§1.41.1ὁ δʼ ἀληθέστερος, ᾧ πολλοὶ τῶν ἐν ἱστορίας σχήματι τὰς πράξεις αὐτοῦ διηγησαμένων ἐχρήσαντο, τοιός2δε· ὡς στρατηλάτης γενόμενος ἁπάντων κράτιστος τῶν καθʼ ἑαυτὸν Ἡρακλῆς καὶ δυνάμεως πολλῆς ἡγούμενος ἅπασαν ἐπῆλθε τὴν ἐντὸς Ὠκεανοῦ, καταλύων μὲν εἴ τις εἴη τυραννὶς βαρεῖα καὶ λυπηρὰ τοῖς ἀρχομένοις ἢ πόλις ὑβρίζουσα καὶ λωβωμένη τὰς πέλας ἢ μοναὶ ἀνθρώπων ἀνημέρῳ διαίτῃ καὶ ξενοκτονίαις ἀθεμίστοις χρωμένων, καθιστὰς δὲ νομίμους βασιλείας καὶ σωφρονικὰ πολιτεύματα καὶ βίων ἔθη φιλάνθρωπα καὶ κοινοπαθῆ·
But the truer account, which many of those who have narrated his achievements in the form of history have adopted, is as follows: Heracles, having become the most powerful general of all those of his time, and leading a large force, traversed the whole region within the Ocean, destroying any harsh and painful tyranny over the subjects, or any city that was insolent and harmful to its neighbors, or any dwellings of men who practiced an uncivilized way of life and unlawful murder of strangers; and establishing lawful kingships, moderate governments, and humane and cooperative habits of life.
πρὸς δὲ τούτοις Ἕλλησί τε βαρβάρους συγκεραννύμενος καὶ θαλαττίοις ἠπειρώτας, οἳ τέως ἀπίστους καὶ ἀσυναλλάκτους εἶχον ὁμιλίας, ἐρήμῳ τε γῇ πόλεις ἐνιδρυόμενος καὶ ποταμοὺς ἐκτρέπων ἐπικλύζοντας πεδία καὶ τρίβους ἐκτέμνων ἀβάτοις ὄρεσι καὶ τἆλλα μηχανώμενος, ὡς ἅπασα γῆ καὶ θάλαττα κοινὴ ταῖς ἁπάντων χρείαις γενήσοιτο.
Besides these things, he blended barbarians with Greeks, and inlanders with maritime peoples, who until then had relations characterized by mistrust and lack of intercourse; and he founded cities in desolate lands, diverted rivers that flooded the plains, cut roads through impassable mountains, and devised all other things so that the whole land and sea might become common to the needs of all.
§1.41.2ἀφίκετο δὲ εἰς Ἰταλίαν οὐ μονόστολος οὐδὲ ἀγέλην βοῶν ἐπαγόμενος· ʽοὔτε γὰρ ὁ χῶρος ἐν τρίβῳ τοῖς εἰς Ἄργος ἐξ Ἰβηρίας ἀνασκευαζομένοις, οὔτε τοῦ διελθεῖν ἕνεκα τὴν χώραν τοσαύτης ἂν ἠξιώθη τιμῆς· ̓ ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ δουλώσει καὶ ἀρχῇ τῶν τῇδε ἀνθρώπων στρατὸν ἄγων πολὺν Ἰβηρίαν ἤδη κεχειρωμένος·
And he arrived in Italy not as a solitary traveler nor driving a herd of cattle—for neither is this place on the route for those returning from Iberia to Argos, nor would he have been deemed worthy of so great honor merely for passing through the country—but leading a large army for the subjugation and rule of the people here, having already subdued Iberia.
διατρῖψαί τε αὐτόθι πλείω χρόνον ἠναγκάσθη τοῦ τε ναυτικοῦ τῇ ἀπουσίᾳ, ἣ ἐγένετο χειμῶνος ἐπιλαβόντος, καὶ τῷ μὴ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τὰ κατέχοντα Ἰταλίαν προσχωρῆσαι αὐτῷ ἑκούσια.
And he was forced to spend a longer time there both on account of the absence of his fleet, which occurred because winter set in, and because not all the nations occupying Italy submitted to him voluntarily.
§1.41.3χωρὶς γὰρ τῶν ἄλλων βαρβάρων τὸ Λιγύων γένος πολὺ καὶ μάχιμον, ἐπὶ ταῖς παρόδοις τῶν Ἀλπείων ὀρῶν ἱδρυμένον, ἀποκωλύειν ὅπλοις τὰς εἰς2βολὰς αὐτοῦ τὰς εἰς Ἰταλίαν ἐπεχείρησεν, ἔνθα μέγιστος ἀγὼν τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ἐγένετο πάντων αὐτοὺς ἐπιλειπόντων ἐν τῇ μάχῃ τῶν βελῶν.
For apart from the other barbarians, the nation of the Ligurians, numerous and warlike, settled at the passes of the Alps, attempted to block with arms his incursions into Italy, where the greatest struggle occurred for the Greeks, as all their weapons failed them in the battle.
δηλοῖ δὲ τὸν πόλεμον τόνδε τῶν ἀρχαίων ποιητῶν Αἰσχύλος ἐν Προμηθεῖ λυομένῳ.
And Aeschylus, among the ancient poets, shows this war in Prometheus Unbound.
πεποίηται γὰρ αὐτῷ ὁ Προμηθεὺς Ἡρακλεῖ τά τε ἄλλα προλέγων, ὡς ἕκαστον αὐτῷ τι συμβήσεσθαι ἔμελλε κατὰ τὴν ἐπὶ Γηρυόνην στρατείαν, καὶ δὴ καὶ περὶ τοῦ Λιγυστικοῦ πολέμου ὡς οὐ ῥᾴδιος ὁ ἀγὼν ἔσται διηγούμενος.
For Prometheus is represented by him as foretelling to Heracles, among other things, how each event was to happen to him in his expedition against Geryon, and in particular, relating that the struggle in the Ligurian war would not be easy.
τὰ δὲ ποιήματα ὧδʼ ἔχει· "ἥξεις δὲ Λιγύων εἰς ἀτάρβητον στρατὸν, ἔνθʼ οὐ μάχης, σάφʼ οἶδα, καὶ θοῦρός περ ὢν μέμψει. πέπρωται γάρ σε καὶ βέλη λιπεῖν. "
The verses are as follows: "And you shall come to the dauntless host of the Ligurians, where, I know well, even though you are fierce, you shall not complain of the fight; for it is fated that you shall even run out of weapons."