The Works of Edgar Allen Poe

A DESCENT INTO THE MAELSTROM

by Edgar Allan Poe

1841

The ways of God in Nature, as in Providence, are not as our ways; nor are the models
that we frame any way commensurate to the vastness, profundity, and unsearchableness
of His works, which have a depth in them greater than the well ofDemocritus.
Joseph Glanville.

WE had now reached the summit of the loftiest crag. For some minutes the old man
seemed too much exhausted to speak.

"Not long ago," said he at length, "and I could have guided you on this route as well as
the youngest of my sons; but, about three years past, there happened to me an event such
as never happened before to mortal man —or at least such as no man ever survived to tell
of —and the six hours of deadly terror which I then endured have broken me up body and
soul. You suppose me a very old man -but I am not. It took less than a single day to
change these hairs from a jetty black to white, to weaken my limbs, and to unstring my
nerves, so that I tremble at the least exertion, and am frightened at a shadow. Do you
know I can scarcely look over this little cliff without getting giddy?"

The "little cliff," upon whose edge he had so carelessly thrown himself down to rest that
the weightier portion of his body hung over it, while he was only kept from falling by the
tenure of his elbow on its extreme and slippery edge —this "little cliff" arose, a sheer
unobstructed precipice of black shining rock, some fifteen or sixteen hundred feet from
the world of crags beneath us. Nothing would have tempted me to within half a dozen
yards of its brink. In truth so deeply was I excited by the perilous position of my
companion, that I fell at full length upon the ground, clung to the shrubs around me, and
dared not even glance upward at the sky —while I struggled in vain to divest myself of the
idea that the very foundations of the mountain were in danger from the fury of the winds.
It was long before I could reason myself into sufficient courage to sit up and look out into
the distance.

"You must get over these fancies," said the guide, "for I have brought you here that you
might have the best possible view of the scene of that event I mentioned —and to tell you
the whole story with the spot just under your eye."

"We are now," he continued, in that particularizing manner which distinguished him —
"we are now close upon the Norwegian coast —in the sixty-eighth degree of latitude —in
the great province of Nordland —and in the dreary district of Lofoden. The mountain
upon whose top we sit is Helseggen, the Cloudy. Now raise yourself up a little higher —

hold on to the grass if you feel giddy —so —and look out beyond the belt of vapor beneath
us, into the sea."

I looked dizzily, and beheld a wide expanse of ocean, whose waters wore so inky a hue as
to bring at once to my mind the Nubian geographer's account of the Mare Tenebrarum. A
panorama more deplorably desolate no human imagination can conceive. To the right and
left, as far as the eye could reach, there lay outstretched, like ramparts of the world, lines
of horridly black and beetling cliff, whose character of gloom was but the more forcibly
illustrated by the surf which reared high up against it its white and ghastly crest, howling
and shrieking for ever. Just opposite the promontory upon whose apex we were placed,
and at a distance of some five or six miles out at sea, there was visible a small, bleak-
looking island; or, more properly, its position was discernible through the wilderness of
surge in which it was enveloped. About two miles nearer the land, arose another of
smaller size, hideously craggy and barren, and encompassed at various intervals by a
cluster of dark rocks.

The appearance of the ocean, in the space between the more distant island and the shore,
had something very unusual about it. Although, at the time, so strong a gale was blowing
landward that a brig in the remote offing lay to under a double-reefed trysail, and
constantly plunged her whole hull out of sight, still there was here nothing like a regular
swell, but only a short, quick, angry cross dashing of water in every direction —as well in
the teeth of the wind as otherwise. Of foam there was little except in the immediate
vicinity of the rocks.

"The island in the distance," resumed the old man, "is called by the Norwegians Vurrgh.
The one midway is Moskoe. That a mile to the northward is Ambaaren. Yonder are
Iflesen, Hoeyholm, Kieldholm, Suarven, and Buckholm. Farther off —between Moskoe
and Vurrgh —are Otterholm, Flimen, Sandflesen, and Skarholm. These are the true names
of the places -but why it has been thought necessary to name them at all, is more than
either you or I can understand. Do you hear any thing? Do you see any change in the
water?"

We had now been about ten minutes upon the top of Helseggen, to which we had
ascended from the interior of Lofoden, so that we had caught no glimpse of the sea until
it had burst upon us from the summit. As the old man spoke, I became aware of a loud
and gradually increasing sound, like the moaning of a vast herd of buffaloes upon an
American prairie; and at the same moment I perceived that what seamen term the
chopping character of the ocean beneath us, was rapidly changing into a current which set
to the eastward. Even while I gazed, this current acquired a monstrous velocity. Each
moment added to its speed —to its headlong impetuosity. In five minutes the whole sea,
as far as Vurrgh, was lashed into ungovernable fury; but it was between Moskoe and the
coast that the main uproar held its sway. Here the vast bed of the waters, seamed and
scarred into a thousand conflicting channels, burst suddenly into phrensied convulsion —
heaving, boiling, hissing -gyrating in gigantic and innumerable vortices, and all whirling
and plunging on to the eastward with a rapidity which water never elsewhere assumes
except in precipitous descents.

In a few minutes more, there came over the scene another radical alteration. The general
surface grew somewhat more smooth, and the whirlpools, one by one, disappeared, while
prodigious streaks of foam became apparent where none had been seen before. These
streaks, at length, spreading out to a great distance, and entering into combination, took
unto themselves the gyratory motion of the subsided vortices, and seemed to form the
germ of another more vast. Suddenly -very suddenly —this assumed a distinct and
definite existence, in a circle of more than half a mile in diameter. The edge of the whirl
was represented by a broad belt of gleaming spray; but no particle of this slipped into the
mouth of the terrific funnel, whose interior, as far as the eye could fathom it, was a
smooth, shining, and jet-black wall of water, inclined to the horizon at an angle of some
forty-five degrees, speeding dizzily round and round with a swaying and sweltering
motion, and sending forth to the winds an appalling voice, half shriek, half roar, such as
not even the mighty cataract of Niagara ever lifts up in its agony to Heaven.

The mountain trembled to its very base, and the rock rocked. I threw myself upon my
face, and clung to the scant herbage in an excess of nervous agitation.

"This," said I at length, to the old man -"this can be nothing else than the great whirlpool
of the Maelstrom."

"So it is sometimes termed," said he. "We Norwegians call it the Moskoe-strom, from the
island of Moskoe in the midway."

The ordinary accounts of this vortex had by no means prepared me for what I saw. That
of Jonas Ramus, which is perhaps the most circumstantial of any, cannot impart the
faintest conception either of the magnificence, or of the horror of the scene —or of the
wild bewildering sense of the novel which confounds the beholder. I am not sure from
what point of view the writer in question surveyed it, nor at what time; but it could
neither have been from the summit of Helseggen, nor during a storm. There are some
passages of his description, nevertheless, which may be quoted for their details, although
their effect is exceedingly feeble in conveying an impression of the spectacle.

"Between Lofoden and Moskoe," he says, "the depth of the water is between thirty-six
and forty fathoms; but on the other side, toward Ver (Vurrgh) this depth decreases so as
not to afford a convenient passage for a vessel, without the risk of splitting on the rocks,
which happens even in the calmest weather. When it is flood, the stream runs up the
country between Lofoden and Moskoe with a boisterous rapidity; but the roar of its
impetuous ebb to the sea is scarce equalled by the loudest and most dreadful cataracts;
the noise being heard several leagues off, and the vortices or pits are of such an extent
and depth, that if a ship comes within its attraction, it is inevitably absorbed and carried
down to the bottom, and there beat to pieces against the rocks; and when the water
relaxes, the fragments thereof are thrown up again. But these intervals of tranquillity are
only at the turn of the ebb and flood, and in calm weather, and last but a quarter of an
hour, its violence gradually returning. When the stream is most boisterous, and its fury
heightened by a storm, it is dangerous to come within a Norway mile of it. Boats, yachts,
and ships have been carried away by not guarding against it before they were within its

reach. It likewise happens frequently, that whales come too near the stream, and are
overpowered by its violence; and then it is impossible to describe their howlings and
bellowings in their fruitless struggles to disengage themselves. A bear once, attempting to
swim from Lofoden to Moskoe, was caught by the stream and borne down, while he
roared terribly, so as to be heard on shore. Large stocks of firs and pine trees, after being
absorbed by the current, rise again broken and torn to such a degree as if bristles grew
upon them. This plainly shows the bottom to consist of craggy rocks, among which they
are whirled to and fro. This stream is regulated by the flux and reflux of the sea —it being
constantly high and low water every six hours. In the year 1645, early in the morning of
Sexagesima Sunday, it raged with such noise and impetuosity that the very stones of the
houses on the coast fell to the ground."

In regard to the depth of the water, I could not see how this could have been ascertained
at all in the immediate vicinity of the vortex. The "forty fathoms" must have reference
only to portions of the channel close upon the shore either of Moskoe or Lofoden. The
depth in the centre of the Moskoe-strom must be immeasurably greater; and no better
proof of this fact is necessary than can be obtained from even the sidelong glance into the
abyss of the whirl which may be had from the highest crag of Helseggen. Looking down
from this pinnacle upon the howling Phlegethon below, I could not help smiling at the
simplicity with which the honest Jonas Ramus records, as a matter difficult of belief, the
anecdotes of the whales and the bears; for it appeared to me, in fact, a self-evident thing,
that the largest ships of the line in existence, coming within the influence of that deadly
attraction, could resist it as little as a feather the hurricane, and must disappear bodily and
at once.

The attempts to account for the phenomenon —some of which, I remember, seemed to me
sufficiently plausible in perusal —now wore a very different and unsatisfactory aspect.
The idea generally received is that this, as well as three smaller vortices among the Feroe
islands, "have no other cause than the collision of waves rising and falling, at flux and
reflux, against a ridge of rocks and shelves, which confines the water so that it
precipitates itself like a cataract; and thus the higher the flood rises, the deeper must the
fall be, and the natural result of all is a whirlpool or vortex, the prodigious suction of
which is sufficiently known by lesser experiments." —These are the words of the
Encyclopaedia Britannica. Kircher and others imagine that in the centre of the channel of
the Maelstrom is an abyss penetrating the globe, and issuing in some very remote part —
the Gulf of Bothnia being somewhat decidedly named in one instance. This opinion, idle
in itself, was the one to which, as I gazed, my imagination most readily assented; and,
mentioning it to the guide, I was rather surprised to hear him say that, although it was the
view almost universally entertained of the subject by the Norwegians, it nevertheless was
not his own. As to the former notion he confessed his inability to comprehend it; and here
I agreed with him —for, however conclusive on paper, it becomes altogether
unintelligible, and even absurd, amid the thunder of the abyss.

"You have had a good look at the whirl now," said the old man, "and if you will creep
round this crag, so as to get in its lee, and deaden the roar of the water, I will tell you a
story that will convince you I ought to know something of the Moskoe-strom."

I placed myself as desired, and he proceeded.

"Myself and my two brothers once owned a schooner-rigged smack of about seventy tons
burthen, with which we were in the habit of fishing among the islands beyond Moskoe,
nearly to Vurrgh. In all violent eddies at sea there is good fishing, at proper opportunities,
if one has only the courage to attempt it; but among the whole of the Lofoden coastmen,
we three were the only ones who made a regular business of going out to the islands, as I
tell you. The usual grounds are a great way lower down to the southward. There fish can
be got at all hours, without much risk, and therefore these places are preferred. The
choice spots over here among the rocks, however, not only yield the finest variety, but in
far greater abundance; so that we often got in a single day, what the more timid of the
craft could not scrape together in a week. In fact, we made it a matter of desperate
speculation -the risk of life standing instead of labor, and courage answering for capital.

"We kept the smack in a cove about five miles higher up the coast than this; and it was
our practice, in fine weather, to take advantage of the fifteen minutes' slack to push across
the main channel of the Moskoe-strom, far above the pool, and then drop down upon
anchorage somewhere near Otterholm, or Sandflesen, where the eddies are not so violent
as elsewhere. Here we used to remain until nearly time for slackwater again, when we
weighed and made for home. We never set out upon this expedition without a steady side
wind for going and coming -one that we felt sure would not fall us before our return —
and we seldom made a mis-calculation upon this point. Twice, during six years, we were
forced to stay all night at anchor on account of a dead calm, which is a rare thing indeed
just about here; and once we had to remain on the grounds nearly a week, starving to
death, owing to a gale which blew up shortly after our arrival, and made the channel too
boisterous to be thought of. Upon this occasion we should have been driven out to sea in
spite of everything, (for the whirlpools threw us round and round so violently that, at
length, we fouled our anchor and dragged it) if it had not been that we drifted into one of
the innumerable cross currents-here to-day and gone to-morrow —which drove us under
the lee of Flimen, where, by good luck, we brought up.

"I could not tell you the twentieth part of the difficulties we encountered 'on the ground' -
-it is a bad spot to be in, even in good weather -but we made shift always to run the
gauntlet of the Moskoe-strom itself without accident; although at times my heart has been
in my mouth when we happened to be a minute or so behind or before the slack. The
wind sometimes was not as strong as we thought it at starting, and then we made rather
less way than we could wish, while the current rendered the smack unmanageable. My
eldest brother had a son eighteen years old, and I had two stout boys of my own. These
would have been of great assistance at such times, in using the sweeps, as well as
afterward in fishing -but, somehow, although we ran the risk ourselves, we had not the
heart to let the young ones get into the danger —for, after all said and done, it was a
horrible danger, and that is the truth.

"It is now within a few days of three years since what I am going to tell you occurred. It
was on the tenth of July, 18—, a day which the people of this part of the world will never
forget —for it was one in which blew the most terrible hurricane that ever came out of the

heavens. And yet all the morning, and indeed until late in the afternoon, there was a
gentle and steady breeze from the south-west, while the sun shone brightly, so that the
oldest seaman among us could not have foreseen what was to follow.

"The three of us —my two brothers and myself —had crossed over to the islands about two
o'clock P. M., and soon nearly loaded the smack with fine fish, which, we all remarked,
were more plenty that day than we had ever known them. It was just seven, by my watch,
when we weighed and started for home, so as to make the worst of the Strom at slack
water, which we knew would be at eight.

"We set out with a fresh wind on our starboard quarter, and for some time spanked along
at a great rate, never dreaming of danger, for indeed we saw not the slightest reason to
apprehend it. All at once we were taken aback by a breeze from over Helseggen. This
was most unusual —something that had never happened to us before —and I began to feel
a little uneasy, without exactly knowing why. We put the boat on the wind, but could
make no headway at all for the eddies, and I was upon the point of proposing to return to
the anchorage, when, looking astern, we saw the whole horizon covered with a singular
copper-colored cloud that rose with the most amazing velocity.

"In the meantime the breeze that had headed us off fell away, and we were dead
becalmed, drifting about in every direction. This state of things, however, did not last
long enough to give us time to think about it. In less than a minute the storm was upon us
—in less than two the sky was entirely overcast —and what with this and the driving spray,
it became suddenly so dark that we could not see each other in the smack.

"Such a hurricane as then blew it is folly to attempt describing. The oldest seaman in
Norway never experienced any thing like it. We had let our sails go by the run before it
cleverly took us; but, at the first puff, both our masts went by the board if they had been
sawed off —the mainmast taking with it my as I youngest brother, who had lashed himself
to it for safety.

"Our boat was the lightest feather of a thing that ever sat upon water. It had a complete
flush deck, with only a small hatch near the bow, and this hatch it had always been our
custom to batten down when about to cross the Strom, by way of precaution against the
chopping seas. But for this circumstance we should have foundered at once —for we lay
entirely buried for some moments. How my elder brother escaped destruction I cannot
say, for I never had an opportunity of ascertaining. For my part, as soon as I had let the
foresail run, I threw myself flat on deck, with my feet against the narrow gunwale of the
bow, and with my hands grasping a ring-bolt near the foot of the foremast. It was mere
instinct that prompted me to do this —which was undoubtedly the very best thing I could
have done —for I was too much flurried to think.

"For some moments we were completely deluged, as I say, and all this time I held my
breath, and clung to the bolt. When I could stand it no longer I raised myself upon my
knees, still keeping hold with my hands, and thus got my head clear. Presently our little
boat gave herself a shake, just as a dog does in coming out of the water, and thus rid

herself, in some measure, of the seas. I was now trying to get the better of the stupor that
had come over me, and to collect my senses so as to see what was to be done, when I felt
somebody grasp my arm. It was my elder brother, and my heart leaped for joy, for I had
made sure that he was overboard —but the next moment all this joy was turned into horror
-for he put his mouth close to my ear, and screamed out the word 'Moskoe-strom!'

"No one ever will know what my feelings were at that moment. I shook from head to foot
as if I had had the most violent fit of the ague. I knew what he meant by that one word
well enough -I knew what he wished to make me understand. With the wind that now
drove us on, we were bound for the whirl of the Strom, and nothing could save us!

"You perceive that in crossing the Strom channel, we always went a long way up above
the whirl, even in the calmest weather, and then had to wait and watch carefully for the
slack -but now we were driving right upon the pool itself, and in such a hurricane as this!
'To be sure,' I thought, 'we shall get there just about the slack —there is some little hope in
that' —but in the next moment I cursed myself for being so great a fool as to dream of
hope at all. I knew very well that we were doomed, had we been ten times a ninety-gun
ship.

"By this time the first fury of the tempest had spent itself, or perhaps we did not feel it so
much, as we scudded before it, but at all events the seas, which at first had been kept
down by the wind, and lay flat and frothing, now got up into absolute mountains. A
singular change, too, had come over the heavens. Around in every direction it was still as
black as pitch, but nearly overhead there burst out, all at once, a circular rift of clear sky -
-as clear as I ever saw —and of a deep bright blue —and through it there blazed forth the
full moon with a lustre that I never before knew her to wear. She lit up every thing about
us with the greatest distinctness —but, oh God, what a scene it was to light up!

"I now made one or two attempts to speak to my brother —but in some manner which I
could not understand, the din had so increased that I could not make him hear a single
word, although I screamed at the top of my voice in his ear. Presently he shook his head,
looking as pale as death, and held up one of his fingers, as to say 'listen!'

"At first I could not make out what he meant —but soon a hideous thought flashed upon
me. I dragged my watch from its fob. It was not going. I glanced as its face by the
moonlight, and then burst into tears as I flung it far away into the ocean. It had run down
at seven o'clock! We were behind the time of the slack, and the whirl of the Strom was in
full fury!

"When a boat is well built, properly trimmed, and not deep laden, the waves in a strong
gale, when she is going large, seem always to slip from beneath her -which appears very
strange to a landsman —and this is what is called riding, in sea phrase.

"Well, so far we had ridden the swells very cleverly; but presently a gigantic sea
happened to take us right under the counter, and bore us with it as it rose -up —up —as if
into the sky. I would not have believed that any wave could rise so high. And then down

we came with a sweep, a slide, and a plunge, that made me feel sick and dizzy, as if I was
falling from some lofty mountain-top in a dream. But while we were up I had thrown a
quick glance around —and that one glance was all sufficient. I saw our exact position in
an instant. The Moskoe-strom whirlpool was about a quarter of a mile dead ahead —but
no more like the e very-day Moskoe-strom, than the whirl as you now see it, is like a mill-
race. If I had not known where we were, and what we had to expect, I should not have
recognised the place at all. As it was, I involuntarily closed my eyes in horror. The lids
clenched themselves together as if in a spasm.

"It could not have been more than two minutes afterwards until we suddenly felt the
waves subside, and were enveloped in foam. The boat made a sharp half turn to larboard,
and then shot off in its new direction like a thunderbolt. At the same moment the roaring
noise of the water was completely drowned in a kind of shrill shriek —such a sound as
you might imagine given out by the water-pipes of many thousand steam- vessels, letting
off their steam all together. We were now in the belt of surf that always surrounds the
whirl; and I thought, of course, that another moment would plunge us into the abyss —
down which we could only see indistinctly on account of the amazing velocity with
which we were borne along. The boat did not seem to sink into the water at all, but to
skim like an air-bubble upon the surface of the surge. Her starboard side was next the
whirl, and on the larboard arose the world of ocean we had left. It stood like a huge
writhing wall between us and the horizon.

"It may appear strange, but now, when we were in the very jaws of the gulf, I felt more
composed than when we were only approaching it. Having made up my mind to hope no
more, I got rid of a great deal of that terror which unmanned me at first. I suppose it was
despair that strung my nerves.

"It may look like boasting -but what I tell you is truth —I began to reflect how
magnificent a thing it was to die in such a manner, and how foolish it was in me to think
of so paltry a consideration as my own individual life, in view of so wonderful a
manifestation of God's power. I do believe that I blushed with shame when this idea
crossed my mind. After a little while I became possessed with the keenest curiosity about
the whirl itself. I positively felt a wish to explore its depths, even at the sacrifice I was
going to make; and my principal grief was that I should never be able to tell my old
companions on shore about the mysteries I should see. These, no doubt, were singular
fancies to occupy a man's mind in such extremity —and I have often thought since, that
the revolutions of the boat around the pool might have rendered me a little light-headed.

"There was another circumstance which tended to restore my self-possession; and this
was the cessation of the wind, which could not reach us in our present situation -for, as
you saw yourself, the belt of surf is considerably lower than the general bed of the ocean,
and this latter now towered above us, a high, black, mountainous ridge. If you have never
been at sea in a heavy gale, you can form no idea of the confusion of mind occasioned by
the wind and the spray together. They blind, deafen and strangle you, and take away all
power of action or reflection. But we were now, in a great measure, rid of these

annoyances —just as death-condemned felons in prison are allowed petty indulgences,
forbidden them while their doom is yet uncertain.

"How often we made the circuit of the belt it is impossible to say. We careered round and
round for perhaps an hour, flying rather than floating, getting gradually more and more
into the middle of the surge, and then nearer and nearer to its horrible inner edge. All this
time I had never let go of the ring-bolt. My brother was at the stern, holding on to a large
empty water-cask which had been securely lashed under the coop of the counter, and was
the only thing on deck that had not been swept overboard when the gale first took us. As
we approached the brink of the pit he let go his hold upon this, and made for the ring,
from which, in the agony of his terror, he endeavored to force my hands, as it was not
large enough to afford us both a secure grasp. I never felt deeper grief than when I saw
him attempt this act —although I knew he was a madman when he did it —a raving maniac
through sheer fright. I did not care, however, to contest the point with him. I thought it
could make no difference whether either of us held on at all; so I let him have the bolt,
and went astern to the cask. This there was no great difficulty in doing; for the smack
flew round steadily enough, and upon an even keel —only swaying to and fro, with the
immense sweeps and swelters of the whirl. Scarcely had I secured myself in my new
position, when we gave a wild lurch to starboard, and rushed headlong into the abyss. I
muttered a hurried prayer to God, and thought all was over.

"As I felt the sickening sweep of the descent, I had instinctively tightened my hold upon
the barrel, and closed my eyes. For some seconds I dared not open them —while I
expected instant destruction, and wondered that I was not already in my death-struggles
with the water. But moment after moment elapsed. I still lived. The sense of falling had
ceased; and the motion of the vessel seemed much as it had been before while in the belt
of foam, with the exception that she now lay more along. I took courage and looked once
again upon the scene.

"Never shall I forget the sensations of awe, horror, and admiration with which I gazed
about me. The boat appeared to be hanging, as if by magic, midway down, upon the
interior surface of a funnel vast in circumference, prodigious in depth, and whose
perfectly smooth sides might have been mistaken for ebony, but for the bewildering
rapidity with which they spun around, and for the gleaming and ghastly radiance they
shot forth, as the rays of the full moon, from that circular rift amid the clouds which I
have already described, streamed in a flood of golden glory along the black walls, and far
away down into the inmost recesses of the abyss.

"At first I was too much confused to observe anything accurately. The general burst of
terrific grandeur was all that I beheld. When I recovered myself a little, however, my
gaze fell instinctively downward. In this direction I was able to obtain an unobstructed
view, from the manner in which the smack hung on the inclined surface of the pool. She
was quite upon an even keel —that is to say, her deck lay in a plane parallel with that of
the water -but this latter sloped at an angle of more than forty-five degrees, so that we
seemed to be lying upon our beam-ends. I could not help observing, nevertheless, that I
had scarcely more difficulty in maintaining my hold and footing in this situation, than if

we had been upon a dead level; and this, I suppose, was owing to the speed at which we
revolved.

"The rays of the moon seemed to search the very bottom of the profound gulf; but still I
could make out nothing distinctly, on account of a thick mist in which everything there
was enveloped, and over which there hung a magnificent rainbow, like that narrow and
tottering bridge which Mussulmen say is the only pathway between Time and Eternity.
This mist, or spray, was no doubt occasioned by the clashing of the great walls of the
funnel, as they all met together at the bottom —but the yell that went up to the Heavens
from out of that mist, I dare not attempt to describe.

"Our first slide into the abyss itself, from the belt of foam above, had carried us to a great
distance down the slope; but our farther descent was by no means proportionate. Round
and round we swept -not with any uniform movement —but in dizzying swings and jerks,
that sent us sometimes only a few hundred feet —sometimes nearly the complete circuit of
the whirl. Our progress downward, at each revolution, was slow, but very perceptible.

"Looking about me upon the wide waste of liquid ebony on which we were thus borne, I
perceived that our boat was not the only object in the embrace of the whirl. Both above
and below us were visible fragments of vessels, large masses of building timber and
trunks of trees, with many smaller articles, such as pieces of house furniture, broken
boxes, barrels and staves. I have already described the unnatural curiosity which had
taken the place of my original terrors. It appeared to grow upon me as I drew nearer and
nearer to my dreadful doom. I now began to watch, with a strange interest, the numerous
things that floated in our company. I must have been delirious —for I even sought
amusement in speculating upon the relative velocities of their several descents toward the
foam below. 'This fir tree,' I found myself at one time saying, 'will certainly be the next
thing that takes the awful plunge and disappears,' -and then I was disappointed to find
that the wreck of a Dutch merchant ship overtook it and went down before. At length,
after making several guesses of this nature, and being deceived in all -this fact -the fact
of my invariable miscalculation, set me upon a train of reflection that made my limbs
again tremble, and my heart beat heavily once more.

"It was not a new terror that thus affected me, but the dawn of a more exciting hope. This
hope arose partly from memory, and partly from present observation. I called to mind the
great variety of buoyant matter that strewed the coast of Lofoden, having been absorbed
and then thrown forth by the Moskoe-strom. By far the greater number of the articles
were shattered in the most extraordinary way —so chafed and roughened as to have the
appearance of being stuck full of splinters -but then I distinctly recollected that there
were some of them which were not disfigured at all. Now I could not account for this
difference except by supposing that the roughened fragments were the only ones which
had been completely absorbed —that the others had entered the whirl at so late a period of
the tide, or, from some reason, had descended so slowly after entering, that they did not
reach the bottom before the turn of the flood came, or of the ebb, as the case might be. I
conceived it possible, in either instance, that they might thus be whirled up again to the
level of the ocean, without undergoing the fate of those which had been drawn in more

early or absorbed more rapidly. I made, also, three important observations. The first was,
that as a general rule, the larger the bodies were, the more rapid their descent; -the
second, that, between two masses of equal extent, the one spherical, and the other of any
other shape, the superiority in speed of descent was with the sphere; -the third, that,
between two masses of equal size, the one cylindrical, and the other of any other shape,
the cylinder was absorbed the more slowly.

Since my escape, I have had several conversations on this subject with an old school-
master of the district; and it was from him that I learned the use of the words 'cylinder'
and 'sphere.' He explained to me —although I have forgotten the explanation -how what I
observed was, in fact, the natural consequence of the forms of the floating fragments —
and showed me how it happened that a cylinder, swimming in a vortex, offered more
resistance to its suction, and was drawn in with greater difficulty than an equally bulky
body, of any form whatever.*

*See Archimedes, "De Incidentibus in Fluido." —lib. 2.

"There was one startling circumstance which went a great way in enforcing these
observations, and rendering me anxious to turn them to account, and this was that, at
every revolution, we passed something like a barrel, or else the broken yard or the mast
of a vessel, while many of these things, which had been on our level when I first opened
my eyes upon the wonders of the whirlpool, were now high up above us, and seemed to
have moved but little from their original station.

"I no longer hesitated what to do. I resolved to lash myself securely to the water cask
upon which I now held, to cut it loose from the counter, and to throw myself with it into
the water. I attracted my brother's attention by signs, pointed to the floating barrels that
came near us, and did everything in my power to make him understand what I was about
to do. I thought at length that he comprehended my design —but, whether this was the
case or not, he shook his head despairingly, and refused to move from his station by the
ring-bolt. It was impossible to force him; the emergency admitted no delay; and so, with
a bitter struggle, I resigned him to his fate, fastened myself to the cask by means of the
lashings which secured it to the counter, and precipitated myself with it into the sea,
without another moment's hesitation.

"The result was precisely what I had hoped it might be. As it is myself who now tell you
this tale —as you see that I did escape —and as you are already in possession of the mode
in which this escape was effected, and must therefore anticipate all that I have farther to
say —I will bring my story quickly to conclusion. It might have been an hour, or
thereabout, after my quitting the smack, when, having descended to a vast distance
beneath me, it made three or four wild gyrations in rapid succession, and, bearing my
loved brother with it, plunged headlong, at once and forever, into the chaos of foam
below. The barrel to which I was attached sunk very little farther than half the distance
between the bottom of the gulf and the spot at which I leaped overboard, before a great
change took place in the character of the whirlpool. The slope of the sides of the vast
funnel became momently less and less steep. The gyrations of the whirl grew, gradually.

less and less violent. By degrees, the froth and the rainbow disappeared, and the bottom
of the gulf seemed slowly to uprise. The sky was clear, the winds had gone down, and the
full moon was setting radiantly in the west, when I found myself on the surface of the
ocean, in full view of the shores of Lofoden, and above the spot where the pool of the
Moskoe-strom had been. It was the hour of the slack —but the sea still heaved in
mountainous waves from the effects of the hurricane. I was borne violently into the
channel of the Strom and in a few minutes, was hurried down the coast into the 'grounds'
of the fishermen. A boat picked me up —exhausted from fatigue -and (now that the
danger was removed) speechless from the memory of its horror. Those who drew me on
board were my old mates and dally companions —but they knew me no more than they
would have known a traveller from the spirit-land. My hair, which had been raven-black
the day before, was as white as you see it now. They say too that the whole expression of
my countenance had changed. I told them my story —they did not believe it. I now tell it
to you —and I can scarcely expect you to put more faith in it than did the merry fishermen
of Lofoden.

THE END

A DREAM WITHIN A DREAM

by Edgar Allan Poe

1827

Take this kiss upon the brow!

And, in parting from you now,

Thus much let me avow-

You are not wrong, who deem

That my days have been a dream;

Yet if hope has flown away

In a night, or in a day.

In a vision, or in none.

Is it therefore the less gone?

All that we see or seem

Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore.
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand-
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep.
While I weep- while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?

THE END

A DREAM

by Edgar Allan Poe

1827

In visions of the dark night
I have dreamed of joy departed-
But a waking dream of life and light
Hath left me broken-hearted.

Ah! what is not a dream by day
To him whose eyes are cast
On things around him with a ray
Turned back upon the past?

That holy dream-that holy dream,
While all the world were chiding,
Hath cheered me as a lovely beam
A lonely spirit guiding.

What though that light, thro' storm and night.
So trembled from afar-
What could there be more purely bright
In Truth's day-star?

THE END

A PREDICAMENT

by Edgar Allan Poe

1838

What chance, good lady, hath bereft you thus ?
COMUS.

IT was a quiet and still afternoon when I strolled forth in the goodly city of Edina. The
confusion and bustle in the streets were terrible. Men were talking. Women were
screaming. Children were choking. Pigs were whistling. Carts they rattled. Bulls they
bellowed. Cows they lowed. Horses they neighed. Cats they caterwauled. Dogs they
danced. Danced! Could it then be possible? Danced! Alas, thought I, my dancing days are
over! Thus it is ever. What a host of gloomy recollections will ever and anon be
awakened in the mind of genius and imaginative contemplation, especially of a genius
doomed to the everlasting and eternal, and continual, and, as one might say, the-
continued-yes, the continued and continuous, bitter, harassing, disturbing, and, if I may
be allowed the expression, the very disturbing influence of the serene, and godlike, and
heavenly, and exalted, and elevated, and purifying effect of what may be rightly termed
the most enviable, the most truly enviable-nay! the most benignly beautiful, the most
deliciously ethereal, and, as it were, the most pretty (if I may use so bold an expression)
thing (pardon me, gentle reader!) in the world-but I am always led away by my feelings.
In such a mind, I repeat, what a host of recollections are stirred up by a trifle! The dogs
danced! I-I could not! They frisked-I wept. They capered-I sobbed aloud. Touching
circumstances! which cannot fail to bring to the recollection of the classical reader that
exquisite passage in relation to the fitness of things, which is to be found in the
commencement of the third volume of that admirable and venerable Chinese novel the
Jo-Go-Slow.

In my solitary walk through, the city I had two humble but faithful companions. Diana,
my poodle! sweetest of creatures! She had a quantity of hair over her one eye, and a blue
ribband tied fashionably around her neck. Diana was not more than five inches in height,
but her head was somewhat bigger than her body, and her tail being cut off exceedingly
close, gave an air of injured innocence to the interesting animal which rendered her a
favorite with all.

And Pompey, my negro !-sweet Pompey! how shall I ever forget thee? I had taken
Pompey's arm. He was three feet in height (I like to be particular) and about seventy, or
perhaps eighty, years of age. He had bow-legs and was corpulent. His mouth should not
be called small, nor his ears short. His teeth, however, were like pearl, and his large full
eyes were deliciously white. Nature had endowed him with no neck, and had placed his
ankles (as usual with that race) in the middle of the upper portion of the feet. He was clad
with a striking simplicity. His sole garments were a stock of nine inches in height, and a

nearly- new drab overcoat which had formerly been in the service of the tall, stately, and
illustrious Dr. Moneypenny. It was a good overcoat. It was well cut. It was well made.
The coat was nearly new. Pompey held it up out of the dirt with both hands.

There were three persons in our party, and two of them have already been the subject of
remark. There was a third-that person was myself. I am the Signora Psyche Zenobia. I
am not Suky Snobbs. My appearance is commanding. On the memorable occasion of
which I speak I was habited in a crimson satin dress, with a sky-blue Arabian mantelet.
And the dress had trimmings of green agraffas, and seven graceful flounces of the
orange-colored auricula. I thus formed the third of the party. There was the poodle. There
was Pompey. There was myself. We were three. Thus it is said there were originally but
three Furies-Melty, Nimmy, and Hetty-Meditation, Memory, and Fiddling.

Leaning upon the arm of the gallant Pompey, and attended at a respectable distance by
Diana, I proceeded down one of the populous and very pleasant streets of the now
deserted Edina. On a sudden, there presented itself to view a church-a Gothic cathedral-
vast, venerable, and with a tall steeple, which towered into the sky. What madness now
possessed me? Why did I rush upon my fate? I was seized with an uncontrollable desire
to ascend the giddy pinnacle, and then survey the immense extent of the city. The door of
the cathedral stood invitingly open. My destiny prevailed. I entered the ominous archway.
Where then was my guardian angel?-if indeed such angels there be. If! Distressing
monosyllable! what world of mystery, and meaning, and doubt, and uncertainty is there
involved in thy two letters! I entered the ominous archway! I entered; and, without injury
to my orange-colored auriculas, I passed beneath the portal, and emerged within the
vestibule. Thus it is said the immense river Alfred passed, unscathed, and unwetted,
beneath the sea.

I thought the staircase would never have an end. Round! Yes, they went round and up,
and round and up and round and up, until I could not help surmising, with the sagacious
Pompey, upon whose supporting arm I leaned in all the confidence of early affection-I
could not help surmising that the upper end of the continuous spiral ladder had been
accidentally, or perhaps designedly, removed. I paused for breath; and, in the meantime,
an accident occurred of too momentous a nature in a moral, and also in a metaphysical
point of view, to be passed over without notice. It appeared to me-indeed I was quite
confident of the fact-I could not be mistaken-no! I had, for some moments, carefully and
anxiously observed the motions of my Diana-I say that I could not be mistaken-Diana
smelt a rat! At once I called Pompey's attention to the subject, and he-he agreed with me.
There was then no longer any reasonable room for doubt. The rat had been smelled-and
by Diana. Heavens! shall I ever forget the intense excitement of the moment? Alas! what
is the boasted intellect of man? The rat!-it was there-that is to say, it was somewhere.
Diana smelled the rat. I-I could not! Thus it is said the Prussian Isis has, for some
persons, a sweet and very powerful perfume, while to others it is perfectly scentless.

The staircase had been surmounted, and there were now only three or four more upward
steps intervening between us and the summit. We still ascended, and now only one step
remained. One step! One little, little step! Upon one such little step in the great staircase

of human life how vast a sum of human happiness or misery depends! I thought of
myself, then of Pompey, and then of the mysterious and inexplicable destiny which
surrounded us. I thought of Pompey !-alas, I thought of love! I thought of my many false
steps which have been taken, and may be taken again. I resolved to be more cautious,
more reserved. I abandoned the arm of Pompey, and, without his assistance, surmounted
the one remaining step, and gained the chamber of the belfry. I was followed immediately
afterward by my poodle. Pompey alone remained behind. I stood at the head of the
staircase, and encouraged him to ascend. He stretched forth to me his hand, and
unfortunately in so doing was forced to abandon his firm hold upon the overcoat. Will the
gods never cease their persecution? The overcoat is dropped, and, with one of his feet,
Pompey stepped upon the long and trailing skirt of the overcoat. He stumbled and fell-
this consequence was inevitable. He fell forward, and, with his accursed head, striking
me full in the-in the breast, precipitated me headlong, together with himself, upon the
hard, filthy, and detestable floor of the belfry. But my revenge was sure, sudden, and
complete. Seizing him furiously by the wool with both hands, I tore out a vast quantity of
black, and crisp, and curling material, and tossed it from me with every manifestation of
disdain. It fell among the ropes of the belfry and remained. Pompey arose, and said no
word. But he regarded me piteously with his large eyes and-sighed. Ye Gods-that sigh! It
sunk into my heart. And the hair-the wool! Could I have reached that wool I would have
bathed it with my tears, in testimony of regret. But alas! it was now far beyond my grasp.
As it dangled among the cordage of the bell, I fancied it ahve. I fancied that it stood on
end with indignation. Thus the happy-dandy Flos Aeris of Java bears, it is said, a
beautiful flower, which will live when pulled up by the roots. The natives suspend it by a
cord from the ceiling and enjoy its fragrance for years.

Our quarrel was now made up, and we looked about the room for an aperture through
which to survey the city of Edina. Windows there were none. The sole light admitted into
the gloomy chamber proceeded from a square opening, about a foot in diameter, at a
height of about seven feet from the floor. Yet what will the energy of true genius not
effect? I resolved to clamber up to this hole. A vast quantity of wheels, pinions, and other
cabalistic-looking machinery stood opposite the hole, close to it; and through the hole
there passed an iron rod from the machinery. Between the wheels and the wall where the
hole lay there was barely room for my body-yet I was desperate, and determined to
persevere. I called Pompey to my side.

"You perceive that aperture, Pompey. I wish to look through it. You will stand here just
beneath the hole-so. Now, hold out one of your hands, Pompey, and let me step upon it-
thus. Now, the other hand, Pompey, and with its aid I will get upon your shoulders."

He did every thing I wished, and I found, upon getting up, that I could easily pass my
head and neck through the aperture. The prospect was sublime. Nothing could be more
magnificent. I merely paused a moment to bid Diana behave herself, and assure Pompey
that I would be considerate and bear as lightly as possible upon his shoulders. I told him I
would be tender of his feelings-ossi tender que beefsteak. Having done this justice to my
faithful friend, I gave myself up with great zest and enthusiasm to the enjoyment of the
scene which so obligingly spread itself out before my eyes.

Upon this subject, however, I shall forbear to dilate. I will not describe the city of
Edinburgh. Every one has been to the city of Edinburgh. Every one has been to
Edinburgh-the classic Edina. I will confine myself to the momentous details of my own
lamentable adventure. Having, in some measure, satisfied my curiosity in regard to the
extent, situation, and general appearance of the city, I had leisure to survey the church in
which I was, and the delicate architecture of the steeple. I observed that the aperture
through which I had thrust my head was an opening in the dial-plate of a gigantic clock,
and must have appeared, from the street, as a large key-hole, such as we see in the face of
the French watches. No doubt the true object was to admit the arm of an attendant, to
adjust, when necessary, the hands of the clock from within. I observed also, with surprise,
the immense size of these hands, the longest of which could not have been less than ten
feet in length, and, where broadest, eight or nine inches in breadth. They were of solid
steel apparently, and their edges appeared to be sharp. Having noticed these particulars,
and some others, I again turned my eyes upon the glorious prospect below, and soon
became absorbed in contemplation.

From this, after some minutes, I was aroused by the voice of Pompey, who declared that
he could stand it no longer, and requested that I would be so kind as to come down. This
was unreasonable, and I told him so in a speech of some length. He replied, but with an
evident misunderstanding of my ideas upon the subject. I accordingly grew angry, and
told him in plain words, that he was a fool, that he had committed an ignoramus e-clench-
eye, that his notions were mere insommary Bovis, and his words little better than an
ennemywerrybor'em. With this he appeared satisfied, and I resumed my contemplations.

It might have been half an hour after this altercation when, as I was deeply absorbed in
the heavenly scenery beneath me, I was startled by something very cold which pressed
with a gentle pressure on the back of my neck. It is needless to say that I felt
inexpressibly alarmed. I knew that Pompey was beneath my feet, and that Diana was
sitting, according to my explicit directions, upon her hind legs, in the farthest comer of
the room. What could it be? Alas! I but too soon discovered. Turning my head gently to
one side, I perceived, to my extreme horror, that the huge, glittering, scimetar-like
minute-hand of the clock had, in the course of its hourly revolution, descended upon my
neck. There was, I knew, not a second to be lost. I pulled back at once-but it was too late.
There was no chance of forcing my head through the mouth of that terrible trap in which
it was so fairly caught, and which grew narrower and narrower with a rapidity too
horrible to be conceived. The agony of that moment is not to be imagined. I threw up my
hands and endeavored, with all my strength, to force upward the ponderous iron bar. I
might as well have tried to lift the cathedral itself. Down, down, down it came, closer and
yet closer. I screamed to Pompey for aid; but he said that I had hurt his feelings by calling
him 'an ignorant old squint-eye:' I yelled to Diana; but she only said 'bow-wow-wow,' and
that I had told her 'on no account to stir from the corner.' Thus I had no relief to expect
from my associates.

Meantime the ponderous and terrific Scythe of Time (for I now discovered the literal
import of that classical phrase) had not stopped, nor was it likely to stop, in its career.
Down and still down, it came. It had already buried its sharp edge a full inch in my flesh.

and my sensations grew indistinct and confused. At one time I fancied myself in
Philadelphia with the stately Dr. Moneypenny, at another in the back parlor of Mr.
Blackwood receiving his invaluable instructions. And then again the sweet recollection of
better and earlier times came over me, and I thought of that happy period when the world
was not all a desert, and Pompey not altogether cruel.

The ticking of the machinery amused me. Amused me, I say, for my sensations now
bordered upon perfect happiness, and the most trifling circumstances afforded me
pleasure. The eternal click-clak, click-clak, click-clak of the clock was the most
melodious of music in my ears, and occasionally even put me in mind of the graceful
sermonic harangues of Dr. OUapod. Then there were the great figures upon the dial-
plate-how intelligent how intellectual, they all looked! And presently they took to
dancing the Mazurka, and I think it was the figure V. who performed the most to my
satisfaction. She was evidently a lady of breeding. None of your swaggerers, and nothing
at all indelicate in her motions. She did the pirouette to admiration- whirling round upon
her apex. I made an endeavor to hand her a chair, for I saw that she appeared fatigued
with her exertions-and it was not until then that I fully perceived my lamentable
situation. Lamentable indeed! The bar had buried itself two inches in my neck. I was
aroused to a sense of exquisite pain. I prayed for death, and, in the agony of the moment,
could not help repeating those exquisite verses of the poet Miguel De Cervantes:

Vanny Buren, tan escondida

Query no te senty venny

Pork and pleasure, delly morry

Nommy, torny, darry, widdy!

But now a new horror presented itself, and one indeed sufficient to startle the strongest
nerves. My eyes, from the cruel pressure of the machine, were absolutely starting from
their sockets. While I was thinking how I should possibly manage without them, one
actually tumbled out of my head, and, rolling down the steep side of the steeple, lodged
in the rain gutter which ran along the eaves of the main building. The loss of the eye was
not so much as the insolent air of independence and contempt with which it regarded me
after it was out. There it lay in the gutter just under my nose, and the airs it gave itself
would have been ridiculous had they not been disgusting. Such a winking and blinking
were never before seen. This behavior on the part of my eye in the gutter was not only
irritating on account of its manifest insolence and shameful ingratitude, but was also
exceedingly inconvenient on account of the sympathy which always exists between two
eyes of the same head, however far apart. I was forced, in a manner, to wink and to blink,
whether I would or not, in exact concert with the scoundrelly thing that lay just under my
nose. I was presently relieved, however, by the dropping out of the other eye. In falling it
took the same direction (possibly a concerted plot) as its fellow. Both rolled out of the
gutter together, and in truth I was very glad to get rid of them.

The bar was now four inches and a half deep in my neck, and there was only a little bit of
skin to cut through. My sensations were those of entire happiness, for I felt that in a few
minutes, at farthest, I should be relieved from my disagreeable situation. And in this
expectation I was not at all deceived. At twenty-five minutes past five in the afternoon,
precisely, the huge minute-hand had proceeded sufficiently far on its terrible revolution
to sever the small remainder of my neck. I was not sorry to see the head which had
occasioned me so much embarrassment at length make a final separation from my body.
It first rolled down the side of the steeple, then lodge, for a few seconds, in the gutter, and
then made its way, with a plunge, into the middle of the street.

I will candidly confess that my feelings were now of the most singular-nay, of the most
mysterious, the most perplexing and incomprehensible character. My senses were here
and there at one and the same moment. With my head I imagined, at one time, that I, the
head, was the real Signora Psyche Zenobia-at another I felt convinced that myself, the
body, was the proper identity. To clear my ideas on this topic I felt in my pocket for my
snuff-box, but, upon getting it, and endeavoring to apply a pinch of its grateful contents
in the ordinary manner, I became immediately aware of my peculiar deficiency, and
threw the box at once down to my head. It took a pinch with great satisfaction, and
smiled me an acknowledgement in return. Shortly afterward it made me a speech, which I
could hear but indistinctly without ears. I gathered enough, however, to know that it was
astonished at my wishing to remain alive under such circumstances. In the concluding
sentences it quoted the noble words of Ariosto-

II pover hommy che non sera corty
And have a combat tenty erry morty;

thus comparing me to the hero who, in the heat of the combat, not perceiving that he was
dead, continued to contest the battle with inextinguishable valor. There was nothing now
to prevent my getting down from my elevation, and I did so. What it was that Pompey
saw so very peculiar in my appearance I have never yet been able to find out. The fellow
opened his mouth from ear to ear, and shut his two eyes as if he were endeavoring to
crack nuts between the lids. Finally, throwing off his overcoat, he made one spring for the
staircase and disappeared. I hurled after the scoundrel these vehement words of
Demosthenes-
Andrew O'Phlegethon, you really make haste to fly,

and then turned to the darling of my heart, to the one-eyed! the shaggy-haired Diana.
Alas! what a horrible vision affronted my eyes? Was that a rat I saw skulking into his
hole? Are these the picked bones of the little angel who has been cruelly devoured by the
monster? Ye gods! and what do I behold-is that the departed spirit, the shade, the ghost,
of my beloved puppy, which I perceive sitting with a grace so melancholy, in the corner?
Hearken! for she speaks, and, heavens! it is in the German of Schiller-

"Unt stubby duk, so stubby dun

Dukshe!dukshe!"

Alas! and are not her words too true?

"And if I died, at least I died

For thee-for thee."

Sweet creature! she too has sacrificed herself in my behalf. Dogless, niggerless, headless,
what now remains for the unhappy Signora Psyche Zenobia? Alas-nothing! I have done.

THE END

A TALE OF THE RAGGED MOUNTAINS

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

DURING the fall of the year 1827, while residing near Charlottesville, Virginia, I
casually made the acquaintance of Mr. Augustus Bedloe. This young gentleman was
remarkable in every respect, and excited in me a profound interest and curiosity. I found
it impossible to comprehend him either in his moral or his physical relations. Of his
family I could obtain no satisfactory account. Whence he came, I never ascertained. Even
about his age-although I call him a young gentleman-there was something which
perplexed me in no little degree. He certainly seemed young-and he made a point of
speaking about his youth-yet there were moments when I should have had little trouble in
imagining him a hundred years of age. But in no regard was he more peculiar than in his
personal appearance. He was singularly tall and thin. He stooped much. His limbs were
exceedingly long and emaciated. His forehead was broad and low. His complexion was
absolutely bloodless. His mouth was large and flexible, and his teeth were more wildly
uneven, although sound, than I had ever before seen teeth in a human head. The
expression of his smile, however, was by no means unpleasing, as might be supposed; but
it had no variation whatever. It was one of profound melancholy-of a phaseless and
unceasing gloom. His eyes were abnormally large, and round like those of a cat. The
pupils, too, upon any accession or diminution of light, underwent contraction or dilation,
just such as is observed in the feline tribe. In moments of excitement the orbs grew bright
to a degree almost inconceivable; seeming to emit luminous rays, not of a reflected but of
an intrinsic lustre, as does a candle or the sun; yet their ordinary condition was so totally
vapid, filmy, and dull as to convey the idea of the eyes of a long-interred corpse.

These peculiarities of person appeared to cause him much annoyance, and he was
continually alluding to them in a sort of half explanatory, half apologetic strain, which,
when I first heard it, impressed me very painfully. I soon, however, grew accustomed to
it, and my uneasiness wore off. It seemed to be his design rather to insinuate than directly
to assert that, physically, he had not always been what he was-that a long series of
neuralgic attacks had reduced him from a condition of more than usual personal beauty,
to that which I saw. For many years past he had been attended by a physician, named
Templeton-an old gentleman, perhaps seventy years of age-whom he had first
encountered at Saratoga, and from whose attention, while there, he either received, or
fancied that he received, great benefit. The result was that Bedloe, who was wealthy, had
made an arrangement with Dr. Templeton, by which the latter, in consideration of a
liberal annual allowance, had consented to devote his time and medical experience
exclusively to the care of the invalid.

Doctor Templeton had been a traveller in his younger days, and at Paris had become a
convert, in great measure, to the doctrines of Mesmer. It was altogether by means of

magnetic remedies that he had succeeded in alleviating the acute pains of his patient; and
this success had very naturally inspired the latter with a certain degree of confidence in
the opinions from which the remedies had been educed. The Doctor, however, like all
enthusiasts, had struggled hard to make a thorough convert of his pupil, and finally so far
gained his point as to induce the sufferer to submit to numerous experiments. By a
frequent repetition of these, a result had arisen, which of late days has become so
common as to attract little or no attention, but which, at the period of which I write, had
very rarely been known in America. I mean to say, that between Doctor Templeton and
Bedloe there had grown up, little by little, a very distinct and strongly marked rapport, or
magnetic relation. I am not prepared to assert, however, that this rapport extended beyond
the limits of the simple sleep-producing power, but this power itself had attained great
intensity. At the first attempt to induce the magnetic somnolency, the mesmerist entirely
failed. In the fifth or sixth he succeeded very partially, and after long continued effort.
Only at the twelfth was the triumph complete. After this the will of the patient succumbed
rapidly to that of the physician, so that, when I first became acquainted with the two,
sleep was brought about almost instantaneously by the mere vohtion of the operator, even
when the invalid was unaware of his presence. It is only now, in the year 1845, when
similar miracles are witnessed daily by thousands, that I dare venture to record this
apparent impossibility as a matter of serious fact.

The temperature of Bedloe was, in the highest degree sensitive, excitable, enthusiastic.
His imagination was singularly vigorous and creative; and no doubt it derived additional
force from the habitual use of morphine, which he swallowed in great quantity, and
without which he would have found it impossible to exist. It was his practice to take a
very large dose of it immediately after breakfast each morning-or, rather, immediately
after a cup of strong coffee, for he ate nothing in the forenoon-and then set forth alone, or
attended only by a dog, upon a long ramble among the chain of wild and dreary hills that
lie westward and southward of Charlottesville, and are there dignified by the title of the
Ragged Mountains.

Upon a dim, warm, misty day, toward the close of November, and during the strange
interregnum of the seasons which in America is termed the Indian Summer, Mr. Bedloe
departed as usual for the hills. The day passed, and still he did not return.

About eight o'clock at night, having become seriously alarmed at his protracted absence,
we were about setting out in search of him, when he unexpectedly made his appearance,
in health no worse than usual, and in rather more than ordinary spirits. The account which
he gave of his expedition, and of the events which had detained him, was a singular one
indeed.

"You will remember," said he, "that it was about nine in the morning when I left
Charlottesville. I bent my steps immediately to the mountains, and, about ten, entered a
gorge which was entirely new to me. I followed the windings of this pass with much
interest. The scenery which presented itself on all sides, although scarcely entitled to be
called grand, had about it an indescribable and to me a delicious aspect of dreary
desolation. The solitude seemed absolutely virgin. I could not help believing that the

green sods and the gray rocks upon which I trod had been trodden never before by the
foot of a human being. So entirely secluded, and in fact inaccessible, except through a
series of accidents, is the entrance of the ravine, that it is by no means impossible that I
was indeed the first adventurer-the very first and sole adventurer who had ever
penetrated its recesses.

"The thick and peculiar mist, or smoke, which distinguishes the Indian Summer, and
which now hung heavily over all objects, served, no doubt, to deepen the vague
impressions which these objects created. So dense was this pleasant fog that I could at no
time see more than a dozen yards of the path before me. This path was excessively
sinuous, and as the sun could not be seen, I soon lost all idea of the direction in which I
journeyed. In the meantime the morphine had its customary effect-that of enduing all the
external world with an intensity of interest. In the quivering of a leaf-in the hue of a
blade of grass-in the shape of a tref oil-in the humming of a bee-in the gleaming of a
dew-drop-in the breathing of the wind-in the faint odors that came from the forest-there
came a whole universe of suggestion-a gay and motley train of rhapsodical and
immethodical thought.

"Busied in this, I walked on for several hours, during which the mist deepened around me
to so great an extent that at length I was reduced to an absolute groping of the way. And
now an indescribable uneasiness possessed me-a species of nervous hesitation and
tremor. I feared to tread, lest I should be precipitated into some abyss. I remembered, too,
strange stories told about these Ragged Hills, and of the uncouth and fierce races of men
who tenanted their groves and caverns. A thousand vague fancies oppressed and
disconcerted me- fancies the more distressing because vague. Very suddenly my attention
was arrested by the loud beating of a drum.

"My amazement was, of course, extreme. A drum in these hills was a thing unknown. I
could not have been more surprised at the sound of the trump of the Archangel. But a
new and still more astounding source of interest and perplexity arose. There came a wild
rattling or jingling sound, as if of a bunch of large keys, and upon the instant a dusky-
visaged and half-naked man rushed past me with a shriek. He came so close to my person
that I felt his hot breath upon my face. He bore in one hand an instrument composed of an
assemblage of steel rings, and shook them vigorously as he ran. Scarcely had he
disappeared in the mist before, panting after him, with open mouth and glaring eyes,
there darted a huge beast. I could not be mistaken in its character. It was a hyena.

"The sight of this monster rather relieved than heightened my terrors-for I now made
sure that I dreamed, and endeavored to arouse myself to waking consciousness. I stepped
boldly and briskly forward. I rubbed my eyes. I called aloud. I pinched my limbs. A small
spring of water presented itself to my view, and here, stooping, I bathed my hands and
my head and neck. This seemed to dissipate the equivocal sensations which had hitherto
annoyed me. I arose, as I thought, a new man, and proceeded steadily and complacently
on my unknown way.

"At length, quite overcome by exertion, and by a certain oppressive closeness of the
atmosphere, I seated myself beneath a tree. Presently there came a feeble gleam of
sunshine, and the shadow of the leaves of the tree fell faintly but definitely upon the
grass. At this shadow I gazed wonderingly for many minutes. Its character stupefied me
with astonishment. I looked upward. The tree was a palm.

"I now arose hurriedly, and in a state of fearful agitation-for the fancy that I dreamed
would serve me no longer. I saw-I felt that I had perfect command of my senses-and
these senses now brought to my soul a world of novel and singular sensation. The heat
became all at once intolerable. A strange odor loaded the breeze. A low, continuous
murmur, like that arising from a full, but gently flowing river, came to my ears,
intermingled with the peculiar hum of multitudinous human voices.

"While I listened in an extremity of astonishment which I need not attempt to describe, a
strong and brief gust of wind bore off the incumbent fog as if by the wand of an
enchanter.

"I found myself at the foot of a high mountain, and looking down into a vast plain,
through which wound a majestic river. On the margin of this river stood an Eastern-
looking city, such as we read of in the Arabian Tales, but of a character even more
singular than any there described. From my position, which was far above the level of the
town, I could perceive its every nook and corner, as if delineated on a map. The streets
seemed innumerable, and crossed each other irregularly in all directions, but were rather
long winding alleys than streets, and absolutely swarmed with inhabitants. The houses
were wildly picturesque. On every hand was a wilderness of balconies, of verandas, of
minarets, of shrines, and fantastically carved oriels. Bazaars abounded; and in these were
displayed rich wares in infinite variety and profusion-silks, muslins, the most dazzling
cutlery, the most magnificent jewels and gems. Besides these things, were seen, on all
sides, banners and palanquins, litters with stately dames close veiled, elephants
gorgeously caparisoned, idols grotesquely hewn, drums, banners, and gongs, spears,
silver and gilded maces. And amid the crowd, and the clamor, and the general intricacy
and confusion- amid the million of black and yellow men, turbaned and robed, and of
flowing beard, there roamed a countless multitude of holy filleted bulls, while vast
legions of the filthy but sacred ape clambered, chattering and shrieking, about the
cornices of the mosques, or clung to the minarets and oriels. From the swarming streets to
the banks of the river, there descended innumerable flights of steps leading to bathing
places, while the river itself seemed to force a passage with difficulty through the vast
fleets of deeply-burthened ships that far and wide encountered its surface. Beyond the
limits of the city arose, in frequent majestic groups, the palm and the cocoa, with other
gigantic and weird trees of vast age, and here and there might be seen a field of rice, the
thatched hut of a peasant, a tank, a stray temple, a gypsy camp, or a solitary graceful
maiden taking her way, with a pitcher upon her head, to the banks of the magnificent
river.

"You will say now, of course, that I dreamed; but not so. What I saw-what I heard-what
I felt-what I thought-had about it nothing of the unmistakable idiosyncrasy of the dream.

All was rigorously self-consistent. At first, doubting that I was really awake, I entered
into a series of tests, which soon convinced me that I really was. Now, when one dreams,
and, in the dream, suspects that he dreams, the suspicion never fails to confirm itself, and
the sleeper is almost immediately aroused. Thus Novahs errs not in saying that 'we are
near waking when we dream that we dream.' Had the vision occurred to me as I describe
it, without my suspecting it as a dream, then a dream it might absolutely have been, but,
occurring as it did, and suspected and tested as it was, I am forced to class it among other
phenomena."

"In this I am not sure that you are wrong," observed Dr. Templeton, "but proceed. You
arose and descended into the city."

"I arose," continued Bedloe, regarding the Doctor with an air of profound astonishment "I
arose, as you say, and descended into the city. On my way I fell in with an immense
populace, crowding through every avenue, all in the same direction, and exhibiting in
every action the wildest excitement. Very suddenly, and by some inconceivable impulse,
I became intensely imbued with personal interest in what was going on. I seemed to feel
that I had an important part to play, without exactly understanding what it was. Against
the crowd which environed me, however, I experienced a deep sentiment of animosity. I
shrank from amid them, and, swiftly, by a circuitous path, reached and entered the city.
Here all was the wildest tumult and contention. A small party of men, clad in garments
half- Indian, half-European, and officered by gentlemen in a uniform partly British, were
engaged, at great odds, with the swarming rabble of the alleys. I joined the weaker party,
arming myself with the weapons of a f Allan officer, and fighting I knew not whom with
the nervous ferocity of despair. We were soon overpowered by numbers, and driven to
seek refuge in a species of kiosk. Here we barricaded ourselves, and, for the present were
secure. From a loop-hole near the summit of the kiosk, I perceived a vast crowd, in
furious agitation, surrounding and assaulting a gay palace that overhung the river.
Presently, from an upper window of this place, there descended an effeminate-looking
person, by means of a string made of the turbans of his attendants. A boat was at hand, in
which he escaped to the opposite bank of the river.

"And now a new object took possession of my soul. I spoke a few hurried but energetic
words to my companions, and, having succeeded in gaining over a few of them to my
purpose made a frantic sally from the kiosk. We rushed amid the crowd that surrounded
it. They retreated, at first, before us. They rallied, fought madly, and retreated again. In
the mean time we were borne far from the kiosk, and became bewildered and entangled
among the narrow streets of tall, overhanging houses, into the recesses of which the sun
had never been able to shine. The rabble pressed impetuously upon us, harrassing us with
their spears, and overwhelming us with flights of arrows. These latter were very
remarkable, and resembled in some respects the writhing creese of the Malay. They were
made to imitate the body of a creeping serpent, and were long and black, with a poisoned
barb. One of them struck me upon the right temple. I reeled and fell. An instantaneous
and dreadful sickness seized me. I struggled-I gasped-I died."

"You will hardly persist now," said I smiling, "that the whole of your adventure was not a
dream. You are not prepared to maintain that you are dead?"

When I said these words, I of course expected some lively sally from Bedloe in reply,
but, to my astonishment, he hesitated, trembled, became fearfully pallid, and remained
silent. I looked toward Templeton. He sat erect and rigid in his chair-his teeth chattered,
and his eyes were starting from their sockets. "Proceed!" he at length said hoarsely to
Bedloe.

"For many minutes," continued the latter, "my sole sentiment-my sole feeling-was that
of darkness and nonentity, with the consciousness of death. At length there seemed to
pass a violent and sudden shock through my soul, as if of electricity. With it came the
sense of elasticity and of light. This latter I felt-not saw. In an instant I seemed to rise
from the ground. But I had no bodily, no visible, audible, or palpable presence. The
crowd had departed. The tumult had ceased. The city was in comparative repose. Beneath
me lay my corpse, with the arrow in my temple, the whole head greatly swollen and
disfigured. But all these things I felt-not saw. I took interest in nothing. Even the corpse
seemed a matter in which I had no concern. Volition I had none, but appeared to be
impelled into motion, and flitted buoyantly out of the city, retracing the circuitous path by
which I had entered it. When I had attained that point of the ravine in the mountains at
which I had encountered the hyena, I again experienced a shock as of a galvanic battery,
the sense of weight, of volition, of substance, returned. I became my original self, and
bent my steps eagerly homeward-but the past had not lost the vividness of the real-and
not now, even for an instant, can I compel my understanding to regard it as a dream."

"Nor was it," said Templeton, with an air of deep solemnity, "yet it would be difficult to
say how otherwise it should be termed. Let us suppose only, that the soul of the man of
to-day is upon the verge of some stupendous psychal discoveries. Let us content
ourselves with this supposition. For the rest I have some explanation to make. Here is a
watercolor drawing, which I should have shown you before, but which an unaccountable
sentiment of horror has hitherto prevented me from showing."

We looked at the picture which he presented. I saw nothing in it of an extraordinary
character, but its effect upon Bedloe was prodigious. He nearly fainted as he gazed. And
yet it was but a miniature portrait-a miraculously accurate one, to be sure-of his own
very remarkable features. At least this was my thought as I regarded it.

"You will perceive," said Templeton, "the date of this picture-it is here, scarcely visible,
in this comer-1780. In this year was the portrait taken. It is the likeness of a dead friend-
a Mr. Oldeb-to whom I became much attached at Calcutta, during the administration of
Warren Hastings. I was then only twenty years old. When I first saw you, Mr. Bedloe, at
Saratoga, it was the miraculous similarity which existed between yourself and the
painting which induced me to accost you, to seek your friendship, and to bring about
those arrangements which resulted in my becoming your constant companion. In
accomplishing this point, I was urged partly, and perhaps principally, by a regretful

memory of the deceased, but also, in part, by an uneasy, and not altogether horrorless
curiosity respecting yourself.

"In your detail of the vision which presented itself to you amid the hills, you have
described, with the minutest accuracy, the Indian city of Benares, upon the Holy River.
The riots, the combat, the massacre, were the actual events of the insurrection of Cheyte
Sing, which took place in 1780, when Hastings was put in imminent peril of his life. The
man escaping by the string of turbans was Cheyte Sing himself. The party in the kiosk
were sepoys and British officers, headed by Hastings. Of this party I was one, and did all
I could to prevent the rash and fatal sally of the officer who fell, in the crowded alleys, by
the poisoned arrow of a Bengalee. That officer was my dearest friend. It was Oldeb. You
will perceive by these manuscripts," (here the speaker produced a note-book in which
several pages appeared to have been freshly written,) "that at the very period in which
you fancied these things amid the hills, I was engaged in detailing them upon paper here
at home."

In about a week after this conversation, the following paragraphs appeared in a
Charlottesville paper:

"We have the painful duty of announcing the death of Mr. Augustus Bedlo, a gentleman
whose amiable manners and many virtues have long endeared him to the citizens of
Charlottesville.

"Mr. B., for some years past, has been subject to neuralgia, which has often threatened to
terminate fatally; but this can be regarded only as the mediate cause of his decease. The
proximate cause was one of especial singularity. In an excursion to the Ragged
Mountains, a few days since, a slight cold and fever were contracted, attended with great
determination of blood to the head. To relieve this. Dr. Templeton resorted to topical
bleeding. Leeches were applied to the temples. In a fearfully brief period the patient died,
when it appeared that in the jar containing the leeches, had been introduced, by accident,
one of the venomous vermicular sangsues which are now and then found in the
neighboring ponds. This creature fastened itself upon a small artery in the right temple.
Its close resemblance to the medicinal leech caused the mistake to be overlooked until too
late.

"N. B. The poisonous sangsue of Charlottesville may always be distinguished from the
medicinal leech by its blackness, and especially by its writhing or vermicular motions,
which very nearly resemble those of a snake."

I was speaking with the editor of the paper in question, upon the topic of this remarkable
accident, when it occurred to me to ask how it happened that the name of the deceased
had been given as Bedlo.

"I presume," I said, "you have authority for this spelling, but I have always supposed the
name to be written with an e at the end."

"Authority?-no," he replied. "It is a mere typographical error. The name is Bedlo with an
e, all the world over, and I never knew it to be spelt otherwise in my life."

"Then," said I mutteringly, as I turned upon my heel, "then indeed has it come to pass that
one truth is stranger than any fiction-for Bedloe, without the e, what is it but Oldeb
conversed! And this man tells me that it is a typographical error."

THE END

A VALENTINE

by Edgar Allan Poe

1846

For her this rhyme is penned, whose luminous eyes,

Brightly expressive as the twins of Leda,

Shall find her own sweet name, that nestling lies

Upon the page, enwrapped from every reader.

Search narrowly the lines !-they hold a treasure

Divine-a talisman-an amulet

That must be worn at heart. Search well the measure-

The words-the syllables! Do not forget

The trivialest point, or you may lose your labor

And yet there is in this no Gordian knot

Which one might not undo without a sabre.

If one could merely comprehend the plot.

En written upon the leaf where now are peering

Eyes scintillating soul, there lie perdus

Three eloquent words oft uttered in the hearing

Of poets, by poets-as the name is a poet's, too.

Its letters, although naturally lying

Like the knight Pinto-Mendez Ferdinando-

Still form a synonym for Truth-Cease trying!

You will not read the riddle, though you do the best you can do.

THE END

AL AARAAF

by Edgar Allan Poe

1829

PARTI

O! nothing earthly save the ray
(Thrown back from flowers) of Beauty's eye,
As in those gardens where the day
Springs from the gems of Circassy-
O! nothing earthly save the thrill
Of melody in woodland rill-
Or (music of the passion-hearted)
Joy's voice so peacefully departed
That like the murmur in the shell,
Its echo dwelleth and will dwell-
Oh, nothing of the dross of ours-
Yet all the beauty-all the flowers
That list our Love, and deck our bowers-
Adorn yon world afar, afar-
The wandering star.

'Twas a sweet time for Nesace-for there
Her world lay lolling on the golden air.
Near four bright suns-a temporary rest-
An oasis in desert of the blest.
Away-away-'mid seas of rays that roll
Empyrean splendor o'er th' unchained soul-
The soul that scarce (the billows are so dense)
Can struggle to its destin'd eminence,-
To distant spheres, from time to time, she rode
And late to ours, the favor'd one of God-
But, now, the ruler of an anchor'd realm.
She throws aside the sceptre-leaves the helm.
And, amid incense and high spiritual hymns.
Laves in quadruple light her angel hmbs.

Now happiest, loveliest in yon lovely Earth,
Whence sprang the "Idea of Beauty" into birth,
(Falling in wreaths thro' many a startled star.
Like woman's hair 'mid pearls, until, afar.
It lit on hills Achaian, and there dwelt)

She looked into Infinity-and knelt.
Rich clouds, for canopies, about her curled-
Fit emblems of the model of her world-
Seen but in beauty-not impeding sight
Of other beauty glittering thro' the light-
A wreath that twined each starry form around.
And all the opal'd air in color bound.

All hurriedly she knelt upon a bed
Of flowers: of lilies such as rear'd the head
On the fair Capo Deucato, and sprang
So eagerly around about to hang
Upon the flying footsteps of-deep pride-
Of her who lov'd a mortal-and so died.
The Sephalica, budding with young bees,
Upreared its purple stem around her knees :-
And gemmy flower, of Trebizond misnam'd-
Inmate of highest stars, where erst it sham'd
All other loveliness:-its honied dew
(The fabled nectar that the heathen knew)
Deliriously sweet, was dropp'd from Heaven,
And fell on gardens of the unforgiven
In Trebizond-and on a sunny flower
So like its own above that, to this hour.
It still remaineth, torturing the bee
With madness, and unwonted reverie:
In Heaven, and all its environs, the leaf
And blossom of the fairy plant in grief
Disconsolate linger-grief that hangs her head.
Repenting follies that full long have Red,
Heaving her white breast to the balmy air.
Like guilty beauty, chasten'd and more fair:
Nyctanthes too, as sacred as the light
She fears to perfume, perfuming the night:
And Clytia, pondering between many a sun.
While pettish tears adown her petals run:
And that aspiring flower that sprang on Earth,
And died, ere scarce exalted into birth.
Bursting its odorous heart in spirit to wing
Its way to Heaven, from garden of a king:
And Valisnerian lotus, thither flown"
From struggling with the waters of the Rhone:
And thy most lovely purple perfume, Zante!
Isola d'oro!-Fior di Levante!
And the Nelumbo bud that floats for ever
With Indian Cupid down the holy river-

Fair flowers, and fairy! to whose care is given
To bear the Goddess' song, in odors, up to Heaven:

"Spirit! that dwellest where.
In the deep sky.
The terrible and fair.
In beauty vie!
Beyond the line of blue-
The boundary of the star
Which turneth at the view
Of thy barrier and thy bar-
Of the barrier overgone
By the comets who were cast
From their pride and from their throne
To be drudges till the last-
To be carriers of fire
(The red fire of their heart)
With speed that may not tire
And with pain that shall not part-
Who livest-that we know-
In Etemity-we feel-
But the shadow of whose brow
What spirit shall reveal?
Tho' the beings whom thy Nesace,
Thy messenger hath known
Have dream'd for thy Infinity
A model of their own-
Thy will is done, O God!
The star hath ridden high
Thro' many a tempest, but she rode
Beneath thy burning eye;
And here, in thought, to thee-
In thought that can alone
Ascend thy empire and so be
A partner of thy throne-
By winged Fantasy,
My embassy is given.
Till secrecy shall knowledge be
In the environs of Heaven."

She ceas'd-and buried then her burning cheek

Abash'd, amid the lilies there, to seek

A shelter from the fervor of His eye;

For the stars trembled at the Deity.

She stirr'd not-breath'd not-for a voice was there

How solemnly pervading the calm air!

A sound of silence on the startled ear

Which dreamy poets name "the music of the sphere."

Ours is a world of words: Quiet we call

"Silence"-which is the merest word of all.

All Nature speaks, and ev'n ideal things

Flap shadowy sounds from visionary wings-

But ah! not so when, thus, in realms on high

The eternal voice of God is passing by.

And the red winds are withering in the sky:-

"What tho 'in worlds which sightless cycles run.
Linked to a little system, and one sun-
Where all my love is folly and the crowd
Still think my terrors but the thunder cloud.
The storm, the earthquake, and the ocean-wrath-
(Ah! will they cross me in my angrier path?)
What tho' in worlds which own a single sun
The sands of Time grow dimmer as they run,
Yet thine is my resplendency, so given
To bear my secrets thro' the upper Heaven!
Leave tenantless thy crystal home, and fly.
With all thy train, athwart the moony sky-
Apart-like fire-flies in Sicilian night.
And wing to other worlds another light!
Divulge the secrets of thy embassy
To the proud orbs that twinkle-and so be
To ev'ry heart a barrier and a ban
Lest the stars totter in the guilt of man!"

Up rose the maiden in the yellow night.
The single-mooned eve!-on Earth we plight
Our faith to one love-and one moon adore-
The birth-place of young Beauty had no more.
As sprang that yellow star from downy hours
Up rose the maiden from her shrine of flowers.
And bent o'er sheeny mountains and dim plain
Her way, but left not yet her Therasaean reign.
PART II

High on a mountain of enamell'd head-
Such as the drowsy shepherd on his bed
Of giant pasturage lying at his ease.
Raising his heavy eyelid, starts and sees
With many a mutter'd "hope to be forgiven"
What time the moon is quadrated in Heaven-
Of rosy head that, towering far away

Into the sunlit ether, caught the ray
Of sunken suns at eve-at noon of night,
While the moon danc'd with the fair stranger light-
Uprear'd upon such height arose a pile
Of gorgeous columns on th' unburthen'd air.
Flashing from Parian marble that twin smile
Far down upon the wave that sparkled there.
And nursled the young mountain in its lair.
Of molten stars their pavement, such as fall
Thro' the ebon air, besilvering the pall
Of their own dissolution, while they die-
Adorning then the dwellings of the sky.
A dome, by linked light from Heaven let down.
Sat gently on these columns as a crown-
A window of one circular diamond, there,
Look'd out above into the purple air.
And rays from God shot down that meteor chain
And hallow'd all the beauty twice again.
Save, when, between th' empyrean and that ring.
Some eager spirit Flapp'd his dusky wing.
But on the pillars Seraph eyes have seen
The dimness of this world: that greyish green
That Nature loves the best Beauty's grave
Lurk'd in each cornice, round each architrave-
And every sculptur'd cherub thereabout
That from his marble dwelling peered out,
Seem'd earthly in the shadow of his niche-
Achaian statues in a world so rich!
Friezes from Tadmor and Persepolis-
From Balbec, and the stilly, clear abyss
Of beautiful Gomorrah! O, the wave
Is now upon thee-but too late to save!

Sound loves to revel in a summer night:
Witness the murmur of the grey twilight
That stole upon the ear, in Eyraco,
Of many a wild star-gazer long ago-
That stealeth ever on the ear of him
Who, musing, gazeth on the distance dim.
And sees the darkness coming as a cloud-
Is not its form-its voice-most palpable and loud?

But what is this?-it cometh, and it brings
A music with it-'tis the rush of wings-
A pause-and then a sweeping, falling strain
And Nesace is in her halls again.

From the wild energy of wanton haste
Her cheeks were flushing, and her lips apart;
And zone that clung around her gentle waist
Had burst beneath the heaving of her heart.
Within the centre of that hall to breathe,
She paused and panted, Zanthe! all beneath.
The fairy light that kiss'd her golden hair
And long'd to rest, yet could but sparkle there.

Young flowers were whispering in melody
To happy flowers that night-and tree to tree;
Fountains were gushing music as they fell
In many a star-lit grove, or moon-lit dell;
Yet silence came upon material things-
Fair flowers, bright waterfalls and angel wings-
And sound alone that from the spirit sprang
Bore burthen to the charm the maiden sang:

'"Neath the blue-bell or streamer-
Or tufted wild spray
That keeps, from the dreamer.
The moonbeam away-
Bright beings! that ponder.
With half closing eyes.
On the stars which your wonder
Hath drawn from the skies.
Till they glance thro' the shade, and
Come down to your brow
Like-eyes of the maiden
Who calls on you now-
Arise! from your dreaming
In violet bowers.
To duty beseeming
These star-litten hours-
And shake from your tresses
Encumber'd with dew
The breath of those kisses
That cumber them too-
(O! how, without you. Love!
Could angels be blest?)
Those kisses of true Love
That luU'd ye to rest!
Up!-shake from your wing
Each hindering thing:
The dew of the night-
It would weigh down your flight

And true love caresses-
O, leave them apart!
They are light on the tresses,
But lead on the heart.

Ligeia! Ligeia!

My beautiful one!

Whose harshest idea

Will to melody run,

O! is it thy will

On the breezes to toss?

Or, capriciously still.

Like the lone Albatros,

Incumbent on night

(As she on the air)

To keep watch with delight

On the harmony there?

Ligeia! wherever
Thy image may be.
No magic shall sever
Thy music from thee.
Thou hast bound many eyes
In a dreamy sleep-
But the strains still arise
Which thy vigilance keep-
The sound of the rain.
Which leaps down to the flower-
And dances again
In the rhythm of the shower-
The murmur that springs
From the growing of grass
Are the music of things-
But are modell'd, alas!-
Away, then, my dearest.
Oh! hie thee away
To the springs that lie clearest
Beneath the moon-ray-
To lone lake that smiles.
In its dream of deep rest.
At the many star-isles
That enjewel its breast-
Where wild flowers, creeping.
Have mingled their shade.
On its margin is sleeping
Full many a maid-

Some have left the cool glade, and
Have slept with the bee-
Arouse them, my maiden.
On moorland and lea-
Go! breathe on their slumber.
All softly in ear.
Thy musical number
They slumbered to hear-
For what can awaken
An angel so soon.
Whose sleep hath been taken
Beneath the cold moon.
As the spell which no slumber
Of witchery may test.
The rhythmical number
Which luU'd him to rest?"

Spirits in wing, and angels to the view,
A thousand seraphs burst th' Empyrean thro'.
Young dreams still hovering on their drowsy flight-
Seraphs in all but "Knowledge," the keen light
That fell, refracted, thro' thy bounds, afar,
O Death! from eye of God upon that star:
Sweet was that error-sweeter still that death-
Sweet was that error-even with us the breath
Of Science dims the mirror of our joy-
To them 'twere the Simoom, and would destroy-
For what (to them) availeth it to know
That Truth is Falsehood-or that Bliss is Woe?
Sweet was their death-with them to die was rife
With the last ecstasy of satiate life-
Beyond that death no immortality-
But sleep that pondereth and is not "to be'!-
And there-oh! may my weary spirit dwell-
Apart from Heaven's Eternity-and yet how far from Hell!
What guilty spirit, in what shrubbery dim.
Heard not the stirring summons of that hymn?
But two: they fell: for Heaven no grace imparts
To those who hear not for their beating hearts.
A maiden-angel and her seraph-lover-
O! where (and ye may seek the wide skies over)
Was Love, the blind, near sober Duty known?
Unguided Love hath fAUan-'mid "tears of perfect moan."
He was a goodly spirit-he who fell:
A wanderer by moss-y-mantled well-
A gazer on the lights that shine above-

A dreamer in the moonbeam by his love:

What wonder? for each star is eye-like there,

And looks so sweetly down on Beauty's hair-

And they, and ev'ry mossy spring were holy

To his love-haunted heart and melancholy.

The night had found (to him a night of woe)

Upon a mountain crag, young Angelo-

Beetling it bends athwart the solemn sky.

And scowls on starry worlds that down beneath it lie.

Here sat he with his love-his dark eye bent

With eagle gaze along the firmament:

Now turn'd it upon her-but ever then

It trembled to the orb of EARTH again.

"lanthe, dearest, see-how dim that ray!

How lovely 'tis to look so far away!

She seem'd not thus upon that autumn eve

I left her gorgeous halls-nor mourn'd to leave.

That eve-that eve-I should remember well-

The sun-ray dropp'd in Lemnos, with a spell

On th' arabesque carving of a gilded hall

Wherein I sate, and on the draperied wall-

And on my eyelids-0 the heavy light!

How drowsily it weigh'd them into night!

On flowers, before, and mist, and love they ran

With Persian Saadi in his Gulistan:

But O that hght!-I slumber'd-Death, the while.

Stole o'er my senses in that lovely isle

So softly that no single silken hair

Awoke that slept-or knew that he was there.

"The last spot of Earth's orb I trod upon
Was a proud temple call'd the Parthenon;
More beauty clung around her column'd wall
Than ev'n thy glowing bosom beats withal.
And when old Time my wing did disenthral
Thence sprang I-as the eagle from his tower.
And years I left behind me in an hour.
What time upon her airy bounds I hung.
One half the garden of her globe was flung
Unrolling as a chart unto my view-
Tenantless cities of the desert too!
lanthe, beauty crowded on me then.
And half I wish'd to be again of men."

"My Angelo! and why of them to be?
A brighter dwelling-place is here for thee-
And greener fields than in yon world above,
And woman's loveliness-and passionate love."

"But, list, lanthe! when the air so soft
Fail'd, as my pennon'd spirit leapt aloft.
Perhaps my brain grew dizzy-but the world
I left so late was into chaos hurl'd-
Sprang from her station, on the winds apart.
And roU'd, a flame, the fiery Heaven athwart.
Methought, my sweet one, then I ceased to soar
And fell-not swiftly as I rose before.
But with a downward, tremulous motion thro'
Light, brazen rays, this golden star unto!
Nor long the measure of my falling hours.
For nearest of all stars was thine to ours-
Dread star! that came, amid a night of mirth,
A red Daedalion on the timid Earth."

"We came-and to thy Earth-but not to us
Be given our lady's bidding to discuss:
We came, my love; around, above, below.
Gay fire-fly of the night we come and go.
Nor ask a reason save the angel-nod
She grants to us, as granted by her God-
But, Angelo, than thine grey Time unfurl'd
Never his fairy wing O'er fairier world!
Dim was its little disk, and angel eyes
Alone could see the phantom in the skies.
When first Al Aaraaf knew her course to be
Headlong thitherward o'er the starry sea-
But when its glory swell'd upon the sky.
As glowing Beauty's bust beneath man's eye.
We paused before the heritage of men.
And thy star trembled-as doth Beauty then!"

Thus, in discourse, the lovers whiled away
The night that waned and waned and brought no day.
They fell: for Heaven to them no hope imparts
Who hear not for the beating of their hearts.

THE END

ALONE

by Edgar Allan Poe

1830

From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were; I have not seen
As others saw; I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow; I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone;
And all I loved, I loved alone.
Then-in my childhood, in the dawn
Of a most stormy life-was drawn
From every depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still:
From the torrent, or the fountain.
From the red cliff of the mountain.
From the sun that round me rolled
In its autumn tint of gold.
From the lightning in the sky
As it passed me flying by.
From the thunder and the storm.
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view.

THE END

AN ENIGMA

by Edgar Allan Poe

1848

"Seldom we find," says Solomon Don Dunce,
"Half an idea in the profoundest sonnet.
Through all the flimsy things we see at once
As easily as through a Naples bonnet-
Trash of all trash !-how can a lady don it?
Yet heavier far than your Petrarchan stuff-
Owl-downy nonsense that the faintest puff
Twirls into trunk-paper the while you con it."
And, veritably, Sol is right enough.
The general tuckermanities are arrant
Bubbles-ephemeral and so transparent-
But this is, now-you may depend upon it-
Stable, opaque, immortal-all by dint
Of the dear names that he concealed within 't.

THE END

ANNABEL LEE

by Edgar Allan Poe

1849

It was many and many a year ago,

In a kingdom by the sea,

That a maiden there lived whom you may know

By the name of ANNABEL LEE;

And this maiden she lived with no other thought

Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child.

In this kingdom by the sea;

But we loved with a love that was more than love-

I and my Annabel Lee;

With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven

Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago.

In this kingdom by the sea,

A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling

My beautiful Annabel Lee;

So that her highborn kinsman came

And bore her away from me.

To shut her up in a sepulchre

In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven.

Went envying her and me-

Yes!-that was the reason (as all men know.

In this kingdom by the sea)

That the wind came out of the cloud by night.

Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love

Of those who were older than we-

Of many far wiser than we-

And neither the angels in heaven above.

Nor the demons down under the sea.

Can ever dissever my soul from the soul

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side

Of my darling-my darling-my life and my bride.

In the sepulchre there by the sea.

In her tomb by the sounding sea.

THE END

BERENICE

by Edgar Allan Poe

1835

Dicebant mihi sodales, si sepulchrum amicae visitarem,
curas meas aliquantulum fore levatas.
--Ebn Zaiat.

MISERY is manifold. The wretchedness of earth is multiform. Overreaching the wide
horizon as the rainbow, its hues are as various as the hues of that arch, —as distinct too,
yet as intimately blended. Overreaching the wide horizon as the rainbow! How is it that
from beauty I have derived a type of unloveliness? —from the covenant of peace a simile
of sorrow? But as, in ethics, evil is a consequence of good, so, in fact, out of joy is sorrow
bom. Either the memory of past bliss is the anguish of to-day, or the agonies which are
have their origin in the ecstasies which might have been.

My baptismal name is Egaeus; that of my family I will not mention. Yet there are no
towers in the land more time-honored than my gloomy, gray, hereditary halls. Our line
has been called a race of visionaries; and in many striking particulars -in the character of
the family mansion —in the frescos of the chief saloon —in the tapestries of the
dormitories —in the chiselling of some buttresses in the armory —but more especially in
the gallery of antique paintings —in the fashion of the library chamber —and, lastly, in the
very peculiar nature of the library's contents, there is more than sufficient evidence to
warrant the belief.

The recollections of my earliest years are connected with that chamber, and with its
volumes —of which latter I will say no more. Here died my mother. Herein was I born.
But it is mere idleness to say that I had not lived before —that the soul has no previous
existence. You deny it? —let us not argue the matter. Convinced myself, I seek not to
convince. There is, however, a remembrance of aerial forms —of spiritual and meaning
eyes —of sounds, musical yet sad —a remembrance which will not be excluded; a memory
hke a shadow, vague, variable, indefinite, unsteady; and like a shadow, too, in the
impossibility of my getting rid of it while the sunlight of my reason shall exist.

In that chamber was I born. Thus awaking from the long night of what seemed, but was
not, nonentity, at once into the very regions of fairy-land -into a palace of imagination -
into the wild dominions of monastic thought and erudition -it is not singular that I gazed
around me with a startled and ardent eye —that I loitered away my boyhood in books, and
dissipated my youth in reverie; but it is singular that as years rolled away, and the noon of
manhood found me still in the mansion of my fathers —it is wonderful what stagnation
there fell upon the springs of my life —wonderful how total an inversion took place in the
character of my commonest thought. The realities of the world affected me as visions.

and as visions only, while the wild ideas of the land of dreams became, in turn, —not the
material of my every-day existence-but in very deed that existence utterly and solely in
itself.

Berenice and I were cousins, and we grew up together in my paternal halls. Yet
differently we grew —I ill of health, and buried in gloom -she agile, graceful, and
overflowing with energy; hers the ramble on the hill-side —mine the studies of the cloister
-I living within my own heart, and addicted body and soul to the most intense and
painful meditation —she roaming carelessly through life with no thought of the shadows
in her path, or the silent flight of the raven- winged hours. Berenice! —I call upon her
name —Berenice! —and from the gray ruins of memory a thousand tumultuous
recollections are startled at the sound! Ah! vividly is her image before me now, as in the
early days of her light- heartedness and joy! Oh! gorgeous yet fantastic beauty! Oh! sylph
amid the shrubberies of Arnheim! —Oh! Naiad among its fountains! —and then —then all
is mystery and terror, and a tale which should not be told. Disease —a fatal disease —fell
like the simoom upon her frame, and, even while I gazed upon her, the spirit of change
swept, over her, pervading her mind, her habits, and her character, and, in a manner the
most subtle and terrible, disturbing even the identity of her person! Alas! the destroyer
came and went, and the victim —where was she, I knew her not —or knew her no longer
as Berenice.

Among the numerous train of maladies superinduced by that fatal and primary one which
effected a revolution of so horrible a kind in the moral and physical being of my cousin,
may be mentioned as the most distressing and obstinate in its nature, a species of epilepsy
not unfrequently terminating in trance itself —trance very nearly resembling positive
dissolution, and from which her manner of recovery was in most instances, startlingly
abrupt. In the mean time my own disease —for I have been told that I should call it by no
other appelation -my own disease, then, grew rapidly upon me, and assumed finally a
monomaniac character of a novel and extraordinary form —hourly and momently gaining
vigor —and at length obtaining over me the most incomprehensible ascendancy. This
monomania, if I must so term it, consisted in a morbid irritability of those properties of
the mind in metaphysical science termed the attentive. It is more than probable that I am
not understood; but I fear, indeed, that it is in no manner possible to convey to the mind
of the merely general reader, an adequate idea of that nervous intensity of interest with
which, in my case, the powers of meditation (not to speak technically) busied and buried
themselves, in the contemplation of even the most ordinary objects of the universe.

