stay; I will give thee a drug which shall give thee power to
resist all her charms. For when she shall have mixed thee drink,
and smitten thee with her wand, then do thou rush upon her with
thy sword, as if thou wouldest slay her. And when she shall pray
for peace, do thou make her swear by the great oath that binds the
gods that she will not harm thee.'

"Then Hermes showed me a certain herb, whose root was black, but
the flower white as milk. 'Moly,' the gods call it, and very hard
it is for mortal man to find; but to the gods all things are
possible.

"Thereupon Hermes departed to Olympus, but I went on to the palace
of the goddess, much troubled in heart. When I came thither I
stood in the porch and called, and Circe came, and opened the
doors, and bade me come in.

"Then she set me on a great chair, skilfully carven, with a
footstool for my feet. Afterward she gave me drink in a cup of
gold, but she had mixed in it a deadly charm. This I drank, but
was not bewitched, for the herb saved me. Then she smote me with
her wand, saying: 'Go now to the sty and lie there with thy
fellows.' Thereto upon I drew my sword, and rushed upon her, as
though I would have slain her. Then she caught me by the knees,
and cried aloud: 'Who art thou? What is thy race? I marvel that
thou couldest drink of this drink that I have charmed, and yet
take no hurt. I thought that there was no mortal man that could so
do. Thou must have a soul against which there is no enchantment.
Verily, thou must be that Ulysses who was to come to this island
as he returned from Troy, for so Hermes told me. But come, let us