Dipsa, Rochester Bestiary, c.1230

The mythical Dipsa is a snake so small that you cannot see it before you step on it, and its venom is so poisonous that it kills its victims before they feel its bite.

Transcription

Translation

Dipsa tante exiguitatis fertur. ut cum calcatur
non videatur. cuius venenum ante extinguit.
quam senciatur. ut facies preventa morte; nec tristi-
ciam inducat morituro. De quo poeta. Signife-
rum iuvenem tyrem sanguinis aulum. torta ca-
pud retro dipsa calcata momordit. Vix dolor
aut sensus dentis fuit;

A dipsa is possessed with such littleness, that when it is trodden upon it is not seen, whose poison is extinguished before it is felt, as if the face were prevented from death; nor bring sadness to the dying. About which the poet said: He bit down on a young man who was trampled with his twisted head and a blood-streaked tyre. There was hardly any pain or sensation in the tooth.