To muse for long unwearied hours with my attention riveted to some frivolous device on
the margin, or in the topography of a book; to become absorbed for the better part of a
summer's day, in a quaint shadow falling aslant upon the tapestry, or upon the door; to
lose myself for an entire night in watching the steady flame of a lamp, or the embers of a
fire; to dream away whole days over the perfume of a flower; to repeat monotonously
some common word, until the sound, by dint of frequent repetition, ceased to convey any
idea whatever to the mind; to lose all sense of motion or physical existence, by means of
absolute bodily quiescence long and obstinately persevered in; —such were a few of the
most common and least pernicious vagaries induced by a condition of the mental

faculties, not, indeed, altogether unparalleled, but certainly bidding defiance to anything
like analysis or explanation.

Yet let me not be misapprehended. —The undue, earnest, and morbid attention thus
excited by objects in their own nature frivolous, must not be confounded in character
with that ruminating propensity common to all mankind, and more especially indulged in
by persons of ardent imagination. It was not even, as might be at first supposed, an
extreme condition or exaggeration of such propensity, but primarily and essentially
distinct and different. In the one instance, the dreamer, or enthusiast, being interested by
an object usually not frivolous, imperceptibly loses sight of this object in a wilderness of
deductions and suggestions issuing therefrom, until, at the conclusion of a day dream
often replete with luxury, he finds the incitamentum or first cause of his musings entirely
vanished and forgotten. In my case the primary object was invariably frivolous, although
assuming, through the medium of my distempered vision, a refracted and unreal
importance. Few deductions, if any, were made; and those few pertinaciously returning in
upon the original object as a centre. The meditations were never pleasurable; and, at the
termination of the reverie, the first cause, so far from being out of sight, had attained that
supernaturally exaggerated interest which was the prevailing feature of the disease. In a
word, the powers of mind more particularly exercised were, with me, as I have said
before, the attentive, and are, with the day-dreamer, the speculative.

My books, at this epoch, if they did not actually serve to irritate the disorder, partook, it
will be perceived, largely, in their imaginative and inconsequential nature, of the
characteristic qualities of the disorder itself. I well remember, among others, the treatise
of the noble Italian Coelius Secundus Curio "de Amplitudine Beati Regni dei"; St.
Austin's great work, the "City of God"; and TertuUian "de Carne Christi," in which the
paradoxical sentence "Mortuus est Dei filius; credible est quia ineptum est: et sepultus
resurrexit; certum est quia impossible est" occupied my undivided time, for many weeks
of laborious and fruitless investigation.

Thus it will appear that, shaken from its balance only by trivial things, my reason bore
resemblance to that ocean-crag spoken of by Ptolemy Hephestion, which steadily
resisting the attacks of human violence, and the fiercer fury of the waters and the winds,
trembled only to the touch of the flower called Asphodel. And although, to a careless
thinker, it might appear a matter beyond doubt, that the alteration produced by her
unhappy malady, in the moral condition of Berenice, would afford me many objects for
the exercise of that intense and abnormal meditation whose nature I have been at some
trouble in explaining, yet such was not in any degree the case. In the lucid intervals of my
infirmity, her calamity, indeed, gave me pain, and, taking deeply to heart that total wreck
of her fair and gentle life, I did not fall to ponder frequently and bitterly upon the wonder-
working means by which so strange a revolution had been so suddenly brought to pass.
But these reflections partook not of the idiosyncrasy of my disease, and were such as
would have occurred, under similar circumstances, to the ordinary mass of mankind. True
to its own character, my disorder revelled in the less important but more startling changes
wrought in the physical frame of Berenice —in the singular and most appalling distortion
of her personal identity.

During the brightest days of her unparalleled beauty, most surely I had never loved her.
In the strange anomaly of my existence, feelings with me, had never been of the heart,
and my passions always were of the mind. Through the gray of the early morning —
among the trellissed shadows of the forest at noonday —and in the silence of my library at
night, she had flitted by my eyes, and I had seen her —not as the living and breathing
Berenice, but as the Berenice of a dream —not as a being of the earth, earthy, but as the
abstraction of such a being-not as a thing to admire, but to analyze -not as an object of
love, but as the theme of the most abstruse although desultory speculation. And now —
now I shuddered in her presence, and grew pale at her approach; yet bitterly lamenting
her fAUan and desolate condition, I called to mind that she had loved me long, and, in an
evil moment, I spoke to her of marriage.

And at length the period of our nuptials was approaching, when, upon an afternoon in the
winter of the year, —one of those unseasonably warm, calm, and misty days which are the
nurse of the beautiful Halcyon*, —I sat, (and sat, as I thought, alone,) in the inner
apartment of the library. But uplifting my eyes I saw that Berenice stood before me.

*For as Jove, during the winter season, gives twice seven days of warmth, men have
called this clement and temperate time the nurse of the beautiful Halcyon — Simonides.

Was it my own excited imagination —or the misty influence of the atmosphere —or the
uncertain twilight of the chamber —or the gray draperies which fell around her figure —
that caused in it so vacillating and indistinct an outline? I could not tell. She spoke no
word, I —not for worlds could I have uttered a syllable. An icy chill ran through my
frame; a sense of insufferable anxiety oppressed me; a consuming curiosity pervaded my
soul; and sinking back upon the chair, I remained for some time breathless and
motionless, with my eyes riveted upon her person. Alas! its emaciation was excessive,
and not one vestige of the former being, lurked in any single line of the contour. My
burning glances at length fell upon the face.

The forehead was high, and very pale, and singularly placid; and the once jetty hair fell
partially over it, and overshadowed the hollow temples with innumerable ringlets now of
a vivid yellow, and Jarring discordantly, in their fantastic character, with the reigning
melancholy of the countenance. The eyes were lifeless, and lustreless, and seemingly
pupil-less, and I shrank involuntarily from their glassy stare to the contemplation of the
thin and shrunken lips. They parted; and in a smile of peculiar meaning, the teeth of the
changed Berenice disclosed themselves slowly to my view. Would to God that I had
never beheld them, or that, having done so, I had died!

The shutting of a door disturbed me, and, looking up, I found that my cousin had
departed from the chamber. But from the disordered chamber of my brain, had not, alas!
departed, and would not be driven away, the white and ghastly spectrum of the teeth. Not
a speck on their surface —not a shade on their enamel —not an indenture in their edges —
but what that period of her smile had sufficed to brand in upon my memory. I saw them
now even more unequivocally than I beheld them then. The teeth! —the teeth! —they were
here, and there, and everywhere, and visibly and palpably before me; long, narrow, and

excessively white, with the pale lips writhing about them, as in the very moment of their
first terrible development. Then came the full fury of my monomania, and I struggled in
vain against its strange and irresistible influence. In the multiplied objects of the external
world I had no thoughts but for the teeth. For these I longed with a phrenzied desire. All
other matters and all different interests became absorbed in their single contemplation.
They —they alone were present to the mental eye, and they, in their sole individuality,
became the essence of my mental life. I held them in every light. I turned them in every
attitude. I surveyed their characteristics. I dwelt upon their peculiarities. I pondered upon
their conformation. I mused upon the alteration in their nature. I shuddered as I assigned
to them in imagination a sensitive and sentient power, and even when unassisted by the
lips, a capability of moral expression. Of Mad'selle Salle it has been well said, "que tous
ses pas etaient des sentiments," and of Berenice I more seriously believed que toutes ses
dents etaient des idees. Des idees! -ah here was the idiotic thought that destroyed me!
Des idees! -ah therefore it was that I coveted them so madly! I felt that their possession
could alone ever restore me to peace, in giving me back to reason.

And the evening closed in upon me thus-and then the darkness came, and tarried, and
went —and the day again dawned —and the mists of a second night were now gathering
around —and still I sat motionless in that solitary room; and still I sat buried in
meditation, and still the phantasma of the teeth maintained its terrible ascendancy as, with
the most vivid hideous distinctness, it floated about amid the changing lights and
shadows of the chamber. At length there broke in upon my dreams a cry as of horror and
dismay; and thereunto, after a pause, succeeded the sound of troubled voices,
intermingled with many low moanings of sorrow, or of pain. I arose from my seat and,
throwing open one of the doors of the library, saw standing out in the antechamber a
servant maiden, all in tears, who told me that Berenice was —no more. She had been
seized with epilepsy in the early morning, and now, at the closing in of the night, the
grave was ready for its tenant, and all the preparations for the burial were completed.

I found myself sitting in the library, and again sitting there alone. It seemed that I had
newly awakened from a confused and exciting dream. I knew that it was now midnight,
and I was well aware that since the setting of the sun Berenice had been interred. But of
that dreary period which intervened I had no positive —at least no definite
comprehension. Yet its memory was replete with horror —horror more horrible from
being vague, and terror more terrible from ambiguity. It was a fearful page in the record
my existence, written all over with dim, and hideous, and unintelligible recollections. I
strived to decypher them, but in vain; while ever and anon, like the spirit of a departed
sound, the shrill and piercing shriek of a female voice seemed to be ringing in my ears. I
had done a deed -what was it? I asked myself the question aloud, and the whispering
echoes of the chamber answered me, "what was it?"

On the table beside me burned a lamp, and near it lay a little box. It was of no remarkable
character, and I had seen it frequently before, for it was the property of the family
physician; but how came it there, upon my table, and why did I shudder in regarding it?
These things were in no manner to be accounted for, and my eyes at length dropped to the
open pages of a book, and to a sentence underscored therein. The words were the singular

but simple ones of the poet Ebn Zaiat, "Dicebant mihi sodales si sepulchrum amicae
visitarem, curas meas aliquantulum fore levatas." Why then, as I perased them, did the
hairs of my head erect themselves on end, and the blood of my body become congealed
within my veins?

There came a light tap at the library door, and pale as the tenant of a tomb, a menial
entered upon tiptoe. His looks were wild with terror, and he spoke to me in a voice
tremulous, husky, and very low. What said he? -some broken sentences I heard. He told
of a wild cry disturbing the silence of the night —of the gathering together of the
household-of a search in the direction of the sound; —and then his tones grew thrillingly
distinct as he whispered me of a violated grave -of a disfigured body enshrouded, yet
still breathing, still palpitating, still alive!

He pointed to garments;-they were muddy and clotted with gore. I spoke not, and he took
me gently by the hand; —it was indented with the impress of human nails. He directed my
attention to some object against the wall; —I looked at it for some minutes; -it was a
spade. With a shriek I bounded to the table, and grasped the box that lay upon it. But I
could not force it open; and in my tremor it slipped from my hands, and fell heavily, and
burst into pieces; and from it, with a rattling sound, there rolled out some instruments of
dental surgery, intermingled with thirty-two small, white and ivory-looking substances
that were scattered to and fro about the floor.

THE END

BON-BON

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

Quand un ton vin meuble mon estomac
Je suis plus savant que Balzac-
Plus sage que Pibrac;
Mon brass seul faisant I'attaque
De la nation Coseaque,
La mettroit au sac;
De Charon je passerois le lac
En dormant dans son bac,
J'irois aufier Eac,
Sans que mon coeurfit tic ni tac,
Premmer du tabac.
—French Vaudeville

THAT Pierre Bon-Bon was a restaurateur of uncommon qualifications, the cul-de-sac Le
Febvre at Rouen, will, I imagine, feel himself at liberty to dispute. That Pierre Bon-Bon
was, in an equal degree, skilled in the philosophy of that period is, I presume still more
especially undeniable. His pates a la fois were beyond doubt immaculate; but what pen
can do justice to his essays sur la Nature-his thoughts sur lAme-his observations sur
I'Esprit? If his omelettes-if his fricandeaux were inestimable, what litterateur of that day
would not have given twice as much for an "Idee de Bon-Bon" as for all the trash of
"Idees" of all the rest of the savants? Bon-Bon had ransacked libraries which no other
man had ransacked-had more than any other would have entertained a notion of reading-
had understood more than any other would have conceived the possibility of
understanding; and although, while he flourished, there were not wanting some authors at
Rouen to assert "that his dicta evinced neither the purity of the Academy, nor the depth of
the Lyceum"-although, mark me, his doctrines were by no means very generally
comprehended, still it did not follow that they were difficult of comprehension. It was, I
think, on account of their self-evidency that many persons were led to consider them
abstruse. It is to Bon-Bon-but let this go no farther-it is to Bon-Bon that Kant himself is
mainly indebted for his metaphysics. The former was indeed not a Platonist, nor strictly
speaking an Aristotelian-nor did he, like the modern Leibnitz, waste those precious hours
which might be employed in the invention of a fricasee or, facili gradu, the analysis of a
sensation, in frivolous attempts at reconcihng the obstinate oils and waters of ethical
discussion. Not at all. Bon-Bon was lonic-Bon-Bon was equally Italic. He reasoned a
priori-He reasoned also a posteriori. His ideas were innate-or otherwise. He believed in
George of Trebizonde-He believed in Bossarion. Bon-Bon was emphatically a-Bon-
Bonist.

I have spoken of the philosopher in his capacity of restaurateur. I would not, however,
have any friend of mine imagine that, in fulfilling his hereditary duties in that line, our
hero wanted a proper estimation of their dignity and importance. Far from it. It was
impossible to say in which branch of his profession he took the greater pride. In his
opinion the powers of the intellect held intimate connection with the capabilities of the
stomach. I am not sure, indeed, that he greatly disagreed with the Chinese, who held that
the soul lies in the abdomen. The Greeks at all events were right, he thought, who
employed the same words for the mind and the diaphragm. By this I do not mean to
insinuate a charge of gluttony, or indeed any other serious charge to the prejudice of the
metaphysician. If Pierre Bon-Bon had his failings-and what great man has not a
thousand?-if Pierre Bon-Bon, I say, had his failings, they were failings of very little
importance-faults indeed which, in other tempers, have often been looked upon rather in
the light of virtues. As regards one of these foibles, I should not even have mentioned it
in this history but for the remarkable prominency-the extreme alto relievo-in which it
jutted out from the plane of his general disposition. He could never let slip an opportunity
of making a bargain.

Not that he was avaricious-no. It was by no means necessary to the satisfaction of the
philosopher, that the bargain should be to his own proper advantage. Provided a trade
could be effected-a trade of any kind, upon any terms, or under any circumstances-a
triumphant smile was seen for many days thereafter to enlighten his countenance, and a
knowing wink of the eye to give evidence of his sagacity.

At any epoch it would not be very wonderful if a humor so peculiar as the one I have just
mentioned, should elicit attention and remark. At the epoch of our narrative, had this
peculiarity not attracted observation, there would have been room for wonder indeed. It
was soon reported that, upon all occasions of the kind, the smile of Bon-Bon was wont to
differ widely from the downright grin with which he would laugh at his own jokes, or
welcome an acquaintance. Hints were thrown out of an exciting nature; stories were told
of perilous bargains made in a hurry and repented of at leisure; and instances were
adduced of unaccountable capacities, vague longings, and unnatural inclinations
implanted by the author of all evil for wise purposes of his own.

The philosopher had other weaknesses-but they are scarcely worthy our serious
examination. For example, there are few men of extraordinary profundity who are found
wanting in an inclination for the bottle. Whether this inclination be an exciting cause, or
rather a valid proof of such profundity, it is a nice thing to say. Bon-Bon, as far as I can
learn, did not think the subject adapted to minute investigation;-nor do I. Yet in the
indulgence of a propensity so truly classical, it is not to be supposed that the restaurateur
would lose sight of that intuitive discrimination which was wont to characterize, at one
and the same time, his essais and his omelettes. In his seclusions the Vin de Bourgogne
had its allotted hour, and there were appropriate moments for the Cotes du Rhone. With
him Sauteme was to Medoc what Catullus was to Homer. He would sport with a
syllogism in sipping St. Peray, but unravel an argument over Clos de Vougeot, and upset
a theory in a torrent of Chambertin. Well had it been if the same quick sense of propriety
had attended him in the peddling propensity to which I have formerly alluded-but this

was by no means the case. Indeed to say the truth, that trait of mind in the philosophic
Bon-Bon did begin at length to assume a character of strange intensity and mysticism,
and appeared deeply tinctured with the diablerie of his favorite German studies.

To enter the little Cafe in the cul-de-sac Le Febvre was, at the period of our tale, to enter
the sanctum of a man of genius. Bon-Bon was a man of genius. There was not a sous-
cusinier in Rouen, who could not have told you that Bon-Bon was a man of genius. His
very cat knew it, and forebore to whisk her tail in the presence of the man of genius. His
large water-dog was acquainted with the fact, and upon the approach of his master,
betrayed his sense of inferiority by a sanctity of deportment, a debasement of the ears,
and a dropping of the lower jaw not altogether unworthy of a dog. It is, however, true that
much of this habitual respect might have been attributed to the personal appearance of the
metaphysician. A distinguished exterior will, I am constrained to say, have its way even
with a beast; and I am willing to allow much in the outward man of the restaurateur
calculated to impress the imagination of the quadruped. There is a peculiar majesty about
the atmosphere of the little great-if I may be permitted so equivocal an expression-which
mere physical bulk alone will be found at all times inefficient in creating. If, however,
Bon-Bon was barely three feet in height, and if his head was diminutively small, still it
was impossible to behold the rotundity of his stomach without a sense of magnificence
nearly bordering upon the sublime. In its size both dogs and men must have seen a type
of his acquirements-in its immensity a fitting habitation for his immortal soul.

I might here-if it so pleased me-dilate upon the matter of habiliment, and other mere
circumstances of the external metaphysician. I might hint that the hair of our hero was
worn short, combed smoothly over his forehead, and surmounted by a conical- shaped
white flannel cap and tassels-that his pea-green jerkin was not after the fashion of those
worn by the common class of restaurateurs at that day-that the sleeves were something
fuller than the reigning costume permitted-that the cuffs were turned up, not as usual in
that barbarous period, with cloth of the same quality and color as the garment, but faced
in a more fanciful manner with the particolored velvet of Genoa-that his slippers were of
a bright purple, curiously filigreed, and might have been manufactured in Japan, but for
the exquisite pointing of the toes, and the brilliant tints of the binding and embroidery-
that his breeches were of the yellow satin-like material called aimable-that his sky-blue
cloak, resembling in form a dressing-wrapper, and richly bestudded all over with crimson
devices, floated cavalierly upon his shoulders like a mist of the morning-and that his tout
ensemble gave rise to the remarkable words of Benevenuta, the Improvisatrice of
Florence, "that it was difficult to say whether Pierre Bon-Bon was indeed a bird of
Paradise, or rather a very Paradise of perfection." I might, I say, expatiate upon all these
points if I pleased,-but I forbear, merely personal details may be left to historical
novelists,-they are beneath the moral dignity of matter-of-fact.

I have said that "to enter the Cafe in the cul-de-sac Le Febvre was to enter the sanctum of
a man of genius"-but then it was only the man of genius who could duly estimate the
merits of the sanctum. A sign, consisting of a vast folio, swung before the entrance. On
one side of the volume was painted a bottle; on the reverse a pate. On the back were

visible in large letters Oeuvres de Bon-Bon. Thus was delicately shadowed forth the two-
fold occupation of the proprietor.

Upon stepping over the threshold, the whole interior of the building presented itself to
view. A long, low-pitched room, of antique construction, was indeed all the
accommodation afforded by the Cafe. In a corner of the apartment stood the bed of the
metaphysician. An army of curtains, together with a canopy a la Grecque, gave it an air at
once classic and comfortable. In the comer diagonary opposite, appeared, in direct family
communion, the properties of the kitchen and the bibliotheque. A dish of polemics stood
peacefully upon the dresser. Here lay an ovenful of the latest ethics-there a kettle of
dudecimo melanges. Volumes of German morality were hand and glove with the
gridiron-a toasting-fork might be discovered by the side of Eusebius-Plato rechned at his
ease in the frying-pan-and contemporary manuscripts were filed away upon the spit.

In other respects the Cafe de Bon-Bon might be said to differ little from the usual
restaurants of the period. A fireplace yawned opposite the door. On the right of the
fireplace an open cupboard displayed a formidable array of labelled bottles.

It was here, about twelve o'clock one night during the severe winter the comments of his
neighbours upon his singular propensity-that Pierre Bon-Bon, I say, having turned them
all out of his house, locked the door upon them with an oath, and betook himself in no
very pacific mood to the comforts of a leather-bottomed arm-chair, and a fire of blazing
fagots.

It was one of those terrific nights which are only met with once or twice during a century.
It snowed fiercely, and the house tottered to its centre with the floods of wind that,
rushing through the crannies in the wall, and pouring impetuously down the chimney,
shook awfully the curtains of the philosopher's bed, and disorganized the economy of his
pate-pans and papers. The huge folio sign that swung without, exposed to the fury of the
tempest, creaked ominously, and gave out a moaning sound from its stanchions of solid
oak.

It was in no placid temper, I say, that the metaphysician drew up his chair to its
customary station by the hearth. Many circumstances of a perplexing nature had occurred
during the day, to disturb the serenity of his meditations. In attempting des oeufs a la
Princesse, he had unfortunately perpetrated an omelette a la Reine; the discovery of a
principle in ethics had been frustrated by the overtuming of a stew; and last, not least, he
had been thwarted in one of those admirable bargains which he at all times took such
especial delight in bringing to a successful termination. But in the chafing of his mind at
these unaccountable vicissitudes, there did not fail to be mingled some degree of that
nervous anxiety which the fury of a boisterous night is so well calculated to produce.
Whistling to his more immediate vicinity the large black water-dog we have spoken of
before, and settling himself uneasily in his chair, he could not help casting a wary and
unquiet eye toward those distant recesses of the apartment whose inexorable shadows not
even the red firelight itself could more than partially succeed in overcoming. Having
completed a scrutiny whose exact purpose was perhaps unintelligible to himself, he drew

close to his seat a small table covered with books and papers, and soon became absorbed
in the task of retouching a voluminous manuscript, intended for publication on the
morrow.

He had been thus occupied for some minutes when "I am in no hurry. Monsieur Bon-
Bon," suddenly whispered a whining voice in the apartment.

"The devil!" ejaculated our hero, starting to his feet, overturning the table at his side, and
staring around him in astonishment.

"Very true," calmly replied the voice.

"Very true!-what is very true?-how came you here?" vociferated the metaphysician, as
his eye fell upon something which lay stretched at full length upon the bed.

"I was saying," said the intruder, without attending to the interrogatives,-"! was saying
that I am not at all pushed for time- that the business upon which I took the liberty of
calling, is of no pressing importance-in short, that I can very well wait until you have
finished your Exposition."

"My Exposition !-there now!-how do you know?-how came you to understand that I was
writing an Exposition?-good God!"

"Hush!" replied the figure, in a shrill undertone; and, arising quickly from the bed, he
made a single step toward our hero, while an iron lamp that depended over-head swung
convulsively back from his approach.

The philosopher's amazement did not prevent a narrow scrutiny of the stranger's dress
and appearance. The outlines of his figure, exceedingly lean, but much above the
common height, were rendered minutely distinct, by means of a faded suit of black cloth
which fitted tight to the skin, but was otherwise cut very much in the style of a century
ago. These garments had evidently been intended for a much shorter person than their
present owner. His ankles and wrists were left naked for several inches. In his shoes,
however, a pair of very brilliant buckles gave the lie to the extreme poverty implied by
the other portions of his dress. His head was bare, and entirely bald, with the exception of
a hinder part, from which depended a queue of considerable length. A pair of green
spectacles, with side glasses, protected his eyes from the influence of the hght, and at the
same time prevented our hero from ascertaining either their color or their conformation.
About the entire person there was no evidence of a shirt, but a white cravat, of filthy
appearance, was tied with extreme precision around the throat and the ends hanging down
formally side by side gave (although I dare say unintentionally) the idea of an
ecclesiastic. Indeed, many other points both in his appearance and demeanor might have
very well sustained a conception of that nature. Over his left ear, he carried, after the
fashion of a modern clerk, an instrument resembling the stylus of the ancients. In a
breast-pocket of his coat appeared conspicuously a small black volume fastened with
clasps of steel. This book, whether accidentally or not, was so turned outwardly from the

person as to discover the words "Rituel Catholique" in white letters upon the back. His
entire physiognomy was interestingly saturnine-even cadaverously pale. The forehead
was lofty, and deeply furrowed with the ridges of contemplation. The corners of the
mouth were drawn down into an expression of the most submissive humility. There was
also a clasping of the hands, as he stepped toward our hero-a deep sigh-and altogether a
look of such utter sanctity as could not have failed to be unequivocally preposessing.
Every shadow of anger faded from the countenance of the metaphysician, as, having
completed a satisfactory survey of his visiter's person, he shook him cordially by the
hand, and conducted him to a seat.

There would however be a radical error in attributing this instantaneous transition of
feeling in the philosopher, to any one of those causes which might naturally be supposed
to have had an influence. Indeed, Pierre Bon-Bon, from what I have been able to
understand of his disposition, was of all men the least likely to be imposed upon by any
speciousness of exterior deportment. It was impossible that so accurate an observer of
men and things should have failed to discover, upon the moment, the real character of the
personage who had thus intruded upon his hospitality. To say no more, the conformation
of his visiter's feet was sufficiently remarkable-he maintained lightly upon his head an
inordinately tall hat-there was a tremulous swelling about the hinder part of his
breeches-and the vibration of his coat tail was a palpable fact. Judge, then, with what
feelings of satisfaction our hero found himself thrown thus at once into the society of a
person for whom he had at all times entertained the most unqualified respect. He was,
however, too much of the diplomatist to let escape him any intimation of his suspicions in
regard to the true state of affairs. It was not his cue to appear at all conscious of the high
honor he thus unexpectedly enjoyed; but, by leading his guest into the conversation, to
elicit some important ethical ideas, which might, in obtaining a place in his contemplated
publication, enlighten the human race, and at the same time immortalize himself-ideas
which, I should have added, his visitor's great age, and well-known proficiency in the
science of morals, might very well have enabled him to afford.

Actuated by these enlightened views, our hero bade the gentleman sit down, while he
himself took occasion to throw some fagots upon the fire, and place upon the now re-
established table some bottles of Mousseux. Having quickly completed these operations,
he drew his chair vis-a-vis to his companion's, and waited until the latter should open the
conversation. But plans even the most skilfully matured are often thwarted in the outset
of their application-and the restaurateur found himself nonplussed by the very first words
of his visiter's speech.

"I see you know me, Bon-Bon," said he; "ha! ha! ha!-he! he! he!- hi! hi! hi!-ho! ho! ho!-
hu! hu! hu!"-and the devil, dropping at once the sanctity of his demeanor, opened to its
fullest extent a mouth from ear to ear, so as to display a set of jagged and fang-like teeth,
and, throwing back his head, laughed long, loudly, wickedly, and uproariously, while the
black dog, crouching down upon his haunches, joined lustily in the chorus, and the tabby
cat, flying off at a tangent, stood up on end, and shrieked in the farthest corner of the
apartment.

Not so the philosopher; he was too much a man of the world either to laugh like the dog,
or by shrieks to betray the indecorous trepidation of the cat. It must be confessed, he felt
a little astonishment to see the white letters which formed the words "Rituel Catholique"
on the book in his guest's pocket, momently changing both their color and their import,
and in a few seconds, in place of the original title the words Regitre des Condamnes
blazed forth in characters of red. This startling circumstance, when Bon-Bon replied to
his visiter's remark, imparted to his manner an air of embarrassment which probably
might, not otherwise have been observed.

"Why sir," said the philosopher, "why sir, to speak sincerely-I I imagine-I have some
faint-some very faint idea-of the remarkable honor-"

"Oh!-ah!-yes!-very well!" interrupted his Majesty; "say no more- 1 see how it is." And
hereupon, taking off his green spectacles, he wiped the glasses carefully with the sleeve
of his coat, and deposited them in his pocket.

If Bon-Bon had been astonished at the incident of the book, his amazement was now
much increased by the spectacle which here presented itself to view. In raising his eyes,
with a strong feeling of curiosity to ascertain the color of his guest's, he found them by no
means black, as he had anticipated-nor gray, as might have been imagined-nor yet hazel
nor blue-nor indeed yellow nor red-nor purple-nor white-nor green-nor any other color
in the heavens above, or in the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth. In short,
Pierre Bon-Bon not only saw plainly that his Majesty had no eyes whatsoever, but could
discover no indications of their having existed at any previous period-for the space where
eyes should naturally have been was, I am constrained to say, simply a dead level of
flesh.

It was not in the nature of the metaphysician to forbear making some inquiry into the
sources of so strange a phenomenon, and the reply of his Majesty was at once prompt,
dignified, and satisfactory.

"Eyes! my dear Bon-Bon-eyes! did you say?-oh!-ah!-I perceive! The ridiculous prints,
eh, which are in, circulation, have given you a false idea of my personal appearance?
Eyes!-true. Eyes, Pierre Bon-Bon, are very well in their proper place-that, you would
say, is the head?-right-the head of a worm. To you, likewise, these optics are
indispensable-yet I will convince you that my vision is more penetrating than your own.
There is a cat I see in the comer-a pretty cat-look at her-observe her well. Now, Bon-
Bon, do you behold the thoughts-the thoughts, I say,-the ideas-the reflections-which are
being engendered in her pericranium? There it is, now-you do not! She is thinking we
admire the length of her tail and the profundity of her mind. She has just concluded that I
am the most distinguished of ecclesiastics, and that you are the most superficial of
metaphysicians. Thus you see I am not altogether blind; but to one of my profession, the
eyes you speak of would be merely an incumbrance, liable at any time to be put out by a
toasting-iron, or a pitchfork. To you, I allow, these optical affairs are indispensable.
Endeavor, Bon-Bon, to use them well;-my vision is the soul."

Hereupon the guest helped himself to the wine upon the table, and pouring out a bumper
for Bon-Bon, requested him to drink it without scruple, and make himself perfectly at
home.

"A clever book that of yours, Pierre," resumed his Majesty, tapping our friend knowingly
upon the shoulder, as the latter put down his glass after a thorough compliance with his
visiter's injunction. "A clever book that of yours, upon my honor. It's a work after my
own heart. Your arrangement of the matter, I think, however, might be improved, and
many of your notions remind me of Aristotle. That philosopher was one of my most
intimate acquaintances. I liked him as much for his terrible ill temper, as for his happy
knack at making a blunder. There is only one solid truth in all that he has written, and for
that I gave him the hint out of pure compassion for his absurdity. I suppose, Pierre Bon-
Bon, you very well know to what divine moral truth I am alluding?"

"Cannot say that I- "

"Indeed !-why it was I who told Aristotle that by sneezing, men expelled superfluous
ideas through the proboscis."

"Which is-hiccup!-undoubtedly the case," said the metaphysician, while he poured out
for himself another bumper of Mousseux, and offered his snuff-box to the fingers of his
visiter.

"There was Plato, too," continued his Majesty, modestly declining the snuff-box and the
compliment it implied-"there was Plato, too, for whom I, at one time, felt all the affection
of a friend. You knew Plato, Bon-Bon?-ah, no, I beg a thousand pardons. He met me at
Athens, one day, in the Parthenon, and told me he was distressed for an idea. I bade him
write, down that o nous estin aulos. He said that he would do so, and went home, while I
stepped over to the pyramids. But my conscience smote me for having uttered a truth,
even to aid a friend, and hastening back to Athens, I arrived behind the philosopher's
chair as he was inditing the 'aulos.'"

"Giving the lambda a fillip with my finger, I turned it upside down. So the sentence now
read 'o nous estin augos', and is, you perceive, the fundamental doctrines in his
metaphysics."

"Were you ever at Rome?" asked the restaurateur, as he finished his second bottle of
Mousseux, and drew from the closet a larger supply of Chambertin.

But once. Monsieur Bon-Bon, but once. There was a time," said the devil, as if reciting
some passage from a book-"there was a time when occurred an anarchy of five years,
during which the republic, bereft of all its officers, had no magistracy besides the tribunes
of the people, and these were not legally vested with any degree of executive power-at
that time. Monsieur Bon-Bon-at that time only I was in Rome, and I have no earthly
acquaintance, consequently, with any of its philosophy."*

*Ils ecrivaient sur la Philosophic (Cicero, Lucretius, Seneca) mais c'etait la Philosophic
Grecque.-Condorcet.

"What do you think of-what do you think of-hiccup!-Epicurus?"

"What do I think of whom?" said the devil, in astonishment, "you cannot surely mean to
find any fault with Epicurus! What do I think of Epicurus! Do you mean me, sir?-I am
Epicurus! I am the same philosopher who wrote each of the three hundred treatises
commemorated by Diogenes Laertes."

"That's a lie!" said the metaphysician, for the wine had gotten a little into his head.

"Very well!-very well, sir!-very well, indeed, sir!" said his Majesty, apparently much
flattered.

"That's a lie!" repeated the restaurateur, dogmatically; "that's a-hiccup!-a lie!"

"Well, well, have it your own way!" said the devil, pacifically, and Bon-Bon, having
beaten his Majesty at argument, thought it his duty to conclude a second bottle of
Chambertin.

"As I was saying," resumed the visiter-"as I was observing a little while ago, there are
some very outre notions in that book of yours Monsieur Bon-Bon. What, for instance, do
you mean by all that humbug about the soul? Pray, sir, what is the soul?"

"The-hiccup!-soul," replied the metaphysician, referring to his MS., "is undoubtedly-"

"No, sir!"

"Indubitably-"

"No, sir!"

"Indisputably-"

"No, sir!"

"Evidently-"

"No, sir!"

"Incontrovertibly- "

"No, sir!"

"Hiccup!-"

"No, sir!"

"And beyond all question, a-"

"No sir, the soul is no such thing!" (Here the philosopher, looking daggers, took occasion
to make an end, upon the spot, of his third bottle of Chambertin.)

"Then-hic-cup!-pray, sir-what-what is it?"

"That is neither here nor there. Monsieur Bon-Bon," replied his Majesty, musingly. "I
have tasted-that is to say, I have known some very bad souls, and some too-pretty good
ones." Here he smacked his lips, and, having unconsciously let fall his hand upon the
volume in his pocket, was seized with a violent fit of sneezing.

He continued.

"There was the soul of Cratinus-passable: Aristophanes-racy: Plato-exquisite-not your
Plato, but Plato the comic poet; your Plato would have turned the stomach of Cerberus-
faugh! Then let me see! there were Naevius, and Andronicus, and Plautus, and Terentius.
Then there were Lucilius, and Catullus, and Naso, and Quintus Flaccus,- dear Quinty! as
I called him when he sung a seculare for my amusement, while I toasted him, in pure
good humor, on a fork. But they want flavor, these Romans. One fat Greek is worth a
dozen of them, and besides will keep, which cannot be said of a Quirite.-Let us taste your
Sauteme."

Bon-Bon had by this time made up his mind to nil admirari and endeavored to hand down
the bottles in question. He was, however, conscious of a strange sound in the room like
the wagging of a tail. Of this, although extremely indecent in his Majesty, the philosopher
took no notice:-simply kicking the dog, and requesting him to be quiet. The visiter
continued:

"I found that Horace tasted very much like Aristotle;-you know I am fond of variety.
Terentius I could not have told from Menander. Naso, to my astonishment, was Nicander
in disguise. Virgilius had a strong twang of Theocritus. Martial put me much in mind of
Archilochus-and Titus Livius was positively Polybius and none other."

"Hic-cup!" here replied Bon-Bon, and his majesty proceeded:

"But if I have a penchant. Monsieur Bon-Bon-if I have a penchant, it is for a philosopher.
Yet, let me tell you, sir, it is not every dev-I mean it is not every gentleman who knows
how to choose a philosopher. Long ones are not good; and the best, if not carefully
shelled, are apt to be a little rancid on account of the gall!"

"Shelled!"

"I mean taken out of the carcass."

"What do you think of a-hic-cup!-physician?"

"Don't mention them!-ugh! ugh! ugh!" (Here his Majesty retched violently.) "I never
tasted but one-that rascal Hippocrates !-smelt of asafoetida-ugh! ugh! ugh!-caught a
wretched cold washing him in the Styx-and after all he gave me the cholera morbus."

"The-hiccup-wretch!" ejaculated Bon-Bon, "the-hic-cup!- absorption of a pill-box! "-and
the philosopher dropped a tear.

"After all," continued the visiter, "after all, if a dev-if a gentleman wishes to live, he must
have more talents than one or two; and with us a fat face is an evidence of diplomacy."

"How so?"

"Why, we are sometimes exceedingly pushed for provisions. You must know that, in a
climate so sultry as mine, it is frequently impossible to keep a spirit alive for more than
two or three hours; and after death, unless pickled immediately (and a pickled spirit is not
good), they will-smell-you understand, eh? Putrefaction is always to be apprehended
when the souls are consigned to us in the usual way."

"Hiccup! -hiccup! -good God! how do you manage?"

Here the iron lamp commenced swinging with redoubled violence, and the devil half
started from his seat;-however, with a slight sigh, he recovered his composure, merely
saying to our hero in a low tone: "I tell you what, Pierre Bon-Bon, we must have no more
swearing."

The host swallowed another bumper, by way of denoting thorough comprehension and
acquiescence, and the visiter continued.

"Why, there are several ways of managing. The most of us starve: some put up with the
pickle: for my part I purchase my spirits vivente corpore, in which case I find they keep
very well."

"But the body!-hiccup!-the body!"

"The body, the body- well, what of the body?-oh! ah! I perceive. Why, sir, the body is
not at all affected by the transaction. I have made innumerable purchases of the kind in
my day, and the parties never experienced any inconvenience. There were Cain and
Nimrod, and Nero, and Caligula, and Dionysius, and Pisistratus, and-and a thousand
others, who never knew what it was to have a soul during the latter part of their lives; yet,
sir, these men adorned society. Why possession of his faculties, mental and corporeal?
Who writes a keener epigram? Who reasons more wittily? Who-but stay! I have his
agreement in my pocket-book."

Thus saying, he produced a red leather wallet, and took from it a number of papers. Upon
some of these Bon-Bon caught a glimpse of the letters Machi-Maza-Robesp-with the
words Caligula, George, Elizabeth. His Majesty selected a narrow slip of parchment, and
from it read aloud the following words:

"In consideration of certain mental endowments which it is unnecessary to specify, and in
further consideration of one thousand louis d'or, I being aged one year and one month, do
hereby make over to the bearer of this agreement all my right, title, and appurtenance in
the shadow called my soul. (Signed) A...."* (Here His Majesty repeated a name which I
did not feel justified in indicating more unequivocally.)

*Quere-Arouet?

"A clever fellow that," resumed he; "but like you. Monsieur Bon-Bon, he was mistaken
about the soul. The soul a shadow, truly! The soul a shadow; Ha! ha! ha!-he! he! he!-hu!
hu! hu! Only think of a fricasseed shadow!"

"Only think-hiccup!-of a fricasseed shadow!" exclaimed our hero, whose faculties were
becoming much illuminated by the profundity of his Majesty's discourse.

"Only think of a hiccup !-fricasseed shadow! ! Now, damme! -hiccup!- humph! If I would
have been such a-hiccup! -nincompoop! My soul, Mr.-humph!"

"Your soul. Monsieur Bon-Bon?"

"Yes, sir-hiccup! -my soul is-"

"What, sir?"

"No shadow, damme!"

"Did you mean to say-"

"Yes, sir, my soul is-hiccup!-humph!-yes, sir."

"Did you not intend to assert-"

"My soul is-hiccup!-peculiarly qualified for-hiccup!-a-"

"What, sir?"

"Stew."

"Ha!"

"Soufflee."

"Eh!"

"Fricassee."

"Indeed!"

"Ragout and fricandeau-and see here, my good fellow! I'll let you have it-hiccup !-a
bargain." Here the philosopher slapped his Majesty upon the back.

"Couldn't think of such a thing," said the latter calmly, at the same time rising from his
seat. The metaphysician stared.

"Am supplied at present," said his Majesty.

"Hiccup-e-h?" said the philosopher.

"Have no funds on hand."

"What?"

"Besides, very unhandsome in me-"

"Sir!"

"To take advantage of-"

"Hiccup!"

"Your present disgusting and ungentlemanly situation."

Here the visiter bowed and withdrew-in what manner could not precisely be ascertained-
but in a well-concerted effort to discharge a bottle at "the villain," the slender chain was
severed that depended from the ceiling, and the metaphysician prostrated by the downfall
of the lamp.

THE END

BRIDAL BALLAD

by Edgar Allan Poe

1837

The ring is on my hand,
And the wreath is on my brow;
Satin and jewels grand
Are all at my command,
And I am happy now.

And my lord he loves me well;

But, when first he breathed his vow,

I felt my bosom swell-

For the words rang as a knell.

And the voice seemed his who fell

In the battle down the dell.

And who is happy now.

But he spoke to re-assure me.
And he kissed my pallid brow.
While a reverie came o'er me.
And to the church-yard bore me.
And I sighed to him before me.
Thinking him dead D'Elormie,
"Oh, I am happy now!"

And thus the words were spoken.
And this the plighted vow.
And, though my faith be broken.
And, though my heart be broken.
Here is a ring, as token
That I am happy now!

Would God I could awaken!
For I dream I know not how!
And my soul is sorely shaken
Lest an evil step be taken,-
Lest the dead who is forsaken
May not be happy now.

THE END

CRITICISM

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

IT HAS been said that a good critique on a poem may be written by one who is no poet
himself. This, according to your idea and mine of poetry, I feel to be false-the less
poetical the critic, the less just the critique, and the converse. On this account, and
because the world's good opinion as proud of your own. Another than yourself might here
observe, "Shakespeare is in possession of the world's good opinion, and yet Shakespeare
is the greatest of poets. It appears then that as the world judges correctly, why should you
be ashamed of their favourable judgment?" The difficulty lies in the interpretation of the
word "judgment" or "opinion." The opinion is the world's, truly, but it may be called
theirs as a man would call a book his, having bought it; he did not write the book, but it is
his; they did not originate the opinion, but it is theirs. A fool, for example, thinks
Shakespeare a great poet-yet the fool has never read Shakespeare. But the fool's
neighbor, who is a step higher on the Andes of the mind, whose head (that is to say, his
more exalted thought) is too far above the fool to be seen or understood, but whose feet
(by which I mean his every-day actions) are sufficiently near to be discerned, and by
means of which that superiority is ascertained, which but for them would never have been
disco vered-this neighbor asserts that Shakespeare is a great poet-the fool believes him,
and it is henceforward his opinion. This neighbor's own opinion has, in like manner, been
adopted from one above him, and so, ascendingly, to a few gifted individuals who kneel
around the summit, beholding, face to face, the master spirit who stands upon the
pinnacle....

You are aware of the great barrier in the path of an American writer. He is read, if at all,
in preference to the combined and established wit of the world. I say established; for it is
with literature as with law or empire-an established name is an estate in tenure, or a
throne in possession. Besides, one might suppose that books, like their authors, improve
by travel-their having crossed the sea is, with us, so great a distinction. Our antiquaries
abandon time for distance; our very fops glance from the binding to the bottom of the
title-page, where the mystic characters which spell London, Paris, or Genoa, are precisely
so many letters of recommendation.

I mentioned just now a vulgar error as regards criticism. I think the notion that no poet
can form a correct estimate of his own writings is another. I remarked before that in
proportion to the poetical talent would be the justice of a critique upon poetry. Therefore
a bad poet would, I grant, make a false critique, and his self-love would infallibly bias his
little judgment in his favour; but a poet, who is indeed a poet, could not, I think, fail of
making a just critique; whatever should be deducted on the score of self-love might be
replaced on account of his intimate acquaintance with the subject; in short, we have more
instances of false criticism than of just where one's own writings are the test, simply

because we have more bad poets than good. There are, of course, many objections to
what I say: Milton is a great example of the contrary, but his opinion with respect to the
Paradise Regained is by no means fairly ascertained. By what trivial circumstances men
are often led to assert what they do not really believe! Perhaps an inadvertent world has
descended to posterity. But, in fact, the Paradise Regained is little, if at all inferior to the
Paradise Lost and is only supposed so to be because men do not like epics, whatever they
may say to the contrary, and reading those of Milton in their natural order, are too much
wearied with the first to derive any pleasure from the second.

I dare say Milton preferred Comos to either-if so-justly....

As I am speaking of poetry, it will not be amiss to touch slightly upon the most singular
heresy in its modem history-the heresy of what is called, very foolishly, the Lake School.
Some years ago I might have been induced, by an occasion like the present, to attempt a
formal refutation of their doctrine; at present it would be a work of supererogation. The
wise must bow to the wisdom of such men as Coleridge and Southey, but being wise,
have laughed at poetical theories so prosaically exemplified.

Aristotle, with singular assurance, has declared poetry the most philosophical of all
writings-but it required a Wordsworth to pronounce it the most metaphysical. He seems
to think that the end of poetry is, or should be, instruction; yet it is a truism that the end of
our existence is happiness; if so, the end of every separate part of our existence,
everything connected with our existence, should be happiness. Therefore the end of
instruction should be happiness; and happiness is another name for pleasure, -therefore
the end of instruction should be pleasure; yet we see the above-mentioned opinion
implies precisely the reverse.

To proceed: ceteris paribus, he who pleases is of more importance to his fellow-men than
he who instructs, since utility is happiness, and pleasure is the end already obtained while
instruction is merely the means of obtaining.

I see no reason, then, why our metaphysical poets should plume themselves so much on
the utility of their works, unless indeed they refer to instruction with eternity in view; in
which case, sincere respect for their piety would not allow me to express my contempt for
their judgement; contempt which it would be difficult to conceal, since their writings are
professedly to be understood by the few, and it is the many who stand in need of
salvation. In such case I should no doubt be tempted to think of the devil in "Melmoth,"
who labours indefatigably, through three octavo volumes, to accomplish the destruction
of one or two souls, while any common devil would have demolished one or two
thousand.

Against the subtleties which would make poetry a study-not a passion-it becomes the
metaphysician to reason-but the poet to protest. Yet Wordsworth and Coleridge are men
in years; the one imbued in contemplating from his childhood, the other a giant in
intellect and learning. The diffidence, then, with which I venture to dispute their authority

would be overwhelming did I not feel, from the bottom of my heart, that learning has
little to do with the imagination-intellect with the passions-or age with poetry.

Trifles, like straws, upon the surface flow;

He who would search for pearls must dive below,

are lines which have done much mischief. As regards the greater truths, men oftener err
by seeking them at the bottom than at the top; Truth lies in the huge abysses where
wisdom is sought-not in the palpable palaces where she is found. The ancients were not
always right in hiding the goddess in a well; witness the light which Bacon has thrown
upon philosophy; witness the principles of our divine faith-that moral mechanism by
which the simplicity of a child may overbalance the wisdom of a man.

We see an instance of Coleridge's liability to err, in his Biographia Literaria-professedly
his literary life and opinions, but, in fact, a treatise de omni scibili et quibusdam aliis. He
goes wrong by reason of his very profundity, and of his error we have a natural type in
the contemplation of a star. He who regards it directly and intensely sees, it is true, the
star, but it is the star without a ray-while he who surveys it less inquisitively is conscious
of all for which the star is useful to us below-its brilliancy and its beauty.

As to Wordsworth, I have no faith in him. That he had in youth the feelings of a poet I
believe-for there are glimpses of extreme delicacy in his writings-(and delicacy is the
poet's own kingdom-his El Dorado )-but they have the appearance of a better day
recollected; and glimpses, at best, are little evidence of present poetic fire-we know that a
few straggling flowers spring up daily in the crevices of the glacier.

He was to blame in wearing away his youth in contemplation with the end of poetizing in
his manhood. With the increase of his judgment the light which should make it apparent
has faded away. His judgment consequently is too correct. This may not be understood,-
but the old Goths of Germany would have understood it, who used to debate matters of
importance to their State twice, once when drunk, and once when sober-sober that they
might not be deficient in formality-drunk lest they should be destitute of vigour.

The long wordy discussions by which he tries to reason us into admiration of his poetry,
speak very little in his favour: they are full of such assertions as this (I have opened one
of his volumes at random)-"Of genius the only proof is the act of doing well what is
worthy to be done, and what was never done before" ;-indeed? then it follows that in
doing what is unworthy to be done, or what has been done before, no genius can be
evinced; yet the picking of pockets is an unworthy act, pockets have been picked time
immemorial and Barrington, the pickpocket, in point of genius, would have thought hard
of a comparison with William Wordsworth, the poet.

Again-in estimating the merit of certain poems, whether they be Ossian's or M'Pherson's,
can surely be of little consequence, yet, in order to prove their worthlessness, Mr. W. has
expended many pages in the controversy. Tantaene animis? Can great minds descend to

such absurdity? But worse still: that he may bear down every argument in favour of these
poems, he triumphantly drags forward a passage in his abomination with which he
expects the reader to sympathise. It is the beginning of the epic poem "Temora." "The
blue waves of UUin roll in light; the green hills are covered with day, trees shake their
dusty heads in the breeze." And this-this gorgeous, yet simple imagery, where all is alive
and panting with immortality- this, William Wordsworth, the author of "Peter Bell," has
selected for his contempt. We shall see what better he, in his own person, has to offer.
Imprimis:

And now she's at the pony's tail.
And now she's at the pony's head.
On that side now, and now on this;
And, almost stifled with her bliss,
A few sad tears does Betty shed....
She pats the pony, where or when
She knows not... happy Betty Foy!
Oh, Johnny, never mind the doctor!

Secondly:

The dew was falling fast, the-stars began to blink;
I heard a voice: it said-"Drink, pretty creature, drink!"
And, looking o'er the hedge, be-fore me I espied
A snow-white mountain lamb, with a-maiden at its side.
No other sheep was near,-the lamb was all alone.
And by a slender cord was-tether'd to a stone.

Now, we have no doubt this is all true; we will believe it, indeed we will, Mr. W. Is it
sympathy for the sheep you wish to excite? I love a sheep from the bottom of my heart.

Wordsworth is reasonable. Even Stamboul, it is said, shall have an end, and the most
unlucky blunders must come to a conclusion. Here is an extract from his preface:-

"Those who have been accustomed to the phraseology of modern writers, if they persist
in reading this book to a conclusion (impossible!) will, no doubt, have to struggle with
feelings of awkwardness; (ha! ha! ha!) they will look round for poetry (ha! ha! ha! ha!),
and will be induced to inquire by what species of courtesy these attempts have been
permitted to assume that title." Ha! ha! ha! ha! ha!

Yet, let not Mr. W. despair; he has given immortality to a wagon, and the bee Sophocles
has transmitted to eternity a sore toe, and dignified a tragedy with a chorus of turkeys.

Of Coleridge, I cannot speak but with reverence. His towering intellect! his gigantic
power! He is one more evidence of the fact "que la plupart des sectes ont raison dans une
bonne partie de ce qu'elles avancent, mais non pas en ce qu'elles nient." He has
imprisoned his own conceptions by the barrier he has erected against those of others. It is

lamentable to think that such a mind should be buried in metaphysics, and, like the
Nyctanthes, waste its perfume upon the night alone. In reading that man's poetry, I
tremble like one who stands upon a volcano, conscious from the very darkness bursting
from the crater, of the fire and the light that are weltering below.

What is Poetry ?-Poetry! that Proteus-like idea, with as many appellations as the nine-
titled Corcyra! Give me, I demanded of a scholar some time ago, give me a definition of
poetry. "Tres-volontiers"; and he proceeded to his library, brought me a Dr. Johnson, and
overwhelmed me with a definition. Shade of the immortal Shakespeare! I imagine to
myself the scowl of your spiritual eye upon the profanity of the scurrilous Ursa Major.
Think of poetry, dear of all that is airy and fairy-like, and then of all that is hideous and
unwieldy, think of his huge bulk, the Elephant! and then-and then think of the Tempest-
the Midsummer Night's Dream-Pro spero-Oberon- and Titania!

A poem, in my opinion, is opposed to a work of science by having, for its immediate
object, pleasure, not truth; to romance, by having for its object, an indefinite instead of a
definite pleasure, being a poem only so far as this object is attained; romance presenting
perceptible images with definite poetry with indefinite sensations, to which end music is
an essential, since the comprehension of sweet sound is our most indefinite conception.
Music, when combined with a pleasurable idea, is poetry-music, without the idea, is
simply music; the idea, without the music, is prose, from its very definitiveness.

What was meant by the invective against him who had no music in his soul?

doubt, perceive, for the metaphysical poets as poets, the most sovereign contempt. That
they have followers proves nothing-
No Indian prince has to his palace
More followers than a thief to the gallows.
THE CULPRIT FAY, AND OTHER POEMS
Joseph Rodman Drake

ALNWICK CASTLE, AND OTHER POEMS

Fitz- Greene Halleck

BEFORE entering upon the detailed notice which we propose of the volumes before us,
we wish to speak a few words in regard to the present state of American criticism.

It must be visible to all who meddle with literary matters, that of late years a thorough
revolution has been effected in the censorship of our press. That this revolution is
infinitely for the worse we believe. There was a time, it is true, when we cringed to
foreign opinion-let us even say when we paid most servile deference to British critical
dicta. That an American book could, by any possibility, be worthy perusal, was an idea
by no means extensively prevalent in the land; and if we were induced to read at all the
productions of our native writers, it was only after repeated assurances from England that

such productions were not altogether contemptible. But there was, at all events, a shadow
of excuse, and a slight basis of reason for a subserviency so grotesque. Even now,
perhaps, it would not be far wrong to assert that such basis of reason may still exist. Let
us grant that in many of the abstract sciences- that even in Theology, in Medicine, in
Law, in Oratory, in the Mechanical Arts, we have no competitors whatever, still nothing
but the most egregious national vanity would assign us a place, in the matter of Polite
Literature, upon a level with the elder and riper climes of Europe, the earliest steps of
whose children are among the groves of magnificently endowed Academies, and whose
innumerable men of leisure, and of consequent learning, drink daily from those august
fountains of inspiration which burst around them everywhere from out the tombs of their
immortal dead, and from out their hoary and trophied monuments of chivalry and song.
In paying then, as a nation, a respectful and not undue deference to a supremacy rarely
questioned but by prejudice or ignorance, we should, of course, be doing nothing more
than acting in a rational manner. The excess of our subserviency was blamable-but, as we
have before said, this very excess might have found a shadow of excuse in the strict
justice, if properly regulated, of the principle from which it issued. Not so, however, with
our present follies. We are becoming boisterous and arrogant in the pride of a too
speedily assumed literary freedom. We throw off, with the most presumptuous and
unmeaning hauteur, all deference whatever to foreign opinion-we forget, in the puerile
inflation of vanity, that the world is the true theatre of the biblical histrio-we get up a hue
and cry about the necessity of encouraging native writers of merit-we blindly fancy that
we can accomplish this by indiscriminate puffing of good, bad, and indifferent, without
taking the trouble to consider that what we choose to denominate encouragement is thus,
by its general application, rendered precisely the reverse. In a word, so far from being
ashamed of the many disgraceful literary failures to which our own inordinate vanities
and misapplied patriotism have lately given birth, and so far from deeply lamenting that
these daily puerilities are of home manufacture, we adhere pertinaciously to our original
blindly conceived idea, and thus often find ourselves involved in the gross paradox of
liking a stupid book the better, because, sure enough, its stupidity is American.*

* This charge of indiscriminant puffing will, of course, only apply to the general
character of our criticism-there are some noble exceptions. We wish also especially to
discriminate between those notices of new works which are intended merely to call
public attention to them, and deliberate criticism on the works themselves.

Deeply lamenting this unjustifiable state of public feeling, it has been our constant
endeavor, since assuming the Editorial duties of this Journal, to stem, with what little
abilities we possess, a current so disastrously undermining the health and prosperity of
our literature.

We have seen our efforts applauded by men whose applauses we value. From all quarters
we have received abundant private as well as public testimonials in favor of our Critical
Notices, and, until very lately, have heard from no respectable source one word
impugning their integrity or candor. In looking over, however, a number of the New York
Commercial Advertiser, we meet with the following paragraph.

"The last number of the Southern Literary Messenger is very readable and respectable.
The contributions to the Messenger are much better than the original matter. The critical
department of this work-much as it would seem to boast itself of impartiality and
discernment-is in our opinion decidedly quacky. There is in it a great assumption of
acumen, which is completely unsustained. Many a work has been slashingly condemned
therein, of which the critic himself could not write a page, were he to die for it. This
affectation of eccentric sternness in criticism, without the power to back one's suit withal,
so far from deserving praise, as some suppose, merits the strongest reprehension.
Philadelphia Gazette.'

"We are entirely of opinion with the Philadelphia Gazette in relation to the Southern
Literary Messenger, and take this occasion to express our total dissent from the numerous
and lavish encomiums we have seen bestowed upon its critical notices. Some few of them
have been judicious, fair and candid; bestowing praise and censure with judgement and
impartiality; but by far the greater number of those we have read, have been flippant,
unjust, untenable and uncritical. The duty of the critic is to act as judge, not as enemy, of
the writer whom he reviews; a distinction of which the Zoilus of the Messenger seems
not to be aware. It is possible to review a book sincerely, without bestowing opprobrious
epithets upon the writer, to condemn with courtesy, if not with kindness. The critic of the
Messenger has been eulogized for his scorching and scarifying abilities, and he thinks it
incumbent upon him to keep up his reputation in that line, by sneers, sarcasm and
downright abuse; by straining his vision with microscopic intensity in search of faults,
and shutting his eyes, with all his might to beauties. Moreover, we have detected him,
more than once, in blunders quite as gross as those on which it was his pleasure to
descant."*

* In addition to these things we observe, in the New York Mirror, what follows: "Those
who have read the Notices of American books in a certain Southern Monthly, which is
striving to gain notoriety by the loudness of its abuse, may find amusement in the sketch
on another page, entitled "The Successful Novel." The Southern Literary Messenger
knows by experience what it is to write a successless novel." We have, in this case, only
to deny, flatly, the assertion of the Mirror. The Editor of the Messenger never in his life
wrote or published, or attempted to publish, a novel either successful or successless.

In the paragraph from the Philadelphia Gazette, (which is edited by Mr. Willis Gaylord
Clark, one of the editors of the Knickerbocker) we find nothing at which we have any
desire to take exception. Mr. C. has a right to think us quacky if he pleases, and we do not
remember having assumed for a moment that we could write a single line of the works
we have reviewed. But there is something equivocal, to say the least, in the remarks of
Col. Stone. He acknowledges that "some of our notices have been judicious, fair, and
candid bestowing praise and censure with judgment and impartiality." This being the
case, how can he reconcile his total dissent from the public verdict in our favor, with the
dictates of justice? We are accused too of bestowing "opprobrious epithets" upon writers
whom we review and in the paragraphs so accusing us are called nothing less than
"flippant, unjust and uncritical."

But there is another point of which we disapprove. While in our reviews we have at all
times been particularly careful not to deal in generalities, and have never, if we remember
aright, advanced in any single instance an unsupported assertion, our accuser has
forgotten to give us any better evidence of our flippancy, injustice, personality, and gross
blundering, than the solitary dictum of Col. Stone. We call upon the Colonel for
assistance in this dilemma. We wish to be shown our blunders that we may correct them-
to be made aware of our flippancy that we may avoid it hereafter-and above all to have
our personalities pointed out that we may proceed forthwith with a repentant spirit, to
make the amende honorable. In default of this aid from the Editor of the Commercial we
shall take it for granted that we are neither blunderers, flippant, personal, nor unjust.

Who will deny that in regard to individual poems no definitive opinions can exist, so long
as to Poetry in the abstract we attach no definitive idea? Yet it is a common thing to hear
our critics, day after day, pronounce, with a positive air, laudatory or condemnatory
sentences, en masse, upon material works of whose merits or demerits they have, in the
first place, virtually confessed an utter ignorance, in confessing it ignorance of all
determinate principles by which to regulate a decision. Poetry has never been defined to
the satisfaction of all parties. Perhaps, in the present condition of language it never will
be. Words cannot hem it in. Its intangible and purely spiritual nature refuses to be bound
down within the widest horizon of mere sounds. But it is not, therefore, misunderstood-at
least, not by all men is it misunderstood. Very far from it, if indeed, there be any one
circle of thought distinctly and palpably marked out from amid the jarring and
tumultuous chaos of human intelligence, it is that evergreen and radiant Paradise which
the true poet knows, and knows alone, as the limited realm of his authority-as the
circumscribed Eden of his dreams. But a definition is a thing of words-a conception of
ideas. And thus while we readily believe that Poesy, the term, it will be troublesome, if
not impossible to define-still, with its image vividly existing in the world, we apprehend
no difficulty in so describing Poesy, the Sentiment, as to imbue even the most obtuse
intellect with a comprehension of it sufficiently distinct for all the purposes of practical
analysis.

To look upwards from any existence, material or immaterial to its design, is, perhaps, the
most direct, and the most unerring method of attaining a just notion of the nature of the
existence itself. Nor is the principle at fault when we turn our eyes from Nature even to
Natures God. We find certain faculties, implanted within us, and arrive at a more
plausible conception of the character and attributes of those faculties, by considering,
with what finite judgment we possess, the intention of the Deity in so implanting them
within us, than by any actual investigation of their powers, or any speculative deductions
from their visible and material effects. Thus, for example, we discover in all men a
disposition to look with reverence upon superiority, whether real or supposititious. In
some, this disposition is to be recognized with difficulty, and, in very peculiar cases, we
are occasionally even led to doubt its existence altogether, until circumstances beyond the
common routine bring it accidentally into development. In others again it forms a
prominent and distinctive feature of character, and is rendered palpably evident in its
excesses. But in all human beings it is, in a greater or less degree, finally perceptible. It
has been, therefore, justly considered a primitive sentiment. Phrenologists call it

Veneration. It is, indeed, the instinct given to man by God as security for his own
worship. And although, preserving its nature, it becomes perverted from its principal
purpose, and although swerving from that purpose, it serves to modify the relations of
human society-the relations of father and child, of master and slave, of the ruler and the
ruled-its primitive essence is nevertheless the same, and by a reference to primal causes,
may at any moment be determined.

Very nearly akin to this feeling, and liable to the same analysis, is the Faculty of Ideality-
which is the sentiment of Poesy. This sentiment is the sense of the beautiful, of the
sublime, and of the mystical.* Thence spring immediately admiration of the fair flowers,
the fairer forests, the bright valleys and rivers and mountains of the Earth-and love of the
gleaming stars and other burning glories of Heaven-and, mingled up inextricably with
this love and this admiration of Heaven and of Earth, the unconquerable desire-to know.
Poesy is the sentiment of Intellectual Happiness here, and the Hope of a higher
Intellectual Happiness hereafter.* (2)

* We separate the sublime and the mystical-for, despite of high authorities, we are firmly
convinced that the latter may exist, in the most vivid degree, without giving rise to the
sense of the former.

*(2) The consciousness of this truth was by no mortal more fully than by Shelley,
although he has only once especially alluded to it. In his Hymn to intellectual Beauty we
find these lines.

While yet a boy I sought for ghosts, and sped

Through many a listening chamber, cave and ruin.

And starlight wood, with fearful steps pursuing

Hopes of high talk with the departed dead:

I called on poisonous names with which our youth is fed:

I was not heard: I saw them not.

When musing deeply on the lot

Of life at that sweet time when birds are wooing

All vital things that wake to bring

News of buds and blossoming.

Sudden thy shadow fell on me-

I shrieked and clasped my hands in ecstasy!

I vow'd that I would dedicate my powers

To thee and thine: have I not kept the vow?

With beating heart and streaming eyes, even now

I call the phantoms of a thousand hours

Each from his voiceless grave: they have in vision'd bowers

Of studious zeal or love's delight

Outwatch'd with me the envious night:

They know that never joy illum'd my brow,

Unlink'd with hope that thou wouldst free.

This world from its dark slavery.

That thou, O awful Loveliness,

Wouldst give whate'er these words cannot express.

Imagination is its soul.* With the passions of mankind-although it may modify them
greatly-although it may exalt, or inflame, or purify, or control them-it would require
little ingenuity to prove that it has no inevitable, and indeed no necessary co-existence.
We have hitherto spoken of poetry in the abstract: we come now to speak of it in its
everyday acceptation-that is to say, of the practical result arising from the sentiment we
have considered.

* Imagination is, possibly in man, a lesser degree of the creative power in God. What the
Deity imagines, is, but was not before. What man imagines, is, but was also. The mind of
man cannot imagine what is not. This latter point may be demonstrated.-See Les
Premiers Traits de L'Erudition Universelle, par M. Le Baron de Biefield, 1767.

And now it appears evident, that since Poetry, in this new sense, is the practical result,
expressed in language, of this Poetic Sentiment in certain individuals, the only proper
method of testing the merits of a poem is by measuring its capabilities of exciting the
Poetic Sentiments in others. And to this end we have many aids-in observation, in
experience, in ethical analysis, and in the dictates of common sense. Hence the Poeta
nascitur, which is indisputably true if we consider the Poetic Sentiment, becomes the
merest of absurdities when we regard it in reference to the practical result. We do not
hesitate to say that a man highly endowed with the powers of Causality-that is to say, a
man of metaphysical acumen-will, even with a very deficient share of Ideality, compose
a finer poem (if we test it, as we should, by its measure of exciting the Poetic Sentiment)
than one who, without such metaphysical acumen, shall be gifted, in the most
extraordinary degree, with the faculty of Ideality. For a poem is not the Poetic faculty, but
the means of exciting it in mankind. Now these means the metaphysician may discover
by analysis of their effects in other cases than his own, without even conceiving the
nature of these effects-thus arriving at a result which the unaided Ideality of his
competitor would be utterly unable, except by accident, to attain. It is more than possible
that the man who, of all writers, living or dead, has been most successful in writing the
purest of all poems-that is to say, poems which excite more purely, most exclusively, and
most powerfully the imaginative faculties in men-owed his extraordinary and almost
magical preeminence rather to metaphysical than poetical powers. We allude to the
author of Christabel, of the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and of Love-to Coleridge-
whose head, if we mistake not its character, gave no great phrenological tokens of
Ideality, while the organs of Causality and Comparison were most singularly developed.

Perhaps at this particular moment there are no American poems held in so high
estimation by our countrymen, as the poems of Drake, and of Halleck. The exertions of
Mr. George Dearborn have no doubt a far greater share in creating this feeling than the
lovers of literature for its own sake and spiritual uses would be willing to admit. We have
indeed seldom seen more beautiful volumes than the volumes now before us. But an
adventitious interest of a loftier nature-the interest of the living in the memory of the
beloved dead-attaches itself to the few literary remains of Drake. The poems which are

now given to us with his name are nineteen in number; and whether all, or whether even
the best of his writings, it is our present purpose to speak of these alone, since upon this
edition his poetical reputation to all time will most probably depend.

It is only lately that we have read The Culprit Fay. This is a poem of six hundred and
forty irregular lines, generally iambic, and divided into thirty-six stanzas, of unequal
length. The scene of the narrative, as we ascertain from the single line.

The moon looks down on old Crone st,

is principally in the vicinity of West Point on the Hudson. The plot is as follows. An
Ouphe, one of the race of Fairies, has "broken his vestal vow,"

He has loved an earthly maid
And left for her his woodland shade;
He has lain upon her lip of dew.
And sunned him in her eye of blue,
Fann'd her cheek with his wing of air,
Play'd with the ringlets of her hair.
And, nestling on her snowy breast.
Forgot the lily-kings behest-

in short, he has broken Fairy-law in becoming enamored of a mortal. The result of this
misdemeanor we could not express so well as the poet, and will therefore make use of the
language put into the mouth of the Fairy-King who reprimands the criminal.

Fairy! Fairy! list and mark.

Thou hast broke thine elfin chain.

Thy flame- wood lamp is quench'd and dark

And thy wings are dyed with a deadly stain.

The Ouphe being in this predicament, it has become necessary that his case and crime
should be investigated by a jury of his fellows, and to this end the "shadowy tribes of air"
are summoned by the "sentry elve" who has been awakened by the "wood-tick"-are
summoned we say to the "elfin-court" at midnight to hear the doom of the Culprit Fay.

"Had a stain been found on the earthly fair," whose blandishments so bewildered the little
Ouphe, his punishment would have been severe indeed. In such case he would have been
(as we learn from the Fairy judge's exposition of the criminal code,)

Tied to the hornet's shardy wings;
Tossed on the pricks of nettles' stings;
Or seven long ages doomed to dwell
With the lazy worm in the walnut shell;
Or every night to writhe and bleed
Beneath the tread of the centipede.

Or bound in a cobweb dungeon dim
His jailer a spider huge and grim,
Amid the carrion bodies to lie
Of the worm and the bug and the murdered fly-
Fortunately, however, for the Culprit, his mistress is proved to be of "sinless mind" and
under such redeeming circumstances the sentence is, mildly, as foUows-

Thou shalt seek the beach of sand

Where the water bounds the elfin land.

Thou shalt watch the oozy brine

Till the sturgeon leaps in the bright moonshine.

Then dart the glistening arch below.

And catch a drop from his silver bow.

If the spray-bead be won

The stain of thy wing is washed away.

But another errand must be done

Ere thy crime be lost for aye;

Thy flame- wood lamp is quenched and dark.

Thou must re-illume its spark.

Mount thy steed and spur him high

To the heaven's blue canopy.

And when thou seest a shooting star

Follow it fast and follow it far

The last faint spark of its burning train

Shall light the elfin lamp again.

Upon this sin, and upon this sentence, depends the web of the narrative, which is now
occupied with the elfin difficulties overcome by the Ouphe in washing away the stain of
his wing, and re-illuming his flame-wood lamp. His soiled pinion having lost its power,
he is under the necessity of wending his way on foot from the Elfin court upon Cronest to
the river beach at its base. His path is encumbered at every step with "bog and briar,"
with "brook and mire," with "beds of tangled fern," with "groves of night- shade," and
with the minor evils of ant and snake. Happily, however, a spotted toad coming in sight,
our adventurer jumps upon her back, and "bridling her mouth with a silk- weed twist"
bounds merrily along

Till the mountain's magic verge is past
And the beach of sand is reached at last.

Alighting now from his "courser-toad" the Ouphe folds his wings around his bosom,
springs on a rock, breathes a prayer, throws his arms above his head.

Then tosses a tiny curve in air
And plunges in the waters blue.

Here, however, a host of difficulties await him by far too multitudinous to enumerate. We
will content ourselves with simply stating the names of his most respectable assailants.
These are the "spirits of the wave" dressed in "snail-plate armor" and aided by the
"mailed shrimp," the "prickly prong," the "blood-red leech," the "stony star-fish," the
"jellied quarl," the "soldier-crab," and the "lancing squab." But the hopes of our hero are
high, and his limbs are strong, so

He spreads his arms like the swallow's wing.

And throws his feet with a frog-like fling.

All however, is to no purpose.

On his thigh the leech has fixed his hold.

The quarl's long arms are round him roU'd,

The prickly prong has pierced his skin.

And the squab has thrown his javelin.

The gritty star has rubb'd him raw.

And the crab has struck with his giant claw;

He bawls with rage, and he shrieks with pain

He strikes around but his blows are vain-

So then.

He turns him round and flies amain

With hurry and dash to the beach again.

Arrived safely on land our Fairy friend now gathers the dew from the "sorrel-leaf and
henbane-bud" and bathing therewith his wounds, finally ties them up with cobweb. Thus
recruited, he

-treads the fatal shore

As fresh and vigorous as before.

At length espying a "purple-muscle shell" upon the beach, he determines to use it as a
boat and thus evade the animosity of the water spirits whose powers extend not above the
wave. Making a "sculler's notch" in the stern, and providing himself with an oar of the
bootle -blade, the Ouphe a second time ventures upon the deep. His perils are now
diminished, but still great. The imps of the river heave the billows up before the prow of
the boat, dash the surges against her side, and strike against her keel. The quarl uprears
"his island-back" in her path, and the scallop, floating in the rear of the vessel, spatters it
all over with water. Our adventurer, however, bails it out with the colen bell (which he
has luckily provided for the purpose of catching the drop from the silver bow of the
sturgeon,) and keeping his little bark warily trimmed, holds on his course undiscomfited.

The object of his first adventure is at length discovered in a "brownbacked sturgeon,"
who

Like the heaven- shot javelin
Springs above the waters blue.
And, instant as the star-fall light

Plunges him in the deep again,
But leaves an arch of silver bright,
The rainbow of the moony main.

From this rainbow our Ouphe succeeds in catching, by means of his colen bell cup, a
"droplet of the sparkling dew." One half of his task is accordingly done-

His wings are pure, for the gem is won.

On his return to land, the ripples divide before him, while the water- spirits, so rancorous
before, are obsequiously attentive to his comfort. Having tarried a moment on the beach
to breathe a prayer, he "spreads his wings of gilded blue" and takes his way to the elfin
court-there resting until the cricket, at two in the morning, rouses him up for the second
portion of his penance.

His equipments are now an "acorn-helmet," a "thistle-down plume," a corslet of the
"wild-bee's" skin, a cloak of the "wings of butterflies," a shield of the "shell of the lady-
bug," for lance "the sting of a wasp," for sword a "blade of grass," for horse "a fire-fly,"
and for spurs a couple of "cockle seed." Thus accoutred.

Away like a glance of thought he flies
To skim the heavens and follow far
The fiery trail of the rocket- star.

In the Heavens he has new dangers to encounter. The "shapes of air" have begun their
work-a "drizzly mist" is cast around him- "storm, darkness, sleet and shade" assail him-
"shadowy hands" twitch at his bridle-rein-"flame-shot tongues" play around him-
"fiendish eyes" glare upon him-and

Yells of rage and shrieks of fear
Come screaming on his startled ear.
Still our adventurer is nothing daunted.
He thrusts before, and he strikes behind.
Till he pierces the cloudy bodies through
And gashes the shadowy limbs of mind.

and the Elfin makes no stop, until he reaches the "bank of the milky way." He there
checks his courser, and watches "for the glimpse of the planet shoot." While thus
engaged, however, an unexpected adventure befalls him. He is approached by a company
of the "sylphs of Heaven attired in sunset's crimson pall." They dance around him, and
"skip before him on the plain." One receiving his "wasp-sting lance," and another taking
his bridle-rein.

With warblings wild they lead him on.
To where, through clouds of amber seen.

Studded with stars resplendent shone
The palace of the sylphid queen.

A glowing description of the queen's beauty follows: and as the form of an earthly Fay
had never been seen before in the bowers of light, she is represented as falling
desperately in love at first sight with our adventurous Ouphe. He returns the compliment
in some measure, of course; but, although "his heart bent fitfully," the "earthly form
imprinted there" was a security against a too vivid impression. He declines, consequently,
the invitation of the queen to remain with her and amuse himself by "lying within the
fleecy drift," "hanging upon the rainbow's rim," having his "brow adorned with all the
jewels of the sky," "sitting within the Pleiad ring," "resting upon Orion's belt" "riding
upon the lightning's gleam," "dancing upon the orbed moon," and "swimming within the
milky way."

Lady, he cries, I have sworn to-night
On the word of a fairy knight
To do my sentence task aright

The queen, therefore, contents herself with bidding the Fay an affectionate farewell-
having first directed him carefully to that particular portion of the sky where a star is
about to fall. He reaches this point in safety, and in despite of the "fiends of the cloud,"
who "bellow very loud," succeeds finally in catching a "glimmering spark" with which he
returns triumphantly to Fairy-land. The poem closes with an lo Paean chaunted by the
elves in honor of these glorious adventures.

It is more than probable that from ten readers of the Culprit Fay, nine would immediately
pronounce it a poem betokening the most extraordinary powers of imagination, and of
these nine, perhaps five or six, poets themselves, and fully impressed with the truth of
what we have already assumed, that Ideality is indeed the soul of the Poetic Sentiment,
would feel embarrassed between a half-consciousness that they ought to admire the
production, and a wonder that they do not. This embarrassment would then arise from an
indistinct conception of the results in which Ideality is rendered manifest. Of these results
some few are seen in the Culprit Fay, but the greater part of it is utterly destitute of any
evidence of imagination whatever. The general character of the poem will, we think, be
sufficiently understood by any one who may have taken the trouble to read our foregoing
compendium of the narrative. It will be there seen that what is so frequently termed the
imaginative power of this story, lies especially-we should have rather said is thought to
lie-in the passages we have quoted, or in others of a precisely similar nature. These
passages embody, principally, mere specifications of qualities, of habiliments, of
punishments, of occupations, of circumstances, &c., which the poet has believed in
unison with the size, firstly, and secondly with the nature of his Fairies. To all which may
be added specifications of other animal existences (such as the toad, the beetle, the lance-
fly, the fire-fly and the like) supposed also to be in accordance. An example will best
illustrate our meaning upon this point-

He put his acorn helmet on;

It was plumed of the silk of the thistle down:

The corslet plate that guarded his breast

Was once the wild bee's golden vest;

His cloak of a thousand mingled dyes,

Was formed of the wings of butterflies;

His shield was the shell of a lady-bug queen,

Studs of gold on a ground of green;*

And the quivering lance which he brandished bright

Was the sting of a wasp he had slain in fight.

* Chestnut color, or more slack.

Gold upon a ground of black.

Ben Jonson.

We shall now be understood. Were any of the admirers of the Culprit Fay asked their
opinion of these lines, they would most probably speak in high terms of the imagination
they display. Yet let the most stolid and the most confessedly unpoetical of these
admirers only try the experiment, and he will find, possibly to his extreme surprise, that
he himself will have no difficulty whatever in substituting for the equipments of the
Fairy, as assigned by the poet, other equipments equally comfortable, no doubt, and
equally in unison with the preconceived size, character, and other qualities of the
equipped. Why we could accoutre him as well ourselves-let us see.

His blue -bell helmet, we have heard

Was plumed with the down of the hummingbird.

The corslet on his bosom bold

Was once the locust's coat of gold.

His cloak, of a thousand mingled hues.

Was the velvet violet, wet with dews.

His target was, the crescent shell

Of the small sea Sidrophel,

And a glittering beam from a maiden's eye

Was the lance which he proudly wav'd on high.

The truth is, that the only requisite for writing verses of this nature, ad libitum is a
tolerable acquaintance with the qualities of the objects to be detailed, and a very
moderate endowment of the faculty of Comparison-which is the chief constituent of
Fancy or the powers of combination. A thousand such lines may be composed without
exercising in the least degree the Poetic Sentiment, which is Ideality, Imagination, or the
creative ability. And, as we have before said, the greater portion of the Culprit Fay is
occupied with these, or similiar things, and upon such, depends very nearly, if not
altogether, its reputation. We select another example-

But oh! how fair the shape that lay
Beneath a rainbow bending bright.
She seem'd to the entranced Fay

The loveliest of the forms of light,

Her mantle was the purple rolled

At twilight in the west afar;

T'was tied with threads of dawning gold,

And button'd with a sparkling star.

Her face was like the lily roon

That veils the vestal planet's hue.

Her eyes, two beamlets from the moon

Set floating in the welkin blue.

Her hair is like the sunny beam.

And the diamond gems which round it gleam

Are the pure drops of dewy even.

That neer have left their native heaven.

Here again the faculty of Comparison is alone exercised, and no mind possessing the
faculty in any ordinary degree would find a difficulty in substituting for the materials
employed by the poet other materials equally as good. But viewed as mere efforts of the
Fancy and without reference to Ideality, the lines just quoted are much worse than those
which were taken earlier. A congruity was observable in the accoutrements of the Ouphe,
and we had no trouble in forming a distinct conception of his appearance when so
accoutred. But the most vivid powers of Comparison can attach no definitive idea to even
"the loveliest form of light," when habited in a mantle of "rolled purple tied with threads
of dawn and buttoned with a star," and sitting at the same time under a rainbow with
"beamlet" eyes and a visage of "lily roon."

But if these things evince no Ideality in their author, do they not excite it in others?-if so,
we must conclude, that without being himself imbued with the Poetic Sentiment, he has
still succeeded in writing a fine poem-a supposition as we have before endeavored to
show, not altogether paradoxical. Most assuredly we think not. In the case of a great
majority of readers the only sentiment aroused by compositions of this order is a species
of vague wonder at the writer's ingenuity, and it is this indeterminate sense of wonder
which passes but too frequently current for the proper influence of the Poetic power. For
our own part we plead guilty to a predominant sense of the ludicrous while occupied in
the perusal of the poem before us-a sense whose promptings we sincerely and honestly
endeavored to quell, perhaps not altogether successfully, while penning our compend of
the narrative. That a feeling of this nature is utterly at war with the Poetic Sentiment will
not be disputed by those who comprehend the character of the sentiment itself. This
character is finely shadowed out in that popular although vague idea so prevalent
throughout all time, that a species of melancholy is inseparably connected with the higher
manifestations of the beautiful. But with the numerous and seriously-adduced
incongruities of the Culprit Fay, we find it generally impossible to connect other ideas
than those of the ridiculous. We are bidden, in the first place, and in a tone of sentiment
and language adapted to the loftiest breathings of the Muse, to imagine a race of Fairies
in the vicinity of West Point. We are told, with a grave air, of their camp, of their king,
and especially of their sentry, who is a wood-tick. We are informed that an Ouphe of
about an inch in height has committed a deadly sin in falling in love with a mortal

maiden, who may, very possibly, be six feet in her stockings. The consequence to the
Ouphe is-what? Why, that he has "dyed his wings," "broken his elfin chain," and
"quenched his flame- wood lamp." And he is therefore sentenced to what? To catch a
spark from the tail of a falling star, and a drop of water from the belly of a sturgeon.
What are his equipments for the first adventure? An acorn-helmet, a thistle-down plume,
a butterfly cloak, a lady-bug shield, cockle-seed spurs, and a fire-fly horse. How does he
ride to the second? On the back of a bullfrog. What are his opponents in the one?
"Drizzle-mists," "sulphur and smoke," "shadowy hands and flame-shot tongues." What in
the other? "Mailed shrimps," "prickly prongs," "blood-red leeches," "jellied quarls,"
"stony star fishes," "lancing squabs" and "soldier crabs." Is that all? No- Although only
an inch high he is in imminent danger of seduction from a "sylphid queen," dressed in a
mantle of "rolled purple," "tied with threads of dawning gold," "buttoned with a sparkling
star," and sitting under a rainbow with "beamlet eyes" and a countenance of "lily roon."
In our account of all this matter we have had reference to the book-and to the book alone.
It will be difficult to prove us guilty in any degree of distortion or exaggeration. Yet such
are the puerilities we daily find ourselves called upon to admire, as among the loftiest
efforts of the human mind, and which not to assign a rank with the proud trophies of the
matured and vigorous genius of England, is to prove ourselves at once a fool; a maligner,
and no patriot.*

* A review of Drake's poems, emanating from one of our proudest Universities, does not
scruple to make use of the following language in relation to the Culprit Fay. "It is, to say
the least, an elegant production, the purest specimen of Ideality we have ever met with,
sustaining in each incident a most bewitching interest. Its very title is enough," &c. &c.
We quote these expressions as a fair specimen of the general unphilosophical and
adulatory tenor of our criticism.

As an instance of what may be termed the sublimely ridiculous we quote the following
lines-

With sweeping tail and quivering fin.
Through the wave the sturgeon flew.
And like the heaven-shot javelin.
He sprung above the waters blue.
Instant as the star-fall light.
He plunged into the deep again.
But left an arch of silver bright
The rainbow of the moony main.
It was a strange and lovely sight
To see the puny goblin there.
He seemed an angel form of light
With azure wing and sunny hair.
Throned on a cloud of purple fair
Circled with blue and edged with white
And sitting at the fall of even
Beneath the bow of summer heaven.

The [lines of the last verse], if considered without their context, have a certain air of
dignity, elegance, and chastity of thought. If however we apply the context, we are
immediately overwhelmed with the grotesque. It is impossible to read without laughing,
such expressions as "It was a strange and lovely sight"-"He seemed an angel form of
light"-"And sitting at the fall of even, beneath the bow of summer heaven" to a Fairy-a
goblin-an Ouphe-half an inch high, dressed in an acorn helmet and butterfly-cloak, and
sitting on the water in a muscleshell, with a "brown-backed sturgeon" turning somersets
over his head.

In a world where evil is a mere consequence of good, and good a mere consequence of
evil-in short where all of which we have any conception is good or bad only by
comparison-we have never yet been fully able to appreciate the validity of that decision
which would debar the critic from enforcing upon his readers the merits or demerits of a
work with another. It seems to us that an adage has had more to do with this popular
feeling than any just reason founded upon common sense. Thinking thus, we shall have
no scruple in illustrating our opinion in regard to what is not Ideality or the Poetic Power,
by an example of what is.*

* As examples of entire poems of the purest ideality, we would cite the Prometheus
Vinctus of Aeschylus, the Inferno of Dante, Cervantes' Destruction of Numantia, the
Comus of Milton, Pope's Rape of the Lock, Burns' Tam O'Shanter, the Auncient Mariner,
the Christabel, and the Kubla Khan of Coleridge, and most especially the Sensitive Plant
of Shelley, and the Nightingale of Keats. We have seen American poems evincing the
faculty in the highest degree.

We have already given the description of the Sylphid Queen in the Culprit Fay. In the
Queen Mab of Shelley a Fairy is thus introduced-

Those who had looked upon the sight

Passing all human glory.

Saw not the yellow moon.

Saw not the mortal scene.

Heard not the night wind's rush.

Heard not an earthly sound.

Saw but the fairy pageant.

Heard but the heavenly strains

That filled the lonely dwelling-

and thus described-

The Fairy's frame was slight, yon fibrous cloud

That catches but the faintest tinge of even.

And which the straining eye can hardly seize

When melting into eastern twilight's shadow.

Were scarce so thin, so slight; but the fair star

That gems the glittering coronet of mom.

Sheds not a light so mild, so powerful.

As that which, bursting from the Fairy's form.

Spread a purpureal halo round the scene,
Yet with an undulating motion,
Swayed to her outline gracefully.

In these exquisite lines the Faculty of mere Comparison is but little exercised-that of
Ideality in a wonderful degree. It is probable that in a similar case the poet we are now
reviewing would have formed the face of the Fairy of the "fibrous cloud," her arms of the
"pale tinge of even," her eyes of the "fair stars," and her body of the "twilight shadow."
Having so done, his admirers would have congratulated him upon his imagination, not,
taking the trouble to think that they themselves could at any moment imagine a Fairy of
materials equally as good, and conveying an equally distinct idea. Their mistake would
be precisely analogous to that of many a schoolboy who admires the imagination
displayed in Jack the Giant-Killer, and is finally rejoiced at; discovering his own
imagination to surpass that of the author, since the monsters destroyed by Jack are only
about forty feet in height, and he himself has no trouble in imagining some of one
hundred and forty. It will, be seen that the Fairy of Shelley is not a mere compound of
incongruous natural objects, inartificially put together, and unaccompanied by any moral
sentiment- but a being, in the illustration of whose nature some physical elements are
used collaterally as adjuncts, while the main conception springs immediately or thus
apparently springs, from the brain of the poet, enveloped in the moral sentiments of
grace, of color, of motion-of the beautiful, of the mystical, of the august-in short of the
ideal.*

* Among things, which not only in our opinion, but in the opinion of far wiser and better
men, are to be ranked with the mere prettinesses of the Muse, are the positive similes so
abundant in the writing of antiquity, and so much insisted upon by the critics of the reign
of Queen Anne.

It is by no means our intention to deny that in the Culprit Fay are passages of a different
order from those to which we have objected-passages evincing a degree of imagination
not to be discovered in the plot, conception, or general execution of the poem. The
opening stanza will afford us a tolerable example.

Tis the middle watch of a summer's night-

The earth is dark but the heavens are bright

Naught is seen in the vault on high

But the moon, and the stars, and the cloudless sky.

And the flood which rolls its milky hue

A river of light on the welkin blue.

The moon looks down on old Crone st.

She mellows the shades of his shaggy breast.

And seems his huge gray form to throw

In a silver cone on the wave below.

His sides are broken by spots of shade.

By the walnut bow and the cedar made.

And through their clustering branches dark

Glimmers and dies the fire-fly's spark-
Like starry twinkles that momently break
Through the rifts of the gathering tempest rack.

There is Ideality in these lines-but except in the case of the [second and the fourteenth
lines]-it is Ideality not of a high order. We have, it is true, a collection of natural objects,
each individually of great beauty, and, if actually seen as in nature, capable of exciting in
any mind, through the means of the Poetic Sentiment more or less inherent in all, a
certain sense of the beautiful. But to view such natural objects as they exist, and to behold
them through the medium of words, are different things. Let us pursue the idea that such
a collection as we have here will produce, of necessity, the Poetic Sentiment, and we may
as well make up our minds to believe that a catalogue of such expressions as moon, sky,
trees, rivers, mountains, &c., shall be capable of exciting it,-it is merely an extension of
the principle. But in the line "the earth is dark, but the heavens are bright" besides the
simple mention of the "dark earth" "and the bright heaven," we have, directly, the moral
sentiment of the brightness of the sky compensating for the darkness of the earth-and
thus, indirectly, of the happiness of a future state compensating for the miseries of the
present. All this is effected by the simple introduction of the word but between the "dark
earth" and the "bright heaven"-this introduction, however, was prompted by the Poetic
Sentiment, and by the Poetic Sentiment alone. The case is analogous in the expression
"glimmers and dies," where the imagination is exalted by the moral sentiment of beauty
heightened in dissolution.

In one or two shorter passages of the Culprit Fay the poet will recognize the purely ideal,
and be able at a glance to distinguish it from that baser alloy upon which we have
descanted. We give them without farther comment.

The winds are whist, and the owl is still.

The bat in the shelvy rock is hid

And naught is heard on the lonely hill

But the cricket's chirp and the answer shrill

Of the gauze- winged katydid;

And the plaint of the wailing whippoorwill

Who mourns unseen, and ceaseless sings

Ever a note of wail and wo-

Up to the vaulted firmament

His path the fire-fly courser bent.

And at every gallop on the wind

He flung a glittering spark behind.

He blessed the force of the charmed line

And he banned the water-goblins' spite.

For he saw around in the sweet moonshine.

Their little wee faces above the brine.

Grinning and laughing with all their might

At the piteous hap of the Fairy wight.

The poem "To a Friend" consists of fourteen Spenserian stanzas. They are fine spirited
verses, and probably were not supposed by their author to be more. Stanza the fourth,
although beginning nobly, concludes with that very common exemplification of the
bathos, the illustrating natural objects of beauty or grandeur by references to the tinsel of
artificiality.

