Chaucer's Translation of Boethius's "De Consolatione Philosophiae" · Boethius
BELLA BIS QUENIS. {ET} C{ETERA}.
He drouȝ Cerberus þe hound of helle by hys treble cheyne. [Sidenote: he gave the body of proud Diomede as food for the tyrant’s horses;] he ouer-comer as it is seid haþ put an vnmeke lorde fodre to hys cruel hors ¶ þis is to sein. þat hercules slouȝ diomedes {and} made his hors 4268 to etyn hym. [Sidenote: he slew the serpent Hydra;] and he hercules slouȝ Idra þe serpent {and} brend[e] þe venym. [Sidenote: he caused Achelous to hide his blushing head within his banks;] and achelaus þe flode defouled[e] in his forhede dreint[e] his shamefast visage in his strondes. þis is to sein þat achelaus couþe transfigure 4272 hym self in to dyuerse lykenesse. {and} as he fauȝt wiþ orcules at þe laste he t{ur}nid[e] hym in to a bole and hercules brak of oon of hys hornes. {and} achelaus for shame hidde hym in hys ryuer. [Sidenote: he left Antæus dead upon the Lybian shore;] [Sidenote: [* fol. 33 _b_.]] ¶ And [he] hercules 4276 *cast[e] adou{n} Antheus þe geaunt in þe strondes of libye. [Sidenote: he appeased Evander’s wrath by killing Cacus;] {and} kacus apaised[e] þe wraþþes of euander. þis is to sein þat hercules slouȝ þe Monstre kacus {and} apaised[e] wiþ þat deeþ þe wraþþe of euander. [Sidenote: he slew the Erymanthean boar;] ¶ And 4280 þe bristled[e] boor marked[e] wiþ scomes þe sholdres of hercules. þe whiche sholdres þe heye cercle of heuene sholde þreste.
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