HERCULES. 



703 



must be subservient, for twelve years, to the will of 

 Eurystheus, in compliance to the commands of Jupi- 

 ter ; and that, after he had achieved the most cele- 

 brated labours, lie should be reckoned in the number 

 of the gods. So plain and expressive an answer de- 

 termined him to go to Mycenae, and to bear with 

 fortitude whatever gods or men imposed upon him. 

 Eurystheus, seeing so great a man totally subjected 

 to him, and apprehensive of so powerful an enemy, 

 commanded him to achieve a number of enterprises 

 the most difficult and arduous ever known, generally 

 called the twelve labours of Hercules. The favours 

 of the gods had completely armed him when he 

 undertook his labours. He had received a coat of 

 arms and helmet from Minerva, a sword from Mer- 

 cury, a horse from Neptune, a shield from Jupiter, a 

 bow and arrows from Apollo, and from Vulcan a 

 golden cuirass and brazen buskin, with a celebrated 

 club of brass, according to the opinion of some 

 writers. 



The first labour imposed upon Hercules by Eurys- 

 theus was to kill the lion of Nemaea, which ravaged 

 the country near Mycenas. The hero, unable to 

 destroy him with his arrows, boldly attacked him 

 with his club, pursued him to his den, and, after a 

 close and sharp engagement, he choked him to 

 death. He carried the dead beast on his shoulders 

 to Mycenae, and ever after clothed himself with the 

 skin. Eurystheus was so astonished at the sight of 

 ttie beast, and at the courage of Hercules, that he 

 ordered him never to enter the gates of the city when 

 he returned from his expeditions, but to wait for his 

 orders without the walls. He even made himself a 

 brazen vessel, into which he retired whenever Hercu- 

 les returned. 



The second labour of Hercules was to destroy the 

 Lernaean hydra, which had seven heads, according 

 to A pollodorus, 50 according to Simonides, and 100 

 according to Diodorus. This celebrated monster he 

 attacked with his arrows ; and soon after he came to 

 a close engagement, and, by means of his heavy club, 

 he destroyed the heads of his enemy ; but this was 

 productive of no advantage, for as soon as one head 

 was beaten to pieces by the club, immediately two 

 sprang up ; and the labour of Hercules would have 

 remained unfinished, had not he commanded his 

 friend, Tolas, to burn with a hot iron the root of the 

 head which he had crushed to pieces. This succeed- 

 ed (see Hydra), and Hercules became victorious, 

 opei.ed the belly of the monster, and dipped his 

 arrows in the gall, to render the wounds which he 

 gave fatal and incurable. 



He was ordered, in his third labour, to bring, 

 alive and unhurt, into the presence of Eurystheus, 

 a stag famous for its incredible swiftness, its golden 

 horns and brazen feet. This celebrated animal fre- 

 quented the neighbourhood of CEnoe, and Hercules 

 was employed, for a whole year, in continually pur- 

 suing it, and at last caught it in a trap, or when 

 tired, or, according to others, by slightly wounding 

 it and lessening its swiftness. As he returned vic- 

 torious, Diana snatched the goat from him, and 

 severely reprimanded him for molesting an animal 

 which was sacred to her. Hercules pleaded neces- 

 sity, and, by representing the commands of Eurys- 

 theus, he appeased the goddess, and obtained the 

 beast. 



The fourth labour was to bring alive to Eurystheus 

 a wild boar, which ravaged the neighbourhood of 

 Erymanthus. In this expedition he destroyed the 

 Centaurs (see Centaur), and caught the boar by 

 closely pursuing him through the deep snow. 

 Eurystheus was so frightened at the sight of the boar, 

 that, according to Diodorus, he hid himself in his 

 brazen vessel lor some days. 



In his fifth labour, Hercules was ordered to clean 

 the stubles of Augeas, where 3000 oxen had been 

 confined for many years. See Augeas. 



For his sixth labour, he was ordered to kill the 

 carnivorous birds which ravaged the counto near 

 the lake Stymphalis, in Arcadia. See Stympmilis. 



In his seventh labour, he brought alive into Pelo- 

 ponnesus, a prodigious wild bull, which laid waste 

 the island of Crete. 



In his eighth labour, he was employed in obtaining 

 the mares of Diomedes, which fed upon human flesh. 

 He killed Diomedes, and gave him to be eaten by 

 his mares, which he brought to Eurystheus. They 

 were sent to mount Olympus by the king of Mycenae, 

 where they were devoured by the wild beasts ; or 

 according to others, they were consecrated to Jupi 

 ter, and their breed still existed in the age of Alex- 

 ander the Great. 



For his ninth labour, he was commanded to obtain 

 the girdle of the queen of the Amazons. See Hip- 

 polyte. 



In his tenth labour, he killed the monster Geryon, 

 king of Gades, and brought to Argos his numerous 

 flocks, which fed upon human flesh. See Geryon. 



The eleventh labour was to obtain apples from the 

 garden of the Hesperides. See Hesperides. 



The twelfth and last, and most dangerous of his 

 labours, was to bring upon earth the three-headed 

 dog Cerberus. This was cheerfully undertaken by 

 Hercules, and he descended into hell by a cave on 

 mount Taenarus. He was permitted by Pluto to 

 carry away his friends, Theseus and Pirithous, who 

 were condemned to punishment in hell ; and Cerberus 

 also was granted to his prayers, provided he made 

 use of no arms, but only force to drag him away. 

 Hercules, as some report, carried him back to hell, 

 after he had brought him before Eurystheus. 



Besides these arduous labours, which the jealousy 

 of Eurystheus imposed upon him, he also achieved 

 others, of his own accord, equally great and cele- 

 brated. (See Cacus, Antaeus.") He accompanied 

 the Argonauts to Colchis, before he delivered himself 

 up to the king of Mycenae. He assisted the gods in 

 their wars against the giants, and it was through 

 him alone that Jupiter obtained a victory. He con- 

 quered Laomedon, and pillaged Troy. When lole, 

 the daughter of Eurytus, king of CEchalia, of whom 

 he was deeply enamoured, was refused to his en- 

 treaties, he became the prey of a second fit of 

 insanity, and he murdered Iphitus, the only one of 

 the sons of Eurytus who favoured his addresses to 

 lole. He was, some time after, purified of the mur- 

 der, and his insanity ceased ; but the gods persecuted 

 him more, and he was visited by a disorder which 

 obliged him to apply to the oracle of Delphi for re- 

 lief. The coldness with which the Pythia received 

 him irritated him, and he resolved to plunder Apollo's 

 temple, and carry away the sacred tripod. Apollo 

 opposed him, and a severe conflict was begun, which 

 nothing but the interference of Jupiter with his 

 thunderbolts could have prevented. He was, upon 

 this, told by the oracle that he must be sold as a 

 slave, and remain three years in the most abject ser- 

 vitude, to recover from his disorder. He complied, 

 and Mercury, by order of Jupiter, conducted him to 

 Omphale, queen of Lydia, to whom he was sold as a 

 slave. Here he cleared all the country from robbers, 

 and Omphale, who was astonished at the greatness 

 of his exploits, restored him to liberty, and married 

 him. Hercules had Agelaus and Lamon, according 

 to some, by Omphale, from whom Croesus, king of 

 Lydia, was descended. He became also enamoured 

 of one of Omphale's female servants, by whom he 

 had Alceus. After he had completed the years of 

 his slavery, he returned to Peloponnesus where he 