Oh! for a seat on Appalachia's brow.

That I might scan the glorious prospects round.

Wild waving woods, and rolling floods below.

Smooth level glades and fields with grain embrowned.

High heaving hills, with tufted forests crowned.

Rearing their tall tops to the heaven's blue dome.

And emerald isles, like banners green un-wound.

Floating along the take, while round them roam

Bright helms of billowy blue, and plumes of dancing foam.

In the Extracts from Leon are passages not often surpassed in vigor of passionate thought
and expression-and which induce us to believe not only that their author would have
succeeded better in prose romance than in poetry, but that his attention would have
naturally f Allan into the former direction, had the Destroyer only spared him a little
longer.

This poem contains also lines of far greater poetic power than any to be found in the
Culprit Fay. For example-

The stars have lit in heaven their lamps of gold.
The viewless dew falls lightly on the world;
The gentle air that softly sweeps the leaves
A strain of faint unearthly music weaves:
As when the harp of heaven remotely plays.
Or sygnets wail-or song of sorrowing fays
That float amid the moonshine glimmerings pale.
On wings of woven air in some enchanted vale.*

* The expression "woven air," much insisted upon by the friends of Drake, seems to be
accredited to him as original. It is to be found in many English writers-and can be traced
back to Apuleius, who calls fine drapery ventum textilem.

Niagara is objectionable in many respects, and in none more so than in its frequent
inversions of language, and the artificial character of its versification. The invocation.

Roar, raging torrent! and thou, mighty river.
Pour thy white foam on the valley below!
Frown ye dark mountains, &c.

is ludicrous-and nothing more. In general, all such invocations have an air of the
burlesque. In the present instance we may fancy the majestic Niagara replying, "Most
assuredly I will roar, whether, worm! thou tellest me or not."

The American Flag commences with a collection of those bald conceits, which we have
already shown to have no dependence whatever upon the Poetic Power-springing
altogether from Comparison.

When Freedom from her mountain height
Unfurled her standard to the air.
She tore the azure robe of night
And set the stars of glory there.
She mingled with its gorgeous dyes
The milky baldric of the skies.
And striped its pure celestrial white
With streakings of the morning light;
Then from his mansion in the sun
She called her eagle bearer down
And gave into his mighty hand
The symbol of her chosen land.

Let us reduce all this to plain English, and we have-what? Why, a flag, consisting of the
"azure robe of night," "set with stars of glory," interspersed with "streaks of morning
light," relieved with a few pieces of "milky way," and the whole carried by an "eagle
bearer," that is to say, an eagle ensign, who bears aloft this "symbol of our chosen land"
in his "mighty hand," by which we are to understand his claw. In the second stanza, "the
thunder-drum of Heaven" is bathetic and grotesque in the highest degree-a commingling
of the most sublime music of Heaven with the most utterly contemptible and common-
place of Earth. The two concluding verses are in a better spirit, and might almost be
supposed to be from a different hand. The images contained in the lines

When Death careering on the gale
Sweeps darkly round the bellied sail.
And frighted waves rush wildly back.
Before the broadsides reeling rack,

are of the highest order of Ideality. The deficiencies of the whole poem may be best
estimated by reading it in connection with "Scots wha hae," with the "Mariners of
England," or with "Hohenlinden." It is indebted for its high and most undeserved
reputation to our patriotism-not to our judgment.

The remaining poems in Mr. Dearborn's edition of Drake, are three Songs; Lines in an
Album; Lines to a Lady; Lines on leaving New Rochelle; Hope; A Fragment; To-; To
Eva; To a Lady; To Sarah; and Bronx. These are all poems of little compass, and with the
exception of Bronx and a portion of the Fragment, they have no character distinctive
from the mass of our current poetical literature. Bronx, however, is in our opinion, not

only the best of the writings of Drake, but altogether a lofty and beautiful poem, upon
which his admirers would do better to found a hope of the writer's ultimate reputation
than upon the niaiseries of the Culprit Fay. In the Fragment is to be found the finest
individual passage in the volume before us, and we quote it as a proper finale to our
review.

Yes! thou art lovelier now than ever.
How sweet't would be when all the air
In moonlight swims, along thy river
To couch upon the grass, and hear
Niagra's everlasting voice
Far in the deep blue west away.
That dreamy and poetic noise
We mark not in the glare of day.
Oh! how unlike its torrent-cry.
When o'er the brink the tide is driven.
As if the vast and sheeted sky
In thunder fell from Heaven.

Halleck's poetical powers appear to us essentially inferior, upon the whole, to those of his
friend Drake. He has written nothing at all comparable to Bronx. By the hackneyed
phrase, sportive elegance, we might possibly designate at once the general character of
his writings and the very loftiest praise to which he is justly entitled.

Alnwick Castle is an irregular poem of one hundred and twenty-eight lines-was written,
as we are informed, in October 1822-and is descriptive of a seat of the Duke of
Northumberland, in Northumberlandshire, England. The effect of the first stanza is
materially impaired by a defect in its grammatical arrangement. The fine lines.

Home of the Percy's high-born race.
Home of their beautiful and brave.
Alike their birth and burial place,
Their cradle and their grave!

are of the nature of an invocation, and thus require a continuation of the address to the
"Home, &c." We are consequently disappointed when the stanza proceeds with-

Still sternly o'er the castle gate
Their house's Lion stands in state
As in his proud departed hours;
And warriors frown in stone on high.
And feudal banners "flout the sky"
Above his princely towers.

The objects of allusion here vary, in an awkward manner, from the castle to the lion, and
from the Lion to the towers. By writing the verses thus the difficulty would be remedied.

Still sternly o'er the castle gate
Thy house's Lion stands in state,
As in his proud departed hours;
And warriors frown in stone on high,
And feudal banners "flout the sky"
Above thy princely towers.

The second stanza, without evincing in any measure the loftier powers of a poet, has that
quiet air of grace, both in thought and expression, which seems to be the prevailing
feature of the Muse of Halleck.

A gentle hill its side inclines.
Lovely in England's fadeless green.
To meet the quiet stream which winds
Through this romantic scene
As silently and sweetly still.
As when, at evening, on that hill.
While summer's wind blew soft and low.
Seated by gallant Hotspur's side
His Katherine was a happy bride
A thousand years ago.

There are one or two brief passages in the poem evincing a degree of rich imagination not
elsewhere perceptible throughout the book. For example-
Gaze on the Abbey's ruined pile:

Does not the succoring Ivy keeping.

Her watch around it seem to smile

As o'er a lov'd one sleeping?

and.

One solitary turret gray

Still tells in melancholy glory

The legend of the Cheviot day.

The commencement of the fourth stanza is of the highest order of Poetry, and partakes, in
a happy manner, of that quaintness of expression so effective an adjunct to Ideality, when
employed by the Shelleys, the Coleridges and the Tennysons, but so frequently debased,
and rendered ridiculous, by the herd of brainless imitators.

Wild roses by the abbey towers

Are gay in their young bud and bloom:

They were born of a race of funeral flowers.

That garlanded in long-gone hours,

A Templar's knightly tomb.

The tone employed in the concluding portions of Alnwick Castle, is, we sincerely think,
reprehensible, and unworthy of Halleck. No true poet can unite in any manner the low
burlesque with the ideal, and not be conscious of incongruity and of a profanation. Such
verses as

Men in the coal and cattle line
From Tevoit's bard and hero land.
From royal Berwick's beach of sand.
From Wooler, Morpeth, Hexham, and
Newcastle upon Tyne.

may lay claim to oddity-but no more. These things are the defects and not the beauties of
Don Juan. They are totally out of keeping with the graceful and delicate manner of the
initial portions of Alnwick Castle, and serve no better purpose than to deprive the entire
poem of all unity of effect. If a poet must be farcical, let him be just that, and nothing
else. To be droUy sentimental is bad enough, as we have just seen in certain passages of
the Culprit Fay, but to be sentimentally droll is a thing intolerable to men, and Gods, and
columns.

Marco Bozzaris appears to have much lyrical without any high order of ideal beauty.
Force is its prevailing character-a force, however, consisting more in a well ordered and
sonorous arrangement of this metre, and a judicious disposal of what may be called the
circumstances of the poem, than in the true material of lyric vigor. We are introduced,
first, to the Turk who dreams, at midnight, in his guarded tent,

of the hour

When Greece her knee in suppliance bent.
Should tremble at his power-
He is represented as revelling in the visions of ambition.
In dreams through camp and court he bore
The trophies of a conqueror;
In dreams his song of triumph heard;
Then wore his monarch's signet ring;
Then pressed that monarch's throne-a king;
As wild his thoughts and gay of wing
As Eden's garden bird.

In direct contrast to this we have Bozzaris watchful in the forest, and ranging his band of
Suliotes on the ground, and amid the memories of Plataea. An hour elapses, and the Turk
awakes from his visions of false glory-to die. But Bozzaris dies-to awake. He dies in the
flush of victory to awake, in death, to an ultimate certainty of Freedom. Then follows an
invocation to death. His terrors under ordinary circumstances are contrasted with the
glories of the dissolution of Bozzaris, in which the approach of the Destroyer is

welcome as the cry

That told the Indian isles were nigh

To the world- seeking Genoese,

When the land-wind from woods of palm,

And orange groves and fields of balm.

Blew o'er the Haytian seas.

The poem closes with the poetical apotheosis of Marco Bozzaris as

One of the few, the immortal names

That are not bom to die.

It will be seen that these arrangements of the subject are skillfully contrived-perhaps they
are a little too evident, and we are enabled too readily by the perusal of one passage, to
anticipate the succeeding. The rhythm is highly artificial. The stanzas are well adapted
for vigorous expression-the fifth will afford a just specimen of the versification of the
whole poem.

Come to the bridal Chamber, Death!
Come to the mother's when she feels
For the first time her first born's breath;
Come when the blessed seals
That close the pestilence are broke.
And crowded cities wail its stroke.
Come in consumption's ghastly form.
The earthquake shock, the ocean storm;
Come when the heart beats high and warm.
With banquet song and dance, and wine;
And thou art terrible-the tear.
The groan, the knell, the pall, the bier.
And all we know, or dream, or fear
Of agony, are thine.

Granting, however, to Marco Bozzaris, the minor excellences we have pointed out we
should be doing our conscience great wrong in calling it, upon the whole, any more than
a very ordinary matter. It is surpassed, even as a lyric, by a multitude of foreign and by
many American compositions of a similar character. To Ideality it has few pretensions,
and the finest portion of the poem is probably to be found in the verses we have quoted
elsewhere-

Thy grasp is welcome as the hand
Of brother in a foreign land.
Thy summons welcome as the cry
That told the Indian isles were nigh
To the world- seeking Genoese,
When the land-wind from woods of palm
And orange groves, and fields of balm
Blew o'er the Haytian seas.

The verses entitled Bums consist of thirty-eight quatrains-the three first lines of each
quatrain being of four feet, the fourth of three. This poem has many of the traits of
Alnwick Castle, and bears also a strong resemblance to some of the writings of
Wordsworth. Its chief merits, and indeed the chief merit, so we think, of all the poems of
Halleck is the merit of expression. In the brief extracts from Burns which follow, our
readers will recognize the peculiar character of which we speak.

Wild Rose of Alio way! my thanks:

Thou mind' St me of that autumn noon

When first we met upon "the banks

And braes o'bonny Doon"-

Like thine, beneath the thorn-tree's bough.

My sunny hour was glad and brief-

We've crossed the winter sea, and thou

Art withered-flower and leaf.

There have been loftier themes than his.

And longer scrolls and louder lyres

And lays lit up with Poesy's

Purer and holier fires.

And when he breathes his master-lay

Of AUoways witch-haunted wall

All passions in our frames of clay

Come thronging at his call.

Such graves as his are pilgrim- shrines.

Shrines to no code or creed confined-

The Delphian vales, the Palastines,

The Meccas of the mind.

They linger by the Doon's low trees.

And pastoral Nith, and wooded Ayr,

And round thy Sepulchres, Dumfries!

The Poet's tomb is there.

Wyoming is composed of nine Spenserian stanzas. With some unusual excellences, it has
some of the worst faults of Halleck. The lines which follow are of great beauty.

I then but dreamed: thou art before me now.

In life-a vision of the brain no more,

I've stood upon the wooded mountain's brow.

That beetles high thy love! valley o'er;

And now, where winds thy river's greenest shore.

Within a bower of sycamores am laid;

And winds as soft and sweet as ever bore

The fragrance of wild flowers through sun and shade

Are singing in the trees, whose low boughs press my head.

The poem, however, is disfigured with the mere burlesque of some portions of Alnwick
Castle-with such things as

he would look particularly droll

In his Iberian boot and Spanish plume;

and

A girl of sweet sixteen

Love-darting eyes and tresses like the morn

Without a shoe or stocking-hoeing corn,

mingled up in a pitiable manner with images of real beauty.

The Field of the Grounded Arms contains twenty-four quatrains, without rhyme, and, we
think, of a disagreeable versification. In this poem are to be observed some of the finest
passages of Halleck. For example-
Strangers! your eyes are on that valley fixed
Intently, as we gaze on vacancy.
When the mind's wings o'erspread
The spirit world of dreams,
and again-
O'er sleepless seas of grass whose waves are flowers.

Red-jacket has much power of expression with little evidence of poetical ability. Its
humor is very fine, and does not interfere, in any great degree, with the general tone of
the poem.

A Sketch should have been omitted from the edition as altogether unworthy of its author.

The remaining pieces in the volume are Twilight, Psalm cxxxvii; To...; Love; Domestic
Happiness; Magdalen, From the Italian; Woman; Connecticut; Music; On the Death of
Lieut. William Howard Allan; A Poet's Daughter; and On the Death of Joseph Rodman
Drake. Of the majority of these we deem it unnecessary to say more than that they
partake, in a more or less degree, of the general character observable in the poems of
Halleck. The Poet's Daughter appears to us a particularly happy specimen of that general
character, and we doubt whether it be not the favorite of its author. We are glad to see the
vulgarity of

I'm busy in the cotton trade
And sugar line,

omitted in the present edition. The eleventh stanza is certainly not English as it stands-
and besides it is altogether unintelligible. What is the meaning of this?

But her who asks, though first among
The good, the beautiful, the young

The birthright of a spell more strong
Than these have brought her.

The Lines on the Death of Joseph Rodman Drake, we prefer to any of the writings of
Halleck. It has that rare merit in composition of this kind-the union of tender sentiment
and simplicity. This poem consists merely of six quatrains, and we quote them in full.

Green be the turf above thee.
Friend of my better days!
None knew thee but to love thee.
Nor named thee but to praise.
Tears fell when thou wert dying
From eyes unused to weep.
And long, where thou art lying.
Will tears the cold turf steep.
When hearts whose truth was proven.
Like thine are laid in earth.
There should a wreath be woven
To tell the world their worth.
And I, who woke each morrow
To clasp thy hand in mine.
Who shared thy joy and sorrow.
Whose weal and woe were thine-
It should be mine to braid it
Around thy faded brow.
But I've in vain essayed it.
And feel I cannot now.
While memory bids me weep thee.
Nor thoughts nor words are free.
The grief is fixed too deeply.
That mourns a man like thee.

If we are to judge from the subject of these verses, they are a work of some care and
reflection. Yet they abound in faults. In the line.

Tears fell when thou wert dying;

wert is not English.

Will tears the cold turf steep,

is an exceedingly rough verse. The metonymy involved in

There should a wreath be woven

To tell the world their worth,

is unjust. The quatrain beginning.

And I who woke each morrow.

is ungrammatical in its construction when viewed in connection with the quatrain which
immediately follows. "Weep thee" and "deeply" are inaccurate rhymes-and the whole of
the first quatrain,

Green be the turf, &c.

although beautiful, bears too close a resemblance to the still more beautiful lines of
William Wordsworth,

She dwelt among the untrodden ways
Beside the springs of Dove,
A maid whom there were none to praise
And very few to love.

As a versifier Halleck is by no means equal to his friend, all of whose poems evince an
ear finely attuned to the delicacies of melody. We seldom meet with more inharmonious
lines than those, generally, of the author of Alnwick Castle. At every step such verses
occur as.

And the monk's hymn and minstrel's song-
True as the steel of their tried blades-
For him the joy of her young years-
Where the Bard-peasant first drew breath-
And withered my life's leaf like thine-

in which the proper course of the rhythm would demand an accent upon syllables too
unimportant to sustain it. Not infrequently, too, we meet with lines such as this.

Like torn branch from death's leafless tree,

in which the multiplicity of consonants renders the pronunciation of the words at all, a
matter of no inconsiderable difficulty.

But we must bring our notice to a close. It will be seen that while we are willing to
admire in many respects the poems before us, we feel obliged to dissent materially from
that public opinion (perhaps not fairly ascertained) which would assign them a very
brilliant rank in the empire of Poesy. That we have among us poets of the loftiest order
we believe-but we do not believe that these poets are Drake and Halleck.

BRYANT'S POEMS

MR. BRYANT'S poetical reputation, both at home and abroad, is greater, we presume,
than that of any other American. British critics have frequently awarded him high praise,
and here, the public press have been unanimous in approbation. We can call to mind no
dissenting voice. Yet the nature, and, most especially the manner, of the expressed
opinions in this case, should be considered as somewhat equivocal, and but too frequently

must have borne to the mind of the poet doubts and dissatisfaction. The edition now
before us may be supposed to embrace all such of his poems as he deems not unworthy
his name. These (amounting to about one hundred) have been "carefully revised." With
the exception of some few, about which nothing could well be said, we will speak briefly
of them one by one, but in such order as we may find convenient.

The Ages, a didactic piece of thirty-five Spenserian stanzas, is the first and longest in the
volume. It was originally printed in 1821, With about half a dozen others now included in
this collection. The design of the author in this poem is "from a survey of the past ages of
the world, and of the successive advances of mankind in knowledge and virtue, to justify
and confirm the hopes of the philanthropist for the future destinies of the human race." It
is, indeed, an essay on the perfectability of man, wherein, among other better arguments
some in the very teeth of analogy, are deduced from the eternal cycle of physical nature,
to sustain a hope of progression in happiness. But it is only as a poem that we wish to
examine The Ages. Its commencement is impressive. The four initial lines arrest the
attention at once by a quiet dignity of manner, an air of placid contemplation, and a
versification combining the extremes of melody and force-
When to the common rest that crowns our days.
Called in the noon of life, the good man goes.
Or full of years, and ripe in wisdom, lays
His silver temples in their last repose-

The five concluding lines of the stanza, however, are not equally effective-
When, o'er the buds of youth, the death- wind blows.
And brights the fairest; when our bitterest tears
Stream, as the eyes of those that love us close.
We think on what they were, with many fears
Lest goodness die with them, and leave the coming years.

The defects, here, are all of a metrical and of course minor nature, but are still defects.
The line

When o'er the buds of youth the death- wind blows,

is impeded in its flow by the final th in youth, and especially in death where w follows.
The word tears cannot readily be pronounced after the final st in bitterest; and its own
final consonants, rs, in like manner render an effort necessary in the utterance of stream
which commences the next line. In the verse

We think on what they were, with many fears

the word many is, from its nature, too rapidly pronounced for the fulfilment of the time
necessary to give weight to the foot of two syllables. All words of two syllables do not
necessarily constitute a foot (we speak now of the Pentameter here employed) even

although the syllables be entirely distinct, as in many, very, often, and the like. Such as,
without effort, cannot employ in their pronunciation the time demanded by each of the
preceding and succeeding feet of the verse, and occasionally of a preceding verse, will
never fail to offend. It is the perception of this fact which so frequently forces the
versifier of delicate ear to employ feet exceeding what are unjustly called legitimate
dimensions. For example. We have the following lines-

Lo! to the smiling Arno's classic side.
The emulous nations of the West repair!

These verses are exceedingly forcible, yet, upon scanning the latter we find a syllable too
many. We shall be told possibly that there should be an elision of the e in the at the
commencement. But no-this was not intended. Both the and emulous demand a perfect
accentuation. The verse commencing Lo!

Lo! to the smiling Arno's classic side,

has, it will be observed, a Trochee in its first foot. As is usually the case, the whole line
partakes, in consequence, of a stately and emphatic enunciation, and to equalize the time
in the verse succeeding, something more is necessary than the succession of Iambuses
which constitute the ordinary English Pentameter. The equalization is therefore
judiciously effected by the introduction of an additional syllable. But in the lines

Stream, as the eyes of those that love us close.
We think on what they were with many fears,

lines to which the preceding observations will equally apply, this additional syllable is
wanting. Did the rhyme admit of the alteration, everything necessary could be
accomplished by writing

We think on what they were with many a fear.

Lest goodness die with them and leave the coming year.

These remarks may be considered hypercritical-yet it is undeniable that upon a rigid
attention to minutiae such as we have pointed out, any great degree of metrical success
must altogether depend. We are more disposed, too, to dwell upon the particular point
mentioned above, since, with regard to it, the American Monthly, in a late critique upon
the poems of Mr. Willis, has evidently done that gentleman injustice. The reviewer has
f Allan into what we conceive the error of citing, by themselves, (that is to say insulated
from the context) such verses as

The night-wind with a desolate moan swept by.
With difficult energy and when the rod.
Fell through, and with the tremulous hand of age.
With supernatural whiteness loosely fell.

for the purpose of animadversion. "The license" he says "of turning such words as
'passionate' and 'desolate' into two syllables could only have been taken by a pupil of the
Fantastic School." We are quite sure that Mr. Willis had no purpose of turning them into
words of two syllables-nor even, as may be supposed upon a careless examination, of
pronouncing them in the same time which would be required for two ordinary, syllables.
The excesses of measure are here employed (perhaps without any definite design on the
part of the writer, who may have been guided solely by ear) with reference to the proper
equalization, of balancing, if we may so term it, of time, throughout an entire sentence.
This, we confess, is a novel idea, but, we think, perfectly tenable. Any musician will
understand us. Efforts for the relief of monotone will necessarily produce fluctuations in
the time of any metre, which fluctuations, if not subsequently counterbalanced, affect the
ear like unresolved discords in music. The deviations then of which we have been
speaking, from the strict rules of prosodial art, are but improvements upon the rigor of
those rules, and are a merit, not a fault. It is the nicety of this species of equalization more
than any other metrical merit which elevates Pope as a versifier above the mere couplet-
maker of his day, and, on the other hand, it is the extension of the principle to sentences
of greater length which elevates Milton above Pope. Knowing this, it was, of course, with
some surprise that we found the American Monthly (for whose opinions we still have the
highest respect,) citing Pope in opposition to Mr. Willis upon the very point to which we
allude. A few examples will be sufficient to show that Pope not only made free use of the
license referred to, but that he used it for the reasons, and under the circumstances which
we have suggested.

Oh thou! whatever title please thine ear.

Dean, Drapier, Bickerstaff, or Gulliver!

Whether thou choose Cervantes' serious air.

Or laugh and shake in Rabelais easy chair.

Any person will here readily perceive that the third line

Whether thou choose Cervantes' serious air,

differs in time from the usual course of the rhythm, and requires some counterbalance in
the line which succeeds. It is indeed precisely such a verse as that of Mr. Bryant's upon
which we have commented.

Stream, as the eyes of those that love us close,

and commences in the same manner with a Trochee. But again, from Pope we have-
Hence hymning Tyburn's elegiac lines
Hence Journals, Medleys, Mercuries, Magazines.
Else all my prose and verse were much the same.
This prose on stilts, that poetry fAUan lame.
And thrice he lifted high the birth-day brand
And thrice he dropped it from his quivering hand.
Here stood her opium, here she nursed her owls.
And here she planned the imperial seat of fools.

Here to her chosen all her works she shows;
Prose swell'd to verse, verse loitering into prose.
Rome in her Capitol saw Querno sit
Throned on seven hills, the Antichrist of wit.
And his this drum whose hoarse heroic bass
Drowns the loud clarion of the braying ass.
But such a bulk as no twelve bards could raise
Twelve starveling bards of these degenerate days.

These are all taken at random from the first book of the Dunciad. In the last example it
will be seen that the two additional syllables are employed with a view of equalizing the
time with that of the verse.

But such a bulk as no twelve bards could raise,

a verse which will be perceived to labor in its progress-and which Pope, in accordance
with his favorite theory of making sound accord with sense, evidently intended so to
labor. It is useless to say that the words should be written with elision- starv'ling and
degen'rate. Their pronunciation is not thereby materially affected- and, besides, granting
it to be so, it may be as well to make the elision also in the case of Mr. Willis. But Pope
had no such intention, nor, we presume, had Mr. W. It is somewhat singular, we may
remark, en passant, that the American Monthly, in a subsequent portion of the critique
alluded to, quotes from Pope as a line of "sonorous grandeur" and one beyond the ability
of our American poet, the well known

Luke's iron crown and Damien's bed of steel.

Now this is indeed a line of "sonorous grandeur"-but it is rendered so principally if not
altogether by that very excess of metre (in the word Damien) which the reviewer has
condemned in Mr. Willis. The lines which we quote below from Mr. Bryant's poem of
The Ages will suffice to show that the author we are now reviewing fully appreciates the
force of such occasional excess, and that he has only neglected it through oversight in the
verse which suggested these observations.

Peace to the just man's memory-let it grow

Greener with years, and blossom through the flight

Of ages-let the mimic canvass show

His calm benevolent features.

Does prodigal Autumn to our age deny

The plenty that once swelled beneath his sober eye?

Look on this beautiful world and read the truth

In her fair page.

Will then the merciful One who stamped our race

With his own image, and who gave them sway

O'er Earth and the glad dwellers on her face.

Now that our flourishing nations far away

Are spread, where'er the moist earth drinks the day,
Forget the ancient care that taught and nursed
His latest offspring?

He who has tamed the elements shall not live
The slave of his own passions.
When liberty awoke
New-bom, amid those beautiful vales.
Oh Greece, thy flourishing cities were a spoil
Unto each other.

And thou didst drive from thy unnatural breast
Thy just and brave.

Yet her degenerate children sold the crown.
Instead of the pure heart and innocent hands-
Among thy gallant sons that guard thee well
Thou laugh'st at enemies. Who shall then declare-
Far like the comet's way thro' infinite space.
The full region leads
New colonies forth.

Full many a horrible worship that, of old.
Held o'er the shuddering realms unquestioned sway.

All these instances, and some others, occur in a poem of but thirty-five stanzas-yet in
only a very few cases is the license improperly used. Before quitting this subject it may
be as well to cite a striking example from Wordsworth-
There was a youth whom I had loved so long.
That when I loved him not I cannot say.
Mid the green mountains many and many a song
We two had sung like gladsome birds in May.

Another specimen, and one still more to the purpose may be given from Milton whose
accurate ear (although he cannot justly be called the best of versifiers) included and
balanced without difficulty the rhythm of the longest passages.

But say, if our Deliverer up to heaven
Must re-ascend, what will betide the few
His faithful, left among the unfaithful herd.
The enemies of truth? who then shall guide
His people, who defend? Will they not deal
More with his fo than with him they dealt?
Be sure they will, said the Angel.

The other metrical faults in The Ages are few. Mr. Bryant is not always successful in his
Alexandrines. Too great care cannot be taken, we think, in so regulating this species of
verse as to admit of the necessary pause at the end of the third foot-or at least as not to
render a pause necessary elsewhere. We object, therefore, to such lines as

A palm like his, and catch from him the hallowed flame.
The truth of heaven, and kneel to Gods that heard them not.

That which concludes Stanza X, although correctly cadenced in the above respect,
requires an accent on the monosyllable the, which is too unimportant to sustain it. The
defect is rendered the more perceptible by the introduction of a Trochee in the first foot.

The sick untended then

Languished in the damp shade, and died afar from men.

We are not sure that such lines as

A boundless sea of blood and the wild air.

The smile of heaven, till a new age expands.

are in any case justifiable, and they can be easily avoided. As in the Alexandrine
mentioned above, the course of the rhythm demands an accent on monosyllables too
unimportant to sustain it. For this prevalent heresy in metre we are mainly indebted to
Byron, who introduced it freely, with the view of imparting an abrupt energy to his verse.
There are, however, many better ways of relieving a monotone.

Stanza VI is, throughout, an exquisite specimen of versification, besides embracing many
beauties both of thought and expression.

Look on this beautiful world and read the truth

In her fair page; see every season brings

New change, to her, of everlasting youth;

Still the green soil with joyous living things

Swarms; the wide air is full of joyous wings;

And myriads, still, are happy in the sleep

Of ocean's azure gulfs, and where he flings

The restless surge. Eternal love doth keep

In his complacent arms the earth, the air, the deep.

The cadences, here, at the words page, swarms, and surge respectively, cannot be
surpassed. We shall find, upon examination, comparatively few consonants in the stanza,
and by their arrangement no impediment is offered to the flow of the verse. Liquids and
the most melodious vowels abound. World, eternal, season, wide, change, full, air,
everlasting, wings, flings, complacent, surge, gulfs, myriads, azure, ocean, sail, and
joyous, are among the softest and most sonorous sounds in the language, and the partial
line after the pause at surge, together with the stately march of the Alexandrine which
succeeds, is one of the finest imaginable of finales-
Eternal love doth keep
In his complacent arms, the earth, the air, the deep.

The higher beauties of the poem are not, we think, of the highest. It has unity,
completeness,-a beginning, middle and end. The tone, too, of calm, hopeful, and elevated

reflection, is well sustained throughout. There is an occasional quaint grace of
expression, as in

Nurse of full streams, and lifter up of proud

Sky-mingling mountains that o'erlook the cloud-

or of antithetical and rhythmical force combined, as in

The shock that burled

To dust in many fragments dashed and strewn

The throne whose roots were in another world

And whose far- stretching shadow awed our own.

But we look in vain for something more worthy commendation. At the same time the
piece is especially free from errors. Once only we meet with an unjust metonymy, where
a sheet of water is said to

Cradle, in his soft embrace, a gay
Young group of grassy islands.

We find little originality of thought, and less imagination. But in a poem essentially
didactic, of course we cannot hope for the loftiest breathings of the Muse.

To the Past is a poem of fourteen quatrains-three feet and four alternately. In the second
quatrain, the lines

And glorious ages gone

Lie deep within the shadow of thy womb.

are, to us, disagreeable. Such things are common, but at best, repulsive. In the present
case there is not even the merit of illustration. The womb, in any just imagery, should be
spoken of with a view to things future; here it is employed, in the sense of the tomb, and
with a view to things past. In Stanza XI the idea is even worse. The allegorical meaning
throughout the poem, although generally well sustained, is not always so. In the quatrain

Thine for a space are they

Yet shalt thou yield thy treasures up at last;

Thy gates shall yet give way

Thy bolts shall fall inexorable Past!

it seems that The Past, as an allegorical personification, is confounded with Death.

The Old Man's Funeral is of seven stanzas, each of six lines-four Pentameters and
Alexandrine rhyming. At the funeral of an old man who has lived out his full quota of
years, another, as aged, reproves the company for weeping. The poem is nearly perfect in
its way-the thoughts striking and natural-the versification singularly sweet. The third
stanza embodies a fine idea, beautifully expressed.

Ye sigh not when the sun, his course fulfilled,

His glorious course rejoicing earth and sky.

In the soft evening when the winds are stilled.

Sings where his islands of refreshment lie.

And leaves the smile of his departure spread

O'er the warm-colored heaven, and ruddy mountain head.

The technical word chronic should have been avoided in the fifth line of Stanza VI-

No chronic tortures racked his aged limb.

The Rivulet has about ninety octo- syllabic verses. They contrast the changing and
perishable nature of our human frame, with the greater durability of the Rivulet. The
chief merit is simplicity. We should imagine the poem to be one of the earliest pieces of
Mr. Bryant, and to have undergone much correction. In the first paragraph are, however,
some awkward constructions. In the verses, for example

This little rill that from the springs
Of yonder grove its current brings.
Plays on the slope awhile, and then
Goes prattling into groves again.

the reader is apt to suppose that rill is the nominative to plays, whereas it is the
nominative only to drew in the subsequent lines.

Oft to its warbling waters drew
My little feet when life was new.

The proper verb is, of course, immediately seen upon reading these latter lines-but the
ambiguity has occurred.

The Praries. This is a poem, in blank Pentameter, of about one hundred and twenty-five
lines, and possesses features which do not appear in any of the pieces above mentioned.
Its descriptive beauty is of a high order. The peculiar points of interest in the Prairie are
vividly shown forth, and as a local painting, the work is, altogether, excellent. Here are
moreover, evidences of fine imagination. For example-

The great heavens

Seem to stoop down upon the scene in love-

A nearer vault and of a tenderer blue

Than that which bends above the eastern hills.

Till twilight blushed, and lovers walked and wooed

In a forgotten language, and old tunes

From instruments of unremembered form

Gave the soft winds a voice.

The bee

Within the hollow oak. I listen long

To his domestic hum and think I hear

The sound of the advancing multitude

Which soon shall fill these deserts.

Breezes of the south!

Who toss the golden and the flame-like flowers,

And pass the prairie-hawk that poised on high,

Flaps his broad wing yet moves not!

There is an objectionable ellipsis in the expression "I behold them from the first,"
meaning "first time;" and either a grammatical or typographical error of moment in the
fine sentence commencing

Fitting floor

For this magnificent temple of the sky-

With flowers whose glory and whose multitude

Rival the constellations!

Earth, a poem of similar length and construction to The Prairies, embodies a noble
conception. The poet represents himself as lying on the earth in a "midnight black with
clouds," and giving ideal voices to the varied sounds of the coming tempest. The
following passages remind us of some of the more beautiful portions of Young.

On the breast of Earth

I lie and listen to her mighty voice;

A voice of many tones- sent up from streams

That wander through the gloom, from woods unseen

Swayed by the sweeping of the tides of air.

From rocky chasm where darkness dwells all day.

And hollows of the great invisible hills.

And sands that edge the ocean stretching far

Into the night-a melancholy sound!

Ha! how the murmur deepens! I perceive

And tremble at its dreadful import. Earth

Uplifts a general cry for guilt and wrong

And Heaven is listening. The forgotten graves

Of the heart broken utter forth their plaint.

The dust of her who loved and was betrayed.

And him who died neglected in his age.

The sepulchres of those who for mankind

Labored, and earned the recompense of scorn.

Ashes of martyrs for the truth, and bones

Of those who in the strife for liberty

Were beaten down, their corses given to dogs.

Their names to infamy, all find a voice!

In this poem and elsewhere occasionally throughout the volume, we meet with a species
of grammatical construction, which, although it is to be found in writing of high merit, is
a mere affectation, and, of course, objectionable. We mean the abrupt employment of a
direct pronoun in place of the customary relative. For example-

Or haply dost thou grieve for those that die-
For living things that trod awhile thy face.
The love of thee and heaven, and how they sleep.
Mixed with the shapeless dust on which thy herds
Trample and graze?

The note of interrogation here, renders the affectation more perceptible.

The poem To the Apenines resembles, in meter, that entitled The Old Man's Funeral,
except that the former has a Pentameter in place of the Alexandrine. This piece is chiefly
remarkable for the force, metrical and moral, of its concluding stanza.

In you the heart that sighs for Freedom seeks

Her image; there the winds no barrier know.

Clouds come and rest and leave your fairy peaks;

While even the immaterial Mind, below.

And Thought, her winged offspring, chained by power.

Pine silently for the redeeming hour.

The Knight's Epitaph consists of about fifty lines of blank Pentameter. This poem is well
conceived and executed. Entering the Church of St. Catherine at Pisa, the poet is arrested
by the image of an armed knight graven upon the lid of a sepulchre. The epitaph consists
of an imaginative portraiture of the knight, in which he is made the impersonation of the
ancient Italian chivalry.

Seventy-six has seven stanzas of a common, but musical versification, of which these
lines will afford an excellent specimen.

That death- stain on the vernal sword.
Hallowed to freedom all the shore-
In fragments fell the yoke abhorred-
The footsteps of a foreign lord
Profaned the soil no more.

The Living Lost has four stanzas of somewhat peculiar construction, but admirably
adapted to the tone of contemplative melancholy which pervades the poem. We can call
to mind few things more singularly impressive than the eight concluding verses. They
combine ease with severity, and have antithetical force without effort or flippancy. The
final thought has also a high ideal beauty.

But ye who for the living lost

That agony in secret bear

Who shall with soothing words accost

The strength of your despair?

Grief for your sake is scorn for them

Whom ye lament, and all condemn,

And o'er the world of spirit lies

A gloom from which ye turn your eyes.

The first stanza commences with one of those affectations which we noticed in the poem
"Earth."

Matron, the children of whose love.
Each to his grave in youth have passed.
And now the mould is heaped above
The dearest and the last.

The Strange Lady is of the fourteen syllable metre, answering to two lines, one of eight
syllables, the other six. This rhythm is unmanageable, and requires great care in the
rejection of harsh consonants. Little, however, has been taken, apparently, in the
construction of the verses

As if they loved to breast the breeze that sweeps the cool
clear sky.

And thou shoudst chase the nobler game, and I bring
down the bird.

Or that strange dame so gay and fair were some mysterious foe, which are not to be
pronounced without labor. The story is old-of a young gentleman who going out to hunt,
is inveigled into the woods and destroyed by a fiend in the guise of a fair lady. The ballad
character is nevertheless well preserved, and this, we presume, is nearly every thing
intended.

The Hunter's Vision is skilfully and sweetly told. It is a tale of a young hunter who,
overcome with toil, dozes on the brink of a precipice. In this state between waking and
sleeping, he fancies a spirit-land in the fogs of the valley beneath him, and sees
approaching him the deceased lady of his love. Arising to meet her, he falls, with the
effort, from the crag, and perishes. The state of reverie is admirably pictured in the
following stanzas. The poem consists of nine such.

All dim in haze the mountains lay
With dimmer vales between;
And rivers glimmered on their way
By forests faintly seen;
While ever rose a murmuring sound
From brooks below and bees around.

He listened till he seemed to hear
A strain so soft and low
That whether in the mind or ear
The listener scarce might know.
With such a tone, so sweet and mild
The watching mother lulls her child.

Catterskill Falls is a narrative somewhat similar. Here the hero is also a hunter-but of
delicate frame. He is overcome with the cold at the foot of the falls, sleeps, and is near
perishing-but being found by some woodmen, is taken care of, and recovers. As in the
Hunters Vision, the dream of the youth is the main subject of the poem. He fancies a
goblin palace in the icy network of the cascade, and peoples it in his vision with ghosts.
His entry into this palace is, with rich imagination on the part of the poet, made to
correspond with the time of the transition from the state of reverie to that of nearly total
insensibility.

They eye him not as they pass along.

But his hair stands up with dread.

When he feels that he moves with that phantom throng

Till those icy turrets are over his head.

And the torrent's roar as they enter seems

Like a drowsy murmur heard in dreams.

The glittering threshold is scarcely passed

When there gathers and wraps him round

A thick white twilight sullen and vast

In which there is neither form nor sound;

The phantoms, the glory, vanish all

Within the dying voice of the waterfall.

There are nineteen similar stanzas. The metre is formed of Iambuses and Anapests.

The Hunter of the Prairies (fifty-six octosyllabic verses with alternate rhymes) is a vivid
picture of the life of a hunter in the desert. The poet, however, is here greatly indebted to
his subject.

The Damsel of Peru is in the fourteen syllable metre, and has a most spirited, imaginative
and musical commencement

Where olive leaves were twinkling in every wind that blew.
There sat beneath the pleasant shade a damsel of Peru.

This is also a ballad, and a very fine one-full of action, chivalry, energy and rhythm.
Some passages have even a loftier merit-that of a glowing ideality. For example-

For the noon is coming on, and the sunbeams fiercely beat.
And the silent hills and forest-tops seem reeling in the heat.

The Song of Pitcairn's Island is a sweet, quiet and simple poem, of a versification
differing from that of any preceding piece. We subjoin a specimen. The Tahetian maiden
addresses her lover.

Come talk of Europe's maids with me
Whose necks and cheeks they tell
Outshine the beauty of the sea.
White foam and crimson shell.
I'll shape like theirs my simple dress
And bind like them each jetty tress,
A sight to please thee well
And for my dusky brow will braid
A bonnet like an English maid.
There are seven similar stanzas.

Rispah is a scriptural theme from 2 Samuel, and we like it less than any poem yet
mentioned. The subject, we think, derives no additional interest from its poetical dress.
The metre resembling, except in the matter of rhyme, that of "Catterskill Falls," and
consisting of mingled Iambuses and Anapaests, is the most positively disagreeable of any
which our language admits, and, having a frisky or fidgetty rhythm, is singularly ill-
adapted to the lamentations of the bereaved mother. We cannot conceive how the fine ear
of Mr. Bryant could admit such verses as.

And Rispah once the loveliest of all

That bloomed and smiled in the court of Saul, &c.

The Indian Girl's Lament and The Arctic Lover have nearly all the peculiarities of the
"Song of Pitcairn's Island."

The Massacre at Scio is only remarkable for inaccuracy of expression in the two
concluding lines-
Till the last link of slavery's chain
Is shivered to be worn no more.

What shall be worn no more? The chain-but the link is implied.

Monument Mountain is a poem of about a hundred and forty blank Pentameters and
relates the tale of an Indian maiden who loved her cousin. Such a love being deemed
incestuous by the morality of her tribe, she threw herself from a precipice and perished.
There is little peculiar in the story or its narration. We quote a rough verse-

The mighty columns with which earth props heaven.

The use of the epithet old preceded by some other adjective, is found so frequently in this
poem and elsewhere in the writings of Mr. Bryant, as to excite a smile upon each
recurrence of the expression.

In all that proud old world beyond the deep-
There is a tale about these gray old rocks-
The wide old woods resounded with her song-
And the gray old men that passed-
And from the gray old trunks that high in heaven.

We dislike too the antique use of the word affect in such sentences as

They deemed

Like worshippers of the elder time that
God Doth walk in the high places and affect
The earth-o'erlooking mountains.

Milton, it is true, uses it-we remember it especially in Comus-

'T is most true

That musing meditation most affects
The pensive secrecy of desert cell-
but then Milton would not use it were he writing Comus today.

In the Summer Wind, our author has several successful attempts at making "the sound an
echo to the sense." For example-

For me, I lie

Languidly in the shade, where the thick turf

Yet virgin from the kisses of the sun

Retains some freshness.

All is silent, save the faint

And interrupted murmur of the bee

Settling on the sick flowers, and then again

Instantly on the wing.

All the green herbs

Are stirring in his breath; a thousand flowers

By the road side, and the borders of the brook

Nod, gaily to each other.

Autumn Woods. This is a poem of much sweetness and simplicity of expression, and
including one or two fine thoughts, viz:

the sweet South-west at play

Flies, rustling where the painted leaves are strown

Along the winding way.

But 'neath yon crimson tree

Lover to listening maid might breathe his flame,

Nor mark within its roseate canopy

Her flush of maiden shame.

The mountains that unfold

In their wide sweep the colored landscape round,

Seem groups of giant kings in purple and gold

That guard the enchanted ground.

All this is beautiful-Happily to endow inanimate nature with sentience and a capability of
moral action is one of the severest tests of the poet. Even the most unmusical ear will not
fail to appreciate the rare beauty and strength of the extra syllable in the line

Seem groups of giant kings in purple and gold.

The Distinterred Warrior has a passage we do not clearly understand. Speaking of the
Indian our author says-

For he was fresher from the hand

That formed of earth the human face.

And to the elements did stand

In nearer kindred than our race.

There are ten similar quatrains in the poem.

The Greek Boy consists of four spirited stanzas, nearly resembling, in metre. The Living
Lost. The two concluding lines are highly ideal.

A shoot of that old vine that made
The nations silent in its shade.

When the Firmament Quivers with Daylight's Young Beam, belongs to a species of
poetry which we cannot be brought to admire. Some natural phenomenon is observed,
and the poet taxes his ingenuity to find a parallel in the moral world. In general, we may
assume, that the more successful he is in sustaining a parallel, the farther he departs from
the true province of the Muse. The title, here, is a specimen of the metre. This is a kind
which we have before designated as exceedingly difficult to manage.

To a Musquito, is droll, and has at least the merit of making, at the same time, no efforts
at being sentimental. We are not inclined, however, to rank as poems, either this
production or the article on New England Coal.

The Conjunction of Jupiter and Venus has ninety Pentameters. One of them

Kind influence. Lo! their orbs bum more bright.

can only be read, metrically, by drawing out influence into three marked syllables,
shortening the long monosyllable, Lo! and lengthening the short one, their.

June is sweet and soft in its rhythm, and inexpressibly pathetic. There is an illy subdued
sorrow and intense awe coming up, per force as it were to the surface of the poet's gay
sayings about his grave, which we find thrilling us to the soul.

And what if cheerful shouts, at noon.

Come, from the village sent.

Or songs of maids, beneath the moon

With fairy laughter blent?

And what if, in the evening light.

Betrothed lovers walk in sight

Of my low monument?

I would the lovely scene around

Might know no sadder sight nor sound.

I know, I know I should not see

The season's glorious show.

Nor would its brightness shine for me

Nor its wild music flow.

But if, around my place of sleep.

The friends I love should come to weep.

They might not haste to go

Soft airs, and song, and hght, and bloom

Should keep them lingering by my tomb.

Innocent Child and Snow-White Flower, is remarkable only for the deficiency of a foot in
one of its verses.

White as those leaves just blown apart

Are the folds of thy own young heart.

and for the graceful repetition in its concluding quatrain

Throw it aside in thy weary hour.

Throw to the ground the fair white flower.

Yet as thy tender years depart

Keep that white and innocent heart.

Of the seven original sonnets in the volume before us, it is somewhat difficult to speak.
The sonnet demands, in a great degree, point, strength, unity, compression, and a species
of completeness. Generally, Mr. Bryant has evinced more of the first and the last, than of
the three mediate qualities. William Tell is feeble. No forcible line ever ended with
liberty, and the best of the rhymes-thee, he, free, and the like, are destitute of the
necessary vigor. But for this rhythmical defect the thought in the concluding couplet-

The bitter cup they mingled strengthened thee
For the great work to set thy country free

would have well ended the sonnet. Midsummer is objectionable for the variety of its
objects of allusion. Its final lines embrace a fine thought-

As if the day of fire had dawned and sent

Its deadly breath into the firmament-

but the vigor of the whole is impaired by the necessity of placing an unwonted accent on
the last syllable of firmament. October has little to recommend it, but the slight
epigrammatism of its conclusion-

And when my last sand twinkled in the glass,
Pass silently from men-as thou dost pass.

The Sonnet To Cole, is feeble in its final lines, and is worthy of praise only in the verses-
Paths, homes, graves, ruins, from the lowest glen
To where life shrinks from the fierce Alpine air.

Mutation, a didactic sonnet, has few either of faults or beauties. November is far better.
The lines

And the blue Gentian flower that, in the breeze.

Nods lonely, of her beauteous race the last,

are very happy. A single thought pervades and gives unity to the piece. We are glad, too,
to see an Alexandrine in the close. In the whole metrical construction of his sonnets,
however, Mr. Bryant has very wisely declined confining himself to the laws of the Italian
poem, or even to the dicta of Capel Lofft. The Alexandrine is beyond comparison the
most effective finale, and we are astonished that the common Pentameter should ever be
employed. The best sonnet of the seven is, we think, that To-. With the exception of a
harshness in the last line but one it is perfect. The finale is inimitable.

Ay, thou art for the grave; thy glances shine
Too brightly to shine long; another Spring
Shall deck her for men's eyes, but not for thine
Sealed in a sleep which knows no wakening.
The fields for thee have no medicinal leaf.
And the vexed ore no mineral of power;
And they who love thee wait in anxious grief
Till the slow plague shall bring the fatal hour.
Glide softly to thy rest, then; Death should come
Gently to one of gentle mould like thee.

As light winds wandering through groves of bloom
Detach the delicate blossom from the tree.
Close thy sweet eyes, calmly, and without pain.
And we will trust in God to see thee yet again.

To a Cloud, has another instance of the affectation to which we alluded in our notice of
Earth, and The Living Lost.

Whose sons at length have heard the call that comes

From the old battle fields and tombs.

And risen, and drawn the sword, and on the foe

Have dealt the swift and desperate blow.

And the Othman power is cloven, and the stroke

Has touched its chains, and they are broke.

Of the Translations in the volume it is not our intention to speak in detail. Mary
Magdelen, from the Spanish of Bartoleme Leonardo De Argensola, is the finest specimen
of versification in the book. Alexis, from the Spanish of Iglesias, is delightful in its
exceeding delicacy, and general beauty. We cannot refrain from quoting it entire.

Alexis calls me cruel-
The rifted crags that hold
The gathered ice of winter.
He says, are not more cold.
When even the very blossoms
Around the fountain's brim.
And forest walks, can witness
The love I bear to him.
I would that I could utter
My feelings without shame
And tell him how I love him
Nor wrong my virgin fame.
Alas! to seize the moment
When heart inclines to heart.
And press a suit with passion
Is not a woman's part.
If man come not to gather
The roses where they stand.
They fade among their foliage.
They cannot seek his hand.

The Waterfowl is very beautiful, but still not entitled to the admiration which it has
occasionally elicited. There is a fidelity and force in the picture of the fowl as brought
before the eve of the mind, and a fine sense of effect in throwing its figure on the
background of the "crimson sky," amid "falling dew," "while glow the heavens with the
last steps of day." But the merits which possibly have had most weight in the public

estimation of the poem, are the melody and strength of its versification, (which is indeed
excellent) and more particularly its completeness. Its rounded and didactic termination
has done wonders:

on my heart.

Deeply hath sunk the lesson thou hast given

And shall not soon depart.

He, who, from zone to zone.

Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight

In the long way that I must tread alone

Will lead my steps aright.

There are, however, points of more sterling merit. We fully recognize the poet in

Thou art gone-the abyss of heaven
Hath swallowed up thy form.
There is a power whose care
Teaches thy way along that pathless coast-
The desert, and illimitable air-
Lone, wandering, but not lost.

The Forest Hymn consists of about a hundred and twenty blank Pentameters of whose
great rhythmical beauty it is scarcely possible to speak too highly. With the exception of
the line

The solitude. Thou art in the soft winds,

no fault, in this respect, can be found, while excellencies are frequent of a rare order, and
evincing the greatest delicacy of ear. We might, perhaps, suggest, that the two concluding
verses, beautiful as they stand, would be slightly improved by transferring to the last the
metrical excess of the one immediately preceding. For the appreciation of this, it is
necessary to quote six or seven lines in succession

Oh, from these sterner aspects of thy face
Spare me and mine, nor let us need the warmth
Of the mad unchained elements, to teach
Who rules them. Be it ours to meditate
In these calm shades thy milder majesty.
And to the beautiful order of thy works
Learn to conform the order of our lives.

There is an excess of one syllable in the [sixth line]. If we discard this syllable here, and
adopt it in the final line, the close will acquire strength, we think, in acquiring a fuller
volume.

Be it ours to meditate
In these calm shades thy milder majesty,
And to the perfect order of thy works
Conform, if we can, the order of our lives.

Directness, boldness, and simplicity of expression, are main features in the poem.

Oh God! when thou

Dost scare the world with tempests, set on fire

The heavens with falling thunderbolts, or fill

With all the waters of the firmament

The swift dark whirlwind that uproots the woods.

And drowns the villages.

Here an ordinary writer would have preferred the word fright to scare, and omitted the
definite article before woods and villages.

To the Evening Wind has been justly admired. It is the best specimen of that
completeness which we have before spoken of as a characteristic feature in the poems of
Mr. Bryant. It has a beginning, middle, and end, each depending upon the other, and each
beautiful. Here are three lines breathing all the spirit of Shelley.

Pleasant shall be thy way, where meekly bows

The shutting flower, and darkling waters pass.

And 'twixt the o'ershadowing branches and the grass.

The conclusion is admirable-

Go-but the circle of eternal change.

Which is the life of Nature, shall restore.

With sounds and scents from all thy mighty range.

Thee to thy birth-place of the deep once more;

Sweet odors in the sea air, sweet and strange.

Shall tell the home- sick mariner of the shore.

And, listening to thy murmur, he shall deem

He hears the rustling leaf and running stream.

Thanatopsis is somewhat more than half the length of The Forest Hymn, and of a
character precisely similar. It is, however, the finer poem. Like The Waterfowl, it owes
much to the point, force, and general beauty of its didactic conclusion. In the
commencement, the lines

To him who, in the love of nature, holds
Communion with her visible forms, &c.

belong to a class of vague phrases, which, since the days of Byron, have obtained too
universal a currency. The verse

Go forth under the open sky and list-
is sadly out of place amid the forcible and even Miltonic rhythm of such lines as-

Take the wings

Of morning, and the Barcan desert pierce,
Or lose thyself in the continuous woods
Where rolls the Oregon

But these are trivial faults indeed and the poem embodies a great degree of the most
elevated beauty. Two of its passages, passages of the purest ideality, would alone render
it worthy of the general commendation it has received.

So live, that when thy summons comes to join
The innumerable caravan that moves
To that mysterious realm where each shall take
His chamber in the silent halls of death.
Thou go not, like the quarry slave at night.
Scourged to his dungeon; but sustained and soothed
By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave
Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch
About him, and lies down to pleasant dream.
The hills

Rock-ribbed and ancient as the sun-the vales
Stretching in pensive quietude between-
The venerable woods-rivers that move
In majesty, and the complaining brooks
That make the meadows green-and, pured round all.
Old Ocean's gray and melancholy waste-
Are but the solemn decorations all
Of the great tomb of man.

Oh, fairest of the Rural Maids! is a gem, of which we cannot sufficiently express our
admiration. We quote in full.

Oh, fairest of the rural maids!

Thy birth was in the forest shades;

Green boughs and glimpses of the sky

Were all that met thine infant eye.

Thy sports, thy wanderings when a child

Were ever in the sylvan wild;

And all the beauty of the place

Is in thy heart and on thy face.

The twilight of the trees and rocks

Is in the light shade of thy locks.

Thy step is as the wind that weaves

Its playful way among the leaves.
Thine eyes are springs, in whose serene
And silent waters Heaven is seen;
Their lashes are the herbs that look
On their young figures in the brook.
The forest depths by foot impressed
Are not more sinless than thy breast;
The holy peace that fills the air
Of those calm solitudes, is there.

A rich simplicity is a main feature in this poem-simplicity of design and execution. This
is strikingly perceptible in the opening and concluding lines, and in expression
throughout. But there is a far higher and more strictly ideal beauty, which it is less easy to
analyze. The original conception is of the very loftiest order of true Poesy. A maiden is
bom in the forest-
Green boughs and glimpses of the sky
Are all which meet her infant eye-
She is not merely modelled in character by the associations of her childhood-this were
the thought of an ordinary poet-an idea that we meet with every day in rhyme-but she
imbibes, in her physical as well as moral being, the traits, the very features of the
delicious scenery around her-its loveliness becomes a portion of her own-

The twilight of the trees and rocks
Is in the light shade of her locks.
And all the beauty of the place
Is in her heart and on her face.

It would have been a highly poetical idea to imagine the tints in the locks of the maiden
deducing a resemblance to the "twilight of the trees and rocks," from the constancy of her
associations-but the spirit of Ideality is immeasurably more apparent when the "twilight"
is represented as becoming identified with the shadows of her hair.

The twilight of the trees and rocks
Is in the light shade of her locks.
And all the beauty of the place
Is in her heart and on her face.

Feeling thus, we did not, in copying the poem, [comment on] the lines, although
beautiful.

Thy step is as the wind that weaves
Its playful way among the leaves.

nor those which immediately follow. The two concluding verses however, are again of
the most elevated species of poetical merit.

The forest depths by foot impressed
Are not more sinless than thy breast-
The holy peace that fills the air
Of those calm solitudes, is there.
The image contained in the lines
Thine eyes are springs in whose serene
And silent waters Heaven is seen-

is one which, we think, for appropriateness, completeness, and every perfect beauty of
which imagery is susceptible, has never been surpassed-but imagery is susceptible of no
beauty like that we have designated in the sentences above. The latter idea, moreover, is
not original with our poet.

In all the rhapsodies of Mr. Bryant, which have reference to the beauty or the majesty of
nature, is a most audible and thrilling tone of love and exultation. As far as he appreciates
her loveliness or her augustness, no appreciation can be more ardent, more full of heart,
more replete with the glowing soul of adoration. Nor, either in the moral or physical
universe coming within the periphery of his vision, does he at any time fail to perceive
and designate, at once, the legitimate items of the beautiful. Therefore, could we consider
(as some have considered) the mere enjoyment of the beautiful when perceived, or even
this enjoyment when combined with the readiest and truest perception and discrimination
in regard to beauty presented, as a sufficient test of the poetical sentiment we could have
no hesitation in according to Mr. Bryant the very highest poetical rank. But something
more, we have elsewhere presumed to say, is demanded. Just above, we spoke of "objects
in the moral or physical universe coming within the periphery of his vision." We now
mean to say, that the relative extent of these peripheries of poetical vision must ever be a
primary consideration in our classification of poets. Judging Mr. B. in this manner, and
by a general estimate of the volume before us, we should, of course, pause long before
assigning him a place with the spiritual Shelleys, or Coleridges, or Wordsworths, or with
Keats, or even Tennyson, or Wilson, or with some other burning lights of our own day, to
be valued in a day to come. Yet if his poems, as a whole, will not warrant us in assigning
him this grade, one such poem as the last upon which we have commented, is enough to
assure us that he may attain it.

The writings of our author, as we find them here, are characterized by an air of calm and
elevated contemplation more than by any other individual feature. In their mere didactics,
however, they err essentially and primitively, inasmuch as such things are the province
rather of Minerva than of the Camenae. Of imagination, we discover much-but more of
its rich and certain evidences, than of its ripened fruit. In all the minor merits Mr. Bryant
is pre-eminent. His ars celare artem is most efficient. Of his "completeness," unity, and
finish of style we have already spoken. As a versifier, we know of no writer, living or
dead, who can be said greatly to surpass him. A Frenchman would assuredly call him "un
poete des plus correctes."

Between Cowper and Young, perhaps, (with both of whom he has many points of
analogy,) would be the post assigned him by an examination at once general and
superficial. Even in this view, however, he has a juster appreciation of the beautiful than
the one, of the sublime than the other-a finer taste than Cowper-an equally vigorous, and
far more delicate imagination than Young. In regard to his proper rank among American
poets there should be no question whatever. Few-at least few who are fairly before the
public, have more than very shallow claims to a rivalry with the author of Thanatopsis.

THE OLD CURIOSITY SHOP, AND OTHER TALES

By Charles Dickens, With Numerous Illustrations by Cattermole

and Browne. Philadelphia: Lea & Blanchard.

MASTER HUMPHEREY'S CLOCK

By Charles Dickens. (Boz.) With Ninty-one Illustrations by

George Cattermole and Hablot Browne. Philadelphia: Lea & Blanchard.

WHAT WE here give [the above titles] is the duplicate title, on two separate title-pages,
of an octavo volume of three hundred and sixty-two pages. Why this method of
nomenclature should have been adopted is more than we can understand-although it
arises, perhaps, from a certain confusion and hesitation observable in the whole structure
of the book itself. Publishers have an idea, however, (and no doubt they are the best
judges in such matters) that a complete work obtains a readier sale than one "to be
continued;" and we see plainly that it is with the design of intimating the entireness of the
volume now before us, that "The Old Curiosity Shop and other Tales," has been made not
only the primary and main title, but the name of the whole publication as indicated by the
back. This may be quite fair in trade, but is morally wrong not the less. The volume is
only one of a series-only part of a whole; and the title has no right to insinuate otherwise.
So obvious is this intention to misguide, that it has led to the absurdity of putting the
inclusive, or general, title of the series, as a secondary instead of a primary one. Anybody
may see that if the wish had been fairly to represent the plan and extent of the volume,
something like this would have been given on a single page-

MASTER HUMPHREY'S CLOCK

By Charles Dickens. Part I. Containing The Old Curiosity Shop,

and other tales, with numerous illustrations, &c. &c.

This would have been better for all parties, a good deal more honest, and a vast deal more
easily understood. In fact, there is sufficient uncertainty of purpose in the book itself,
without resort to mystification in the matter of title. We do not think it altogether
impossible that the rumors in respect to the sanity of Mr. Dickens which were so
prevalent during the publication of the first numbers of the work, had some slight-some
very slight foundation in truth. By this, we mean merely to say that the mind of the
author, at the time, might possibly have been struggling with some of those manifold and
multiform aberrations by which the nobler order of genius is so frequently beset-but
which are still so very far removed from disease.

There are some facts in the physical world which have a really wonderful analogy with
others in the world of thought, and seem thus to give some color of truth to the (false)
rhetorical dogma, that metaphor or simile may be made to strengthen an argument, as
well as to embellish a description. The principle of the vis inertiae, for example, with the
amount of momentum proportionate with it and consequent upon it, seems to be identical
in physics and metaphysics. It is not more true, in the former, that a large body is with
more difficulty set in motion than a smaller one, and that its subsequent impetus is
commensurate with this difficulty, than it is, in the latter, that intellects of the vaster
capacity, while more forcible, more constant, and more extensive in their movements
than those of inferior grade, are yet the less readily moved, and are more embarrassed and
more full of hesitation in the first few steps of their progress. While, therefore, it is not
impossible, as we have just said, that some slight mental aberration might have given rise
to the hesitancy and indefinitiveness of purpose which are so very perceptible in the first
pages of the volume before us, we are still the more willing to believe these defects the
result of the moral fact just stated, since we find the work itself of an unusual order of
excellence, even when regarded as the production of the author of "Nicholas Nickleby."
That the evils we complain of are not, and were not, fully perceived by Mr. Dickens
himself, cannot be supposed for a moment. Had his book been published in the old way,
we should have seen no traces of them whatever.

The design of the general work, "Humphrey's Clock," is simply the common-place one of
putting various tales into the mouths of a social party. The meetings are held at the house
of Master Humphrey- an antique building in London, where an old-fashioned clock case
is the place of deposit for the M.S.S. Why such designs have become common is obvious.
One half the pleasure experienced at a theatre arises from the spectator's sympathy with
the rest of the audience, and, especially, from his belief in their sympathy with him. The
eccentric gentleman who not long ago, at the Park, found himself the solitary occupant of
box, pit, and gallery, would have derived but little enjoyment from his visit, had he been
suffered to remain. It was an act of mercy to turn him out. The present absurd rage for
lecturing is founded in the feeling in question. Essays which we would not be hired to
read-so trite is their subject-so feeble is their execution-so much easier is it to get better
information on similar themes out of any Encyclopaedia in Christendom-we are brought
to tolerate, and alas, even to applaud in their tenth and twentieth repetition, through the
sole force of our sympathy with the throng. In the same way we listen to a story with
greater zest when there are others present at its narration besides ourselves. Aware of this,
authors without due reflection have repeatedly attempted, by supposing a circle of
listeners, to imbue their narratives with the interest of sympathy. At a cursory glance the
idea seems plausible enough. But, in the one case, there is an actual, personal, and
palpable sympathy, conveyed in looks, gestures and brief comments-a sympathy of real
individuals, all with the matters discussed to be sure, but then especially, each with each.
In the other instance, we, alone in our closet, are required to sympathise with the
sympathy of fictitious listeners, who, so far from being present in body, are often
studiously kept out of sight and out of mind for two or three hundred pages at a time.
This is sympathy double-diluted-the shadow of a shade. It is unnecesary to say that the
design invariably fails of its effect.

In his preface to the present volume, Mr. Dickens seems to feel the necessity for an
apology in regard to certain portions of his commencement, without seeing clearly what
apology he should make, or for what precise thing he should apologize. He makes an
effort to get over the difficulty, by saying something about its never being "his intention
to have the members of 'Master Humphrey's Clock' active agents in the stories they
relate," and about his "picturing to himself the various sensations of his hearers-thinking
how Jack Redburn might incline to poor Kit-how the deaf gentleman would have his
favorite and Mr. Miles his," &c. &c.-but we are quite sure that all this is as pure a fiction
as "The Curiosity Shop?" itself. Our author is deceived. Occupied with little Nell and her
grandfather, he had forgotten the very existence of his interlocutors until he found
himself, at the end of his book, under the disagreeable necessity of saying a word or two
concerning them, by way of winding them up. The simple truth is that, either for one of
the two reasons at which we have already hinted, or else because the work was begun in a
hurry, Mr. Dickens did not precisely know his own plans when he penned the five or six
first chapters of the "Clock."

The wish to preserve a certain degree of unity between various narratives naturally
unconnected, is a more obvious and a better reason for employing interlocutors. But such
unity as may be thus had is scarcely worth having. It may, in some feeble measure,
satisfy the judgment by a sense of completeness; but it seldom produces a pleasant effect;
and if the speakers are made to take part in their own stories (as has been the Case here)
they become injurious by creating confusion. Thus, in "The Curiosity Shop," we feel
displeased to find Master Humphrey commencing the tale in the first person, dropping
this for the third, and concluding by introducing himself as the "single gentleman" who
figures in the story. In spite of all the subsequent explanation we are forced to look upon
him as two. All is confusion, and what makes it worse, is that Master Humphrey is
painted as a lean and sober personage, while his second self is a fat, bluff and boisterous
old bachelor.

Yet the species of connexion in question, besides preserving the unity desired, may be
made, if well managed, a source of consistent and agreeable interest. It has been so made
by Thomas Moore-the most skilful literary artist of his day-perhaps of any day-a man
who stands in the singular and really wonderful predicament of being undervalued on
account of the profusion with which he has scattered about him his good things. The
brilliancies on any one page of Lalla Roohk would have sufficed to establish that very
reputation which has been in a great measure self-dimmed by the galazied lustre of the
entire book. It seems that the horrid laws of political economy cannot be evaded even by
the inspired, and that a perfect versification, a vigorous style, and a never-tiring fancy,
may, like the water we drink and die without, yet despise, be so plentifully set forth as to
be absolutely of no value at all.

By far the greater portion of the volume now published, is occupied with the tale of "The
Old Curiosity Shop," narrated by Master Humphrey himself. The other stories are brief.
The "Giant Chronicles" is the title of what appears to be meant for a series within a
series, and we think this design doubly objectionable. The narrative of "The Bowyer," as
well as of "John Podgers," is not altogether worthy of Mr. Dickens. They were probably

sent to press to supply a demand for copy, while he was occupied with the "Curiosity
Shop." But the "Confession Found in a Prison in the Time of Charles the Second" is a
paper of remarkable power, truly original in conception, and worked out with great
ability.

The story of "The Curiosity Shop" is very simple. Two brothers of England, warmly
attached to each other, love the same lady, without each other's knowledge. The younger
at length discovers the elder's secret, and, sacrificing himself to fraternal affection, quits
the country and resides for many years in a foreign land, where he amasses great wealth.
Meantime his brother marries the lady, who soon dies, leaving an infant daughter-her
perfect resemblance. In the widower's heart the mother lives again through the child. This
latter grows up, marries unhappily, has a son and a daughter, loses her husband, and dies
herself shortly afterward. The grandfather takes the orphans to his home. The boy spurns
his protection, falls into bad courses, and becomes an outcast. The girl-in whom a third
time lives the object of the old man's early choice-dwells with him alone, and is loved by
him with a most doting affection. He has now become poor, and at length is reduced to
keeping a shop for antiquities and curiosities. Finally, through his dread of involving the
child in want, his mind becomes weakened. He thinks to redeem his fortune by gambling,
borrows money for this purpose of a dwarf, who, at length, discovering the true state of
the old man's affairs, seizes his furniture and turns him out of doors. The girl and himself
set out, without farther object than to relieve themselves of the sight of the hated city,
upon a weary pilgrimage, whose events form the basis or body of the tale. In fine, just as
a peaceful retirement is secured for them, the child, wasted with fatigue and anxiety, dies.
The grandfather, through grief, immediately follows her to the tomb. The younger
brother, meantime, has received information of the old man's poverty, hastens to
England, and arrives only in time to be at the closing scene of the tragedy.

This plot is the best which could have been constructed for the main object of the
narrative. This object is the depicting of a fervent and dreamy love for the child on the
part of the grandfather-such a love as would induce devotion to himself on the part of the
orphan. We have thus the conception of a childhood, educated in utter ignorance of the
world, filled with an affection which has been, through its brief existence, the sole source
of its pleasures, and which has no part in the passion of a more mature youth for an object
of its own age-we have the idea of this childhood, full of ardent hopes, leading by the
hand, forth from the heated and wearying city, into the green fields, to seek for bread, the
decrepid imbecility of a doting and confiding old age, whose stern knowledge of man,
and of the world it leaves behind, is now merged in the sole consciousness of receiving
love and protection from that weakness it has loved and protected.

This conception is indeed most beautiful. It is simply and severely grand. The more fully
we survey it the more thoroughly we are convinced of the lofty character of that genius
which gave it birth. That in its present simplicity of form, however, it was first
entertained by Mr. Dickens, may well be doubted. That it was not, we are assured by the
title which the tale bears. When in its commencement he called it "The Old Curiosity
Shop," his design was far different from what we see it in its completion. It is evident that
had he now to name the story he would not so term it; for the shop itself is a thing of an

altogether collateral interest, and is spoken of merely in the beginning. This is only one
among a hundred instances of the disadvantage under which the periodical novelist
labors. When his work is done, he never fails to observe a thousand defects which he
might have remedied, and a thousand alterations, in regard to the book as a whole, which
might be made to its manifest improvement.

But of the conception of this story deserves praise, its execution is beyond all-and here
the subject naturally leads us from the generalization which is the proper province of the
critic, into details among which it is scarcely fitting that he should venture.

The Art of Mr. Dickens, although elaborate and great, seems only a happy modification
of Nature. In this respect he differs remarkably from the author of "Night and Morning."
The latter, by excessive care and by patient reflection, aided by much rhetorical
knowledge, and general information, has arrived at the capability of producing books
which be mistaken by ninety-nine readers out of a hundred for the genuine inspirations of
genius. The former, by the promptings of the truest genius itself, has been brought to
compose, and evidently without effort, works which have effected a long-sought
consummation-which have rendered him the idol of the people, while defying and
enchanting the critics. Mr. Bulwer, through art, has almost created a genius. Mr. Dickens,
through genius, has perfected a standard from which Art itself will derive its essence, in
rules.

When we speak in this manner of the "Old Curiosity Shop," we speak with entire
deliberation, and know quite well what it is we assert. We do not mean to say that it is
perfect, as a whole-this could not well have been the case under the circumstances of its
composition. But we know that, in all the higher elements which go to make up literary
greatness, it is supremely excellent. We think, for instance, that the introduction of
Nelly's brother (and here we address those who have read the work) is supererogatory-
that the character of Quilp would have been more in keeping had he been confined to
petty and grotesque acts of malice-that his death should have been made the immediate
consequence of his attempt at revenge upon Kit; and that after matters had been put fairly
in train for this poetical justice, he should not have perished by an accident
inconsequential upon his villany. We think, too, that there is an air of ultra- accident in the
finally discovered relationship between Kit's master and the bachelor of the old church-
that the sneering politeness put into the mouth of Quilp, with his manner of commencing
a question which he wishes answered in the affirmative, with an affirmative
interrogatory, instead of the ordinary negative one-are fashions borrowed from the
authors own Fagin-that he has repeated himself in many other instances-that the practical
tricks and love of mischief of the dwarfs boy are too nearly consonant with the traits of
the master-that so much of the propensities of Swiveller as relate to his inapposite
appropriation of odds and ends of verse, is stolen from the generic loafer of our fellow-
townsman, Neal-and that the writer has suffered the overflowing kindness of his own
bosom to mislead him in a very important point of art, when he endows so many of his
dramatis personae with a warmth of feeling so very rare in reality. Above all, we
acknowledge that the death of Nelly is excessively painful-that it leaves a most
distressing oppression of spirit upon the reader-and should, therefore, have been avoided.

But when we come to speak of the excellences of the tale these defects appear really
insignificant. It embodies more originality in every point, but in character especially, than
any single work within our knowledge. There is the grandfather-a truly profound
conception; the gentle and lovely Nelly-we have discoursed of her before; Quilp, with
mouth like that of the panting dog-(a bold idea which the engraver has neglected to
embody) with his hilarious antics, his cowardice, and his very petty and spoilt-child-like
malevolence, Dick Swiveller, that prince of goodhearted, good-for-nothing, lazy,
luxurious, poetical, brave, romantically generous, gallant, affectionate, and not over-and-
above honest, "glorious ApoUos;" the marchioness, his bride; Tom Codlin and his
partner; Miss Sally Brass, that "fine fellow;" the pony that had an opinion of its own; the
boy that stood upon his head; the sexton; the man at the forge; not forgetting the dancing
dogs and baby Nubbles. There are other admirably drawn characters-but we note these
for their remarkable originality, as well as for their wonderful keeping, and the glowing
colors in which they are painted. We have heard some of them called caricatures-but the
charge is grossly ill-founded. No critical principle is more firmly based in reason than
that a certain amount of exaggeration is essential to the proper depicting of truth itself.
We do not paint an object to be true, but to appear true to the beholder. Were we to copy
nature with accuracy the object copied would seem unnatural. The columns of the Greek
temples, which convey the idea of absolute proportion, are very considerably thicker just
beneath the capital than at the base. We regret that we have not left ourselves space in
which to examine this whole question as it deserves. We must content ourselves with
saying that caricature seldom exists (unless in so gross a form as to disgust at once)
where the component parts are in keeping; and that the laugh excited by it, in any case, is
radically distinct from that induced by a properly artistical incongruity-the source of all
mirth. Were these creations of Mr. Dickens' really caricatures they would not live in
public estimation beyond the hour of their first survey. We regard them as creations-(that
is to say as original combinations of character) only not all of the highest order, because
the elements employed are not always of the highest. In the instances of Nelly, the
grandfather, the Sexton, and the man of the furnace, the force of the creative intellect
could scarcely have been engaged with nobler material, and the result is that these
personages belong to the most august regions of the Ideal.

In truth, the great feature of the "Curiosity Shop" is its chaste, vigorous, and glorious
imagination. This is the one charm, all potent, which alone would suffice to compensate
for a world more of error than Mr. Dickens ever committed. It is not only seen in the
conception, and general handling of the story, or in the invention of character; but it
pervades every sentence of the book. We recognise its prodigious influence in every
inspired word. It is this which induces the reader who is at all ideal, to pause frequently,
to reread the occasionally quaint phrases, to muse in uncontrollable delight over thoughts
which, while he wonders he has never hit upon them before, he yet admits that he never
has encountered. In fact it is the wand of the enchanter.

Had we room to particularize, we would mention as points evincing most distinctly the
ideality of the "Curiosity Shop "-the picture of the shop itself-the newly-born desire of
the worldly old man for the peace of green fields-his whole character and conduct, in
short-the schoolmaster, with his desolate fortunes, seeking affection in little children-the

haunts of Quilp among the wharf-rats-the tinkering of the Punchmen among the tombs-
the glorious scene where the man of the forge sits poring, at deep midnight, into that
dread fire-again the whole conception of this character, and, last and greatest, the stealthy
approach of Nell to her death-her gradual sinking away on the journey to the village, so
skilfully indicated rather than described-her pensive and prescient meditation-the fit of
strange musing which came over her when the house in which she was to die first broke
upon her sight-the description of this house, of the old church, and of the churchyard-
everything in rigid consonance with the one impression to be conveyed-that deep
meaningless well-the comments of the Sexton upon death, and upon his own secure life-
this whole world of mournful yet peaceful idea merging, at length, into the decease of the
child Nelly, and the uncomprehending despair of the grandfather. These concluding
scenes are so drawn that human language, urged by human thought, could go no farther
in the excitement of human feelings. And the pathos is of that best order which is
relieved, in great measure, by ideality. Here the book has never been equalled,-never
approached except in one instance, and that is in the case of the "Undine" by De La Motte
Fouque. The imagination is perhaps as great in this latter work, but the pathos, although
truly beautiful and deep, fails of much of its effect through the material from which it is
wrought. The chief character, being endowed with purely fanciful attributes, cannot
command our full sympathies, as can a simple denizen of earth. In saying above, that the
death of the child left too painful an impression, and should therefore have been avoided,
we must, of course, be understood as referring to the work as a whole, and in respect to
its general appreciation and popularity. The death, as recorded, is, we repeat, of the
highest order of literary excellence-yet while none can deny this fact, there are few who
will be willing to read the concluding passages a second time.

Upon the whole we think the "Curiosity Shop" very much the best of the works of Mr.
Dickens. It is scarcely possible to speak of it too well. It is in all respects a tale which will
secure for its author the enthusiastic admiration of every man of genius.

The edition before us is handsomely printed, on excellent paper. The designs by
Cattermole and Browne are many of them excellent-some of them outrageously bad. Of
course, it is difficult for us to say how far the American engraver is in fault. In
conclusion, we must enter our solemn protest against the final page full of little angels in
smock frocks, or dimity chemises.

THE QUACKS OF HELICON
A Satire. By L. A. Wilmer

A SATIRE, professedly such, at the present day, and especially by an American writer, is
a welcome novelty indeed. We have really done very little in the line upon this side of the
Atlantic-nothing certainly of importance-TrumbuU's clumsy poem and Halleck's
"Croakers" to the contrary notwithstanding. Some things we have produced, to be sure,
which were excellent in the way of burlesque, without intending a syllable that was not
utterly solemn and serious. Odes, ballads, songs, sonnets, epics, and epigrams, possessed
of this unintentional excellence, we could have no difficulty in designating by the dozen;
but in the matter of directly meant and genuine satire, it cannot be denied that we are

sadly deficient. Although, as a literary people, however, we are not exactly
Archilochuses- although we have no pretensions to the echeenpes iamboi-although in
short, we are no satirists ourselves, there can be no question that we answer sufficiently
well as subjects for satire.

We repeat that we are glad to see this book of Mr. Wilmer's; first, because it is something
new under the sun; secondly, because, in many respects, it is well executed; and thirdly,
because, in the universal corruption and rigmarole, amid which we gasp for breath, it is
really a pleasant thing to get even one accidental whiff of the unadulterated air of truth.

"The Quacks of Helicon," as a poem and otherwise, has many defects, and these we shall
have no scruple in pointing out- although Mr. Wilmer is a personal friend of our own, and
we are happy and proud to say so-but it has also many remarkable merits- merits which it
will be quite useless for those aggrieved by the satire-quite useless for any clique, or set
of cliques, to attempt to frown down, or to affect not to see, or to feel, or to understand.

Its prevalent blemishes are referable chiefly to the leading sin of imitation. Had the work
been composed professedly in paraphrase of the whole manner of the sarcastic epistles of
the times of Dryden and Pope, we should have pronounced it the most ingenious and
truthful thing of the kind upon record. So close is the copy that it extends to the most
trivial points-for example, to the old forms of punctuation. The turns of phraseology, the
tricks of rhythm, the arrangement of the paragraphs, the general conduct of the satire-
everything-all-are Dryden's. We cannot deny, it is true, that the satiric model of the days
in question is insusceptible of improvement, and that the modem author who deviates
therefrom must necessarily sacrifice something of merit at the shrine of originality.
Neither can we shut our eyes to the fact that the imitation in the present case has
conveyed, in full spirit, the high qualities, as well as in rigid letter, the minor elegancies
and general peculiarities of the author of "Absalom and Achitophel." We have here the
bold, vigorous, and sonorous verse, the biting sarcasm, the pungent epigrammatism, the
unscrupulous directness, as of old. Yet it will not do to forget that Mr. Wilmer has been
shown how to accomplish these things. He is thus only entitled to the praise of a close
observer, and of a thoughtful and skilful copyist. The images are, to be sure, his own.
They are neither Popes, nor Dryden's, nor Rochester's, nor Churchill's-but they are
moulded in the identical mould used by these satirists.

This servility of imitation has seduced our author into errors, which his better sense
should have avoided. He sometimes mistakes intentions; at other times, he copies faults,
confounding them with beauties. In the opening of the poem, for example, we find the
lines-

Against usurpers, Olney, I declare
A righteous, just and patriotic war.

The rhymes war and declare are here adopted from Pope, who employs them frequently;
but it should have been remembered that the modern relative pronunciation of the two
words differs materially from the relative pronunciation of the era of the "Dunciad."

We are also sure that the gross obscenity, the filth-we can use no gentler name-which
disgraces "The Quacks of Helicon," cannot be the result of innate impurity in the mind of
the writer. It is but a part of the slavish and indiscriminating imitation of the Swift and
Rochester school. It has done the book an irreparable injury, both in a moral and
pecuniary view, without affecting anything whatever on the score of sarcasm, vigour or
wit. "Let what is to be said, he said plainly." True, but let nothing vulgar be ever said or
conceived.

In asserting that this satire, even in its mannerism, has imbued itself with the full spirit of
the polish and of the pungency of Dryden, we have already awarded it high praise. But
there remains to be mentioned the far loftier merit of speaking fearlessly the truth, at an
epoch when truth is out of fashion, and under circumstances of social position which
would have deterred almost any man in our community from a similar Quixotism. For the
publication of "The Quacks of Helicon"-a poem which brings under review, by name,
most of our prominent literati and treats them, generally, as they deserve (what treatment
could be more bitter?)-for the publication of this attack, Mr. Wilmer, whose subsistence
lies in his pen, has little to look for-apart from the silent respect of those at once honest
and timid-but the most malignant open or covert persecution. For this reason, and
because it is the truth which he has spoken, do we say to him, from the bottom of our
hearts, "Godspeed!"

We repeat it: it is the truth which he has spoken; and who shall contradict us? He has said
unscrupulously what every reasonable man among us has long known to be "as true as
the Pentateuch"-that, as a literary people, we are one vast perambulating humbug. He has
asserted that we are clique-ridden; and who does not smile at the obvious truism of that
assertion? He maintains that chicanery is, with us, a far surer road than talent to
distinction in letters. Who gainsays this? The corrupt nature of our ordinary criticism has
become notorious. Its powers have been prostrated by its own arm. The intercourse
between critic and publisher, as it now almost universally stands, is comprised either in
the paying and pocketing of blackmail, as the price of a simple forebearance, or in a
direct system of petty and contemptible bribery, properly so-called-a system even more
injurious than the former to the true interests of the public, and more degrading to the
buyers and sellers of good opinion, on account of the more positive character of the
service here rendered for the consideration received. We laugh at the idea of any denial of
our assertions upon this topic; they are infamously true. In the charge of general
corruption, there are undoubtedly many noble exceptions to be made. There are, indeed,
some very few editors, who, maintaining an entire independence, will receive no books
from publishers at all, or who receive them with a perfect understanding, on the part of
these latter, that an unbiassed critique will be given. But these cases are insufficient to
have much effect on the popular mistrust; a mistrust heightened by late exposure of the
machinations of coteries in New York-coteries which, at the bidding of leading
booksellers, manufacture, as required from time to time, a pseudo-public opinion by
wholesale, for the benefit of any little hanger-on of the party, or pettifogging protector of
the firm.

We speak of these things in the bitterness of scorn. It is unnecessary to cite instances,
where one is found in almost every issue of a book. It is needless to call to mind the
desperate case of Fay-a case where the pertinacity of the effort to gull-where the
obviousness of the attempt at forestalling a judgment- where the wofuUy overdone
bemirrorment of that man-of-straw, together with the pitiable platitude of his production,
proved a dose somewhat too potent for even the well-prepared stomach of the mob. We
say it is supererogatory to dwell upon "Norman Leslie," or other by-gone follies, when
we have before our eyes hourly instances of the machinations in question. To so great an
extent of methodical assurance has the system of puffery arrived, that publishers, of late,
have made no scruple of keeping on hand an assortment of commendatory notices,
prepared by their men of all work, and of sending these notices around to the
multitudinous papers within their influence, done up within the fly leaves of the book.
The grossness of these base attempts, however, has not escaped indignant rebuke from
the more honourable portion of the press; and we hail these symptoms of restiveness
under the yoke of unprincipled ignorance and quackery (strong only in combination) as
the harbinger of a better era for the interests of real merit, and of the national literature as
a whole.

It has become, indeed, the plain duty of each individual connected with our periodicals
heartily to give whatever influence he possesses to the good cause of integrity and the
truth. The results thus attainable will be found worthy his closest attention and best
efforts. We shall thus frown down all conspiracies to foist inanity upon the public
consideration at the obvious expense of every man of talent who is not a member of a
clique in power. We may even arrive in time at that desirable point from which a distinct
view of our men of letters may be obtained, and their respective pretensions adjusted by
the standard of a rigorous and self-sustaining criticism alone. That their several positions
are as yet properly settled; that the posts which a vast number of them now hold are
maintained by any better tenure than that of the chicanery upon which we have
commented, will be asserted by none but the ignorant, or the parties who have best right
to feel an interest in the "good old condition of things." No two matters can be more
radically different than the reputation of some of our prominent litterateurs as gathered
from the mouths of the people (who glean it from the paragraphs of the papers), and the
same reputation as deduced from the private estimate of intelligent and educated men.
We do not advance this fact as a new discovery. Its truth, on the contrary, is the subject,
and has long been so, of every-day witticism and mirth.

Why not? Surely there can be few things more ridiculous than the general character and
assumptions of the ordinary critical notices of new books! An editor, sometimes without
the shadow of the commonest attainment-often without brains, always without time-does
not scruple to give the world to understand that he is in the daily habit of critically
reading and deciding upon a flood of publications, one-tenth of whose title pages he may
possibly have turned over, three-fourths of whose contents would be Hebrew to his most
desperate efforts at comprehension, and whose entire mass and amount, as might be
mathematically demonstrated, would be sufficient to occupy, in the most cursory perusal,
the attention of some ten or twenty readers for a month! What he wants in plausibility,
however, he makes up in obsequiousness; what he lacks in time he supplies in temper. He

is the most easily pleased man in the world. He admires everything, from the big
Dictionary of Noah Webster to the last diamond edition of Tom Thumb. Indeed, his sole
difficulty is in finding tongue to express his delight. Every pamphlet is a miracle- every
book in boards is an epoch in letters. His phrases, therefore, get bigger and bigger every
day, and, if it were not for talking Cockney, we might call him a "regular swell."

Yet, in the attempt at getting definite information in regard to any one portion of our
literature, the merely general reader, or the foreigner, will turn in vain from the lighter to
the heavier journals. But it is not our intention here to dwell upon the radical, antique,
and systematized rigmarole of our Quarterlies. The articles here are anonymous. Who
writes?-who causes to be written? Who but an ass will put faith in tirades which may be
the result of personal hostility, or in panegyrics which nine times out of ten may be laid,
directly or indirectly, to the charge of the author himself? It is in the favour of these
saturnine pamphlets that they contain, now and then, a good essay de omnibus rebus et
quibusdam aliis, which may be looked into, without decided somnolent consequences, at
any period, not immediately subsequent to dinner. But it is useless to expect criticism
from periodicals called "Reviews" from never reviewing. Besides, all men know, or
should know, that these books are sadly given to verbiage. It is a part of their nature, a
condition of their being, a point of their faith. A veteran reviewer loves the safety of
generalities and is therefore rarely particular. "Words, words, words," are the secret of his
strength. He has one or two ideas of his own and is both wary and fussy in giving them
out. His wit lies, with his truth, in a well, and there is always a world of trouble in getting
it up. He is a sworn enemy to all things simple and direct. He gives no ear to the advice of
the giant Moulineau-"Belier, mon ami commencez au commencement." He either jumps
at once into the middle of his subject, or breaks in at a back door, or sidles up to it with
the gait of a crab. No other mode of approach has an air of sufficient profundity. When
fairly into it, however, he becomes dazzled with the scintillations of his own wisdom, and
is seldom able to see his way out. Tired of laughing at his antics, or frightened at seeing
him flounder, the reader, at length, shuts him up, with the book. "What song the Syrens
sang," says Sir Thomas Browne, "or what name Achilles assumed when he hid himself
among women, though puzzling questions, are not beyond all conjecture" ;-but it would
puzzle Sir Thomas, backed by Achilles and all the Syrens in Heathendom, to say, in nine
cases out of ten, what is the object of a thoroughgoing Quarterly Reviewer.

Should the opinions promulgated by our press at large be taken, in their wonderful
aggregate, as an evidence of what American literature absolutely is (and it may be said
that, in general, they are really so taken), we shall find ourselves the most enviable set of
people upon the face of the earth. Our fine writers are legion. Our very atmosphere is
redolent of genius; and we, the nation, are a huge, well-contented chameleon, grown
pursy by inhaling it. We are teretes et rotundi-en wrapped in excellence. All our poets are
Milton neither mute nor inglorious; all our poetesses are "American Hemanses"; nor will
it do to deny that all our novelists are Great Knowns or Great Unknowns, and that
everybody who writes, in every possible and impossible department, is the Admirable
Crichton, or, at least, the Admirable Crichton's ghost. We are thus in a glorious condition,
and will remain so until forced to disgorge our ethereal honours. In truth there is some
danger that the jealousy of the Old World will interfere. It cannot long submit to that

outrageous monopoly of "all the decency and all the talent," of which the gentlemen of
the press give such undoubted assurance of our being the possessors.

But we feel angry with ourselves for the jesting tone of our observations upon this topic.
The prevalence of the spirit of puffery is a subject far less for merriment than for disgust.
Its truckling, yet dogmatical character-its bold, unsustained, yet self-sufficient and
wholesale laudation-is becoming, more and more, an insult to the common sense of the
community. Trivial as it essentially is, it has yet been made the instrument of the grossest
abuse in the elevation of imbecility, to the manifest injury, to the utter ruin, of true merit.
Is there any man of good feeling and of ordinary understanding-is there one single
individual among all our readers-who does not feel a thrill of bitter indignation, apart
from any sentiment of mirth, as he calls to mind instance after instance of the purest, of
the most unadulterated quackery in letters, which has risen to a high post in the apparent
popular estimation, and which still maintains it, by the sole means of a blustering
arrogance, or of a busy wriggling conceit, or of the most barefaced plagiarism, or even
through the simple immensity of its assumptions-assumptions not only unopposed by the
press at large, but absolutely supported in proportion to the vociferous clamour with
which they are made-in exact accordance with their utter baselessness and untenability?
We should have no trouble in pointing out to-day some twenty or thirty so-called literary
personages, who, if not idiots, as we half think them, or if not hardened to all sense of
shame by a long course of disingenuousness, will now blush in the perusal of these
words, through consciousness of the shadowy nature of that purchased pedestal upon
which they stand- will now tremble in thinking of the feebleness of the breath which will
be adequate to the blowing it from beneath their feet. With the help of a hearty good will,
even we may yet tumble them down.

