gate they heard the enchantress within, sitting at her loom, singing such
strains as suspended all mortal faculties, while she wove a web, subtile
and glorious, and of texture inimitable on earth, as all the housewiferies
of the deities are. Strains so ravishingly sweet provoked even the sagest
and prudentest heads among the party to knock and call at the gate. The
shining gate the enchantress opened, and bade them come in and feast. They
unwise followed, all but Eurylochus, who stayed without the gate,
suspicious that some train was laid for them. Being entered, she placed
them in chairs of state, and set before them meal and honey, and Smyrna
wine, but mixed with baneful drugs of powerful enchantment. When they had
eaten of these, and drunk of her cup, she touched them with her charming-
rod, and straight they were transformed into swine, having the bodies of
swine, the bristles, and snout, and grunting noise of that animal; only
they still retained the minds of men, which made them the more to lament
their brutish transformation. Having changed them, she shut them up in her
sty with many more whom her wicked sorceries had formerly changed, and
gave them swine's food--mast, and acorns, and chestnuts--to eat.

[Illustration: _And straight they were transformed into swine_.]

Eurylochus, who beheld nothing of these sad changes from where he was
stationed without the gate, only instead of his companions that entered
(who he thought had all vanished by witchcraft) beheld a herd of swine,
hurried back to the ship, to give an account of what he had seen; but so
frighted and perplexed, that he could give no distinct report of anything,
only he remembered a palace, and a woman singing at her work, and gates
guarded by lions. But his companions, he said, were all vanished.

Then Ulysses, suspecting some foul witchcraft, snatched his sword and his
bow, and commanded Eurylochus instantly to lead him to the place. But