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 were grazing. Part they roasted and eat,
and part they offered in sacrifice to the gods, particularly to Apollo,
god of the Sun, vowing to build a temple to his godhead when they should
arrive in Ithaca, and deck it with magnificent and numerous gifts. Vain
men! and superstition worse than that which they so lately derided! to
imagine that prospective penitence can excuse a present violation of duty,
and that the pure natures of the heavenly powers will admit of compromise
or dispensation for sin.

But to their feast they fell, dividing the roasted portions of the flesh,
savoury and pleasant meat to them, but a sad sight to the eyes, and a
savour of death in the nostrils, of the waking Ulysses, who just woke in
time to witness, but not soon enough to prevent, their rash and
sacrilegious banquet. He had scarce time to ask what great mischief was
this which they had done unto him; when behold, a prodigy! the ox-hides