[3] τοῦτο δὲ καὶ μέχρις ἐμοῦ ἔτι διετέλουν Ῥωμαῖοι δρῶντες μικρὸν ὕστερον ἐαρινῆς ἰσημερίας ἐν μηνὶ Μαΐῳ ταῖς καλουμέναις εἰδοῖς, διχομηνίδα βουλόμενοι ταύτην εἶναι τὴν ἡμέραν, ἐν ᾗ προθύσαντες ἱερὰ τὰ κατὰ τοὺς νόμους οἱ καλούμενοι Ποντίφικες, ἱερέων οἱ διαφανέστατοι, καὶ σὺν αὐτοῖς αἱ τὸ ἀθάνατον πῦρ διαφυλάττουσαι παρθένοι στρατηγοί τε καὶ τῶν ἄλλων πολιτῶν οὓς παρεῖναι ταῖς ἱερουργίαις θέμις εἴδωλα μορφαῖς ἀνθρώπων εἰκασμένα, τριάκοντα τὸν ἀριθμὸν ἀπὸ τῆς ἱερᾶς γεφύρας βάλλουσιν εἰς τὸ ῥεῦμα τοῦ Τεβέριος, Ἀργείους [p. 61]
[3] This the Romans continued to do every year even down to my day a little after the vernal equinox, in the month of May, on what they call the Ides (the day they mean to be the middle of the month); on this day, after offering the preliminary sacrifices according to the laws, the pontifices, as the most important of the priests are called, and with them the virgins who guard the perpetual fire, the praetors, and such of the other citizens as may lawfully be present at the rites, throw from the sacred bridge into the stream of the Tiber thirty effigies made in the likeness of men, which they call Argei.
[4] αὐτὰ καλοῦντες. ἀλλὰ γὰρ περὶ μὲν τῶν θυσιῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἱερουργιῶν, ἃς ἡ Ῥωμαίων πόλις συντελεῖ κατά τε τὸν Ἑλληνικὸν καὶ τὸν ἐπιχώριον τρόπον ἐν ἑτέρῳ λόγῳ δηλώσομεν, ἀπαιτεῖν δὲ ὁ παρὼν καιρὸς ἔοικε καὶ περὶ τῆς Ἡρακλέους ἀφίξεως εἰς Ἰταλίαν μετ᾽ ἐπιστάσεως πλείονος διελθεῖν καὶ εἴ τι λόγου ἄξιον ἔδρασεν αὐτόθι μὴ παραλιπεῖν.
[4] But concerning the sacrifices and the other rites which the Roman people perform according to the manner both of the Greeks and of their own country I shall speak in another book. At present, it seems requisite to give a more particular account of the arrival of Hercules in Italy and to omit nothing worthy of notice that he did there.
[1] ἔστι δὲ τῶν ὑπὲρ τοῦ δαίμονος τοῦδε λεγομένων τὰ μὲν μυθικώτερα, τὰ δ᾽ ἀληθέστερα. ὁ μὲν οὖν μυθικὸς περὶ τῆς παρουσίας αὐτοῦ λόγος ὧδ᾽ ἔχει: ὡς δὴ κελευσθεὶς ὑπ᾽ Εὐρυσθέως Ἡρακλῆς σὺν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἄθλοις καὶ τὰς Γηρυόνου βοῦς ἐξ Ἐρυθείας εἰς Ἄργος ἀπελάσαι, τελέσας τὸν ἆθλον καὶ τὴν οἴκαδε πορείαν ποιούμενος ἄλλῃ τε πολλαχῇ τῆς Ἰταλίας ἀφίκετο καὶ τῆς Ἀβοριγίνων γῆς εἰς τὸ προσεχὲς τῷ Παλλαντίῳ χωρίον.
