[6-text p 260]
¶ Was neuere wight sith þat this world bigan
That slew so manye monstres / as dide he
Thurgh-out this wide world / his name ran
What for his strengthe / and for his heigh bountee
Line 3304
And euery Reawme / wente he for to se
He was so strong þat no man myghte hym lette
At bothe the worldes endes / seith Trophee / [¶ Ille vates Calde|orum Tropheus.]
In stede of boundes / he a piler sette
Line 3308
¶ A lemman / hadde this noble champion
That highte Dian[i]ra / fressh as May
And as thise clerkes / maken mencion
She hath hym sent a sherte / fressh and gay
Line 3312
Allas this sherte / allas and weylaway
Enuenymed was / so subtilly with alle
That er þat he / hadde wered it half a day
It made his flessh / al from hise bones falle
Line 3316
¶ But natheles / somme clerkes hire excusen [folio 91a]
By oon þat highte Nessus / þat it maked
Be as be may / I wol hire noght accusen
But on his bak the sherte he wered al naked
Line 3320
Til þat his flessh / was for the venym blaked
And whan he say / noon oother remedie
In hote coles / he hath hym seluen raked
ffor with no venym / deigned hym to dye
Line 3324
¶ Thus starf / this worthy myghty Hercules
Lo who may truste on ffortune / any throwe
ffor hym þat folweth / al this world of prees
Er he be war / is ofte yleyd ful lowe
Line 3328
fful wys is he / þat kan hym seluen knowe
Beth war / for whan þat ffortune list to glose
Thanne waiteth she / hir man to ouerthrowe
By swich a wey / as he wolde leest suppose
Line 3332
