Lectitō › Fabulae Faciles › Fabulae Faciles: Hercules
Fabulae Faciles 53
The last labor
Ritchie, Fabulae Faciles: Hercules. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō53.1Postquam flūmen Stygem hōc modō trānsiit, Herculēs in sēdem ipsīus Plūtōnis vēnit; et postquam causam veniendī docuit, ab eō petīvit ut Cerberum auferre sibi licēret.
After he had crossed the river Styx in this way, Hercules came to the home of Pluto himself; and after he explained the reason for his coming, he asked him for permission to carry off Cerberus.
53.2Plūtō, quī dē Hercule fāmam accēperat, eum benignē excēpit, et facultātem quam ille petēbat libenter dedit.
Pluto, who had heard of Hercules, received him kindly, and gladly gave the permission which he asked.
53.3Postulāvit tamen ut Herculēs ipse, cum imperāta Eurystheī fēcisset, Cerberum in Orcum rūrsus redūceret.
But he demanded that Hercules himself, when he had carried out the orders of Eurystheus, should bring Cerberus back to Orcus again.
53.4Herculēs hoc pollicitus est, et Cerberum, quem nōn sine magnō perīculō manibus prehenderat, summō cum labōre ex Orcō in lūcem et ad urbem Eurystheī trāxit.
Hercules promised this, and with the greatest effort dragged Cerberus, whom he had seized in his hands at no small risk, out of Orcus into the light and to the city of Eurystheus.
Note. pollicitus est: polliceor is deponent, so this means 'he promised'.
53.5Eō cum vēnisset, tantus timor animum Eurystheī occupāvit ut ex ātriō statim refūgerit; cum autem paulum sē ex timōre recēpisset, multīs cum lacrimīs obsecrāvit Herculem ut mōnstrum sine morā in Orcum redūceret.
When he had arrived there, such great fear seized the mind of Eurystheus that he at once fled from the hall; but when he had recovered a little from his fear, with many tears he begged Hercules to take the monster back to Orcus without delay.
53.6Sīc contrā omnium opīniōnem duodecim illī labōrēs quōs Pȳthia praecēperat intrā duodecim annōs cōnfectī sunt; quae cum ita essent, Herculēs servitūte tandem līberātus magnō cum gaudiō Thēbās rediit.
So, contrary to everyone's expectation, those twelve labors which Pythia had laid on him were completed within twelve years; and this being so, Hercules, freed at last from slavery, returned to Thebes with great joy.
Note. quae cum ita essent: a fixed phrase, 'since this was so'.
Vocabulary
| postquam, conj. | later than, after, when |
| flūmen, -minis, n. | river |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| modus, -ī, m. | way, manner |
| trānseō, -īre, -iī, -itus | go across or over, cross |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| sēdēs, -is, f. | seat, abode |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| causa, -ae, f. | cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of |
| doceo, -ēre, -uī, -tus | teach, explain |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| petō, -ere, -īvī or -iī, -ītus | seek, ask; attack |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| auferō, auferre, abstulī, ablātus | bear away, carry off |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| licet, -ēre, -uit or -itum est, impers. | is lawful or permitted |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| fāma, -ae, f. | report, rumor |
| accipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take to oneself, receive, accept; hear; suffer |
| benignē, adv. | kindly |
| excipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take out or up, receive, welcome, entertain |
| facultās, -tātis, f. | possibility, opportunity, chance, means |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| libenter, adv. | willingly, gladly |
| dō, dare, dedī, datus | give |
| postulō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | ask, request, demand |
| tamen, adv. | however, yet, nevertheless |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| imperō, -perāre, -perāvī, -perātus | command, order, enjoin |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| rūrsus, adv. | again |
| redūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead or bring back; restore |
| polliceor, -licērī, -licitus | promise |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| sine, prep. with abl. | without |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| perīculum, -ī, n. | danger, peril, risk |
| manus, -ūs, f. | hand |
| prehendō, -hendere, -hendī, -hēnsus | seize |
| summus, -a, -um | uppermost, highest, greatest |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| labor, -ōris, m. | labor, toil |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| lūx, lūcis, f. | light |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| urbs, urbis, f. | city |
| trahō, trahere, trāxī, trāctus | draw, drag |
| eō (adv.) | to that place, thither; to that point (usque eō); (with comparatives) by so much, all the (more) |
| tantus, -a, -um | so great or much |
| timor, -ōris, m. | fear |
| animus, -ī, m. | mind; heart; spirit, courage |
| occupō, -cupāre, -cupāvī, -cupātus | seize; fill |
| ātrium, -ī, n. | hall |
| statim, adv. | on the spot, forthwith, at once, immediately |
| refugiō, -fugere, -fūgī | flee back, run away, retreat |
| autem, conj. | moreover; but, however; now |
| paulum, adv. | a little, somewhat |
| recipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take or get back, recover; sē recipere, to betake oneself, withdraw; to collect oneself, recover |
| multus, -a, -um | much, great; plur., many |
| lacrima, -ae, f. | tear |
| obsecrō, -secrāre, -secrāvī, -secrātus | beseech, entreat |
| mōnstrum, -ī, n. | wonder, monster |
| mora, -ae, f. | delay |
| sīc, adv. | so, thus |
| contrā, prep, with acc. | against, contrary to |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| opīniō, -ōnis, f. | opinion, expectation; reputation |
| duodecim, indecl. adj. | twelve |
| praecipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take beforehand, anticipate; order, charge |
| intrā, prep. with acc. | within |
| annus, -ī, m. | year |
| cōnficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | make or do completely, complete, finish, accomplish, make; wear out |
| ita, adv. | in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as |
| servitūs, -tūtis, f. | slavery, servitude |
| tandem, adv. | at length or last, finally |
| līberō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | set free, free, liberate, release |
| gaudium, -ī, n. | gladness, joy |
| redeō, -īre, -iī, -itus | go back, return |