Dialogus creaturarum

Common human problems are solved according to the teachings of the Bible, church fathers or classical Greek or Roman philosophy.

The author is unknown, but surviving manuscripts suggest the fables may have been gathered and edited by either Mayno de Mayneri (Magninus Mediolanensis) or Nicolaus Pergamenus, both active in the 14th century.

A number of the fables are from Aesop, such as The Lion's Share, The Frog and the Ox and The Wolf and the Lamb.

Other printers soon published Latin texts: Conrad Winters de Homborch in 1481 at Cologne, Jean Bellot in 1500 at Geneva, Claude Nourry in 1509 at Lyon and Pigouchet in 1510 at Paris.

In 1584 the book was printed by de Jode for Plantin as the Apologi Creaturarum, with plates by Marcus Gheeraerts the Elder.

Johann Snell's edition