[39.1] Of the stories told concerning this god some are largely legend and some are nearer the truth. The legendary account of his arrival is as follows: Hercules, being commanded by Eurystheus, among other labours, to drive Geryon’s cattle from Erytheia to Argos, performed the task and having passed through many parts of Italy on his way home, came also to the neighbourhood of Pallantium in the country of the Aborigines;
[2] εὑρὼν δὲ πόαν ἐν αὐτῷ βουκολίδα πολλὴν καὶ καλήν, τὰς μὲν βοῦς: ἀνῆκεν εἰς νομὴν, αὐτὸς δὲ βαρυνόμενος ὑπο κόπου κατακλιθεὶς ἔδωκεν αὑτὸν ὕπνῳ. ἐν δὲ τούτῳ λῃστής τις ἐπιχώριος ὄνομα Κάκος περιτυγχάνει ταῖς βουσὶν ἀφυλάκτοις νεμομέναις καὶ αὐτῶν ἔρωτα ἴσχει. ως δὲ τὸν Ἡρακλέα κοιμώμενον αὐτοῦ κατέμαθεν, ἁπάσας μὲν οὐκ ἂν ᾤετο δύνασθαι λαθεῖν ἀπελάσας, καὶ ἅμα οὐδὲ ῥᾴδιον ὂν τὸ πρᾶγμα κατεμάνθανεν: ὀλίγας δέ τινας ἐξ αὐτῶν εἰς τὸ ἄντρον, ἐν ᾧ πλησίον ὄντι ἐτύγχανε τὴν δίαιταν ποιούμενος, ἀποκρύπτεται ἔμπαλιν [p. 62] τῆς κατὰ φύσιν τοῖς ζῴοις πορείας ἐπισπώμενος ἑκάστην κατ᾽ οὐράν. τοῦτο δὲ αὐτῷ τῶν ἐλέγχων ἀφανισμὸν ἐδύνατο παρασχεῖν ἐναντίας φανησομένης τοῖς ἴχνεσι τῆς ὁδοῦ.
[2] and there, finding much excellent grass for his cattle, he let them graze, and being overcome with weariness, lay down and gave himself over to sleep. Thereupon a robber of that region, named Cacus, chanced to come upon the cattle feeding with none to guard them and longed to possess them. But seeing Hercules lying there asleep, he imagined he could not drive them all away without being discovered and at the same time he perceived that the task was no easy one, either. So he secreted a few of them in the cave hard by, in which he lived, dragging each of them thither by the tail backwards. This might have destroyed all evidence of his theft, as the direction in which the oxen had gone would be at variance with their tracks.
[3] ἀναστὰς δὲ μετ᾽ ὀλίγον ὁ Ἡρακλῆς καὶ τὸν ἀριθμὸν ἐπιλεξάμενος τῶν βοῶν, ὡς ἔμαθέ τινας ἐκλειπούσας, τέως μὲν ἠπόρει ποῦ κεχωρήκασι καὶ ὡς πεπλανημένας ἀπὸ τῆς νομῆς ἐμάστευεν ἀνὰ τὸν χῶρον: ὡς δ᾽ οὐχ εὕρισκεν ἐπὶ τὸ σπήλαιον ἀφικνεῖται τοῖς μὲν ἴχνεσι διαρτώμενος, οὐδὲν δὲ ἧττον οἰόμενος δεῖν διερευνήσασθαι τὸν χῶρον. τοῦ δὲ Κάκου πρὸ τῆς θύρας ἑστῶτος καὶ οὔτ᾽ ἰδεῖν τὰς βοῦς φάσκοντος ἐρομένῳ οὔτ᾽ ἐρευνᾶσθαι ἐπιτρέποντος αἰτουμένῳ τούς τε πλησίον ὡς δεινὰ πάσχοι ὑπὸ τοῦ ξένου ἐπιβοῶντος, ἀμηχανῶν ὁ Ἡρακλῆς ὅ τι χρήσεται τῷ πράγματι εἰς νοῦν βάλλεται προσελάσαι τῷ σπηλαίῳ τὰς ἄλλας βοῦς. ὡς δὲ ἄρα τῆς συννόμου φωνῆς τε καὶ ὀσμῆς αἱ ἔντοσθεν ᾔσθοντο, ἀντεμυκῶντο ταῖς ἔκτοσθεν καὶ ἐγεγόνει ἡ φωνὴ
[3] Hercules, then, arising from sleep soon afterwards, and having counted the cattle and found some were missing, was for some time at a loss to guess where they had gone, and supposing them to have strayed from their pasture, he sought them up and down the region; then, when he failed to find them, he came to the cave, and though he was deceived by the tracks, he felt, nevertheless, that he ought to search the place. But Cacus stood before the door, and when Hercules inquired after the cattle, denied that he had seen them, and when the other desired to search his cave, would not suffer him to do so, to be called upon his neighbours for assistance, complaining of the violence offered to him by the stranger. And while Hercules was puzzled to know how he should act in the matter, he hit upon the expedient of driving the rest of the cattle to the cave. And thus, when those inside heard the lowing and perceived the smell of their companions outside, they bellowed to them in turn and thus their lowing betrayed the theft.
