53.1Postquam 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'.