Laudator Temporis Acti

A change of sovereignty brings to the poor nothing more than a change in the name of their master. The truth of this is shown by the following little tale.

A timorous old man was pasturing an ass in a meadow. Alarmed by the sudden war cry of enemy soldiers approaching, he urged the ass to flee for fear of capture. But the stubborn beast replied: "I ask you, are you assuming that the conqueror will load me with two packs at a time?" "No," said the old man. "Then," said the ass, "what difference does it make to me whose slave I am, so long as I carry only one pack at a time?"

In principatu commutando civium
nil praeter dominum, non res mutant pauperes.
id esse verum parva haec fabella indicat.

Asellum in prato timidus pascebat senex.
is hostium clamore subito territus        5
suadebat asino fugere, ne possent capi.
At ille lentus: "Quaeso, num binas mihi
clitellas impositurum victorem putas?"
senex negavit. "Ergo quid refert mea
cui serviam, clitellas dum portem unicas?"        10

1 civium saepius PR'
2 dominum, non res Stowasser: domini mores PR': domini nomen Bongars
10 unicas Housman: meas PR