ged them again to a religious observance of
the oath that they had sworn, not in any case to attempt the blood of
those fair herds which they saw grazing, but to content themselves
with the ship's food; for the god who owned those cattle sees and
hears all.

They faithfully obeyed, and remained in that good mind for a month,
during which they were confined to that station by contrary winds,
till all the wine and the bread was gone, which they had brought with
them. When their victuals were gone, necessity compelled them to stray
in quest of whatever fish or fowl they could snare, which that coast
did not yield in any great abundance. Then Ulysses prayed to all the
gods that dwelt in bountiful heaven, that they would be pleased to
yield them some means to stay their hunger without having recourse to
profane and forbidden violations: but the ears of heaven seemed to be
shut, or some god incensed plotted his ruin; for at mid-day, when he
should chiefly have been vigilant and watchful to prevent mischief, a
deep sleep fell upon the eyes of Ulysses, during which he lay totally
insensible of all that passed in the world, and what his friends
or what his enemies might do for his welfare or destruction. Then
Eurylochus took his advantage. He was the man of most authority with
them after Ulysses. He represented to them all the misery of their
condition; how that every death is hateful and grievous to mortality,
but that of all deaths famine is attended with the most painful,
loathsome, and humiliating circumstances; that the subsistence which
they could hope to draw from fowling or fishing was too precarious
to be depended upon; that there did not seem to be any chance of the
winds changing to favour their escape, but that they must inevitably
stay there and perish, if they let an irrational superstition deter
them from the means which nature offered to their hands; that Ulysses
might be deceived in his belief that these oxen had any sacred
qualities above other oxen; and even admitting that they were the
property of the god of the Sun, as he said they were, the Sun did
neither eat nor drink, and the gods were best served not by a
scrupulous conscience, but by a thankful heart, which took freely
what they as freely offered: with these and such like persuasions he
prevailed on his half-famished and half-mutinous companions, to begin
the impious violation of their oath by the slaughter of seven of
the fairest of these oxen which