Laudator Temporis Acti

Greek Anthology 9.233 (by Erycius; tr. Norman Douglas):

As thou, poor Mindon, wert cutting dry trees,
A spider, hid there, did thy left foot seize
And bit it from beneath. The venom spread,
Eating the fresh flesh under the heel's tread;
Then thy strong leg was cut off at the knee,
And a wild olive staff now carries thee.

Αὖά τοι ἐκτάμνοντι γεράνδρυα, κάμμορε Μίνδων,
    φωλὰς ἀραχναίη σκαιὸν ἔτυψε πόδα
νειόθεν ἀντιάσασα· χύδην δ' ἔβρυξε μελαίνῃ
    σηπεδόνι χλωρὴν σάρκα κατ' ἀστραγάλους.
ἐτμήθη δ' ἀπὸ τῆς στιβαρὸν γόνυ, καί σε κομίζει        5
    μουνόποδα βλωθρῆς σκηπάνιον κοτίνου.

The same in W.R. Paton's prose translation:

As thou wast cutting the dry roots of old trees, unhappy Mindon, a spider nesting there attacked thee from beneath and bit thy left foot. The venom, spreading, devoured with black putrefaction the fresh flesh of thy heel, and hence thy sturdy leg was cut off at the knee, and a staff cut from a tall wild olive-tree supports thee now on one leg.

A.S.F. Gow and D.L. Page ad loc. (click once or twice to enlarge): I don't have access to G.D. Chryssafis, "Two Hellenistic Passages," Museum Philologum Londiniense 3 (1978) 51-59.

Hat tip: Eric Thomson.

Related post: Condign Punishment.