Lectitō › Fabulae Faciles › Fabulae Faciles: Hercules
Fabulae Faciles 44
Hercules and Cacus
Ritchie, Fabulae Faciles: Hercules. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō44.1Herculēs cum nūllum alium introitum reperīre posset, hoc saxum āmovēre cōnātus est, sed propter eius magnitūdinem rēs erat difficillima.
Since Hercules could find no other way in, he tried to move this rock, but because of its size the task was very difficult.
44.2Diū frūstrā labōrābat neque quicquam efficere poterat; tandem tamen magnō cōnātū saxum āmōvit et spēluncam patefēcit.
For a long time he labored in vain and could accomplish nothing; but at last, with a great effort, he moved the rock and opened up the cave.
44.3Ibi āmissōs bovēs magnō cum gaudiō cōnspēxit; sed Cācum ipsum vix cernere potuit, quod spēlunca replēta erat fūmō quem ille mōre suō ēvomēbat.
There, with great joy, he caught sight of the lost oxen; but he could hardly see Cacus himself, because the cave was filled with smoke, which Cacus was breathing out, as was his habit.
Note. mōre suō: 'as was his habit'.
44.4Herculēs inūsitātā speciē turbātus breve tempus haesitābat; mox tamen in spēluncam inrūpit et collum mōnstrī bracchiīs complexus est.
Hercules, confused by this strange sight, hesitated for a short time; but soon he burst into the cave and clasped the monster's neck in his arms.
44.5Ille etsī multum repugnāvit, nūllō modō sē līberāre potuit, et cum nūlla facultās respīrandī darētur, mox exanimātus est.
Although Cacus struggled hard, he could not free himself in any way, and since he was given no chance to breathe, he was soon killed.
Vocabulary
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| nūllus, -a, -um | not any, none, no |
| alius, -a, -ud | another, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others |
| introitus, -ūs, m. | entrance |
| reperiō, reperīre, repperī, repertus | find, discover |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| saxum, -ī, n. | rock, stone |
| āmoveō, -movēre, -mōvī, -mōtus | move away |
| cōnor, -ārī, -ātus | try, attempt |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| sed, conj. | but |
| propter, prep. with acc. | on account of, because of |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| magnitūdō, -tūdinis, f. | greatness, size |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| difficilis, -e | not easy, difficult |
| diū, adv. | for a long time, a long time or while, long; comp |
| frūstrā, adv. | in vain |
| labōrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | labor, toil |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| quisquam, quicquam, indef. pron. | any one, anything |
| efficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | make or work out, accomplish, effect |
| tandem, adv. | at length or last, finally |
| tamen, adv. | however, yet, nevertheless |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| cōnātus, -ūs, m. | attempt, effort |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| spēlunca, -ae, f. | cave, cavern |
| patefaciō, -facere, -fēcī, -factus | throw, or lay open, open |
| ibi, adv. | in that place, there |
| āmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send away, lose |
| bōs, bovis, gen. plur. boum, dat. and abl. plur. bōbus, m. and f. | ox, bull, cow |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| gaudium, -ī, n. | gladness, joy |
| cōnspiciō, -spicere, -spēxī, -spectus | behold, perceive, see |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| vix, adv. | with difficulty, scarcely, hardly, barely |
| cernō, cernere, crēvī, certus or crētus | discern, perceive, make out |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| repleō, -plēre, -plēvī, -plētus | fill again or up, fill |
| fūmus, -ī, m. | smoke |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| mōs, mōris, m. | way, manner, habit, custom |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| ēvomō, -vomere, -vomuī, -vomitus | vomit forth |
| inūsitātus, -a, -um | unusual, extraordinary |
| speciēs, -ēī, f. | sight, appearance, shape |
| turbō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | confuse, throw into disorder, disturb, trouble |
| brevis, -e | short |
| tempus, temporis, n. | time, season |
| haesitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | hesitate |
| mox, adv. | soon |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| inrumpō, -rumpere, -rūpī, -ruptus | burst into or in |
| collum, -ī, n. | neck |
| mōnstrum, -ī, n. | wonder, monster |
| bracchium, -ī, n. | arm |
| complector, -plectī, -plexus | embrace |
| etsī, conj. | even if, although |
| multum, -ī, n. | much |
| repugnō, -pugnāre, -pugnāvī, -pugnātus | fight against, struggle, resist |
| modus, -ī, m. | way, manner |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| līberō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | set free, free, liberate, release |
| facultās, -tātis, f. | possibility, opportunity, chance, means |
| respīrō, -spīrāre, -spīrāvī, -spīrātus | breathe back or out, breathe |
| dō, dare, dedī, datus | give |
| exanimō, -animāre, -animāvī, -animātus | put out of breath, fatigue, tire, exhaust; stupefy; kill |