Having finished his tenth labour, Eurystheus imposed another task upon him, and that was, that he should bring Cerberus out of hell. Preparing himself, therefore, to perform this, to be better enabled thereunto, he went to Athens to be initiated into the mysterious rites of Elusina, where Musaeus the son of Orpheus was then high priest.

And because we have now occasion to mention Orpheus, we conceive it will not be amiss here to give a short account of him. He was the son of Oeagrus, and by birth a Thracian, for in the art of music and poetry far excelling all that ever were recorded. For he composed a poem, for sweetness and smoothness, the subject of all men’s admiration: and he grew so eminent in this art, that, by the melody of his music, he was said to draw even wild beasts and trees after him; and being naturally very studious, he attained to an extraordinary degree of knowledge in the antient theology. He improved himself, likewise, very much by travelling into Egypt, so that he was accounted to excel the most accomplished person among all the Grecians for his knowledge both in divinity and sacred mysteries, in music, and in poetry. He was one, likewise, in the expedition of the Argonauts, and for the exceeding love he had to his wife, (with an admirable courage) descended into hell, and there so enchanted Proserpine with the sweetness of his music, that she gratified him so far as to suffer him to carry back his wife along with him, that died a little before.

In like manner, they say, Bacchus hereupon raised his mother Semele from the shades below, and, enduing her with immortality, surnamed her Thyone.

Having now done with this digression relating to Orpheus, we return to Hercules: when he entered the infernal regions, (the mythologists say), Proserpine kindly received him as her brother, and gave him liberty to loose Theseus and Pirithous from their chains; and at length, contrary to the expectations of all men, brought up the dog18 tied in his chain, and presented him to open view.