[4] αὐτῶν κατήγορος τῆς κλοπῆς. ὁ μὲν οὖν Κάκος, ἐπειδὴ περιφανὴς ἐγένετο κακουργῶν, τρέπεται πρὸς ἀλκὴν καὶ τοὺς εἰωθότας αὐτῷ συναγραυλεῖν ἀνεκάλει: Ἡρακλῆς δὲ ἀλοιῶν αὐτὸν τῷ ῥοπάλῳ κτείνει, κ�
�ὶ τὰς βοῦς ἐξαγαγών, ἐπειδὴ κακούργων ὑποδοχαῖς εὔθετον ἑώρα τὸ χωρίον, ἐπικατασκάπτει τῇ καλαύροπι [p. 63] τὸ σπήλαιον. ἁγνίσας δὲ τῷ ποταμῷ τὸν φόνον ἱδρύεται πλησίον τοῦ τόπου Διὸς Εὑρεσίου βωμόν, ὅς ἐστι τῆς Ῥώμης παρὰ τῇ Τριδύμῳ πύλῃ, καὶ θύει τῷ θεῷ δάμαλιν ἕνα τῆς εὑρέσεως τῶν βοῶν χαριστήριον. ταύτην ἔτι καὶ εἰς ἐμὲ τὴν θυσίαν ἡ Ῥωμαίων πόλις συνετέλει, νομίμοις Ἑλληνικοῖς ἅπασιν ἐν αὐτῇ χρωμένη, καθάπερ ἐκεῖνος κατεστήσατο.
[4] Cacus, therefore, when his thievery was thus brought to light, put himself upon his defence and began to call out to his fellow herdsmen. But Hercules killed him by smiting him with his club and drove out the cattle; and when he saw that the place was well adapted to the harbouring of evil-doers, he demolished the cave, burying the robber under its ruins. Then, having purified himself in the river from the murder, he erected an altar near the place to Jupiter the Discoverer, which is now in Rome near the Porta Trigemina, and sacrificed a calf to the god as a thank-offering for the finding of his cattle. This sacrifice the city of Rome continued to celebrate even down to my day, observing in it all the ceremonies of the Greeks just as he instituted them.
[1] οἱ δὲ Ἀβοριγῖνες καὶ τῶν Ἀρκάδων οἱ τὸ Παλλάντιον κατοικοῦντες, ὡς τοῦ τε Κάκου τὸν θάνατον ἔγνωσαν καὶ τὸν Ἡρακλέα εἶδον, τῷ μὲν ἀπεχθόμενοι διὰ τὰς ἁρπαγάς, τοῦ δὲ τὴν ὄψιν ἐκπαγλούμενοι θεῖόν τι χρῆμα ἐνόμισαν ὁρᾶν καὶ τοῦ λῃστοῦ μέγα εὐτύχημα τὴν ἀποβολὴν ἐποιοῦντο. οἱ δὲ πένητες αὐτῶν κλάδους δρεψάμενοι δάφνης, ἣ πολλὴ περὶ τὸν τόπον ἐφύετο, ἐκεῖνόν τε καὶ αὑτοὺς ἀνέστεφον, ἧκον δὲ οἱ βασιλεῖς αὐτῶν ἐπὶ ξένια τὸν Ἡρακλέα καλοῦντες. ὡς δὲ καὶ τοὔνομα καὶ τὸ γένος αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰς πράξεις διεξιόντος ἔμαθον, ἐνεχείριζον αὐτῷ τήν τε χώραν καὶ σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ φιλίᾳ.
