The Disciplina Clericalis of Petrus Alfonsi

Abstract

Petrus Alfonsi was a Christianized Spanish Jew who had converted in 1106. This work, which was written first in Arabic and then translated into Latin, is an edifying and didactic conversation book. It features thirty-four stories, with a discussion generally following each, consisting especially of quotations from sages and philosophers. The collection includes some clear borrowing from the fable tradition: The Man and the Serpent (V), which includes the Show me just how it happened motif; The Countryman and the Little Bird (XXII), which includes the Let me go free and I will give you three tips gambit; and The Oxen Which the Countryman Had Promised to the Wolf, and the Judgment of the Fox (XXIII), which includes the fox tricking the wolf with the image of cheese in the well. The collection also includes other well known stories, e.g. The Weeping Puppy Dog (XIII) -- a ploy to undermine a faithful wife's fidelity -- and The Two Townsfolk and the Countryman (XIX) -- in which the best dreamer gets the one loaf. There are lots of clever wives getting away with things against their husbands. Other tricksters are good at getting their money back from thieves.

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