Abstract
Throughout his allegedly biographical prologues and epilogues, Phaedrus represents his work as developing gradually from submissive translation of Aesop to independent literary creation. While scholars usually take this progression at face value, closer scrutiny reveals that Phaedrus modifies Aesopic material to serve his own ends long before he overtly asserts his poetic autonomy. In poem 1.2, Phaedrus adapts a fable about Athenian democracy for uniquely Roman audiences, engaging allusively with Cicero's De Re Publica. At the same time, he adjusts Cicero's ideas about political change in the Republic to fit realities of life in the Empire. Poem 1.2 also functions programmatically by establishing Cynic-Stoic resignation as a major theme for the rest of the fable collection.
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