So firm, through a long endurance, has been the hold taken upon the popular mind (at
least so far as we may consider the popular mind reflected in ephemeral letters) by the
laudatory system which we have deprecated, that what is, in its own essence, a vice, has
become endowed with the appearance, and met with the reception of a virtue. Antiquity,
as usual, has lent a certain degree of speciousness even to the absurd. So continuously
have we puffed, that we have, at length, come to think puffing the duty, and plain
speaking the dereliction. What we began in gross error, we persist in through habit.
Having adopted, in the earlier days of our literature, the untenable idea that this literature,
as a whole, could be advanced by an indiscriminate approbation bestowed on its every
effort- having adopted this idea, we say, without attention to the obvious fact that praise
of all was bitter although negative censure to the few alone deserving, and that the only
result of the system, in the fostering way, would be the fostering of foUy-we now
continue our vile practice through the supineness of custom, even while, in our national
self-conceit, we repudiate that necessity for patronage and protection in which originated
our conduct. In a word, the press throughout the country has not been ashamed to make
head against the very few bold attempts at independence which have from time to time
been made in the face of the reigning order of things. And if in one, or perhaps two,
insulated cases, the spirit of severe truth, sustained by an unconquerable will, was not to
be so put down, then, forthwith, were private chicaneries set in motion; then was had
resort, on the part of those who considered themselves injured by the severity of criticism

(and who were so, if the just contempt of every ingenuous man is injury), resort to arts of
the most virulent indignity, to untraceable slanders, to ruthless assassination in the dark.
We say these things were done while the press in general looked on, and, with a full
understanding of the wrong perpetrated, spoke not against the wrong. The idea had
absolutely gone abroad- had grown up little by little into toleration-that attacks, however
just, upon a literary reputation, however obtained, however untenable, were well
retaliated by the basest and most unfounded traduction of personal fame. But is this an
age-is this a day-in which it can be necessary even to advert to such considerations as
that the book of the author is the property of the public, and that the issue of the book is
the throwing down of the gauntlet to the reviewer-to the reviewer whose duty is the
plainest; the duty not even of approbation, or of censure, or of silence, at his own, will
but at the sway of those sentiments and of those opinions which are derived from the
author himself, through the medium of his written and published words? True criticism is
the reflection of the thing criticized upon the spirit of the critic.

But a nos moutons-to "The Quacks of Helicon." This satire has many faults besides those
upon which we have commented. The title, for example, is not sufficiently distinctive,
although otherwise good. It does not confine the subject to American quacks, while the
work does. The two concluding lines enfeeble instead of strengthening the finale, which
would have been exceedingly pungent without them. The individual portions of the thesis
are strung together too much at random-a natural sequence is not always preserved-so
that, although the lights of the picture are often forcible, the whole has what, in artistical
parlance, is termed an accidental and spotty appearance. In truth, the parts of the poem
have evidently been composed each by each, as separate themes, and afterwards fitted
into the general satire in the best manner possible.

But a more reprehensible sin than an or than all of these is yet to be mentioned-the sin of
indiscriminate censure. Even here Mr. Wilmer has erred through imitation. He has held in
view the sweeping denunciations of the Dunciad, and of the later (abortive) satire of
Byron. No one in his senses can deny the justice of the general charges of corruption in
regard to which we have just spoken from the text of our author. But are there no
exceptions? We should, indeed, blush if there were not. And is there no hope? Time will
show. We cannot do everything in a day-Non se gano Zonora en un ora. Again, it cannot
be gainsaid that the greater number of those who hold high places in our poetical
literature are absolute nincompoops-fellows alike innocent of reason and of rhyme. But
neither are we all brainless, nor is the devil himself so black as he is painted. Mr. Wilmer
must read the chapter in Rabelais's "Gargantua," "de ce qu'est signifie par les couleurs
blanc et bleu, "-for there is some difference after all. It will not do in a civilized land to
run a-muck like a Malay. Mr. Morris has written good songs. Mr. Bryant is not all a fool.
Mr. Willis is not quite an ass. Mr. Longfellow will steal, but, perhaps, he cannot help it
(for we have heard of such things), and then it must not be denied that nil tetigit quod non
omavit.

The fact is that our author, in the rank exuberance of his zeal, seems to think as little of
discrimination as the Bishop of Autun* did of the Bible. Poetical "things in general" are
the windmills at which he spurs his Rozinante. He as often tilts at what is true as at what

is false; and thus his lines are like the mirrors of the temples of Smyrna, which represent
the fairest images as deformed. But the talent, the fearlessness, and especially the design
of this book, will suffice to preserve it from that dreadful damnation of "silent contempt,"
to which editors throughout the country, if we are not much mistaken, will endeavour,
one and all to consign it.

* Talleyrand.

EXORDIUM

EXORDIUM

[Graham's Magazine, January, 1842]

IN Commencing, with the New Year, a New Volume, we shall be permitted to say a very
few words by way of exordium to our usual chapter of Reviews, or, as we should prefer
calling them, of Critical Notices. Yet we speak not for the sake of the exordium, but
because we have really something to say, and know not when or where better to say it.

That the public attention, in America, has, of late days, been more than usually directed
to the matter of literary criticism, is plainly apparent. Our periodicals are beginning to
acknowledge the importance of the science (shall we so term it?) and to disdain the
flippant opinion which so long has been made its substitute.

Time was when we imported our critical decisions from the mother country. For many
years we enacted a perfect farce of subserviency to the dicta of Great Britain. At last a
revulsion of feeling, with self-disgust, necessarily ensued. Urged by these, we plunged
into the opposite extreme. In throwing totally off that "authority," whose voice had so
long been so sacred, we even surpassed, and by much, our original folly. But the
watchword now was, "a national literature! "-as, if any true literature could be "national"-
as if the world at large were not the only proper stage for the literary histrio. We became,
suddenly, the merest and maddest partizans in letters. Our papers spoke of "tariffs" and
"protection." Our Magazines had habitual passages about that "truly native novelist, Mr.
Cooper," or that "staunch American genius, Mr. Paulding." Unmindful of the spirit of the
axioms that "a prophet has no honor in his own land" and that "a hero is never a hero to
his valet-de-chambre"-axioms founded in reason and in truth-our reviews urged the
propriety-our booksellers the necessity, of strictly "American" themes. A foreign subject,
at this epoch, was a weight more than enough to drag down into the very depths of
critical damnation the finest writer owning nativity in the States; while, on the reverse,
we found ourselves daily in the paradoxical dilemma of liking, or pretending to like, a
stupid book the better because (sure enough) its stupidity was of our own growth, and
discussed our own affairs.

It is, in fact, but very lately that this anomalous state of feeling has shown any signs of
subsidence. Still it is subsiding. Our views of literature in general having expanded, we
begin to demand the use- to inquire into the offices and provinces of criticism-to regard it

more as an art based immovably in nature, less as a mere system of fluctuating and
conventional dogmas. And, with the prevalence of these ideas, has arrived a distaste even
to the home-dictation of the bookseller-coteries. If our editors are not as yet all
independent of the will of a publisher, a majority of them scruple, at least, to confess a
subservience, and enter into no positive combinations against the minority who despise
and discard it. And this is a very great improvement of exceedingly late date.

Escaping these quicksands, our criticism is nevertheless in some danger-some very little
danger-of falling into the pit of a most detestable species of cant-the cant of generality.
This tendency has been given it, in the first instance, by the onward and tumultuous spirit
of the age. With the increase of the thinking-material comes the desire, if not the
necessity, of abandoning particulars for masses. Yet in our individual case, as a nation,
we seem merely to have adopted this bias from the British Quarterly Reviews, upon
which our own Quarterlies have been slavishly and pertinaciously modelled. In the
foreign journal, the review or criticism properly so termed, has gradually yet steadily
degenerated into what we see it at present-that is to say, into anything but criticism.
Originally a "review" was not so called as lucus a non lucendo. Its name conveyed a just
idea of its design. It reviewed, or surveyed the book whose title formed its text, and,
giving an analysis of its contents, passed judgment upon its merits or defects. But,
through the system of anonymous contribution, this natural process lost ground from day
to day. The name of a writer being known only to a few, it became to him an object not
so much to write well, as to write fluently, at so many guineas per sheet. The analysis of a
book is a matter of time and of mental exertion. For many classes of composition there is
required a deliberate perusal, with notes, and subsequent generalization. An easy
substitute for this labor was found in a digest or compendium of the work noticed, with
copious extracts-or a still easier, in random comments upon such passages as
accidentally met the eye of the critic, with the passages themselves copied at full length.
The mode of reviewing most in favor, however, because carrying with it the greatest
semblance of care, was that of diffuse essay upon the subject matter of the publication,
the reviewer(?) using the facts alone which the publication supplied, and using them as
material for some theory, the sole concern, bearing, and intention of which, was mere
difference of opinion with the author. These came at length to be understood and
habitually practised as the customary or conventional fashions of review; and although
the nobler order of intellects did not fall into the full heresy of these fashions-we may
still assert that even Macaulay's nearest approach to criticism in its legitimate sense, is to
be found in his article upon Ranke's "History of the Popes "-an article in which the whole
strength of the reviewer is put forth to account for a single fact-the progress of
Romanism-which the book under discussion has established.

Now, while we do not mean to deny that a good essay is a good thing, we yet assert that
these papers on general topics have nothing whatever to do with that criticism which their
evil example has nevertheless infected in se. Because these dogmatizing pamphlets,
which were once "Reviews," have lapsed from their original faith, it does not follow that
the faith itself is extinct-that "there shall be no more cakes and ale"-that criticism, in its
old acceptation, does not exist. But we complain of a growing inclination on the part of
our lighter journals to believe, on such grounds, that such is the fact- that because the

British Quarterlies, through supineness, and our own, through a degrading imitation, have
come to merge all varieties of vague generalization in the one title of "Review," it
therefore results that criticism, being everything in the universe, is, consequently, nothing
whatever in fact. For to this end, and to none other conceivable, is the tendency of such
propositions, for example, as we find in a late number of that very clever monthly
magazine, Arcturus.

"But now" (the emphasis on the now is our own)-"but now," says Mr. Mathews, in the
preface to the first volume of his journal, "criticism has a wider scope and a universal
interest. It dismisses errors of grammer, and hands over an imperfect rhyme or a false
quantity to the proofreader; it looks now to the heart of the subject and the author's
design. It is a test of opinion. Its acuteness is not pedantic, but philosophical; it unravels
the web of the author's mystery to interpret his meaning to others; it detects his sophistry,
because sophistry is injurious to the heart and life; it promulgates his beauties with
liberal, generous praise, because this is his true duty as the servant of truth. Good
criticism may be well asked for, since it is the type of the literature of the day. It gives
method to the universal inquisitiveness on every topic relating to life or action. A
criticism, now, includes every form of literature, except perhaps the imaginative and the
strictly dramatic. It is an essay, a sermon, an oration, a chapter in history, a philosophical
speculation, a prose-poem, an art-novel, a dialogue, it admits of humor, pathos, the
personal feelings of autobiography, the broadest views of statesmanship. As the ballad
and the epic were the productions of the days of Homer, the review is the native
characteristic growth of the nineteenth century."

We respect the talents of Mr. Mathews, but must dissent from nearly all that he here says.
The species of "review" which he designates as the "characteristic growth of the
nineteenth century" is only the growth of the last twenty or thirty years in Great Britain.
The French Reviews, for example, which are not anonymous, are very different things,
and preserve the unique spirit of true criticism. And what need we say of the Germans?-
what of Winckelmann, of Novalis, of ScheUing, of Goethe, of Augustus WiUiam, and of
Frederick Schlegel?-that their magnificent critiques raisonnees differ from those of
Kames, of Johnson, and of Blair, in principle not at all, (for the principles of these artists
will not fail until Nature herself expires,) but solely in their more careful elaboration,
their greater thoroughness, their more profound analysis and application of the principles
themselves. That a criticism "now" should be different in spirit, as Mr. Mathews
supposes, from a criticism at any previous period, is to insinuate a charge of variability in
laws that cannot vary-the laws of man's heart and intellect-for these are the sole basis,
upon which the true critical art is established. And this art "now" no more than in the
days of the "Dunciad," can, without neglect of its duty, "dismiss errors of grammar," or
"hand over an imperfect rhyme or a false quantity to the proof-reader." What is meant by
a "test of opinion" in the connection here given the words by Mr. M., we do not
comprehend as clearly as we could desire. By this phrase we are as completely enveloped
in doubt as was Mirabeau in the castle of If. To our imperfect appreciation it seems to
form a portion of that general vagueness which is the tone of the whole philosophy at this
point:- but all that which our journalist describes a criticism to be, is all that which we
sturdily maintain it is not. Criticism is not, we think, an essay, nor a sermon, nor an

oration, nor a chapter in history, nor a philosophical speculation, nor a prose-poem, nor
an art-novel, nor a dialogue. In fact, it can be nothing in the world but-a criticism. But if
it were all that Arcturus imagines, it is not very clear why it might not be equally
"imaginative, or "dramatic"- a romance or a melodrama, or both. That it would be a farce
cannot be doubted.

It is against this frantic spirit of generalization that we protest. We have a word,
"criticism," whose import is sufficiently distinct, through long usage, at least, and we
have an art of high importance and clearly ascertained limit, which this word is quite well
enough understood to represent. Of that conglomerate science to which Mr. Mathews so
eloquently alludes, and of which we are instructed that it is anything and everything at
once-of this science we know nothing, and really wish to know less; but we object to our
contemporary's appropriation in its behalf, of a term to which we, in common with a large
majority of mankind, have been accustomed to attach a certain and very definitive idea. Is
there no word but "criticism" which may be made to serve the purposes of "Arcturus"?
Has it any objection to Orphicism, or Dialism, or Emersonism, or any other pregnant
compound indicative of confusion worse confounded?

Still, we must not pretend a total misapprehension of the idea of Mr. Mathews, and we
should be sorry that he misunderstood us. It may be granted that we differ only in terms-
although the difference will yet be found not unimportant in effect. Following the highest
authority, we would wish, in a word, to limit literary criticism to comment upon Art. A
book is written-and it is only as the book that we subject it to review. With the opinions
of the work, considered otherwise than in their relation to the work itself, the critic has
really nothing to do. It is his part simply to decide upon the mode in which these opinions
are brought to bear. Criticism is thus no "test of opinion." For this test, the work, divested
of its pretensions as an art-product, is turned over for discussion to the world at large- and
first, to that class which it especially addresses-if a history, to the historian-if a
metaphysical treatise, to the moralist. In this, the only true and intelligible sense, it will
be seen that criticism, the test or analysis of Art, (not of opinion,) is only properly
employed upon productions which have their basis in art itself, and although the
journalist (whose duties and objects are multiform) may turn aside, at pleasure, from the
mode or vehicle of opinion to discussion of the opinion conveyed-it is still clear that he is
"critical" only in so much as he deviates from his true province not at all.

And of the critic himself what shall we say?-for as yet we have spoken only the proem to
the true epopea. What can we better say of him than, with Bulwer, that "he must have
courage to blame boldly, magnanimity to eschew envy, genius to appreciate, learning to
compare, an eye for beauty, an ear for music, and a heart for feeling." Let us add, a talent
for analysis and a solemn indifference to abuse.

BALLADS AND OTHER POEMS

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, author of "Voices of the Night,"

"Hyperion," &c. Second edition. John Owen, Cambridge.

"IL Y A A PARIER," says Chamfort, "que toute idee publique, toute convention recue,
est une sottise, car elle a convenu au plus grand notore."-One would be safe in wagering
that any given public idea is erroneous, for it has been yielded to the clamor of the
majority -and this strictly philosophical, although somewhat French assertion has
especial bearing upon the whole race of what are termed maxims and popular proverbs;
nine-tenths of which are the quintessence of folly. One of the most deplorably false of
them is the antique adage, De gustibus non est disputandum-there should be no disputing
about taste. Here the idea designed to be conveyed is that any one person has as just right
to consider his own taste the true, as has any one other-that taste itself, in short, is an
arbitrary something, amenable to no law, and measurable by no definite rules. It must be
confessed, however, that the exceedingly vague and impotent treatises which are alone
extant, have much to answer for as regards confirming the general error. Not the least
important service which, hereafter, mankind will owe to Phrenology, may, perhaps, be
recognized in an analysis of the real principles, and a digest of the resulting laws of taste.
These principles, in fact, are as clearly traceable, and these laws as really susceptible of
system as are any whatever.

In the meantime, the inane adage above mentioned is in no respect more generally, more
stupidly, and more pertinaciously quoted than by the admirers of what is termed the
"good old Pope," or the "good old Goldsmith school" of poetry, in reference to the
bolder, more natural and more ideal compositions of such authors as Coetlogon and
Lamartine* in France; Herder, Korner, and Uhland, in Germany; Brun and Baggesen in
Denmark; Bellman, Tegner, Nyberg*(2) in Sweden; Keats, Shelley, Coleridge, and
Tennyson in England; Lowell and Longfellow in America. "De gustibus non," say these
"good-old school" fellows; and we have no doubt that their mental translation of the
phrase is- "We pity your taste-we pity every body's taste but our own."

* We allude here chiefly to the "David" of Coetlogon and only to the "Chute d'un Ange"
of Lamartine.

*(2) Julia Nyberg, author of the "Dikter von Euphrosyne."

It is our purpose hereafter, when occasion shall be afforded us, to controvert in an article
of some length, the popular idea that the poets, just mentioned owe to novelty, to
trickeries of expression, and to other meretricious effects, their appreciation by certain
readers:-to demonstrate (for the matter is susceptible of demonstration) that such poetry
and such alone has fulfilled the legitimate office of the muse; has thoroughly satisfied an
earnest and unquenchable desire existing in the heart of man. In the present number of
our Magazine we have left ourselves barely room to say a few random words of welcome
to these "Ballads," by Longfellow, and to tender him, and all such as he, the homage of
our most earnest love and admiration.

The volume before us (in whose outward appearance the keen "taste" of genius is evinced
with nearly as much precision as in its internal soul) includes, with several brief original
pieces, a translation from the Swedish of Tegner. In attempting (what never should be
attempted) a literal version of both the words and the metre of this poem. Professor

Longfellow has failed to do justice either to his author or himself. He has striven to do
what no man ever did well and what, from the nature of the language itself, never can be
well done. Unless, for example, we shall come to have an influx of spondees in our
English tongue, it will always be impossible to construct an English hexameter. Our
spondees, or, we should say, our spondiac words, are rare. In the Swedish they are nearly
as abundant as in the Latin and Greek. We have only "compound," "context," "footfall,"
and a few other similar ones. This is the difficulty; and that it is so will become evident
upon reading "The Children of the Lord's Supper," where the sole readable verses are
those in which we meet with the rare spondaic dissyllables. We mean to say readable as
Hexameters; for many of them will read very well as mere English Dactylics, with certain
irregularities.

But within the narrow compass now left us we must not indulge in anything like critical
comment. Our readers will be better satisfied perhaps with a few brief extracts from the
original poems of the volume-which we give for their rare excellence, without pausing
now to say in what particulars this excellence exists.

And, like the water's flow

Under December's snow

Came a dull voice of woe.

From the heart's chamber.

So the loud laugh of scorn.

Out of those lips unshorn

From the deep drinking-horn

Blew the foam lightly.

As with his wings aslant

Sails the fierce cormorant

Seeking some rocky haunt.

With his prey laden.

So toward the open main.

Beating to sea again.

Through the wild hurricane.

Bore I the maiden.

Down came the storm and smote amain

The vessel in its strength;

She shuddered and paused like a frighted steed

Then leaped her cable's length.

She drifted a dreary wreck.

And a whooping billow swept the crew

Like icicles from her deck.

He hears the parson pray and preach

He hears his daughter's voice.

Singing in the village choir.

And it makes his heart rejoice;

It sounds to him like her mother's voice

Singing in Paradise!

He needs must think of her once more

How in the grave she lies;

And with his hard rough hand he wipes

A tear out of his eyes.

Thus the flaming forge of life

Our fortunes must be wrought;

Thus on its sounding anvil shaped

Each burning deed and thought.

The rising moon has hid the stars

Her level rays like golden bars

Lie on the landscape green

With shadows brown between.

Love lifts the boughs whose shadows deep

Are life's oblivion, the soul's sleep,

And kisses the closed eyes

Of him who slumbering lies.

Friends my soul with joy remembers!

How like quivering flames they start.

When I fan the living embers

On the hearth-stone of my heart.

Hearest thou voices on the shore.

That our ears perceive no more

Deafened by the cataract's roar?

And from the sky, serene and far

A voice fell like a falling star.

Some of these passages cannot be fully appreciated apart from the context-but we
address those who have read the book. Of the translations we have not spoken. It is but
right to say, however, that "The Luck of Edenhall" is a far finer poem, in every respect
than any of the original pieces. Nor would we have our previous observations
misunderstood. Much as we admire the genius of Mr. Longfellow, we are fully sensible
of his many errors of affectation and imitation. His artistical skill is great and his ideality
high. But his conception of the aims of poesy is all wrong, and this we shall prove at
some future day-to our own satisfaction, at least. His didactics are all out of place. He
has written brilliant poems-by accident; that is to say when permitting his genius to get
the better of his conventional habit of thinking-a habit deduced from German study. We
do not mean to say that a didactic moral may not be well made the under-current of a
poetical thesis; but that it can never be well put so obtrusively forth, as in the majority of
his compositions. There is a young American who, with ideality not richer than that of
Longfellow, and with less artistical knowledge, has yet composed far truer poems, merely
through the greater propriety of his themes. We allude to James Russell Lowell; and in
the number of this Magazine for last month, will be found a ballad entitled "Rosaline,"
affording an excellent exemplification of our meaning. This composition has
unquestionably its defects, and the very defects which are not perceptible in Mr.
Longfellow-but we sincerely think that no American poem equals it in the higher
elements of song.

In our last number we had some hasty observations on these "Ballads'-observations
which we propose, in some measure, to amplify and explain.

It may be remembered that, among other points, we demurred to Mr. Longfellow's
themes, or rather to their general character. We found fault with the too obtrusive nature
of their didacticism. Some years ago, we urged a similar objection to one or two of the
longer pieces of Bryant, and neither time nor reflection has sufficed to modify, in the
slightest particular, our conviction upon this topic.

We have said that Mr. Longfellow's conception of the aims of poesy is erroneous; and
that thus, labouring at a disadvantage, he does violent wrong to his own high powers; and
now the question is. What are his ideas of the aims of the Muse, as we gather these ideas
from the general tendency of his poems? It will be at once evident that, imbued with the
peculiar spirit of German song (a pure conventionality), he regards the inculcation of a
moral as essential. Here we find it necessary to repeat that we have reference only to the
general tendency of his compositions; for there are some magnificent exceptions, where,
as if by accident, he has permitted his genius to get the better of his conventional
prejudice. But didacticism is the prevalent tone of his song. His invention, his imagery,
his all, is made subservient to the elucidation of some one or more points (but rarely of
more than one) which he looks upon as truth. And that this mode of procedure will find
stern defenders should never excite surprise, so long as the world is full to overflowing
with cant and conventicles. There are men who will scramble on all fours through the
muddiest sloughs of vice to pick up a single apple of virtue. There are things called men
who, so long as the sun rolls, will greet with snuffling huzzas every figure that takes upon
itself the semblance of truth, even although the figure, in itself only a "stuffed Paddy," be
as much out of place as a toga on the statue of Washington, or out of season as rabbits in
the days of the dog- star.

Now, with as deep a reverence for "the true" as ever inspired the bosom of mortal man,
we would limit, in many respects, its modes of inculcation. We would limit, to enforce
them. We would not render them impotent by dissipation. The demands of truth are
severe. She has no sympathy with the myrtles. All that is indispensable in song is all with
which she has nothing to do. To deck her in gay robes is to render her a harlot. It is but
making her a flaunting paradox to wreathe her in gems and flowers. Even in stating this
our present proposition, we verify our own words-we feel the necessity, in enforcing this
truth, of descending from metaphor. Let us then be simple and distinct. To convey "the
true" we are required to dismiss from the attention all inessentials. We must be
perspicuous, precise, terse. We need concentration rather than expansion of mind. We
must be calm, unimpassioned, unexcited-in a word, we must be in that peculiar mood
which, as nearly as possible, is the exact converse of the poetical. He must be blind
indeed who cannot perceive the radical and chasmal difference between the truthful and
the poetical modes of inculcation. He must be grossly wedded to conventionalisms who,
in spite of this difference, shall still attempt to reconcile the obstinate oils and waters of
Poetry and Truth.

Dividing the world of mind into its most obvious and immediately recognisable
distinctions, we have the pure intellect, taste and the moral sense. We place taste between
the intellect and the moral sense, because it is just this intermediate space which, in the
mind, it occupies. It is the connecting link in the triple chain.

It serves to sustain a mutual intelligence between the extremes. It appertains, in strict
appreciation, to the former, but is distinguished from the latter by so faint a difference
that Aristotle has not hesitated to class some of its operations among the Virtues
themselves. But the offices of the trio are broadly marked. Just as conscience, or the
moral sense, recognises duty; just as the intellect deals with truth; so is it the part of taste
alone to inform us BEAUTY. And Poesy is the handmaiden but of Taste. Yet we would
not be misunderstood. This handmaiden is not forbidden to moralise-in her own fashion.
She is not forbidden to depict-but to reason and preach of virtue. As of this latter,
conscience recognises the obligation, so intellect teaches the expediency, while taste
contents herself with displaying the beauty; waging war with vice merely on the ground
of its inconsistency with fitness, harmony, proportion-in a word with-'to kalon.'

An important condition of man's immortal nature is thus, plainly, the sense of the
Beautiful. This it is which ministers to his delight in the manifold forms and colours and
sounds and sentiments amid which he exists. And, just as the eyes of Amaryllis are
repeated in the mirror, or the living lily in the lake, so is the mere record of these forms
and colours and sounds and sentiments-so is their mere oral or written repetition a
duplicate source of delight. But this repetition is not Poesy. He who shall merely sing
with whatever rapture, in however harmonious strains, or with however vivid a truth of
imitation, of the sights and sounds which greet him in common with all mankind-he, we
say, has yet failed to prove his divine title. There is still a longing unsatisfied, which he
has been impotent to fulfil. There is still a thirst unquenchable, which to allay he has
shown us no crystal springs. This burning thirst belongs to the immortal essence of man's
nature. It is equally a consequence and an indication of his perennial life. It is the desire
of the moth for the star. It is not the mere appreciation of the beauty before us. It is a wild
effort to reach the beauty above. It is a forethought of the loveliness to come. It is a
passion to be satiated by no sublunary sights, or sounds, or sentiments, and the soul thus
athirst strives to allay its fever in futile efforts at creation. Inspired with a prescient
ecstasy of the beauty beyond the grave, it struggles by multiform novelty of combination
among the things and thoughts of Time, to anticipate some portion of that loveliness
whose very elements, perhaps, appertain solely to Eternity, and the result of such effort,
on the part of souls fittingly constituted, is alone what mankind have agreed to
denominate Poetry.

We say this with little fear of contradiction. Yet the spirit of our assertion must be more
heeded than the letter. Mankind have seemed to define Poesy in a thousand, and in a
thousand conflicting, definitions. But the war is one only of words. Induction is as well
applicable to this subject as to the most palpable and utilitarian; and by its sober
processes we find that, in respect to compositions which have been really received as
poems, the imaginative, or, more popularly, the creative portions alone have ensured
them to be so received. Yet these works, on account of these portions, having once been

so received and so named, it has happened naturally and inevitably, that other portions
totally unpoetic have not only come to be regarded by the popular voice as poetic, but
have been made to serve as false standards of perfection in the adjustment of other
poetical claims. Whatever has been found in whatever has been received as a poem, has
been blindly regarded as ex statu poetic. And this is a species of gross error which
scarcely could have made its way into any less intangible topic. In fact that license which
appertains to the Muse herself, it has been thought decorous, if not sagacious, to indulge
in all examination of her character.

Poesy is thus seen to be a response-unsatisfactory it is true- but still in some measure a
response, to a natural and irrepressible demand. Man being what he is, the time could
never have been in which poesy was not. Its first element is the thirst for supernal
BEAUTY-a beauty which is not afforded the soul by any existing collocation of earth's
forms-a beauty which, perhaps, no possible combination of these forms would fully
produce. Its second element is the attempt to satisfy this thirst by novel combinations
among those forms of beauty which already exist-or by novel combinations of those
combinations which our predecessors, toiling in chase of the same phantom have already
set in order. We thus clearly deduce the novelty, the originality, the invention, the
imagination, or lastly the creation of BEAUTY (for the terms as here employed are
synonymous), as the essence of all Poesy. Nor is this idea so much at variance with
ordinary opinion as, at first sight, it may appear. A multitude of antique dogmas on this
topic will be found when divested of extrinsic speculation, to be easily resoluble into the
definition now proposed. We do nothing more than present tangibly the vague clouds of
the world's idea. We recognize the idea itself floating, unsettled, indefinite, in every
attempt which has yet been made to circumscribe the conception of "Poesy" in words. A
striking instance of this is observable in the fact that no definition exists in which either
the "beautiful," or some one of those qualities which we have mentioned above
designated synonymously with "creation," has not been pointed out as the chief attribute
of the Muse. "Invention," however, or "imagination," is by far more commonly insisted
upon. The word poiesis itself (creation) speaks volumes upon this point. Neither will it be
amiss here to mention Count Bielfeld's definition of poetry as "L'art d'exprimer les
pensees par la fiction." With this definition (of which the philosophy is profound to a
certain extent) the German terms Dichtkunst, the art of fiction, and Dichten, to feign,
which are used for "poetry" and "to make verses," are in full and remarkable accordance.
It is, nevertheless, in the combination of the two omniprevalent ideas that the novelty
and, we believe, the force of our own proposition is to be found.

So far we have spoken of Poesy as of an abstraction alone. As such, it is obvious that it
may be applicable in various moods. The sentiment may develop itself in Sculpture, in
Painting, in Music, or otherwise. But our present business is with its development in
words-that development to which, in practical acceptation, the world has agreed to limit
the term. And at this point there is one consideration which induces us to pause. We
cannot make up our minds to admit (as some have admitted) the inessentiality of rhythm.
On the contrary, the universality of its use in the earliest poetical efforts of all mankind
would be sufficient to assure us, not merely of its congeniality with the Muse, or of its
adaptation to her purposes, but of its elementary and indispensable importance. But here

we must, perforce, content ourselves with mere suggestion; for this topic is of a character
which would lead us too far. We have already spoken of Music as one of the moods of
poetical development. It is in Music, perhaps, that the soul most nearly attains that end
upon which we have commented-the creation of supernal beauty. It may be, indeed, that
this august aim is here even partially or imperfectly attained, in fact. The elements of that
beauty which is felt in sound, may be the mutual or common heritage of Earth and
Heaven. In the soul's struggles at combination it is thus not impossible that a harp may
strike notes not unfamiliar to the angels. And in this view the wonder may well be less
that all attempts at defining the character or sentiment of the deeper musical impressions
have been found absolutely futile. Contenting ourselves, therefore, with the firm
conviction that music (in its modifications of rhythm and rhyme) is of so vast a moment
in Poesy as never to be neglected by him who is truly poetical-is of so mighty a force in
furthering the great aim intended that he is mad who rejects its assistance-content with
this idea we shall not pause to maintain its absolute essentiality, for the mere sake of
rounding a definition. We will but add, at this point, that the highest possible
development of the Poetical Sentiment is to be found in the union of song with music, in
its popular sense. The old Bards and Minnesingers possessed, in the fullest perfection, the
finest and truest elements of Poesy; and Thomas Moore, singing his own ballads, is but
putting the final touch to their completion as poems.

To recapitulate, then, we would define in brief the Poetry of words as the Rhythmical
Creation of Beauty. Beyond the limits of Beauty its province does not extend. Its sole
arbiter is Taste. With the Intellect or with the Conscience it has only collateral relations.
It has no dependence, unless incidentally, upon either Duty or Truth. That our definition
will necessarily exclude much of what, through a supine toleration, has been hitherto
ranked as poetical, is a matter which affords us not even momentary concern. We address
but the thoughtful, and heed only their approval-with our own. If our suggestions are
truthful, then "after many days" shall they be understood as truth, even though found in
contradiction of all that has been hitherto so understood. If false, shall we not be the first
to bid them die?

We would reject, of course, all such matters as "Armstrong on Health," a revolting
production; Pope's "Essay on Man," which may well be content with the title of an
"Essay in Rhyme"; "Hudibras," and other merely humorous pieces. We do not gainsay
the peculiar merits of either of these latter compositions-but deny them the position they
have held. In a notice of Brainard's Poems, we took occasion to show that the common
use of a certain instrument (rhythm) had tended, more than aught else, to confound
humorous verse with poetry. The observation is now recalled to corroborate what we
have just said in respect to the vast effect or force of melody in itself-an effect which
could elevate into even momentary confusion with the highest efforts of mind,
compositions such as are the greater number of satires or burlesques.

Of the poets who have appeared most fully instinct with the principles now developed,
we may mention Keats as the most remarkable. He is the sole British poet who has never
erred in his themes. Beauty is always his aim.

We have thus shown our ground of objection to the general themes of Professor
Longfellow. In common with all who claim the sacred title of poet, he should limit his
endeavours to the creation of novel moods of beauty, in form, in colour, in sound, in
sentiment; for over all this wide range has the poetry of words dominion. To what the
world terms prose may be safely and properly left all else. The artist who doubts of his
thesis, may always resolve his doubt by the single question-"might not this matter be as
well or better handled in prose?" If it may, then is it no subject for the Muse. In the
general acceptation of the term Beauty we are content to rest, being careful only to
suggest that, in our peculiar views, it must be understood as inclusive of the sublime.

Of the pieces which constitute the present volume there are not more than one or two
thoroughly fulfilling the idea above proposed; although the volume as a whole is by no
means so chargeable with didacticism as Mr. Longfellow's previous book. We would
mention as poems nearly true, "The Village Blacksmith," "The Wreck of the Hesperus,"
and especially "The Skeleton in Armor." In the first- mentioned we have the beauty of
simple-mindedness as a genuine thesis; and this thesis is inimitably handled until the
concluding stanza, where the spirit of legitimate poesy is aggrieved in the pointed
antithetical deduction of a moral from what has gone before. In "The Wreck of the
Hesperus" we have the beauty of child-like confidence and innocence, with that of the
father's courage and affection. But, with slight exception, those particulars of the storm
here detailed are not poetic subjects. Their thrilling horror belongs to prose, in which it
could be far more effectively discussed, as Professor Longfellow may assure himself at
any moment by experiment. There are points of a tempest which afford the loftiest and
truest poetical themes-points in which pure beauty is found, or, better still, beauty
heightened into the sublime, by terror. But when we read, among other similar things,
that

The salt sea was frozen on her breast.
The salt tears in her eyes.

we feel, if not positive disgust, at least a chilling sense of the inappropriate. In "The
Skeleton in Armor" we find a pure and perfect thesis artistically treated. We find the
beauty of bold courage and self-confidence, of love and maiden devotion, of reckless
adventure, and finally the life-contemning grief. Combined with all this, we have
numerous points of beauty apparently insulated, but all aiding the main effect or
impression. The heart is stirred, and the mind does not lament its malinstruction. The
metre is simple, sonorous, well-balanced, and fully adapted to the subject. Upon the
whole, there are few truer poems than this. It has not one defect-an important one. The
prose remarks prefacing the narrative are really necessary. But every work of art should
contain within itself all that is requisite for its own comprehension. And this remark is
especially true of the ballad. In poems of magnitude the mind of the reader is not, at all
times, enabled to include, in one comprehensive survey, the proportions and proper
adjustment of the whole. He is pleased, if at all with particular passages; and the sum of
his pleasure is compounded of the sums of the pleasurable sentiments inspired by these
individual passages in the progress of perusal. But, in pieces of less extent, the pleasure is
unique, in the proper acceptation of this term-the understanding is employed, without

difficulty, in the contemplation of the picture as a whole; and thus its effect will depend,
in great measure, upon the perfection of its finish, upon the nice adaptation of its
constituent parts, and especially, upon what is rightly termed by Schlegel the unity or
totality of interest. But the practice of prefixing explanatory passages is utterly at
variance with such unity. By the prefix, we are either put in possession of the subject of
the poem, or some hint, historic fact, or suggestion, is thereby afforded, not included in
the body of the piece, which, without the hint, is incomprehensible. In the latter case,
while perusing the poem, the reader must revert, in mind at, least, to the prefix, for the
necessary explanation. In the former, the poem being a mere paraphrase of the prefix, the
interest is divided between the prefix and the paraphrase. In either instance the totality of
effect is destroyed.

Of the other original poems in the volume before us there is none in which the aim of
instruction, or truth, has not been too obviously substituted for the legitimate aim, beauty.
We have heretofore taken occasion to say that a didactic moral might be happily made
the under-current of a poetical theme, and we have treated this point at length in a review
of Moore's "Alciphron"; but the moral thus conveyed is invariably an ill effect when
obtruding beyond the upper-current of the thesis itself. Perhaps the worst specimen of this
obtrusion is given us by our poet in "Blind Bartimeus" and the "Goblet of Life," where it
will be observed that the sole interest of the upper-current of meaning depends upon its
relation or reference to the under. What we read upon the surface would be vox et
praeterea nihil in default of the moral beneath. The Greek finales of "Blind Bartimeus"
are an affectation altogether inexcusable. What the small, second-hand, Gibbonish
pedantry of Byron introduced, is unworthy the imitation of Longfellow.

Of the translations we scarcely think it necessary to speak at all. We regret that our poet
will persist in busying himself about such matters. His time might be better employed in
original conception. Most of these versions are marked with the error upon which we
have commented. This error is, in fact, essentially Germanic. "The Luck of Edenhall,"
however, is a truly beautiful poem; and we say this with all that deference which the
opinion of the "Democratic Review" demands. This composition appears to us one of the
very finest. It has all the free, hearty, obvious movement of the true ballad-legend. The
greatest force of language is combined in it with the richest imagination, acting in its
most legitimate province. Upon the whole, we prefer it even to the "Sword-Song" of
Komer. The pointed moral with which it terminates is so exceedingly natural-so
perfectly fluent from the incidents-that we have hardly heart to pronounce it in ill-taste.
We may observe of this ballad, in conclusion, that its subject is more physical than is
usual in Germany. Its images are rich rather in physical than in moral beauty. And this
tendency in Song is the true one. It is chiefly, if we are not mistaken-it is chiefly amid
forms of physical loveliness (we use the word forms in its widest sense as embracing
modifications of sound and colour) that the soul seeks the realisation of its dreams of
BEAUTY. It is to her demand in this sense especially, that the poet, who is wise, will
most frequently and most earnestly respond.

"The Children of the Lord's Supper" is, beyond doubt, a true and most beautiful poem in
great part, while, in some particulars, it is too metaphysical to have any pretension to the

name. We have already objected, briefly, to its metre-the ordinary Latin or Greek
Hexameter-dactyls and spondees at random, with a spondee in conclusion. We maintain
that the hexameter can never be introduced into our language, from the nature of that
language itself. This rhythm demands, for English ears, a preponderance of natural
spondees. Our tongue has few. Not only does the Latin and Greek, with the Swedish, and
some others, abound in them; but the Greek and Roman ear had become reconciled (why
or how is unknown) to the reception of artificial spondees-that is to say, spondaic words
formed partly of one word and partly of another, or from an excised part of one word. In
short, the ancients were content to read as they scanned, or nearly so. It may be safely
prophesied that we shall never do this; and thus we shall never admit English hexameters.
The attempt to introduce them, after the repeated failures of Sir Philip Sidney and others,
is perhaps somewhat discreditable to the scholarship of Professor Longfellow. The
"Democratic Review," in saying that he has triumphed over difficulties in this rhythm,
has been deceived, it is evident, by the facility with which some of these verses may be
read. In glancing over the poem, we do not observe a single verse which can be read, to
English ears, as a Greek hexameter. There are many, however, which can be well read as
mere English dactylic verses; such, for example, as the well-known lines of Byron,
commencing

Know ye the / land where the / cypress and / myrtle.

These lines (although full of irregularities) are, in their perfection, formed of three dactyls
and a caesura-just as if we should cut short the initial verse of the Bucolics thus-

Tityre / tu patu / lae recu / bans-

The "myrtal," at the close of Byron's line, is a double rhyme, and must be understood as
one syllable.

Now a great number, of Professor Longfellow's hexameters are merely these dactylic
lines, continued for two feet. For example-
Whispered the / race of the / flowers and / merry on / balancing / branches.

In this example, also, "branches," which is a double ending, must be regarded as the
caesura, or one syllable, of which alone it has the force.

As we have already alluded, in one or two regards, to a notice of these poems which
appeared in the "Democratic Review," we may as well here proceed with some few
further comments upon the article in question-with whose general tenor we are happy to
agree.

The Review speaks of "Maidenhood" as a poem, "not to be understood but at the expense
of more time and trouble than a song can justly claim." We are scarcely less surprised at
this opinion from Mr. Langtree than we were at the condemnation of "The Luck of
Edenhall."

"Maidenhood" is faulty, it appears to us, only on the score of its theme, which is
somewhat didactic. Its meaning seems simplicity itself. A maiden on the verge of
womanhood hesitating to enjoy life (for which she has a strong appetite) through a false
idea of duty, is bidden to fear nothing, having purity of heart as her lion of Una.

What Mr. Langtree styles "an unfortunate peculiarity" in Mr. Longfellow, resulting from
"adherence to a false system," has really been always regarded by us as one of his
idiosyncratic merits. "In each poem," says the critic, "he has but one idea, which, in the
progress of his song, is gradually unfolded, and at last reaches its full development in the
concluding lines: this singleness of thought might lead a harsh critic to suspect
intellectual barrenness." It leads us, individually, only to a full sense of the artistical
power and knowledge of the poet. We confess that now, for the first time, we hear unity
of conception objected to as a defect. But Mr. Langtree seems to have f Allan into the
singular error of supposing the poet to have absolutely but one idea in each of his ballads.
Yet how "one idea" can be "gradually unfolded" without other ideas is, to us, a mystery
of mysteries. Mr. Longfellow, very properly, has but one leading idea which forms the
basis of his poem; but to the aid and development of this one there are innumerable
others, of which the rare excellence is that all are in keeping, that none could be well
omitted, that each tends to the one general effect. It is unnecessary to say another word
upon this topic.

In speaking of "Excelsior," Mr. Langtree (are we wrong in attributing the notice to his
very forcible pen?) seems to labour under some similar misconception. "It carries along
with it," says he, "a false moral which greatly diminishes its merit in our eyes. The great
merit of a picture, whether made with the pencil or pen, is its truth; and this merit does
not belong to Mr. Longfellow's sketch. Men of genius may, and probably do, meet with
greater difficulties in their struggles with the world than their fellow men who are less
highly gifted; but their power of overcoming obstacles is proportionately greater, and the
result of their laborious suffering is not death but immortality."

That the chief merit of a picture is its truth, is an assertion deplorably erroneous. Even in
Painting, which is, more essentially than Poetry, a mimetic art, the proposition cannot be
sustained. Truth is not even the aim. Indeed it is curious to observe how very slight a
degree of truth is sufficient to satisfy the mind, which acquiesces in the absence of
numerous essentials in the thing depicted. An outline frequently stirs the spirit more
pleasantly than the most elaborate picture. We need only refer to the compositions of
Flaxman and of Retzsch. Here all details are omitted-nothing can be farther from truth.
Without even colour the most thrilling effects are produced. In statues we are rather
pleased than disgusted with the want of the eyeball. The hair of the Venus de Medicis
was gilded. Truth indeed! The grapes of Zeuxis as well as the curtain of Parrhasius were
received as indisputable evidence of the truthful ability of these artists-but they were not
even classed among their pictures. If truth is the highest aim of either Painting or Poesy,
then Jan Steen was a greater artist than Angelo, and Crabbe is a nobler poet than Milton.

But we have not quoted the observation of Mr. Langtree to deny its philosophy; our
design was simply to show that he has misunderstood the poet. "Excelsior" has not even a

remote tendency to the interpretation assigned it by the critic. It depicts the earnest
upward impulse of the soul-an impulse not to be subdued even in Death. Despising
danger, resisting pleasure, the youth, bearing the banner inscribed "Excelsior!" (higher
stilU) struggles through all difficulties to an Alpine summit. Warned to be content with
the elevation attained, his cry is still "Excelsior!" and even in falling dead on the highest
pinnacle, his cry is still "Excelsior!" There is yet an immortal height to be surmounted-an
ascent in Eternity. The poet holds in view the idea of never-ending progress. That he is
misunderstood is rather the misfortune of Mr. Langtree tree the fault of Mr. Longfellow.
There is an old adage about the difficulty of one's furnishing an auditor both with matter
to be comprehended and brains for its comprehension.

HAWTHORNE'S TWICE-TOLD TALES

By Nathaniel Hawthorne. James Munroe & Co.: Boston

WE HAVE always regarded the Tale (using this word in its popular acceptation) as
affording the best prose opportunity for display of the highest talent. It has peculiar
advantages which the novel does not admit. It is, of course, a far finer field than the
essay. It has even points of superiority over the poem. An accident has deprived us, this
month, of our customary space for review, and thus nipped in the bud a design long
cherished of treating this subject in detail; taking Mr. Hawthorne's volumes as a text. In
May we shall endeavor to carry out our intention. At present we are forced to be brief.

With rare exception-in the case of Mr. Irving's "Tales of a Traveller" and a few other
works of a like cast-we have had no American tales of high merit. We have had no
skilful compositions- nothing which could bear examination as works of art. Of twaddle
called tale-writing we have had, perhaps more than enough. We have had a
superabundance of the Rosa-Matilda effusions-gilt-edged paper all couleur de rose: a full
allowance of cut-and-thrust blue-blazing melodramaticisms; a nauseating surfeit of low
miniature copying of low life, much in the manner, and with about half the merit, of the
Dutch herrings and decayed cheeses of Van Tuyssel-of all this, eheu jam satis!

Mr. Hawthorne's volumes appear misnamed to us in two respects. In the first place they
should not have been called "Twice-Told Tales"- for this is a title which will not bear
repetition. If in the first collected edition they were twice-told, of course now they are
thrice-told.-May we live to hear them told a hundred times. In the second place, these
compositions are by no means all "Tales." The most of them are essays properly so
called. It would have been wise in their author to have modified his title, so as to have
had reference to all included. This point could have been easily arranged.

But under whatever titular blunders we receive this book, it is most cordially welcome.
We have seen no prose composition by any American which can compare with some of
these articles in the higher merits, or indeed in the lower; while there is not single piece
which would do dishonor to the best of the British essayists.

"The Rill from the Town Pump" which, through the ad captandum nature of its title, has
attracted more of the public notice than any other of Mr. Hawthorne's compositions, is

perhaps, the least meritorious. Among his best we may briefly mention "The Hollow of
the Three Hills" "The Minister's Black Veil"; "Wakefield"; "Mr. Higginbotham's
Catastrophe"; "Fancy's Show-Box"; "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment"; "David Swan"; "The
Wedding Knell"; and "The White Old Maid." It is remarkable that all of these, with one
exception, are from the first volume.

The style of Mr. Hawthorne is purity itself. His tone is singularly effective-wild,
plaintive, thoughtful, and in full accordance with his themes. We have only to object that
there is insufficient diversity in these themes themselves, or rather in their character. His
originality both of incident and reflection is very remarkable; and this trait alone would
insure him at least our warmest regard and commendation. We speak here chiefly of the
tales; the essays are not so markedly novel. Upon the whole we look upon him as one of
the few men of indisputable genius to whom our country has as yet given birth. As such,
it will be our delight to do him honor; and lest, in these undigested and cursory remarks,
without proof and without explanation, we should appear to do him more honor than is
his due, we postpone all farther comment until a more favorable opportunity.

We said a few hurried words about Mr. Hawthorne in our last number, with the design of
speaking more fully in the present. We are still, however, pressed for room, and must
necessarily discuss his volumes more briefly and more at random than their high merits
deserve.

The book professes to be a collection of tales, yet is, in two respects, misnamed. These
pieces are now in their third republication, and, of course, are thrice-told. Moreover, they
are by no means all tales, either in the ordinary or in the legitimate understanding of the
term. Many of them are pure essays; for example, "Sights from a Steeple," "Sunday at
Home," "Little Annies Ramble," "A Rill from the Town Pump," "The Toll-Gatherer's
Day," "The Haunted Mind," "The Sister Sister Years," "Snow-Flakes," "Night Sketches,"
and "Foot-Prints on the Sea-Shore." We mention these matters chiefly on account of their
discrepancy with that marked precision and finish by which the body of the work is
distinguished.

Of the Essays just named, we must be content to speak in brief. They are each and all
beautiful, without being characterized by the polish and adaptation so visible in the tales
proper. A painter would at once note their leading or predominant feature, and style it
repose. There is no attempt at effect. All is quiet, thoughtful, subdued. Yet this respose
may exist simultaneously with high originality of thought; and Mr. Hawthorne has
demonstrated the fact. At every turn we meet with novel combinations; yet these
combinations never surpass the limits of the quiet. We are soothed as we read; and withal
is a calm astonishment that ideas so apparently obvious have never occurred or been
presented to us before. Herein our author differs materially from Lamb or Hunt or
Hazlitt-who, with vivid originality of manner and expression, have less of the true
novelty of thought than is generally supposed, and whose originality, at best, has an
uneasy and meretricious quaintness, replete with startling effects unfounded in nature,
and inducing trains of reflection which lead to no satisfactory result. The Essays of
Hawthorne have much of the character of Irving, with more of originality, and less of

finish; while, compared with the Spectator, they have a vast superiority at all points. The
Spectator, Mr. Irving, and Mr. Hawthorne have in common that tranquil and subdued
manner which we have chosen to denominate repose; but in the case of the two former,
this repose is attained rather by the absence of novel combination, or of originality, than
otherwise, and consists chiefly in the calm, quiet, unostentatious expression of
commonplace thoughts, in an unambitious unadulterated Saxon. In them, by strong effort,
we are made to conceive the absence of all. In the essays before us the absence of effort
is too obvious to be mistaken, and a strong under-current of suggestion runs continuously
beneath the upper stream of the tranquil thesis. In short, these effusions of Mr.
Hawthorne are the product of a truly imaginative intellect, restrained, and in some
measure repressed, by fastidiousness of taste, by constitutional melancholy and by
indolence.

But it is of his tales that we desire principally to speak. The tale proper, in our opinion,
affords unquestionably the fairest field for the exercise of the loftiest talent, which can be
afforded by the wide domains of mere prose. Were we bidden to say how the highest
genius could be most advantageously employed for the best display of its own powers,
we should answer, without hesitation-in the composition of a rhymed poem, not to
exceed in length what might be perused in an hour. Within this limit alone can the highest
order of true poetry exist. We need only here say, upon this topic, that, in almost all
classes of composition, the unity of effect or impression is a point of the greatest
importance. It is clear, moreover, that this unity cannot be thoroughly preserved in
productions whose perusal cannot be completed at one sitting. We may continue the
reading of a prose composition, from the very nature of prose itself, much longer than we
can persevere, to any good purpose, in the perusal of a poem. This latter, if truly fulfilling
the demands of the poetic sentiment, induces an exaltation of the soul which cannot be
long sustained. All high excitements are necessarily transient. Thus a long poem is a
paradox And, without unity of impression, the deepest effects cannot be brought about.
Epics were the offspring of an imperfect sense of Art, and their reign is no more. A poem
too brief may produce a vivid, but never an intense or enduring impression. Without a
certain continuity of effort-without a certain duration or repetition of purpose-the soul is
never deeply moved. There must be the dropping of the water upon the rock. De
Beranger has wrought brilliant things-pungent and spirit- stirring-but, like all immassive
bodies, they lack momentum, and thus fail to satisfy the Poetic Sentiment. They sparkle
and excite, but, from want of continuity, fail deeply to impress. Extreme brevity will
degenerate into epigrammatism; but the sin of extreme length is even more unpardonable.
In medio tutissimus ibis.

Were we called upon, however, to designate that class of composition which, next to such
a poem as we have suggested, should best fulfil the demands of high genius-should offer
it the most advantageous field of exertion-we should unhesitatingly speak of the prose
tale, as Mr. Hawthorne has here exemplified it. We allude to the short prose narrative,
requiring from a half-hour to one or two hours in its perusal. The ordinary novel is
objectionable, from its length, for reasons already stated in substance. As it cannot be
read at one sitting, it deprives itself, of course, of the immense force derivable from
totality. Worldly interests intervening during the pauses of perusal, modify, annul, or

counteract, in a greater or less degree, the impressions of the book. But simple cessation
in reading, would, of itself, be sufficient to destroy the true unity. In the brief tale,
however, the author is enabled to carry out the fulness of his intention, be it what it may.
During the hour of perusal the soul of the reader is at the writer's control. There are no
external or extrinsic influences-resulting from weariness or interruption.

A skilful literary artist has constructed a tale. If wise, he has not fashioned his thoughts to
accommodate his incidents; but having conceived, with deliberate care, a certain unique
or single effect to be wrought out, he then invents such incidents-he then combines such
events as may best aid him in establishing this preconceived effect. If his very initial
sentence tend not to the out-bringing of this effect, then he has failed in his first step. In
the whole composition there should be no word written, of which the tendency, direct or
indirect, is not to the one pre-established design. And by such means, with such care and
skill, a picture is at length painted which leaves in the mind of him who contemplates it
with a kindred art, a sense of the fullest satisfaction. The idea of the tale has been
presented unblemished, because undisturbed; and this is an end unattainable by the novel.
Undue brevity is just as exceptionable here as in the poem; but undue length is yet more
to be avoided.

We have said that the tale has a point of superiority even over the poem. In fact, while the
rhythm of this latter is an essential aid in the development of the poem's highest idea-the
idea of the Beautiful-the artificialities of this rhythm are an inseparable bar to the
development of all points of thought or expression which have their basis in Truth. But
Truth is often, and in very great degree, the aim of the tale. Some of the finest tales are
tales of ratiocination. Thus the field of this species of composition, if not in so elevated a
region on the mountain of Mind, is a table-land of far vaster extent than the domain of
the mere poem. Its products are never so rich, but infinitely more numerous, and more
appreciable by the mass of mankind. The writer of the prose tale, in short, may bring to
his theme a vast variety of modes or inflections of thought and expression-(the
ratiocinative, for example, the sarcastic or the humorous) which are not only
antagonistical to the nature of the poem, but absolutely forbidden by one of its most
peculiar and indispensable adjuncts; we allude, of course, to rhythm. It may be added,
here, par parenthese, that the author who aims at the purely beautiful in a prose tale is
laboring at great disadvantage. For Beauty can be better treated in the poem. Not so with
terror, or passion, or horror, or a multitude of such other points. And here it will be seen
how full of prejudice are the usual animadversions against those tales of effect, many fine
examples of which were found in the earlier numbers of Blackwood. The impressions
produced were wrought in a legitimate sphere of action, and constituted a legitimate
although sometimes an exaggerated interest. They were relished by every man of genius:
although there were found many men of genius who condemned them without just
ground. The true critic will but demand that that the design intended be accomplished, to
the fullest extent, by the means most advantageously applicable.

We have very few American tales of real merit-we may say, indeed, none, with the
exception of "The Tales of a Traveller" of Washington Irving, and these "Twice-Told
Tales" of Mr. Hawthorne. Some of the pieces of Mr. John Neal abound in vigor and

originality; but in general his compositions of this class are excessively diffuse,
extravagant, and indicative of an imperfect sentiment of Art. Articles at random are, now
and then, met with in our periodicals which might be advantageously compared with the
best effusions of the British Magazines; but, upon the whole, we are far behind our
progenitors in this department of literature.

Of Mr. Hawthorne's Tales we would say, emphatically, that they belong to the highest
region of Art-and Art subservient to genius of a very lofty order. We had supposed, with
good reason for so supposing, that he had been thrust into his present position by one of
the impudent cliques which beset our literature, and whose pretensions it is our full
purpose to expose at the earliest opportunity, but we have been most agreeably mistaken.
We know of few compositions which the critic can more honestly commend than these
"Twice-Told Tales." As Americans, we feel proud of the book.

Mr. Hawthornes distinctive trait is invention, creation, imagination, originality-a trait
which, in the literature of fiction, is positively worth all the rest. But the nature of
originality, so far as regards its manifestation in letters, is but imperfectly understood.
The inventive or original mind as frequently displays itself in novelty of tone as in
novelty of matter. Mr. Hawthorne is original at all points.

It would be a matter of some difficulty to designate the best of these tales; we repeat that,
without exception, they are beautiful. "Wakefield" is remarkable for the skill with which
an old idea-a well-known incident-is worked up or discussed. A man of whims
conceives the purpose of quitting his wife and residing incognito, for twenty years, in her
immediate neighborhood. Something of this kind actually happened in London. The force
of Mr. Hawthornes tale lies in the analysis of the motives which must or might have
impelled the husband to such folly, in the first instance, with the possible causes of his
perseverance. Upon this thesis a sketch of singular power has been constructed.

"The Wedding Knell" is full of the boldest imagination-an imagination fully controlled
by taste. The most captious critic could find no flaw in this production.

"The Minister's Black Veil" is a masterly composition of which the sole defect is that to
the rabble its exquisite skill will be caviare. The obvious meaning of this article will be
found to smother its insinuated one. The moral put into the mouth of the dying minister
will be supposed to convey the true import of the narrative, and that a crime of dark dye,
(having reference to the "young lady") has been committed, is a point which only minds
congenial with that of the author will perceive.

"Mr. Higginbotham's Catastrophe" is vividly original and managed most dexterously.

"Dr. Heidegger's Experiment" is exceedingly well imagined, and executed, with
surpassing ability. The artist breathes in every line of it.

"The White Old Maid" is objectionable, even more than the "Minister's Black Veil," on
the score of its mysticism. Even with the thoughtful and analytic, there will be much
trouble in penetrating its entire import.

"The Hollow of the Three Hills" we would quote in full, had we space;-not as evincing
higher talent than any of the other pieces, but as affording an excellent example of the
author's peculiar ability. The subject is commonplace. A witch, subjects the Distant and
the Past to the view of a mourner. It has been the fashion to describe, in such cases, a
mirror in which the images of the absent appear, or a cloud of smoke is made to arise, and
thence the figures are gradually unfolded. Mr. Hawthorne has wonderfully heightened his
effect by making the ear, in place of the eye, the medium by which the fantasy is
conveyed. The head of the mourner is enveloped in the cloak of the witch, and within its
magic, folds there arise sounds which have an all-sufficient intelligence. Throughout this
article also, the artist is conspicuous-not more in positive than in negative merits. Not
only is all done that should be done, but (what perhaps is an end with more difficulty
attained) there is nothing done which should not be. Every word tells, and there is not a
word which does not tell.

In "Howes Masquerade" we observe something which resembles a plagiarism-but which
may be a very flattering coincidence of thought. We quote the passage in question.

"With a dark flush of wrath upon his brow they saw the general draw his sword and
advance to meet the figure in the cloak before the latter had stepped one pace upon the
floor.

'"Villain, unmuffle yourself,' cried he, 'you pass no further!"

"The figure without blanching a hair's breadth from the sword which was pointed at his
breast, made a solemn pause, and lowered the cape of the cloak from his face, yet not
sufficiently for the spectators to catch a glimpse of it. But Sir William Howe had
evidently seen enough. The sternness of his countenance gave place to a look of wild
amazement, if not horror, while he recoiled several steps from the figure, and let fall his
sword upon the floor."

The idea here is, that the figure in the cloak is the phantom or reduplication of Sir
William Howe, but in an article called "William Wilson," one of the "Tales of the
Grotesque and Arabesque," we have not only the same idea, but the same idea similarly
presented in several respects. We quote two paragraphs, which our readers may compare
with what has been already given.

"The brief moment in which I averted my eyes had been sufficient to produce,
apparently, a material change in the arrangement at the upper or farther end of the room.
A large mirror, it appeared to me, now stood where none had been perceptible before:
and as I stepped up to it in extremity of terror, mine own image, but with features all pale
and dabbled in blood, advanced with a feeble and tottering gait to meet me.

"Thus it appeared I say, but was not. It was Wilson, who then stood before me in the
agonies of dissolution. Not a line in all the marked and singular lineaments of that face
which was not even identically mine own. His mask and cloak lay where he had thrown
them, upon the floor."

Here it will be observed, not only are the two general conceptions identical but there are
various points of similarity. In each case the figure seen is the wraith or duplication of the
beholder. In each case the scene is a masquerade. In each case the figure is cloaked. In
each, there is a quarrel-that is to say, angry words pass between the parties. In each the
beholder is enraged. In each the cloak and sword fall upon the floor. The "villain,
unmuffle yourself," of Mr. H. is precisely paralleled by a passage of "William Wilson."

In the way of objection we have scarcely a word to say of these tales. There is, perhaps, a
somewhat too general or prevalent tone- a tone of melancholy and mysticism. The
subjects are insufficiently varied. There is not so much of versatility evinced as we might
well be warranted in expecting from the high powers of Mr. Hawthorne. But beyond
these trivial exceptions we have really none to make. The style is purity itself. Force
abounds. High imagination gleams from every page. Mr. Hawthorne is a man of the
truest genius. We only regret that the limits of our Magazine will not permit us to pay
him that full tribute of commendation, which, under other circumstances, we should be so
eager to pay.

THE AMERICAN DRAMA

A BIOGRAPHIST of Berryer calls him "I'homme qui, dans ses description, demande le
plus grande quantite possible d' antithese,"-but that ever- recurring topic, the decline of
the drama, seems to have consumed of late more of the material in question than would
have sufficed for a dozen prime ministers-even admitting them to be French. Every trick
of thought and every harlequinade of phrase have been put in operation for the purpose
"de nier ce qui est, et d'expliquer ce qui n'est pas."

Ce qui n'est pas:-for the drama has not declined. The facts and the philosophy of the case
seem to be these. The great opponent to Progress is Conservatism. In other words-the
great adversary of Invention is Imitation: the propositions are in spirit identical. Just as an
art is imitative, is it stationary. The most imitative arts are the most prone to repose and
the converse. Upon the utilitarian- upon the business arts, where Necessity impels.
Invention, Necessity's well-understood offspring, is ever in attendance. And the less we
see of the mother the less we behold of the child. No one complains of the decline of the
art of Engineering. Here the Reason, which never retrogrades or reposes, is called into
play. But let us glance at Sculpture. We are not worse here, than the ancients, let pedantry
say what it may (the Venus of Canova is worth, at any time, two of that of Cleomenes),
but it is equally certain that we have made, in general, no advances; and Sculpture,
properly considered, is perhaps the most imitative of all arts which have a right to the title
of Art at all. Looking next at Painting, we find that we have to boast of progress only in
the ratio of the inferior imitativeness of Painting, when compared with Sculpture. As far
indeed as we have any means of judging, our improvement has been exceedingly little.

and did we know anything of ancient Art in this department, we might be astonished at
discovering that we had advanced even far less than we suppose. As regards Architecture,
whatever progress we have made has been precisely in those particulars which have no
reference to imitation:-that is to say, we have improved the utilitarian and not the
ornamental provinces of the art. Where Reason predominated, we advanced; where mere
Feeling or Taste was the guide, we remained as we were.

Coming to the Drama, we shall see that in its mechanisms we have made progress, while
in its spirituality we have done little or nothing for centuries certainly-and, perhaps, little
or nothing for thousands of years. And this is because what we term the spirituality of the
drama is precisely its imitative portion-is exactly that portion which distinguishes it as
one of the principal of the imitative arts.

Sculptors, painters, dramatists, are, from the very nature of their material-their spiritual
material-imitators-conservatists-prone to repose in old Feeling and in antique Taste. For
this reason-and for this reason only-the arts of Sculpture, Painting, and the Drama have
not advanced-or have advanced feebly, and inversely in the ratio of their imitativeness.

But it by no means follows that either has declined. All seem to have declined, because
they have remained stationary while the multitudinous other arts (of reason) have flitted
so rapidly by them. In the same manner the traveller by railroad can imagine that the trees
by the wayside are retrograding. The trees in this case are absolutely stationary but the
Drama has not been altogether so, although its progress has been so slight as not to
interfere with the general effect-that of seeming retrogradation or decline.

This seeming retrogradation, however, is to all practical intents an absolute one. Whether
the Drama has declined, or whether it has merely remained stationary, is a point of no
importance, so far as concerns the public encouragement of the Drama. It is unsupported,
in either case, because it does not deserve support.

But if this stagnation, or deterioration, grows out of the very idiosyncracy of the drama
itself, as one of the principal of the imitative arts, how is it possible that a remedy shall be
applied- since it is clearly impossible to alter the nature of the art, and yet leave it the art
which it now is?

We have already spoken of the improvements effected in Architecture, in all its utilitarian
departments, and in the Drama, at all the points of its mechanism. "Wherever Reason
predominates, we advance; where mere Feeling or Taste is the guide, we remain as we
are." We wish now to suggest that, by the engrafting of Reason upon Feeling and Taste,
we shall be able, and thus alone shall be able, to force the modern drama into the
production of any profitable fruit.

At present, what is it we do? We are content if, with Feeling and Taste, a dramatist does
as other dramatists have done. The most successful of the more immediately modern
playwrights has been Sheridan Knowles, and to play Sheridan Knowles seems to be the
highest ambition of our writers for the stage. Now the author of "The Hunchback"

possesses what we are weak enough to term the true "dramatic feeling," and this true
dramatic feeling he has manifested in the most preposterous series of imitations of the
Elizabethan drama by which ever mankind were insulted and beguiled. Not only did he
adhere to the old plots, the old characters, the old stage conventionalities throughout; but
he went even so far as to persist in the obsolete phraseologies of the Elizabethan period-
and, just in proportion to his obstinacy and absurdity at all points, did we pretend to like
him the better, and pretend to consider him a great dramatist.

Pretend-for every particle of it was pretence. Never was enthusiasm more utterly false
than that which so many "respectable audiences" endeavoured to get up for these plays-
endeavoured to get up, first, because there was a general desire to see the drama revive,
and secondly, because we had been all along entertaining the fancy that "the decline of
the drama" meant little, if anything, else than its deviation from the Elizabethan routine-
and that, consequently, the return to the Elizabethan routine was, and of necessity must
be, the revival of the drama.

But if the principles we have been at some trouble in explaining are true-and most
profoundly do we feel them to be so-if the spirit of imitation is, in fact, the real source, of
the drama's stagnation-and if it is so because of the tendency in in all imitation to render
Reason subservient to Feeling and to Taste it is clear that only by deliberate counteracting
of the spirit, and of the tendency of the spirit, we can hope to succeed in the drama's
revival.

The first thing necessary is to burn or bury the "old models," and to forget, as quickly as
possible, that ever a play has been penned. The second thing is to consider de novo what
are the capabilities of the drama-not merely what hitherto have been its conventional
purposes. The third and last point has reference to the composition of a play (showing to
the fullest extent these capabilities) conceived and constructed with Feeling and with
Taste, but with Feeling and Taste guided and controlled in every particular by the details
of Reason-of Common Sense-in a word, of a Natural Art.

It is obvious, in the meantime, that towards the good end in view much may be effected
by discriminative criticism on what has already been done. The field, thus stated, is, of
course, practically illimitable-and to Americans the American drama is the special point
of interest. We propose, therefore, in a series of papers, to take a somewhat deliberate
survey of some few of the most noticeable American plays. We shall do this without
reference either to the date of the composition or its adaptation for the closet or the stage.
We shall speak with absolute frankness both of merits and defects-our principal object
being understood not as that of mere commentary on the individual play-but on the
drama in general, and on the American drama in especial, of which each individual play
is a constituent part. We will commence at once with

TORTESA, THE USURER

This is the third dramatic attempt of Mr. Willis, and may be regarded as particularly
successful, since it has received, both on the stage and in the closet, no stinted measure of

commendation. This success, as well as the high reputation of the author, will justify us
in a more extended notice of the play than might, under other circumstances, be desirable.

The story runs thus:-Tortesa, a usurer of Florence, and whose character is a mingled web
of good and evil feelings, gets into his possession the palace and lands of a certain Count
Falcone. The usurer would wed the daughter (Isabella) of Valcone, not through love, but
in his own words,

"To please a devil that inhabits him-"

in fact, to mortify the pride of the nobility, and avenge himself of their scorn. He
therefore bargains with Falcone [a narrow-souled villain] for the hand of Isabella. The
deed of the Falcone property is restored to the Count upon an agreement that the lady
shall marry the usurer-this contract being invalid should Falcone change his mind in
regard to the marriage, or should the maiden demur-but valid should the wedding be
prevented through any fault of Tortesa, or through any accident not springing from the
will of the father or child. The first Scene makes us aware of this bargain, and introduces
us to Zippa, a glover's daughter, who resolves, with a view of befriending Isabella, to
feign a love for Tortesa [which, in fact she partially feels], hoping thus to break off the
match.

The second Scene makes us acquainted with a young painter (Angelo), poor, but of high
talents and ambition, and with his servant (Tomaso), an old bottle-loving rascal,
entertaining no very exalted opinion of his master's abilities. Tomaso does some injury to
a picture, and Angelo is about to run him through the body when he is interrupted by a
sudden visit from the Duke of Florence, attended by Falcone. The Duke is enraged at the
murderous attempt, but admires the paintings in the studio. Finding that the rage of the
great man will prevent his patronage if he knows the aggressor as the artist, Angelo
passes off Tomaso as himself (Angelo), making an exchange of names. This is a point of
some importance, as it introduces the true Angelo to a job which he has long coveted-the
painting of the portrait of Isabella, of whose beauty he had become enamoured through
report. The Duke wishes the portrait painted. Falcone, however, on account of a promise
to Tortesa, would have objected to admit to his daughter's presence the handsome
Angelo, but in regard to Tomaso has no scruple. Supposing Tomaso to be Angelo and the
artist, the Count writes a note to Isabella, requiring her "to admit the painter Angelo." The
real Angelo is thus admitted. He and the lady love at first sight (much in the manner of
Romeo and Juliet), each ignorant of the other's attachment.

The third Scene of the second Act is occupied with a conversation between Falcone and
Tortesa, during which a letter arrives from the Duke, who, having heard of the intended
sacrifice of Isabella, offers to redeem the Count's lands and palace, and desires him to
preserve his daughter for a certain Count Julian. But Isabella,- who, before seeing
Angelo, had been willing to sacrifice herself for her father's sake, and who, since seeing
him, had entertained hopes of escaping the hateful match through means of a plot entered
into by herself and Zippa-Isabella, we say, is now in despair. To gain time, she at once
feigns a love for the usurer, and indignantly rejects the proposal of the Duke. The hour

for the wedding draws near. The lady has prepared a sleeping potion, whose effects
resemble those of death. (Romeo and Juliet.) She swallows it-knowing that her supposed
corpse would lie at night, pursuant to an old custom, in the sanctuary of the cathedral; and
believing that Angelo-whose love for herself she has elicited, by a stratagem, from his
own lips-will watch by the body, in the strength of his devotion. Her ultimate design (we
may suppose, for it is not told) is to confess all to her lover on her revival, and throw
herself upon his protection- their marriage being concealed, and herself regarded as dead
by the world. Zippa, who really loves Angelo-(her love for Tortesa, it must be
understood, is a very equivocal feeling, for the fact cannot be denied that Mr. Willis
makes her love both at the same time)- Zippa, who really loves Angelo-who has
discovered his passion for Isabella-and who, as well as that lady, believes that the painter
will watch the corpse in the cathedral,-determines, through jealousy, to prevent his so
doing, and with this view informs Tortesa that she has learned it to be Angelo's design to
steal the body for purposes,-in short, as a model to be used in his studio. The usurer, in
consequence, sets a guard at the doors of the cathedral. This guard does, in fact, prevent
the lover from watching the corpse, but, it appears, does not prevent the lady, on her
revival and disappointment in not seeing the one she sought, from passing unperceived
from the church. Weakened by her long sleep, she wanders aimlessly through the streets,
and at length finds herself, when just sinking with exhaustion, at the door of her father.
She has no resource but to knock. The Count, who here, we must say, acts very much as
Thimble of old-the knight, we mean, of the "scolding wife"- maintains that she is dead,
and shuts the door in her face. In other words, he supposes it to be the ghost of his
daughter who speaks; and so the lady is left to perish on the steps. Meantime Angelo is
absent from home, attempting to get access to the cathedral; and his servant Tomaso
takes the opportunity of absenting himself also, and of indulging his bibulous
propensities while perambulating the town. He finds Isabella as we left her, and through
motives which we will leave Mr. Willis to explain, conducts her unresistingly to Angelo's
residence, and-deposits her in Angelo's bed. The artist now returns-Tomaso is kicked out
of doors-and we are not told, but left to presume, that a fun explanation and perfect
understanding are brought about between the lady and her lover.

We find them, next morning, in the studio, where stands, leaning against an easel the
portrait (a full length) of Isabella, with curtains adjusted before it. The stage-directions,
moreover, inform us that "the black wall of the room is such as to form a natural ground
for the picture." While Angelo is occupied in retouching it, he is interrupted by the arrival
of Tortesa with a guard, and is accused of having stolen the corpse from the sanctuary-
the lady, meanwhile, having stepped behind the curtain. The usurer insists upon seeing
the painting, with a view of ascertaining whether any new touches had been put upon it,
which would argue an examination, post mortem, of those charms of neck and bosom
which the living Isabella would not have unveiled. Resistance in vain-the curtain is torn
down; but, to the surprise of Angelo, the lady herself is discovered, "with her hands
crossed on her breast, and her eyes fixed on the ground, standing motionless in the frame
which had contained the picture." The tableau we are to believe, deceives Tortesa, who
steps back to contemplate what he supposes to be the portrait of his betrothed. In the
meantime, the guards, having searched the house, find the veil which had been thrown
over the imagined corpse in the sanctuary, and upon this evidence the artist is carried

before the Duke. Here he is accused, not only of sacrilege, but of the murder of Isabella,
and is about to be condemned to death, when his mistress comes forward in person; thus
resigning herself to the usurer to save the life of her lover. But the noble nature of Tortesa
now breaks forth; and, smitten with admiration of the lady's conduct, as well as
convinced that her love for himself was feigned, he resigns her to Angelo-although now
feeling and acknowledging for the first time that a fervent love has, in his own bosom,
assumed the place of the misanthropic ambition which, hitherto, had alone actuated him
in seeking her hand. Moreover, he endows Isabella with the lands of her father Falcone.
The lovers are thus made happy. The usurer weds Zippa; and the curtain drops upon the
promise of the Duke to honour the double nuptials with his presence.

This story, as we have given it, hangs better together (Mr. Willis will pardon our
modesty), and is altogether more easily comprehended, than in the words of the play
itself. We have really put the best face upon the matter, and presented the whole in the
simplest and clearest light in our power. We mean to say that "Tortesa" (partaking
largely, in this respect, of the drama of Cervantes and Calderon) is over-clouded-
rendered misty-by a world of unnecessary and impertinent intrigue. This folly was
adopted by the Spanish comedy, and is imitated by us, with the idea of imparting
"action," "business," "vivacity." But vivacity, however desirable, can be attained in many
other ways, and is dearly purchased, indeed, when the price is intelligibility.

The truth is that cant has never attained a more owl-like dignity than in the discussion of
dramatic principle. A modem stage critic is nothing, if not a lofty contemner of all things
simple and direct. He delights in mystery-revels in mystification-has transcendental
notions concerning P. S. and O. P, and talks about "stage business and stage effect" as if
he were discussing the differential calculus. For much of all this we are indebted to the
somewhat overprofound criticisms of Augustus William Schlegel.

But the dicta of common sense are of universal application, and, touching this matter of
intrigue, if, from its superabundance, we are compelled, even in the quiet and critical
perusal of a play, to pause frequently and reflect long-to re-read passages over and over
again, for the purpose of gathering their bearing upon the whole-of maintaining in our
mind a general connection-what but fatigue can result from the exertion? How, then,
when we come to the representation?-when these passages-trifling, perhaps, in
themselves, but important when considered in relation to the plot-are hurried and blurred
over in the stuttering enunciation of some miserable rantipole, or omitted altogether
through the constitutional lapse of memory so peculiar to those lights of the age and
stage, bedight (from being of no conceivable use) supernumeraries? For it must be borne
in mind that these bits of intrigue (we use the term in the sense of the German critics)
appertain generally, indeed altogether, to the after thoughts of the drama-to the
underplots-are met with consequently, in the mouth of the lackeys and chambermaids-
and are thus consigned to the tender mercies of the stellae minores. Of course we get but
an imperfect idea of what is going on before our eyes. Action after action ensues whose
mystery we can not unlock without the little key which these barbarians have thrown
away and lost. Our weariness increases in proportion to the number of these
embarrassments, and if the play escape damnation at all it escapes in spite of that intrigue

to which, in nine cases out of ten, the author attributes his success, and which he will
persist in valuing exactly in proportion to the misapplied labour it has cost him.

But dramas of this kind are said, in our customary parlance, to "abound in plot." We have
never yet met any one, however, who could tell us what precise ideas he connected with
the phrase. A mere succession of incidents, even the most spirited, will no more
constitute a plot than a multiplication of zeros, even the most infinite, will result in the
production of a unit. This all will admit-but few trouble themselves to think further. The
common notion seems be in favour of mere complexity; but a plot, properly understood,
is perfect only inasmuch as we shall find ourselves unable to detach from it or disarrange
any single incident involved, without destruction to the mass.

This we say is the point of perfection-a point never yet attained, but not on that account
unattainable. Practically, we may consider a plot as of high excellence, when no one of its
component parts shall be susceptible of removal without detriment to the whole. Here,
indeed, is a vast lowering of the demand-and with less than this no writer of refined taste
should content himself.

As this subject is not only in itself of great importance, but will have at all points a
bearing upon what we shall say hereafter, in the examination of various plays, we shall be
pardoned for quoting from the "Democratic Review" some passages (of our own which
enter more particularly into the rationale of the subject:-

"AU the Bridgewater treatises have failed in noticing the great idiosyncrasy in the Divine
system of adaptation:-that idiosyncrasy which stamps the adaptation as divine, in
distinction from that which is the work of merely human constructiveness. I speak of the
complete mutuality of adaptation. For example:-in human constructions, a particular
cause has a particular effect-a particular purpose brings about a particular object; but we
see no reciprocity. The effect does not react upon the cause-the object does not change
relations with the purpose. In Divine constructions, the object is either object or purpose
as we choose to regard it, while the purpose is either purpose or object; so that we can
never (abstractly- without concretion- without reference to facts of the moment) decide
which is which.

"For secondary example:-In polar climates, the human frame, to maintain its animal heat,
requires, for combustion in the capillary system, an abundant supply of highly azotized
food, such as train oil. Again:-in polar climates nearly the sole food afforded man is the
oil of abundant seals and whales. Now whether is oil at hand because imperatively
demanded? or whether is it the only thing demanded because the only thing fo be
obtained? It is impossible to say:-there is an absolute reciprocity of adaptation for which
we seek in vain among the works of man.

"The Bridgewater tractists may have avoided this point, on account of its apparent
tendency to overthrow the idea of cause in general- consequently of a First Cause-of God.
But it is more probable that they have failed to perceive what no one preceding them has,
to my knowledge, perceived.

"The pleasure which we derive from any exertion of human ingenuity, is in the direct
ratio of the approach to this species of reciprocity between cause and effect. In the
construction of plot, for example, in fictitious literature, we should aim at so arranging
the points, or incidents, that we cannot distinctly see, in respect to any one of them,
whether that one depends from any one other or upholds it. In this sense, of course,
perfection of plot is unattainable in fact-because Man is the constructor. The plots of God
are perfect. The Universe is a plot of God."

The pleasure derived from the contemplation of the unity resulting from plot is far more
intense than is ordinarily supposed, and, as in Nature we meet with no such combination
of incident, appertains to a very lofty region of the ideal. In speaking thus we have not
said that plot is more than an adjunct to the drama-more than a perfectly distinct and
separable source of pleasure. It is not an essential. In its intense artificiality it may even
be conceived injurious in a certain degree (unless constructed with consummate skill) to
that real lifelikeness which is the soul of the drama of character. Good dramas have been
written with very little plot- capital dramas might be written with none at all. Some plays
of high merit, having plot, abound in irrelevant incident-in incident, we mean, which
could be displaced or removed altogether without effect upon the plot itself, and yet are
by no means objectionable as dramas; and for this reason-that the incidents are evidently
irrelevant- obviously episodical. Of their disgressive nature the spectator is so
immediately aware that he views them, as they arise, in the simple light of interlude, and
does not fatigue his attention by attempting to establish for them a connection, or more
than an illustrative connection, with the great interests of the subject. Such are the plays
of Shakespeare. But all this is very different from that irrelevancy of intrigue which
disfigures and very usually damns the work of the unskilful artist. With him the great
error lies in inconsequence. Underplot is piled upon underplot (the very word is a
paradox), and all to no purpose-to no end. The interposed incidents have no ultimate
effect upon the main ones. They may hang upon the mass-they may even coalesce with
it, or, as in some intricate cases, they may be so intimately blended as to be lost amid the
chaos which they have been instrumental in bringing about-but still they have no portion
in the plot, which exists, if at all, independently of their influence. Yet the attempt is
made by the author to establish and demonstrate a dependence-an identity, and it is the
obviousness of this attempt which is the cause of weariness in the spectator, who, of
course, cannot at once see that his attention is chAUanged to no purpose-that intrigues so
obtrusively forced upon it are to be found, in the end, without effect upon the leading
interests of the day.

"Tortesa" will afford us plentiful examples of this irrelevancy of intrigue-of this
misconception of the nature and of the capacities of plot. We have said that our digest of
the story is more easy of comprehension than the detail of Mr. Willis. If so, it is because
we have forborne to give such portions as had no influence upon the whole. These served
but to embarrass the narrative and fatigue the attention. How much was irrelevant is
shown by the brevity of the space in which we have recorded, somewhat at length, all the
influential incidents of a drama of five acts. There is scarcely a scene in which is not to
be found the germ of an underplot-a germ, however, which seldom proceeds beyond the
condition of a bud, or, if so fortunate as to swell into a flower, arrives, in no single

instance, at the dignity of fruit. Zippa, a lady altogether without character (dramatic), is
the most pertinacious of all conceivable concoctors of plans never to be matured-of vast
designs that terminate in no thing-of cul-de-sac machinations. She plots in one page and
counter-plots in the next. She schemes her way from P. S. to O. P., and intrigues
perseveringly from the footlights to the slips. A very singular instance of the
inconsequence of her manoeuvres is found towards the conclusion of the play. The whole
of the second scene (occupying five pages), in the fifth act, is obviously introduced for
the purpose of giving her information, through Tomaso's means, of Angelo's arrest for the
murder of Isabella. Upon learning his danger she rushes from the stage, to be present at
the trial, exclaiming that her evidence can save his life. We, the audience, of course
applaud, and now look with interest to her movements in the scene of the judgment-hall.
She, Zippa, we think, is somebody after all; she will be the means of Angelo's salvation;
she will thus be the chief unraveller of the plot. All eyes are bent, therefore, upon Zippa-
but alas! upon the point at issue, Zippa does not so much as open her mouth. It is scarcely
too much to say that not a single action of this impertinent little busybody has any real
influence upon the play;-yet she appears upon every occasion-appearing only to perplex.

Similar things abound; we should not have space even to allude to them all. The whole
conclusion of the play is supererogatory. The immensity of pure fuss with which it is
overloaded forces us to the reflection that all of it might have been avoided by one word
of explanation to the Duke an amiable man who admires the talents of Angelo, and who,
to prevent Isabella's marrying against her will, had previously offered to free Falcone of
his bonds to the usurer. That he would free him now, and thus set all matters straight, the
spectator cannot doubt for an instant, and he can conceive no better reason why
explanations are not made than that Mr. Willis does not think proper they should be. In
fact, the whole drama is exceedingly ill motivirt.

We have already mentioned an inadvertence, in the fourth Act, where Isabella is made to
escape from the sanctuary through the midst of guards who prevented the ingress of
Angelo. Another occurs where Falcone's conscience is made to reprove him, upon the
appearance of his daughter's supposed ghost, for having occasioned her death by forcing
her to marry against her will. The author had forgotten that Falcone submitted to the
wedding, after the Dukes interposition, only upon Isabella's assurance that she really
loved the usurer. In the third Scene, too, of the first Act, the imagination of the spectator
is no doubt a little taxed when he finds Angelo, in the first moment of his introduction to
the palace of Isabella, commencing her portrait by laying on colour after colour, before
he has made any attempt at an outline. In the last Act, moreover, Tortesa gives to Isabella
a deed

"Of the Falcone palaces and lands.
And all the money forfeit by Falcone."

This is a terrible blunder, and the more important as upon this act of the usurer depends
the development of his newborn sentiments of honour and virtue-depends, in fact, the
most salient point of the play. Tortesa, we say, gives to Isabella the lands forfeited by
Falcone; but Tortesa was surely not very generous in giving what, clearly, was not his

own to give. Falcone had not forfeited the deed, which had been restored to him by the
usurer, and which was then in his (Falcone's) possession. Here Tortesa:-

He put it in the bond.

That if, by any humour of my own.

Or accident that came not from himself.

Or from his daughter's will, the match were marred.

His tenure stood intact."

Now Falcone is still resolute for the match; but this new generous "humour" of Tortesa
induces him (Tortesa) to decline it. Falcone's tenure is then intact; he retains the deed, the
usurer is giving away property not his own.

As a drama of character, "Tortesa" is by no means open to so many objections as when
we view it in the light of its plot; but it is still faulty. The merits are so exceedingly
negative, that it is difficult to say anything about them. The Duke is nobody, Falcone,
nothing; Zippa, less than nothing. Angelo may be regarded simply as the medium through
which Mr. Willis conveys to the reader his own glowing feelings-his own refined and
delicate fancy-(delicate, yet bold)-his own rich voluptuousness of sentiment-a
voluptuousness which would offend in almost any other language than that in which it is
so skilfully apparelled. Isabella is-the heroine of the Hunchback. The revolution in the
character of Tortesa-or rather the final triumph of his innate virtue-is a dramatic point far
older than the hills. It may be observed, too, that although the representation of no human
character should be quarrelled with for its inconsistency, we yet require that the
inconsistencies be not absolute antagonisms to the extent of neutralization: they may be
permitted to be oils and waters, but they must not be alkalis and acids. When, in the
course of the denouement, the usurer bursts forth into an eloquence virtue- inspired, we
cannot sympathize very heartily in his fine speeches, since they proceed from the mouth
of the self-same egotist who, urged by a disgusting vanity, uttered so many sotticisms
(about his fine legs, etc.) in the earlier passages of the play. Tomaso is, upon the whole,
the best personage. We recognize some originality in his conception, and conception was
seldom more admirably carried out.

One or two observations at random. In the third Scene of the fifth Act, Tomaso, the
buffoon, is made to assume paternal authority over Isabella (as usual, without sufficient
purpose), by virtue of a law which Tortesa thus expounds:-

"My gracious liege, there is a law in Florence
That if a father, for no guilt or shame.
Disown and shut his door upon his daughter.
She is the child of him who succours her.
Who by the shelter of a single night.
Becomes endowed with the authority
Lost by the other."

No one, of course, can be made to believe that any such stupid law as this ever existed
either in Florence or Timbuctoo; but, on the ground que le vrai n'est pas toujours le
vraisemblable, we say that even its real existence would be no justification of Mr. Willis.
It has an air of the far-fetched-of the desperate-which a fine taste will avoid as a
pestilence. Very much of the same nature is the attempt of Tortesa to extort a second
bond from Falcone. The evidence which convicts Angelo of murder is ridiculously frail.
The idea of Isabella's assuming the place of the portrait, and so deceiving the usurer, is
not only glaringly improbable, but seems adopted from the "Winter's Tale." But in this
latter-play, the deception is at least possible, for the human figure but imitates a statue.
What, however, are we to make of Mr. W.'s stage direction about the back wall's being
"so arranged as to form a natural ground for the picture"? Of course, the very slightest
movement of Tortesa (and he makes many) would have annihilated the illusion by
disarranging the perspective, and in no manner could this latter have been arranged at all
for more than one particular point of view-in other words, for more than one particular
person in the whole audience. The "asides," moreover, are unjustifiably frequent. The
prevalence of this folly (of speaking aside) detracts as much from the acting merit of our
drama generally as any other inartisticality. It utterly destroys verisimilitude. People are
not in the habit of soliloquising aloud-at least, not to any positive extent; and why should
an author have to be told, what the slightest reflection would teach him, that an audience,
by dint of no imagination, can or will conceive that what is sonorous in their own ears at
the distance of fifty feet cannot be heard by an actor at the distance of one or two?

Having spoken thus of "Tortesa" in terms of nearly unmitigated censure-our readers may
be surprised to hear us say that we think highly of the drama as a whole-and have little
hesitation in ranking it before most of the dramas of Sheridan Knowles. Its leading faults
are those of the modern drama generally-they are not peculiar to itself-while its great
merits are. If in support of our opinion we do not cite points of commendation, it is
because those form the mass of the work. And were we to speak of fine passages, we
should speak of the entire play. Nor by "fine passages" do we mean passages of merely
fine language, embodying fine sentiment, but such as are replete with truthfulness, and
teem with the loftiest qualities of the dramatic art. Points-capital points abound; and
these have far more to do with the general excellence of a play than a too speculative
criticism has been willing to admit. Upon the whole, we are proud of "Tortesa"-and her
again, for the fiftieth time at least, record our warm admiration of the abilities of Mr.
Willis.

