28 Fifth Labour: The Augean Stables (primer)
Deinde Eurystheus imposuit Herculi hunc graviorem laborem.
Next Eurystheus laid upon Hercules this heavier labour.
quidam Augeas
A certain Augeas
qui illo tempore tenebat regnum in Elide
who at that time held the kingship in Elis,
habebat tria milia boum.
had three thousands of cattle.
Hi includebantur in stabulo ingentis magnitudinis.
These were shut up in a stable of immense size .
autem stabulum erat obsitum inluvie ac squalore,
Now the stable was smeared with silt and muck,
neque enim umquam ad hoc tempus purgatum erat.
for not ever up to this time it had been cleaned.
Hercules iussus est purgare hoc intra spatium unius diei.
Hercules was ordered to clean this within the space of one day.
quamquam erat res multae operae, ille suscepit negotium .
although it was a thing of much effort, he undertook the task.
Primum magno labore duxit fossam duodeviginti pedum ,
Firstly, with great labour he led a ditch of two-from-twenty feet,
per quam perduxit aquam fluminis de montibus
through which he led through the water of a river down from the mountains
ad murum stabuli.
to the wall of the stable.
Tum, postquam perrupit murum, immisit aquam in stabulum
Them , after he broke through the wall, he sent the water into the stable
et tali modo confecit opus contra opinionem omnium .
and in such a way he completed the task against the expectation of everyone .