§1.39.1ἔστι δὲ τῶν ὑπὲρ τοῦ δαίμονος τοῦδε λεγομένων τὰ μὲν μυθικώτερα, τὰ δʼ ἀληθέστερα.
Of the things told about this deity, some are rather mythical, and others are truer.
ὁ μὲν οὖν μυθικὸς περὶ τῆς παρουσίας αὐτοῦ λόγος ὧδʼ ἔχει· ὡς δὴ κελευσθεὶς ὑπʼ 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.
Now the mythical account of his arrival is as follows: namely, that Heracles, having been ordered by Eurystheus, along with his other labors, to drive the cattle of Geryon from Erytheia to Argos, after completing the labor and making his journey home, arrived at many other places in Italy, and also at the place adjacent to Pallantium in the land of the Aborigines.
§1.39.2εὑρὼν δὲ πόαν ἐν αὐτῷ βουκολίδα πολλὴν καὶ καλήν, τὰς μὲν βοῦς· ἀνῆκεν εἰς νομὴν, αὐτὸς δὲ βαρυνόμενος ὑπο κόπου κατακλιθεὶς ἔδωκεν αὑτὸν ὕπνῳ.
And finding there abundant and beautiful pasture suitable for cattle, he turned the cattle loose to graze, while he himself, heavy with fatigue, lay down and gave himself up to sleep.
ἐν δὲ τούτῳ λῃστής τις ἐπιχώριος ὄνομα Κάκος περιτυγχάνει ταῖς βουσὶν ἀφυλάκτοις νεμομέναις καὶ αὐτῶν ἔρωτα ἴσχει.
In the meantime, a local robber named Cacus happened upon the cattle grazing unguarded and conceived a desire for them.
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 τῆς κατὰ φύσιν τοῖς ζῴοις πορείας ἐπισπώμενος ἑκάστην κατʼ οὐράν.
When he perceived Heracles sleeping there, he did not think he could escape notice if he drove them all away, and at the same time he understood that the task was not easy; but he hid some few of them in the cave where, being nearby, he happened to make his home, dragging each one backward by the tail, contrary to the natural gait of the animals.
τοῦτο δὲ αὐτῷ τῶν ἐλέγχων ἀφανισμὸν ἐδύνατο παρασχεῖν ἐναντίας φανησομένης τοῖς ἴχνεσι τῆς ὁδοῦ.
This was able to provide him with an obliteration of the evidence, as the path would appear, from the tracks, to lead in the opposite direction.
§1.39.3ἀναστὰς δὲ μετʼ 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 δʼ οὐχ εὕρισκεν ἐπὶ τὸ σπήλαιον ἀφικνεῖται τοῖς μὲν ἴχνεσι διαρτώμενος, οὐδὲν δὲ ἧττον οἰόμενος δεῖν διερευνήσασθαι τὸν χῶρον.
And Heracles, arising a little later and counting the number of the cattle, when he learned that some were missing, was for a time at a loss as to where they had gone, and searched for them throughout the area as having wandered from the pasture; but when he did not find them, he came to the cave, though confused by the tracks, yet thinking he ought nonetheless to search the place.
τοῦ δὲ Κάκου πρὸ τῆς θύρας ἑστῶτος καὶ οὔτʼ ἰδεῖν τὰς βοῦς φάσκοντος ἐρομένῳ οὔτʼ 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.
But since Cacus stood before the entrance, and when asked, denied having seen the cattle, and when requested, refused to allow a search, and called out to his neighbors, crying that he was suffering terrible treatment from the stranger, Heracles, being at a loss what to do in the situation, resolved to drive the other cattle toward the cave.
ὡς δὲ ἄρα τῆς συννόμου φωνῆς τε καὶ ὀσμῆς αἱ ἔντοσθεν ᾔσθοντο, ἀντεμυκῶντο ταῖς ἔκτοσθεν καὶ ἐγεγόνει ἡ φωνὴ §1.39.4αὐτῶν κατήγορος τῆς κλοπῆς.
And as it turned out, when the cattle inside perceived both the voice and the scent of their companions, they bellowed in response to those outside, and their voice became the accuser of the theft.
ὁ μὲν οὖν Κάκος, ἐπειδὴ περιφανὴς ἐγένετο κακουργῶν, τρέπεται πρὸς ἀλκὴν καὶ τοὺς εἰωθότας αὐτῷ συναγραυλεῖν ἀνεκάλει· Ἡρακλῆς δὲ ἀλοιῶν αὐτὸν τῷ ῥοπάλῳ κτείνει, καὶ τὰς βοῦς ἐξαγαγών, ἐπειδὴ κακούργων ὑποδοχαῖς εὔθετον ἑώρα τὸ χωρίον, ἐπικατασκάπτει τῇ καλαύροπι τὸ σπήλαιον.
Cacus, therefore, when he was clearly exposed in his villainy, turned to force and called upon those who were accustomed to camp in the fields with him; but Heracles, beating him with his club, killed him, and having led out the cattle, when he saw that the place was well suited for the harboring of criminals, demolished the cave with his staff.
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.
And having purified himself in the river from the murder, he established near the place an altar to Zeus Heuresios, which is in Rome near the Porta Trigemina, and sacrificed to the god a young bull as a thanksgiving for the discovery of the cattle.
ταύτην ἔτι καὶ εἰς ἐμὲ τὴν θυσίαν ἡ Ῥωμαίων πόλις συνετέλει, νομίμοις Ἑλληνικοῖς ἅπασιν ἐν αὐτῇ χρωμένη, καθάπερ ἐκεῖνος κατεστήσατο.
This sacrifice the city of the Romans was still performing even down to my time, using in it all the Greek rites, just as he had established them.