[40.1] When the Aborigines and the Arcadians who lived at Pallantium learned of the death of Cacus and saw Hercules, they thought themselves very fortunate in being rid of the former, whom they detested for his robberies, and were struck with awe at the appearance of the latter, in whom they seemed to see something divine. The poorer among them, plucking branches of laurel which grew there in great plenty, crowned both him and themselves with it; and their kings also came to invite Hercules to be their guest. But when they heard from him his name, his lineage and his achievements, they recommended both their country and themselves to his friendship.
[2] Εὔανδρος δὲ παλαίτερον ἔτι τῆς Θέμιδος ἀκηκοὼς διεξιούσης, ὅτι πεπρωμένον εἴη τὸν ἐκ Διὸς καὶ Ἀλκμήνης γενόμενον Ἡρακλέα διαμείψαντα τὴν θνητὴν φύσιν ἀθάνατον γενέσθαι δι᾽ ἀρετήν, ἐπειδὴ τάχιστα ὅστις ἦν ἐπύθετο, φθάσαι βουλόμενος ἅπαντας ἀνθρώπους Ἡρακλέα θεῶν τιμαῖς πρῶτος ἱλασάμενος, βωμὸν αὐτοσχέδιον ὑπὸ σπουδῆς ἱδρύεται καὶ δάμαλιν ἄζυγα θύει πρὸς αὐτῷ, τὸ θέσφατον ἀφηγησάμενος Ἡρακλεῖ καὶ δεηθεὶς τῶν ἱερῶν κατάρξασθαι. [p. 64]
[2] And Evander, who had even before this heard Themis relate that it was ordained by fate that Hercules, the son of Jupiter and Alcmena, changing his mortal nature, should become immortal by reason of his virtue, as soon as he learned who the stranger was, resolved to forestall all mankind by being the first to propitiate Hercules with divine honours, and he hastily erected an improvised altar and sacrificed upon it a calf that had not known the yoke, having first communicated the oracle to Hercules and asked him to perform the initial rites.
[3] ἀγασθεὶς δὲ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τῆς φιλοξενίας Ἡρακλῆς, τὸν μὲν δῆμον ἑστιάσει ὑποδέχεται θύσας τῶν βοῶν τινας καὶ τῆς ἄλλης λείας τὰς δεκάτας ἐξελών: τοὺς δὲ βασιλεῖς χώρᾳ πολλῇ δωρεῖται Λιγύων τε καὶ τῶν ἄλλων προσοίκων, ἧς μέγα ἐποιοῦντο ἄρχειν, παρανόμους τινὰς ἐξ αὐτῆς ἐκβαλὼν ἀνθρώπους. λέγεται δὲ πρὸς τούτοις, ὡς καὶ δέησίν τινα ποιήσαιτο τῶν ἐπιχωρίων, ἐπειδὴ πρῶτοι θεὸν αὐτὸν ἐνόμισαν, ὅπως ἀθανάτους αὐτῷ διαφυλάττωσι τὰς τιμὰς, θύοντες μὲν ἄζυγα δάμαλιν ἀνὰ πᾶν ἔτος, ἁγιστεύοντες δὲ τὴν ἱερουργίαν ἔθεσιν Ἑλληνικοῖς: καὶ ὡς διδάξειεν αὐτοὺς τὰς θυσίας, ἵνα διὰ παντὸς αὐτῷ κεχαρισμένα θύοιεν, οἴκους δύο τῶν ἐπιφανῶν παραλαβών.
[3] And Hercules, admiring the hospitality of these men, entertained the common people with a feast, after sacrificing some of the cattle and setting apart the tithes of the rest of his booty; and to their kings he gave a large district belonging to the Ligurians and to some others of their neighbours, the rule of which they very much desired, after he had first expelled some lawless people from it. It is furthermore reported that he asked the inhabitants, since they were the first who had regarded him as a god, to perpetuate the honours they had paid him by offering up every year a calf that had not known the yoke and performing the sacrifice with Greek rites; and that he himself taught the sacrificial rites to two of the distinguished families, in order that their offerings might always be acceptable to him.