We proceed now to Mr. Longfellow's
SPANISH STUDENT

The reputation of its author as a poet, and as a graceful writer of prose, is, of course, long
and deservedly established-but as a dramatist he was unknown before the publication of
this play. Upon its original appearance, in Graham's Magazine, the general opinion was
greatly in favour-if not exactly of "The Spanish Student"-at all events of the writer of
"Outre-Mer." But this general opinion is the most equivocal thing in the world. It is never
self-formed. It has very seldom indeed an original development. In regard to the work of
an already famous or infamous author it decides, to be sure, with a laudable promptitude;

making up all the mind that it has, by reference to the reception of the author's
immediately previous publication- making up thus the ghost of a mind pro tem.-a species
of critical shadow that fully answers, nevertheless, all the purposes of a substance itself
until the substance itself shall be forthcoming. But beyond this point the general opinion
can only be considered that of the public, as a man may call a book his, having bought it.
When a new writer arises, the shop of the true, thoughtful or critical opinion is not
simultaneously thrown away-is not immediately set up. Some weeks elapse; and, during
this interval, the public, at a loss where to procure an opinion of the debutante, have
necessarily no opinion of him at all for the nonce.

The popular voice, then, which ran so much in favour of "The Spanish Student," upon its
original issue, should be looked upon as merely the ghost pro tem.-as based upon critical
decisions respecting the previous works of the author-as having reference in no manner
to "The Spanish Student" itself-and thus as utterly meaningless and valueless per se.

The few, by which we mean those who think, in contradistinction from the many who
think they think-the few who think at first hand, and thus twice before speaking at all-
these received the play with a commendation somewhat less pronounced-somewhat more
guardedly qualified-than Professor Longfellow might have desired, or may have been
taught to expect. Still the composition was approved upon the whole. The few words of
censure were very far indeed from amounting to condemnation. The chief defect insisted
upon was the feebleness of the denouement, and, generally, of the concluding scenes, as
compared with the opening passages. We are not sure, however, that anything like
detailed criticism has been attempted in the case-nor do we propose now to attempt it.
Nevertheless, the work has interest, not only within itself, but as the first dramatic effort
of an author who has remarkably succeeded in almost every other department of light
literature than that of the drama. It may be as well, therefore, to speak of it, if not
analytically, at least somewhat in detail; and we cannot, perhaps, more suitably
commence than by a quotation, without comment of some of the finer passages:

"And, though she is a virgin outwardly.

Within she is a sinner, like those panels

Of doors and altar-pieces the old monks

Painted in convents, with the Virgin Mary

On the outside, and on the inside Venus."

"I believe

That woman, in her deepest degradation.

Holds something sacred, something undefiled.

Some pledge and keepsake of her higher nature.

And, like the diamond in the dark, retains

Some quenchless gleam of the celestial light."

"And we shall sit together unmolested.

And words of true love pass from tongue to tongue

As singing birds from one bough to another."

"Our feelings and our thoughts

Tend ever on and rest not in the Present,

As drops of rain fall into some dark well,

And from below comes a scarce audible sound,

So fall our thoughts into the dark

Hereafter, And their mysterious echo reaches us."

"Her tender limbs are still, and, on her breast.

The cross she prayed to, ere she fell asleep.

Rises or falls with the soft tide of dreams.

Like a light barge safe moored."

"Hark! how the large and ponderous mace of Time

Knocks at the golden portals of the day!"

"The lady Violante bathed in tears

Of love and anger, like the maid of Colchis,

Whom thou, another faithless Argonaut,

Having won that golden fleece, a woman's love,

Desertest for this Glauce."

"I read, or sit in reverie and watch

The changing colour of the waves that break

Upon the idle sea- shore of the mind."

"I will forget her. All dear recollections

Pressed in my heart, like flowers within a book.

Shall be tom out and scattered to the winds."

"Oh yes! I see it now-

Yet rather with my heart than with mine eyes.

So faint it is. And all my thoughts sail thither.

Freighted with prayers and hopes, and forward urged.

Against all stress of accident, as, in

The Eastern Tale, against the wind and tide

Great ships were drawn to the Magnetic Mountains."

"But there are brighter dreams than those of Fame,

Which are the dreams of Love! Out of the heart

Rises the bright ideal of these dreams.

As from some woodland fount a spirit rises

And sinks again into its silent deeps.

Ere the enamoured knight can touch her robe!

'Tis this ideal that the soul of Man,

Like the enamoured knight beside the fountain.

Waits for upon the margin of Life's stream;

Waits to behold her rise from the dark waters.

Clad in a mortal shape! Alas, how many

Must wait in vain! The stream flows evermore.

But from its silent deeps no spirit rises!

Yet I, born under a propitious star.

Have found the bright ideal of my dreams."

"Yes; by the Darro's side

My childhood passed. I can remember still

The river, and the mountains capped with snow;

The villages where, yet a little child,

I told the traveller's fortune in the street;

The smugglers horse; the brigand and the shepherd;

The march across the moor; the halt at noon;

The red fire of the evening camp, that lighted

The forest where we slept; and, farther back.

As in a dream, or in some former life.

Gardens and palace walls."

"This path will lead us to it.

Over the wheatfields, where the shadows sail

Across the running sea, now green, now blue.

And, like an idle mariner on the ocean.

Whistles the quail."

These extracts will be universally admired. They are graceful, well expressed,
imaginative, and altogether replete with the true poetic feeling. We quote them now, at
the beginning of our review, by way of justice to the poet, and because, in what follows,
we are not sure that we have more than a very few words of what may be termed
commendation to bestow.

"The Spanish Student" has an unfortunate beginning, in a most unpardonable, and yet to
render the matter worse, in a most indispensable "Preface:-

"The subject of the following play," says Mr. L., "is taken in part from the beautiful play
of Cervantes, La Gitanilla. To this source, however, I am indebted for the main incident
only, the love of a Spanish student for a Gipsy girl, and the name of the heroine, Preciosa.
I have not followed the story in any of its details. In Spain this subject has been twice
handled dramatically, first by Juan Perez de Montalvan in La Gitanilla, and afterwards by
Antonio de Soils y Rivadeneira in La Gitanilla de Madrid. The same subject has also
been made use of by Thomas Middleton, an English dramatist of the seventeenth century.
His play is called The Spanish Gipsy. The main plot is the same as in the Spanish pieces;
but there runs through it a tragic underplot of the loves of Rodrigo and Dona Clara, which
is taken from another tale of Cervantes, La Fuerza de la Sangre. The reader who is
acquainted with La Gitanilla of Cervantes, and the plays of Montalvan, Soils, and
Middleton, will perceive that my treatment of the subject differs entirely from theirs."

Now the autorial originality, properly considered, is threefold. There is, first, the
originality of the general thesis, secondly, that of the several incidents or thoughts by
which the thesis is developed, and thirdly, that of manner or tone, by which means alone
an old subject, even when developed through hackneyed incidents or thoughts, may be
made to produce a fully original effect-which, after all, is the end truly in view.

But originality, as it is one of the highest, is also one of the rarest of merits. In America it
is especially and very remarkably rare:-this through causes sufficiently well understood.
We are content perforce, therefore, as a general thing, with either of the lower branches
of originality mentioned above, and would regard with high favour indeed any author

who should supply the great desideratum in combining the three. Still the three should be
combined; and from whom, if not from such men as Professor Longfellow- if not from
those who occupy the chief niches in our Literary Temple-shall we expect the
combination? But in the present instance, what has Professor Longfellow accomplished?
Is he original at any one point? Is he original in respect to the first and most important of
our three divisions? "The [subject] of the following play," he says himself, "is taken [in
part] from the beautiful play of Cervantes, 'La Gitanilla.' To this source, however, I am
indebted for [the main incident only,] the love of the Spanish student for a Gipsy girl, and
the name of the heroine, Preciosa."

The [brackets] are our own, and the [bracketed words] involve an obvious contradiction.
We cannot understand how "the love of the Spanish student for the Gipsy girl" can be
called an "incident," or even a "main incident," at all. In fact, this love-this discordant
and therefore eventful or incidental love is the true thesis of the drama of Cervantes. It is
this anomalous "love," which originates the incidents by means of which itself, this
"love," the thesis, is developed. Having based his play, then, upon this "love," we cannot
admit his claim to originality upon our first count; nor has he any right to say that he has
adopted his "subject" "in part." It is clear that he has adopted it altogether. Nor would he
have been entitled to claim originality of subject, even had he based his story upon any
variety of love arising between parties naturally separated by prejudices of caste-such,
for example, as those which divide the Brahmin from the Pariah, the Ammonite from the
African, or even the Christian from the Jew. For here in its ultimate analysis, is the real
thesis of the Spaniard. But when the drama is founded, not merely upon this general
thesis, but upon this general thesis in the identical application given it by Cervantes-that
is to say, upon the prejudice of caste exemplified in the case of a Catholic, and this
Catholic a Spaniard, and this Spaniard a student, and this student loving a Gipsy, and this
Gipsy a dancing-girl, and this dancing-girl bearing the name Preciosa-we are not
altogether prepared to be informed by Professor Longfellow that he is indebted for an
"incident only" to the "beautiful 'Gitanilla' of Cervantes."

Whether our author is original upon our second and third points- in the true incidents of
his story, or in the manner and tone of their handling-will be more distinctly seen as we
proceed.

It is to be regretted that "The Spanish Student" was not subentitled "A Dramatic Poem,"
rather than "A Play." The former title would have more fully conveyed the intention of
the poet; for, of course, we shall not do Mr. Longfellow the injustice to suppose that his
design has been, in any respect, a play, in the ordinary acceptation of the term. Whatever
may be its merits in a merely poetical view, "The Spanish Student" could not be endured
upon the stage.

Its plot runs thus:-Preciosa, the daughter of a Spanish gentleman, is stolen, while an
infant, by Gipsies, brought up as his own daughter, and as a dancing-girl, by a Gipsy
leader, Cruzado; and by him betrothed to a young Gipsy, Bartolome. At Madrid, Preciosa
loves and is beloved by Victorian, a student of Alcala, who resolves to marry her,
notwithstanding her caste, rumours involving her purity, the dissuasions of his friends.

and his betrothal to an heiress of Madrid. Preciosa is also sought by the Count of Lara, a
roue. She rejects him. He forces his way into her chamber, and is there seen by Victorian,
who, misinterpreting some words overheard, doubts the fidelity of his mistress, and
leaves her in anger, after chAUanging the Count of Lara. In the duel, the Count receives
his life at the hands of Victorian: declares his ignorance of the understanding between
Victorian and Preciosa; boasts of favours received from the latter, and, to make good his
words, produces a ring which she gave him, he asserts, as a pledge of her love. This ring
is a duplicate of one previously given the girl by Victorian, and known to have been so
given by the Count. Victorian mistakes it for his own, believes all that has been said, and
abandons the field to his rival, who, immediately afterwards, while attempting to procure
access to the Gipsy, is assassinated by Bartolome. Meantime, Victorian, wandering
through the country, reaches Guadarrama. Here he receives a letter from Madrid,
disclosing the treachery practiced by Lara, and telling that Preciosa, rejecting his
addresses, had been through his instrumentality hissed from the stage, and now again
roamed with the Gipsies. He goes in search of her, finds her in a wood near Guadarrama;
approaches her, disguising his voice; she recognizes him, pretending she does not, and
unaware that he knows her innocence; a conversation of equivoque ensues; he sees his
ring upon her finger; offers to purchase it; she refuses to part with it, a full eclairissement
takes place; at this juncture a servant of Victorian's arrives with "news from court,"
giving the first intimation of the true parentage of Preciosa. The lovers set out, forthwith,
for Madrid, to see the newly discovered father. On the route, Bartolome dogs their steps;
fires at Preciosa; misses her; the shot is returned; he falls; and "The Spanish Student" is
concluded.

This plot, however, like that of "Tortesa," looks better in our naked digest than amidst the
details which develop only to disfigure it. The reader of the play itself will be astonished,
when he remembers the name of the author, at the inconsequence of the incidents-at the
utter want of skill-of art-manifested in their conception and introduction. In dramatic
writing, no principle is more clear than that nothing should be said or done which has not
a tendency to develop the catastrophe, or the characters. But Mr. Longfellow's play
abounds in events and conversations that have no ostensible purpose, and certainly
answer no end. In what light, for example, since we cannot suppose this drama intended
for the stage, are we to regard the second scene of the second act, where a long dialogue
between an Archbishop and a Cardinal is wound up by a dance from Preciosa? The Pope
thinks of abolishing public dances in Spain, and the priests in question have been
delegated to examine, personally, the proprieties or improprieties of such exhibitions.
With this view, Preciosa is summoned and required to give a specimen of her skill. Now
this, in a mere spectacle, would do very well; for here all that is demanded is an occasion
or an excuse for a dance; but what business has it in a pure drama? or in what regard does
it further the end of a dramatic poem, intended only to be read? In the same manner, the
whole of Scene the eighth, in the same act, is occupied with six lines of stage directions,
as follows :-

The Theatre: the orchestra plays the Cachuca. Sound of castinets behind the scenes. The
curtain rises and discovers Preciosa in the attitude of commencing the dance. The

Cachuca. Tumult. Hisses. Cries of Brava! and Aguera! She falters and pauses. The music
stops. General confusion. Preciosa faints.

But the inconsequence of which we complain will be best exemplified by an entire scene.
We take Scene the Fourth, Act the First: -

"An inn on the road to Alcala. BALTASAR asleep on a bench. Enter CHISPA."

CHISPA. And here we are, half way to Alcala, between cocks and midnight. Body o' me!
what an inn this is! The light out and the landlord asleep! Hola! ancient Baltasar!

BALTASAR. [waking]. Here I am.

CHISPA. Yes, there you are, like a one-eyed alcalde in a town without inhabitants. Bring
a light, and let me have supper.

BALTASAR. Where is your master?

CHISPA. Do not trouble yourself about him. We have stopped a moment to breathe our
horses; and if he chooses to walk up and down in the open air, looking into the sky as one
who hears it rain, that does not satisfy my hunger, you know. But be quick, for I am in a
hurry, and every one stretches his legs according to the length of his coverlet. What have
we here?

BALTASAR. [setting a light on the table]. Stewed rabbit.

CHISPA. [eating]. Conscience of Portalegre! stewed kitten you mean!

BALTASAR. And a pitcher of Pedro Ximenes, with a roasted pear in it.

CHISPA [drinking]. Ancient Baltasar, amigo! You know how to cry wine and sell
vinegar. I tell you this is nothing but Vino Tinto of La Mancha, with a tang of the swine-
skin.

BALTASAR. I swear to you by Saint Simon and Judas, it is all as I say.

CHISPA. And I swear to you by Saint Peter and Saint Paul that it is no such thing.
Moreover, your supper is like the hidalgo's dinner-very little meat and a great deal of
tablecloth.

BALTASAR. Ha! ha! ha!

CHISPA. And more noise than nuts.

BALTASAR. Ha! ha! ha! You must have your joke. Master Chispa. But

shall I not ask Don Victorian in to take a draught of the Pedro Ximenes?

CHISPA. No; you might as well say, "Don't you want some?" to a dead man.

BALTASAR. Why does he go so often to Madrid?

CHISPA. For the same reason that he eats no supper. He is in love. Were you ever in
love, Baltasar?

BALTASAR. I was never out of it, good Chispa. It has been the torment of my life.

CHISPA. What! are you on fire, too, old hay-stack? Why, we shall never be able to put
you out.

VICTORIAN [without] Chispa!

CHISPA. Go to bed, Pero GruUo, for the cocks are crowing.

VICTORIAN. Ea! Chispa! Chispa!

CHISPA. Ea! Senor. Come with me, ancient Baltasar, and bring water for the horses. I
will pay for the supper tomorrow. [Exeunt.]

Now here the question occurs-what is accomplished? How has the subject been
forwarded? We did not need to learn that Victorian was in love-that was known before;
and all that we glean is that a stupid imitation of Sancho Panza drinks in the course of
two minutes (the time occupied in the perusal of the scene) a bottle of vino tinto, by way
of Pedro Ximenes, and devours a stewed kitten in place of a rabbit.

In the beginning of the play this Chispa is the valet of Victorian; subsequently we find
him the servant of another; and near the denouement he returns to his original master. No
cause is assigned, and not even the shadow of an object is attained; the whole
tergiversation being but another instance of the gross inconsequence which abounds in
the play.

The authors deficiency of skill is especially evinced in the scene of the eclaircissement
between Victorian and Preciosa. The former having been enlightened respecting the true
character of the latter by means of a letter received at Guadarrama, from a friend at
Madrid (how wofuUy inartistical is this!), resolves to go in search of her forthwith, and
forthwith, also, discovers her in a wood close at hand. Whereupon he approaches,
disguising his voice:-yes, we are required to believe that a lover may so disguise his
voice from his mistress as even to render his person in full view irrecognizable! He
approaches, and each knowing the other, a conversation ensues under the hypothesis that
each to the other is unknown-a very unoriginal, and, of course, a very silly source of
equivoque, fit only for the gum-elastic imagination of an infant. But what we especially
complain of here is that our poet should have taken so many and so obvious pains to

bring about this position of equivoque, when it was impossible that it could have served
any other purpose than that of injuring his intended effect! Read, for example, this
passage:-

VICTORIAN. I never loved a maid;
For she I loved was then a maid no more.

PRECIOSA. How know you that?

VICTORIA. A little bird in the air
Whispered the secret.

PRECIOSA. There, take back your gold!
Your hand is cold like a deceiver's hand!
There is no blessing in its charity!
Make her your wife, for you have been abused;
And you shall mend your fortunes mending hers.

VICTORIAN. How like an angel's speaks the tongue of woman.
When pleading in another's cause her own!

Now here it is clear that if we understood Preciosa to be really ignorant of Victorian's
identity, the "pleading in another's cause her own" would create a favourable impression
upon the reader or spectator. But the advice-"Make her your wife, etc.," takes an
interested and selfish turn when we remember that she knows to whom she speaks.

Again, when Victorian says:

That is a pretty ring upon your finger.
Pray give it me!
and when she replies:
No, never from my hand
Shall that be taken,

we are inclined to think her only an artful coquette, knowing, as we do, the extent of her
knowledge, on the hand we should have applauded her constancy (as the author intended)
had she been represented ignorant of Victorian's presence. The effect upon the audience,
in a word, would be pleasant in place of disagreeable were the case altered as we suggest,
while the effect upon Victorian would remain altogether untouched.

A still more remarkable instance of deficiency in the dramatic tact is to be found in the
mode of bringing about the discovery of Preciosa's parentage. In the very moment of the
eclaircissement between the lovers, Chispa arrives almost as a matter of course, and
settles the point in a sentence:-

Good news from the Court; Good news! Beltran Cruzado,
The Count of the Cales, is not your father,
But your true father has returned to Spain
Laden with wealth. You are no more a Gipsy.

Now here are three points:-first, the extreme baldness, platitude, and independence of the
incident narrated by Chispa. The opportune return of the father (we are tempted to say the
excessively opportune) stands by itself-has no relation to any other event in the play-
does not appear to arise, in the way of result, from any incident or incidents that have
arisen before. It has the air of a happy chance, of a God-send, of an ultra- accident,
invented by the play-wright by way of compromise for his lack of invention. Nee Deus
intersit, etc .-but here the God has interposed, and the knot is laughably unworthy of the
God.

The second point concerns the return of the father "laden with wealth." The lover has
abandoned his mistress in her poverty, and, while yet the words of his proffered
reconciliation hang upon his lips, comes his own servant with the news that the mistress'
father has returned "laden with wealth." Now, so far as regards the audience, who are
behind the scenes and know the fidelity of the lover-so far as regards the audience, all is
right; but the poet had no business to place his heroine in the sad predicament of being
forced, provided she is not a fool, to suspect both the ignorance and the disinterestedness
of the hero.

The third point has reference to the words-" You are now no more a Gipsy." The thesis of
this drama, as we have already said, is love disregarding the prejudices of caste, and in
the development of this thesis, the powers of the dramatist have been engaged, or should
have been engaged, during the whole of the three acts of the play. The interest excited
lies in our admiration of the sacrifice, and of the love that could make it; but this interest
immediately and disagreeably subsides when we find that the sacrifice has been made to
no purpose. "You are no more a Gipsy" dissolves the charm, and obliterates the whole
impression which the author has been at so much labour to convey. Our romantic sense of
the hero's chivalry declines into a complacent satisfaction with his fate. We drop our
enthusiasm, with the enthusiast, and jovially shake by the hand the mere man of good
luck. But is not the latter feeling the more comfortable of the two? Perhaps so; but
"comfortable" is not exactly the word Mr. Longfellow might wish applied to the end of
his drama, and then why be at the trouble of building up an effect through a hundred and
eighty pages, merely to knock it down at the end of the hundred and eighty-first?

We have already given, at some length, our conceptions of the nature of plot-and of that
of "The Spanish Student", it seems almost superfluous to speak at all. It has nothing of
construction about it. Indeed there is scarcely a single incident which has any necessary
dependence upon any one other. Not only might we take away two-thirds of the whole
without ruin-but without detriment-indeed with a positive benefit to the mass. And, even
as regards the mere order of arrangement, we might with a very decided chance of
improvement, put the scenes in a bag, give them a shake or two by way of shuffle, and
tumble them out. The whole mode of collocation- not to speak of the feebleness of the

incidents in themselves- evinces, on the part of the author, an utter and radical want of the
adapting or constructive power which the drama so imperatively demands.

Of the unoriginality of the thesis we have already spoken; and now, to the unoriginality
of the events by which the thesis is developed, we need do little more than alude. What,
indeed, could we say of such incidents as the child stolen by Gipsies-as her education as
a danseuse-as her betrothal to a Gipsy-as her preference for a gentleman-as the rumours
against her purity-as her persecution by a roue-as the irruption of the roue into her
chamber-as the consequent misunderstanding between her and her lover-as the duel-as
the defeat of the roue-as the receipt of his life from the hero-as his boasts of success with
the girl-as the ruse of the duplicate ring-as the field, in consequence, abandoned by the
lover-as the assassination of Lara while scaling the girl's bed-chamber-as the
disconsolate peregrination of Victorian-as the equivoque scene with Preciosa-as the
offering to purchase the ring and the refusal to part with it-as the "news from court,"
telling of the Gipsy's true parentage-what could we say of all these ridiculous things,
except that we have met them, each and all, some two or three hundred times before, and
that they have formed, in a great or less degree, the staple material of every Hop-O'My-
Thumb tragedy since the flood? There is not an incident, from the first page of "The
Spanish Student" to the last and most satisfactory, which we would not undertake to find
bodily, at ten minutes' notice, in some one of the thousand and one comedies of intrigue
attributed to Calderon and Lope de Vega.

But if our poet is grossly unoriginal in his subject, and in the events which evolve it, may
he not be original in his handling or tone? We really grieve to say that he is not, unless,
indeed, we grant him the need of originality for the peculiar manner in which he has
jumbled together the quaint and stilted tone of the old English dramatists with the
degagee air of Cervantes. But this is a point upon which, through want of space, we must
necessarily permit the reader to judge altogether for himself. We quote, however, a
passage from the second scene of the first act, by way of showing how very easy a matter
it is to make a man discourse Sancho Panza:-

Chispa. Abemuncio Satanas! and a plague upon all lovers who ramble about at night,
drinking the elements, instead of sleeping quietly in their beds. Every dead man to his
cemetery, say I; and every friar to his monastery. Now, here's my master Victorian,
yesterday a cow-keeper and to-day a gentleman; yesterday a student and to-day a lover;
and I must be up later than the nightingale, for as the abbot sings so must the sacristan
respond. God grant he may soon be married, for then shall all this serenading cease. Ay,
marry, marry, marry! Mother, what does marry mean? It means to spin, to bear children,
and to weep, my daughter! and, of a truth, there is something more in matrimony than the
wedding-ring. And now, gentlemen. Pax vobiscum! as the ass said to the cabbages!

And we might add, as an ass only should say.

In fact, throughout "The Spanish Student," as well as throughout other compositions of
its author, there runs a very obvious vein of imitation. We are perpetually reminded of
something we have seen before-some old acquaintance in manner or matter, and even

where the similarity cannot be said to amount to plagiarism, it is still injurious to the poet
in the good opinion of him who reads.

Among the minor defects of the play, we may mention the frequent allusion to book
incidents not generally known, and requiring each a Note by way of explanation. The
drama demands that everything be so instantaneously evident that he who runs may read;
and the only impression effected by these Notes to a play is, that the author is desirous of
showing his reading.

We may mention, also, occasional tautologies, such as:-

Never did I behold thee so attired

And garmented in beauty as to-night!

Or-

What we need

Is the celestial fire to change the fruit

Into transparent crystal, bright and clear!

We may speak, too, of more than occasional errors of grammar. For example:-

"Did no one see thee? None, my love, but thou."

Here "but" is not a conjunction, but a preposition, and governs thee in the objective.
"None but thee" would be right; meaning none except thee, saving thee. Earlier, "mayest"
is somewhat incorrectly written "may'st." And we have:-

I have no other saint than thou to pray to.

Here authority and analogy are both against Mr. Longfellow. "Than" also is here a
preposition governing the objective, and meaning save or except. "I have none other God
than thee, etc" See Home Tooke. The Latin "quam te" is exactly equivalent. [Later] we
read:-

Like thee I am a captive, and, like thee,

I have a gentle gaoler.

Here "like thee" (although grammatical of course) does not convey the idea. Mr. L. does
not mean that the speaker is like the bird itself, but that his condition resembles it. The
true reading would thus be:-

As thou I am a captive, and, as thou,

I have a gentle poler.

That is to say, as thou art and as thou hast.

Upon the whole, we regret that Professor Longfellow has written this work, and feel
especially vexed that he has committed himself by its republication. Only when regarded
as a mere poem can it be said to have merit of any kind. For in fact it is only when we
separate the poem from the drama that the passages we have commended as beautiful can
be understood to have beauty. We are not too sure, indeed, that a "dramatic poem" is not
a flat contradiction in terms. At all events a man of true genius (and such Mr. L.
unquestionably is) has no business with these hybrid and paradoxical compositions. Let a
poem be a poem only, let a play be a play and nothing more. As for "The Spanish
Student," its thesis is unoriginal; its incidents are antique; its plot is no plot; its characters
have no character, in short, it is a little better than a play upon words to style it "A Play"
at all.

PREFACE TO THE RAVEN AND OTHER POEMS

THESE TRIFLES are collected and republished chiefly with a view to their redemption
from the many improvements to which they have been subjected while "going the rounds
of the press." I am naturally anxious that if what I have written is to circulate at all, it
should circulate as I wrote it. In defence of my own taste, nevertheless, it is incumbent on
me to say that I think nothing in this volume of much value to the public, or very
creditable to myself. Events not to be controlled have prevented me from making, at any
time, any serious effort in what, under happier circumstances would have been the field
of my choice. With me poetry has not been a purpose, but a passion; and the passions
should be held in reverence; they must not-they cannot at will be excited, with an eye to
the paltry compensations, or the more paltry commendations, of mankind

E. A. P.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF COMPOSITION

CHARLES DICKENS, in a note now lying before me, alluding to an examination I once
made of the mechanism of "Barnaby Rudge," says-"By the way, are you aware that
Godwin wrote his 'Caleb Williams' backwards? He first involved his hero in a web of
difficulties, forming the second volume, and then, for the first, cast about him for some
mode of accounting for what had been done."

I cannot think this the precise mode of procedure on the part of Godwin-and indeed what
he himself acknowledges, is not altogether in accordance with Mr. Dickens' idea-but the
author of "Caleb Williams" was too good an artist not to perceive the advantage derivable
from at least a somewhat similar process. Nothing is more clear than that every plot,
worth the name, must be elaborated to its denouement before anything be attempted with
the pen. It is only with the denouement constantly in view that we can give a plot its
indispensable air of consequence, or causation, by making the incidents, and especially
the tone at all points, tend to the development of the intention.

There is a radical error, I think, in the usual mode of constructing a story. Either history
affords a thesis-or one is suggested by an incident of the day-or, at best, the author sets

himself to work in the combination of striking events to form merely the basis of his
narrative-designing, generally, to fill in with description, dialogue, or autorial comment,
whatever crevices of fact, or action, may, from page to page, render themselves apparent.

I prefer commencing with the consideration of an effect. Keeping originality always in
view-for he is false to himself who ventures to dispense with so obvious and so easily
attainable a source of interest-I say to myself, in the first place, "Of the innumerable
effects, or impressions, of which the heart, the intellect, or (more generally) the soul is
susceptible, what one shall I, on the present occasion, select?" Having chosen a novel,
first, and secondly a vivid effect, I consider whether it can be best wrought by incident or
tone-whether by ordinary incidents and peculiar tone, or the converse, or by peculiarity
both of incident and tone-afterward looking about me (or rather within) for such
combinations of event, or tone, as shall best aid me in the construction of the effect.

I have often thought how interesting a magazine paper might be written by any author
who would-that is to say, who could-detail, step by step, the processes by which any one
of his compositions attained its ultimate point of completion. Why such a paper has never
been given to the world, I am much at a loss to say-but, perhaps, the autorial vanity has
had more to do with the omission than any one other cause. Most writers-poets in
especial-prefer having it understood that they compose by a species of fine frenzy-an
ecstatic intuition-and would positively shudder at letting the public take a peep behind
the scenes, at the elaborate and vacillating crudities of thought-at the true purposes seized
only at the last moment-at the innumerable glimpses of idea that arrived not at the
maturity of full view-at the fully-matured fancies discarded in despair as unmanageable-
at the cautious selections and rejections-at the painful erasures and interpolations-in a
word, at the wheels and pinions-the tackle for scene- shifting-the step-ladders, and
demon-traps-the cock's feathers, the red paint and the black patches, which, in ninety-
nine cases out of a hundred, constitute the properties of the literary histrio.

I am aware, on the other hand, that the case is by no means common, in which an author
is at all in condition to retrace the steps by which his conclusions have been attained. In
general, suggestions, having arisen pell-mell are pursued and forgotten in a similar
manner.

For my own part, I have neither sympathy with the repugnance alluded to, nor, at any
time, the least difficulty in recalling to mind the progressive steps of any of my
compositions, and, since the interest of an analysis or reconstruction, such as I have
considered a desideratum, is quite independent of any real or fancied interest in the thing
analysed, it will not be regarded as a breach of decorum on my part to show the modus
operandi by which some one of my own works was put together. I select 'The Raven' as
most generally known. It is my design to render it manifest that no one point in its
composition is referable either to accident or intuition-that the work proceeded step by
step, to its completion, with the precision and rigid consequence of a mathematical
problem.

Let us dismiss, as irrelevant to the poem, per se, the circumstance- or say the necessity-
which, in the first place, gave rise to the intention of composing a poem that should suit
at once the popular and the critical taste.

We commence, then, with this intention.

The initial consideration was that of extent. If any literary work is too long to be read at
one sitting, we must be content to dispense with the immensely important effect derivable
from unity of impression-for, if two sittings be required, the affairs of the world interfere,
and everything like totality is at once destroyed. But since, ceteris paribus, no poet can
afford to dispense with anything that may advance his design, it but remains to be seen
whether there is, in extent, any advantage to counterbalance the loss of unity which
attends it. Here I say no, at once. What we term a long poem is, in fact, merely a
succession of brief ones-that is to say, of brief poetical effects. It is needless to
demonstrate that a poem is such only inasmuch as it intensely excites, by elevating the
soul; and all intense excitements are, through a psychal necessity, brief. For this reason,
at least, one-half of the "Paradise Lost" is essentially prose-a succession of poetical
excitements interspersed, inevitably, with corresponding depressions-the whole being
deprived, through the extremeness of its length, of the vastly important artistic element,
totality, or unity of effect.

It appears evident, then, that there is a distinct limit, as regards length, to all works of
literary art-the limit of a single sitting- and that, although in certain classes of prose
composition, such as "Robinson Crusoe" (demanding no unity), this limit may be
advantageously overpassed, it can never properly be overpassed in a poem. Within this
limit, the extent of a poem may be made to bear mathematical relation to its merit-in
other words, to the excitement or elevation-again, in other words, to the degree of the true
poetical effect which it is capable of inducing; for it is clear that the brevity must be in
direct ratio of the intensity of the intended effect-this, with one proviso-that a certain
degree of duration is absolutely requisite for the production of any effect at all.

Holding in view these considerations, as well as that degree of excitement which I
deemed not above the popular, while not below the critical taste, I reached at once what I
conceived the proper length for my intended poem-a length of about one hundred lines. It
is, in fact, a hundred and eight.

My next thought concerned the choice of an impression, or effect, to be conveyed: and
here I may as well observe that throughout the construction, I kept steadily in view the
design of rendering the work universally appreciable. I should be carried too far out of
my immediate topic were I to demonstrate a point upon which I have repeatedly insisted,
and which, with the poetical, stands not in the slightest need of demonstration-the point, I
mean, that Beauty is the sole legitimate province of the poem. A few words, however, in
elucidation of my real meaning, which some of my friends have evinced a disposition to
misrepresent. That pleasure which is at once the most intense, the most elevating, and the
most pure is, I believe, found in the contemplation of the beautiful. When, indeed, men
speak of Beauty, they mean, precisely, not a quality, as is supposed, but an effect-they

refer, in short, just to that intense and pure elevation of soul-not of intellect, or of heart-
upon which I have commented, and which is experienced in consequence of
contemplating the "beautiful." Now I designate Beauty as the province of the poem,
merely because it is an obvious rule of Art that effects should be made to spring from
direct causes-that objects should be attained through means best adapted for their
attainment-no one as yet having been weak enough to deny that the peculiar elevation
alluded to is most readily attained in the poem. Now the object Truth, or the satisfaction
of the intellect, and the object Passion, or the excitement of the heart, are, although
attainable to a certain extent in poetry, far more readily attainable in prose. Truth, in fact,
demands a precision, and Passion, a homeliness (the truly passionate will comprehend
me), which are absolutely antagonistic to that Beauty which, I maintain, is the excitement
or pleasurable elevation of the soul. It by no means follows, from anything here said, that
passion, or even truth, may not be introduced, and even profitably introduced, into a
poem for they may serve in elucidation, or aid the general effect, as do discords in music,
by contrast-but the true artist will always contrive, first, to tone them into proper
subservience to the predominant aim, and, secondly, to enveil them, as far as possible, in
that Beauty which is the atmosphere and the essence of the poem.

Regarding, then. Beauty as my province, my next question referred to the tone of its
highest manifestation-and all experience has shown that this tone is one of sadness.
Beauty of whatever kind in its supreme development invariably excites the sensitive soul
to tears. Melancholy is thus the most legitimate of all the poetical tones.

The length, the province, and the tone, being thus determined, I betook myself to ordinary
induction, with the view of obtaining some artistic piquancy which might serve me as a
key-note in the construction of the poem-some pivot upon which the whole structure
might turn. In carefully thinking over all the usual artistic effects- or more properly
points, in the theatrical sense-I did not fail to perceive immediately that no one had been
so universally employed as that of the refrain. The universality of its employment
sufficed to assure me of its intrinsic value, and spared me the necessity of submitting it to
analysis. I considered it, however, with regard to its susceptibility of improvement, and
soon saw it to be in a primitive condition. As commonly used, the refrain, or burden, not
only is limited to lyric verse, but depends for its impression upon the force of monotone-
both in sound and thought. The pleasure is deduced solely from the sense of identity-of
repetition. I resolved to diversify, and so heighten the effect, by adhering in general to the
monotone of sound, while I continually varied that of thought: that is to say, I determined
to produce continuously novel effects, by the variation of the application of the refrain-
the refrain itself remaining for the most part, unvaried.

These points being settled, I next bethought me of the nature of my refrain. Since its
application was to be repeatedly varied it was clear that the refrain itself must be brief,
for there would have been an insurmountable difficulty in frequent variations of
application in any sentence of length. In proportion to the brevity of the sentence would,
of course, be the facility of the variation. This led me at once to a single word as the best
refrain.

The question now arose as to the character of the word. Having made up my mind to a
refrain, the division of the poem into stanzas was of course a corollary, the refrain
forming the close to each stanza. That such a close, to have force, must be sonorous and
susceptible of protracted emphasis, admitted no doubt, and these considerations
inevitably led me to the long o as the most sonorous vowel in connection with r as the
most producible consonant.

The sound of the refrain being thus determined, it became necessary to select a word
embodying this sound, and at the same time in the fullest possible keeping with that
melancholy which I had pre-determined as the tone of the poem. In such a search it
would have been absolutely impossible to overlook the word "Nevermore." In fact it was
the very first which presented itself.

The next desideratum was a pretext for the continuous use of the one word "nevermore."
In observing the difficulty which I had at once found in inventing a sufficiently plausible
reason for its continuous repetition, I did not fail to perceive that this difficulty arose
solely from the preassumption that the word was to be so continuously or monotonously
spoken by a human being-I did not fail to perceive, in short, that the difficulty lay in the
reconciliation of this monotony with the exercise of reason on the part of the creature
repeating the word. Here, then, immediately arose the idea of a non-reasoning creature
capable of speech, and very naturally, a parrot, in the first instance, suggested itself, but
was superseded forthwith by a Raven as equally capable of speech, and infinitely more in
keeping with the intended tone.

I had now gone so far as the conception of a Raven, the bird of ill-omen, monotonously
repeating the one word "Nevermore" at the conclusion of each stanza in a poem of
melancholy tone, and in length about one hundred lines. Now, never losing sight of the
object- supremeness or perfection at all points, I asked myself-"Of all melancholy topics
what, according to the universal understanding of mankind, is the most melancholy?"
Death, was the obvious reply. "And when," I said, "is this most melancholy of topics
most poetical?" From what I have already explained at some length the answer here also
is obvious-"When it most closely allies itself to Beauty: the death then of a beautiful
woman is unquestionably the most poetical topic in the world, and equally is it beyond
doubt that the lips best suited for such topic are those of a bereaved lover."

I had now to combine the two ideas of a lover lamenting his deceased mistress and a
Raven continuously repeating the word "Nevermore." I had to combine these, bearing in
mind my design of varying at every turn the application of the word repeated, but the
only intelligible mode of such combination is that of imagining the Raven employing the
word in answer to the queries of the lover. And here it was that I saw at once the
opportunity afforded for the effect on which I had been depending, that is to say, the
effect of the variation of application. I saw that I could make the first query propounded
by the lover-the first query to which the Raven should reply "Nevermore"- that I could
make this first query a commonplace one, the second less so, the third still less, and so
on, until at length the lover, startled from his original nonchalance by the melancholy
character of the word itself, by its frequent repetition, and by a consideration of the

ominous reputation of the fowl that uttered it, is at length excited to superstition, and
wildly propounds queries of a far different character-queries whose solution he has
passionately at heart-propounds them half in superstition and half in that species of
despair which delights in self-torture-propounds them not altogether because he believes
in the prophetic or demoniac character of the bird (which reason assures him is merely
repeating a lesson learned by rote), but because he experiences a frenzied pleasure in so
modelling his questions as to receive from the expected "Nevermore" the most delicious
because the most intolerable of sorrows. Perceiving the opportunity thus afforded me, or,
more strictly, thus forced upon me in the progress of the construction, I first established
in my mind the climax or concluding query-that query to which "Nevermore" should be
in the last place an answer-that query in reply to which this word "Nevermore" should
involve the utmost conceivable amount of sorrow and despair.

Here then the poem may be said to have had its beginning-at the end where all works of
art should begin-for it was here at this point of my preconsiderations that I first put pen
to paper in the composition of the stanza:

"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil! prophet still if bird or devil!
By that Heaven that bends above us-by that God we both adore.
Tell this soul with sorrow laden, if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore-
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore."
Quoth the Raven-"Nevermore."

I composed this stanza, at this point, first that, by establishing the climax, I might the
better vary and graduate, as regards seriousness and importance, the preceding queries of
the lover, and secondly, that I might definitely settle the rhythm, the metre, and the length
and general arrangement of the stanza, as well as graduate the stanzas which were to
precede, so that none of them might surpass this in rhythmical effect. Had I been able in
the subsequent composition to construct more vigorous stanzas I should without scruple
have purposely enfeebled them so as not to interfere with the climacteric effect.

And here I may as well say a few words of the versification. My first object (as usual)
was originality. The extent to which this has been neglected in versification is one of the
most unaccountable things in the world. Admitting that there is little possibility of variety
in mere rhythm, it is still clear that the possible varieties of metre and stanza are
absolutely infinite, and yet, for centuries, no man, in verse, has ever done, or ever seemed
to think of doing, an original thing. The fact is that originality (unless in minds of very
unusual force) is by no means a matter, as some suppose, of impulse or intuition. In
general, to be found, it must be elaborately sought, and although a positive merit of the
highest class, demands in its attainment less of invention than negation.

Of course I pretend to no originality in either the rhythm or metre of the "Raven." The
former is trochaic-the latter is octametre acatalectic, alternating with heptametre
catalectic repeated in the refrain of the fifth verse, and terminating with tetrametre
catalectic. Less pedantically the feet employed throughout (trochees) consist of a long

syllable followed by a short, the first line of the stanza consists of eight of these feet, the
second of seven and a half (in effect two-thirds), the third of eight, the fourth of seven
and a half, the fifth the same, the sixth three and a half. Now, each of these lines taken
individually has been employed before, and what originality the "Raven" has, is in their
combination into stanza; nothing even remotely approaching this has ever been
attempted. The effect of this originality of combination is aided by other unusual and
some altogether novel effects, arising from an extension of the application of the
principles of rhyme and alliteration.

The next point to be considered was the mode of bringing together the lover and the
Raven-and the first branch of this consideration was the locale. For this the most natural
suggestion might seem to be a forest, or the fields-but it has always appeared to me that a
close circumscription of space is absolutely necessary to the effect of insulated incident-
it has the force of a frame to a picture. It has an indisputable moral power in keeping
concentrated the attention, and, of course, must not be confounded with mere unity of
place.

I determined, then, to place the lover in his chamber-in a chamber rendered sacred to him
by memories of her who had frequented it. The room is represented as richly furnished-
this in mere pursuance of the ideas I have already explained on the subject of Beauty, as
the sole true poetical thesis.

The locale being thus determined, I had now to introduce the bird- and the thought of
introducing him through the window was inevitable. The idea of making the lover
suppose, in the first instance, that the flapping of the wings of the bird against the shutter,
is a "tapping" at the door, originated in a wish to increase, by prolonging, the reader's
curiosity, and in a desire to admit the incidental effect arising from the lover's throwing
open the door, finding all dark, and thence adopting the half-fancy that it was the spirit of
his mistress that knocked.

I made the night tempestuous, first to account for the Raven's seeking admission, and
secondly, for the effect of contrast with the (physical) serenity within the chamber.

I made the bird alight on the bust of Pallas, also for the effect of contrast between the
marble and the plumage-it being understood that the bust was absolutely suggested by
the bird-the bust of Pallas being chosen, first, as most in keeping with the scholarship of
the lover, and secondly, for the sonorousness of the word, Pallas, itself.

About the middle of the poem, also, I have availed myself of the force of contrast, with a
view of deepening the ultimate impression. For example, an air of the fantastic-
approaching as nearly to the ludicrous as was admissible-is given to the Raven's
entrance. He comes in "with many a flirt and flutter."

Not the least obeisance made he-not a moment stopped or stayed he.
But with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door.

In the two stanzas which follow, the design is more obviously carried out:-

Then this ebony bird, beguiling my sad fancy into smiling
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
"Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou," I said, "art sure no
craven.

Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore-
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore?"
Quoth the Raven-"Nevermore."

Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,
Though its answer little meaning-little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door-
Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door.
With such name as "Nevermore."

The effect of the denouement being thus provided for, I immediately drop the fantastic
for a tone of the most profound seriousness-this tone commencing in the stanza directly
following the one last quoted, with the line.

But the Raven, sitting lonely on that placid bust, spoke only, etc.

From this epoch the lover no longer jests-no longer sees anything even of the fantastic in
the Raven's demeanour. He speaks of him as a "grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and
ominous bird of yore," and feels the "fiery eyes" burning into his "bosom's core." This
revolution of thought, or fancy, on the lover's part, is intended to induce a similar one on
the part of the reader-to bring the mind into a proper frame for the denouement-which is
now brought about as rapidly and as directly as possible.

With the denouement proper-with the Raven's reply, "Nevermore," to the lover's final
demand if he shall meet his mistress in another world-the poem, in its obvious phase, that
of a simple narrative, may be said to have its completion. So far, everything is within the
limits of the accountable-of the real. A raven, having learned by rote the single word
"Nevermore," and having escaped from the custody of its owner, is driven at midnight,
through the violence of a storm, to seek admission at a window from which a light still
gleams-the chamber- window of a student, occupied half in poring over a volume, half in
dreaming of a beloved mistress deceased. The casement being thrown open at the
fluttering of the bird's wings, the bird itself perches on the most convenient seat out of the
immediate reach of the student, who amused by the incident and the oddity of the visitor's
demeanour, demands of it, in jest and without looking for a reply, its name. The raven
addressed, answers with its customary word, "Nevermore"-a word which finds
immediate echo in the melancholy heart of the student, who, giving utterance aloud to
certain thoughts suggested by the occasion, is again startled by the fowl's repetition of
"Nevermore." The student now guesses the state of the case, but is impelled, as I have
before explained, by the human thirst for self-torture, and in part by superstition, to
propound such queries to the bird as will bring him, the lover, the most of the luxury of

sorrow, through the anticipated answer, "Nevermore." With the indulgence, to the
extreme, of this self-torture, the narration, in what I have termed its first or obvious
phase, has a natural termination, and so far there has been no overstepping of the limits of
the real.

But in subjects so handled, however skillfully, or with however vivid an array of incident,
there is always a certain hardness or nakedness which repels the artistical eye. Two things
are invariably required-first, some amount of complexity, or more properly, adaptation;
and, secondly, some amount of suggestiveness-some under-current, however indefinite,
of meaning. It is this latter, in especial, which imparts to a work of art so much of that
richness (to borrow from colloquy a forcible term), which we are too fond of
confounding with the ideal. It is the excess of the suggested meaning- it is the rendering
this the upper instead of the under-current of the theme- which turns into prose (and that
of the very flattest kind), the so-called poetry of the so-called transcendentalists.

Holding these opinions, I added the two concluding stanzas of the poem-their
suggestiveness being thus made to pervade all the narrative which has preceded them.
The under-current of meaning is rendered first apparent in the line-

"Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my
door!"

Quoth the Raven "Nevermore!"

It will be observed that the words, "from out my heart," involve the first metaphorical
expression in the poem. They, with the answer, "Nevermore," dispose the mind to seek a
moral in all that has been previously narrated. The reader begins now to regard the Raven
as emblematic al-but it is not until the very last line of the very last stanza that the
intention of making him emblematical of Mournful and never ending Remembrance is
permitted distinctly to be seen:

And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting.
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon that is dreaming.
And the lamplight o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lif ted-nevermore.

THE RATIONALE OF VERSE

THE WORD "Verse" is here used not in its strict or primitive sense, but as the term most
convenient for expressing generally and without pedantry all that is involved in the
consideration of rhythm, rhyme, metre, and versification.

There is, perhaps, no topic in polite literature which has been more pertinaciously
discussed, and there is certainly not one about which so much inaccuracy, confusion.

misconception, misrepresentation, mystification, and downright ignorance on all sides,
can be fairly said to exist. Were the topic really difficult, or did it lie, even, in the
cloudland of metaphysics, where the doubt-vapors may be made to assume any and every
shape at the will or at the fancy of the gazer, we should have less reason to wonder at all
this contradiction and perplexity; but in fact the subject is exceedingly simple; one-tenth
of it, possibly, may be called ethical; nine-tenths, however, appertain to mathematics; and
the whole is included within the limits of the commonest common sense.

"But, if this is the case, how," it will be asked, "can so much misunderstanding have
arisen? Is it conceivable that a thousand profound scholars, investigating so very simple a
matter for centuries, have not been able to place it in the fullest light, at least, of which it
is susceptible?" These queries, I confess, are not easily answered: at all events, a
satisfactory reply to them might cost more trouble than would, if properly considered, the
whole vexata quaestio to which they have reference. Nevertheless, there is little difficulty
or danger in suggesting that the "thousand profound scholars" may have failed first,
because they were scholars; secondly, because they were profound; and thirdly, because
they were a thousand-the impotency of the scholarship and profundity having been thus
multiplied a thousand fold. I am serious in these suggestions; for, first again, there is
something in "scholarship" which seduces us into blind worship of Bacon's Idol of the
Theatre-into irrational deference to antiquity, secondly, the proper "profundity" is rarely
profound-it is the nature of Truth in general, as of some ores in particular, to be richest
when most superficial; thirdly, the clearest subject may be over-clouded by mere
superabundance of talk. In chemistry, the best way of separating two bodies is to add a
third; in speculation, fact often agrees with fact and argument with argument until an
additional well-meaning fact or argument sets everything by the ears. In one case out of a
hundred a point is excessively discussed because it is obscure; in the ninety-nine
remaining it is obscure because excessively discussed. When a topic is thus
circumstanced, the readiest mode of investigating it is to forget that any previous
investigation has been attempted.

But, in fact, while much has been written on the Greek and Latin rhythms, and even on
the Hebrew, little effort has been made at examining that of any of the modern tongues.
As regards the English, comparatively nothing has been done. It may be said, indeed, that
we are without a treatise on our own verse. In our ordinary grammars and in our works on
rhetoric or prosody in general, may be found occasional chapters, it is true, which have
the heading, "Versification," but these are, in all instances, exceedingly meagre. They
pretend to no analysis; they propose nothing like system; they make no attempts at even
rule; everything depends upon "authority." They are confined, in fact, to mere
exemplification of the supposed varieties of English feet and English lines-although in no
work with which I am acquainted are these feet correctly given or these lines detailed in
anything like their full extent. Yet what has been mentioned is all-if we except the
occasional introduction of some pedagogue-ism, such as this borrowed from the Greek
Prosodies: "When a syllable is wanting the verse is said to be catalectic; when the
measure is exact, the line is acatalectic; when there is a redundant syllable, it forms
hypermeter." Now, whether a line be termed catalectic or acatalectic is, perhaps, a point
of no vital importance-it is even possible that the student may be able to decide.

promptly, when the a should be employed and when omitted, yet be incognizant, at the
same time, of all that is worth knowing in regard to the structure of verse.

A leading defect in each of our treatises (if treatises they can be called) is the confining
the subject to mere Versification, while Verse in general, with the understanding given to
the term in the heading of this paper, is the real question at issue. Nor am I aware of even
one of our Grammars which so much as properly defines the word versification itself.
"Versification," says a work now before me, of which the accuracy is far more than
usual-the "English Grammar" of Goold Brown-"Versification is the art of arranging
words into lines of correspondent length, so as to produce harmony by the regular
alternation of syllables differing in quantity." The commencement of this definition might
apply, indeed, to the art of versification, but not to versification itself. Versification is not
the art of arranging, etc, but the actual arranging-a distinction too obvious to need
comment. The error here is identical with one which has been too long permitted to
disgrace the initial page of every one of our school grammars. I allude to the definitions
of English Grammar itself. "English Grammar," it is said, "is the art of speaking and
writing the English language correctly." This phraseology, or something essentially
similar, is employed, I believe, by Bacon, Miller, Fisk, Greenleaf, IngersoU, Kirkland,
Cooper, Flint, Pue, Comly, and many others. These gentlemen, it is presumed, adopted it
without examination from Murray, who derived it from Lily (whose work was "quam
solam Regia Majestas in omnibus scholis docendam praecipit"), and who appropriated it
without acknowledgment, but with some unimportant modification, from the Latin
Grammar of Leonicenus. It may be shown, however, that this definition, so complacently
received, is not, and cannot be, a proper definition of English Grammar. A definition is
that which so describes its object as to distinguish it from all others-it is no definition of
any one thing if its terms are applicable to any one other. But if it be asked-"What is the
design-the end-the aim of English Grammar?" our obvious answer is, "The art of
speaking and writing the English language correctly "-that is to say, we must use the
precise words employed as the definition of English Grammar itself. But the object to be
obtained by any means is, assuredly, not the means. English Grammar and the end
contemplated by English Grammar are two matters sufficiently distinct; nor can the one
be more reasonably regarded as the other than a fishing-hook as a fish. The definition,
therefore, which is applicable in the latter instance, cannot, in the former, be true.
Grammar in general is the analysis of language; English Grammar of the English.

But to return to Versification as defined in our extract above. "It is the art," says the
extract "of arranging words into lines of correspondent length." Not so:-a correspondence
in the length of lines is by no means essential. Pindaric odes are, surely, instances of
versification, yet these compositions are noted for extreme diversity in the length of their
lines.

The arrangement is moreover said to be for the purpose of producing "harmony by the
regular alternation," etc. But harmony is not the sole aim-not even the principal one. In
the construction of verse, melody should never be left out of view; yet this is a point
which all our Prosodies have most unaccountably forborne to touch. Reasoned rules on
this topic should form a portion of all systems of rhythm.

"So as to produce harmony," says the definition, "by the regular alternation," etc. A
regular alternation, as described, forms no part of any principle of versification. The
arrangement of spondees and dactyls, for example, in the Greek hexameter, is an
arrangement which may be termed at random. At least it is arbitrary. Without interference
with the line as a whole, a dactyl may be substituted for a spondee, or the converse, at
any point other than the ultimate and penultimate feet, of which the former is always a
spondee, the latter nearly always a dactyl. Here, it is clear, we have no "regular
alternation of syllables differing in quantity."

"So as to produce harmony," proceeds the definition "by the regular alternation of
syllables differing in quantity, "-in other words by the alternation of long and short
syllables; for in rhythm all syllables are necessarily either short or long. But not only do I
deny the necessity of any regularity in the succession of feet and, by consequence, of
syllables, but dispute the essentiality of any alternation regular or irregular, of syllables
long and short. Our author, observe, is now engaged in a definition of versification in
general, not of English versification in particular. But the Greek and Latin metres abound
in the spondee and pyrrhic-the former consisting of two long syllables, the latter of two
short; and there are innumerable instances of the immediate succession of many spondees
and many pyrrhics.

Here is a passage from Silius Italicus:

Fallit te mensas inter quod credis inermem
Tot bellis quaesita viro, tot caedibus armat
Majestas aetema ducem: si admoveris ora
Cannas et Trebium ante oculos Trasymenaque busta
Et Pauli stare ingentem miraberis umbram.

Making the elisions demanded by the classic Prosodies, we should scan these Hexameters
thus:

Fallit / te men / sas in / ter quod / credis in / ermem /
Tot bel / lis quae / sita tot / caedibus / armat /
Majes / tas ae / terna du / cem s'ad / moveris / ora /
Cannas / et Trebi / ant ocu / los Trasy / menaque / busta /
Et Pau / li sta / r' ingen / tem mi / raberis / umbram /

It will be seen that, in the first and last of these lines, we have only two short syllables in
thirteen, with an uninterrupted succession of no less than nine long syllables. But how are
we to reconcile all this with a definition of versification which describes it as "the art of
arranging words into lines of correspondent length so as to produce harmony by the
regular alternation of syllables differing in quantity"?

It may be urged, however, that our prosodist's intention was to speak of the English
metres alone, and that, by omitting all mention of the spondee and pyrrhic, he has
virtually avowed their exclusion from our rhythms. A grammarian is never excusable on

the ground of good intentions. We demand from him, if from any one, rigorous precision
of style. But grant the design. Let us admit that our author, following the example of all
authors on English Prosody, has, in defining versification at large, intended a definition
merely of the English. All these prosodists, we will say, reject the spondee and pyrrhic.
Still all admit the iambus, which consists of a short syllable followed by a long; the
trochee, which is the converse of the iambus; the dactyl, formed of one long syllable
followed by two short; and the anapaest-two short succeeded by a long. The spondee is
improperly rejected, as I shall presently show. The pyrrhic is rightfully dismissed. Its
existence in either ancient or modern rhythm is purely chimerical, and the insisting on so
perplexing a nonentity as a foot of two short syllables, affords, perhaps, the best evidence
of the gross irrationality and subservience to authority which characterise our Prosody. In
the meantime the acknowledged dactyl and anapaest are enough to sustain my
proposition about the "alternation," etc, without reference to feet which are assumed to
exist in the Greek and Latin metres alone-for an anapaest and a dactyl may meet in the
same line, when, of course, we shall have an uninterrupted succession of four short
syllables. The meeting of these two feet, to be sure, is an accident not contemplated in the
definition now discussed; for this definition, in demanding a "regular alternation of
syllables differing in quantity," insists on a regular succession of similar feet. But here is
an example:

Sing to me / Isabelle.

This is the opening line of a little ballad now before me which proceeds in the same
rhythm-a peculiarly beautiful one. More than all this:-English lines are often well
composed, entirely, of a regular succession of syllables all of the same quantity:-the first
line, for instance, of the following quatrain by Arthur C. Coxe:

March! march! march!
Making sounds as they tread.
Ho! ho! how they step.
Going down to the dead!

The [first line] is formed of three caesuras. The caesura, of which I have much to say
hereafter, is rejected by the English Prosodies, and grossly misrepresented in the classic.
It is a perfect foot-the most important in all verse-and consists of a single long syllable;
but the length of this syllable varies.

It has thus been made evident that there is not one point of the definition in question
which does not involve an error, and for anything more satisfactory or more intelligible
we shall look in vain to any published treatise on the topic.

So general and so total a failure can be referred only to radical misconception. In fact the
English Prosodists have blindly followed the pedants. These latter, like les moutons de
Panurge, have been occupied in incessant tumbling into ditches, for the excellent reason
that their leaders have so tumbled before. The Iliad, being taken as a starting point, was
made to stand instead of Nature and common sense. Upon this poem, in place of facts and

deduction from fact, or from natural law, were built systems of feet, metres, rhythms,
rules,-rules that contradict each other every five minutes, and for nearly all of which
there may be found twice as many exceptions as examples. If any one has a fancy to be
thoroughly confounded-to see how far the infatuation of what is termed "classical
scholarship," can lead a bookworm in the manufacture of darkness out of sunshine, let
him turn over for a few moments any of the German Greek Prosodies. The only thing
clearly made out in them is a very magnificent contempt for Leibnitzs principle of "a
sufficient reason."

To divert attention from the real matter in hand by any further reference to these works is
unnecessary, and would be weak. I cannot call to mind at this moment one essential
particular of information that is to be gleaned from them, and I will drop them here with
merely this one observation,-that employing from among the numerous "ancient" feet the
spondee, the trochee, the iambus, the anapaest, the dactyl, and the caesura alone, I will
engage to scan correctly any of the Horatian rhythms, or any true rhythm that human
ingenuity can conceive. And this excess of chimerical feet is perhaps the very least of the
scholastic supererogations. Ex uno disce omnia. The fact is that quantity is a point in
whose investigation the lumber of mere learning may be dispensed with, if ever in any.
Its appreciation is universal. It appertains to no region, nor race, nor era in special. To
melody and to harmony the Greeks hearkened with ears precisely similar to those which
we employ for similar purposes at present, and I should not be condemned for heresy in
asserting that a pendulum at Athens would have vibrated much after the same fashion as
does a pendulum in the city of Penn.

Verse originates in the human enjoyment of equality, fitness. To this enjoyment, also, all
the moods of verse, rhythm, metre, stanza, rhyme, alliteration, the refrain, and other
analagous effects, are to be referred. As there are some readers who habitually confound
rhythm and metre, it may be as well here to say that the former concerns the character of
feet (that is arrangements of syllables) while the latter has to do with the number of these
feet. Thus by "a dactylic rhythm" we express a sequence of dactyls. By "a dactylic
hexameter" we imply a line or measure consisting of six of these dactyls.

To return to equality. Its idea embraces those of similarity, proportion, identity,
repetition, and adaptation or fitness. It might not be very difficult to go even behind the
idea of equality, and show both how and why it is that the human nature takes pleasure in
it, but such an investigation would, for any purpose now in view, be supererogatory. It is
sufficient that the fact is undeniable-the fact that man derives enjoyment from his
perception of equality. Let us examine a crystal. We are at once interested by the equality
between the sides and between the angles of one of its faces; the equality of the sides
pleases us, that of the angles doubles the pleasure. On bringing to view a second face in
all respects similar to the first, this pleasure seems to be squared; on bringing to view a
third it appears to be cubed, and so on. I have no doubt, indeed, that the delight
experienced, if measurable, would be found to have exact mathematical relation such as I
suggest, that is to say, as far as a certain point, beyond which there would be a decrease
in similar relations.

The perception of pleasure in the equality of sounds is the principle of Music.
Unpractised ears can appreciate only simple equalities, such as are found in ballad airs.
While comparing one simple sound with another they are too much occupied to be
capable of comparing the equality subsisting between these two simple sounds taken
conjointly, and two other similar simple sounds taken conjointly. Practised ears, on the
other hand, appreciate both equalities at the same instant, although it is absurd to suppose
that both are heard at the same instant. One is heard and appreciated from itself, the other
is heard by the memory, and the instant glides into and is confounded with the secondary
appreciation. Highly cultivated musical taste in this manner enjoys not only these double
equalities, all appreciated at once, but takes pleasurable cognizance, through memory, of
equalities the members of which occur at intervals so great that the uncultivated taste
loses them altogether. That this latter can properly estimate or decide on the merits of
what is called scientific music is of course impossible. But scientific music has no claim
to intrinsic excellence; it is fit for scientific ears alone. In its excess it is the triumph of
the physique over the morale of music. The sentiment is overwhelmed by the sense. On
the whole, the advocates of the simpler melody and harmony have infinitely the best of
the argument, although there has been very little of real argument on the subject.

In verse, which cannot be better designated than as an inferior or less capable Music,
there is, happily, little chance for complexity. Its rigidly simple character not even
Science-not even Pedantry can greatly pervert.

The rudiment of verse may possibly be found in the spondee. The very germ of a thought
seeking satisfaction in equality of sound would result in the construction of words of two
syllables, equally accented. In corroboration of this idea we find that spondees most
abound in the most ancient tongues. The second step we can easily suppose to be the
comparison, that is to say, the collocation of two spondees-or two words composed each
of a spondee. The third step would be the juxtaposition of three of these words. By this
time the perception of monotone would induce further consideration; and thus arises what
Leigh Hunt so flounders in discussing under the title of "The Principle of Variety in
Uniformity." Of course there is no principle in the case-nor in maintaining it. The
"Uniformity" is the principle-the "Variety" is but the principle's natural safeguard from
self-destruction by excess of self. "Uniformity," besides, is the very worst word that
could have been chosen for the expression of the general idea at which it aims.

The perception of monotone having given rise to an attempt at its relief, the first thought
in this new direction would be that of collating two or more words formed each of two
syllables differently accented (that is to say, short and long) but having the same order in
each word-in other terms, of collating two or more iambuses, or two or more trochees.
And here let me pause to assert that more pitiable nonsense has been written on the topic
of long and short syllables than on any other subject under the sun. In general, a syllable
is long or short, just as it is difficult or easy of enunciation. The natural long syllables are
those encumbered-the natural short syllables are those unencumbered with consonants;
all the rest is mere artificiality and jargon. The Latin Prosodies have a rule that a "vowel
before two consonants is long." This rule is deduced from "authority "-that is, from the
observation that vowels so circumstanced, in the ancient poems, are always in syllables

long by the laws of scansion. The philosophy of the rule is untouched, and lies simply in
the physical difficulty of giving voice to such syllables-of performing the lingual
evolutions necessary for their utterance. Of course, it is not the vowel that is long
(although the rule says so), but the syllable of which the vowel is a part. It will be seen
that the length of a syllable, depending on the facility or difficulty of its enunciation,
must have great variation in various syllables; but for the purposes of verse we suppose a
long syllable equal to two short ones, and the natural deviation from this relativeness we
correct in perusal. The more closely our long syllables approach this relation with our
short ones, the better, ceteris paribus, will be our verse: but if the relation does not exist
of itself we force it by emphasis, which can, of course, make any syllable as long as
desired;-or, by an effort we can pronounce with unnatural brevity a syllable that is
naturally too long. Accented syllables are, of course, always long, but where
unencumbered with consonants, must be classed among the unnaturally long. Mere
custom has declared that we shall accent them-that is to say, dwell upon them; but no
inevitable lingual difficulty forces us to do so. In fine, every long syllable must of its own
accord occupy in its utterance, or must be made to occupy, precisely the time demanded
for two short ones. The only exception to this rule is found in the caesura-of which more
anon.

The success of the experiment with the trochees or iambuses (the one would have
suggested the other) must have led to a trial of dactyls or anapaests-natural dactyls or
anapaests-dactylic or anapaestic words. And now some degree of complexity has been
attained. There is an appreciation, first, of the equality between the several dactyls or
anapaests, and secondly, of that between the long syllable and the two short conjointly.
But here it may be said, that step after step would have been taken, in continuation of this
routine, until all the feet of the Greek Prosodies became exhausted. Not so; these
remaining feet have no existence except in the brains of the scholiasts. It is needless to
imagine men inventing these things, and folly to explain how and why they invented
them, until it shall be first shown that they are actually invented. All other "feet" than
those which I have specified are, if not impossible at first view, merely combinations of
the specified; and, although this assertion is rigidly true, I will, to avoid
misunderstanding, put it in a somewhat different shape. I will say, then, that at present I
am aware of no rhythm-nor do I believe that any one can be constructed-which, in its
last analysis, will not be found to consist altogether of the feet I have mentioned, either
existing in their individual and obvious condition, or interwoven with each other in
accordance with simple natural laws which I will endeavour to point out hereafter.

We have now gone so far as to suppose men constructing indefinite sequences of
spondaic, iambic, trochaic, dactylic, or anapaestic words. In extending these sequences,
they would be again arrested by the sense of monotone. A succession of spondees would
immediately have displeased; one of iambuses or of trochees, on account of the variety
included within the foot itself, would have taken longer to displease, one of dactyls or
anapaests, still longer; but even the last, if extended very far, must have become
wearisome. The idea first of curtailing, and secondly of defining, the length of a sequence
would thus at once have arisen. Here then is the line of verse proper.* The principle of
equality being constantly at the bottom of the whole process, lines would naturally be

made, in the first instance, equal in the number of their feet; in the second instance, there
would be variation in the mere number; one line would be twice as long as another, then
one would be some less obvious multiple of another; then still less obvious proportions
would be adopted- nevertheless there would be proportion, that is to say, a phase of
equality, still.

* Verse, from the Latin vertere, to turn, is so called on account of the turning or re-
commencement of the series of feet. Thus a verse strictly speaking is a line. In this sense,
however, I have preferred using the latter word alone; employing the former in the
general acceptation given it in the heading of this paper.

Lines being once introduced, the necessity of distinctly defining these lines to the ear (as
yet written verse does not exist), would lead to a scrutiny of their capabilities at their
terminations-and now would spring up the idea of equality in sound between the final
syllables-in other words, of rhyme. First, it would be used only in the iambic, anapaestic,
and spondaic rhythms (granting that the latter had not been thrown aside long since, on
account of its tameness), because in these rhythms the concluding syllable being long,
could best sustain the necessary protraction of the voice. No great while could elapse,
however, before the effect, found pleasant as well as useful, would be applied to the two
remaining rhythms. But as the chief force of rhyme must lie in the accented syllable, the
attempt to create rhyme at all in these two remaining rhythms, the trochaic and dactylic,
would necessarily result in double and triple rhymes, such as beauty with duty (trochaic),
and beautiful with dutiful (dactylic).

It must be observed that in suggesting these processes I assign them no date; nor do I
even insist upon their order. Rhyme is supposed to be of modern origin, and were this
proved my positions remain untouched. I may say, however, in passing, that several
instances of rhyme occur in the "Clouds" of Aristophanes, and that the Roman poets
occasionally employed it. There is an effective species of ancient rhyming which has
never descended to the moderns: that in which the ultimate and penultimate syllables
rhyme with each other. For example:

Parturiunt montes; nascetur ridiculus mus.

And again:

Litoreis ingens inventa sub ilicibus sus.

The terminations of Hebrew verse (as far as understood) show no signs of rhyme; but
what thinking person can doubt that it did actually exist? That men have so obstinately
and blindly insisted, in general, even up to the present day, in confining rhyme to the
ends of lines, when its effect is even better applicable elsewhere, intimates in my opinion
the sense of some necessity in the connection of the ends with the rhyme-hints that the
origin of rhyme lay in a necessity which connected it with the end-shows that neither
mere accident nor mere fancy gave rise to the connection-points, in a word, at the very
necessity which I have suggested (that of some mode of defining lines to the ear), as the

true origin of rhyme. Admit this and we throw the origin far back in the night of Time-
beyond the origin of written verse.

But to resume. The amount of complexity I have now supposed to be attained is very
considerable. Various systems of equalization are appreciated at once (or nearly so) in
their respective values and in the value of each system with reference to all the others. As
our present ultimatum of complexity, we have arrived at triple-rhymed, natural-dactylic
lines, existing proportionally as well as equally with regard to other triple-rhymed,
natural-dactylic lines. For example:

Virginal Lilian, rigidly, humblily dutiful;
Saintlily, lowlily,
Thrillingly, holily
Beautiful!

Here we appreciate, first, the absolute equality between the long syllable of each dactyl
and the two short conjointly; secondly, the absolute equality between each dactyl and any
other dactyl, in other words, among all the dactyls; thirdly, the absolute equality between
the two middle lines; fourthly, the absolute equality between the first line and the three
others taken conjointly, fifthly, the absolute equality between the last two syllables of the
respective words "dutiful" and "beautiful"; sixthly, the absolute equality between the two
last syllables of the respective words "lowlily" and "holily"; seventhly, the proximate
equality between the first syllable of "dutiful" and the first syllable of "beautiful";
eighthly, the proximate equality between the first syllable of "lowlily" and that of
"holily"; ninthly, the proportional equality (that of five to one) between the first line and
each of its members, the dactyls; tenthly, the proportional equality (that of two to one)
between each of the middle lines and its members, the dactyls, eleventhly, the
proportional equality between the first line and each of the two middle, that of five to
two; twelfthly, the proportional equality between the first line and the last, that of five to
one; thirteenthly, the proportional equality between each of the middle lines and the last,
that of two to one, lastly, the proportional equality, as concerns number, between all the
lines taken collectively, and any individual line, that of four to one.

The consideration of this last equality would give birth immediately to the idea of
stanza,* that is to say, the insulation of lines into equal or obviously proportional masses.
In its primitive (which was also its best) form the stanza would most probably have had
absolute unity. In other words, the removal of any one of its lines would have rendered it
imperfect, as in the case above, where if the last line, for example, be taken away there is
left no rhyme to the "dutiful" of the first. Modern stanza is excessively loose, and where
so, ineffective as a matter of course.

* A stanza is often vulgarly, and with gross impropriety, called a verse.

Now, although in the deliberate written statement which I have here given of these
various systems of equalities, there seems to be an infinity of complexity so much that it
is hard to conceive the mind taking cognisance of them all in the brief period occupied by

the perusal or recital of the stanza, yet the difficulty is in fact apparent only when we will
it to become so. Any one fond of mental experiment may satisfy himself, by trial, that in
listening to the lines he does actually (although with a seeming unconsciousness, on
account of the rapid evolutions of sensation) recognise and instantaneously appreciate
(more or less intensely as his is cultivated) each and all of the equalizations detailed. The
pleasure received or receivable has very much such progressive increase, and in very
nearly such mathematical relations as those which I have suggested in the case of the
crystal.

It will be observed that I speak of merely a proximate equality between the first syllable
of "dutiful" and that of "beautiful," and it may be asked why we cannot imagine the
earliest rhymes to have had absolute instead of proximate equality of sound. But absolute
equality would have involved the use of identical words, and it is the duplicate sameness
or monotony, that of sense as well as that of sound, which would have caused these
rhymes to be rejected in the very first instance.

The narrowness of the limits within which verse composed of natural feet alone must
necessarily have been confined would have led, after a very brief interval, to the trial and
immediate adoption of artificial feet, that is to say, of feet not constituted each of a single
word but two, or even three words, or of parts of words. These feet would be
intermingled with natural ones. For example:

A breath / can make / them as / a breath / his made.

This is an iambic line in which each iambus is formed of two words. Again:

The un / ima / gina / ble might / of Jove.

This is an iambic line in which the first foot is formed of a word and a part of a word; the
second and third of parts taken from the body or interior of a word; the fourth of a part
and a whole; the fifth of two complete words. There are no natural feet in either line.
Again:

Can it be / fancied that / Deity / ever vin / dictively
Made in his / image a / mannikin / merely to / madden it?

These are two dactylic lines in which we find natural feet ("Deity," "mannikin"); feet
composed of two words ("fancied that," "image a," "merely to," "madden it"); feet
composed of three words, ("can it be," "made in his"); a foot composed of a part of a
word ("dictively"); and a foot composed of a word and a part of a word ("ever vin").

And now, in our suppositional progress, we have gone so far as to exhaust all the
essentialities of verse. What follows may, strictly speaking, be regarded as embellishment
merely, but even in this embellishment the rudimental sense of equality would have been
the never-ceasing impulse. It would, for example, be simply in seeking further
administration to this sense that men would come in time to think of the refrain or

burden, where, at the closes of the several stanzas of a poem, one word or phrase is
repeated; and of alliteration, in whose simplest form a consonant is repeated in the
commencements of various words. This effect would be extended so as to embrace
repetitions both of vowels and of consonants in the bodies as well as in the beginnings of
words, and at a later period would be made to infringe on the province of rhyme by the
introduction of general similarity of sound between whole feet occurring in the body of a
line-all of which modifications I have exemplified in the line above.

Made in his image a mannikin merely to madden it.

Further cultivation would improve also the refrain by relieving its monotone in slightly
varying the phrase at each repetition, or (as I have attempted to do in "The Raven") in
retaining the phrase and varying its application, although this latter point is not strictly a
rhythmical effect alone. Finally, poets when fairly wearied with following precedent,
following it the more closely the less they perceived it in company with Reason, would
adventure so far as to indulge in positive rhyme at other points than the ends of lines.
First, they would put it in the middle of the line, then at some point where the multiple
would be less obvious, then, alarmed at their own audacity, they would undo all their
work by cutting these lines in two. And here is the fruitful source of the infinity of "short
metre" by which modern poetry, if not distinguished, is at least disgraced. It would
require a high degree, indeed, both of cultivation and of courage on the part of any
versifier to enable him to place his rhymes, and let them remain at unquestionably their
best position, that of unusual and unanticipated intervals.

On account of the stupidity of some people, or (if talent be a more respectable word), on
account of their talent for misconception-I think it necessary to add here, first, that I
believe the "processes" above detailed to be nearly, if not accurately, those which did
occur in the gradual creation of what we now can verse; secondly, that, although I so
believe, I yet urge neither the assumed fact nor my belief in it as a part of the true
propositions of this paper, thirdly, that in regard to the aim of this paper, it is of no
consequence whether these processes did occur either in the order I have assigned them,
or at all; my design being simply, in presenting a general type of what such processes
might have been and must have resembled, to help them, the "some people," to an easy
understanding of what I have further to say on the topic of Verse.

There is one point, which, in my summary of the processes, I have purposely forborne to
touch; because this point, being the most important of all on account of the immensity of
error usually involved in its consideration, would have led me into a series of detail
inconsistent with the object of a summary.

Every reader of verse must have observed how seldom it happens that even any one line
proceeds uniformly with a succession, such as I have supposed, of absolutely equal feet;
that is to say, with a succession of iambuses only, or of trochees only, or of dactyls only,
or of anapaests only, or of spondees only. Even in the most musical lines we find the
succession interrupted. The iambic pentameters of Pope, for example, will be found on

examination, frequently varied by trochees in the beginning, or by (what seem to be)
anapaests in the body of the line.

oh thou / whate / ver ti / tie please / thine ear /
Dean Dra / pier Bick / erstaff / or Gull / iver /
Whether / thou choose / Cervan / tes' / se / rious air /
or laugh / and shake / in Rab / elais' ea / sy chair /

Were any one weak enough to refer to the Prosodies for the solution of the difficulty
here, he would find it solved as usual by a rule, stating the fact (or what it, the rule,
supposes to be the fact), but without the slightest attempt at the rationale. "By a
synaeresis of the two short syllables," say the books, "an anapaest may sometimes be
employed for an iambus, or dactyl for a trochee.... In the beginning of a line a trochee is
often used for an iambus."

Blending is the plain English for synaeresis-but there should be no blending; neither is an
anapaest ever employed for an iambus, or a dactyl for a trochee. These feet differ in time,
and no feet so differing can ever be legitimately used in the same line. An anapaest is
equal to four short syllables-an iambus only to three. Dactyls and trochees hold the same
relation. The principle of equality, in verse, admits, it is true, of variation at certain
points, for the relief of monotone, as I have already shown, but the point of time is that
point which, being the rudimental one, must never be tampered with at all.

To explain:-In further efforts for the relief of monotone than those to which I have
alluded in the summary, men soon came to see that there was no absolute necessity for
adhering to the precise number of syllables, provided the time required for the whole foot
was preserved inviolate. They saw, for instance, that in such a line as

or laugh / and shake / in Rab / elais ea / sy chair /

the equalisation of the three syllables elais ea with the two syllables composing any of the
other feet could be readily effected by pronouncing the two syllables elais in double
quick time. By pronouncing each of the syllables e and lais twice as rapidly as the
syllable sy, or the syllable in, or any other short syllable, they could bring the two of
them, taken together, to the length, that is to say to the time, of any one short syllable.
This consideration enabled them to effect the agreeable variation of three syllables in
place of the uniform two. And variation was the object-variation to the ear. What sense is
there, then, in supposing this object rendered null by the blending of the two syllables so
as to render them, in absolute effect, one? Of course, there must be no blending. Each
syllable must be pronounced as distinctly as possible (or the variation is lost), but with
twice the rapidity in which the ordinary short syllable is enunciated. That the syllables
elais ea do not compose an anapaest is evident, and the signs of their accentuation are
erroneous. The foot might be written with inverted crescents expressing double quick
time; and might be called a bastard iambus.

Here is a trochaic line:

See the / delicate-footed / rain-deer.

The prosodies-that is to say the most considerate of them-would here decide that
"delicate" is a dactyl used in place of a trochee, and would refer to what they call their
"rule, for justification. Others, varying the stupidity, would insist upon a Procrustean
adjustment thus (del'cate) an adjustment recommended to all such words as silvery,
murmuring, etc., which, it is said, should be not only pronounced but written silv'ry,
murm'ring, and so on, whenever they find themselves in trochaic predicament. I have
only to say that "delicate," when circumstanced as above, is neither a dactyl nor a dactyl's
equivalent; that I think it as well to call it a bastard trochee; and that all words, at all
events, should be written and pronounced in full, and as nearly as possible as nature
intended them.

About eleven years ago, there appeared in "The American Monthly Magazine" (then
edited, I believe, by Messrs Hoffman and Benjamin,) a review of Mr. Willis's Poems; the
critic putting forth his strength, or his weakness, in an endeavor to show that the poet was
either absurdly affected, or grossly ignorant of the laws of verse; the accusation being
based altogether on the fact that Mr. W. made occasional use of this very word "delicate,"
and other similar words, in "the Heroic measure, which every one knew consisted of feet
of two syllables." Mr. W. has often, for example, such lines as

That binds him to a woman's delicate love-
in the gay sunshine, reverent in the storm
With its invisible fingers my loose hair.

Here of course, the feet licate love, verent in and sible fin, are bastard iambuses; are not
anapaests and are not improperly used. Their employment, on the contrary, by Mr. Willis,
is but one of the innumerable instances he has given of keen sensibility in all those
matters of taste which may be classed under the general head of fanciful embellishment.

It is also about eleven years ago, if I am not mistaken, since Mr. Home (of England,) the
author of "Orion," one of the noblest epics in any language, thought it necessary to
preface his "Chaucer Modernized" by a very long and evidently a very elaborate essay, of
which the greater portion was occupied in a discussion of the seemingly anomalous foot
of which we have been speaking. Mr. Home upholds Chaucer in its frequent use;
maintains his superiority, on account of his so frequently using it, over all English
versifiers; and indignantly repelling the common idea of those who make verse on their
fingers-that the superfluous syllable is a roughness and an error- very chivalrously makes
battle for it as a "grace." That a grace it is, there can be no doubt; and what I complain of
is, that the author of the most happily versified long poem in existence, should have been
under the necessity of discussing this grace merely as a grace, through forty or fifty vague
pages, solely because of his inability to show how and why it is a grace-by which
showing the question would have been settled in an instant.

About the trochee used for an iambus, as we see in the beginning of the line.

Whether thou choose Cervantes' serious air,

there is little that need be said. It brings me to the general proposition that, in all rhythms,
the prevalent or distinctive feet may be varied at will and nearly at random, by the
occasional introduction of feet-that is to say, feet the sum of whose syllabic times is
equal to the sum of the syllabic times of the distinctive feet. Thus, the trochee, whether is
equal, in the sum of the times of its syllables, to the iambus, thou choose, in the sum of
the times of its syllables; each foot being in time equal to three short syllables. Good
versifiers who happen to be also good poets, contrive to relieve the monotony of a series
of feet by the use of equivalent feet only at rare intervals, and at such points of their
subject as seem in accordance with the startling character of the variation. Nothing of this
care is seen in the line quoted above- although Pope has some fine instances of the
duplicate effect. Where vehemence is to be strongly expressed, I am not sure that we
should be wrong in venturing on two consecutive equivalent feet-although I cannot say
that I have ever known the adventure made, except in the following passage, which
occurs in "Al Aaraaf," a boyish poem written by myself when a boy. I am referring to the
sudden and rapid advent of a star:

Dim was its little disk, and angel eyes
Alone could see the phantom in the skies.
When first the phantoms course was found to be
Headlong hithirward o'er the starry sea.

In the "general proposition" above, I speak of the occasional introduction of equivalent
feet. It sometimes happens that unskilful versifiers, without knowing what they do, or
why they do it, introduce so many "variations" as to exceed in number the "distinctive"
feet, when the ear becomes at once balked by the bouleversement of the rhythm. Too
many trochees, for example, inserted in an iambic rhythm would convert the latter to a
trochaic. I may note here that in all cases the rhythm designed should be commenced and
continued, without variation, until the ear has had full time to comprehend what is the
rhythm. In violation of a rule so obviously founded in common sense, many even of our
best poets do not scruple to begin an iambic rhythm with a trochee, or the converse; or a
dactylic with an anapaest or the converse; and so on.

A somewhat less objectionable error, although still a decided one, is that of commencing
a rhythm not with a different equivalent foot but with a "bastard" foot of the rhythm
intended. For example:

Many a / thought will / come to / memory. /

Here 'many a' is what I have explained to be a bastard trochee, and to be understood
should be accented with inverted crescents. It is objectionable solely on account of its
position as the opening foot of a trochaic rhythm. Memory, similarly accented is also a
bastard trochee, but unobjectionable, although by no means demanded.

The further illustration of this point will enable me to take an important step.

One of our finest poets, Mr. Christopher Pearse Cranch, begins a very beautiful poem
thus:

Many are the thoughts that come to me

In my lonely musing;

And they drift so strange and swift

There's no time for choosing

Which to follow; for to leave

Any, seems a losing.

"A losing" to Mr. Cranch, of course-but this en passant. It will be seen here that the
intention is trochaic ;-although we do not see this intention by the opening foot as we
should do, or even by the opening line. Reading the whole stanza, however, we perceive
the trochaic rhythm as the general design, and so after some reflection, we divide the first
line thus:

Many are the / thoughts that / come to / me.

Thus scanned, the line will seem musical. It is highly so. And it is because there is no end
to instances of just such lines of apparently incomprehensible music, that Coleridge
thought proper to invent his nonsensical system of what he calls "scanning by accents "-
as if "scanning by accents" were anything more than a phrase. Whenever "Christabel" is
really not rough, it can be as readily scanned by the true I laws (not the supposititious
rules) of verse, as can the simplest pentameter of Pope; and where it is rough (passim)
these same laws will enable any one of common sense to show why it is rough and to
point out instantaneously the remedy for the roughness.

A reads and re-reads a certain line, and pronounces it false in rhythm-unmusical. B,
however, reads it to A, and A is at once struck with the perfection of the rhythm, and
wonders at his dulness in not "catching" it before. Henceforward he admits the line to be
musical. B, triumphant, asserts that, to be sure the line is musical-for it is the work of
Coleridge-and that it is A who is not; the fault being in A's false reading. Now here A is
right and B wrong. That rhythm is erroneous (at some point or other more or less
obvious), which any ordinary reader can, without design, read improperly. It is the
business of the poet so to construct his line that the intention must be caught at once.
Even when these men have precisely the same understanding of a sentence, they differ,
and often widely, in their modes of enunciating it. Any one who has taken the trouble to
examine the topic of emphasis (by which I here mean not accent of particular syllables,
but the dwelling on entire words), must have seen that men emphasize in the most
singularly arbitrary manner. There are certain large classes of people, for example, who
persist in emphasizing their monosyllables. Little uniformity of emphasis prevails;
because the thing itself-the idea, emphasis-is referable to no natural-at least to no well
comprehended and therefore uniform-law. Beyond a very narrow and vague limit, the
whole matter is conventionality. And if we differ in emphasis even when we agree in
comprehension, how much more so in the former when in the latter too! Apart, however,
from the consideration of natural disagreement, is it not clear that, by tripping here and

mouthing there, any sequence of words may be twisted into any species of rhythm? But
are we thence to deduce that all sequences of words are rhythmical in a rational
understanding of the term?-for this is the deduction precisely to which the reductio ad
absurdum will, in the end, bring all the propositions of Coleridge. Out of a hundred
readers of "Christabel," fifty will be able to make nothing of its rhythm, while forty-nine
of the remaining fifty with some ado, fancy they comprehend it, after the fourth or fifth
perusal. The one out of the whole hundred who shall both comprehend and admire it at
first sight-must be an unaccountably clever person-and I am by far too modest to
assume, for a moment, that that very clever person is myself.

In illustration of what is here advanced I cannot do better than quote a poem:

Pease porridge hot pease porridge cold
Pease porridge in the pot-nine days old.

Now those of my readers who have never heard this poem pronounced according to the
nursery conventionality, will find its rhythm as obscure as an explanatory note; while
those who have heard it will divide it thus, declare it musical, and wonder how there can
be any doubt about it.

Pease / porridge / hot / pease / porridge / cold /
Pease / porridge / in the / pot / nine / days / old. /

The chief thing in the way of this species of rhythm, is the necessity which it imposes
upon the poet of travelling in constant company with his compositions, so as to be ready
at a moment's notice, to avail himself of a well-understood poetical license-that of
reading aloud one's own doggerel.

In Mr. Cranch's line.

Many are the / thoughts that / come to / me,

the general error of which I speak is, of course, very partially exemplified, and the
purpose for which, chiefly, I cite it, lies yet further on in our topic.

The two divisions (thoughts that) and (come to) are ordinary trochees. The first division
(many are the) would be thus accented by the Greek Prosodies (many are the), and would
be called by them astrologos. The Latin books would style the foot Paeon Primus, and
both Greek and Latin would swear that it was compoded of a trochee and what they term
a pyrrhic-that is to say, a foot of two short syllables-a thing that cannot be, as I shall
presently show large

But now, there is an obvious difficulty. The astrologos, according to the Prosodies' own
showing, is equal to five short syllables, and the trochee to three-yet, in the line quoted,
these two feet are equal. They occupy, precisely, the same time. In fact, the whole music
of the line depends upon their being made to occupy the same time. The Prosodies then,
have demonstrated what all mathematicians have stupidly failed in demonstrating-that

three and five are one and the same thing. After what I have already said, however, about
the bastard trochee and the bastard iambus, no one can have any trouble in understanding
that many are the is of similar character. It is merely a bolder variation than usual from
the routine of trochees, and introduces to the bastard trochee one additional syllable. But
this syllable is not short. That is, it is not short in the sense of "short" as applied to the
final syllable of the ordinary trochee, where the word means merely the half of long.

In this case (that of the additional syllable) "short," if used at all, must be used in the
sense of the sixth of long. And all the three final syllables can be called short only with
the same understanding of the term. The three together are equal only to the one short
syllable (whose place they supply) of the ordinary trochee. It follows that there is no
sense in accenting these syllables with [a crescent placed with the curve to the bottom].
We must devise for them some new character which shall denote the sixth of long. Let it
be the crescent placed with the curve to the left. The whole foot (many are the) might be
called a quick trochee.

We now come to the final division (me) of Mr. Cranch's line. It is clear that this foot,
short as it appears, is fully equal in time to each of the preceding. It is, in fact, the
caesura-the foot which, in the beginning of this paper, I called the most important in all
verse. Its chief office is that of pause or termination; and here-at the end of a line-its use
is easy, because there is no danger of misapprehending its value. We pause on it, by a
seeming necessity, just so long as it has taken us to pronounce the preceding feet,
whether iambuses, trochees, dactyls, or anapaests. It is thus a variable foot, and, with
some care, may be well introduced into the body of a line, as in a little poem of great
beauty by Mrs. Welby:

I have / a lit / tie step / son / of on / ly three / years old. /

Here we dwell on the caesura, son just as long as it requires us to pronounce either of the
preceding or succeeding iambuses. Its value, therefore, in this line, is that of three short
syllables. In the following dactylic line its value is that of four short syllables.

Pale as a / hly was / Emily / [Gray]. /

I have accented the caesura with brackets by way of expressing this variability of value.

