Dante's Heart
The Seven Sages of Rome
The Shepherd and the Boar
“…In the woods there was a boar, huge and very strong, and in that woods
there was a beautiful pear tree, and it held many pears, to which the boar
came. And the boar shook these pears and ate some. It happened that a
shepherd who was in these parts lost one of his oxen, which fled to the
woods where this boar was. The shepherd followed the ox, but he did not
find it, and going through the woods, he found the pears which this boar was
eating, and he began to collect some of these pears to carry to his lord, to
mitigate his wrath. Another time he returned to the pear tree, and he began
to fill his sack with these pears, and he climbed up on the pear tree, not
knowing anything about the boar. And while he was there, the boar came to
the pear tree, and the shepherd was afraid to climb down for fear of it.
The boar wanted to eat some pears, and it began to shake the pear tree as
usual. The shepherd, hanging on up there, began to slowly throw down
some pears so that the boar would eat and leave full. When the boar had
eaten a great deal, it leaned against the tree; and the shepherd, descending
slowly to the ground, got closer to the boar and scratched it softly. The
boar felt pleasure and began to bend itself toward the earth. The
shepherd rubbed close to its abdomen and made the boar throw itself
toward the ground, and there it fell asleep. The shepherd, seeing this, took
his knife and killed it. And thus they will do to you, lord emperor, those
philosophers who, with these words of theirs, will kill you.”
The king, hearing this, commanded that his son be led in the morning to
judgment.
The third philosopher came, and he said to the emperor, “It seems all right
to you to kill your son unjustly at the petition of a woman…”
back next page: "The Old Husband and the Young Wife"
The Shepherd and the Boar
“…In the woods there was a boar, huge and very strong, and in that woods
there was a beautiful pear tree, and it held many pears, to which the boar
came. And the boar shook these pears and ate some. It happened that a
shepherd who was in these parts lost one of his oxen, which fled to the
woods where this boar was. The shepherd followed the ox, but he did not
find it, and going through the woods, he found the pears which this boar was
eating, and he began to collect some of these pears to carry to his lord, to
mitigate his wrath. Another time he returned to the pear tree, and he began
to fill his sack with these pears, and he climbed up on the pear tree, not
knowing anything about the boar. And while he was there, the boar came to
the pear tree, and the shepherd was afraid to climb down for fear of it.
The boar wanted to eat some pears, and it began to shake the pear tree as
usual. The shepherd, hanging on up there, began to slowly throw down
some pears so that the boar would eat and leave full. When the boar had
eaten a great deal, it leaned against the tree; and the shepherd, descending
slowly to the ground, got closer to the boar and scratched it softly. The
boar felt pleasure and began to bend itself toward the earth. The
shepherd rubbed close to its abdomen and made the boar throw itself
toward the ground, and there it fell asleep. The shepherd, seeing this, took
his knife and killed it. And thus they will do to you, lord emperor, those
philosophers who, with these words of theirs, will kill you.”
The king, hearing this, commanded that his son be led in the morning to
judgment.
The third philosopher came, and he said to the emperor, “It seems all right
to you to kill your son unjustly at the petition of a woman…”
back next page: "The Old Husband and the Young Wife"
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