Lion) "What the coot has sent and your clever energy has brought,
Bring it forth in the midst of the assemblage of the denizens of the forest."
(Fox) "I will speak my reluctance, I will seek out the cure that has been ordered.
The highest herald of the house, although he is my uncle" -
It is the wolf that is meant, much hated by the shepherds -
"Let him be led discreetly before the gates of the Court, lest it affect
The viscera of the king, but then let him be flayed down to his toenails.
The bear can do this more readily with two lynxes.
With the brain of a fish which I have brought from the regions of India
I shall smear his back, kidneys, and also his groin from top to bottom;
The kidneys of the invalid shall be covered with the newly acquired hide,
And his acute illness shall be dissipated by the warm pelt."
(Lion) "Nothing is so pleasant and dear to me as to live in good health."
The wolf departs sadly with only a few of his friends weeping.
As the fox had ordered, the lynxes strive to carry things out,
And with them the bear arose with his characteristic growling;
As they flay they spare only his head and feet,
And they denude him from up on the shoulders all the way down.
The sick king is anointed, enveloped in the hide and made warm again.
When the fox sat down on the ground he asked that a goblet be brought him;
After drinking a little he straightway speaks as follows:
(Fox) "Woe, horde of bad faith, united in ill-ordered trust.
But the holy right hand of the king should commit no crime:
Let him strive for good sense and ponder the precepts of the law
More indulgently toward the fainthearted than toward one whose spirits are easily excited.
From no man's mouth have I gained knowledge, nor have I been able to learn.
Though I came later, yet I have accomplished more than all of these.
I beg the lenient king to be forbearing with me.
If I have said anything evilly, may the gathering in this cave reproach me,
But if I have also uttered something useful, may this senate hold it dear."
They laud him, they honor him, they show him love, and they surround him with cheers.
... [Line 452]
(Lion to fox) "You keep the house in order, lest anyone disturb me, sick
Nor let anyone harm me, desirous of peace, and what is more, [man,
Let there not be anyone in the gathering who may kick up his heels.
Whoever may disturb you shall know it is better not to touch you,
He will be tortured all over the cave with the twisted flail.
The necks of the haughty shall learn what is the punishment for the guilty.
Run along in peace and learn to know the commands of the fox:
Whoever venerates the master should venerate his minister in everything."
He had granted the wielding of the scepter to the fox.
Greater fear, more than was wont, goes through their hearts,
No voice is able to speak, no show of pride shines forth.
Then the intimidated gathering carries out what the master had commanded,
All rise and offer their necks to him who was giving orders...

The Old Lion, The Fox, and The Wolf (5th century BCE-?)

Aesop's Fables, Perry index 258. Translation by Laura Gibbs (fable number M023).

The lion, having grown old, became sick and was lying in his cave. The other animals came to visit the king, but not the fox. The wolf, therefore, seizing the opportunity, in the lion's presence accused the fox for treating her master, the lord of all the animals, as if he were of no importance and thus not having come to visit him. In the meantime the fox also showed up and heard the wolf's closing words. The lion accordingly grew angry at the fox but the fox, begging time to speak in her defense, said, "Who among those who have gathered here have been as useful as I have been? I have traveled everywhere and sought a cure for you from a doctor, which I have learned." And when the lion immediately ordered the fox to tell him the cure, the fox said, "A wolf needs to be flayed alive, and you should put on his skin while it's still warm." Without delay, the wolf was killed and as the corpse was lying there, the fox laughed and said, "And thus it is better not to prompt your master's ill will but rather this good will."

The Court of the Sick Lion (12th century)

Ysengrimus, Book III, verses 1-1198. Summary by Jill Mann (page XI-XII).

The lion, king of beasts, falls sick and summons the chief representatives of the animals to his court to give him counsel. Only Reynard stays away. Ysengrimus, pretending to medical knowledge, advises the king that he will be cured if he eats the flesh of a sheep and a goat. In response, the sheep and goat advise the king to send for Reynard again, and this time he obeys the summons. On arrival, he pretends to have been away on a journey to Salerno to seek medicine for the king, and produces six pairs of worn-out shoes (counting them out three times so that they appear more numerous) as evidence of his long journey. He recommends that the king, besides taking a potion of the medicinal herbs he has acquired, should undergo a sweating cure inside the skin of a three-and-a-half-year-old wolf. Ysengrimus' age then becomes the subject of some debate, but he is finally flayed by the bear, and his skin is used to cure the lion.