I observed just now that there could be no such foot as one of two short syllables. What
we start from in the very beginning of all idea on the topic of verse, is quantity, length.
Thus when we enunciate an independent syllable it is long, as a matter of course. If we
enunciate two, dwelling on both we express equality in the enunciation, or length, and
have a right to call them two long syllables. If we dwell on one more than the other, we
have also a right to call one short, because it is short in relation to the other. But if we
dwell on both equally, and with a tripping voice, saying to ourselves here are two short
syllables, the query might well be asked of us-"in relation to what are they short?"
Shortness is but the negation of length. To say, then, that two syllables, placed
independently of any other syllable, are short, is merely to say that they have no positive

length, or enunciation-in other words, that they are no syllable s-that they do not exist at
all. And if, persisting, we add anything about their equality, we are merely floundering in
the idea of an identical equation, where, x being equal to x, nothing is shown to be equal
to zero. In a word, we can form no conception of a pyrrhic as of an independent foot. It is
a mere chimera bred in the mad fancy of a pedant.

From what I have said about the equalization of the several feet of a line, it must not be
deduced that any necessity for equality in time exists between the rhythm of several lines.
A poem, or even a stanza, may begin with iambuses in the first line, and proceed with
anapaests in the second, or even with the less accordant dactyls, as in the opening of quite
a pretty specimen of verse by Miss Mary A. S. Aldrich:

The wa / ter li / ly sleeps / in pride /
Down in the / depths of the / Azure / [lake.] /
Here azure is a spondee, equivalent to a dactyl; lake a caesura.
I shall now best proceed in quoting the initial lines of Byron's "Bride of Abydos":
Know ye the land where, the cypress and myrtle
Are emblems of deeds that are done in their clime.
Where the rage of the vulture, the love of the turtle
Now melt into softness, now madden to crime?
Know ye the land of the cedar and vine.
Where the flowers ever blossom, the beams ever shine.
And the light wings of Zephyr, oppressed with perfume.
Wax faint o'er the gardens of Gul in their bloom?
Where the citron and olive are fairest of fruit
And the voice of the nightingale never is mute-
Where the virgins are soft as the roses they twine.
And all save the spirit of man is divine?
'Tis the land of the East-'tis the clime of the Sun-
Can he smile on such deeds as his children have done?
Oh, wild as the accents of lovers' farewell
Are the hearts that they bear and the tales that they tell.

Now the flow of these lines (as times go) is very sweet and musical. They have been
often admired, and justly-as times go-that is to say, it is a rare thing to find better
versification of its kind. And where verse is pleasant to the ear, it is silly to find fault with
it because it refuses to be scanned. Yet I have heard men, professing to be scholars, who
made no scruple of abusing these lines of Byron's on the ground that they were musical in
spite of all law. Other gentlemen, not scholars, abused "all law" for the same reason- and
it occurred neither to the one party nor to the other that the law about which they were
disputing might possibly be no law at all-an ass of a law in the skin of a lion.

The Grammars said nothing about dactylic lines, and it was easily seen that these lines
were at least meant for dactylic. The first one was, therefore, thus divided:

Know ye the / land where the / cypress and / myrtle. /

The concluding foot was a mystery; but the Prosodies said something about the dactylic
"measure" calling now and then for a double rhyme; and the court of inquiry were content
to rest in the double rhyme, without exactly perceiving what a double rhyme had to do
with the question of an irregular foot. Quitting the first line, the second was thus scanned:

are emblems / of deeds that / are done in / their clime. /

It was immediately seen, however, that this would not do-it was at war with the whole
emphasis of the reading. It could not be supposed that Byron, or any one in his senses,
intended to place stress upon such monosyllables as "are," "of," and "their," nor could
"their clime," collated with "to crime," in the corresponding line below, be fairly twisted
into anything like a "double rhyme," so as to bring everything within the category of the
Grammars. But farther these Grammars spoke not. The inquirers, therefore, in spite of
their sense of harmony in the lines, when considered without reference to scansion, fell
upon the idea that the "Are" was a blunder-an excess for which the poet should be sent to
Coventry-and, striking it out, they scanned the remainder of the line as follows:

-emblems of / deeds that are / done in their / clime.

This answered pretty well; but the Grammars admitted no such foot as a foot of one
syllable; and besides the rhythm was dactylic. In despair, the books are well searched,
however, and at last the investigators are gratified by a full solution of the riddle in the
profound "Observation" quoted in the beginning of this article:-"When a syllable is
wanting, the verse is said to be catalectic, when the measure is exact, the line is
acatalectic; when there is a redundant syllable it forms hypermeter" This is enough. The
anomalous line is pronounced to be catalectic at the head and to form hypermeter at the
tail-and so on, and so on; it being soon discovered that nearly all the remaining lines are
in a similar predicament, and that what flows so smoothly to the ear, although so roughly
to the eye, is, after all, a mere jumble of catalecticism, acatalecticism, and hypermeter-
not to say worse.

Now, had this court of inquiry been in possession of even the shadow of the philosophy
of Verse, they would have had no trouble in reconciling this oil and water of the eye and
ear, by merely scanning the passage without reference to lines, and, continuously, thus:

Know ye the / land where the / cypress and myrtle Are / emblems of deeds that are / done
in their / clime Where the rage of the / vulture the / love of the / turtle Now / melt into /
softness now / madden to / Know ye the / land of the / cedar and / vine Where the flowers
ever / blossom the / beams ever / shine And the / light wings of / Zephyr op / pressed by
per / fume Wax / faint o'er the / gardens of / Gul in their / bloom where the / citron and /
olive are / fairest of / fruit And the / voice of the / nightingale / never is / mute Where the
/ virgins are / soft as the / roses they / twine And / all save the / spirit of / man is di / vine.
'Tis the / land of the / East 'tis the / clime of the / sum Can he / smile on such / deeds as
his / children have / done Oh / wild as the / accents of / lovers' fare / well Are the / hearts
that they / bear and the / tales that they / tell.

Here "crime" and "tell" are caesuras, each having the value of a dactyl, four short
syllables, while "fume Wax," "twine And," and "done Oh," are spondees which, of
course, being composed of two long syllables are also equal to four short, and are the
dactyl's natural equivalent. The nicety of Byron's ear has led him into a succession of feet
which, with two trivial exceptions as regards melody, are absolutely accurate, a very rare
occurrence this in dactylic or anapaestic rhythms. The exceptions are found in the
spondee "twine And," and the dactyl "smile on such." Both feet are false in point of
melody. In "twine And" to make out the rhyme we must force "And" into a length which
it will not naturally bear. We are called on to sacrifice either the proper length of the
syllable as demanded by its position as a member of a spondee, or the customary
accentuation of the word in conversation. There is no hesitation, and should be none. We
at once give up the sound for the sense, and the rhythm is imperfect. In this instance it is
very slightly so, not one person in ten thousand could by ear detect the inaccuracy. But
the perfection of verse as regards melody, consists in its never demanding any such
sacrifice as is here demanded. The rhythmical must agree thoroughly with the reading
flow. This perfection has in no instance been attained, but is unquestionably attainable.
"Smile on such," a dactyl, is incorrect, because "such," from the character of the two
consonants ch cannot easily be enunciated in the ordinary time of a short syllable, which
its position declares that it is. Almost every reader will be able to appreciate the slight
difficulty here, and yet the error is by no means so important as that of the "And" in the
spondee. By dexterity we may pronounce "such" in the true time, but the attempt to
remedy the rhythmical deficiency of the And by drawing it out, merely aggrevates the
offence against natural enunciation by directing attention to the offence.

My main object, however, in quoting these lines is to show that in spite of the Prosodies,
the length of a line is entirely an arbitrary matter. We might divide the commencement of
Byron's poem thus:-

Know ye the / land where the /

or thus:

Know ye the / land where the / cypress and /

or thus:

Know ye the / land where the / cypress and / myrtle are /

or thus:

Know ye the / land where the / cypress and / myrtle are / emblems of

In short, we may give it any division we please, and the lines will be good, provided we
have at least two feet in a line. As in mathematics two units are required to form number,
so rhythm (from the Greek arithmos, number) demands for its formation at least two feet.
Beyond doubt, we often see such lines as

Know ye the-

Land where the-

lines of one foot, and our Prosodies admit such, but with impropriety, for common sense
would dictate that every so obvious division of a poem as is made by a line, should
include within itself all that is necessary for its own comprehension, but in a line of one
foot we can have no appreciation of rhythm, which depends upon the equality between
two or more pulsations. The false lines, consisting sometimes of a single caesura, which
are seen in mock Pindaric odes, are, of course, "rhythmical" only in connection with
some other line, and it is this want of independent rhythm, which adapts them to the
purposes of burlesque alone. Their effect is that of incongruity (the principle of mirth),
for they include the blankness of prose amid the harmony of verse.

My second object in quoting Byron's lines was that of showing how absurd it often is to
cite a single line from amid the body of a poem for the purpose of instancing the
perfection or imperfection of the lines rhythm. Were we to see by itself

Know ye the land where the cypress and myrtle,

we might justly condemn it as defective in the final foot, which is equal to only three,
instead of being equal to four short syllables.

In the foot "flowers ever" we shall find a further exemplification of the principle of the
bastard iambus, bastard trochee, and quick trochee, as I have been at some pains in
describing these feet above. All the Prosodies on English verse would insist upon making
elision in "flowers," thus (flow'rs), but this is nonsense. In the quick trochee (many Are
the) occurring in Mr. Cranch's trochaic line, we had to equalize the time of the three
syllables (ny, are, the) to that of the one short syllable whose position they usurp.
Accordingly each of these syllables is equal to the third of a short syllable, that is to say,
the sixth of a long. But in Byron's dactylic rhythm, we have to equalize the time of the
three syllables (ers, ev, er) to that of the one long syllable whose position they usurp, or
(which is the same thing) of the two short. Therefore the value of each of the syllables
(ers, ev, and er) is the third of a long. We enunciate them with only half the rapidity we
employ in enunciating the three final syllables of the quick trochee-which latter is a rare
foot. The "flowers ever," on the contrary, is as common in the dactylic rhythm as is the
bastard trochee in the trochaic, or the bastard iambus in the iambic. We may as well
accent it with the curve of the crescent to the right and call it a bastard dactyl. A bastard
anapaest, whose nature I now need be at no trouble in explaining, will of course occur
now and then in an anapaestic rhythm.

[A brief discussion of diacritical marks has been eliminated. Ed.]

I began the "processes" by a suggestion of the spondee as the first step towards verse. But
the innate monotony of the spondee has caused its disappearance as the basis of rhythm
from all modem poetry. We may say, indeed, that the French heroic-the most wretchedly

monotonous verse in existence-is to all intents and purposes spondaic. But it is not
designedly spondaic, and if the French were ever to examine it at all, they would no
doubt pronounce it iambic. It must be observed that the French language is strangely
peculiar in this point-that it is without accentuation and consequently without verse. The
genius of the people, rather than the structure of the tongue, declares that their words are
for the most part enunciated with a uniform dwelling on each syllable. For example we
say "syllabification." A Frenchman would say syl-la-bi-fi-ca-ti-on, dwelling on no one of
the syllables with any noticeable particularity. Here again I put an extreme case in order
to be well understood, but the general fact is as I give it-that, comparatively, the French
have no accentuation; and there can be nothing worth the name of verse without.
Therefore, the French have no verse worth the name-which is the fact put in sufficiently
plain terms. Their iambic rhythm so superabounds in absolute spondees as to warrant me
in calling its basis spondaic; but French is the only modem tongue which has any rhythm
with such basis, and even in the French it is, as I have said, unintentional.

Admitting, however, the validity of my suggestion, that the spondee was the first
approach to verse, we should expect to find, first, natural spondees (words each forming
just a spondee) most abundant in the most ancient languages; and, secondly, we should
expect to find spondees forming the basis of the most ancient rhythms. These
expectations are in both cases confirmed.

Of the Greek hexameter the intentional basis is spondaic. The dactyls are the variation of
the theme. It will be observed that there is no absolute certainty about their points of
interposition. The penultimate foot, it is true, is usually a dactyl but not uniformly so,
while the ultimate, on which the ear lingers, is always a spondee. Even that the
penultimate is usually a dactyl may be clearly referred to the necessity of winding up
with the distinctive spondee. In corroboration of this idea, again, we should look to find
the penultimate spondee most usual in the most ancient verse, and, accordingly, we find it
more frequent in the Greek than in the Latin hexameter.

But besides all this, spondees are not only more prevalent in the heroic hexameter than
dactyls, but occur to such an extent as is even unpleasant to modern ears, on account of
monotony. What the modern chiefly appreciates and admires in the Greek hexameter is
the melody of the abundant vowel sounds. The Latin hexameters really please very few
modems-although so many pretend to fall into ecstasies about them. In the hexameters
quoted several pages ago, from Silius Italicus, the preponderance of the spondee is
strikingly manifest. Besides the natural spondees of the Greek and Latin, numerous
artificial ones arise in the verse of these tongues, on account of the tendency which
inflection has to throw full accentuation on terminal syllables, and the preponderance of
the spondee is further ensured by the comparative infrequency of the small prepositions
which we have to serve us instead of case, and also the absence of the diminutive
auxiliary verbs with which we have to eke out the expression of our primary ones. These
are the monosyllables whose abundance serves to stamp the poetic genius of a language
as tripping or dactylic.

Now paying no attention to these facts, Sir Philip Sidney, Professor Longfellow, and
innumerable other persons, more or less modem, have busied themselves in constructing
what they supposed to be "English hexameters on the model of the Greek." The only
difficulty was that (even leaving out of question the melodious masses of vowel) these
gentlemen never could get their English hexameters to sound Greek. Did they look
Greek?-that should have been the query, and the reply might have led to a solution of the
riddle. In placing a copy of ancient hexameters side by side with a copy (in similar type)
of such hexameters as Professor Longfellow, or Professor Felton or the Frogpondian
Professors collectively, are in the shameful practice of composing "on the model of the
Greek," it will be seen that the latter (hexameters, not professors) are about one-third
longer to the eye, on an average, than the former. The more abundant dactyls make the
difference. And it is the greater number of spondees in the Greek than in the English, in
the ancient than in the modem tongue, which has caused it to fall out that while these
eminent scholars were groping about in the dark for a Greek hexameter, which is a
spondaic rhythm varied now and then by dactyls, they merely stumbled, to the lasting
scandal of scholarship, over something which, on account of its long-leggedness, we may
as well term a Feltonian hexameter, and which is a dactylic rhythm interrupted rarely by
artificial spondees which are no spondees at all, and which are curiously thrown in by the
heels at all kinds of improper and impertinent points.

Here is a specimen of the Longfellow hexameter:

Also the / church with / in was a / domed for / this was the /

season /

In which the / young their / parent's / hope and the / loved ones of

/ Heaven /

Should at the / foot of the / altar re / new the / vows of their /

baptism /

Therefore each / nook and / comer was / swept and / cleaned and the

/ dust was /

Blown from the / walls and / ceiling and / from the / oil-painted /

benches. /

Mr. Longfellow is a man of imagination, but can he imagine that any individual, with a
proper understanding of the danger of lockjaw, would make the attempt of twisting his
mouth into the shape necessary for the emission of such spondees as "parents," and "from
the," or such dactyls as "cleaned and the," and "loved ones of"? "Baptism" is by no means
a bad spondee-perhaps because it happens to be a dactyl-of all the rest, however, I am
dreadfully ashamed.

But these feet, dactyls and spondees, all together, should thus be put at once into their
proper position:

"Also the church within was adomed; for this was the season in which the young, their
parents' hope, and the loved ones of Heaven, should, at the foot of the altar, renew the

vows of their baptism. Therefore, each nook and corner was swept and cleaned; and the
dust was blown from the walls and ceiling, and from the oil-painted benches?

There !-That is respectable prose, and it will incur no danger of ever getting its character
ruined by anybody's mistaking it for verse.

But even when we let these modem hexameters go as Greek, and merely hold them fast
in their proper character of Longfellowine, or Feltonian, or Frogpondian, we must still
condemn them as having been committed in a radical misconception of the philosophy of
verse. The spondee, as I observed, is the theme of the Greek line. Most of the ancient
hexameters begin with spondees, for the reason that the spondee is the theme, and the ear
is filled with it as with a burden. Now the Feltonian dactylics have, in the same way,
dactyl for the theme, and most of them begin with dactyls-which is all very proper if not
very Greek-but unhappily, the one point at which they are very Greek is that point,
precisely, at which they should be nothing but Feltonian. They always close with what is
meant for a spondee. To be consistently silly they should die off in a dactyl.

That a truly Greek hexameter cannot, however, be readily composed in English, is a
proposition which I am by no means inclined to admit. I think I could manage the point
myself. For example:

Do tell! / when may we / hope to make / men of sense / out of the

Pundits

Born and brought / up with their / snouts deep / down in the / mud

of the / Frog-pond?

Why ask? / who ever / yet saw / money made / out of a / fat old

Jew, or / downright / upright / nutmegs / out of a / pine-knot?

The proper spondee predominance is here preserved. Some of the dactyls are not so good
as I could wish, but, upon the whole the rhythm is very decent-to say nothing of its
excellent sense.

THE POETIC PRINCIPLE

IN SPEAKING of the Poetic Principle, I have no design to be either thorough or
profound. While discussing, very much at random, the essentiality of what we call
Poetry, my principal purpose will be to cite for consideration, some few of those minor
English or American poems which best suit my own taste, or which, upon my own fancy,
have left the most definite impression. By "minor poems" I mean, of course, poems of
little length. And here, in the beginning, permit me to say a few words in regard to a
somewhat peculiar principle, which, whether rightfully or wrongfully, has always had its
influence in my own critical estimate of the poem. I hold that a long poem does not exist.
I maintain that the phrase, "a long poem," is simply a flat contradiction in terms.

I need scarcely observe that a poem deserves its title only inasmuch as it excites, by
elevating the soul. The value of the poem is in the ratio of this elevating excitement. But

all excitements are, through a psychal necessity, transient. That degree of excitement
which would entitle a poem to be so called at all, cannot be sustained throughout a
composition of any great length. After the lapse of half an hour, at the very utmost, it
flags-fails-a revulsion ensues- and then the poem is, in effect and in fact, no longer such.

There are, no doubt, many who have found difficulty in reconciling the critical dictum
that the "Paradise Lost" is to be devoutly admired throughout, with the absolute
impossibility of maintaining for it, during perusal, the amount of enthusiasm which that
critical dictum would demand. This great work, in fact, is to be regarded as poetical, only
when, losing sight of that vital requisite in all works of Art, Unity, we view it merely as a
series of minor poems. If, to preserve its Unity-its totality of effect or impression-we
read it (as would be necessary) at a single sitting, the result is but a constant alteration of
excitement and depression. After a passage of what we feel to be true poetry, there
follows, inevitably, a passage of platitude which no critical prejudgment can force us to
admire; but if, upon completing the work, we read it again, omitting the first book-that is
to say, commencing with the second-we shall be surprised at now finding that admirable
which we before condemned- that damnable which we had previously so much admired.
It follows from all this that the ultimate, aggregate, or absolute effect of even the best
epic under the sun, is a nullity:-and this is precisely the fact.

In regard to the Iliad, we have, if not positive proof, at least very good reason for
believing it intended as a series of lyrics; but, granting the epic intention, I can say only
that the work is based in an imperfect sense of art. The modern epic is, of the
supposititious ancient model, but an inconsiderate and blindfold imitation. But the day of
these artistic anomalies is over. If, at any time, any very long poem were popular in
reality, which I doubt, it is at least clear that no very long poem will ever be popular
again.

That the extent of a poetical work is, ceteris paribus, the measure of its merit, seems
undoubtedly, when we thus state it a proposition sufficiently absurd-yet we are indebted
for it to the Quarterly Reviews. Surely there can be nothing in mere size, abstractly
considered-there can be nothing in mere bulk, so far as a volume is concerned, which has
so continuously elicited admiration from these saturnine pamphlets! A mountain, to be
sure, by the mere sentiment of physical magnitude which it conveys, does impress us
with a sense of the sublime-but no man is impressed after this fashion by the material
grandeur of even "The Columbiad." Even the Quarterlies have not instructed us to be so
impressed by it. As yet, they have not insisted on our estimating Lamartine by the cubic
foot, or Pollock by the pound-but what else are we to infer from their continual prating
about "sustained effort"? If, by "sustained effort," any little gentleman has accomplished
an epic, let us frankly commend him for the effort-if this indeed be a thing
commendable-but let us forbear praising the epic on the effort's account. It is to be hoped
that common sense, in the time to come, will prefer deciding upon a work of Art rather
by the impression it makes-by the effect it produces-than by the time it took to impress
the effect, or by the amount of "sustained effort" which had been found necessary in
effecting the impression. The fact is, that perseverance is one thing and genius quite
another-nor can all the Quarterlies in Christendom confound them. By and by, this

proposition, with many which I have been just urging, will be received as self-evident. In
the meantime, by being generally condemned as falsities, they will not be essentially
damaged as truths.

On the other hand, it is clear that a poem may be improperly brief. Undue brevity
degenerates into mere epigrammatism. A very short poem, while now and then producing
a brilliant or vivid, never produces a profound or enduring effect. There must be the
steady pressing down of the stamp upon the wax. De Beranger has wrought innumerable
things, pungent and spirit-stirring, but in general they have been too imponderous to
stamp themselves deeply into the public attention, and thus, as so many feathers of fancy,
have been blown aloft only to be whistled down the wind.

A remarkable instance of the effect of undue brevity in depressing a poem, in keeping it
out of the popular view, is afforded by the following exquisite little Serenade-

I arise from dreams of thee

In the first sweet sleep of night.

When the winds are breathing low.

And the stars are shining bright.

I arise from dreams of thee.

And a spirit in my feet

Has led me-who knows how?-

To thy chamber- window, sweet!

The wandering airs they faint

On the dark the silent stream-

The champak odors fail

Like sweet thoughts in a dream;

The nightingale's complaint.

It dies upon her heart.

As I must die on thine,

O, beloved as thou art!

O, lift me from the grass!

I die, I faint, I fail!

Let thy love in kisses rain

On my lips and eyelids pale.

My cheek is cold and white, alas!

My heart beats loud and fast:

O, press it close to thine again.

Where it will break at last.

Very few perhaps are familiar with these lines-yet no less a poet than Shelley is their
author. Their warm, yet delicate and ethereal imagination will be appreciated by all, but
by none so thoroughly as by him who has himself arisen from sweet dreams of one
beloved to bathe in the aromatic air of a southern midsummer night.

One of the finest poems by Willis-the very best in my opinion which he has ever written-
has no doubt, through this same defect of undue brevity, been kept back from its proper
position, not less in the critical than in the popular view:-

The shadows lay along Broadway,
'Twas near the twilight-tide-
And slowly there a lady fair
Was walking in her pride.
Alone walk'd she; but, viewlessly,
Walk'd spirits at her side.
Peace charm'd the street beneath her feet.
And Honour charm'd the air.
And all astir looked kind on her.
And called her good as fair-
For all God ever gave to her
She kept with chary care.
She kept with care her beauties rare
From lovers warm and true-
For heart was cold to all but gold.
And the rich came not to woo-
But honour'd well her charms to sell
If priests the selling do.
Now walking there was one more fair-
A slight girl lily-pale;
And she had unseen company
To make the spirit quail-
'Twixt Want and Scorn she walk'd forlorn.
And nothing could avail.
No mercy now can clear her brow
From this world's peace to pray.
For as loves wild prayer dissolved in air.
Her woman's heart gave way!-
But the sin forgiven by Christ in Heaven,
By man is cursed alway!

In this composition we find it difficult to recognise the Willis who has written so many
mere "verses of society." The lines are not only richly ideal, but full of energy, while they
breathe an earnestness, an evident sincerity of sentiment, for which we look in vain
throughout all the other works of this author.

While the epic mania, while the idea that to merit in poetry prolixity is indispensable, has
for some years past been gradually dying out of the public mind, by mere dint of its own
absurdity, we find it succeeded by a heresy too palpably false to be long tolerated, but
one which, in the brief period it has already endured, may be said to have accomplished
more in the corruption of our Poetical Literature than all its other enemies combined. I
allude to the heresies of The Didactic. It has been assumed, tacitly and avowedly, directly

and indirectly, that the ultimate object of all Poetry is Truth. Every poem, it is said,
should inculcate a moral, and by this moral is the poetical merit of the work to be
adjudged. We Americans especially have patronized this happy idea, and we Bostonians
very especially have developed it in full. We have taken it into our heads that to write a
poem simply for the poem's sake, and to acknowledge such to have been our design,
would be to confess ourselves radically wanting in the true poetic dignity and force:-but
the simple fact is that would we but permit ourselves to look into our own souls we
should immediately there discover that under the sun there neither exists nor can exist
any work more thoroughly dignified, more supremely noble, than this very poem, this
poem per se, this poem which is a poem and nothing more, this poem written solely for
the poem's sake.

With as deep a reverence for the True as ever inspired the bosom of man, I would
nevertheless limit, in some measure, its modes of inculcation. I would limit to enforce
them. I would not enfeeble them by dissipation. The demands of Truth are severe. She
has no sympathy with the myrtles. All that which is so indispensable in Song is precisely
all that with which she has nothing whatever to do. It is but making her a flaunting
paradox to wreathe her in gems and flowers. In enforcing a truth we need severity rather
than efflorescence of language. We must be simple, precise, terse. We must be cool,
calm, unimpassioned. In a word, we must be in that mood which, as nearly as possible, is
the exact converse of the poetical. He must be blind indeed who does not perceive the
radical and chasmal difference between the truthful and the poetical modes of
inculcation. He must be theory-mad beyond redemption who, in spite of these
differences, shall still persist in attempting to reconcile the obstinate oils and waters of
Poetry and Truth.

Dividing the world of mind into its three most immediately obvious distinctions, we have
the Pure Intellect, Taste, and the Moral Sense. I place Taste in the middle, because it is
just this position which in the mind it occupies. It holds intimate relations with either
extreme; but from the Moral Sense is separated by so faint a difference that Aristotle has
not hesitated to place some of its operations among the virtues themselves. Nevertheless
we find the offices of the trio marked with a sufficient distinction. Just as the Intellect
concerns itself with Truth, so Taste informs us of the Beautiful, while the Moral Sense is
regardful of Duty. Of this latter, while Conscience teaches the obligation, and Reason the
expediency. Taste contents herself with displaying the charms :-waging war upon Vice
solely on the ground of her deformity-her disproportion-her animosity to the fitting, to
the appropriate, to the harmonious-in a word, to Beauty.

An immortal instinct deep within the spirit of man is thus plainly a sense of the Beautiful.
This it is which administers to his delight in the manifold forms, and sounds, and odors
and sentiments amid which he exists. And just as the lily is repeated in the lake, or the
eyes of Amaryllis in the mirror, so is the mere oral or written repetition of these forms,
and sounds, and colors, and odors, and sentiments a duplicate source of delight. But this
mere repetition is not poetry. He who shall simply sing, with however glowing
enthusiasm, or with however vivid a truth of description, of the sights, and sounds, and
odors, and colors, and sentiments which greet him in common with all mankind-he, I say.

has yet faded to prove his divine title. There is still a something in the distance which he
has been unable to attain. We have still a thirst unquenchable, to allay which he has not
shown us the crystal springs. This thirst belongs to the immortality of Man. It is at once a
consequence and an indication of his perennial existence. It is the desire of the moth for
the star. It is no mere appreciation of the Beauty before us, but a wild effort to reach the
Beauty above. Inspired by an ecstatic prescience of the glories beyond the grave, we
struggle by multiform combinations among the things and thoughts of Time to attain a
portion of that Loveliness whose very elements perhaps appertain to eternity alone. And
thus when by Poetry, or when by Music, the most entrancing of the poetic moods, we
find ourselves melted into tears, we weep then, not as the Abbate Gravina supposes,
through excess of pleasure, but through a certain petulant, impatient sorrow at our
inability to grasp now, wholly, here on earth, at once and for ever, those divine and
rapturous joys of which through the poem, or through the music, we attain to but brief
and indeterminate glimpses.

The struggle to apprehend the supernal Loveliness-this struggle, on the part of souls
fittingly constituted-has given to the world all that which it (the world) has ever been
enabled at once to understand and to feel as poetic.

The Poetic Sentiment, of course, may develop itself in various modes-in Painting, in
Sculpture, in Architecture, in the Dance- very especially in Music-and very peculiarly,
and with a wide field, in the composition of the Landscape Garden. Our present theme,
however, has regard only to its manifestation in words. And here let me speak briefly on
the topic of rhythm. Contenting myself with the certainty that Music, in its various modes
of metre, rhythm, and rhyme, is of so vast a moment in Poetry as never to be wisely
rejected-is so vitally important an adjunct that he is simply silly who declines its
assistance, I will not now pause to maintain its absolute essentiality. It is in Music
perhaps that the soul most nearly attains the great end for which, when inspired by the
Poetic Sentiment it struggles-the creation of supernal Beauty. It may be, indeed, that here
this sublime end is, now and then, attained in fact. We are often made to feel, with a
shivering delight, that from an earthly harp are stricken notes which cannot have been
unfamiliar to the angels. And thus there can be little doubt that in the union of Poetry
with Music in its popular sense, we shall find the widest field for the Poetic development.
The old Bards and Minnesingers had advantages which we do not possess-and Thomas
Moore, singing his own songs, was, in the most legitimate manner, perfecting them as
poems.

To recapitulate then:-I would define, in brief, the Poetry of words as The Rhythmical
Creation of Beauty. Its sole arbiter is Taste. With the Intellect or with the Conscience it
has only collateral relations. Unless incidentally, it has no concern whatever either with
Duty or with Truth.

A few words, however, in explanation. That pleasure which is at once the most pure, the
most elevating, and the most intense, is derived, I maintain, from the contemplation of the
Beautiful. In the contemplation of Beauty we alone find it possible to attain that
pleasurable elevation, or excitement of the soul, which we recognise as the Poetic

Sentiment, and which is so easily distinguished from Truth, which is the satisfaction of
the Reason, or from Passion, which is the excitement of the heart. I make Beauty,
therefore-using the word as inclusive of the sublime-I make Beauty the province of the
poem, simply because it is an obvious rule of Art that effects should be made to spring as
directly as possible from their causes:- no one as yet having been weak enough to deny
that the peculiar elevation in question is at least most readily attainable in the poem. It by
no means follows, however, that the incitements of Passion, or the precepts of Duty, or
even the lessons of Truth, may not be introduced into a poem, and with advantage, for
they may subserve incidentally, in various ways, the general purposes of the work: but
the true artist will always contrive to tone them down in proper subjection to that Beauty
which is the atmosphere and the real essence of the poem.

I cannot better introduce the few poems which I shall present for your consideration, than
by the citation of the Proem to Longfellow's "Waif":-

The day is done, and the darkness

Falls from the wings of Night,

As a feather is wafted downward

From an Eagle in his flight.

I see the lights of the village

Gleam through the rain and the mist.

And a feeling of sadness comes o'er me.

That my soul cannot resist;

A feeling of sadness and longing.

That is not akin to pain.

And resembles sorrow only

As the mist resembles the rain.

Come, read to me some poem.

Some simple and heartfelt lay.

That shall soothe this restless feeling.

And banish the thoughts of day.

Not from the grand old masters.

Not from the bards sublime.

Whose distant footsteps echo

Through the corridors of Time.

For, like strains of martial music.

Their mighty thoughts suggest

Life's endless toil and endeavour;

And to-night I long for rest.

Read from some humbler poet.

Whose songs gushed from his heart.

As showers from the clouds of summer.

Or tears from the eyelids start;

Who through long days of labor.

And nights devoid of ease.

Still heard in his soul the music

Of wonderful melodies.

Such songs have power to quiet

The restless pulse of care,

And come like the benediction

That follows after prayer.

Then read from the treasured volume

The poem of thy choice,

And lend to the rhyme of the poet

The beauty of thy voice.

And the night shall be filled with music.

And the cares that infest the day

Shall fold their tents like the Arabs,

And as silently steal away.

With no great range of imagination, these lines have been justly admired for their
delicacy of expression. Some of the images are very effective. Nothing can be better
than-

-the bards sublime.

Whose distant footsteps echo

Down the corridors of Time.

The idea of the last quatrain is also very effective. The poem on the whole, however, is
chiefly to be admired for the graceful insouciance of its metre, so well in accordance with
the character of the sentiments, and especially for the ease of the general manner. This
"ease" or naturalness, in a literary style, it has long been the fashion to regard as ease in
appearance alone-as a point of really difficult attainment. But not so:-a natural manner is
difficult only to him who should never meddle with it-to the unnatural. It is but the result
of writing with the understanding, or with the instinct, that the tone, in composition,
should always be that which the mass of mankind would adopt-and must perpetually
vary, of course, with the occasion. The author who, after the fashion of "The North
American Review," should be upon all occasions merely "quiet," must necessarily upon
many occasions be simply silly, or stupid; and has no more right to be considered "easy"
or "natural" than a Cockney exquisite, or than the sleeping Beauty in the waxworks.

Among the minor poems of Bryant, none has so much impressed me as the one which he
entitles "June." I quote only a portion of it:-

There, through the long, long summer hours.

The golden light should lie.

And thick young herbs and groups of flowers

Stand in their beauty by.

The oriole should build and tell

His love-tale, close beside my cell;

The idle butterfly

Should rest him there, and there be heard

The housewife-bee and humming bird.

And what if cheerful shouts at noon,

Come, from the village sent.

Or songs of maids, beneath the moon.

With fairy laughter blent?

And what if, in the evening light.

Betrothed lovers walk in sight

Of my low monument?

I would the lovely scene around

Might know no sadder sight nor sound.

I know, I know I should not see

The season's glorious show.

Nor would its brightness shine for me;

Nor its wild music flow;

But if, around my place of sleep.

The friends I love should come to weep.

They might not haste to go.

Soft airs and song, and the light and bloom.

Should keep them lingering by my tomb.

These to their soften'd hearts should bear

The thoughts of what has been.

And speak of one who cannot share

The gladness of the scene;

Whose part in all the pomp that fills

The circuit of the summer hills,

Is-that his grave is green;

And deeply would their hearts rejoice

To hear again his living voice.

The rhythmical flow here is even voluptuous-nothing could be more melodious. The
poem has always affected me in a remarkable manner. The intense melancholy which
seems to well up, perforce, to the surface of all the poet's cheerful sayings about his
grave, we find thrilling us to the soul-while there is the truest poetic elevation in the
thrill. The impression left is one of a pleasurable sadness. And if, in the remaining
compositions which I shall introduce to you, there be more or less of a similar tone
always apparent, let me remind you that (how or why we know not) this certain taint of
sadness is inseparably connected with all the higher manifestations of true Beauty. It is,
nevertheless,

A feeling of sadness and longing
That is not akin to pain.
And resembles sorrow only
As the mist resembles the rain.

The taint of which I speak is clearly perceptible even in a poem so full of brilliancy and
spirit as "The Health" of Edward Coate Pinckney:-

I fill this cup to one made up

Of loveliness alone,

A woman, of her gentle sex

The seeming paragon;

To whom the better elements

And kindly stars have given

A form so fair that, like the air,

'Tis less of earth than heaven.

Her every tone is musies own.

Like those of morning birds.

And something more than melody

Dwells ever in her words;

The coinage of her heart are they.

And from her lips each flows

As one may see the burden'd be

Forth issue from the rose.

Affections are as thoughts to her,

The measures of her hours;

Her feelings have the fragrancy.

The freshness of young flowers;

And lovely passions, changing oft.

So fill her, she appears

The image of themselves by turns.

The idol of past years!

Of her bright face one glance will trace

A picture on the brain.

And of her voice in echoing hearts

A sound must long remain;

But memory, such as mine of her.

So very much endears

When death is nigh my latest sigh

Will not be life's, but hers.

I fill'd this cup to one made up

Of loveliness alone,

A woman, of her gentle sex

The seeming paragon-

Her health! and would on earth there stood.

Some more of such a frame.

That life might be all poetry.

And weariness a name.

It was the misfortune of Mr. Pinckney to have been bom too far south. Had he been a
New Englander, it is probable that he would have been ranked as the first of American
lyrists by that magnanimous cabal which has so long controlled the destinies of American
Letters, in conducting the thing called "The North American Review." The poem just
cited is especially beautiful; but the poetic elevation which it induces we must refer

chiefly to our sympathy in the poet's enthusiasm. We pardon his hyperboles for the
evident earnestness with which they are uttered.

It was by no means my design, however, to expatiate upon the merits of what I should
read you. These will necessarily speak for themselves. Boccalini, in his "Advertisements
from Parnassus," tells us that Zoilus once presented Apollo a very caustic criticism upon
a very admirable book:-whereupon the god asked him for the beauties of the work. He
replied that he only busied himself about the errors. On hearing this, Apollo, handing him
a sack of unwinnowed wheat, bade him pick out all the chaff for his reward.

Now this fable answers very well as a hit at the critics-but I am by no means sure that the
god was in the right. I am by no means certain that the true limits of the critical duty are
not grossly misunderstood. Excellence, in a poem especially, may be considered in the
light of an axiom, which need only be properly put, to become self-evident. It is not
excellence if it require to be demonstrated as such:-and thus to point out too particularly
the merits of a work of Art, is to admit that they are not merits altogether.

Among the "Melodies" of Thomas Moore is one whose distinguished character as a poem
proper seems to have been singularly left out of view. I allude to his lines beginning-
"Come, rest in this bosom." The intense energy of their expression is not surpassed by
anything in Byron. There are two of the lines in which a sentiment is conveyed that
embodies the all in all of the divine passion of Love-a sentiment which, perhaps, has
found its echo in more, and in more passionate, human hearts than any other single
sentiment ever embodied in words:-

Come, rest in this bosom, my own stricken deer

Though the herd have fled from thee, thy home is still here;

Here still is the smile, that no cloud can o'ercast.

And a heart and a hand all thy own to the last.

Oh! what was love made for, if 'tis not the same

Through joy and through torment, through glory and shame?

I know not, I ask not, if guilt's in that heart,

I but know that I love thee, whatever thou art.

Thou hast call'd me thy Angel in moments of bliss.

And thy Angel I'll be, 'mid the horrors of this,-

Through the furnace, unshrinking, thy steps to pursue.

And shield thee, and save thee,-or perish there tool

It has been the fashion of late days to deny Moore Imagination, while granting him
Fancy-a distinction originating with Coleridge- than whom no man more fully
comprehended the great powers of Moore. The fact is, that the fancy of this poet so far
predominates over all his other faculties, and over the fancy of all other men, as to have
induced, very naturally, the idea that he is fanciful only. But never was there a greater
mistake. Never was a grosser wrong done the fame of a true poet. In the compass of the
English language I can call to mind no poem more profoundly-more weirdly imaginative.

in the best sense, than the lines commencing-"! would I were by that dim lake"-which
are the composition of Thomas Moore. I regret that I am unable to remember them.

One of the noblest-and, speaking of Fancy-one of the most singularly fanciful of modem
poets, was Thomas Hood. His "Fair Ines" had always for me an inexpressible charm:-

O saw ye not fair Ines?
She's gone into the West,
To dazzle when the sun is down.
And rob the world of rest;
She took our daylight with her.
The smiles that we love best.
With morning blushes on her cheek.
And pearls upon her breast.

turn again, fair Ines,
Before the fall of night.

For fear the moon should shine alone.

And stars unrivall'd bright;

And blessed will the lover be

That walks beneath their light.

And breathes the love against thy cheek

1 dare not even write!
Would I had been, fair Ines,
That gallant cavalier.

Who rode so gaily by thy side.

And whisper'd thee so near!

Were there no bonny dames at home

Or no true lovers here.

That he should cross the seas to win

The dearest of the dear?

I saw thee, lovely Ines,

Descend along the shore.

With bands of noble gentlemen.

And banners waved before.

And gentle youth and maidens gay.

And snowy plumes they wore;

It would have been a beauteous dream.

If it had been no more!

Alas, alas, fair Ines,

She went away with song.

With music waiting on her steps.

And shoutings of the throng;

But some were sad and felt no mirth.

But only Music's wrong.

In sounds that sang Farewell, Farewell,

To her you've loved so long.

Farewell, farewell, fair Ines,
That vessel never bore
So fair a lady on its deck.
Nor danced so light before,-
Alas for pleasure on the sea.
And sorrow on the shore!
The smile that blest one lover's heart
Has broken many more!

"The Haunted House," by the same author, is one of the truest poems ever written,-one of
the truest, one of the most unexceptionable, one of the most thoroughly artistic, both in its
theme and in its execution. It is, moreover, powerfully ideal- imaginative. I regret that its
length renders it unsuitable for the purposes of this lecture. In place of it permit me to
offer the universally appreciated "Bridge of Sighs":-

One more Unfortunate,
Weary of breath.
Gone to her death!
Take her up tenderly,
Lift her with care,-
Fashion'd so slenderly.
Young and so fair!
Look at her garments
Clinging like cerements;
Whilst the wave constantly
Drips from her clothing;
Take her up instantly.
Loving, not loathing.
Touch her not scornfully.
Think of her mournfully.
Gently and humanly.
Not of the stains of her.
All that remains of her
Now is pure womanly.
Make no deep scrutiny
Into her mutiny
Rash and undutiful;
Past all dishonor.
Death has left on her
Only the beautiful.
Where the lamps quiver
So far in the river.
With many a light
From window and casement
From garret to basement.
She stood, with amazement.

Houseless by night
The bleak wind of March
Made her tremble and shiver,
But not the dark arch,
Or the black flowing river:
Mad from life's history.
Glad to death's mystery.
Swift to be hurl'd-
Anywhere, anywhere
Outof the world!
In she plunged boldly.
No matter how coldly
The rough river ran,-
Over the brink of it.
Picture it,-think of it.
Dissolute Man!
Lave in it, drink of it
Then, if you can!
Still, for all slips of her
One of Eves family-
Wipe those poor lips of hers
Oozing so clammily.
Loop up her tresses
Escaped from the comb.
Her fair auburn tresses;
Whilst wonderment guesses
Where was her home?
Who was her father?
Who was her mother?
Had she a sister?
Had she a brother?
Or was there a dearer one
Still, and a nearer one
Yet, than all other?
Alas! for the rarity
Of Christian charity
Under the sun!
Oh! it was pitiful
Near a whole city full.
Home she had none.
Sisterly, brotherly.
Fatherly, motherly.
Feelings had changed:
Love, by harsh evidence.
Thrown from its eminence.
Seeming estranged.

Take her up tenderly,
Lift her with care;
Fashion'd so slenderly,
Young, and so fair!
Ere her limbs frigidly
Stiffen too rigidly.
Decently ,-kindly,-
Smooth and compose them;
And her eyes, close them.
Staring so bhndly!
Dreadfully staring
Through muddy impurity.
As when with the daring
Last look of despairing
Fixed on futurity.
Perishing gloomily.
Spurred by contumely.
Cold inhumanity.
Burning insanity,
Into her rest,-
Cross her hands humbly.
As if praying dumbly.
Over her breast!
Owning her weakness.
Her evil behaviour.
And leaving, with meekness.
Her sins to her Saviour!

The vigour of this poem is no less remarkable than its pathos. The versification although
carrying the fanciful to the very verge of the fantastic, is nevertheless admirably adapted
to the wild insanity which is the thesis of the poem.

Among the minor poems of Lord Byron is one which has never received from the critics
the praise which it undoubtedly deserves:-

Though the day of my destiny's over.

And the star of my fate hath declined

Thy soft heart refused to discover

The faults which so many could find;

Though thy soul with my grief was acquainted.

It shrunk not to share it with me.

And the love which my spirit hath painted

It never hath found but in thee.

Then when nature around me is smiling.

The last smile which answers to mine,

I do not believe it beguiling.

Because it reminds me of thine,

And when winds are at war with the ocean,

As the breasts I believed in with me.

If their billows excite an emotion.

It is that they bear me from thee.

Though the rock of my last hope is shivered.

And its fragments are sunk in the wave.

Though I feel that my soul is delivered

To pain-it shall not be its slave.

There is many a pang to pursue me:

They may crush, but they shall not contemn-

They may torture, but shall not subdue me-

'Tis of thee that I think-not of them.

Though human, thou didst not deceive me.

Though woman, thou didst not forsake.

Though loved, thou forborest to grieve me.

Though slandered, thou never couldst shake,-

Though trusted, thou didst not disclaim me.

Though parted, it was not to fly.

Though watchful, 'twas not to defame me.

Nor mute, that the world might belie.

Yet I blame not the world, nor despise it.

Nor the war of the many with one-

If my soul was not fitted to prize it,

'Twas folly not sooner to shun:

And if dearly that error hath cost me.

And more than I once could foresee,

I have found that whatever it lost me.

It could not deprive me of thee.

From the wreck of the past, which hath perished,

Thus much I at least may recall.

It hath taught me that which I most cherished

Deserved to be dearest of all:

In the desert a fountain is springing.

In the wide waste there still is a tree.

And a bird in the solitude singing.

Which speaks to my spirit of thee.

Although the rhythm here is one of the most difficult, the versification could scarcely be
improved. No nobler theme ever engaged the pen of poet. It is the soul-elevating idea that
no man can consider himself entitled to complain of Fate while in his adversity he still
retains the unwavering love of woman.

From Alfred Tennyson, although in perfect sincerity I regard him as the noblest poet that
ever lived, I have left myself time to cite only a very brief specimen. I call him, and think
him the noblest of poets, not because the impressions he produces are at all times the

most profound-not because the poetical excitement which be induces is at all times the
most intense-but because it is at all times the most ethereal-in other words, the most
elevating and most pure. No poet is so little of the earth, earthy. What I am about to read
is from his last long poem, "The Princess":-

Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean.
Tears from the depth of some divine despair
Rise in the heart, and gather to the eyes.
In looking on the happy Autumn fields.
And thinking of the days that are no more.
Fresh as the first beam glittering on a sail.
That brings our friends up from the underworld.
Sad as the last which reddens over one
That sinks with all we love below the verge;
So sad, so fresh, the days that are no more.
Ah, sad and strange as in dark summer dawns
The earliest pipe of half-awaken'd birds
To dying ears, when unto dying eyes
The casement slowly grows a glimmering square;
So sad, so strange, the days that are no more.
Dear as remember'd kisses after death.
And sweet as those by hopeless fancy feign'd
On lips that are for others; deep as love.
Deep as first love, and wild with all regret,
O Death in Life, the days that are no more.

Thus, although in a very cursory and imperfect manner, I have endeavoured to convey to
you my conception of the Poetic Principle. It has been my purpose to suggest that, while
this principle itself is strictly and simply the Human Aspiration for Supernal Beauty, the
manifestation of the Principle is always found in an elevating excitement of the soul,
quite independent of that passion which is the intoxication of the Heart, or of that truth
which is the satisfaction of the Reason. For in regard to passion, alas! its tendency is to
degrade rather than to elevate the Soul. Love, on the contrary-Love-the true, the divine
Eros-the Uranian as distinguished from the Dionnan Venus-is unquestionably the purest
and truest of all poetical themes. And in regard to Truth, if, to be sure, through the
attainment of a truth we are led to perceive a harmony where none was apparent before,
we experience at once the true poetical effect; but this effect is referable to the harmony
alone, and not in the least degree to the truth which merely served to render the harmony
manifest.

We shall reach, however, more immediately a distinct conception of what the true Poetry
is, by mere reference to a few of the simple elements which induce in the Poet himself the
true poetical effect. He recognises the ambrosia which nourishes his soul in the bright
orbs that shine in Heaven-in the volutes of the flower-in the clustering of low
shrubberies-in the waving of the grain-fields-in the slanting of tall eastern trees-in the
blue distance of mountains- in the grouping of clouds-in the twinkling of half-hidden

brooks- in the gleaming of silver rivers-in the repose of sequestered lakes-in the star-
mirroring depths of lonely wells. He perceives it in the songs of birds-in the harp of
Aeolus-in the sighing of the night- wind-in the repining voice of the forest-in the surf
that complains to the shore-in the fresh breath of the woods-in the scent of the violet-in
the voluptuous perfume of the hyacinth-in the suggestive odour that comes to him at
eventide from far-distant undiscovered islands, over dim oceans, illimitable and
unexplored. He owns it in all noble thoughts-in all unworldly motives-in all holy
impulses-in all chivalrous, generous, and self-sacrificing deeds. He feels it in the beauty
of woman-in the grace of her step- in the lustre of her eye-in the melody of her voice-in
her soft laughter, in her sigh-in the harmony of the rustling of her robes. He deeply feels
it in her winning endearments-in her burning enthusiasms-in her gentle charities-in her
meek and devotional endurances-but above all-ah, far above all he kneels to it-he
worships it in the faith, in the purity, in the strength, in the altogether divine majesty-of
her love.

Let me conclude by-the recitation of yet another brief poem-one very different in
character from any that I have before quoted. It is by Motherwell, and is called "The
Song of the Cavalier." With our modern and altogether rational ideas of the absurdity and
impiety of warfare, we are not precisely in that frame of mind best adapted to sympathize
with the sentiments, and thus to appreciate the real excellence of the poem. To do this
fully we must identify ourselves in fancy with the soul of the old cavalier: -

Then mounte! then mounte, brave gallants all.

And don your helmes amaine:

Deathe's couriers. Fame and Honour call

Us to the field againe.

No shrewish teares shall fill your eye

When the sword-hilt's in our hand,-

Heart-whole we'll part, and no whit sighe

For the fayrest of the land;

Let piping swaine, and craven wight.

Thus weepe and puling crye.

Our business is like men to fight.

And hero-like to die!

THE END

DIDDLING

Considered as One of the Exact Sciences

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

Hey, diddle diddle
The cat and the fiddle

SINCE the world began there have been two Jeremys. The one wrote a Jeremiad about
usury, and was called Jeremy Bentham. He has been much admired by Mr. John Neal,
and was a great man in a small way. The other gave name to the most important of the
Exact Sciences, and was a great man in a great way-I may say, indeed, in the very
greatest of ways.

Diddling-or the abstract idea conveyed by the verb to diddle-is sufficiently well
understood. Yet the fact, the deed, the thing diddling, is somewhat difficult to define. We
may get, however, at a tolerably distinct conception of the matter in hand, by defining-
not the thing, diddling, in itself-but man, as an animal that diddles. Had Plato but hit
upon this, he would have been spared the affront of the picked chicken.

Very pertinently it was demanded of Plato, why a picked chicken, which was clearly "a
biped without feathers," was not, according to his own definition, a man? But I am not to
be bothered by any similar query. Man is an animal that diddles, and there is no animal
that diddles but man. It will take an entire hen-coop of picked chickens to get over that.

What constitutes the essence, the nare, the principle of diddling is, in fact, peculiar to the
class of creatures that wear coats and pantaloons. A crow thieves; a fox cheats; a weasel
outwits; a man diddles. To diddle is his destiny. "Man was made to mourn," says the
poet. But not so:-he was made to diddle. This is his aim-his object- his end. And for this
reason when a man's diddled we say he's "done."

Diddling, rightly considered, is a compound, of which the ingredients are minuteness,
interest, perseverance, ingenuity, audacity, nonchalance, originality, impertinence, and
grin.

Minuteness:-Your diddler is minute. His operations are upon a small scale. His business
is retail, for cash, or approved paper at sight. Should he ever be tempted into magnificent
speculation, he then, at once, loses his distinctive features, and becomes what we term
"financier." This latter word conveys the diddling idea in every respect except that of
magnitude. A diddler may thus be regarded as a banker in petto-a "financial operation,"

as a diddle at Brobdignag. The one is to the other, as Homer to "Flaccus"-as a Mastodon
to a mouse-as the tail of a comet to that of a pig.

Interest:-Your diddler is guided by self-interest. He scorns to diddle for the mere sake of
the diddle. He has an object in view- his pocket-and yours. He regards always the main
chance. He looks to Number One. You are Number Two, and must look to yourself.

Perseverance:-Your diddler perseveres. He is not readily discouraged. Should even the
banks break, he cares nothing about it. He steadily pursues his end, and

Ut canis a corio nunquam absterrebitur uncto.

so he never lets go of his game.

Ingenuity:-Your diddler is ingenious. He has constructiveness large. He understands plot.
He invents and circumvents. Were he not Alexander he would be Diogenes. Were he not
a diddler, he would be a maker of patent rat-traps or an angler for trout.

Audacity:-Your diddler is audacious.-He is a bold man. He carries the war into Africa.
He conquers all by assault. He would not fear the daggers of Frey Herren. With a little
more prudence Dick Turpin would have made a good diddler; with a trifle less blarney,
Daniel O'Connell; with a pound or two more brains Charles the Twelfth.

Nonchalance :-Your diddler is nonchalant. He is not at all nervous. He never had any
nerves. He is never seduced into a flurry. He is never put out-unless put out of doors. He
is cool-cool as a cucumber. He is calm-"calm as a smile from Lady Bury." He is easy-
easy as an old glove, or the damsels of ancient Baiae.

Originality:-Your diddler is original-conscientiously so. His thoughts are his own. He
would scorn to employ those of another. A stale trick is his aversion. He would return a
purse, I am sure, upon discovering that he had obtained it by an unoriginal diddle.

Impertinence.-Your diddler is impertinent. He swaggers. He sets his arms a-kimbo. He
thrusts, his hands in his trowsers' pockets. He sneers in your face. He treads on your
corns. He eats your dinner, he drinks your wine, he borrows your money, he pulls your
nose, he kicks your poodle, and he kisses your wife.

Grin:-Your true diddler winds up all with a grin. But this nobody sees but himself. He
grins when his daily work is done-when his allotted labors are accomplished-at night in
his own closet, and altogether for his own private entertainment. He goes home. He locks
his door. He divests himself of his clothes. He puts out his candle. He gets into bed. He
places his head upon the pillow. All this done, and your diddler grins. This is no
hypothesis. It is a matter of course. I reason a priori, and a diddle would be no diddle
without a grin.

The origin of the diddle is referrable to the infancy of the Human Race. Perhaps the first
diddler was Adam. At all events, we can trace the science back to a very remote period of
antiquity. The moderns, however, have brought it to a perfection never dreamed of by our
thick-headed progenitors. Without pausing to speak of the "old saws," therefore, I shall
content myself with a compendious account of some of the more "modem instances."

A very good diddle is this. A housekeeper in want of a sofa, for instance, is seen to go in
and out of several cabinet warehouses. At length she arrives at one offering an excellent
variety. She is accosted, and invited to enter, by a polite and voluble individual at the
door. She finds a sofa well adapted to her views, and upon inquiring the price, is
surprised and delighted to hear a sum named at least twenty per cent, lower than her
expectations. She hastens to make the purchase, gets a bill and receipt, leaves her address,
with a request that the article be sent home as speedily as possible, and retires amid a
profusion of bows from the shopkeeper. The night arrives and no sofa. A servant is sent
to make inquiry about the delay. The whole transaction is denied. No sofa has been sold-
no money received-except by the diddler, who played shop-keeper for the nonce.

Our cabinet warehouses are left entirely unattended, and thus afford every facility for a
trick of this kind. Visiters enter, look at furniture, and depart unheeded and unseen.
Should any one wish to purchase, or to inquire the price of an article, a bell is at hand,
and this is considered amply sufficient.

Again, quite a respectable diddle is this. A well-dressed individual enters a shop, makes a
purchase to the value of a dollar; finds, much to his vexation, that he has left his pocket-
book in another coat pocket; and so says to the shopkeeper-

"My dear sir, never mind; just oblige me, will you, by sending the bundle home? But
stay! I really believe that I have nothing less than a five dollar bill, even there. However,
you can send four dollars in change with the bundle, you know."

"Very good, sir," replies the shop-keeper, who entertains, at once, a lofty opinion of the
high-mindedness of his customer. "I know fellows," he says to himself, "who would just
have put the goods under their arm, and walked off with a promise to call and pay the
dollar as they came by in the afternoon."

A boy is sent with the parcel and change. On the route, quite accidentally, he is met by
the purchaser, who exclaims:

"Ah! This is my bundle, I see-I thought you had been home with it, long ago. Well, go
on! My wife, Mrs. Trotter, will give you the five doUars-I left instructions with her to
that effect. The change you might as well give to me-I shall want some silver for the Post
Office. Very good! One, two, is this a good quarter?- three, four-quite right! Say to Mrs.
Trotter that you met me, and be sure now and do not loiter on the way."

The boy doesn't loiter at ail-but he is a very long time in getting back from his errand-for
no lady of the precise name of Mrs. Trotter is to be discovered. He consoles himself.

however, that he has not been such a fool as to leave the goods without the money, and
re-entering his shop with a self-satisfied air, feels sensibly hurt and indignant when his
master asks him what has become of the change.

A very simple diddle, indeed, is this. The captain of a ship, which is about to sail, is
presented by an official looking person with an unusually moderate bill of city charges.
Glad to get off so easily, and confused by a hundred duties pressing upon him all at once,
he discharges the claim forthwith. In about fifteen minutes, another and less reasonable
bill is handed him by one who soon makes it evident that the first collector was a diddler,
and the original collection a diddle.

And here, too, is a somewhat similar thing. A steamboat is casting loose from the wharf.
A traveller, portmanteau in hand, is discovered running toward the wharf, at full speed.
Suddenly, he makes a dead halt, stoops, and picks up something from the ground in a
very agitated manner. It is a pocket-book, and-"Has any gentleman lost a pocketbook?"
he cries. No one can say that he has exactly lost a pocket-book; but a great excitement
ensues, when the treasure trove is found to be of value. The boat, however, must not be
detained.

"Time and tide wait for no man," says the captain.

"For God's sake, stay only a few minutes," says the finder of the book-"the true claimant
will presently appear."

"Can't wait!" replies the man in authority; "cast off there, d'ye hear?"

"What am I to do?" asks the finder, in great tribulation. "I am about to leave the country
for some years, and I cannot conscientiously retain this large amount in my possession. I
beg your pardon, sir," [here he addresses a gentleman on shore,] "but you have the air of
an honest man. Will you confer upon me the favor of taking charge of this pocket-book-I
know I can trust you-and of advertising it? The notes, you see, amount to a very
considerable sum. The owner will, no doubt, insist upon rewarding you for your trouble-

"Me!-no, you!-it was you who found the book."

"Well, if you must have it so-I will take a small reward-just to satisfy your scruples. Let
me see-why these notes are all hundreds- bless my soul! a hundred is too much to take-
fifty would be quite enough, I am sure-

"Cast off there!" says the captain.

"But then I have no change for a hundred, and upon the whole, you had better-

"Cast off there!" says the captain.

"Never mind!" cries the gentleman on shore, who has been examining his own pocket-
book for the last minute or so-"never mind! I can fix it-here is a fifty on the Bank of
North America-throw the book."

And the over-conscientious finder takes the fifty with marked reluctance, and throws the
gentleman the book, as desired, while the steamboat fumes and fizzes on her way. In
about half an hour after her departure, the "large amount" is seen to be a "counterfeit
presentment," and the whole thing a capital diddle.

A bold diddle is this. A camp-meeting, or something similar, is to be held at a certain spot
which is accessible only by means of a free bridge. A diddler stations himself upon this
bridge, respectfully informs all passers by of the new county law, which establishes a toll
of one cent for foot passengers, two for horses and donkeys, and so forth, and so forth.
Some grumble but all submit, and the diddler goes home a wealthier man by some fifty or
sixty dollars well earned. This taking a toll from a great crowd of people is an excessively
troublesome thing.

A neat diddle is this. A friend holds one of the diddler's promises to pay, filled up and
signed in due form, upon the ordinary blanks printed in red ink. The diddler purchases
one or two dozen of these blanks, and every day dips one of them in his soup, makes his
dog jump for it, and finally gives it to him as a bonne bouche. The note arriving at
maturity, the diddler, with the diddler's dog, calls upon the friend, and the promise to pay
is made the topic of discussion. The friend produces it from his escritoire, and is in the
act of reaching it to the diddler, when up jumps the diddler's dog and devours it forthwith.
The diddler is not only surprised but vexed and incensed at the absurd behavior of his
dog, and expresses his entire readiness to cancel the obligation at any moment when the
evidence of the obligation shall be forthcoming.

A very mean diddle is this. A lady is insulted in the street by a diddler's accomplice. The
diddler himself flies to her assistance, and, giving his friend a comfortable thrashing,
insists upon attending the lady to her own door. He bows, with his hand upon his heart,
and most respectfully bids her adieu. She entreats him, as her deliverer, to walk in and be
introduced to her big brother and her papa. With a sigh, he declines to do so. "Is there no
way, then, sir," she murmurs, "in which I may be permitted to testify my gratitude?"

"Why, yes, madam, there is. Will you be kind enough to lend me a couple of shillings?"

In the first excitement of the moment the lady decides upon fainting outright. Upon
second thought, however, she opens her purse-strings and delivers the specie. Now this, I
say, is a diddle minute-for one entire moiety of the sum borrowed has to be paid to the
gentleman who had the trouble of performing the insult, and who had then to stand still
and be thrashed for performing it.

Rather a small but still a scientific diddle is this. The diddler approaches the bar of a
tavern, and demands a couple of twists of tobacco. These are handed to him, when,
having slightly examined them, he says:

"I don't much like this tobacco. Here, take it back, and give me a glass of brandy and
water in its place." The brandy and water is furnished and imbibed, and the diddler makes
his way to the door. But the voice of the tavern-keeper arrests him.

"I believe, sir, you have forgotten to pay for your brandy and water."

"Pay for my brandy and water!-didn't I give you the tobacco for the brandy and water?
What more would you have?"

"But, sir, if you please, I don't remember that you paid me for the tobacco."

"What do you mean by that, you scoundrel?-Didn't I give you back your tobacco? Isn't
that your tobacco lying there? Do you expect me to pay for what I did not take?"

"But, sir," says the publican, now rather at a loss what to say, "but sir-"

"But me no buts, sir," interrupts the diddler, apparently in very high dudgeon, and
slamming the door after him, as he makes his escape.-"But me no buts, sir, and none of
your tricks upon travellers."

Here again is a very clever diddle, of which the simplicity is not its least
recommendation. A purse, or pocket-book, being really lost, the loser inserts in one of the
daily papers of a large city a fully descriptive advertisement.

Whereupon our diddler copies the facts of this advertisement, with a change of heading,
of general phraseology and address. The original, for instance, is long, and verbose, is
headed "A Pocket-Book Lost!" and requires the treasure, when found, to be left at No. 1
Tom Street. The copy is brief, and being headed with "Lost" only, indicates No. 2 Dick,
or No. 3 Harry Street, as the locality at which the owner may be seen. Moreover, it is
inserted in at least five or six of the daily papers of the day, while in point of time, it
makes its appearance only a few hours after the original. Should it be read by the loser of
the purse, he would hardly suspect it to have any reference to his own misfortune. But, of
course, the chances are five or six to one, that the finder will repair to the address given
by the diddler, rather than to that pointed out by the rightful proprietor. The former pays
the reward, pockets the treasure and decamps.

Quite an analogous diddle is this. A lady of ton has dropped, some where in the street, a
diamond ring of very unusual value. For its recovery, she offers some forty or fifty
dollars reward-giving, in her advertisement, a very minute description of the gem, and of
its settings, and declaring that, on its restoration at No. so and so, in such and such
Avenue, the reward would be paid instanter, without a single question being asked.
During the lady's absence from home, a day or two afterwards, a ring is heard at the door
of No. so and so, in such and such Avenue; a servant appears; the lady of the house is
asked for and is declared to be out, at which astounding information, the visitor expresses
the most poignant regret. His business is of importance and concerns the lady herself. In
fact, he had the good fortune to find her diamond ring. But perhaps it would be as well

that he should call again. "By no means!" says the servant; and "By no means!" says the
lady's sister and the lady's sister-in-law, who are summoned forthwith. The ring is
clamorously identified, the reward is paid, and the finder nearly thrust out of doors. The
lady returns and expresses some little dissatisfaction with her sister and sister-in-law,
because they happen to have paid forty or fifty dollars for a fac- simile of her diamond
ring-a fac-simile made out of real pinch-beck and unquestionable paste.

But as there is really no end to diddling, so there would be none to this essay, were I even
to hint at half the variations, or inflections, of which this science is susceptible. I must
bring this paper, perforce, to a conclusion, and this I cannot do better than by a summary
notice of a very decent, but rather elaborate diddle, of which our own city was made the
theatre, not very long ago, and which was subsequently repeated with success, in other
still more verdant localities of the Union. A middle-aged gentleman arrives in town from
parts unknown. He is remarkably precise, cautious, staid, and deliberate in his demeanor.
His dress is scrupulously neat, but plain, unostentatious. He wears a white cravat, an
ample waistcoat, made with an eye to comfort alone; thick-soled cosy-looking shoes, and
pantaloons without straps. He has the whole air, in fact, of your well-to-do, sober-sided,
exact, and respectable "man of business," Par excellence-one of the stem and outwardly
hard, internally soft, sort of people that we see in the crack high comedies-fellows whose
words are so many bonds, and who are noted for giving away guineas, in charity, with the
one hand, while, in the way of mere bargain, they exact the uttermost fraction of a
farthing with the other.

He makes much ado before he can get suited with a boarding house. He dislikes children.
He has been accustomed to quiet. His habits are methodic al-and then he would prefer
getting into a private and respectable small family, piously inclined. Terms, however, are
no object-only he must insist upon settling his bill on the first of every month, (it is now
the second) and begs his landlady, when he finally obtains one to his mind, not on any
account to forget his instructions upon this point-but to send in a bill, and receipt,
precisely at ten o'clock, on the first day of every month, and under no circumstances to
put it off to the second.

These arrangements made, our man of business rents an office in a reputable rather than a
fashionable quarter of the town. There is nothing he more despises than pretense. "Where
there is much show," he says, "there is seldom any thing very solid behind"-an
observation which so profoundly impresses his landlady's fancy, that she makes a pencil
memorandum of it forthwith, in her great family Bible, on the broad margin of the
Proverbs of Solomon.

The next step is to advertise, after some such fashion as this, in the principal business six-
pennies of the city-the pennies are eschewed as not "respectable "-and as demanding
payment for all advertisements in advance. Our man of business holds it as a point of his
faith that work should never be paid for until done.

"WANTED-The advertisers, being about to commence extensive business operations in
this city, will require the services of three or four intelligent and competent clerks, to

whom a liberal salary will be paid. The very best recommendations, not so much for
capacity, as for integrity, will be expected. Indeed, as the duties to be performed involve
high responsibilities, and large amounts of money must necessarily pass through the
hands of those engaged, it is deemed advisable to demand a deposit of fifty dollars from
each clerk employed. No person need apply, therefore, who is not prepared to leave this
sum in the possession of the advertisers, and who cannot furnish the most satisfactory
testimonials of morality. Young gentlemen piously inclined will be preferred. Application
should be made between the hours of ten and eleven A. M., and four and five P. M., of
Messrs.

"Bogs, Hogs Logs, Frogs & Co.,
"No. 110 Dog Street"

By the thirty-first day of the month, this advertisement has brought to the office of
Messrs. Bogs, Hogs, Logs, Frogs, and Company, some fifteen or twenty young
gentlemen piously inclined. But our man of business is in no hurry to conclude a contract
with any-no man of business is ever precipitate-and it is not until the most rigid
catechism in respect to the piety of each young gentleman's inclination, that his services
are engaged and his fifty dollars receipted for, just by way of proper precaution, on the
part of the respectable firm of Bogs, Hogs, Logs, Frogs, and Company. On the morning
of the first day of the next month, the landlady does not present her bill, according to
promise-a piece of neglect for which the comfortable head of the house ending in ogs
would no doubt have chided her severely, could he have been prevailed upon to remain in
town a day or two for that purpose.

As it is, the constables have had a sad time of it, running hither and thither, and all they
can do is to declare the man of business most emphatically, a "hen knee high"-by which
some persons imagine them to imply that, in fact, he is n. e. i.-by which again the very
classical phrase non est inventus, is supposed to be understood. In the meantime the
young gentlemen, one and all, are somewhat less piously inclined than before, while the
landlady purchases a shilling's worth of the Indian rubber, and very carefully obliterates
the pencil memorandum that some fool has made in her great family Bible, on the broad
margin of the Proverbs of Solomon.

THE END

DREAMLAND

by Edgar Allan Poe

1844

By a route obscure and lonely,
Haunted by ill angels only,
Where an Eidolon, named NIGHT,
On a black throne reigns upright,
I have reached these lands but newly
From an ultimate dim Thule-
From a wild clime that lieth, sublime.
Out of SPACE-out of TIME.

Bottomless vales and boundless floods.
And chasms, and caves, and Titan woods.
With forms that no man can discover
For the tears that drip all over;
Mountains toppling evermore
Into seas without a shore;
Seas that restlessly aspire.
Surging, unto skies of fire;
Lakes that endlessly outspread
Their lone waters-lone and dead,-
Their still waters-still and chilly
With the snows of the lolling lily.

By the lakes that thus outspread
Their lone waters, lone and dead,-
Their sad waters, sad and chilly
With the snows of the lolling lily,-
By the mountains-near the river
Murmuring lowly, murmuring ever,-
By the grey woods,-by the swamp
Where the toad and the newt encamp-
By the dismal tarns and pools
Where dwell the Ghouls,-
By each spot the most unholy-
In each nook most melancholy-
There the traveller meets aghast
Sheeted Memories of the Past-
Shrouded forms that start and sigh
As they pass the wanderer by-

White-robed forms of friends long given,
In agony, to the Earth-and Heaven.

For the heart whose woes are legion

'Tis a peaceful, soothing region-

For the spirit that walks in shadow

'Tis-oh, 'tis an Eldorado!

But the traveller, travelling through it.

May not-dare not openly view it!

Never its mysteries are exposed

To the weak human eye unclosed;

So wills its King, who hath forbid

The uplifting of the fringed lid;

And thus the sad Soul that here passes

Beholds it but through darkened glasses.

By a route obscure and lonely.
Haunted by ill angels only.
Where an Eidolon, named NIGHT,
On a black throne reigns upright,
I have wandered home but newly
From this ultimate dim Thule.

THE END

DREAMS

by Edgar Allan Poe

1827

Oh! that my young life were a lasting dream!

My spirit not awakening, till the beam

Of an Eternity should bring the morrow.

Yes! tho' that long dream were of hopeless sorrow,

'Twere better than the cold reality

Of waking life, to him whose heart must be.

And hath been still, upon the lovely earth,

A chaos of deep passion, from his birth.

But should it be-that dream eternally

Continuing-as dreams have been to me

In my young boyhood-should it thus be given,

'Twere folly still to hope for higher Heaven.

For I have revell'd, when the sun was bright

r the summer sky, in dreams of living light

And loveliness,-have left my very heart

In climes of my imagining, apart

From mine own home, with beings that have been

Of mine own thought-what more could I have seen?

'Twas once-and only once-and the wild hour

From my remembrance shall not pass-some power

Or spell had bound me-'twas the chilly wind

Came o'er me in the night, and left behind

Its image on my spirit-or the moon

Shone on my slumbers in her lofty noon

Too coldly-or the stars-howe'er it was

That dream was as that night-wind-let it pass.

I have been happy, tho' in a dream.

I have been happy-and I love the theme:

Dreams ! in their vivid coloring of life.

As in that fleeting, shadowy, misty strife

Of semblance with reality, which brings

To the delirious eye, more lovely things

Of Paradise and Love-and all our own!

Than young Hope in his sunniest hour hath known.

THE END

ELDORADO

by Edgar Allan Poe

1849

Gaily bedight,

A gallant knight,

In sunshine and in shadow,

Had journeyed long.

Singing a song.

In search of Eldorado.

But he grew old-

This knight so bold-

And o'er his heart a shadow

Fell as he found

No spot of ground

That looked like Eldorado.

And, as his strength
Failed him at length.
He met a pilgrim shadow-
" Shadow," said he,
"Where can it be-
This land of Eldorado?"

"Over the Mountains

Of the Moon,

Down the Valley of the Shadow,

Ride, boldly ride,"

The shade replied-

"If you seek for Eldorado!"

THE END

ELEONORA

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

Sub conservatione formae specificae salva anima.
RAYMOND LULLY.

I AM come of a race noted for vigor of fancy and ardor of passion. Men have called me
mad; but the question is not yet settled, whether madness is or is not the loftiest
intelligence-whether much that is glorious-whether all that is profound-does not spring
from disease of thought-from moods of mind exalted at the expense of the general
intellect. They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who
dream only by night. In their gray visions they obtain glimpses of eternity, and thrill, in
awakening, to find that they have been upon the verge of the great secret. In snatches,
they learn something of the wisdom which is of good, and more of the mere knowledge
which is of evil. They penetrate, however, rudderless or compassless into the vast ocean
of the "light ineffable," and again, like the adventures of the Nubian geographer, "agressi
sunt mare tenebrarum, quid in eo esset exploraturi."

We will say, then, that I am mad. I grant, at least, that there are two distinct conditions of
my mental existence-the condition of a lucid reason, not to be disputed, and belonging to
the memory of events forming the first epoch of my life-and a condition of shadow and
doubt, appertaining to the present, and to the recollection of what constitutes the second
great era of my being. Therefore, what I shall tell of the earlier period, believe; and to
what I may relate of the later time, give only such credit as may seem due, or doubt it
altogether, or, if doubt it ye cannot, then play unto its riddle the Oedipus.

She whom I loved in youth, and of whom I now pen calmly and distinctly these
remembrances, was the sole daughter of the only sister of my mother long departed.
Eleonora was the name of my cousin. We had always dwelled together, beneath a tropical
sun, in the Valley of the Many-Colored Grass. No unguided footstep ever came upon that
vale; for it lay away up among a range of giant hills that hung beetling around about it,
shutting out the sunlight from its sweetest recesses. No path was trodden in its vicinity;
and, to reach our happy home, there was need of putting back, with force, the foliage of
many thousands of forest trees, and of crushing to death the glories of many millions of
fragrant flowers. Thus it was that we lived all alone, knowing nothing of the world
without the valley-I, and my cousin, and her mother.

From the dim regions beyond the mountains at the upper end of our encircled domain,
there crept out a narrow and deep river, brighter than all save the eyes of Eleonora; and,
winding stealthily about in mazy courses, it passed away, at length, through a shadowy
gorge, among hills still dimmer than those whence it had issued. We called it the "River

of Silence"; for there seemed to be a hushing influence in its flow. No murmur arose from
its bed, and so gently it wandered along, that the pearly pebbles upon which we loved to
gaze, far down within its bosom, stirred not at all, but lay in a motionless content, each in
its own old station, shining on gloriously forever.

The margin of the river, and of the many dazzling rivulets that glided through devious
ways into its channel, as well as the spaces that extended from the margins away down
into the depths of the streams until they reached the bed of pebbles at the bottom,-these
spots, not less than the whole surface of the valley, from the river to the mountains that
girdled it in, were carpeted all by a soft green grass, thick, short, perfectly even, and
vanilla-perfumed, but so besprinkled throughout with the yellow buttercup, the white
daisy, the purple violet, and the ruby-red asphodel, that its exceeding beauty spoke to our
hearts in loud tones, of the love and of the glory of God.

And, here and there, in groves about this grass, like wildernesses of dreams, sprang up
fantastic trees, whose tall slender stems stood not upright, but slanted gracefully toward
the light that peered at noon-day into the centre of the valley. Their mark was speckled
with the vivid alternate splendor of ebony and silver, and was smoother than all save the
cheeks of Eleonora; so that, but for the brilliant green of the huge leaves that spread from
their summits in long, tremulous lines, dallying with the Zephyrs, one might have fancied
them giant serpents of Syria doing homage to their sovereign the Sun.

Hand in hand about this valley, for fifteen years, roamed I with Eleonora before Love
entered within our hearts. It was one evening at the close of the third lustrum of her life,
and of the fourth of my own, that we sat, locked in each other's embrace, beneath the
serpent- like trees, and looked down within the water of the River of Silence at our images
therein. We spoke no words during the rest of that sweet day, and our words even upon
the morrow were tremulous and few. We had drawn the God Eros from that wave, and
now we felt that he had enkindled within us the fiery souls of our forefathers. The
passions which had for centuries distinguished our race, came thronging with the fancies
for which they had been equally noted, and together breathed a delirious bliss over the
Valley of the Many-Colored Grass. A change fell upon all things. Strange, briUiant
flowers, star-shaped, burn out upon the trees where no flowers had been known before.
The tints of the green carpet deepened; and when, one by one, the white daisies shrank
away, there sprang up in place of them, ten by ten of the ruby-red asphodel. And life
arose in our paths; for the tall flamingo, hitherto unseen, with all gay glowing birds,
flaunted his scarlet plumage before us. The golden and silver fish haunted the river, out
of the bosom of which issued, little by little, a murmur that swelled, at length, into a
lulling melody more divine than that of the harp of Aeolus- sweeter than all save the voice
of Eleonora. And now, too, a voluminous cloud, which we had long watched in the
regions of Hesper, floated out thence, all gorgeous in crimson and gold, and settling in
peace above us, sank, day by day, lower and lower, until its edges rested upon the tops of
the mountains, turning all their dimness into magnificence, and shutting us up, as if
forever, within a magic prison-house of grandeur and of glory.

The loveliness of Eleonora was that of the Seraphim; but she was a maiden artless and
innocent as the brief life she had led among the flowers. No guile disguised the fervor of
love which animated her heart, and she examined with me its inmost recesses as we
walked together in the Valley of the Many-Colored Grass, and discoursed of the mighty
changes which had lately taken place therein.

At length, having spoken one day, in tears, of the last sad change which must befall
Humanity, she thenceforward dwelt only upon this one sorrowful theme, interweaving it
into all our converse, as, in the songs of the bard of Schiraz, the same images are found
occurring, again and again, in every impressive variation of phrase.

She had seen that the finger of Death was upon her bosom-that, like the ephemeron, she
had been made perfect in loveliness only to die; but the terrors of the grave to her lay
solely in a consideration which she revealed to me, one evening at twilight, by the banks
of the River of Silence. She grieved to think that, having entombed her in the Valley of
the Many-Colored Grass, I would quit forever its happy recesses, transferring the love
which now was so passionately her own to some maiden of the outer and everyday world.
And, then and there, I threw myself hurriedly at the feet of Eleonora, and offered up a
vow, to herself and to Heaven, that I would never bind myself in marriage to any
daughter of Earth-that I would in no manner prove recreant to her dear memory, or to the
memory of the devout affection with which she had blessed me. And I called the Mighty
Ruler of the Universe to witness the pious solemnity of my vow. And the curse which I
invoked of Him and of her, a saint in Helusion should I prove traitorous to that promise,
involved a penalty the exceeding great horror of which will not permit me to make record
of it here. And the bright eyes of Eleonora grew brighter at my words; and she sighed as
if a deadly burthen had been taken from her breast; and she trembled and very bitterly
wept; but she made acceptance of the vow, (for what was she but a child?) and it made
easy to her the bed of her death. And she said to me, not many days afterward, tranquilly
dying, that, because of what I had done for the comfort of her spirit she would watch over
me in that spirit when departed, and, if so it were permitted her return to me visibly in the
watches of the night; but, if this thing were, indeed, beyond the power of the souls in
Paradise, that she would, at least, give me frequent indications of her presence, sighing
upon me in the evening winds, or filling the air which I breathed with perfume from the
censers of the angels. And, with these words upon her lips, she yielded up her innocent
life, putting an end to the first epoch of my own.

Thus far I have faithfully said. But as I pass the barrier in Times path, formed by the
death of my beloved, and proceed with the second era of my existence, I feel that a
shadow gathers over my brain, and I mistrust the perfect sanity of the record. But let me
on.-Years dragged themselves along heavily, and still I dwelled within the Valley of the
Many-Colored Grass; but a second change had come upon all things. The star-shaped
flowers shrank into the stems of the trees, and appeared no more. The tints of the green
carpet faded; and, one by one, the ruby-red asphodels withered away; and there sprang
up, in place of them, ten by ten, dark, eye-like violets, that writhed uneasily and were
ever encumbered with dew. And Life departed from our paths; for the tall flamingo
flaunted no longer his scarlet plumage before us, but flew sadly from the vale into the

hills, with all the gay glowing birds that had arrived in his company. And the golden and
silver fish swam down through the gorge at the lower end of our domain and bedecked
the sweet river never again. And the lulling melody that had been softer than the wind-
harp of Aeolus, and more divine than all save the voice of Eleonora, it died little by little
away, in murmurs growing lower and lower, until the stream returned, at length, utterly,
into the solemnity of its original silence. And then, lastly, the voluminous cloud uprose,
and, abandoning the tops of the mountains to the dimness of old, fell back into the
regions of Hesper, and took away all its manifold golden and gorgeous glories from the
Valley of the Many-Colored Grass.

Yet the promises of Eleonora were not forgotten; for I heard the sounds of the swinging
of the censers of the angels; and streams of a holy perfume floated ever and ever about
the valley; and at lone hours, when my heart beat heavily, the winds that bathed my brow
came unto me laden with soft sighs; and indistinct murmurs filled often the night air, and
once-oh, but once only! I was awakened from a slumber, like the slumber of death, by
the pressing of spiritual lips upon my own.

But the void within my heart refused, even thus, to be filled. I longed for the love which
had before filled it to overflowing. At length the valley pained me through its memories
of Eleonora, and I left it for ever for the vanities and the turbulent triumphs of the world.

I found myself within a strange city, where all things might have served to blot from
recollection the sweet dreams I had dreamed so long in the Valley of the Many-Colored
Grass. The pomps and pageantries of a stately court, and the mad clangor of arms, and
the radiant loveliness of women, bewildered and intoxicated my brain. But as yet my soul
had proved true to its vows, and the indications of the presence of Eleonora were still
given me in the silent hours of the night. Suddenly these manifestations they ceased, and
the world grew dark before mine eyes, and I stood aghast at the burning thoughts which
possessed, at the terrible temptations which beset me; for there came from some far, far
distant and unknown land, into the gay court of the king I served, a maiden to whose
beauty my whole recreant heart yielded at once-at whose footstool I bowed down
without a struggle, in the most ardent, in the most abject worship of love. What, indeed,
was my passion for the young girl of the valley in comparison with the fervor, and the
delirium, and the spirit-lifting ecstasy of adoration with which I poured out my whole
soul in tears at the feet of the ethereal Ermengarde?-Oh, bright was the seraph
Ermengarde! and in that knowledge I had room for none other .-Oh, divine was the angel
Ermengarde! and as I looked down into the depths of her memorial eyes, I thought only
of them-and of her.

I wedded;-nor dreaded the curse I had invoked; and its bitterness was not visited upon
me. And once-but once again in the silence of the night; there came through my lattice
the soft sighs which had forsaken me; and they modelled themselves into familiar and
sweet voice, saying:

"Sleep in peace !-for the Spirit of Love reigneth and ruleth, and, in taking to thy
passionate heart her who is Ermengarde, thou art absolved, for reasons which shall be
made known to thee in Heaven, of thy vows unto Eleonora."

THE END

ELIZABETH

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

Elizabeth, it surely is most fit

[Logic and common usage so commanding]

In thy own book that first thy name be writ,

Zeno and other sages notwithstanding;

And I have other reasons for so doing

Besides my innate love of contradiction;

Each poet-if a poet-in pursuing

The muses thro' their bowers of Truth or Fiction,

Has studied very little of his part.

Read nothing, written less-in short's a fool

Endued with neither soul, nor sense, nor art.

Being ignorant of one important rule.

Employed in even the theses of the school-

Called-I forget the heathenish Greek name

[Called anything, its meaning is the same]

"Always write first things uppermost in the heart."

THE END

EULALIE

by Edgar Allan Poe

1845

I dwelt alone
In a world of moan,
And my soul was a stagnant tide,

Till the fair and gentle Eulalie became my blushing bride-
Till the yellow-haired young Eulalie became my smiling bride.

Ah, less-less bright
The stars of the night
Than the eyes of the radiant girl!
That the vapor can make
With the moon-tints of purple and pearl.
Can vie with the modest Eulalie's most unregarded curl-
Can compare with the bright-eyed Eulalie's most humble and careless
curl.

Now Doubt-now Pain
Come never again.
For her soul gives me sigh for sigh.
And all day long
Shines, bright and strong,
Astarte within the sky.

While ever to her dear Eulalie upturns her matron eye-
While ever to her young Eulalie upturns her violet eye.

THE END

EUREKA-A PROSE POEM

by Edgar Allan Poe

1848

WITH VERY PROFOUND RESPECT,

THIS WORK IS DEDICATED

TO

ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT

PREFACE

To the few who love me and whom I love —to those who feel rather than to those who
think — to the dreamers and those who put faith in dreams as in the only realities — I offer
this Book of Truths, not in its character of Truth-Teller, but for the Beauty that abounds
in its Truth; constituting it true. To these I present the composition as an Art-Product
alone:-let us say as a Romance; or, if I be not urging too lofty a claim, as a Poem.
What I here propound is true:-* therefore it cannot die:-or if by any means it be now
trodden down so that it die, it will "rise again to the Life Everlasting."

Nevertheless it is as a Poem only that I wish this work to be judged after I am dead.
E. A. P.

EUREKA:

AN ESSAY ON THE MATERIAL AND SPIRITUAL UNIVERSE

IT is with humility really unassumed —it is with a sentiment even of awe —that I pen the
opening sentence of this work: for of all conceivable subjects I approach the reader with
the most solemn —the most comprehensive —the most difficult —the most august.

What terms shall I find sufficiently simple in their sublimity — sufficiently sublime in
their simplicity — for the mere enunciation of my theme?

I design to speak of the Physical, Metaphysical and Mathematical - of the Material and
Spiritual Universe:-of its Essence, its Origin, its Creation, its Present Condition and its
Destiny. I shall be so rash, moreover, as to chAUange the conclusions, and thus, in effect,
to question the sagacity, of many of the greatest and most justly reverenced of men.

In the beginning, let me as distinctly as possible announce —not the theorem which I
hope to demonstrate —for, whatever the mathematicians may assert, there is, in this world
at least, no such thing as demonstration —but the ruling idea which, throughout this
volume, I shall be continually endeavoring to suggest.

My general proposition, then, is this: — In the Original Unity of the First Thing lies the
Secondary Cause of All Things, with the Germ of their Inevitable Annihilation.

In illustration of this idea, I propose to take such a survey of the Universe that the mind
may be able really to receive and to perceive an individual impression.

He who from the top of AEtna casts his eyes leisurely around, is affected chiefly by the
extent and diversity of the scene. Only by a rapid whirling on his heel could he hope to
comprehend the panorama in the sublimity of its oneness. But as, on the summit of
AEtna, no man has thought of whirling on his heel, so no man has ever taken into his
brain the full uniqueness of the prospect; and so, again, whatever considerations lie
involved in this uniqueness, have as yet no practical existence for mankind.

I do not know a treatise in which a survey of the Universe — using the word in its most
comprehensive and only legitimate acceptation —is taken at all: —and it may be as well
here to mention that by the term "Universe," wherever employed without qualification in
this essay, I mean to designate the utmost conceivable expanse of space, with all things,
spiritual and material, that can he imagined to exist within the compass of that expanse.
In speaking of what is ordinarily implied by the expression, "Universe," I shall take a
phrase of limitation —"the Universe of stars." Why this distinction is considered
necessary, will be seen in the sequel.

But even of treatises on the really limited, although always assumed as the un limited.
Universe of stars, I know none in which a survey, even of this limited Universe, is so
taken as to warrant deductions from its individuality. The nearest approach to such a
work is made in the "Cosmos" of Alexander Von Humboldt. He presents the subject,
however, not in its individuality but in its generality. His theme, in its last result, is the
law of each portion of the merely physical Universe, as this law is related to the laws of
every other portion of this merely physical Universe. His design is simply synoeretical. In
a word, he discusses the universality of material relation, and discloses to the eye of
Philosophy whatever inferences have hitherto lain hidden behind this universality. But
however admirable be the succinctness with which he has treated each particular point of
his topic, the mere multiplicity of these points occasions, necessarily, an amount of detail,
and thus an involution of idea, which preclude all individuality of impression.

It seems to me that, in aiming at this latter effect, and, through it, at the consequences —
the conclusions —the suggestions —the speculations —or, if nothing better offer itself, the
mere guesses which may result from it — we require something like a mental gyration on
the heel. We need so rapid a revolution of all things about the central point of sight that,
while the minutiae vanish altogether, even the more conspicuous objects become blended
into one. Among the vanishing minutiae, in a survey of this kind, would be all
exclusively terrestrial matters. The Earth would be considered in its planetary relations
alone. A man, in this view, becomes mankind; mankind a member of the cosmical family
of Intelligences.

And now, before proceeding to our subject proper, let me beg the reader's attention to an
extract or two from a somewhat remarkable letter, which appears to have been found
corked in a bottle and floating on the Mare Tenebrarum-an ocean well described by the
Nubian geographer, Ptolemy Hephestion, but little frequented in modern days unless by
the Transcendentalists and some other divers for crotchets. The date of this letter, I
confess, surprises me even more particularly than its contents; for it seems to have been
written in the year Two thousand eight hundred and forty-eight. As for the passages I am
about to transcribe, they, I fancy, will speak for themselves.

"Do you know, my dear friend," says the writer, addressing, no doubt, a contemporary —
"Do you know that it is scarcely more than eight or nine hundred years ago since the
metaphysicians first consented to relieve the people of the singular fancy that there exist
but two practicable roads to Truth? Believe it if you can! It appears, however, that long,
long ago, in the night of Time, there lived a Turkish philosopher called Aries and
surnamed Tottle." [Here, possibly, the letter- writer means Aristotle; the best names are
wretchedly corrupted in two or three thousand years.] "The fame of this great man
depended mainly upon his demonstration that sneezing is a natural provision, by means
of which over-profound thinkers are enabled to expel superfluous ideas through the nose;
but he obtained a scarcely less valuable celebrity as the founder, or at all events as the
principal propagator, of what was termed the de ductive or a priori philosophy. He started
with what he maintained to be axioms, or self-evident truths: —and the now well-
understood fact that no truths are self -evident, really does not make in the slightest
degree against his speculations: —it was sufficient for his purpose that the truths in
question were evident at all. From axioms he proceeded, logically, to results. His most
illustrious disciples were one Tuclid, a geometrician," [meaning Euclid] "and one Kant, a
Dutchman, the originator of that species of Transcendentalism which, with the change
merely of a C for a K, now bears his peculiar name.

