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. 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 to etyn hym. and he hercules slouȝ Idra þe serpent {and} brend[e] þe venym. 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 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. ¶ And [he] hercules cast[e] adou{n} Antheus þe geaunt in þe strondes of libye. {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. ¶ And þe bristled[e] boor marked[e] wiþ scomes þe sholdres of hercules. þe whiche sholdres þe heye cercle of heuene sholde þreste. {and} þe laste of his labo{ur}s was þat he sustened[e] þe heuene vpo{n} his nekke vnbowed. {and} he deserued[e] eftsones þe heuene to ben þe pris of his laste trauayle ¶ Goþ now þan ȝe stronge men þere as þe heye weye of þe grete ensample ledeþ ȝou. ¶ O nice men whi nake ȝe ȝoure bakkes. as who seiþ. ¶ O ȝe slowe {and} delicat men whi fley ȝe aduersites. {and} ne fyȝte{n} nat aȝeins hem by vertue to wynnen þe mede of þe heuene. for þe erþe ouer-come{n} ȝeueþ þe sterres. ¶ þis is to seyne þat whan þat erþely lust is ouer-comen. a man is maked worþi to þe heuene.
Text from Project Gutenberg, public domain in the United States.