Reynard the Doctor (12th-13th century)

Excerpts from The Romance of Reynard the Fox, Branch X. Adapted from Michel Corne.

The king was so distraught
that his blood ran cold,
the pain made him feel sick,
and he began to vomit blood.
He was put to bed,
but after calming down a little,
he remained very agitated and trembled all over,
stricken with quartan fever.
Under the grip of the illness,
he thought he was going to die.
All this happened around Saint John's Day,
and lasted nearly six months.
He summoned doctors from everywhere
to relieve his suffering,
not one remained until he reached the sea.
So many came, from hill and dale,
that it was impossible to say how many.
So many counts and kings also came
to visit the sick king,
that it was impossible to name them all.
All the doctors rushed to him without delay
at the king's request,
but none of them
succeeded in curing him of his illness.
...
[Reynard] finally arrives at the court.
The king, whose face is very pale
because of terrible headaches,
completely falls apart
at the sight of Renart entering the room.
Yet Renart, who is skilled in rhetoric,
greets him courteously:
...
"Sire, I come from Rome,
from Salerno, and from overseas,
where I sought a cure for you.”
The king replies immediately:
“Renart, you are nothing but a vile deceiver,
you are not welcome here.
Son of a whore! Dwarf! Infidel!”
Know from now on that you are my prisoner!
How dare you
appear before me?
Let me lose my reputation,
while I hold you in my hands,
if I do not punish you
as my court sees fit.
"Now then! Sire, why is this?"
said Renart, "consider your words.
"Is this all the credit
I receive for services rendered,
searching for the right potion
against your illness?
By God the Father and the Holy Spirit,
I suffered terribly because of this potion,
yet you want to get rid of me,
and even without knowing why.
In God's name, sire, listen to me,
restrain your anger a little,
and hear what I have to say.
You seem unaware of it, but know
that I have gone to great lengths for you.
I traveled the whole country
from end to end,
I went to the Ardennes,
Lombardy, and Tuscany,
as soon as I learned of your illness.
I never stayed more than a night
in the same castle or the same town,
you should know that.
There isn't a doctor across the sea,
nor in Salerno or anywhere else,
to whom I haven't spoken of your case.
It's been at least three months, I believe,
since I last spent a night here.
But in Salerno, I found an expert
to whom I described your illness,
and I bring you his remedy."
"Are you telling me the truth?" the lion asked him.
"Yes, sire, it's the truth.
See the potion I have here with me
to cure your illness.
It gave me a great deal of trouble.
By the faith I owe to Saint Peter of Rome,
I will make you as good as gold,
if you will heed my advice."
"How," said Noble, "can you say
that you will cure me?
I don't believe you can."
"Yes, sire, trust me,
you have nothing more to worry about,
for you will be completely restored."
...
[Noble said] "as for you, Renart, take care of me,
and quickly take the necessary measures.
We will do everything you say,
there will be no one to contradict you,
or advise you to do this or that.”
'I place myself in your hands.
I am in so much pain that I can't see a thing,
I don't think I'll last until Pentecost,
if God doesn't take pity on me.
I would be content with half
of the suffering that overwhelms me,
if God so willed.
My head aches so badly,
God be my witness, that I feel
as if it's being cut in four.
My vision often blurs
to the point of being completely blind,
and my mouth is so bitter
that no food has any taste.
I ache all over,
and so much in my chest
that I have great difficulty breathing.
I couldn't even describe half
of the pain that consumes me."
Renart replied: 'You will be cured
in three days.
Bring me a urinal
so that I may examine the severity of the illness."
The urinal is set up.
Noble sits up,
urinates, and fills it halfway.
Renard then says, "That's perfect."
Then he takes the urinal, goes out into the sun,
raises it,
obviously examines it,
turns it this way and that
to see if it mixes properly.
He observes the circle of its humors,
and understands, without a doubt,
that the king needs help.