"Well, Aries Tottle flourished supreme, until the advent of one Hog, surnamed 'the
Ettrick shepherd,' who preached an entirely different system, which he called the a
posteriori or in ductive. His plan referred altogether to sensation. He proceeded by
observing, analyzing, and classifying facts — instantiae Naturae, as they were somewhat
affectedly called —and arranging them into general laws. In a word, while the mode of
Aries rested on noumena, that of Hog depended on phenomena; and so great was the
admiration excited by this latter system that, at its first introduction, Aries fell into
general disrepute. Finally, however, he recovered ground, and was permitted to divide the
empire of Philosophy with his more modern rival: — the savans contenting themselves
with proscribing all other competitors, past, present, and to come; putting an end to all
controversy on the topic by the promulgation of a Median law, to the effect that the
Aristotelian and Baconian roads are, and of right ought to be, the sole possible avenues to
knowledge: —'Baconian,' you must know, my dear friend," adds the letter-writer at this
point, "was an adjective invented as equivalent to Hog-ian, and at the same time more
dignified and euphonious.

"Now I do assure you most positively" —proceeds the epistle —"that I represent these
matters fairly; and you can easily understand how restrictions so absurd on their very face

must have operated, in those days, to retard the progress of true Science, which makes its
most important advances —as all History will show —by seemingly intuitive leaps. These
ancient ideas confined investigation to crawling; and I need not suggest to you that
crawling, among varieties of locomotion, is a very capital thing of its kind; —but because
the tortoise is sure of foot, for this reason must we clip the wings of the eagles? For many
centuries, so great was the infatuation, about Hog especially, that a virtual stop was put to
all thinking, properly so called. No man dared utter a truth for which he felt himself
indebted to his soul alone. It mattered not whether the truth was even demonstrably such;
for the dogmatizing philosophers of that epoch regarded only the road by which it
professed to have been attained. The end, with them, was a point of no moment,
whatever: —'the means!' they vociferated — 'let us look at the means!' — and if, on
scrutiny of the means, it was found to come neither under the category Hog, nor under the
category Aries (which means ram), why then the savans went no farther, but, calling the
thinker a fool and branding him a 'theorist,' would never, thenceforward, have any thing
to do either with him or with his truths.

"Now, my dear friend," continues the letter- writer, "it cannot be maintained that by the
crawling system, exclusively adopted, men would arrive at the maximum amount of
truth, even in any long series of ages; for the repression of imagination was an evil not to
be counterbalanced even by absolute certainty in the snail processes. But their certainty
was very far from absolute. The error of our progenitors was quite analogous with that of
the wiseacre who fancies he must necessarily see an object the more distinctly, the more
closely he holds it to his eyes. They blinded themselves, too, with the impalpable,
titillating Scotch snuff of detail; and thus the boasted facts of the Hog-ites were by no
means always facts —a point of little importance but for the assumption that they always
were. The vital taint, however, in Baconianism — its most lamentable fount of error —lay
in its tendency to throw power and consideration into the hands of merely perceptive men
—of those inter- Tritonic minnows, the microscopical savans —the diggers and pedlers of
minute facts, for the most part in physical science - facts all of which they retailed at the
same price upon the highway; their value depending, it was supposed, simply upon the
fact of their fact, without reference to their applicability or inapplicability in the
development of those ultimate and only legitimate facts, called Law.

"Than the persons" —the letter goes on to say —"than the persons thus suddenly elevated
by the Hog-ian philosophy into a station for which they were unfitted —thus transferred
from the sculleries into the parlors of Science —from its pantries into its pulpits —than
these individuals a more intolerant —a more intolerable set of bigots and tyrants never
existed on the face of the earth. Their creed, their text and their sermon were, alike, the
one word 'fact' —but, for the most part, even of this one word, they knew not even the
meaning. On those who ventured to disturb their facts with the view of putting them in
order and to use, the disciples of Hog had no mercy whatever. All attempts at
generalization were met at once by the words 'theoretical,' 'theory,' 'theorist' — all thought,
to be brief, was very properly resented as a personal affront to themselves. Cultivating the
natural sciences to the exclusion of Metaphysics, the Mathematics, and Logic, many of
these Bacon-engendered philosophers — one-idead, one-sided and lame of a leg —were
more wretchedly helpless —more miserably ignorant, in view of all the comprehensible

objects of knowledge, than the veriest unlettered hind who proves that he knows
something at least, in admitting that he knows absolutely nothing.

"Nor had our forefathers any better right to talk about certainty, when pursuing, in blind
confidence, the a priori path of axioms, or of the Ram. At innumerable points this path
was scarcely as straight as a ram's-horn. The simple truth is, that the Aristotelians erected
their castles upon a basis far less reliable than air; for no such things as axioms ever
existed or can possibly exist at all. This they must have been very blind, indeed, not to
see, or at least to suspect; for, even in their own day, many of their long-admitted 'axioms'
had been abandoned: — 'ex nihilo nihil fit,' for example, and a 'thing cannot act where it is
not,' and 'there cannot be antipodes,' and 'darkness cannot proceed from light.' These and
numerous similar propositions formerly accepted, without hesitation, as axioms, or
undeniable truths, were, even at the period of which I speak, seen to be altogether
untenable: —how absurd in these people, then, to persist in relying upon a basis, as
immutable, whose mutability had become so repeatedly manifest!

"But, even through evidence afforded by themselves against themselves, it is easy to
convict these a priori reasoners of the grossest unreason —it is easy to show the futility —
the impalpability of their axioms in general. I have now lying before me" — it will be
observed that we still proceed with the letter — "I have now lying before me a book
printed about a thousand years ago. Pundit assures me that it is decidedly the cleverest
ancient work on its topic, which is 'Logic' The author, who was much esteemed in his
day, was one Miller or Mill; and we find it recorded of him, as a point of some
importance, that he rode a mill-horse whom he called Jeremy Bentham: — but let us
glance at the volume itself!

"Ah! — 'Ability or inability to conceive,' says Mr. Mill very properly, 'is in no case to be
received as a criterion of axiomatic truth.' Now, that this is a palpable truism no one in his
senses will deny. Not to admit the proposition, is to insinuate a charge of variability in
Truth itself, whose very title is a synonym of the Steadfast. If ability to conceive be taken
as a criterion of Truth, then a truth to David Hume would very seldom be a truth to Joe;
and ninety-nine hundredths of what is undeniable in Heaven would be demonstrable
falsity upon Earth. The proposition of Mr. Mill, then, is sustained. I will not grant it to be
an axiom; and this merely because I am showing that no axioms exist; but, with a
distinction which could not have been cavilled at even by Mr. Mill himself, I am ready to
grant that, if an axiom there be, then the proposition of which we speak has the fullest
right to be considered an axiom —that no more absolute axiom is —and, consequently,
that any subsequent proposition which shall conflict with this one primarily advanced,
must be either a falsity in itself —that is to say no axiom —or, if admitted axiomatic, must
at once neutralize both itself and its predecessor.

"And now, by the logic of their own propounder, let us proceed to test any one of the
axioms propounded. Let us give Mr. Mill the fairest of play. We will bring the point to no
ordinary issue. We will select for investigation no common-place axiom — no axiom of
what, not the less preposterously because only impliedly, he terms his secondary class —
as if a positive truth by definition could be either more or less positively a truth: —we

will select, I say, no axiom of an unquestionability so questionable as is to be found in
Euclid. We will not talk, for example, about such propositions as that two straight lines
cannot enclose a space, or that the whole is greater than any one of its parts. We will
afford the logician every advantage. We will come at once to a proposition which he
regards as the acme of the unquestionable —as the quintessence of axiomatic
undeniability. Here it is: —'Contradictions cannot both be true - that is, cannot coexist in
nature.' Here Mr. Mill means, for instance, —and I give the most forcible instance
conceivable — that a tree must be either a tree or not a tree — that it cannot be at the same
time a tree and not a tree: —all which is quite reasonable of itself and will answer
remarkably well as an axiom, until we bring it into collation with an axiom insisted upon
a few pages before —in other words —words which I have previously employed —until
we test it by the logic of its own propounder. 'A tree,' Mr. Mill asserts, 'must be either a
tree or not a tree.' Very well: — and now let me ask him, why. To this little query there is
but one response: —I defy any man living to invent a second. The sole answer is this: —
'Because we find it impossible to conceive that a tree can be anything else than a tree or
not a tree.' This, I repeat, is Mr. Mill's sole answer: —he will not pretend to suggest
another: —and yet, by his own showing, his answer is clearly no answer at all; for has he
not already required us to admit, as an axiom, that ability or inability to conceive is in no
case to be taken as a criterion of axiomatic truth? Thus all —absolutely his argumentation
is at sea without a rudder. Let it not be urged that an exception from the general rule is to
be made, in cases where the 'impossibility to conceive' is so peculiarly great as when we
are called upon to conceive a tree both a tree and not a tree. Let no attempt, I say, be
made at urging this sotticism; for, in the first place, there are no degrees of 'impossibility,'
and thus no one impossible conception can be more peculiarly impossible than another
impossible conception: —in the second place, Mr. Mill himself, no doubt after thorough
deliberation, has most distinctly, and most rationally, excluded all opportunity for
exception, by the emphasis of his proposition, that, in no case, is ability or inability to
conceive, to be taken as a criterion of axiomatic truth: — in the third place, even were
exceptions admissible at all, it remains to be shown how any exception is admissible
here. That a tree can be both a tree and not a tree, is an idea which the angels, or the
devils, may entertain, and which no doubt many an earthly Bedlamite, or
Transcendentalist, does.

"Now I do not quarrel with these ancients," continues the letter-writer, "so much on
account of the transparent frivolity of their logic —which, to be plain, was baseless,
worthless and fantastic altogether —as on account of their pompous and infatuate
proscription of all other roads to Truth than the two narrow and crooked paths —the one
of creeping and the other of crawling — to which, in their ignorant perversity, they have
dared to confine the Soul —the Soul which loves nothing so well as to soar in those
regions of illimitable intuition which are utterly incognizant of 'path.'

"By the bye, my dear friend, is it not an evidence of the mental slavery entailed upon
those bigoted people by their Hogs and Rams, that in spite of the eternal prating of their
savans about roads to Truth, none of them fell, even by accident, into what we now so
distinctly perceive to be the broadest, the straightest and most available of all mere roads
—the great thoroughfare —the majestic highway of the Consistent? Is it not wonderful

that they should have failed to deduce from the works of God the vitally momentous
consideration that a perfect consistency can be nothing but an absolute truth? How plain -
-how rapid our progress since the late announcement of this proposition! By its means,
investigation has been taken out of the hands of the ground-moles, and given as a duty,
rather than as a task, to the true —to the only true thinkers —to the generally-educated
men of ardent imagination. These latter —our Keplers —our Laplaces —'speculate' —
'theorize' —these are the terms — can you not fancy the shout of scorn with which they
would be received by our progenitors, were it possible for them to be looking over my
shoulders as I write? The Keplers, I repeat, speculate — theorize — and their theories are
merely corrected — reduced —sifted — cleared, little by little, of their chaff of
inconsistency —until at length there stands apparent an unencumbered Consistency —a
consistency which the most stolid admit —because it is a consistency —to be an absolute
and unquestionable TRuth.

"I have often thought, my friend, that it must have puzzled these dogmaticians of a
thousand years ago, to determine, even, by which of their two boasted roads it is that the
cryptographist attains the solution of the more complicated cyphers —or by which of
them ChampoUion guided mankind to those important and innumerable truths which, for
so many centuries, have lain entombed amid the phonetical hieroglyphics of Egypt. In
especial, would it not have given these bigots some trouble to determine by which of their
two roads was reached the most momentous and sublime of their truths —the truth —the
fact of gravitation? Newton deduced it from the laws of Kepler. Kepler admitted that
these laws he guessed —these laws whose investigation disclosed to the greatest of
British astronomers that principle, the basis of all (existing) physical principle, in going
behind which we enter at once the nebulous kingdom of Metaphysics. Yes! —these vital
laws Kepler guessed —that it is to say, he imagined them. Had he been asked to point out
either the de ductive or in ductive route by which he attained them, his reply might have
been — 'I know nothing about routes —but I do know the machinery of the Universe. Here
it is. I grasped it with my soul —I reached it through mere dint of intuition.' Alas, poor
ignorant old man! Could not any metaphysician have told him that what he called
'intuition' was but the conviction resulting from de ductions or in ductions of which the
processes were so shadowy as to have escaped his consciousness, eluded his reason, or
bidden defiance to his capacity of expression? How great a pity it is that some 'moral
philosopher' had not enlightened him about all this! How it would have comforted him on
his death-bed to know that, instead of having gone intuitively and thus unbecomingly, he
had, in fact, proceeded decorously and legitimately —that is to say Hog-ishly, or at least
Ram-ishly —into the vast halls where lay gleaming, untended, and hitherto untouched by
mortal hand — unseen by mortal eye — the imperishable and priceless secrets of the
Universe!

"Yes, Kepler was essentially a theorist; but this title, now of so much sanctity, was, in
those ancient days, a designation of supreme contempt. It is only now that men begin to
appreciate that divine old man —to sympathize with the prophetical and poetical
rhapsody of his ever-memorable words. For my part," continues the unknown
correspondent, "I glow with a sacred fire when I even think of them, and feel that I shall
never grow weary of their repetition: — in concluding this letter, let me have the real

pleasure of transcribing them once again: —1 care not whether my work be read now or
by posterity. I can afford to wait a century for readers when God himself has waited six
thousand years for an observer. I triumph. I have stolen the golden secret of the
Egyptians. I will indulge my sacred fury.'"

Here end my quotations from this very unaccountable and, perhaps, somewhat
impertinent epistle; and perhaps it would be folly to comment, in any respect, upon the
chimerical, not to say revolutionary, fancies of the writer — whoever he is — fancies so
radically at war with the well-considered and well-settled opinions of this age. Let us
proceed, then, to our legitimate thesis. The Universe.

This thesis admits a choice between two modes of discussion: —We may as cend or des
cend. Beginning at our own point of view —at the Earth on which we stand —we may
pass to the other planets of our system —thence to the Sun —thence to our system
considered collectively —and thence, through other systems, indefinitely outwards; or,
commencing on high at some point as definite as we can make it or conceive it, we may
come down to the habitation of Man. Usually —that is to say, in ordinary essays on
Astronomy —the first of these two modes is, with certain reservation, adopted: —this for
the obvious reason that astronomical facts, merely, and principles, being the object, that
object is best fulfilled in stepping from the known because proximate, gradually onward
to the point where all certitude becomes lost in the remote. For my present purpose,
however, —that of enabling the mind to take in, as if from afar and at one glance, a
distant conception of the individual Universe —it is clear that a descent to small from
great — to the outskirts from the centre (if we could establish a centre) — to the end from
the beginning (if we could fancy a beginning) would be the preferable course, but for the
difficulty, if not impossibility, of presenting, in this course, to the unastronomical, a
picture at all comprehensible in regard to such considerations as are involved in quantity -
-that is to say, in number, magnitude and distance.

Now, distinctness —intelligibility, at all points, is a primary feature in my general design.
On important topics it is better to be a good deal prolix than even a very little obscure.
But abstruseness is a quality appertaining to no subject per se. All are alike, in facility of
comprehension, to him who approaches them by properly graduated steps. It is merely
because a stepping-stone, here and there, is heedlessly left unsupplied in our road to the
Differential Calculus, that this latter is not altogether as simple a thing as a sonnet by Mr.
Solomon Seesaw.

By way of admitting, then, no chance for misapprehension, I think it advisable to proceed
as if even the more obvious facts of Astronomy were unknown to the reader. In
combining the two modes of discussion to which I have referred, I propose to avail
myself of the advantages peculiar to each —and very especially of the iteration in detail
which will be unavoidable as a consequence of the plan. Commencing with a descent, I
shall reserve for the return upwards those indispensable considerations of quantity to
which allusion has already been made.

Let us begin, then, at once, with that merest of words, "Infinity." This, like "God,"
"spirit," and some other expressions of which the equivalents exist in all languages, is by
no means the expression of an idea —but of an effort at one. It stands for the possible
attempt at an impossible conception. Man needed a term by which to point out the
direction of this effort — the cloud behind which lay, forever invisible, the object of this
attempt. A word, in fine, was demanded, by means of which one human being might put
himself in relation at once with another human being and with a certain tendency of the
human intellect. Out of this demand arose the word, "Infinity;" which is thus the
representative but of the thought of a thought.

As regards that infinity now considered —the infinity of space —we often hear it said that
"its idea is admitted by the mind —is acquiesced in —is entertained —on account of the
greater difficulty which attends the conception of a limit." But this is merely one of those
phrases by which even profound thinkers, time out of mind, have occasionally taken
pleasure in deceiving themselves. The quibble lies concealed in the word "difficulty."
"The mind," we are told, "entertains the idea of limitless, through the greater difficulty
which it finds in entertaining that of limited, space." Now, were the proposition but fairly
put, its absurdity would become transparent at once. Clearly, there is no mere difficulty in
the case. The assertion intended, if presented according to its intention and without
sophistry, would run thus: —"The mind admits the idea of limitless, through the greater
impossibility of entertaining that of limited, space."

It must be immediately seen that this is not a question of two statements between whose
respective credibilities —or of two arguments between whose respective validities — the
reason is called upon to decide: —it is a matter of two conceptions, directly conflicting,
and each avowedly impossible, one of which the intellect is supposed to be capable of
entertaining, on account of the greater impossibility of entertaining the other. The choice
is not made between two difficulties; —it is merely fancied to be made between two
impossibilities. Now of the former, there are degrees, —but of the latter, none: —just as
our impertinent letter-writer has already suggested. A task may be more or less difficult;
but it is either possible or not possible: —there are no gradations. It might be more
difficult to overthrow the Andes than an ant-hill; but it can be no more impossible to
annihilate the matter of the one than the matter of the other. A man may jump ten feet
with less difficulty than he can jump twenty, but the impossibility of his leaping to the
moon is not a whit less than that of his leaping to the dog-star.

Since all this is undeniable: since the choice of the mind is to be made between
impossibilities of conception: since one impossibility cannot be greater than another: and
since, thus, one cannot be preferred to another: the philosophers who not only maintain,
on the grounds mentioned, man's idea of infinity but, on account of such supposititious
idea, infinity itself —are plainly engaged in demonstrating one impossible thing to be
possible by showing how it is that some one other thing —is impossible too. This, it will
be said, is nonsense; and perhaps it is: —indeed I think it very capital nonsense —but
forego all claim to it as nonsense of mine.

The readiest mode, however, of displaying the fallacy of the philosophical argument on
this question, is by simply adverting to a fact respecting it which has been hitherto quite
overlooked —the fact that the argument alluded to both proves and disproves its own
proposition. "The mind is impelled," say the theologians and others, "to admit a First
Cause, by the superior difficulty it experiences in conceiving cause beyond cause without
end." The quibble, as before, lies in the word "difficulty" —but here what is it employed
to sustain? A First Cause. And what is a First Cause? An ultimate termination of causes.
And what is an ultimate termination of causes? Finity — the Finite. Thus the one quibble,
in two processes, by God knows how many philosophers, is made to support now Finity
and now Infinity —could it not be brought to support something besides? As for the
quibblers —they, at least, are insupportable. But —to dismiss them: —what they prove in
the one case is the identical nothing which they demonstrate in the other.

Of course, no one will suppose that I here contend for the absolute impossibility of that
which we attempt to convey in the word "Infinity." My purpose is but to show the folly of
endeavoring to prove Infinity itself, or even our conception of it, by any such blundering
ratiocination as that which is ordinarily employed.

Nevertheless, as an individual, I may be permitted to say that I cannot conceive Infinity,
and am convinced that no human being can. A mind not thoroughly self-conscious — not
accustomed to the introspective analysis of its own operations —will, it is true, often
deceive itself by supposing that it has entertained the conception of which we speak. In
the effort to entertain it, we proceed step beyond step —we fancy point still beyond point;
and so long as we Continue the effort, it may be said, in fact, that we are tending to the
formation of the idea designed; while the strength of the impression that we actually form
or have formed it, is in the ratio of the period during which we keep up the mental
endeavor. But it is in the act of discontinuing the endeavor —of fulfilling (as we think)
the idea —of putting the finishing stroke (as we suppose) to the conception —that we
overthrow at once the whole fabric of our fancy by resting upon some one ultimate and
therefore definite point. This fact, however, we fail to perceive, on account of the
absolute coincidence, in time, between the settling down upon the ultimate point and the
act of cessation in thinking. — In attempting, on the other hand, to frame the idea of a
limited space, we merely converse the processes which involve the impossibility.

We believe in a God. We may or may not believe in finite or in infinite space; but our
belief, in such cases, is more properly designated as faith, and is a matter quite distinct
from that belief proper — from that intellectual belief — which presupposes the mental
conception.

The fact is, that, upon the enunciation of any one of that class of terms to which "Infinity"
belongs —the class representing thoughts of thought —he who has a right to say that he
thinks at all, feels himself called upon, not to entertain a conception, but simply to direct
his mental vision toward some given point, in the intellectual firmament, where lies a
nebula never to be resolved. To solve it, indeed, he makes no effort; for with a rapid
instinct he comprehends, not only the impossibility, but, as regards all human purposes,
the inessentiality, of its solution. He perceives that the Deity has not designed it to be

solved. He sees, at once, that it lies out of the brain of man, and even how, if not exactly
why, it lies out of it. There are people, I am aware, who, busying themselves in attempts
at the unattainable, acquire very easily, by dint of the jargon they emit, among those
thinkers-that-they-think with whom darkness and depth are synonymous, a kind of cuttle-
fish reputation for profundity; but the finest quality of Thought is its self-cognizance;
and, with some little equivocation, it may be said that no fog of the mind can well be
greater than that which, extending to the very boundaries of the mental domain, shuts out
even these boundaries themselves from comprehension.

It will now be understood that, in using the phrase, "Infinity of Space," I make no call
upon the reader to entertain the impossible conception of an absolute infinity. I refer
simply to the "utmost conceivable expanse" of space —a shadowy and fluctuating
domain, now shrinking, now swelling, in accordance with the vacillating energies of the
imagination.

Hitherto, the Universe of stars has always been considered as coincident with the
Universe proper, as I have defined it in the commencement of this Discourse. It has been
always either directly or indirectly assumed —at least since the dawn of intelligible
Astronomy —that, were it possible for us to attain any given point in space, we should
still find, on all sides of us, an interminable succession of stars. This was the untenable
idea of Pascal when making perhaps the most successful attempt ever made, at
periphrasing the conception for which we struggle in the word "Universe." "It is a
sphere," he says, "of which the centre is everywhere, the circumference, nowhere." But
although this intended definition is, in fact, no definition of the Universe of stars, we may
accept it, with some mental reservation, as a definition (rigorous enough for all practical
purposes) of the Universe proper —that is to say, of the Universe of space. This latter,
then, let us regard as "a sphere of which the centre is everywhere, the circumference
nowhere." In fact, while we find it impossible to fancy an end to space, we have no
difficulty in picturing to ourselves any one of an infinity of beginnings.

As our starting point, then, let us adopt the Godhead. Of this Godhead, in itself, he alone
is not imbecile —he alone is not impious who propounds —nothing. "Nous ne
connaissons rien," says the Baron de Bielfeld —"Nous ne connaissons rien de la nature ou
de I'essence de Dieu: —pour savoir ce qu'il est, il faut etre Dieu meme." — "We know
absolutely nothing of the nature or essence of God: — in order to comprehend what he is,
we should have to be God ourselves."

"We should have to be God ourselves!" —With a phrase so startling as this yet ringing in
my ears, I nevertheless venture to demand if this our present ignorance of the Deity is an
ignorance to which the soul is everlastingly condemned.

By Him, however — now, at least, the Incomprehensible — by Him — assuming him as
Spirit —that is to say, as not Matter —a distinction which, for all intelligible purposes,
will stand well instead of a definition —by Him, then, existing as Spirit, let us content
ourselves, to-night, with supposing to have been created, or made out of Nothing, by dint
of his Volition —at some point of Space which we will take as a centre —at some period

into which we do not pretend to inquire, but at all events immensely remote —by Him,
then again, let us suppose to have been created —what? This is a vitally momentous
epoch in our considerations. What is it that we are justified —that alone we are justified
in supposing to have been, primarily and solely, created?

We have attained a point where only Intuition can aid us: —but now let me recur to the
idea which I have already suggested as that alone which we can properly entertain of
intuition. It is but the conviction arising from those inductions or deductions of which the
processes are so shadowy as to escape our consciousness, elude our reason, or defy our
capacity of expression. With this understanding, I now assert —that an intuition
altogether irresistible, although inexpressible, forces me to the conclusion that what God
originally created — that that Matter which, by dint of his Volition, he first made from his
Spirit, or from Nihility, Could have been nothing but Matter in its utmost conceivable
state of -- what? —of Simphcity?

This will be found the sole absolute assumption of my Discourse. I use the word
"assumption" in its ordinary sense; yet I maintain that even this my primary proposition,
is very, very far indeed, from being really a mere assumption. Nothing was ever more
certainly — no human conclusion was ever, in fact, more regularly —more rigorously de
duced: —but, alas! the processes lie out of the human analysis —at all events are beyond
the utterance of the human tongue.

Let us now endeavor to conceive what Matter must be, when, or if, in its absolute
extreme of Simplicity. Here the Reason flies at once to Imparticularity — to a particle —to
one particle — a particle of one kind — of one character —of one nature —of one size — of
one form — a particle, therefore, "without form and void" —a particle positively a particle
at all points —a particle absolutely unique, individual, undivided, and not indivisible only
because He who created it, by dint of his Will, can by an infinitely less energetic exercise
of the same Will, as a matter of course, divide it.

Oneness, then, is all that I predicate of the originally created Matter; but I propose to
show that this Oneness is a principle abundantly sufficient to account for the constitution,
the existing phaenomena and the plainly inevitable annihilation of at least the material
Universe.

The willing into being the primordial particle, has completed the act, or more properly the
Conception, of Creation. We now proceed to the ultimate purpose for which we are to
suppose the Particle created — that is to say, the ultimate purpose so far as our
considerations yet enable us to see it — the constitution of the Universe from it, the
Particle.

This constitution has been effected by forcing the originally and therefore normally One
into the abnormal condition of Many. An action of this character implies reaction. A
diffusion from Unity, under the conditions, involves a tendency to return into Unity —a
tendency ineradicable until satisfied. But on these points I will speak more fully
hereafter.

The assumption of absolute Unity in the primordial Particle includes that of infinite
divisibility. Let us conceive the Particle, then, to be only not totally exhausted by
diffusion into Space. From the one Particle, as a centre, let us suppose to be irradiated
spherically —in all directions —to immeasurable but still to definite distances in the
previously vacant space —a certain inexpressibly great yet limited number of
unimaginably yet not infinitely minute atoms.

Now, of these atoms, thus diffused, or upon diffusion, what conditions are we permitted -
-not to assume, but to infer, from consideration as well of their source as of the character
of the design apparent in their diffusion? Unity being their source, and difference from
Unity the character of the design manifested in their diffusion, we are warranted in
supposing this character to be at least generally preserved throughout the design, and to
form a portion of the design itself: —that is to say, we shall be warranted in conceiving
continual differences at all points from the uniquity and simplicity of the origin. But, for
these reasons, shall we be justified in imagining the atoms heterogeneous, dissimilar,
unequal, and inequidistant? More explicitly —are we to consider no two atoms as, at their
diffusion, of the same nature, or of the same form, or of the same size? —and, after
fulfilment of their diffusion into Space, is absolute inequidistance, each from each, to be
understood of all of them? In such arrangement, under such conditions, we most easily
and immediately comprehend the subsequent most feasible carrying out to completion of
any such design as that which I have suggested —the design of variety out of unity —
diversity out of sameness — heterogeneity out of homogeneity —complexity out of
simplicity —in a word, the utmost possible multiplicity of relation out of the emphatically
irrelative One. Undoubtedly, therefore, we should be warranted in assuming all that has
been mentioned, but for the reflection, first, that supererogation is not presumable of any
Divine Act; and, secondly, that the object supposed in view, appears as feasible when
some of the conditions in question are dispensed with, in the beginning, as when all are
understood immediately to exist. I mean to say that some are involved in the rest, or so
instantaneous a consequence of them as to make the distinction inappreciable. Difference
of size, for example, will at once be brought about through the tendency of one atom to a
second, in preference to a third, on account of particular inequidistance; which is to be
comprehended as particular inequidistances between centres of quantity, in neighboring
atoms of different form — a matter not at all interfering with the generally-equable
distribution of the atoms. Difference of kind, too, is easily conceived to be merely a result
of differences in size and form, taken more or less conjointly: —in fact, since the Unity of
the Particle Proper implies absolute homogeneity, we cannot imagine the atoms, at their
diffusion, differing in kind, without imagining, at the same time, a special exercise of the
Divine Will, at the emission of each atom, for the purpose of effecting, in each, a change
of its essential nature: —so fantastic an idea is the less to be indulged, as the object
proposed is seen to be thoroughly attainable without such minute and elaborate
interposition. We perceive, therefore, upon the whole, that it would be supererogatory,
and consequently unphilosophical, to predicate of the atoms, in view of their purposes,
any thing more than difference of form at their dispersion, with particular inequidistance
after it — all other differences arising at once out of these, in the very first processes of
mass-constitution: —We thus establish the Universe on a purely geometrical basis. Of
course, it is by no means necessary to assume absolute difference, even of form, among

the atoms irradiated —any more than absolute particular inequidistance of each from
each. We are required to conceive merely that no neighboring atoms are of similar form -
-no atoms which can ever approximate, until their inevitable reunition at the end.

Although the immediate and perpetual tendency of the disunited atoms to return into their
normal Unity, is implied, as I have said, in their abnormal diffusion; still it is clear that
this tendency will be without consequence — a tendency and no more — until the diffusive
energy, in ceasing to be exerted, shall leave it, the tendency, free to seek its satisfaction.
The Divine Act, however, being considered as determinate, and discontinued on
fulfilment of the diffusion, we understand, at once, a reaction —in other words, a
satisfiable tendency of the disunited atoms to return into One.

But the diffusive energy being withdrawn, and the reaction having commenced in
furtherance of the ultimate design —that of the utmost possible Relation —this design is
now in danger of being frustrated, in detail, by reason of that very tendency to return
which is to effect its accomplishment in general. Multiplicity is the object; but there is
nothing to prevent proximate atoms, from lapsing at once, through the now satisfiable
tendency —before the fulfilment of any ends proposed in multiplicity — into absolute
oneness among themselves: —there is nothing to impede the aggregation of various
unique masses, at various points of space: — in other words, nothing to interfere with the
accumulation of various masses, each absolutely One.

For the effectual and thorough completion of the general design, we thus see the
necessity for a repulsion of limited capacity —a separate something which, on withdrawal
of the diffusive Volition, shall at the same time allow the approach, and forbid the
junction, of the atoms; suffering them infinitely to approximate, while denying them
positive contact; in a word, having the power —up to a certain epoch —of preventing their
Coalition, but no ability to interfere with their Coalescence in any respect or degree. The
repulsion, already considered as so peculiarly limited in other regards, must be
understood, let me repeat, as having power to prevent absolute coalition, only up to a
certain epoch. Unless we are to conceive that the appetite for Unity among the atoms is
doomed to be satisfied never; —unless we are to conceive that what had a beginning is to
have no end —a conception which cannot really be entertained, however much we may
talk or dream of entertaining it — we are forced to conclude that the repulsive influence
imagined, will, finally —under pressure of the Uni-tendency collectively applied, but,
never and in no degree until, on fulfilment of the Divine purposes, such collective
application shall be naturally made —yield to a force which, at that ultimate epoch, shall
be the superior force precisely to the extent required, and thus permit the universal
subsidence into the inevitable, because original and therefore normal. One. —The
conditions here to be reconciled are difficult indeed: —we cannot even comprehend the
possibility of their conciliation; —nevertheless, the apparent impossibility is brilliantly
suggestive.

That the repulsive something actually exists, we see. Man neither employs, nor knows, a
force sufficient to bring two atoms into contact. This is but the well-established
proposition of the impenetrability of matter. All Experiment proves — all Philosophy

admits it. The design of the repulsion — the necessity for its existence — I have
endeavored to show; but from all attempt at investigating its nature have religiously
abstained; this on account of an intuitive conviction that the principle at issue is strictly
spiritual —lies in a recess impervious to our present understanding — lies involved in a
consideration of what now —in our human state —is not to be considered —in a
consideration of Spirit in itself. I feel, in a word, that here the God has interposed, and
here only, because here and here only the knot demanded the interposition of the God.

In fact, while the tendency of the diffused atoms to return into Unity, will be recognized,
at once, as the principle of the Newtonian Gravity, what I have spoken of as a repulsive
influence prescribing limits to the (immediate) satisfaction of the tendency, will be
understood as that which we have been in the practice of designating now as heat, now as
magnetism, now as electricity; displaying our ignorance of its awful character in the
vacillation of the phraseology with which we endeavor to circumscribe it.

Calling it, merely for the moment, electricity, we know that all experimental analysis of
electricity has given, as an ultimate result, the principle, or seeming principle,
heterogeneity. Only where things differ is electricity apparent; and it is presumable that
they never differ where it is not developed at least, if not apparent. Now, this result is in
the fullest keeping with that which I have reached unempirically. The design of the
repulsive influence I have maintained to be that of preventing immediate Unity among
the diffused atoms; and these atoms are represented as different each from each.
Difference is their character — their essentiality —just as no-difference was the
essentiality of their course. When we say, then, that an attempt to bring any two of these
atoms together would induce an effort, on the part of the repulsive influence, to prevent
the contact we may as well use the strictly convertible sentence that an attempt to bring
together any two differences will result in a development of electricity. All existing
bodies, of course, are composed of these atoms in proximate contact, and are therefore to
be considered as mere assemblages of more or fewer differences; and the resistance made
by the repulsive spirit, on bringing together any two such assemblages, would be in the
ratio of the two sums of the differences in each: — an expression which, when reduced, is
equivalent to this: —The amount of electricity developed on the approximation of two
bodies, is proportional to the difference between the respective sums of the atoms of
which the bodies are composed. That no two bodies are absolutely alike, is a simple
corollary from all that has been here said. Electricity, therefore, existing always, is
developed whenever any bodies, but manifested only when bodies of appreciable
difference, are brought into approximation.

To electricity — so, for the present, continuing to call it —we may not be wrong in
referring the various physical appearances of light, heat and magnetism; but far less shall
we be liable to err in attributing to this strictly spiritual principle the more important
phaenomena of vitality, consciousness and Thought. On this topic, however, I need pause
here merely to suggest that these phaenomena, whether observed generally or in detail,
seem to proceed at least in the ratio of the heterogeneous.

Discarding now the two equivocal terms, "gravitation" and "electricity," let us adopt the
more definite expressions, "attraction" and "repulsion." The former is the body; the latter
the soul: the one is the material; the other the spiritual, principle of the Universe. No
other principles exist. All phaenomena are referable to one, or to the other, or to both
combined. So rigorously is this the case —so thoroughly demonstrable is it that attraction
and repulsion are the sole properties through which we perceive the Universe — in other
words, by which Matter is manifested to Mind —that, for all merely argumentative
purposes, we are fully justified in assuming that matter exists only as attraction and
repulsion — that attraction and repulsion are matter: — there being no conceivable case in
which we may not employ the term "matter" and the terms "attraction" and "repulsion,"
taken together, as equivalent, and therefore convertible, expressions in Logic.

I said, just now, that what I have described as the tendency of the diffused atoms to return
into their original unity, would be understood as the principle of the Newtonian law of
gravity: and, in fact, there can be but little difficulty in such an understanding, if we look
at the Newtonian gravity in a merely general view, as a force impelling matter to seek
matter; that is to say, when we pay no attention to the known modus operandi of the
Newtonian force. The general coincidence satisfies us; but, upon looking closely, we see,
in detail, much that appears in coincident, and much in regard to which no coincidence, at
least, is established. For example; the Newtonian gravity, when we think of it in certain
moods, does not seem to be a tendency to oneness at all, but rather a tendency of all
bodies in all directions —a phrase apparently expressive of a tendency to diffusion. Here,
then, is an in coincidence. Again; when we reflect on the mathematical LAO governing
the Newtonian tendency, we see clearly that no coincidence has been made good, in
respect of the modus operandi, at least, between gravitation as known to exist and that
seemingly simple and direct tendency which I have assumed.

In fact, I have attained a point at which it will be advisable to strengthen my position by
reversing my processes. So far, we have gone on a priori, from an abstract consideration
of Simplicity, as that quality most likely to have characterized the original action of God.
Let us now see whether the established facts of the Newtonian Gravitation may not afford
us, a posteriori, some legitimate inductions.

What does the Newtonian law declare? —That all bodies attract each other with forces
proportional to their quantities of matter and inversely proportional to the squares of their
distances. Purposely, I have here given, in the first place, the vulgar version of the law;
and I confess that in this, as in most other vulgar versions of great truths, we find little of
a suggestive character. Let us now adopt a more philosophical phraseology: —Every
atom, of every body, attracts every other atom, both of its own and of every other body,
with a force which varies inversely as the squares of the distances between the attracting
and attracted atom. —Here, indeed, a flood of suggestion bursts upon the mind.

But let us see distinctly what it was that Newton proved - according to the grossly
irrational definitions of proof prescribed by the metaphysical schools. He was forced to
content himself with showing how thoroughly the motions of an imaginary Universe,
composed of attracting and attracted atoms obedient to the law he announced, coincide

with those of the actually existing Universe so far as it comes under our observation. This
was the amount of his demonstration —that is to say, this was the amount of it, according
to the conventional cant of the "philosophies." His successes added proof multiplied by
proof —such proof as a sound intellect admits —but the demonstration of the law itself,
persist the metaphysicians, had not been strengthened in any degree. "Ocular, physical
proof," however, of attraction, here upon Earth, in accordance with the Newtonian theory,
was, at length, much to the satisfaction of some intellectual grovellers, afforded. This
proof arose collaterally and incidentally (as nearly all important truths have arisen) out of
an attempt to ascertain the mean density of the Earth. In the famous Maskelyne,
Cavendish and Bailly experiments for this purpose, the attraction of the mass of a
mountain was seen, felt, measured, and found to be mathematically consistent with the
immortal theory of the British astronomer.

But in spite of this confirmation of that which needed none — in spite of the so-called
corroboration of the "theory" by the so-called "ocular and physical proof" —in spite of
the character of this corroboration —the ideas which even really philosophical men
cannot help imbibing of gravity —and, especially, the ideas of it which ordinary men get
and contentedly maintain, are seen to have been derived, for the most part, from a
consideration of the principle as they find it developed —merely in the planet upon which
they stand.

Now, to what does so partial a consideration tend —to what species of error does it give
rise? On the Earth we see and feel, only that gravity impels all bodies towards the centre
of the Earth. No man in the common walks of life could be made to see or feel anything
else —could be made to perceive that anything, anywhere, has a perpetual, gravitating
tendency in any other direction than to the centre of the Earth; yet (with an exception
hereafter to be specified) it is a fact that every earthly thing (not to speak now of every
heavenly thing) has a tendency not only to the Earth's centre but in every conceivable
direction besides.

Now, although the philosophic cannot be said to err with the vulgar in this matter, they
nevertheless permit themselves to be influenced, without knowing it, by the sentiment of
the vulgar idea. "Although the Pagan fables are not believed," says Bryant, in his very
erudite "Mythology," "yet we forget ourselves continually and make inferences from
them as from existing realities." I mean to assert that the merely sensitive perception of
gravity as we experience it on Earth, beguiles mankind into the fancy of
Concentralization or especiality respecting it —has been continually biasing towards this
fancy even the mightiest intellects — perpetually, although imperceptibly, leading them
away from the real characteristics of the principle; thus preventing them, up to this date,
from ever getting a glimpse of that vital truth which lies in a diametrically opposite
direction —behind the principle's essential characteristics —those, not of
concentralization or especiality —but of universality and diffusion. This "vital truth" is
Unity as the source of the phaenomenon.

Let me now repeat the definition of gravity: —Every atom, of every body, attracts every
other atom, both of its own and of every other body, with a force which varies inversely
as the squares of the distances of the attracting and attracted atom.

Here let the reader pause with me, for a moment, in contemplation of the miraculous — of
the ineffable — of the altogether unimaginable complexity of relation involved in the fact
that each atom attracts every other atom —involved merely in this fact of the attraction,
without reference to the law or mode in which the attraction is manifested — involved
merely in the fact that each atom attracts every other atom at all, in a wilderness of atoms
so numerous that those which go to the composition of a cannon-ball, exceed, probably,
in mere point of number, all the stars which go to the constitution of the Universe.

Had we discovered, simply, that each atom tended to some one favorite point —to some
especially attractive atom —we should still have fAUan upon a discovery which, in itself,
would have sufficed to overwhelm the mind: —but what is it that we are actually called
upon to comprehend? That each atom attracts —sympathizes with the most delicate
movements of every other atom, and with each and with all at the same time, and forever,
and according to a determinate law of which the complexity, even considered by itself
solely, is utterly beyond the grasp of the imagination of man. If I propose to ascertain the
influence of one mote in a sunbeam upon its neighboring mote, I cannot accomplish my
purpose without first counting and weighing all the atoms in the Universe and defining
the precise positions of all at one particular moment. If I venture to displace, by even the
billionth part of an inch, the microscopical speck of dust which lies now upon the point of
my finger, what is the character of that act upon which I have adventured? I have done a
deed which shakes the Moon in her path, which causes the Sun to be no longer the Sun,
and which alters forever the destiny of the multitudinous myriads of stars that roll and
glow in the majestic presence of their Creator.

These ideas —conceptions such as these — unthought-like thoughts - soul-reveries rather
than conclusions or even considerations of the intellect: —ideas, I repeat, such as these,
are such as we can alone hope profitably to entertain in any effort at grasping the great
principle. Attraction.

But now, —with such ideas —with such a vision of the marvellous complexity of
Attraction fairly in his mind —let any person competent of thought on such topics as
these, set himself to the task of imagining a principle for the phaenomena observed — a
condition from which they sprang.

Does not so evident a brotherhood among the atoms point to a common parentage? Does
not a sympathy so omniprevalent, so ineradicable, and so thoroughly irrespective, suggest
a common paternity as its source? Does not one extreme impel the reason to the other?
Does not the infinitude of division refer to the utterness of individuality? Does not the
entireness of the complex hint at the perfection of the simple? It is not that the atoms, as
we see them, are divided or that they are complex in their relations — but that they are
inconceivably divided and unutterably complex: — it is the extremeness of the conditions
to which I now allude, rather than to the conditions themselves. In a word, not because

the atoms were, at some remote epoch of time, even more than together — is it not
because originally, and therefore normally, they were One — that now, in all
circumstances —at all points —in all directions —by all modes of approach —in all
relations and through all conditions —they struggle back to this absolutely, this
irrelatively, this unconditionally one?

Some person may here demand: —"Why —since it is to the One that the atoms struggle
back — do we not find and define Attraction 'a merely general tendency to a centre?' —
why, in especial, do not your atoms —the atoms which you describe as having been
irradiated from a centre — proceed at once, rectilinearly, back to the central point of their
origin?"

I reply that they do; as will be distinctly shown; but that the cause of their so doing is
quite irrespective of the centre as such. They all tend rectilinearly towards a centre,
because of the sphereicity with which they have been irradiated into space. Each atom,
forming one of a generally uniform globe of atoms, finds more atoms in the direction of
the centre, of course, than in any other, and in that direction, therefore, is impelled —but
is not thus impelled because the centre is the point of its origin. It is not to any point that
the atoms are allied. It is not any locality, either in the concrete or in the abstract, to
which I suppose them bound. Nothing like location was conceived as their origin. Their
source lies in the principle. Unity. This is their lost parent. This they seek always —
immediately —in all directions — wherever it is even partially to be found; thus
appeasing, in some measure, the ineradicable tendency, while on the way to its absolute
satisfaction in the end. It follows from all this, that any principle which shall be adequate
to account for the LAO or modus operandi, of the attractive force in general, will account
for this law in particular: — that is to say, any principle which will show why the atoms
should tend to their general centre of irradiation with forces inversely proportional to the
squares of the distances, will be admitted as satisfactorily accounting, at the same time,
for the tendency, according to the same law, of these atoms each to each: — for the
tendency to the centre is merely the tendency each to each, and not any tendency to a
centre as such. —Thus it will be seen, also, that the establishment of my propositions
would involve no necessity of modification in the terms of the Newtonian definition of
Gravity, which declares that each atom attracts each other atom and so forth, and declares
this merely; but (always under the supposition that what I propose be, in the end,
admitted) it seems clear that some error might occasionally be avoided, in the future
processes of Science, were a more ample phraseology adopted: —for instance: — "Each
atom tends to every other atom &c. with a force &c.: the general result being a tendency
of all, with a similar force, to a general centre."

The reversal of our processes has thus brought us to an identical result; but, while in the
one process intuition was the starting-point, in the other it was the goal. In commencing
the former journey I could only say that, with an irresistable intuition, I felt Simplicity to
have been the characteristic of the original action of God: — in ending the latter I can only
declare that, with an irresistible intuition, I perceive Unity to have been the source of the
observed phaenomena of the Newtonian gravitation. Thus, according to the schools, I
prove nothing. So be it: —I design but to suggest-and to Convince through the suggestion.

I am proudly aware that there exist many of the most profound and cautiously
discriminative human intellects which cannot help being abundantly content with my —
suggestions. To these intellects —as to my own —there is no mathematical demonstration
which Could bring the least additional TRue proof of the great TRuth which I have
advanced - the truth of Original Unity as the source —as the principle of the Universal
Phaenomena. For my part, I am not sure that I speak and see —I am not so sure that my
heart beats and that my soul lives: — of the rising of to-morrow's sun —a probability that
as yet lies in the Future —I do not pretend to be one thousandth part as sure —as I am of
the irretrievably by-gone Fact that All Things and All Thoughts of Things, with all their
ineffable Multiplicity of Relation, sprang at once into being from the primordial and
irrelative One.

Referring to the Newtonian Gravity, Dr. Nichol, the eloquent author of "The Architecture
of the Heavens," says: —"In truth we have no reason to suppose this great Law, as now
revealed, to be the ultimate or simplest, and therefore the universal and all-
comprehensive, form of a great Ordinance. The mode in which its intensity diminishes
with the element of distance, has not the aspect of an ultimate principle; which always
assumes the simplicity and self-evidence of those axioms which constitute the basis of
Geometry."

Now, it is quite true that "ultimate principles," in the common understanding of the
words, always assume the simplicity of geometrical axioms —(as for "self-evidence,"
there is no such thing) — but these principles are clearly not "ultimate;" in other terms
what we are in the habit of calling principles are no principles, properly speaking —since
there can be but one principle, the Volition of God. We have no right to assume, then,
from what we observe in rules that we choose foolishly to name "principles," anything at
all in respect to the characteristics of a principle proper. The "ultimate principles" of
which Dr. Nichol speaks as having geometrical simplicity, may and do have this
geometrical turn, as being part and parcel of a vast geometrical system, and thus a system
of simplicity itself —in which, nevertheless, the TRuly ultimate principle is, as we know,
the consummation of the complex — that is to say, of the unintelligible — for is it not the
Spiritual Capacity of God?

I quoted Dr. Nichol's remark, however, not so much to question its philosophy, as by way
of calling attention to the fact that, while all men have admitted some principle as
existing behind the Law of Gravity, no attempt has been yet made to point out what this
principle in particular is: —if we except, perhaps, occasional fantastic efforts at referring
it to Magnetism, or Mesmerism, or Swedenborgianism, or Transcendentalism, or some
other equally delicious ism of the same species, and invariably patronized by one and the
same species of people. The great mind of Newton, while boldly grasping the Law itself,
shrank from the principle of the Law. The more fluent and comprehensive at least, if not
the more patient and profound, sagacity of Laplace, had not the courage to attack it. But
hesitation on the part of these two astronomers it is, perhaps, not so very difficult to
understand. They, as well as all the first class of mathematicians, were mathematicians
solely: — their intellect, at least, had a firmly-pronounced mathematico-physical tone.
What lay not distinctly within the domain of Physics, or of Mathematics, seemed to them

either Non-Entity or Shadow. Nevertheless, we may well wonder that Leibnitz, who was
a marked exception to the general rule in these respects, and whose mental temperament
was a singular admixture of the mathematical with the physico-metaphysical, did not at
once investigate and establish the point at issue. Either Newton or Laplace, seeking a
principle and discovering none physical, would have rested contentedly in the conclusion
that there was absolutely none; but it is almost impossible to fancy, of Leibnitz, that,
having exhausted in his search the physical dominions, he would not have stepped at
once, boldly and hopefully, amid his old familiar haunts in the kingdom of Metaphysics.
Here, indeed, it is clear that he must have adventured in search of the treasure: —that he
did not find it after all, was, perhaps, because his fairy guide. Imagination, was not
sufficiently well-grown, or well-educated, to direct him aright.

I observed, just now, that, in fact, there had been certain vague attempts at referring
Gravity to some very uncertain isms. These attempts, however, although considered bold
and justly so considered, looked no farther than to the generality —the merest generality -
-of the Newtonian Law. Its modus operandi has never, to my knowledge, been
approached in the way of an effort at explanation. It is, therefore, with no unwarranted
fear of being taken for a madman at the outset, and before I can bring my propositions
fairly to the eye of those who alone are competent to decide upon them, that I here
declare the modus operandi of the Law of Gravity to be an exceedingly simple and
perfectly explicable thing —that is to say, when we make our advances towards it in just
gradations and in the true direction —when we regard it from the proper point of view.

Whether we reach the idea of absolute Unity as the source of All Things, from a
consideration of Simplicity as the most probable characteristic of the original action of
God; — whether we arrive at it from an inspection of the universality of relation in the
gravitating phaenomena; —or whether we attain it as a result of the mutual corroboration
afforded by both processes; —still, the idea itself, if entertained at all, is entertained in
inseparable connection with another idea — that of the condition of the Universe of stars
as we now perceive it —that is to say, a condition of immeasurable diffusion through
space. Now a connection between these two ideas —unity and diffusion —cannot be
established unless through the entertainment of a third idea —that of irradiation. Absolute
Unity being taken as a centre, then the existing Universe of stars is the result of
irradiation from that centre.

Now, the laws of irradiation are known. They are part and parcel of the sphere. They
belong to the class of indisputable geometrical properties. We say of them, "they are true
—they are evident." To demand why they are true, would be to demand why the axioms
are true upon which their demonstration is based. Nothing is demonstrable, strictly
speaking; but if anything be, then the properties —the laws in question are demonstrated.

But these laws —what do they declare? Irradiation —how —by what steps does it proceed
outwardly from a centre?

From a luminous centre. Light issues by irradiation; and the quantities of light received
upon any given plane, supposed to be shifting its position so as to be now nearer the

centre and now farther from it, will be diminished in the same proportion as the squares
of the distances of the plane from the lumimous body, are increased; and will be
increased in the same proportion as these squares are diminished.

The expression of the law may be thus generalized: — the number of light-particles (or, if
the phrase be preferred, the number of light-impressions) received upon the shifting
plane, will be inversely proportional with the squares of the distances of the plane.
Generalizing yet again, we may say that the diffusion —the scattering —the irradiation, in
a word —is directly proportional with the squares of the distances.

For example: at the distance B, from the luminous centre A, a certain number of particles
are so diffused as to occupy the surface B (see illustration). Then at double the distance -
-that is to say at C —they will be so much farther diffused as to occupy four such
surfaces: —at treble the distance, or at D, they will be so much farther separated as to
occupy nine such surfaces: —while, at quadruple the distance, or at E, they will have
become so scattered as to spread themselves over sixteen such surfaces —and so on
forever.

In saying, generally, that the irradiation proceeds in direct proportion with the squares of
the distances, we use the term irradiation to express the degree of the diffusion as we
proceed outwardly from the centre. Conversing the idea, and employing the word
"concentralization" to express the degree of the drawing together as we come back
toward the centre from an outward position, we may say that concentralization proceeds
inversely as the squares of the distances. In other words, we have reached the conclusion
that, on the hypothesis that matter was originally irradiated from a centre and is now
returning to it, the concentralization, in the return, proceeds exactly as we know the force
of gravitation to proceed.

Now here, if we could be permitted to assume that concentralization exactly represented
the force of the tendency to the centre — that the one was exactly proportional to the
other, and that the two proceeded together —we should have shown all that is required.
The sole difficulty existing, then, is to establish a direct proportion between
"concentralization" and the force of concentralization; and this is done, of course, if we
establish such proportion between "irradiation" and the force of irradiation.

A very slight inspection of the Heavens assures us that the stars have a certain general
uniformity, equability, or equidistance, of distribution through that region of space in
which, collectively, and in a roughly globular form, they are situated: —this species of
very general, rather than absolute, equability, being in full keeping with my deduction of
inequidistance, within certain limits, among the originally diffused atoms, as a corollary
from the evident design of infinite complexity of relation out of irrelation. I started, it will
be remembered, with the idea of a generally uniform but particularly un uniform
distribution of the atoms; —an idea, I repeat, which an inspection of the stars, as they
exist, confirms.

But even in the merely general equability of distribution, as regards the atoms, there
appears a difficulty which, no doubt, has already suggested itself to those among my
readers who have borne in mind that I suppose this equability of distribution effected
through irradiation from a centre. The very first glance at the idea, irradiation, forces us
to the entertainment of the hitherto unseparated and seemingly inseparable idea of
agglomeration about a centre, with dispersion as we recede from it —the idea, in a word,
of in equability of distribution in respect to the matter irradiated.

Now, I have elsewhere * observed that it is by just such difficulties as the one now in
question —such roughnesses —such peculiarities —such protuberances above the plane of
the ordinary — that Reason feels her way, if at all, in her search for the True. By the
difficulty — the "peculiarity" —now presented, I leap at once to the secret — a secret which
I might never have attained but for the peculiarity and the inferences which, in its mere
character of peculiarity, it affords me.

* "Murders in the Rue Morgue."

The process of thought, at this point, may be thus roughly sketched: —I say to myself —
"Unity, as I have explained it, is a truth —I feel it. Diffusion is a truth —I see it.
Irradiation, by which alone these two truths are reconciled, is a consequent truth - I
perceive it. Equability of diffusion, first deduced a priori and then corroborated by the
inspection of phaenomena, is also a truth — I fully admit it. So far all is clear around me: -
-there are no clouds behind which the secret — the great secret of the gravitating modus
operandi —can possibly lie hidden; —but this secret lies hereabouts, most assuredly; and
were there but a cloud in view, I should be driven to suspicion of that cloud." And now,
just as I say this, there actually comes a cloud into view. This cloud is the seeming
impossibility of reconciling my truth, irradiation, with my truth, equability of diffusion. I
say now: —"Behind this seeming impossibility is to be found what I desire." I do not say
"real impossibility;" for invincible faith in my truths assures me that it is a mere difficulty
after all —but I go on to say, with unflinching confidence, that, when this difficulty shall
be solved, we shall find, wrapped up in the recess of solution, the key to the secret at
which we aim. Moreover — I feel that we shall discover but one possible solution of the
difficulty; this for the reason that, were there two, one would be supererogatory —would
be fruitless —would be empty —would contain no key —since no duplicate key can be
needed to any secret of Nature.

And now, let us see: —Our usual notions of irradiation —in fact our distinct notions of it -
-are caught merely from the process as we see it exemplified in Light. Here there is a
Continuous outpouring of ray- streams, and with a force which we have at least no right to
suppose varies at all. Now, in any such irradiation as this —continuous and of unvarying
force —the regions nearer the centre must inevitably be always more crowded with the
irradiated matter than the regions more remote. But I have assumed no such irradiation as
this. I assumed no Continuous irradiation; and for the simple reason that such an
assumption would have involved, first, the necessity of entertaining a conception which I
have shown no man can entertain, and which (as I will more fully explain hereafter) all
observation of the firmament refutes —the conception of the absolute infinity of the

Universe of stars —and would have involved, secondly, the impossibility of
understanding a reaction - that is, gravitation —as existing now —since, while an act is
continued, no reaction, of course, can take place. My assumption, then, or rather my
inevitable deduction from just premises —was that of a determinate irradiation —one
finally dis continued.

Let me now describe the sole possible mode in which it is conceivable that matter could
have been diffused through space, so as to fulfil the conditions at once of irradiation and
of generally equable distribution.

For convenience of illustration, let us imagine, in the first place, a hollow sphere of glass,
or of anything else, occupying the space throughout which the universal matter is to be
thus equally diffused, by means of irradiation, from the absolute, irrelative, unconditional
particle, placed in the centre of the sphere.

Now, a certain exertion of the diffusive power (presumed to be the Divine Volition) — in
other words, a certain force —whose measure is the quantity of matter —that is to say, the
number of atoms — emitted; emits, by irradiation, this certain number of atoms; forcing
them in all directions outwardly from the centre — their proximity to each other
diminishing as they proceed —until, finally, they are distributed, loosely, over the interior
surface of the sphere.

When these atoms have attained this position, or while proceeding to attain it, a second
and inferior exercise of the same force — or a second and inferior force of the same
character —emits, in the same manner —that is to say, by irradiation as before —a second
stratum of atoms which proceeds to deposit itself upon the first; the number of atoms, in
this case as in the former, being of course the measure of the force which emitted them;
in other words the force being precisely adapted to the purpose it effects —the force and
the number of atoms sent out by the force, being directly proportional.

When this second stratum has reached its destined position —or while approaching it —a
third still inferior exertion of the force, or a third inferior force of a similar character —
the number of atoms emitted being in cases the measure of the force — proceeds to
deposit a third stratum upon the second: —and so on, until these concentric strata,
growing gradually less and less, come down at length to the central point; and the
diffusive matter, simultaneously with the diffusive force, is exhausted.

We have now the sphere filled, through means of irradiation, with atoms equably
diffused. The two necessary conditions —those of irradiation and of equable diffusion —
are satisfied; and by the sole process in which the possibility of their simultaneous
satisfaction is conceivable. For this reason, I confidently expect to find, lurking in the
present condition of the atoms as distributed throughout the sphere, the secret of which I
am in search —the all-important principle of the modus operandi of the Newtonian law.
Let us examine, then, the actual condition of the atoms.

They lie in a series of concentric strata. They are equably diffused throughout the sphere.
They have been irradiated into these states.

The atoms being equably distributed, the greater the superficial extent of any of these
concentric strata, or spheres, the more atoms will lie upon it. In other words, the number
of atoms lying upon the surface of any one of the concentric spheres, is directly
proportional with the extent of that surface.

But, in any series of concentric spheres, the surfaces are directly proportional with the
squares of the distances from the centre. *

* Succinctly —The surfaces of spheres are as the squares of their radii.

Therefore the number of atoms in any stratum is directly proportional with the square of
that stratum's distance from the centre.

But the number of atoms in any stratum is the measure of the force which emitted that
stratum —that is to say, is directly proportional with the force.

Therefore the force which irradiated any stratum is directly proportional with the square
of that stratum's distance from the centre: —or, generally.

The force of the irradiation has been directly proportional with the squares of the
distances.

Now, Reaction, as far as we know any thing of it, is Action conversed. The general
principle of Gravity being, in the first place, understood as the reaction of an act —as the
expression of a desire on the part of Matter, while existing in a state of diffusion, to
return into the Unity whence it was diffused; and, in the second place, the mind being
called upon to determine the character of the desire — the manner in which it would,
naturally, be manifested; in other words, being called upon to conceive a probable law, or
modus operandi, for the return; could not well help arriving at the conclusion that this law
of return would be precisely the converse of the law of departure. That such would be the
case, any one, at least, would be abundantly justified in taking for granted, until such time
as some person should suggest something like a plausible reason why it should not be the
case —until such a period as a law of return shall be imagined which the intellect can
consider as preferable.

Matter, then, irradiated into space with a force varying as the squares of the distances,
might, a priori, be supposed to return towards its centre of irradiation with a force varying
inversely as the squares of the distances: and I have already shown * that any principle
which will explain why the atoms should tend, according to any law, to the general
centre, must be admitted as satisfactorily explaining, at the same time, why, according to
the same law, they should tend each to each. For, in fact, the tendency to the general
centre is not to a centre as such, but because of its being a point in tending towards which

each atom tends most directly to its real and essential centre, Unity —the absolute and
final Union of all.

* See previous paragraph, "I reply that they do; as will be distinctly..."

The consideration here involved presents to my own mind no embarrassment whatever —
but this fact does not blind me to the possibility of its being obscure to those who may
have been less in the habit of dealing with abstractions: —and, upon the whole, it may be
as well to look at the matter from one or two other points of view.

The absolute, irrelative particle primarily created by the Volition of God, must have been
in a condition of positive normality, or rightfulness —for wrongfulness implies relation.
Right is positive; wrong is negative —is merely the negation of right; as cold is the
negation of heat —darkness of light. That a thing may be wrong, it is necessary that there
be some other thing in relation to which it is wrong — some condition which it fails to
satisfy; some law which it violates; some being whom it aggrieves. If there be no such
being, law, or condition, in respect to which the thing is wrong — and, still more
especially, if no beings, laws, or conditions exist at all —then the thing cannot be wrong
and consequently must be right. Any deviation from normality involves a tendency to
return to it. A difference from the normal —from the right — from the just — can be
understood as effected only by the overcoming a difficulty; and if the force which
overcomes the difficulty be not infinitely continued, the ineradicable tendency to return
will at length be permitted to act for its own satisfaction. Upon withdrawal of the force,
the tendency acts. This is the principle of reaction as the inevitable consequence of finite
action. Employing a phraseology of which the seeming affectation will be pardoned for
its expressiveness, we may say that Reaction is the return from the condition of as it is
and ought not to be into the condition of as it was, originally, and therefore ought to be: -
-and let me add here that the absolute force of Reaction would no doubt be always found
in direct proportion with the reality — the truth —the absoluteness —of the originality —if
ever it were possible to measure this latter: —and, consequently, the greatest of all
conceivable reactions must be that produced by the tendency which we now discuss —the
tendency to return into the absolutely original —into the supremely primitive. Gravity,
then, must be the strongest of forces —an idea reached a priori and abundantly confirmed
by induction. What use I make of the idea, will be seen in the sequel.

The atoms, now, having been diffused from their normal condition of Unity, seek to
return to —what? Not to any particular point, certainly; for it is clear that if, upon the
diffusion, the whole Universe of matter had been projected, collectively, to a distance
from the point of irradiation, the atomic tendency to the general centre of the sphere
would not have been disturbed in the least: — the atoms would not have sought the point
in absolute space from which they were originally impelled. It is merely the Condition,
and not the point or locality at which this condition took its rise, that these atoms seek to
re-establish; — it is merely that condition which is their normality, that they desire. "But
they seek a centre," it will be said, "and a centre is a point." True; but they seek this point
not in its character of point — (for, were the whole sphere moved from its position, they
would seek, equally, the centre; and the centre then would be a new point) —but because

it so happens, on account of the form in which they collectively exist — (that of the
sphere) — that only through the point in question — the sphere's centre — they can attain
their true object, Unity. In the direction of the centre each atom perceives more atoms
than in any other direction. Each atom is impelled towards the centre because along the
straight line joining it and the centre and passing on to the circumference beyond, there
lie a greater number of atoms than along any other straight line — a greater number of
objects that seek it, the individual atom —a greater number of tendencies to Unity —a
greater number of satisfactions for its own tendency to Unity —in a word, because in the
direction of the centre lies the utmost possibility of satisfaction, generally, for its own
individual appetite. To be brief, the Condition, Unity, is all that is really sought; and if the
atoms seem to seek the centre of the sphere, it is only impliedly, through implication —
because such centre happens to imply, to include, or to involve, the only essential centre.
Unity. But on account of this implication or involution, there is no possibility of
practically separating the tendency to Unity in the abstract, from the tendency to the
concrete centre. Thus the tendency of the atoms to the general centre is, to all practical
intents and for all logical purposes, the tendency each to each; and the tendency each to
each is the tendency to the centre; and the one tendency may be assumed as the other;
whatever will apply to the one must be thoroughly applicable to the other; and, in
conclusion, whatever principle will satisfactorily explain the one, cannot be questioned as
an explanation of the other.

In looking carefully around me for rational objection to what I have advanced, I am able
to discover nothing; —but of that class of objections usually urged by the doubters for
Doubt's sake, I very readily perceive three; and proceed to dispose of them in order.

It may be said, first: "The proof that the force of irradiation (in the case described) is
directly proportional to the squares of the distances, depends upon an unwarranted
assumption —that of the number of atoms in each stratum being the measure of the force
with which they are emitted."

I reply, not only that I am warranted in such assumption, but that I should be utterly un
warranted in any other. What I assume is, simply, that an effect is the measure of its
cause — that every exercise of the Divine Will will be proportional to that which demands
the exertion —that the means of Omnipotence, or of Omniscience, will be exactly adapted
to its purposes. Neither can a deficiency nor an excess of cause bring to pass any effect.
Had the force which irradiated any stratum to its position, been either more or less than
was needed for the purpose —that is to say, not directly proportional to the purpose —
then to its position that stratum could not have been irradiated. Had the force which, with
a view to general equability of distribution, emitted the proper number of atoms for each
stratum, been not directly proportional to the number, then the number would not have
been the number demanded for the equable distribution.

The second supposable objection is somewhat better entitled to an answer.

It is an admitted principle in Dynamics that every body, on receiving an impulse, or
disposition to move, will move onward in a straight line, in the direction imparted by the

impelling force, until deflected, or stopped, by some other force. How then, it may be
asked, is my first or external stratum of atoms to be understood as discontinuing their
movement at the circumference of the imaginary glass sphere, when no second force, of
more than an imaginary character, appears, to account for the discontinuance?

I reply that the objection, in this case, actually does arise out of "an unwarranted
assumption" —on the part of the objector —the assumption of a principle, in Dynamics, at
an epoch when no "principles," in anything, exist: — I use the word "principle," of course,
in the objector's understanding of the word.

"In the beginning" we can admit —indeed we can comprehend — but one First Cause —
the truly ultimate Principle —the Volition of God. The primary act — that of Irradiation
from Unity — must have been independent of all that which the world now calls
"principle" —because all that we so designate is but a consequence of the reaction of that
primary act: —I say "primary" act; for the creation of the absolute material particle is
more properly to be regarded as a Conception than as an "act" in the ordinary meaning of
the term. Thus, we must regard the primary act as an act for the establishment of what we
now call "principles". But this primary act itself is to be considered as Continuous
Volition. The Thought of God is to be understood as originating the Diffusion —as
proceeding with it —as regulating it —and, finally, as being withdrawn from it upon its
completion. Then commences Reaction, and through Reaction, "Principle," as we employ
the word. It will be advisable, however, to limit the application of this word to the two
immediate results of the discontinuance of the Divine Volition — that is, to the two
agents. Attraction and Repulsion. Every other Natural agent depends, either more or less
immediately, upon these two, and therefore would be more conveniently designated as
sub -principle.

It may be objected, thirdly, that, in general, the peculiar mode of distribution which I
have suggested for the atoms, is "an hypothesis and nothing more."

Now, I am aware that the word hypothesis is a ponderous sledge-hammer, grasped
immediately, if not lifted, by all very diminutive thinkers, upon the first appearance of
any proposition wearing, in any particular, the garb of a theory. But "hypothesis" cannot
be wielded here to any good purpose, even by those who succeed in lifting it —little men
or great.

I maintain, first, that only in the mode described is it conceivable that Matter could have
been diffused so as to fulfil at once the conditions of irradiation and of generally equable
distribution. I maintain, secondly, that these conditions themselves have been imposed
upon me, as necessities, in a train of ratiocination as rigorously logical as that which
establishes any demonstration in Euclid; and I maintain, thirdly, that even if the charge of
"hypothesis" were as fully sustained as it is, in fact, unsustained and untenable, still the
validity and indisputability of my result would not, even in the slightest particular, be
disturbed.

To explain: The Newtonian Gravity —a law of Nature —a law whose existence as such
no one out of Bedlam questions —a law whose admission as such enables us to account
for nine-tenths of the Universal phaenomena —a law which, merely because it does so
enable us to account for these phaenomena, we are perfectly willing, without reference to
any other considerations, to admit, and cannot help admitting, as a law —a law,
nevertheless, of which neither the principle nor the modus operandi of the principle, has
ever yet been traced by the human analysis —a law, in short, which, neither in its detail
nor in its generality, has been found susceptible of explanation at all —is at length seen to
be at every point thoroughly explicable, provided we only yield our assent to —what? To
an hypothesis? Why if an hypothesis —if the merest hypothesis —if an hypothesis for
whose assumption —as in the case of that pure hypothesis the Newtonian law itself —no
shadow of a priori reason could be assigned —if an hypothesis, even so absolute as all
this implies, would enable us to perceive a principle for the Newtonian law —would
enable us to understand as satisfied, conditions so miraculously —so ineffably complex
and seemingly irreconcileable as those involved in the relations of which Gravity tells us,
—what rational being Could so expose his fatuity as to call even this absolute hypothesis
an hypothesis any longer —unless, indeed, he were to persist in so calling it, with the
understanding that he did so, simply for the sake of consistency in words?

But what is the true state of our present case? What is the fact? Not only that it is not an
hypothesis which we are required to adopt, in order to admit the principle at issue
explained, but that it is a logical conclusion which we are requested not to adopt if we can
avoid it —which we are simply invited to deny if we can: —a conclusion of so accurate a
logicality that to dispute it would be the effort —to doubt its validity beyond our power: -
-a conclusion from which we see no mode of escape, turn as we will; a result which
confronts us either at the end of an in ductive journey from the phaenomena of the very
Law discussed, or at the close of a de ductive career from the most rigorously simple of
all conceivable assumptions —the assumption, in a word, of Simplicity itself.

And if here, for the mere sake of cavilling, it be urged, that although my starting-point is,
as I assert, the assumption of absolute Simplicity, yet Simplicity, considered merely in
itself, is no axiom; and that only deductions from axioms are indisputable —it is thus that
I reply: —

Every other science than Logic is the science of certain concrete relations. Arithmetic, for
example, is the science of the relations of number — Geometry, of the relations of form —
Mathematics in general, of the relations of quantity in general — of whatever can be
increased or diminished. Logic, however, is the science of Relation in the abstract — of
absolute Relation — of Relation considered solely in itself. An axiom in any particular
science other than Logic is, thus, merely a proposition announcing certain concrete
relations which seem to be too obvious for dispute —as when we say, for instance, that
the whole is greater than its part: —and, thus again, the principle of the Logical axiom —
in other words, of an axiom in the abstract — is, simply, obviousness of relation. Now, it
is clear, not only that what is obvious to one mind may not be obvious to another, but that
what is obvious to one mind at one epoch, may be anything but obvious, at another
epoch, to the same mind. It is clear, moreover, that what, to-day, is obvious even to the

majority of mankind, or to the majority of the best intellects of mankind, may to-morrow
be, to either majority, more or less obvious, or in no respect obvious at all. It is seen,
then, that the axiomatic principle itself is susceptible of variation, and of course that
axioms are susceptible of similar change. Being mutable, the "truths" which grow out of
them are necessarily mutable too; or, in other words, are never to be positively depended
upon as truths at all —since Truth and Immutability are one.

It will now be readily understood that no axiomatic idea —no idea founded in the
fluctuating principle, obviousness of relation —can possibly be so secure —so reliable a
basis for any structure erected by the Reason, as that idea —(whatever it is, wherever we
can find it, or if it be practicable to find it anywhere) — which is ir relative altogether —
which not only presents to the understanding no obviousness of relation, either greater or
less, to be considered, but subjects the intellect, not in the slightest degree, to the
necessity of even looking at any relation at all. If such an idea be not what we too
heedlessly term "an axiom," it is at least preferable, as a Logical basis, to any axiom ever
propounded, or to all imaginable axioms combined: —and such, precisely, is the idea with
which my deductive process, so thoroughly corroborated by induction, commences. My
particle proper is but absolute Irrelation. To sum up what has been advanced: —As a
starting point I have taken it for granted, simply, that the Beginning had nothing behind it
or before it —that it was a Beginning in fact —that it was a beginning and nothing
different from a beginning —in short, that this Beginning was —that which it was. If this
be a "mere assumption" then a "mere assumption" let it be.

To conclude this branch of the subject: —I am fully warranted in announcing that the
Law which we have been in the habit of calling Gravity exists on account of Matter's
having been irradiated, at its origin, atomically, into a limited * sphere of Space, from
one, individual, unconditional, irrelative, and absolute Particle Proper, by the sole process
in which it was possible to satisfy, at the same time, the two conditions, irradiation, and
generally-equable distribution throughout the sphere —that is to say, by a force varying in
direct proportion with the squares of the distances between the irradiated atoms,
respectively, and the Particular centre of Irradiation.

* "Limited sphere" —A sphere is necessarily limited. I prefer tautology to a chance of
misconception.

I have already given my reasons for presuming Matter to have been diffused by a
determinate rather than by a continuous or infinitely continued force. Supposing a
continuous force, we should be unable, in the first place, to comprehend a reaction at all;
and we should be required, in the second place, to entertain the impossible conception of
an infinite extension of Matter. Not to dwell upon the impossibility of the conception, the
infinite extension of Matter is an idea which, if not positively disproved, is at least not in
any respect warranted by telescopic observation of the stars —a point to be explained
more fully hereafter; and this empirical reason for believing in the original finity of
Matter is unempirically confirmed. For example: —Admitting, for the moment, the
possibility of understanding Space filled with the irradiated atoms —that is to say,
admitting, as well as we can, for argument's sake, that the succession of the irradiated

atoms had absolutely no end —then it is abundantly clear that, even when the Volition of
God had been withdrawn from them, and thus the tendency to return into Unity permitted
(abstractly) to be satisfied, this permission would have been nugatory and invalid —
practically valueless and of no effect whatever. No Reaction could have taken place; no
movement toward Unity could have been made; no Law of Gravity could have obtained.

To explain: —Grant the abstract tendency of any one atom to any one other as the
inevitable result of diffusion from the normal Unity: —or, what is the same thing, admit
any given atom as proposing to move in any given direction —it is clear that, since there
is an infinity of atoms on all sides of the atom proposing to move, it never can actually
move toward the satisfaction of its tendency in the direction given, on account of a
precisely equal and counter-balancing tendency in the direction diametrically opposite. In
other words, exactly as many tendencies to Unity are behind the hesitating atom as before
it; for it is a mere sotticism to say that one infinite line is longer or shorter than another
infinite line, or that one infinite number is greater or less than another number that is
infinite. Thus the atom in question must remain stationary forever. Under the impossible
circumstances which we have been merely endeavoring to conceive for argument's sake,
there could have been no aggregation of Matter —no stars —no worlds —nothing but a
perpetually atomic and inconsequential Universe. In fact, view it as we will, the whole
idea of unlimited Matter is not only untenable, but impossible and preposterous.

With the understanding of a sphere of atoms, however, we perceive, at once, a satisfiable
tendency to union. The general result of the tendency each to each, being a tendency of
all to the centre, the general process of condensation, or approximation, commences
immediately, by a common and simultaneous movement, on withdrawal of the Divine
Volition; the individual approximations, or coalescences-not coalitions —of atom with
atom, being subject to almost infinite variations of time, degree, and condition, on
account of the excessive multiplicity of relation, arising from the differences of form
assumed as characterizing the atoms at the moment of their quitting the Particle Proper;
as well as from the subsequent particular inequidistance, each from each.

What I wish to impress upon the reader is the certainty of there arising, at once, (on
withdrawal of the diffusive force, or Divine Volition,) out of the condition of the atoms
as described, at innumerable points throughout the Universal sphere, innumerable
agglomerations, characterized by innumerable specific differences of form, size, essential
nature, and distance each from each. The development of Repulsion (Electricity) must
have commenced, of course, with the very earliest particular efforts at Unity, and must
have proceeded constantly in the ratio of Coalescence —that is to say, in that of
Condensation, or, again, of Heterogeneity.

Thus the two Principles Proper, Attraction and Repulsion —the Material and the Spiritual
— accompany each other, in the strictest fellowship, forever. Thus The Body and The
Soul walk hand in hand.

If now, in fancy, we select any one of the agglomerations considered as in their primary
stages throughout the Universal sphere, and suppose this incipient agglomeration to be

taking place at that point where the centre of our Sun exists —or rather where it did exist
originally; for the Sun is perpetually shifting his position —we shall find ourselves met,
and borne onward for a time at least, by the most magnificent of theories —by the
Nebular Cosmogony of Laplace: — although "Cosmogony" is far too comprehensive a
term for what he really discusses —which is the constitution of our solar system alone —
of one among the myriad of similar systems which make up the Universe Proper — that
Universal sphere —that all-inclusive and absolute Kosmos which forms the subject of my
present Discourse.

Confining himself to an obviously limited region —that of our solar system with its
comparatively immediate vicinity —and merely assuming —that is to say, assuming
without any basis whatever, either deductive or inductive —much of what I have been
just endeavoring to place upon a more stable basis than assumption; assuming, for
example, matter as diffused (without pretending to account for the diffusion) throughout,
and somewhat beyond, the space occupied by our system —diffused in a state of
heterogeneous nebulosity and obedient to that omniprevalent law of Gravity at whose
principle he ventured to make no guess; —assuming all this (which is quite true, although
he had no logical right to its assumption) Laplace has shown, dynamically and
mathematically, that the results in such case necessarily ensuing, are those and those
alone which we find manifested in the actually existing condition of the system itself.

To explain: —Let us conceive that particular agglomeration of which we have just spoken
—the one at the point designated by our Sun's centre —to have so far proceeded that a
vast quantity of nebulous matter has here assumed a roughly globular form; its centre
being, of course, coincident with what is now, or rather was originally, the centre of our
Sun; and its periphery extending out beyond the orbit of Neptune, the most remote of our
planets: —in other words, let us suppose the diameter of this rough sphere to be some
6000 millions of miles. For ages, this mass of matter has been undergoing condensation,
until at length it has become reduced into the bulk we imagine; having proceeded
gradually, of course, from its atomic and imperceptible state, into what we understand of
visible, palpable, or otherwise appreciable nebulosity.

Now, the condition of this mass implies a rotation about an imaginary axis —a rotation
which, commencing with the absolute incipiency of the aggregation, has been ever since
acquiring velocity. The very first two atoms which met, approaching each other from
points not diametrically opposite, would, in rushing partially past each other, form a
nucleus for the rotary movement described. How this would increase in velocity, is
readily seen. The two atoms are joined by others: —an aggregation is formed. The mass
continues to rotate while condensing. But any atom at the circumference has, of course, a
more rapid motion than one nearer the centre. The outer atom, however, with its superior
velocity, approaches the centre; carrying this superior velocity with it as it goes. Thus
every atom, proceeding inwardly, and finally attaching itself to the condensed centre,
adds something to the original velocity of that centre —that is to say, increases the rotary
movement of the mass.

Let us now suppose this mass so far condensed that it occupies precisely the space
circumscribed by the orbit of Neptune, and that the velocity with which the surface of the
mass moves, in the general rotation, is precisely that velocity with which Neptune now
revolves about the Sun. At this epoch, then, we are to understand that the constantly
increasing centrifugal force, having gotten the better of the non-increasing centripetal,
loosened and separated the exterior and least condensed stratum, or a few of the exterior
and least condensed strata, at the equator of the sphere, where the tangential velocity
predominated; so that these strata formed about the main body an independent ring
encircling the equatorial regions: —just as the exterior portion thrown off, by excessive
velocity of rotation, from a grindstone, would form a ring about the grindstone, but for
the solidity of the superficial material: were this caoutchouc, or anything similar in
consistency, precisely the phaenomenon I describe would be presented.

The ring thus whirled from the nebulous mass, revolved, of course, as a separate ring,
with just that velocity with which, while the surface of the mass, it rotated. In the
meantime, condensation still proceeding, the interval between the discharged ring and the
main body continued to increase, until the former was left at a vast distance from the
latter.

Now, admitting the ring to have possessed, by some seemingly accidental arrangement of
its heterogeneous materials, a constitution nearly uniform, then this ring, as such, would
never have ceased revolving about its primary; but, as might have been anticipated, there
appears to have been enough irregularity in the disposition of the materials, to make them
cluster about centres of superior solidity; and thus the annular form was destroyed. * No
doubt, the band was soon broken up into several portions, and one of these portions,
predominating in mass, absorbed the others into itself; the whole settling, spherically,
into a planet. That this latter, as a planet, continued the revolutionary movement which
characterized it while a ring, is sufficiently clear; and that it took upon itself, also, an
additional movement in its new condition of sphere, is readily explained. The ring being
understood as yet unbroken, we see that its exterior, while the whole revolves about the
parent body, moves more rapidly than its interior. When the rupture occurred, then, some
portion in each fragment must have been moving with greater velocity than the others.
The superior movement prevailing, must have whirled each fragment round — that is to
say, have caused it to rotate; and the direction of the rotation must, of course, have been
the direction of the revolution whence it arose, the fragments having become subject to
the rotation described, must, in coalescing, have imparted it to the one planet constituted
by their coalescence. —This planet was Neptune. Its material continuing to undergo
condensation, and the centrifugal force generated in its rotation getting, at length, the
better of the centripetal, as before in the case of the parent orb, a ring was whirled also
from the equatorial surface of this planet: this ring, having been ununiform in its
constitution, was broken up, and its several fragments, being absorbed by the most
massive, were collectively spherified into a moon. Subsequently, the operation was
repeated, and a second moon was the result. We thus account for the planet Neptune, with
the two satellites which accompany him.

* Laplace assumed his nebulosity heterogeneous, merely that he might be thus enabled to
account for the breaking up of the rings; for had the nebulosity been homogeneous, they
would not have broken. I reach the same result —heterogeneity of the secondary masses
immediately resulting from the atoms —purely from an a priori consideration of their
general design —Relation.

In throwing of a ring from its equator, the Sun re-established that equilibrium between its
centripetal and centrifugal forces which had been disturbed in the process of
condensation; but, as this condensation still proceeded, the equilibrium was again
immediately disturbed, through the increase of rotation. By the time the mass had so far
shrunk that it occupied a spherical space just that circumscribed by the orbit of Uranus,
we are to understand that the centrifugal force had so far obtained the ascendency that
new relief was needed: a second equatorial band was, consequently, thrown off, which,
proving ununiform, was broken up, as before in the case of Neptune; the fragments
settling into the planet Uranus; the velocity of whose actual revolution about the Sun
indicates, of course, the rotary speed of that Sun's equatorial surface at the moment of the
separation. Uranus, adopting a rotation from the collective rotations of the fragments
composing it, as previously explained, now threw off ring after ring; each of which,
becoming broken up, settled into a moon: — three moons, at different epochs, having been
formed, in this manner, by the rupture and general spherification of as many distinct
ununiform rings.

By the time the Sun had shrunk until it occupied a space just that circumscribed by the
orbit of Saturn, the balance, we are to suppose, between its centripetal and centrifugal
forces had again become so far disturbed, through increase of rotary velocity, the result of
condensation, that a third effort at equilibrium became necessary; and an annular band
was therefore whirled off, as twice before; which, on rupture through ununiformity,
became consolidated into the planet Saturn. This latter threw off, in the first place, seven
uniform bands, which, on rupture, were spherified respectively into as many moons; but,
subsequently, it appears to have discharged, at three distinct but not very distant epochs,
three rings whose equability of constitution was, by apparent accident, so considerable as
to present no occasion for their rupture; thus they continue to revolve as rings. I use the
phrase "apparent accident;" for of accident in the ordinary sense there was, of course,
nothing: —the term is properly applied only to the result of indistinguishable or not
immediately traceable LAO

Shrinking still farther, until it occupied just the space circumscribed by the orbit of
Jupiter, the Sun now found need of farther effort to restore the counterbalance of its two
forces, continually disarranged in the still continued increase of rotation. Jupiter,
accordingly, was now thrown off; passing from the annular to the planetary condition;
and, on attaining this latter, threw off in its turn, at four different epochs, four rings,
which finally resolved themselves into so many moons.

Still shrinking, until its sphere occupied just the space defined by the orbit of the
Asteroids, the Sun now discarded a ring which appears to have had eight centres of
superior solidity, and, on breaking up, to have separated into eight fragments no one of

which so far predominated in mass as to absorb the others. All therefore, as distinct
although comparatively small planets, proceeded to revolve in orbits whose distances,
each from each, may be considered as in some degree the measure of the force which
drove them asunder: —all the orbits, nevertheless, being so closely coincident as to admit
of our calling them one, in view of the other planetary orbits.

Continuing to shrink, the Sun, on becoming so small as just to fill the orbit of Mars, now
discharged this planet —of course by the process repeatedly described. Having no moon,
however. Mars could have thrown off no ring. In fact, an epoch had now arrived in the
career of the parent body, the centre of the system. The de crease of its nebulosity, which
is the in crease of its density, and which again is the de crease of its condensation, out of
which latter arose the constant disturbance of equilibrium —must, by this period, have
attained a point at which the efforts for restoration would have been more and more
ineffectual just in proportion as they were less frequently needed. Thus the processes of
which we have been speaking would everywhere show signs of exhaustion — in the
planets, first, and secondly, in the original mass. We must not fall into the error of
supposing the decrease of interval observed among the planets as we approach the Sun, to
be in any respect indicative of an increase of frequency in the periods at which they were
discarded. Exactly the converse is to be understood. The longest interval of time must
have occurred between the discharges of the two interior; the shortest, between those of
the two exterior, planets. The decrease of the interval of space is, nevertheless, the
measure of the density, and thus inversely of the condensation, of the Sun, throughout the
processes detailed.

Having shrunk, however, so far as to fill only the orbit of our Earth, the parent sphere

whirled from itself still one other body — the Earth — in a condition so nebulous as

to admit of this body's discarding, in its turn, yet another, which is our Moon; —but here
terminated the lunar formations.

Finally, subsiding to the orbits first of Venus and then of Mercury, the Sun discarded
these two interior planets; neither of which has given birth to any moon.

Thus from his original bulk — or, to speak more accurately, from the condition in which
we first considered him — from a partially spherified nebular mass, certainly much more
than 5,600 millions of miles in diameter — the great central orb and origin of our solar-
planetary-lunar system, has gradually descended, by condensation, in obedience to the
law of Gravity, to a globe only 882,000 miles in diameter; but it by no means follows,
either that its condensation is yet complete, or that it may not still possess the capacity of
whirling from itself another planet.

I have here given — in outline of course, but still with all the detail necessary for
distinctness — a view of the Nebular Theory as its author himself conceived it. From
whatever point we regard it, we shall find it beautifully true. It is by far too beautiful,
indeed, not to possess Truth as its essentiality —and here I am very profoundly serious in
what I say. In the revolution of the satellites of Uranus, there does appear something
seemingly inconsistent with the assumptions of Laplace; but that one inconsistency can

invalidate a theory constructed from a million of intricate consistencies, is a fancy fit only
for the fantastic. In prophecying, confidently, that the apparent anomaly to which I refer,
will, sooner or later, be found one of the strongest possible corroborations of the general
hypothesis, I pretend to no especial spirit of divination. It is a matter which the only
difficulty seems not to foresee. *

* I am prepared to show that the anomalous revolution of the satellites of Uranus is a
simply perspective anomaly arising from the inclination of the axis of the planet.

The bodies whirled off in the processes described, would exchange, it has been seen, the
superficial rotation of the orbs whence they originated, for a revolution of equal velocity
about these orbs as distant centres; and the revolution thus engendered must proceed, so
long as the centripetal force, or that with which the discarded body gravitates toward its
parent, is neither greater nor less than that by which it was discarded; that is, than the
centrifugal, or, far more properly, than the tangential, velocity. From the unity, however,
of the origin of these two forces, we might have expected to find them as they are found -
-the one accurately counterbalancing the other. It has been shown, indeed, that the act of
whirling-off is, in every case, merely an act for the preservation of the counterbalance.

After referring, however, the centripetal force to the omniprevalent law of Gravity, it has
been the fashion with astronomical treatises, to seek beyond the limits of mere Nature —
that is to say, of Secondary Cause —a solution of the phaenomenon of tangential velocity.
This latter they attribute directly to a First Cause —to God. The force which carries a
stellar body around its primary they assert to have originated in an impulse given
immediately by the finger — this is the childish phraseology employed — by the finger of
Deity itself. In this view, the planets, fully formed, are conceived to have been hurled
from the Divine hand, to a position in the vicinity of the suns, with an impetus
mathematically adapted to the masses, or attractive capacities, of the suns themselves. An
idea so grossly unphilosophical, although so supinely adopted, could have arisen only
from the difficulty of otherwise accounting for the absolutely accurate adaptation, each to
each, of two forces so seemingly independent, one of the other, as are the gravitating and
tangential. But it should be remembered that, for a long time, the coincidence between
the moon's rotation and her sidereal revolution — two matters seemingly far more
independent than those now considered —was looked upon as positively miraculous; and
there was a strong disposition, even among astronomers, to attribute the marvel to the
direct and continual agency of God —who, in this case, it was said, had found it
necessary to interpose, specially, among his general laws, a set of subsidiary regulations,
for the purpose of forever concealing from mortal eyes the glories, or perhaps the horrors,
of the other side of the Moon —of that mysterious hemisphere which has always avoided,
and must perpetually avoid, the telescopic scrutiny of mankind. The advance of Science,
however, soon demonstrated —what to the philosophical instinct needed no
demonstration — that the one movement is but a portion — something more, even, than a
consequence —of the other.

