rows strook,
And from the watchful dragon's care the golden apples took.[164]
He in a threefold chain the hellish porter led,
And with their cruel master's flesh the savage horses fed.
He did th' increasing heads of poisonous Hydra burn,
And breaking Achelous' horns, did make him back return.[165]*
He on the Libyan sands did proud Antaeus kill,
And with the mighty Cacus' blood Euander's wrath fulfil.
That world-uplifting back the boar's white foam did fleck.
To hold on high the sphere of heaven with never bending neck
Of all his many toils the last was, and most hard,
And for this last and greatest toil the heaven was his reward.
You gallant men pursue this way of high renown,
Why yield you? Overcome the earth, and you the stars shall crown,"

[164] Literally, "his left hand weighted with the golden metal."

[165] Lit. "The river Achelous dishonoured in his brow (by the loss of
his horns) buried his shame-stricken face in his banks."

ANICII MANLII SEVERINI BOETHII

V.C. ET INL. EXCONS. ORD. EX MAG. OFF. PATRICII

PHILOSOPHIAE CONSOLATIONIS

LIBER QVARTVS EXPLICIT

INCIPIT LIBER V.

I.

Dixerat orationisque cursum ad alia quaedam tractanda atque expedienda
uertebat. Tum ego: "Recta quidem," inquam, "exhortatio tuaque prorsus
auctoritate dignissima, sed quod tu dudum de prouidentia quaestionem
pluribus aliis implicitam esse dixisti, re experior. Quaero enim an esse
aliquid omnino et quidnam esse casum arbitrere." Tum illa: "Festino,"
inquit; "debitum promissionis absoluere uiamque tibi qua patriam reueharis
aperire. Haec autem etsi perutilia cognitu tamen a propositi nostri tramite
paulisper auersa sunt, uerendumque est ne deuiis fatigatus ad emetiendum
rectum iter sufficere non possis." "Ne id," inquam, "prorsus uereare. Nam
quietis mihi loco fuerit ea quibus maxime delector agnoscere, simul cum
omne disputationis tuae latus indubitata fide constiterit, nihil de
sequentibus ambigatur." Tum illa: "Morem," inquit, "geram tibi," simulque
sic orsa est: "Si quidem," inquit, "aliquis euentum temerario motu nullaque
causarum conexione productum casum esse definiat, nihil omnino casum esse
confirmo et praeter subiectae rei significationem inanem prorsus uocem esse
decerno. Quis enim coercente in ordinem cuncta deo locus esse ullus
temeritati reliquus potest? Nam nihil ex nihilo exsistere uera sententia
est cui nemo umquam ueterum refragatus est, quamquam