He returns to the king boasting:
"Sire," he says, "God help me,
see you have a high fever,
but I have the potion that will cure it,
sire, trust me."
He takes his arm, feels his pulse,
and finds that it is not very regular."
He felt his ribs,
his chest and flanks,
and said: “Sire, by Saint Esblant,
I almost arrived too late.
Your illness must absolutely be treated
if you wish to recover.”
Noble replied: “I desire nothing more,
I am ready to give up half my kingdom,
by Saint William,
to regain my health.”
“If that is your wish,” said Renart,
“then you are in good hands.
You will suffer no more,
for by the end of the week,
I will restore your health.
Have them close the doors,
and have them bring
everything I ask for.
I will eradicate the illness that is consuming you,
and make the quartan fever
that is taking your breath away disappear.”
Noble replied: “With pleasure,
you will have everything you need.
“Sire,” he said, “listen to me carefully.
First, I need
a wolf skin with all the hairs.
You will see how well
I know about astrology,
I will restore your health.”
Ysengrin was seized with terror
when he heard him say this.
He prayed to God to protect him
so that he would not be at Renart's mercy.
He knew full well that if Renart succeeded,
he would make him suffer,
for there was no other wolf here but him.
He understands that Renart
wants to take revenge on him today.
He paces back and forth in the courtyard,
so much does he wish he were anywhere else.
Noble, after hearing Renart,
raises his whiskers slightly,
then looks at all his barons.
He sees the wolf, and after a moment's thought,
says to him: "My dearest friend,
you will be able to be of use to me
in relieving my pain."
Renart adds: "You are right,
he will be very useful to you
if he will lend you his pelt.
He will soon find it again
with the new season,
he won't even be cold with his bare skin."
Ysengrin replies: "My lord, do not do that.
Do you wish to dishonor one of your beasts?
Understand that it is impossible for me
to be stripped of my fur.
I believe that one must not love me very much
to want to strip me like that.
In God's name, spare me this!"
The king was furious to hear this.
"By my eyes," he said, "Lord Wolf,
you are very rash
to contradict me like this,
but you will be rewarded,
we'll see who loves me."
"Lords," he said, "show me then,
seize him right here before me,
and take off at once
this skin he refuses to give us."
They pounced on him to overpower him,
they came from all sides,
they grabbed him by the feet and arms,
and tore the skin from his back.
The unfortunate man was in great pain,
and he trotted out of the room,
he had paid his dues.
...
"Go at once and fetch our king,
and bring him here to me quickly,
without further delay,
before God covers you with shame."
They brought him promptly,
while Renart took an ointment.
"Sire," he said, "I will cure you,
I will relieve you of this fever,
but you will have to suffer a little."
Noble replies, "I wish for nothing more
than to be cured of this illness,
for I feel very weak."
Renart makes him lie face down on the ground,
and puts his muzzle
in the hellebore,
which is truly very strong.
Noble feels a rush of heat,
then begins to swell.
He starts to fidget,
while a fart escapes from his rear end.
He struggles, he sneezes,
the king is truly in great distress,
he is so swollen and so much he is panting,
his back is soaked with sweat.
Noble then says, "I feel so bloated."
Renart replies, "Don't worry,
you are getting better, have no fear."
The other keeps farting,
because the potion is pulling at him
and heating his entire body.
Renart spread it out beside the fire,
took the wolf's skin,
and wrapped the lion in it.
Then, he took some of the potion
he had stolen from the pilgrim,
and made the king eat it.
Immediately after swallowing it,
he felt nothing and had no pain anywhere,
not even in his hands or feet.
He thanked Renart profusely:
“Renart,” he said, “I am cured,
thank you a thousand times,
I make you lord of my land.
You will have my help
in waging war against whomever you wish,
and I will make you my advisor.
I am completely cured, I have no more pain,
you will be richly rewarded.”
“Thank God,” replied Renart,
“thanks to whom I was able to restore you..."