[4] εἶναι δὲ τοὺς μαθόντας τότε τὴν Ἑλληνικὴν ἱερουργίαν Ποτιτίους τε καὶ Πιναρίους, ἀφ᾽ ὧν τὰ γένη διαμεῖναι μέχρι πολλοῦ τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν ποιούμενα τῶν θυσιῶν, ὡς ἐκεῖνος κατεστήσατο, Ποτιτίων μὲν ἡγουμένων τῆς ἱερουργίας καὶ τῶν ἐμπύρων ἀπαρχομένων, Πιναρίων δὲ σπλάγχνων τε μετουσίας εἰργομένων καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα ἐχρῆν ὑπ᾽ ἀμφοῖν γίνεσθαι τὴν δευτέραν τιμὴν ἐχόντων. ταύτην δὲ αὐτοῖς προστεθῆναι τὴν ἀτιμίαν ὀψίμου τῆς παρουσίας ἕνεκα, ἐπειδὴ ἕωθεν αὐτοῖς κελευσθὲν ἥκειν ἐσπλαγχνευμένων ἤδη τῶν ἱερῶν ἀφίκοντο.
[4] Those who were then instructed in the Greek ceremony, they say, were the Potitii and the Pinarii, whose descendants continued for a long time to have the superintendence of these sacrifices, in the manner he had appointed, the Potitii presiding at the sacrifice and taking the first part of the burnt-offerings, while the Pinarii were excluded from tasting the inwards and held second rank in those ceremonies which had to be performed by both of them together. It is said that this disgrace was fixed upon them for having been late in arriving; for though they had been ordered to be present early in the morning, they did not come till the entrails had been eaten.
[5] νῦν μέντοι οὐκέτι τοῖς γένεσι τούτοις ἡ περὶ τὰς ἱερουργίας ἐπιμέλεια ἀνάκειται, ἀλλὰ παῖδες ἐκ τοῦ δημοσίου ὠνητοὶ δρῶσιν [p. 65] α�
��τάς. δι᾽ ἃς δὲ αἰτίας τὸ ἔθος μετέπεσε, καὶ τίς ἡ τοῦ δαίμονος ἐπιφάνεια περὶ τὴν ἀλλαγὴν τῶν ἱεροποιῶν ἐγένετο, ἐπειδὰν κατὰ τοῦτο γένωμαι τοῦ
[5] To-day, however, the superintendence of the sacrifices no longer devolves on these families, but slaves purchased with the public money perform them. For what reasons this custom was changed and how the god manifested himself concerning the change in his ministers, I shall relate when I come to that part of the history.
[6] λόγου τὸ μέρος, διηγήσομαι. ὁ δὲ βωμός, ἐφ᾽ οὗ τὰς δεκάτας ἀπέθυσεν Ἡρακλῆς, καλεῖται μὲν ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων Μέγιστος, ἔστι δὲ τῆς Βοαρίας λεγομένης ἀγορᾶς πλησίον, ἁγιστευόμενος εἰ καί τις ἄλλος ὑπὸ τῶν ἐπιχωρίων: ὅρκοι τε γὰρ ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ καὶ συνθῆκαι τοῖς βουλομένοις βεβαίως τι διαπράττεσθαι καὶ δεκατεύσεις χρημάτων γίνονται συχναὶ κατ᾽ εὐχάς: τῇ μέντοι κατασκευῇ πολὺ τῆς δόξης ἐστὶ καταδεέστερος: πολλαχῇ δὲ καὶ ἄλλῃ τῆς Ἰταλίας ἀνεῖται τεμένη τῷ θεῷ, καὶ βωμοὶ κατὰ πόλεις τε ἵδρυνται καὶ παρ᾽ ὁδούς, καὶ σπανίως ἂν εὕροι τις Ἰταλίας χῶρον, ἔνθα μὴ τυγχάνει τιμώμενος ὁ θεός. ὁ μὲν οὖν μυθικὸς λόγος ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ τοιός2δε παραδέδοται.
Delphi Complete Works of Dionysius of Halicarnassus (Illustrated) (Delphi Ancient Classics Book 79) Page 430