For my part, I have no patience with fantasies at once so timorous, so idle, and so
awkward. They belong to the veriest Cowardice of thought. That Nature and the God of

Nature are distinct, no thinking being can long doubt. By the former we imply merely the
laws of the latter. But with the very idea of God, omnipotent, omniscient, we entertain,
also, the idea of the infallibility of his laws. With Him there being neither Past nor Future
—with Him all being Now —do we not insult him in supposing his laws so contrived as
not to provide for every possible contingency? —or, rather, what idea can we have of any
possible contingency, except that it is at once a result and a manifestation of his laws? He
who, divesting himself of prejudice, shall have the rare courage to think absolutely for
himself, cannot fail to arrive, in the end, at the condensation of LAO into LAO -cannot fail
of reaching the conclusion that each law of Nature is dependent at all points upon all
other laws, and that all are but consequences of one primary exercise of the Divine
Volition. Such is the principle of the Cosmogony which, with all necessary deference, I
here venture to suggest and to maintain.

In this view, it will be seen that, dismissing as frivolous, and even impious, the fancy of
the tangential force having been imparted to the planets immediately, by "the finger of
God," I consider this force as originating in the rotation of the stars: —this rotation as
brought about by the in-rushing of the primary atoms, towards their respective centres of
aggregation: —this in-rushing as the consequence of the law of Gravity: —this law as but
the mode in which is necessarily manifested the tendency of the atoms to return into
imparticularity: —this tendency to return as but the inevitable reaction of the first and
most sublime of Acts —that act by which a God, self-existing and alone existing, became
all things at once, through dint of his volition, while all things were thus constituted a
portion of God.

The radical assumptions of this Discourse suggest to me, and in fact imply, certain
important modifications of the Nebular Theory as given by Laplace. The efforts of the
repulsive power I have considered as made for the purpose of preventing contact among
the atoms, and thus as made in the ratio of the approach to contact —that is to say, in the
ratio of condensation. * In other words. Electricity, with its involute phaenomena, heat,
light and magnetism, is to be understood as proceeding as condensation proceeds, and, of
course, inversely as density proceeds, or the cessation to condense. Thus the Sun, in the
process of its aggregation, must soon, in developing repulsion, have become excessively
heated —perhaps incandescent: and we can perceive how the operation of discarding its
rings must have been materially assisted by the slight incrustation of its surface
consequent on cooling. Any common experiment shows us how readily a crust of the
character suggested, is separated, through heterogeneity, from the interior mass. But, on
every successive rejection of the crust, the new surface would appear incandescent as
before; and the period at which it would again become so far encrusted as to be readily
loosened and discharged, may well be imagined as exactly coincident with that at which a
new effort would be needed, by the whole mass, to restore the equilibrium of its two
forces, disarranged through condensation. In other words: — by the time the electric
influence (Repulsion) has prepared the surface for rejection, we are to understand that the
gravitating influence (Attraction) is precisely ready to reject it. Here, then, as everywhere,
the Body and the Soul walk hand in hand.

* See previous paragraph, "With the understanding of a sphere of atoms..."

These ideas are empirically confirmed at all points. Since condensation can never, in any
body, be considered as absolutely at an end, we are warranted in anticipating that,
whenever we have an opportunity of testing the matter, we shall find indications of
resident luminosity in the stellar bodies —moons and planets as well as suns. That our
Moon is strongly self-luminous, we see at her every total eclipse, when, if not so, she
would disappear. On the dark part of the satellite, too, during her phases, we often
observe flashes like our own Auroras; and that these latter, with our various other so-
called electrical phaenomena, without reference to any more steady radiance, must give
our Earth a certain appearance of luminosity to an inhabitant of the Moon, is quite
evident. In fact, we should regard all the phaenomena referred to, as mere manifestations,
in different moods and degrees, of the Earth's feebly-continued condensation.

If my views are tenable, we should be prepared to find the newer planets —that is to say,
those nearer the Sun — more luminous than those older and more remote: — and the
extreme brilliancy of Venus (on whose dark portions, during her phases, the Auroras are
frequently visible) does not seem to be altogether accounted for by her mere proximity to
the central orb. She is no doubt vividly self-luminous, although less so than Mercury:
while the luminosity of Neptune may be comparatively nothing.

Admitting what I have urged, it is clear that, from the moment of the Sun's discarding a
ring, there must be a continuous diminution both of his heat and light, on account of the
continuous encrustation of his surface; and that a period would arrive —the period
immediately previous to a new discharge —when a very material decrease of both light
and heat, must become apparent. Now, we know that tokens of such changes are
distinctly recognizable. On the Melville islands — to adduce merely one out of a hundred
examples —we find traces of ULO vegetation —of plants that never could have flourished
without immensely more light and heat than are at present afforded by our Sun to any
portion of the surface of the Earth. Is such vegetation referable to an epoch immediately
subsequent to the whirling-off of Venus? At this epoch must have occurred to us our
greatest access of solar influence; and, in fact, this influence must then have attained its
maximum: —leaving out of view, of course, the period when the Earth itself was
discarded —the period of its mere organization.

Again: —we know that there exist non-luminous suns —that is to say, suns whose
existence we determine through the movements of others, but whose luminosity is not
sufficient to impress us. Are these suns invisible merely on account of the length of time
elapsed since their discharge of a planet? And yet again: —may we not —at least in
certain cases —account for the sudden appearances of suns where none had been
previously suspected, by the hypothesis that, having rolled with encrusted surfaces
throughout the few thousand years of our astronomical history, each of these suns, in
whirling off a new secondary, has at length been enabled to display the glories of its still
incandescent interior? — To the well-ascertained fact of the proportional increase of heat
as we descend into the Earth, I need of course, do nothing more than refer: — it comes in
the strongest possible corroboration of all that I have said on the topic now at issue.

In speaking, not long ago, of the repulsive or electrical influence, I remarked that "the
important phaenomena of vitality, consciousness, and thought, whether we observe them
generally or in detail, seem to proceed at least in the ratio of the heterogeneous. " * I
mentioned, too, that I would recur to the suggestion: —and this is the proper point at
which to do so. Looking at the matter, first, in detail, we perceive that not merely the
manifestation of vitality, but its importance, consequences, and elevation of character,
keep pace, very closely, with the heterogeneity, or complexity, of the animal structure.
Looking at the question, now, in its generality, and referring to the first movements of the
atoms towards mass-constitution, we find that heterogeneousness, brought about directly
through condensation, is proportional with it forever. We thus reach the proposition that
the importance of the development of the terrestrial vitality proceeds equably with the
terrestrial condensation.

* See previous paragraph, "To electricity —so, for the present, continuing to call it..."

Now this is in precise accordance with what we know of the succession of animals on the
Earth. As it has proceeded in its condensation, superior and still superior races have
appeared. Is it impossible that the successive geological revolutions which have attended,
at least, if not immediately caused, these successive elevations of vitalic character —is it
improbable that these revolutions have themselves been produced by the successive
planetary discharges from the Sun —in other words, by the successive variations in the
solar influence on the Earth? Were this idea tenable, we should not be unwarranted in the
fancy that the discharge of yet a new planet, interior to Mercury, may give rise to yet a
new modification of the terrestrial surface — a modification from which may spring a race
both materially and spiritually superior to Man. These thoughts impress me with all the
force of truth — but I throw them out, of course, merely in their obvious character of
suggestion.

The Nebular Theory of Laplace has lately received far more confirmation than it needed,
at the hands of the philosopher, Compte. These two have thus together shown —not, to be
sure, that Matter at any period actually existed as described, in a state of nebular
diffusion, but that, admitting it so to have existed throughout the space and much beyond
the space now occupied by our solar system, and to have commenced a movement
towards a centre - it must gradually have assumed the various forms and motions which
are now seen, in that system, to obtain. A demonstration such as this —a dynamical and
mathematical demonstration, as far as demonstration can be —unquestionable and
unquestioned —unless, indeed, by that unprofitable and disreputable tribe, the
professional questioners — the mere madmen who deny the Newtonian law of Gravity on
which the results of the French mathematicians are based —a demonstration, I say, such
as this, would to most intellects be conclusive —and I confess that it is so to mine —of the
validity of the nebular hypothesis upon which the demonstration depends.

That the demonstration does not prove the hypothesis, according to the common
understanding of the word "proof," I admit, of course. To show that certain existing
results —that certain established facts - may be, even mathematically, accounted for by
the assumption of a certain hypothesis, is by no means to establish the hypothesis itself.

In other words: —to show that, certain data being given, a certain existing result might, or
even must, have ensued, will fail to prove that this result did ensue, FR until such time as
it shall be also shown that there are, and can be, no other data from which the result in
question might equally have ensued. But, in the case now discussed, although all must
admit the deficiency of what we are in the habit of terming "proof," still there are many
intellects, and those of the loftiest order to which no proof could bring one iota of
additional Conviction. Without going into details which might impinge upon the Cloud-
Land of Metaphysics, I may as well here observe that the force of conviction, in cases
such as this, will always, with the right-thinking, be proportional to the amount of
Complexity intervening between the hypothesis and the result. To be less abstract: — The
greatness of the complexity found existing among cosmical conditions, by rendering
great in the same proportion the difficulty of accounting for all these conditions at once,
strengthens, also in the same proportion, our faith in that hypothesis which does, in such
manner, satisfactorily account for them: — and as no complexity can well be conceived
greater than that of the astronomical conditions, so no conviction can be stronger — to my
mind at least —than that with which I am impressed by an hypothesis that not only
reconciles these conditions, with mathematical accuracy, and reduces them into a
consistent and intelligible whole, but is, at the same time, the sole hypothesis by means of
which the human intellect has been ever enabled to account for them at all.

A most unfounded opinion has been latterly current and even in scientific circles — the
opinion that the so-called Nebular Cosmogony has been overthrown. This fancy has
arisen from the report of late observations made, among what hitherto have been termed
the "nebulae," through the large telescope of Cincinnati, and the world-renowned
instrument of Lord Rosse. Certain spots in the firmament which presented, even to the
most powerful of the old telescopes, the appearance of nebulosity, or haze, had been
regarded for a long time as confirming the theory of Laplace. They were looked upon as
stars in that very process of condensation which I have been attempting to describe. Thus
it was supposed that we "had ocular evidence" —an evidence, by the way, which has
always been found very questionable - of the truth of the hypothesis; and, although
certain telescopic improvements, every now and then, enabled us to perceive that a spot,
here and there, which we had been classing among the nebulae, was, in fact, but a cluster
of stars deriving its nebular character only from its immensity of distance —still it was
thought that no doubt could exist as to the actual nebulosity of numerous other masses,
the strong-holds of the nebulists, bidding defiance to every effort at segregation. Of these
latter the most interesting was the great "nebulae" in the constellation Orion: —but this,
with innumerable other miscalled "nebulae," when viewed through the magnificent
modem telescopes, has become resolved into a simple collection of stars. Now this fact
has been very generally understood as conclusive against the Nebular Hypothesis of
Laplace; and, on announcement of the discoveries in question, the most enthusiastic
defender and most eloquent popularizer of the theory. Dr. Nichol, went so far as to
"admit the necessity of abandoning" an idea which had formed the material of his most
praiseworthy book. *

* "Views of the Architecture of the Heavens." A letter, purporting to be from Dr. Nichol
to a friend in America, went the rounds of our newspapers, about two years ago, I think.

admitting "the necessity" to which I refer. In a subsequent Lecture, however, Dr. N.
appears in some manner to have gotten the better of the necessity, and does not quite
renounce the theory, although he seems to wish that he could sneer at it as "a purely
hypothetical one." What else was the Law of Gravity before the Maskelyne experiments?
and who questioned the Law of Gravity, even then?

Many of my readers will no doubt be inclined to say that the result of these new
investigations has at least a strong tendency to overthrow the hypothesis; while some of
them, more thoughtful, will suggest that, although the theory is by no means disproved
through the segregation of the particular "nebulae" alluded to, still a failure to segregate
them, with such telescopes, might well have been understood as a triumphant
Corroboration of the theory: —and this latter class will be surprised, perhaps, to hear me
say that even with them I disagree. If the propositions of this Discourse have been
comprehended, it will be seen that, in my view, a failure to segregate the "nebulae" would
have tended to the refutation, rather than to the confirmation, of the Nebular Hypothesis.

Let me explain: —The Newtonian Law of Gravity we may, of course, assume as
demonstrated. This law, it will be remembered, I have referred to the reaction of the first
Divine Act — to the reaction of an exercise of the Divine Volition temporarily
overcoming a difficulty. This difficulty is that of forcing the normal into the abnormal —
of impelling that whose originality, and therefore whose rightful condition, was One, to
take upon itself the wrongful condition of Many. It is only by conceiving this difficulty as
temporarily overcome, that we can comprehend a reaction. There could have been no
reaction had the act been infinitely continued. So long as the act LAO no reaction, of
course, could commence; in other words, no gravitation could take place —for we have
considered the one as but the manifestation of the other. But gravitation has taken place;
therefore the act of Creation has ceased: and gravitation has long ago taken place;
therefore the act of Creation has long ago ceased. We can no more expect, then, to
observe the primary processes of Creation; and to these primary processes the condition
of nebulosity has already been explained to belong.

Through what we know of the propagation of light, we have direct proof that the more
remote of the stars have existed, under the forms in which we now see them, for an
inconceivable number of years. So far back at least, then, as the period when these stars
underwent condensation, must have been the epoch at which the mass-constitutive
processes began. That we may conceive these processes, then, as still going on in the case
of certain "nebulae," while in all other cases we find them thoroughly at an end, we are
forced into assumptions for which we have really no basis whatever —we have to thrust
in, again, upon the revolting Reason, the blasphemous idea of special interposition —we
have to suppose that, in the particular instances of these "nebulae," an unerring God
found it necessary to introduce certain supplementary regulations - certain improvements
of the general law —certain retouchings and emendations, in a word, which had the effect
of deferring the completion of these individual stars for centuries of centuries beyond the
aera during which all the other stellar bodies had time, not only to be fully constituted,
but to grow hoary with an unspeakable old age.

Of course, it will be immediately objected that since the light by which we recognize the
nebulae now, must be merely that which left their surfaces a vast number of years ago,
the processes at present observed, or supposed to be observed, are, in fact, not processes
now actually going on, but the phantoms of processes completed long in the Past —just as
I maintain all these mass-constitutive processes must have been.

To this I reply that neither is the now-observed condition of the condensed stars their
actual condition, but a condition completed long in the Past; so that my argument drawn
from the relative condition of the stars and the "nebulae," is in no manner disturbed.
Moreover, those who maintain the existence of nebulae, do not refer the nebulosity to
extreme distance; they declare it a real and not merely a perspective nebulosity. That we
may conceive, indeed, a nebular mass as visible at all, we must conceive it as very near
us in comparison with the condensed stars brought into view by the modern telescopes. In
maintaining the appearances in question, then, to be really nebulous, we maintain their
comparative vicinity to our point of view. Thus, their condition, as we see them now,
must be referred to an epoch far less remote than that to which we may refer the now-
observed condition of at least the majority of the stars. - In a word, should Astronomy
ever demonstrate a "nebula," in the sense at present intended, I should consider the
Nebular Cosmogony — not, indeed, as corroborated by the demonstration —but as thereby
irretrievably overthrown.

By way, however, of rendering unto Caesar no more than the things that are Caesar's, let
me here remark that the assumption of the hypothesis which led him to so glorious a
result, seems to have been suggested to Laplace in great measure by a misconception —
by the very misconception of which we have just been speaking — by the generally
prevalent misunderstanding of the character of the nebulae, so mis-named. These he
supposed to be, in reality, what their designation implies. The fact is, this great man had,
very properly, an inferior faith in his own merely perceptive powers. In respect, therefore,
to the actual existence of nebulae — an existence so confidently maintained by his
telescopic contemporaries —he depended less upon what he saw than upon what he
heard.

It will be seen that the only valid objections to his theory, are those made to its hypothesis
as such —to what suggested it —not to what it suggests; to its propositions rather than to
its results. His most unwarranted assumption was that of giving the atoms a movement
towards a centre, in the very face of his evident understanding that these atoms, in
unlimited succession, extended throughout the Universal space. I have already shown
that, under such circumstances, there could have occurred no movement at all; and
Laplace, consequently, assumed one on no more philosophical ground than that
something of the kind was necessary for the establishment of what he intended to
establish.

His original idea seems to have been a compound of the true Epicurean atoms with the
false nebulae of his contemporaries; and thus his theory presents us with the singular
anomaly of absolute truth deduced, as a mathematical result, from a hybrid datum of
ancient imagination intertangled with modern inacumen. Laplace's real strength lay, in

fact, in an almost miraculous mathematical instinct: —on this he relied; and in no instance
did it fail or deceive him: — in the case of the Nebular Cosmogony, it led him,
blindfolded, through a labyrinth of Error, into one of the most luminous and stupendous
temples of Truth.

Let us now fancy, for the moment, that the ring first thrown off by the Sun —that is to
say, the ring whose breaking-up constituted Neptune —did not, in fact, break up until the
throwing-off of the ring out of which Uranus arose; that this latter ring, again, remained
perfect until the discharge of that out of which sprang Saturn; that this latter, again,
remained entire until the discharge of that from which originated Jupiter — and so on. Let
us imagine, in a word, that no dissolution occurred among the rings until the final
rejection of that which gave birth to Mercury. We thus paint to the eye of the mind a
series of coexistent concentric circles; and looking as well at them as at the processes by
which, according to Laplace's hypothesis, they were constructed, we perceive at once a
very singular analogy with the atomic strata and the process of the original irradiation as I
have described it. Is it impossible that, on measuring the forces, respectively, by which
each successive planetary circle was thrown off —that is to say, on measuring the
successive excesses of rotation over gravitation which occasioned the successive
discharges —we should find the analogy in question more decidedly confirmed? Is it
improbable that we should discover these forces to have varied —as in the original
radiation —proportional to the squares of the distances?

Our solar system, consisting, in chief, of one sun, with sixteen planets certainly, and
possibly a few more, revolving about it at various distances, and attended by seventeen
moons assuredly, but very probably by several others —is now to be considered as an
example of the innumerable agglomerations which proceeded to take place throughout
the Universal Sphere of atoms on withdrawal of the Divine Volition. I mean to say that
our solar system is to be understood as affording a generic instance of these
agglomerations, or, more correctly, of the ulterior conditions at which they arrived. If we
keep our attention fixed on the idea of the utmost possible Relation as the Omnipotent
design, and on the precautions taken to accomplish it through difference of form, among
the original atoms, and particular inequidistance, we shall find it impossible to suppose
for a moment that even any two of the incipient agglomerations reached precisely the
same result in the end. We shall rather be inclined to think that no two stellar bodies in
the Universe —whether suns, planets or moons —are particularly, while are generally,
similar. Still less, then, can we imagine any two assemblages of such bodies —any two
"systems" —as having more than a general resemblance. * Our telescopes, at this point,
thoroughly confirm our deductions. Taking our own solar system, then, as merely a loose
or general type of all, we have so far proceeded in our subject as to survey the Universe
under the aspect of a spherical space, throughout which, dispersed with merely general
equability, exist a number of but generally similar systems.

* It is not impossible that some unlooked-for optical improvement may disclose to us,
among innumerable varieties of systems, a luminous sun, encircled by luminous and non-
luminous rings, within and without and between which, revolve luminous and non-

luminous planets, attended by moons having moons —and even these latter again having
moons.

Let us now, expanding our conceptions, look upon each of these system as in itself an
atom; which in fact it is, when we consider it as but one of the countless myriads of
systems which constitute the Universe. Regarding all, then, as but colossal atoms, each
with the same ineradicable tendency to Unity which characterizes the actual atoms of
which it consists —we enter at once upon a new order of aggregations. The smaller
systems, in the vicinity of a larger one, would, inevitably, be drawn into still closer
vicinity. A thousand would assemble here; a million there —perhaps here, again, even a
billion —leaving, thus, immeasurable vacancies in space. And if, now, it be demanded
why, in the case of these systems —of these merely Titanic atoms —I speak, simply, of an
"assemblage," and not, as in the case of the actual atoms, of a more or less consolidated
agglomeration: —if it be asked, for instance, why I do not carry what I suggest to its
legitimate conclusion, and describe, at once, these assemblages of system-atoms as
rushing to consolidation in spheres — as each becoming condensed into one magnificent
sun —my reply is that mellonta tauta —I am but pausing, for a moment, on the awful
threshold of the Future. For the present, calling these assemblages "clusters," we see them
in the incipient stages of their consolidation. Their absolute consolidation is to come.

We have now reached a point from which we behold the Universe as a spherical space,
interspersed, unequably, with clusters. It will be noticed that I here prefer the adverb
"unequably" to the phrase "with a merely general equability," employed before. It is
evident, in fact, that the equability of distribution will diminish in the ratio of the
agglomerative processes —that is to say, as the things distributed diminish in number.
Thus the increase of in equability — an increase which must continue until, sooner or later
an epoch will arrive at which the largest agglomeration will absorb all the others —should
be viewed as, simply, a corroborative indication of the tendency to One.

And here, at length, it seems proper to inquire whether the ascertained facts of
Astronomy confirm the general arrangement which I have thus, deductively, assigned to
the Heavens. Thoroughly, they do. Telescopic observation, guided by the laws of
perspective, enables us to understand that the perceptible Universe exists as a cluster of
clusters, irregularly disposed.

The "clusters" of which this Universal "cluster of clusters" consists, are merely what we
have been in the practice of designating "nebulae" —and, of these "nebulae," one is of
paramount interest to mankind. I allude to the Galaxy, or Milky Way. This interests us,
first and most obviously, on account of its great superiority in apparent size, not only to
any one other cluster in the firmament, but to all the other clusters taken together. The
largest of these latter occupies a mere point, comparatively, and is distinctly seen only
with the aid of a telescope. The Galaxy sweeps throughout the Heaven and is brilliantly
visible to the naked eye. But it interests man chiefly, although less immediately, on
account of its being his home; the home of the Earth on which he exists; the home of the
Sun about which this Earth revolves; the home of that "system" of orbs of which the Sun
is the centre and primary — the Earth one of sixteen secondaries, or planets —the Moon

one of seventeen tertiaries, or satellites. The Galaxy, let me repeat, is but one of the
clusters which I have been describing —but one of the mis-called "nebulae" revealed to
us —by the telescope alone, sometimes —as faint hazy spots in various quarters of the
sky. We have no reason to suppose the Milky Way really more extensive than the least of
these "nebulae". Its vast superiority in size is but an apparent superiority arising from our
position in regard to it —that is to say, from our position in its midst. However strange the
assertion may at first appear to those unversed in Astronomy, still the astronomer himself
has no hesitation in asserting that we are in the midst of that inconceivable host of stars —
of suns —of systems —which constitute the Galaxy. Moreover, not only have we —not
only has our Sun a right to claim the Galaxy as its own especial cluster, but, with slight
reservation, it may be said that all the distinctly visible stars of the firmament —all the
stars visible to the naked eye —have equally a right to claim it as their own.

There has been a great deal of misconception in respect to the shape of the Galaxy;
which, in nearly all our astronomical treatises, is said to resemble that of a capital Y. The
cluster in question has, in reality, a certain general — very general resemblance to the
planet Saturn, with its encompassing triple ring. Instead of the solid orb of that planet,
however, we must picture to ourselves a lenticular star-island, or collection of stars; our
Sun lying excentrically — near the shore of the island — on that side of it which is nearest
the constellation of the Cross and farthest from that of Cassiopeia. The surrounding ring,
where it approaches our position, has in it a longitudinal gash, which does in fact, cause
the ring, in our vicinity, to assume, loosely, the appearance of a capital Y.

We must not fall into the error, however, of conceiving the somewhat indefinite girdle as
at all remote, comparatively speaking, from the also indefinite lenticular cluster which it
surrounds; and thus, for mere purpose of explanation, we may speak of our Sun as
actually situated at that point of the Y where its three component lines unite; and,
conceiving this letter to be of a certain solidity —of a certain thickness, very trivial in
comparison with its length —we may even speak of our position as in the middle of this
thickness. Fancying ourselves thus placed, we shall no longer find difficulty in
accounting for the phaenomena presented —which are perspective altogether. When we
look upward or downward —that is to say, when we cast our eyes in the direction of the
letter's thickness —we look through fewer stars than when we cast them in the direction
of its length, or either of the three component lines. Of course, in the former case, the
stars appear scattered —in the latter, crowded. —To reverse this explanation: —An
inhabitant of the Earth, when looking, as we commonly express ourselves, at the Galaxy,
is then beholding it in some of the directions of its length — is looking the lines of the Y -
-but when, looking out into the general Heaven, he turns his eyes FR the Galaxy, he is
then surveying it in the direction of the letter's thickness; and on this account the stars
seem to him scattered; while, in fact, they are as close together, on an average, as in the
mass of the cluster. No consideration could be better adapted to convey an idea of this
cluster's stupendous extent.

If, with a telescope of high space-penetrating power, we carefully inspect the firmament,
we shall become aware of a belt of clusters —of what we have hitherto called "nebulae" -
-a band, of varying breadth, stretching from horizon to horizon, at right angles to the

general course of the Milky Way. This band is the ultimate cluster of clusters. This belt is
The Universe. Our Galaxy is but one, and perhaps one of the most inconsiderable, of the
clusters which go to the constitution of this ultimate. Universal belt or band. The
appearance of this cluster of clusters, to our eyes, as a belt or band, is altogether a
perspective phaenomenon of the same character as that which causes us to behold our
own individual and roughly- spherical cluster, the Galaxy, under guise also of a belt,
traversing the Heavens at right angles to the Universal one. The shape of the all-inclusive
cluster is, of course generally, that of each individual cluster which it includes. Just as the
scattered stars which, on looking FR the Galaxy, we see in the general sky, are, in fact,
but a portion of that Galaxy itself, and as closely intermingled with it as any of the
telescopic points in what seems the densest portion of its mass —so are the scattered
"nebulae" which, on casting our eyes FR the Universal belt, we perceive at all points of
the firmament —so, I say, are these scattered "nebulae" to be understood as only
perspectively scattered, and as part and parcel of the one supreme and Universal sphere.

No astronomical fallacy is more untenable, and none has been more pertinaciously
adhered to, than that of the absolute illimitation of the Universe of Stars. The reasons for
limitation, as I have already assigned them, a priori, seem to me unanswerable; but, not to
speak of these, observation assures us that there is, in numerous directions around us,
certainly, if not in all, a positive limit — or, at the very least, affords us no basis whatever
for thinking otherwise. Were the succession of stars endless, then the background of the
sky would present us an uniform luminosity, like that displayed by the Galaxy —since
there could be absolutely no point, in all that background, at which would not exist a star.
The only mode, therefore, in which, under such a state of affairs, we could comprehend
the voids which our telescopes find in innumerable directions, would be by supposing the
distance of the invisible background so immense that no ray from it has yet been able to
reach us at all. That this may be so, who shall venture to deny? I maintain, simply, that
we have not even the shadow of a reason for believing that it is so.

When speaking of the vulgar propensity to regard all bodies on the Earth as tending
merely to the Earth's centre, I observed that, "with certain exceptions to be specified
hereafter, every body on the Earth tended not only to the Earth's centre, but in every
conceivable direction besides." * The "exceptions" refer to those frequent gaps in the
Heavens, where our utmost scrutiny can detect not only no stellar bodies, but no
indications of their existence: — where yawning chasms, blacker than Erebus, seem to
afford us glimpses, through the boundary walls of the Universe of Stars, into the
illimitable Universe of Vacancy, beyond. Now as any body, existing on the Earth,
chances to pass, either through its own movement or the Earth's, into a line with any one
of these voids, or cosmical abysses, it clearly is no longer attracted in the direction of that
void, and for the moment, consequently, is "heavier" than at any period, either after or
before. Independently of the consideration of these voids however, and looking only at
the generally unequable distribution of the stars, we see that the absolute tendency of
bodies on the Earth to the Earth's centre, is in a state of perpetual variation.

* See prevous paragraph, "Now, to what does so partial a consideration tend..."

We comprehend, then, the insulation of our Universe. We perceive the isolation of that —
of that which we grasp with the senses. We know that there exists one cluster of clusters -
-a collection around which, on all sides, extend the immeasurable wildernesses of a
Space to all human perception untenanted. But because upon the confines of this
Universe of Stars we are compelled to pause, through want of farther evidence from the
senses, is it right to conclude that, in fact, there is no material point beyond that which we
have thus been permitted to attain? Have we, or have we not, an analogical right to the
inference that this perceptible Universe — that this cluster of clusters —is but one of a
series of clusters of clusters, the rest of which are invisible through distance —through the
diffusion of their light being so excessive, ere it reaches us, as not to produce upon our
retinas a light-impression — or from there being no such emanation as light at all, in these
unspeakably distant worlds —or, lastly, from the mere interval being so vast, that the
electric tidings of their presence in Space, have not yet —through the lapsing myriads of
years —been enabled to traverse that interval?

Have we any right to inferences —have we any ground whatever for visions such as
these? If we have a right to them in any degree, we have a right to their infinite extension.

The human brain has obviously a leaning to the "Infinite," and fondles the phantom of the
idea. It seems to long with a passionate fervor for this impossible conception, with the
hope of intellectually believing it when conceived. What is general among the whole race
of Man, of course no individual of that race can be warranted in considering abnormal;
nevertheless, there may be a class of superior intelligences, to whom the human bias
alluded to may wear all the character of monomania.

My question, however, remains unanswered: —Have we any right to infer —let us say,
rather, to imagine — an interminable succession of the "clusters of clusters," or of
"Universes" more or less similar?

I reply that the "right," in a case such as this, depends absolutely upon the hardihood of
that imagination which ventures to claim the right. Let me declare, only, that, as an
individual, I myself feel impelled to the fancy —without daring to call it more — that there
does exist a limitless succession of Universes, more or less similar to that of which we
have cognizance — to that of which we shall ever have cognizance — at the very least until
the return of our own particular Universe into Unity. If such clusters of clusters exist,
however —and they do —it is abundantly clear that, having had no part in our origin, they
have no portion in our laws. They neither attract us, nor we them. Their material —their
spirit is not ours —is not that which obtains in any part of our Universe. They could not
impress our senses or our souls. Among them and us —considering all, for the moment,
collectively —there are no influences in common. Each exists, apart and independently,
in the bosom of its proper and particular God.

In the conduct of this Discourse, I am aiming less at physical than at metaphysical order.
The clearness with which even material phaenomena are presented to the understanding,
depends very little, I have long since learned to perceive, upon a merely natural, and
almost altogether upon a moral, arrangement. If then I seem to step somewhat too

discursively from point to point of my topic, let me suggest that I do so in the hope of
thus the better keeping unbroken that chain of graduated impression by which alone the
intellect of Man can expect to encompass the grandeurs of which I speak, and, in their
majestic totality, to comprehend them.

So far, our attention has been directed, almost exclusively, to a general and relative
grouping of the stellar bodies in space. Of specification there has been little and whatever
ideas of quantity have been conveyed —that is to say, of number, magnitude, and distance
— have been conveyed incidentally and by way of preparation for more definitive
conceptions. These latter let us now attempt to entertain.

Our solar system, as has been already mentioned, consists, in chief, of one sun and
sixteen planets certainly, but in all probability a few others, revolving around it as a
centre, and attended by seventeen moons of which we know, with possibly several more
of which as yet we know nothing. These various bodies are not true spheres, but oblate
spheroids —spheres flattened at the poles of the imaginary axes about which they rotate: -
-the flattening being a consequence of the rotation. Neither is the Sun absolutely the
centre of the system; for this Sun itself, with all the planets, revolves about a perpetually
shifting point of space, which is the system's general centre of gravity. Neither are we to
consider the paths through which these different spheroids move — the moons about the
planets, the planets about the Sun, or the Sun about the common centre —as circles in an
accurate sense. They are, in fact, ellipses — one of the foci being the point about which
the revolution is made. An ellipse is a curve, returning into itself, one of whose diameters
is longer than the other. In the longer diameter are two points, equidistant from the
middle of the line, and so situated otherwise that if, from each of them a straight line be
drawn to any one point of the curve, the two lines, taken together, will, be equal to the
longer diameter itself. Now let us conceive such an ellipse. At one of the points
mentioned, which are the foci, let us fasten an orange. By an elastic thread let us connect
this orange with a pea; and let us place this latter on the circumference of the ellipse. Let
us now move the pea continuously around the orange —keeping always on the
circumference of the ellipse. The elastic thread, which, of course, varies in length as we
move the pea, will form what in geometry is called a radius vector. Now, if the orange be
understood as the Sun, and the pea as a planet revolving about it, then the revolution
should be made at such a rate —with a velocity so varying —that the radius vector may
pass over equal areas of space in equal times. The progress of the pea should be —in
other words, the progress of the planet is, of course, —slow in proportion to its distance
from the Sun —swift in proportion to its proximity. Those planets, moreover, move the
more slowly which are the farther from the Sun; the squares of their periods of revolution
having the same proportion to each other, as have to each other the cubes of their mean
distances from the Sun.

The wonderfully complex laws of revolution here described, however, are not to be
understood as obtaining in our system alone. They everywhere prevail where Attraction
prevails. They control the Universe. Every shining speck in the firmament is, no doubt, a
luminous sun, resembling our own, at least in its general features, and having in
attendance upon it a greater or less number of planets, greater or less, whose still

lingering luminosity is not sufficient to render them visible to us at so vast a distance, but
which, nevertheless, revolve, moon-attended, about their starry centres, in obedience to
the principles just detailed — in obedience to the three omniprevalent laws of revolution
the three immortal laws guessed by the imaginative Kepler, and but subsequently
demonstrated and accounted for by the patient and mathematical Newton. Among a tribe
of philosophers who pride themselves excessively upon matter-of-fact, it is far too
fashionable to sneer at all speculation under the comprehensive sobriquet, "guess-work."
The point to be considered is, who guesses. In guessing with Plato, we spend our time to
better purpose, now and then, than in hearkening to a demonstration by Alcmaeon.

In many works on Astronomy I find it distinctly stated that the laws of Kepler are the
basis of the great principle. Gravitation. This idea must have arisen from the fact that the
suggestion of these laws by Kepler, and his proving them a posteriori to have an actual
existence, led Newton to account for them by the hypothesis of Gravitation, and, finally,
to demonstrate them a priori, as necessary consequences of the hypothetical principle.
Thus so far from the laws of Kepler being the basis of Gravity, Gravity is the basis of
these laws —as it is, indeed, of all the laws of the material Universe which are not
referable to Repulsion alone.

The mean distance of the Earth from the Moon — that is to say, from the heavenly body in
our closest vicinity —is 237,000 miles. Mercury, the planet nearest the Sun, is distant
from him 37 millions of miles. Venus, the next, revolves at a distance of 68 millions: —
the Earth, which comes next, at a distance of 95 millions: —Mars, then, at a distance of
144 millions. Now come the eight Asteroids (Ceres, Juno, Vesta, Pallas, Astraea, Flora,
Iris, and Hebe) at an average distance of about 250 millions. Then we have Jupiter,
distant 490 millions; then Saturn, 900 millions; then Uranus, 19 hundred millions; finally
Neptune, lately discovered, and revolving at a distance, say of 28 hundred millions.
Leaving Neptune out of the account —of which as yet we know little accurately and
which is, possibly, one of a system of Asteroids —it will be seen that, within certain
limits, there exists an order of interval among the planets. Speaking loosely, we may say
that each outer planet is twice as far from the Sun as is the next inner one. May not the
order here mentioned —may not the law of Bode —be deduced from consideration of the
analogy suggested by me as having place between the solar discharge of rings and the
mode of the atomic irradiation?

The numbers hurriedly mentioned in this summary of distance, it is folly to attempt
comprehending, unless in the light of abstract arithmetical facts. They are not practically
tangible ones. They convey no precise ideas. I have stated that Neptune, the planet
farthest from the Sun, revolves about him at a distance of 28 hundred millions of miles.
So far good: —I have stated a mathematical fact; and, without comprehending it in the
least, we may put it to use —mathematically. But in mentioning, even, that the Moon
revolves about the Earth at the comparatively trifling distance of 237,000 miles, I
entertained no expectation of giving any one to understand —to know —to feel —how far
from the Earth the Moon actually is. 237,000 miles! There are, perhaps, few of my
readers who have not crossed the Atlantic ocean; yet how many of them have a distinct
idea of even the 3,000 miles intervening between shore and shore? I doubt, indeed.

whether the man lives who can force into his brain the most remote conception of the
interval between one milestone and its next neighbor upon the turnpike. We are in some
measure aided, however, in our consideration of distance, by combining this
consideration with the kindred one of velocity. Sound passes through 1 100 feet of space
in a second of time. Now were it possible for an inhabitant of the Earth to see the flash of
a cannon discharged in the Moon, and to hear the report, he would have to wait, after
perceiving the former, more than 13 entire days and nights before getting any intimation
of the latter.

However feeble be the impression, even thus conveyed, of the Moon's real distance from
the Earth, it will, nevertheless, effect a good object in enabling us more clearly to see the
futility of attempting to grasp such intervals as that of the 28 hundred millions of miles
between our Sun and Neptune; or even that of the 95 millions between the Sun and the
Earth we inhabit. A cannon-ball, flying at the greatest velocity with which a ball has ever
been known to fly, could not traverse the latter interval in less than 20 years; while for the
former it would require 590.

Our Moon's real diameter is 2160 miles; yet she is comparatively so trifling an object that
it would take nearly 50 such orbs to compose one as great as the Earth.

The diameter of our own globe is 7912 miles —but from the enunciation of these
numbers what positive idea do we derive?

If we ascend an ordinary mountain and look around us from its summit, we behold a
landscape stretching, say 40 miles, in every direction; forming a circle 250 miles in
circumference; and including an area of 5000 square miles. The extent of such a prospect,
on account of the successiveness with which its portions necessarily present themselves
to view, can be only very feebly and very partially appreciated: —yet the entire panorama
would comprehend no more than one 40,000th part of the mere surface of our globe.
Were this panorama, then, to be succeeded, after the lapse of an hour, by another of equal
extent; this again by a third, after the lapse of another hour; this again by a fourth after
lapse of another hour - and so on, until the scenery of the whole Earth were exhausted;
and were we to be engaged in examining these various panoramas for twelve hours of
every day; we should nevertheless, be 9 years and 48 days in completing the general
survey.

But if the mere surface of the Earth eludes the grasp of the imagination, what are we to
think of its cubical contents? It embraces a mass of matter equal in weight to at least 2
sextillions, 200 quintillions of tons. Let us suppose it in a state of quiescence; and now let
us endeavor to conceive a mechanical force sufficient to set it in motion! Not the strength
of all the myriads of beings whom we may conclude to inhabit the planetary worlds of
our system —not the combined physical strength of these beings —even admitting all to
be more powerful than man —would avail to stir the ponderous mass a single inch from
its position.

What are we to understand, then, of the force, which under similar circumstances, would
be required to move the LAO of our planets, Jupiter? This is 86,000 miles in diameter,
and would include within its periphery more than a thousand orbs of the magnitude of our
own. Yet this stupendous body is actually flying around the Sun at the rate of 29,000
miles an hour —that is to say, with a velocity 40 times greater than that of a cannon-ball!
The thought of such a phaenomenon cannot well be said to startle the mind: —it palsies
and appals it. Not unfrequently we task our imagination in picturing the capacities of an
angel. Let us fancy such a being at a distance of some hundred miles from Jupiter —a
close eye-witness of this planet as it speeds on its annual revolution. Now can we, I
demand, fashion for ourselves any conception so distinct of this ideal being's spiritual
exaltation, as that involved in the supposition that, even by this immeasurable mass of
matter, whirled immediately before his eyes, with a velocity so unutterable, he — an angel
—angelic though he be — is not at once struck into nothingness and overwhelmed?

At this point, however, it seems proper to suggest that, in fact, we have been speaking of
comparative trifles. Our Sun — the central and controlling orb of the system to which
Jupiter belongs, is not only greater than Jupiter, but greater by far than all the planets of
the system taken together. This fact is an essential condition, indeed, of the stability of
the system itself. The diameter of Jupiter has been mentioned: —it is 86,000 miles: — that
of the Sun is 882,000 miles. An inhabitant of the latter, travehng 90 miles a day, would
be more than 80 years in going round a great circle of its circumference. It occupies a
cubical space of 681 quadrillions, 472 trillions of miles. The Moon, as has been stated,
revolves about the Earth at a distance of 237,000 miles —in an orbit, consequently, of
nearly a million and a half. Now, were the Sun placed upon the Earth, centre over centre,
the body of the former would extend, in every direction, not only to the line of the
Moon's orbit, but beyond it, a distance of 200,000 miles.

And here, once again, let me suggest that, in fact, we have still been speaking of
comparative trifles. The distance of the planet Neptune from the Sun has been stated: —it
is 28 hundred millions of miles; the circumference of its orbit, therefore, is about 17
billions. Let this be borne in mind while we glance at some one of the brightest stars.
Between this and the star of our system, (the Sun,) there is a gulf of space, to convey any
idea of which we should need the tongue of an archangel. From our system, then, and
from our Sun, or star, the star at which we suppose ourselves glancing is a thing
altogether apart: —still, for the moment, let us imagine it placed upon our Sun, centre
over centre, as we just now imagined this Sun itself placed upon the Earth. Let us now
conceive the particular star we have in mind, extending, in every direction, beyond the
orbit of Mercury — of Venus —of the Earth: —still on, beyond the orbit of Mars — of
Jupiter — of Uranus — until, finally, we fancy it filling the circle —17 billions of miles in
circumference — which is described by the revolution of Leverrier's planet. When we
have conceived all this, we shall have entertained no extravagant conception. There is the
very best reason for believing that many of the stars are even far larger than the one we
have imagined. I mean to say that we have the very best empirical basis for such belief: -
-and, in looking back at the original, atomic arrangements for diversity, which have been
assumed as a part of the Divine plan in the constitution of the Universe, we shall be
enabled easily to understand, and to credit, the existence of even far vaster disproportions

in stellar size than any to which I have hitherto alluded. The largest orbs, of course, we
must expect to find rolling through the widest vacancies of Space.

I remarked, just now, that to convey an idea of the interval between our Sun and any one
of the other stars, we should require the eloquence of an archangel. In so saying, I should
not be accused of exaggeration; for, in simple truth, these are topics on which it is
scarcely possible to exaggerate. But let us bring the matter more distinctly before the eye
of the mind.

In the first place, we may get a general, relative conception of the interval referred to, by
comparing it with the inter-planetary spaces. If, for example, we suppose the Earth,
which is, in reality, 95 millions of miles from the Sun, to be only one foot from that
luminary; then Neptune would be 40 feet distant; and the star Alpha Lyrae, at the very
least, 159.

Now I presume that, in the termination of my last sentence, few of my readers have
noticed anything especially objectionable — particularly wrong. I said that the distance of
the Earth from the Sun being taken at one foot, the distance of Neptune would be 40 feet,
and that of Alpha Lyrae, 159. The proportion between one foot and 159, has appeared,
perhaps, to convey a sufficiently definite impression of the proportion between the two
intervals — that of the Earth from the Sun and that of Alpha Lyrae from the same
luminary. But my account of the matter should, in reality, have run thus: —The distance
of the Earth from the Sun being taken at one foot, the distance of Neptune would be 40
feet, and that of Alpha Lyrae, 159 —miles: —that is to say, I had assigned to Alpha Lyrae,
in my first statement of the case, only the 5280th part of that distance which is the least
distance possible at which it can actually lie.

To proceed: However distant a mere PLO,0, is, yet when we look at it through a
telescope, we see it under a certain form — of a certain appreciable size. Now I have
already hinted at the probable bulk of many of the stars; nevertheless, when we view any
one of them, even through the most powerful telescope, it is found to present us with no
form, and consequently with no magnitude whatever. We see it as a point and nothing
more.

Again; —Let us suppose ourselves walking, at night, on a highway. In a field on one side
of the road, is a line of tall objects, say trees, the figures of which are distinctly defined
against the background of the sky. This line of objects extends at right angles to the road,
and from the road to the horizon. Now, as we proceed along the road, we see these
objects changing their positions, respectively, in relation to a certain fixed point in that
portion of the firmament which forms the background of the view. Let us suppose this
fixed point — sufficiently fixed for our purpose — to be the rising moon. We become
aware, at once, that while the tree nearest us so far alters its position in respect to the
moon, as to seem flying behind us, the tree in the extreme distance has scarcely changed
at all its relative position with the satellite. We then go on to perceive that the farther the
objects are from us, the less they alter their positions; and the converse. Then we begin,
unwittingly, to estimate the distances of individual trees by the degrees in which they

evince the relative alteration. Finally, we come to understand how it might be possible to
ascertain the actual distance of any given tree in the hne, by using the amount of relative
alteration as a basis in a simple geometrical problem. Now this relative alteration is what
we call "parallax;" and by parallax we calculate the distances of the heavenly bodies.
Applying the principle to the trees in question, we should, of course, be very much at a
loss to comprehend the distance of that tree, which, however far we proceeded along the
road, should evince no parallax at all. This, in the case described, is a thing impossible;
but impossible only because all distances on our Earth are trivial indeed: —in comparison
with the vast cosmical quantities, we may speak of them as absolutely nothing.

Now, let us suppose the star Alpha Lyrae directly overhead; and let us imagine that,
instead of standing on the Earth, we stand at one end of a straight road stretching through
Space to a distance equalling the diameter of the Earth's orbit —that is to say, to a
distance of 190 millions of miles. Having observed, by means of the most delicate
micrometrical instruments, the exact position of the star, let us now pass along this
inconceivable road, until we reach its other extremity. Now, once again, let us look at the
star. It is precisely where we left it. Our instruments, however delicate, assure us that its
relative position is absolutely —is identically the same as at the commencement of our
unutterable journey. No parallax — none whatever —has been found.

The fact is, that, in regard to the distance of the fixed stars - of any one of the myriads of
suns glistening on the farther side of that awful chasm which separates our system from
its brothers in the cluster to which it belongs —astronomical science, until very lately,
could speak only with a negative certainty. Assuming the brightest as the nearest, we
could say, even of them, only that there is a certain incomprehensible distance on the
hither side of which they cannot be: —how far they are beyond it we had in no case been
able to ascertain. We perceived, for example, that Alpha Lyrae cannot be nearer to us
than 19 trillions, 200 billions of miles; but, for all we knew, and indeed for all we now
know, it may be distant from us the square, or the cube, or any other power of the number
mentioned. By dint, however, of wonderfully minute and cautious observations,
continued, with novel instruments, for many laborious years, Bessel, not long ago
deceased, has lately succeeded in determining the distance of six or seven stars; among
others, that of the star numbered 61 in the constellation of the Swan. The distance in this
latter instance ascertained, is 670,000 times that of the Sun; which last it will be
remembered, is 95 millions of miles. The star 61 Cygni, then, is nearly 64 trillions of
miles from us —or more than three times the distance assigned, as the least possible, for
Alpha Lyrae.

In attempting to appreciate this interval by the aid of any considerations of velocity, as
we did in endeavoring to estimate the distance of the moon, we must leave out of sight,
altogether, such nothings as the speed of a cannon ball, or of sound. Light, however,
according to the latest calculations of Struve, proceeds at the rate of 167,000 miles in a
second. Thought itself cannot pass through this interval more speedily —if, indeed,
thought can traverse it at all. Yet, in coming from 61 Cygni to us, even at this
inconceivable rate, light occupies more than ten years; and, consequently, were the star

this moment blotted out from the Universe, still, for ten years, would it continue to
sparkle on, undimmed in its paradoxical glory.

Keeping now in mind whatever feeble conception we may have attained of the interval
between our Sun and 61 Cygni, let us remember that this interval, however unutterably
vast, we are permitted to consider as but the average interval among the countless host of
stars composing that cluster, or "nebula," to which our system, as well as that of 61
Cygni, belongs. I have, in fact, stated the case with great moderation we have excellent
reason for believing 61 Cygni to be one of the nearest stars, and thus for concluding, at
least for the present, that its distance from us is less than the average distance between
star and star in the magnificent cluster of the Milky Way.

And here, once again and finally, it seems proper to suggest that even as yet we have
been speaking of trifles. Ceasing to wonder at the space between star and star in our own
or in any particular cluster, let us rather turn our thoughts to the intervals between cluster
and cluster, in the all comprehensive cluster of the Universe.

I have already said that light proceeds at the rate of 167,000 miles in a second —that is,
about 10 millions of miles in a minute, or about 600 millions of miles in an hour: — yet so
far removed from us are some of the "nebulae" that even light, speeding with this
velocity, could not and does not reach us, from those mysterious regions, in less than 3
millions of years. This calculation, moreover, is made by the elder Herschel, and in
reference merely to those comparatively proximate clusters within the scope of his own
telescope. There are "nebulae," however, which, through the magical tube of Lord Rosse,
are this instant whispering in our ears the secrets of a million of ages by-gone. In a word,
the events which we behold now — at this moment — in those worlds — are the identical
events which interested their inhabitants ten hundred thousand centuries ago. In intervals
—in distances such as this suggestion forces upon the soul —rather than upon the mind —
we find, at length, a fitting climax to all hitherto frivolous considerations of quantity.

Our fancies thus occupied with the cosmical distances, let us take the opportunity of
referring to the difficulty which we have so often experienced, while pursuing the beaten
path of astronomical reflection, in accounting for the immeasurable voids alluded to — in
comprehending why chasms so totally unoccupied and therefore apparently so needless,
have been made to intervene between star and star —between cluster and cluster — in
understanding, to be brief, a sufficient reason for the Titanic scale, in respect of mere
Space, on which the Universe is seen to be constructed. A rational cause for the
phaenomenon, I maintain that Astronomy has palpably failed to assign: —but the
considerations through which, in this Essay, we have proceeded step by step, enable us
clearly and immediately to perceive that Space and Duration are one. That the Universe
might endure throughout an aera at all commensurate with the grandeur of its component
material portions and with the high majesty of its spiritual purposes, it was necessary that
the original atomic diffusion be made to so inconceivable an extent as to be only not
infinite. It was required, in a word, that the stars should be gathered into visibility from
invisible nebulosity —proceed from nebulosity to consolidation —and so grow grey in
giving birth and death to unspeakably numerous and complex variations of vitalic

development it was required that the stars should do all this — should have time
thoroughly to accomplish all these Divine purposes - during the period in which all
things were effecting their return into Unity with a velocity accumulating in the inverse
proportion of the squares of the distances at which lay the inevitable End.

Throughout all this we have no difficulty in understanding the absolute accuracy of the
Divine adaptation. The density of the stars, respectively, proceeds, of course, as their
condensation diminishes; condensation and heterogeneity keep pace with each other;
through the latter, which is the index of the former, we estimate the vitalic and spiritual
development. Thus, in the density of the globes, we have the measure in which their
purposes are fulfilled. As density proceeds —as the divine intentions are accomplished —
as less and still less remains to be accomplished — so —in the same ratio —should we
expect to find an acceleration of the End: —and thus the philosophical mind will easily
comprehend that the Divine designs in constituting the stars, advance mathematically to
their fulfilment: — and more; it will readily give the advance a mathematical expression;
it will decide that this advance is inversely proportional with the squares of the distances
of all created things from the starting-point and goal of their creation.

Not only is this Divine adaptation, however, mathematically accurate, but there is that
about it which stamps it as divine, in distinction from that which is merely the work of
human constructiveness. I allude to the complete mutuality of adaptation. For example; in
human constructions a particular cause has a particular effect; a particular intention
brings to pass a particular object; but this is all; we see no reciprocity. The effect does not
re-act upon the cause; the intention does not change relations with the object. In Divine
constructions the object is either design or object as we choose to regard it —and we may
take at any time a cause for an effect, or the converse —so that we can never absolutely
decide which is which.

To give an instance: — In polar climates the human frame, to maintain its animal heat,
requires, for combustion in the capillary system, an abundant supply of highly azotized
food, such as train-oil. But again: —in polar climates nearly the sole food afforded man is
the oil of abundant seals and whales. Now, whether is oil at hand because imperatively
demanded, or the only thing demanded because the only thing to be obtained? It is
impossible to decide. There is an absolute reciprocity of adaptation.

The pleasure which we derive from any display of human ingenuity is in the ratio of the
approach to this species of reciprocity. In the construction of plot, for example, in
fictitious literature, we should aim at so arranging the incidents that we shall not be able
to determine, of any one of them, whether it depends from any one other or upholds it. In
this sense, of course, perfection of PLO, is really, or practically, unattainable —but only
because it is a finite intelligence that constructs. The plots of God are perfect. The
Universe is a plot of God.

And now we have reached a point at which the intellect is forced, again, to struggle
against its propensity for analogical inference - against its monomaniac grasping at the
infinite. Moons have been seen revolving about planets; planets about stars; and the

poetical instinct of humanity — its instinct of the symmetrical, if the symmetry be but a
symmetry of surface: —this instinct, which the Soul, not only of Man but of all created
beings, took up, in the beginning, from the geometrical basis of the Universal irradiation -
-impels us to the fancy of an endless extension of this system of cycles. Closing our eyes
equally to de duction and in duction, we insist upon imagining a revolution of all the orbs
of the Galaxy about some gigantic globe which we take to be the central pivot of the
whole. Each cluster in the great cluster of clusters is imagined, of course, to be similarly
supplied and constructed; while, that the "analogy" may be wanting at no point, we go on
to conceive these clusters themselves, again, as revolving about some still more august
sphere; —this latter, still again, with its encircling clusters, as but one of a yet more
magnificent series of agglomerations, gyrating about yet another orb central to them —
some orb still more unspeakably sublime —some orb, let us rather say, of infinite
sublimity endlessly multiplied by the infinitely sublime. Such are the conditions,
continued in perpetuity, which the voice of what some people term "analogy" calls upon
the Fancy to depict and the Reason to contemplate, if possible, without becoming
dissatisfied with the picture. Such, in general, are the interminable gyrations beyond
gyration which we have been instructed by Philosophy to comprehend and to account for,
at least in the best manner we can. Now and then, however, a philosopher proper - one
whose frenzy takes a very determinate turn — whose genius, to speak more reverentially,
has a strongly-pronounced washer- womanish bias, doing every thing up by the dozen —
enables us to see precisely that point out of sight, at which the revolutionary processes in
question do, and of right ought to, come to an end.

It is hardly worth while, perhaps, even to sneer at the reveries of Fourrier — but much has
been said, latterly, of the hypothesis of Madler —that there exists, in the centre of the
Galaxy, a stupendous globe about which all the systems of the cluster revolve. The period
of our own, indeed, has been stated —117 millions of years.

That our Sun has a motion in space, independently of its rotation, and revolution about
the system's centre of gravity, has long been suspected. This motion, granting it to exist,
would be manifested perspectively. The stars in that firmamental region which we were
leaving behind us, would, in a very long series of years, become crowded; those in the
opposite quarter, scattered. Now, by means of astronomical History, we ascertain,
cloudily, that some such phaenomena have occurred. On this ground it has been declared
that our system is moving to a point in the heavens diametrically opposite the star Zeta
Herculis: — but this inference is, perhaps, the maximum to which we have any logical
right. Madler, however, has gone so far as to designate a particular star, Alcyone in the
Pleiades, as being at or about the very spot around which a general revolution is
performed.

Now, since by "analogy" we are led, in the first instance, to these dreams, it is no more
than proper that we should abide by analogy, at least in some measure, during their
development; and that analogy which suggests the revolution, suggests at the same time a
central orb about which it should be performed —so far the astronomer was consistent.
This central orb, however, should, dynamically, be greater than all the orbs, taken
together, which surround it. Of these there are about 100 millions. "Why, then," it was of

course demanded, "do we not see this vast central sun —at least equal in mass to 100
millions of such suns as ours —why do we not see it —we, especially, who occupy the
mid region of the cluster —the very locality near which, at all events, must be situated
this incomparable star?" The reply was ready —"It must be non-luminous, as are our
planets." Here, then, to suit a purpose, analogy is suddenly let fall. "Not so," it may be
said —"we know that non-luminous suns actually exist." It is true that we have reason at
least for supposing so; but we have certainly no reason whatever for supposing that the
non-luminous suns in question are encircled by luminous suns, while these again are
surrounded by non-luminous planets and it is precisely all this with which Madler is
called upon to find any thing analogous in the heavens —for it is precisely all this which
he imagines in the case of the Galaxy. Admitting the thing to be so, we cannot help here
picturing to ourselves how sad a puzzle the why is it so must prove to all a priori
philosophers.

But granting, in the very teeth of analogy and of every thing else, the non-luminosity of
the vast central orb, we may still inquire how this orb, so enormous, could fail of being
rendered visible by the flood of light thrown upon it from the 100 millions of glorious
suns glaring in all directions about it. Upon the urging of this question, the idea of an
actually solid central sun appears, in some measure, to have been abandoned; and
speculation proceeded to assert that the systems of the cluster perform their revolutions
merely about an immaterial centre of gravity common to all. Here again then, to suit a
purpose, analogy is let fall. The planets of our system revolve, it is true, about a common
centre of gravity; but they do this in connexion with, and in consequence of, a material
sun whose mass more than counterbalances the rest of the system.

The mathematical circle is a curve composed of an infinity of straight lines. But this idea
of the circle —an idea which in view of all ordinary geometry, is merely the
mathematical, as contradistinguished from the practical, idea —is, in sober fact, the
practical conception which alone we have any right to entertain in regard to the majestic
circle with which we have to deal, at least in fancy, when we suppose our system
revolving about a point in the centre of the Galaxy. Let the most vigorous of human
imaginations attempt but to take a single step towards the comprehension of a sweep so
ineffable! It would scarcely be paradoxical to say that a flash of lightning itself, travelling
forever upon the circumference of this unutterable circle, would still, forever, be
travelling in a straight line. That the path of our Sun in such an orbit would, to any human
perception, deviate in the slightest degree from a straight line, even in a million of years,
is a proposition not to be entertained: —yet we are required to believe that a curvature has
become apparent during the brief period of our astronomical history — during a mere
point —during the utter nothingness of two or three thousand years.

It may be said that Madler has really ascertained a curvature in the direction of our
system's now well-established progress through Space. Admitting, if necessary, this fact
to be in reality such, I maintain that nothing is thereby shown except the reality of this
fact the fact of a curvature. For its thorough determination, ages will be required; and,
when determined, it will be found indicative of some binary or other multiple relation
between our Sun and some one or more of the proximate stars. I hazard nothing however.

in predicting, that, after the lapse of many centuries, all efforts at determining the path of
our sun through Space, will be abandoned as fruitless. This is easily conceivable when we
look at the infinity of perturbation it must experience, from its perpetually- shifting
relations with other orbs, in the common approach of all to the nucleus of the Galaxy.

But in examining other "nebulae" than that of the Milky Way — in surveying, generally,
the clusters which overspread the heavens — do we or do we not find confirmation of
Madler's hypothesis? We do not. The forms of the clusters are exceedingly diverse when
casually viewed; but on close inspection, through powerful telescopes, we recognize the
sphere, very distinctly, as at least the proximate form of all: —their constitution, in
general, being at variance with the idea of revolution about a common centre.

"It is difficult," says Sir John Herschel, "to form any conception of the dynamical state of
such systems. On one hand, without a rotary motion and a centrifugal force, it is hardly
possible not to regard them as in a state of progressive collapse. On the other, granting
such a motion and such a force, we find it no less difficult to reconcile their forms with
the rotation of the whole system [meaning cluster] around any single axis, without which
internal collision would appear to be inevitable."

Some remarks lately made about the "nebulae" by Dr. Nichol, in taking quite a different
view of the cosmical conditions from any taken in this Discourse — have a very peculiar
applicability to the point now at issue. He says:

"When our greatest telescopes are brought to bear upon them, we find that those which
were thought to be irregular, are not so; they approach nearer to a globe. Here is one that
looked oval; but Lord Rosse's telescope brought it into a circle.... Now there occurs a
very remarkable circumstance in reference to these comparatively sweeping circular
masses of nebulae. We find they are not entirely circular, but the reverse; and that all
around them, on every side, there are volumes of stars, stretching out apparently as if they
were rushing towards a great central mass in consequence of the action of some great
power." *

* I must be understood as denying, especially, only the revolutionary portion of Madler's
hypothesis. Of course, if no great central orb exists now in our cluster, such will exist
hereafter. Whenever existing, it will be merely the nucleus of the consolidation.

Were I to describe, in my own words, what must necessarily be the existing condition of
each nebula on the hypothesis that all matter is, as I suggest, now returning to its original
Unity, I should simply be going over, nearly verbatim, the language here employed by
Dr. Nichol, without the faintest suspicion of that stupendous truth which is the key to
these nebular phaenomena.

And here let me fortify my position still farther, by the voice of a greater than Madler —
of one, moreover, to whom all the data of Madler have long been familiar things,
carefully and thoroughly considered. Referring to the elaborate calculations of

Argelander — the very researches which form Madler's basis — Humboldt, whose
generalizing powers have never, perhaps been equalled, has the following observation:

"When we regard the real, proper, or non-perspective motions of the stars, we find many
groups of them moving in opposite directions; and the data as yet in hand render it not
necessary, at least, to conceive that the systems composing the Milky Way, or the
clusters, generally, composing the Universe, are revolving about any particular centre
unknown, whether luminous or non-luminous. It is but Man's longing for a fundamental
First Cause, that impels both his intellect and fancy to the adoption of such an
hypothesis." *

* Betrachtet man die nicht perspectivischen eigenen Bewegungen der Sterne, so scheinen
viele gruppenweise in ihrer Richtung entgegengesetzt; und die bisher gesammelten
Thatsachen machen es auf s wenigste nicht nothwendig, anzunehmen, dass alle Theile
unserer Sternenschicht oder gar der gesammten Sterneninseln, welche den Weltraum
fuUen, sich um einen grossen, unbekannten, leuchtenden oder dunkeln Centralkorper
bewegen. Das Streben nach den letzten und hochsten Grundursachen macht freilich die
reflectirende Thatigkeit des Menschen, wie seine Phantasie, zu einer solchen Annahme
geneigt.

The phaenomenon here alluded to —that of "many groups moving in opposite directions"
—is quite inexplicable by Madler's idea; but arises, as a necessary consequence, from that
which forms the basis of this Discourse. While the merely general direction of each atom
- of each moon, planet, star, or cluster —would, on my hypothesis, be, of course,
absolutely rectilinear; while the general path of all bodies would be a right line leading to
the centre of all; it is clear, nevertheless, that this general rectilinearity would be
compounded of what, with scarcely any exaggeration, we may term an infinity of
particular curves — an infinity of local deviations from rectilinearity — the result of
continuous differences of relative position among the multudinous masses as each
proceeded on its own proper journey to the End.

I quoted, just now, from Sir John Herschel, the following words, used in reference to the
clusters: —"On one hand, without a rotary motion and a centrifugal force, it is hardly
possible not to regard them as in a state of progressive collapse." The fact is, that, in
surveying the "nebulae" with a telescope of high power, we shall find it quite impossible,
having once conceived this idea of "collapse," not to gather, at all points, corroboration of
the idea. A nucleus is always apparent, in the direction of which the stars seem to be
precipitating themselves; nor can these nuclei be mistaken for merely perspective
phaenomena: —the clusters are really denser near the centre — sparser in the regions more
remote from it. In a word, we see every thing as we should see it were a collapse taking
place; but, in general, it may be said of these clusters, that we can fairly entertain, while
looking at them, the idea of orbitual movement about a centre, only by admitting the
possible existence, in the distant domains of space, of dynamical laws with which we are
unacquainted.

On the part of Herschel, however, there is evidently a reluctance to regard the nebulae as
in "a state of progressive collapse." But if facts —if even appearances justify the
supposition of their being in this state, why, it may well be demanded, is he disinclined to
admit it? Simply on account of a prejudice; —merely because the supposition is at war
with a preconceived and utterly baseless notion —that of the endlessness —that of the
eternal stability of the Universe.

If the propositions of this Discourse are tenable, the "state of progressive collapse" is
precisely that state in which alone we are warranted in considering All Things; and, with
due humility, let me here confess that, for my part, I am at a loss to conceive how any
other understanding of the existing condition of affairs, could ever have made its way
into the human brain. "The tendency to collapse" and "the attraction of gravitation" are
convertible phrases. In using either, we speak of the reaction of the First Act. Never was
necessity less obvious than that of supposing Matter imbued with an ineradicable quality
forming part of its material nature —a quality, or instinct, forever inseparable from it, and
by dint of which inalienable principle every atom is perpetually impelled to seek its
fellow-atom. Never was necessity less obvious than that of entertaining this
unphilosophical idea. Going boldly behind the vulgar thought, we have to conceive,
metaphysically, that the gravitating principle appertains to Matter temporarily —only
while diffused - only while existing as Many instead of as One —appertains to it by
virtue of its state of irradiation alone —appertains, in a word, altogether to its Condition,
and not in the slightest degree to itself. In this view, when the irradiation shall have
returned into its source — when the reaction shall be completed —the gravitating principle
will no longer exist. And, in fact, astronomers, without at any time reaching the idea here
suggested, seem to have been approximating it, in the assertion that "if there were but one
body in the Universe, it would be impossible to understand how the principle. Gravity,
could obtain": —that is to say, from a consideration of Matter as they find it, they reach a
conclusion at which I deductively arrive. That so pregnant a suggestion as the one quoted
should have been permitted to remain so long unfruitful, is, nevertheless, a mystery
which I find it difficult to fathom.

It is, perhaps, in no little degree, however, our propensity for the continuous —for the
analogical —in the present case more particularly for the symmetrical which has been
leading us astray. And, in fact, the sense of the symmetrical is an instinct which may be
depended upon with an almost blindfold reliance. It is the poetical essence of the
Universe — OF0,0 which, in the supremeness of its symmetry, is but the most sublime of
poems. Now symmetry and consistency are convertible terms: — thus Poetry and Truth
are one. A thing is consistent in the ratio of its truth —true in the ratio of its consistency.
A Perfect consistency, I repeat, can be nothing but a absolute truth. We may take it for
granted, then, that Man cannot long or widely err, if he suffer himself to be guided by his
poetical, which I have maintained to be his truthful, in being his symmetrical, instinct. He
must have a care, however, lest, in pursuing too heedlessly the superficial symmetry of
forms and motions, he leave out of sight the really essential symmetry of the principles
which determine and control them.

That the stellar bodies would finally be merged in one —that, at last, all would be drawn
into the substance of one stupendous central orb already existing —is an idea which, for
some time past, seems, vaguely and indeterminately, to have held possession of the fancy
of mankind. It is an idea, in fact, which belongs to the class of the excessively obvious. It
springs, instantly, from a superficial observation of the cyclic and seemingly gyrating, or
vorticial movements of those individual portions of the Universe which come most
immediately and most closely under our observation. There is not, perhaps, a human
being, of ordinary education and of average reflective capacity, to whom, at some period,
the fancy inquestion has not occurred, as if spontaneously, or intuitively, and wearing all
the character of a very profound and very original conception. This conception, however,
so commonly entertained, has never, within my knowledge, arisen out of any abstract
considerations. Being, on the contrary, always suggested, as I say, by the vorticial
movements about centres, a reason for it, also, —a cause for the ingathering of all the
orbs into one, imagined to be already existing, was naturally sought in the same direction
—among these cyclic movements themselves.

Thus it happened that, on announcement of the gradual and perfectly regular decrease
observed in the orbit of Enck's comet, at every successive revolution about our Sun,
astronomers were nearly unanimous in the opinion that the cause in question was found -
-that a principle was discovered sufficient to account, physically, for that final, universal
agglomeration which, I repeat, the analogical, symmetrical or poetical instinct of Man
had predetermined to understand as something more than a simple hypothesis.

This cause —this sufficient reason for the final ingathering —was declared to exist in an
exceedingly rare but still material medium pervading space; which medium, by retarding,
in some degree, the progress of the comet, perpetually weakened its tangential force; thus
giving a predominance to the centripetal; which, of course, drew the comet nearer and
nearer at each revolution, and would eventually precipitate it upon the Sun.

All this was strictly logical —admitting the medium or ether; but this ether was assumed,
most illogically, on the ground that no other mode than the one spoken of could be
discovered, of accounting for the observed decrease in the orbit of the comet: — as if from
the fact that we could discover no other mode of accounting for it, it followed, in any
respect, that no other mode of accounting for it existed. It is clear that innumerable causes
might operate, in combination, to diminish the orbit, without even a possibility of our
ever becoming acquainted with one of them. In the meantime, it has never been fairly
shown, perhaps, why the retardation occasioned by the skirts of the Sun's atmosphere,
through which the comet passes at perihelion, is not enough to account for the
phaenomenon. That Enck's comet will be absorbed into the Sun, is probable; that all the
comets of the system will be absorbed, is more than merely possible; but, in such case,
the principle of absorption must be referred to eccentricity of orbit —to the close
approximation to the Sun, of the comets at their perihelia; and is a principle not affecting,
in any degree, the ponderous spheres, which are to be regarded as the true material
constituents of the Universe. — Touching comets, in general, let me here suggest, in
passing, that we cannot be far wrong in looking upon them as the lightning-flashes of the
cosmical Heaven.

The idea of a retarding ether and, through it, of a final agglomeration of all things,
seemed at one time, however, to be confirmed by the observation of a positive decrease
in the orbit of the solid moon. By reference to eclipses recorded 2500 years ago, it was
found that the velocity of the satellite's revolution then was considerably less than it is
now; that on the hypothesis that its motions in its orbit is uniformly in accordance with
Kepler's law, and was accurately determined then —2500 years ago —it is now in
advance of the position it should occupy, by nearly 9000 miles. The increase of velocity
proved, of course, a diminution of orbit; and astronomers were fast yielding to a belief in
an ether, as the sole mode of accounting for the phaenomenon, when Lagrange came to
the rescue. He showed that, owing to the configurations of the spheroids, the shorter axes
of their ellipses are subject to variation in length; the longer axes being permanent; and
that this variation is continuous and vibratory —so that every orbit is in a state of
transition, either from circle to ellipse, or from ellipse to circle. In the case of the moon,
where the shorter axis is de creasing, the orbit is passing from circle to ellipse, and,
consequently, is de creasing too; but, after a long series of ages, the ultimate eccentricity
will be attained; then the shorter axis will proceed to in crease, until the orbit becomes a
circle; when the process of shortening will again take place; —and so on forever. In the
case of the Earth, the orbit is passing from ellipse to circle. The facts thus demonstrated
do away, of course, with all necessity for supposing an ether, and with all apprehension
of the system's instability —on the ether's account.

It will be remembered that I have myself assumed what we may term an ether. I have
spoken of a subtle influence which we know to be ever in attendance upon matter,
although becoming manifest only through matter's heterogeneity. To this influence —
without daring to touch it at all in any effort at explaining its awful nature —I have
referred the various phaenomena of electricity, heat, light, magnetism; and more — of
vitality, consciousness, and thought —in a word, of spirituality. It will be seen, at once,
then, that the ether thus conceived is radically distinct from the ether of the astronomers;
inasmuch as theirs is matter and mine not.

With the idea of material ether, seems, thus, to have departed altogether the thought of
that universal agglomeration so long predetermined by the poetical fancy of mankind: —
an agglomeration in which a sound Philosophy might have been warranted in putting
faith, at least to a certain extent, if for no other reason than that by this poetical fancy it
had been so predetermined. But so far as Astronomy —so far as mere Physics have yet
spoken, the cycles of the Universe are perpetual — the Universe has no conceivable end.
Had an end been demonstrated, however, from so purely collateral a cause as an ether,
Man's instinct of the Divine capacity to adapt, would have rebelled against the
demonstration. We should have been forced to regard the Universe with some such sense
of dissatisfaction as we experience in contemplating an unnecessarily complex work of
human art. Creation would have affected us as an imperfect PLO, in a romance, where the
denoument is awkwardly brought about by interposed incidents external and foreign to
the main subject; instead of springing out of the bosom of the thesis —out of the heart of
the ruling idea —instead of arising as a result of the primary proposition —as inseparable
and inevitable part and parcel of the fundamental conception of the book.

What I mean by the symmetry of mere surface — will now be more clearly understood. It
is simply by the blandishment of this symmetry that we have been beguiled into the
general idea of which Madler's hypothesis is but a part —the idea of the vorticial
indrawing of the orbs. Dismissing this nakedly physical conception, the symmetry of
principle sees the end of all things metaphysically involved in the thought of a beginning;
seeks and finds in this origin of all things the rudiment of this end; and perceives the
impiety of supposing this end likely to be brought about less simply —less directly —less
obviously —less artistically —than through the reaction of the originating Act.

Recurring, then, to a previous suggestion, let us understand the systems —let us
understand each star, with its attendant planets —as but a Titanic atom existing in space
with precisely the same inclination for Unity which characterized, in the beginning, the
actual atoms after their irradiation throughout the Universal sphere. As these original
atoms rushed towards each other in generally straight lines, so let us conceive as at least
generally rectilinear, the paths of the system-atoms towards their respective centres of
aggregation: —and in this direct drawing together of the systems into clusters, with a
similar and simultaneous drawing together of the clusters themselves while undergoing
consolidation, we have at length attained the great Now —the awful Present —the
Existing Condition of the Universe.

Of the still more awful Future a not irrational analogy may guide us in framing an
hypothesis. The equilibrium between the centripetal and centrifugal forces of each
system, being necessarily destroyed upon attainment of a certain proximity to the nucleus
of the cluster to which it belongs, there must occur, at once, a chaotic or seemingly
chaotic precipitation, of the moons upon the planets, of the planets upon the suns, and of
the suns upon the nuclei; and the general result of this precipitation must be the gathering
of the myriad now-existing stars of the firmament into an almost infinitely less number of
almost infinitely superior spheres. In being immeasurably fewer, the worlds of that day
will be immeasurably greater than our own. Then, indeed, amid unfathomable abysses,
will be glaring unimaginable suns. But all this will be merely a climacic magnificence
foreboding the great End. Of this End the new genesis described, can be but a very partial
postponement. While undergoing consolidation, the clusters themselves, with a speed
prodigiously accumulative, have been rushing towards their own general centre —and
now, with a thousandfold electric velocity, commensurate only with their material
grandeur and with the spiritual passion of their appetite for oneness, the majestic
remnants of the tribe of Stars flash, at length, into a common embrace. The inevitable
catastrophe is at hand.

But this catastrophe —what is it? We have seen accomplished the ingathering of the orbs.
Henceforward, are we not to understand one material globe of globes as constituting and
comprehending the Universe? Such a fancy would be altogether at war with every
assumption and consideration of this Discourse.

I have already alluded to that absolute reciprocity of adaptation which is the idiosyncrasy
of the divine Art — stamping it divine. Up to this point of our reflections, we have been
regarding the electrical influence as a something by dint of whose repulsion alone Matter

is enabled to exist in that state of diffusion demanded for the fulfilment of its purposes: —
so far, in a word, we have been considering the influence in question as ordained for
Matter's sake — to subserve the objects of matter. With a perfectly legitimate reciprocity,
we are now permitted to look at Matter, as created solely for the sake of this influence —
solely to serve the objects of this spiritual Ether. Through the aid —by the means —
through the agency of Matter, and by dint of its heterogeneity —is this Ether manifested -
-is Spirit individualized. It is merely in the development of this Ether, through
heterogeneity, that particular masses of Matter become animate —sensitive —and in the
ratio of their heterogeneity; —some reaching a degree of sensitiveness involving what we
call Thought and thus attaining Conscious Intelligence.

In this view, we are enabled to perceive Matter as a Means —not as an End. Its purposes
are thus seen to have been comprehended in its diffusion; and with the return into Unity
these purposes cease. The absolutely consolidated globe of globes would be objectless: —
therefore not for a moment could it continue to exist. Matter, created for an end, would
unquestionably, on fulfilment of that end, be Matter no longer. Let us endeavor to
understand that it would disappear, and that God would remain all in all.

That every work of Divine conception must coexist and coexpire with its particular
design, seems to me especially obvious; and I make no doubt that, on perceiving the final
globe of globes to be objectless, the majority of my readers will be satisfied with my
"therefore it cannot continue to exist." Nevertheless, as the startling thought of its
instantaneous disappearance is one which the most powerful intellect cannot be expected
readily to entertain on grounds so decidedly abstract, let us endeavor to look at the idea
from some other and more ordinary point of view: — let us see how thoroughly and
beautifully it is corroborated in an a posteriori consideration of Matter as we actually find
it.

I have before said that "Attraction and Repulsion being undeniably the sole properties by
which Matter is manifested to Mind, we are justified in assuming that Matter exists only
as Attraction and Repulsion —in other words that Attraction and Repulsion are Matter;
there being no conceivable case in which we may not employ the term Matter and the
terms 'Attraction' and 'Repulsion' taken together, as equivalent, and therefore convertible,
expressions of Logic." *

* See previous paragraph, "Discarding now the two equivocal terms..."

Now the very definition of Attraction implies particularity — the existence of parts,
particles, or atoms; for we define it as the tendency of "each atom &c. to every other
atom," &c. according to a certain law. Of course where there are no parts — where there is
absolute Unity — where the tendency to oneness is satisfied —there can be no Attraction: -
-this has been fully shown, and all Philosophy admits it. When, on fulfilment of its
purposes, then. Matter shall have returned into its original condition of One —a condition
which presupposes the expulsion of the separative ether, whose province and whose
capacity are limited to keeping the atoms apart until that great day when, this ether being
no longer needed, the overwhelming pressure of the finally collective Attraction shall at

length just sufficiently predominate * and expel it: —when, I say, Matter, finally,
expelling the Ether, shall have returned into absolute Unity, —it will then (to speak
paradoxically for the moment) be Matter without Attraction and without Repulsion —in
other words. Matter without Matter —in other words, again. Matter no more. In sinking
into Unity, it will sink at once into that Nothingness which, to all Finite Perception, Unity
must be — into that Material Nihility from which alone we can conceive it to have been
evoked — to have been created by the Volition of God.

* "Gravity, therefore, must be the strongest of forces." See previous section, "Now,
although the philosophic cannot be said to..."

I repeat then — Let us endeavor to comprehend that the final globe of globes will
instantaneously disappear, and that God will remain all in all.

But are we here to pause? Not so. On the Universal agglomeration and dissolution, we
can readily conceive that a new and perhaps totally different series of conditions may
ensue — another creation and irradiation, returning into itself —another action and
reaction of the Divine Will. Guiding our imaginations by that omniprevalent law of laws,
the law of periodicity, are we not, indeed, more than justified in entertaining a belief — let
us say, rather, in indulging a hope —that the processes we have here ventured to
contemplate will be renewed forever, and forever, and forever; a novel Universe swelling
into existence, and then subsiding into nothingness, at every throb of the Heart Divine?

And now —this Heart Divine —what is it? It is our own.

Let not the merely seeming irreverence of this idea frighten our souls from that cool
exercise of consciousness — from that deep tranquillity of self-inspection —through which
alone we can hope to attain the presence of this, the most sublime of truths, and look it
leisurely in the face.

The phaenomena on which our conclusions must at this point depend, are merely spiritual
shadows, but not the less thoroughly substantial.

We walk about, amid the destinies of our world-existence, encompassed by dim but ever
present Memories of a Destiny more vast — very distant in the bygone time, and infinitely
awful.

We live out a Youth peculiarly haunted by such dreams; yet never mistaking them for
dreams. As Memories we know them. During our Youth the distinction is too clear to
deceive us even for a moment.

So long as this Youth endures, the feeling that we exist, is the most natural of all feelings.
We understand it thoroughly. That there was a period at which we did not exist —or, that
it might so have happened that we never had existed at all —are the considerations,
indeed, which during this youth, we find difficulty in understanding. Why we should not
exist, is, up to the epoch of Manhood, of all queries the most unanswerable. Existence —

self-existence — existence from all Time and to all Eternity — seems, up to the epoch of
Manhood, a normal and unquestionable condition: — seems, because it is.

But now comes the period at which a conventional World-Reason awakens us from the
truth of our dream. Doubt, Surprise and Incomprehensibility arrive at the same moment.
They say: — "You live and the time was when you lived not. You have been created. An
Intelligence exists greater than your own; and it is only through this Intelligence you live
at all." These things we struggle to comprehend and cannot: —cannot, because these
things, being untrue, are thus, of necessity, incomprehensible.

No thinking being lives who, at some luminous point of his life of thought, has not felt
himself lost amid the surges of futile efforts at understanding, or believing, that anything
exists greater than his own soul. The utter impossibility of any one's soul feeling itself
inferior to another; the intense, overwhelming dissatisfaction and rebellion at the thought;
—these, with the omniprevalent aspirations at perfection, are but the spiritual, coincident
with the material, struggles towards the original Unity —are, to my mind at least, a
species of proof far surpassing what Man terms demonstration, that no one soul is inferior
to another —that nothing is, or can be, superior to any one soul —that each soul is, in part,
its own God —its own Creator: —in a word, that God —the material and spiritual God -
now exists solely in the diffused Matter and Spirit of the Universe; and that the
regathering of this diffused Matter and Spirit will be but the re-constitution of the purely
Spiritual and Individual God.

In this view, and in this view alone, we comprehend the riddles of Divine Injustice — of
Inexorable Fate. In this view alone the existence of Evil becomes intelligible; but in this
view it becomes more —it becomes endurable. Our souls no longer rebel at a Sorrow
which we ourselves have imposed upon ourselves, in furtherance of our own purposes —
with a view — if even with a futile view —to the extension of our own Joy.

I have spoken of Memories that haunt us during our youth. They sometimes pursue us
even in our Manhood: —assume gradually less and less indefinite shapes: —now and then
speak to us with low voices, saying:

"There was an epoch in the Night of Time, when a still-existent Being existed — one of an
absolutely infinite number of similar Beings that people the absolutely infinite domains
of the absolutely infinite space. *

* See previous paragraph, 'I reply that the "right," in a case such as this...'

It was not and is not in the power of this Being —any more than it is in your own —to
extend, by actual increase, the joy of his Existence; but just as it is in your power to
expand or to concentrate your pleasures (the absolute amount of happiness remaining
always the same) so did and does a similar capability appertain to this Divine Being, who
thus passes his Eternity in perpetual variation of Concentrated Self and almost Infinite
Self-Diffusion. What you call The Universe is but his present expansive existence. He
now feels his life through an infinity of imperfect pleasures —the partial and pain-

intertangled pleasures of those inconceivably numerous things which you designate as his
creatures, but which are really but infinite individualizations of Himself. All these
creatures - those which you term animate, as well as those to whom you deny life for no
better reason than that you do not behold it in operation - these creatures have, in a
greater or less degree, a capacity for pleasure and for pain: —but the general sum of their
sensations is precisely that amount of Happiness which appertains by right to the Divine
Being when concentrated within Himself. These creatures are all too, more or less
conscious Intelligences; conscious, first, of a proper identity; conscious, secondly and by
faint indeterminate glimpses, of an identity with the Divine Being of whom we speak —
of an identity with God. Of the two classes of consciousness, fancy that the former will
grow weaker, the latter stronger, during the long succession of ages which must elapse
before these myriads of individual Intelligences become blended — when the bright stars
become blended — into One. Think that the sense of individual identity will be gradually
merged in the general consciousness — that Man, for example, ceasing imperceptibly to
feel himself Man, will at length attain that awfully triumphant epoch when he shall
recognize his existence as that of Jehovah. In the meantime bear in mind that all is Life —
Life — Life within Life —the less within the greater, and all within the Spirit Divine.

THE END

EVENING STAR

by Edgar Allan Poe

1827

'Twas noontide of summer,

And mid-time of night;

And stars, in their orbits.

Shone pale, thro' the light

Of the brighter, cold moon,

'Mid planets her slaves.

Herself in the Heavens,

Her beam on the waves.

I gazed awhile

On her cold smile;

Too cold-too cold for me-

There pass'd, as a shroud,

A fleecy cloud.

And I turned away to thee.

Proud Evening Star,

In thy glory afar.

And dearer thy beam shall be;

For joy to my heart

Is the proud part

Thou bearest in Heaven at night.

And more I admire

Thy distant fire.

Than that colder, lowly light.

THE END

FAIRY-LAND

by Edgar Allan Poe

1829

Dim vales-and shadowy floods-
And cloudy-looking woods,
Whose forms we can't discover
For the tears that drip all over!
Huge moons there wax and wane-
Again-again-again-
Every moment of the night-
Forever changing places-
And they put out the star-light
With the breath from their pale faces.
About twelve by the moon-dial,
One more filmy than the rest
(A kind which, upon trial.
They have found to be the best)
Comes down-still down-and down.
With its centre on the crown
Of a mountain's eminence.
While its wide circumference
In easy drapery falls
Over hamlets, over halls.
Wherever they may be-
O'er the strange woods-o'er the sea-
Over spirits on the wing-
Over every drowsy thing-
And buries them up quite
In a labyrinth of light-
And then, how deep!-0, deep!
Is the passion of their sleep.
In the morning they arise.
And their moony covering
Is soaring in the skies.
With the tempests as they toss.
Like-almost anything-
Or a yellow Albatross.
They use that moon no more
For the same end as before-
Videlicet, a tent-
Which I think extravagant:

Its atomies, however,
Into a shower dissever.
Of which those butterflies
Of Earth, who seek the skies.
And so come down again,
(Never-contented things!)
Have brought a specimen
Upon their quivering wings.

THE END

FOR ANNIE

by Edgar Allan Poe

1849

Thank Heaven! the crisis-

The danger is past,

And the lingering illness

Is over at last-

And the fever called "Living"

Is conquered at last.

Sadly, I know
I am shorn of my strength.
And no muscle I move
As I lie at full length-
But no matter!-I feel
I am better at length.

And I rest so composedly.
Now, in my bed
That any beholder
Might fancy me dead-
Might start at beholding me.
Thinking me dead.

The moaning and groaning.
The sighing and sobbing.
Are quieted now.
With that horrible throbbing
At heart:-ah, that horrible.
Horrible throbbing!

The sickness-the nausea-
The pitiless pain-
Have ceased, with the fever
That maddened my brain-
With the fever called "Living"
That burned in my brain.

And oh! of all tortures
That torture the worst
Has abated-the terrible

Torture of thirst
For the naphthahne river
Of Passion accurst: -
I have drunk of a water
That quenches all thirst: -

Of a water that flows,
With a lullaby sound,
From a spring but a very few
Feet under ground-
From a cavern not very far
Down under ground.

And ah! let it never

Be foolishly said

That my room it is gloomy

And narrow my bed;

For man never slept

In a different bed-

And, to sleep, you must slumber

In just such a bed.

My tantalized spirit
Here blandly reposes.
Forgetting, or never
Regretting its roses-
Its old agitations
Of myrtles and roses:

For now, while so quietly
Lying, it fancies
A holier odor
About it, of pansies-
A rosemary odor.
Commingled with pansies-
With rue and the beautiful
Puritan pansies.

And so it lies happily.
Bathing in many
A dream of the truth
And the beauty of Annie-
Drowned in a bath
Of the tresses of Annie.

She tenderly kissed me,
She fondly caressed,
And then I fell gently
To sleep on her breast-
Deeply to sleep
From the heaven of her breast.

When the light was extinguished.
She covered me warm.
And she prayed to the angels
To keep me from harm-
To the queen of the angels
To shield me from harm.

And I lie so composedly,
Now, in my bed,
(Knowing her love)
That you fancy me dead-
And I rest so contentedly.
Now, in my bed,
(With her love at my breast)
That you fancy me dead-
That you shudder to look at me.
Thinking me dead.

But my heart it is brighter
Than all of the many
Stars in the sky.
For it sparkles with Annie-
It glows with the light
Of the love of my Annie-
With the thought of the light
Of the eyes of my Annie.

THE END

FOUR BEASTS IN ONE-THE HOMO
CAMELEOPARD

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

Chacun a ses vertus.
CREBILLON'S Xerxes.

ANTIOCHUS EPIPHANES is very generally looked upon as the Gog of the prophet
Ezekiel. This honor is, however, more properly attributable to Cambyses, the son of
Cyrus. And, indeed, the character of the Syrian monarch does by no means stand in need
of any adventitious embellishment. His accession to the throne, or rather his usurpation of
the sovereignty, a hundred and seventy-one years before the coming of Christ; his attempt
to plunder the temple of Diana at Ephesus; his implacable hostility to the Jews; his
pollution of the Holy of Holies; and his miserable death at Taba, after a tumultuous reign
of eleven years, are circumstances of a prominent kind, and therefore more generally
noticed by the historians of his time than the impious, dastardly, cruel, silly, and
whimsical achievements which make up the sum total of his private life and reputation.

Let us suppose, gentle reader, that it is now the year of the world three thousand eight
hundred and thirty, and let us, for a few minutes, imagine ourselves at that most
grotesque habitation of man, the remarkable city of Antioch. To be sure there were, in
Syria and other countries, sixteen cities of that appellation, besides the one to which I
more particularly allude. But ours is that which went by the name of Antiochia
Epidaphne, from its vicinity to the little village of Daphne, where stood a temple to that
divinity. It was built (although about this matter there is some dispute) by Seleucus
Nicanor, the first king of the country after Alexander the Great, in memory of his father
Antiochus, and became immediately the residence of the Syrian monarchy. In the
flourishing times of the Roman Empire, it was the ordinary station of the prefect of the
eastern provinces; and many of the emperors of the queen city (among whom may be
mentioned, especially, Verus and Valens) spent here the greater part of their time. But I
perceive we have arrived at the city itself. Let us ascend this battlement, and throw our
eyes upon the town and neighboring country.

"What broad and rapid river is that which forces its way, with innumerable falls, through
the mountainous wilderness, and finally through the wilderness of buildings?"

That is the Orontes, and it is the only water in sight, with the exception of the
Mediterranean, which stretches, like a broad mirror, about twelve miles off to the
southward. Every one has seen the Mediterranean; but let me tell you, there are few who
have had a peep at Antioch. By few, I mean, few who, like you and me, have had, at the

same time, the advantages of a modern education. Therefore cease to regard that sea, and
give your whole attention to the mass of houses that lie beneath us. You will remember
that it is now the year of the world three thousand eight hundred and thirty. Were it later-
for example, were it the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and forty-five, we should be
deprived of this extraordinary spectacle. In the nineteenth century Antioch is-that is to
say, Antioch will be- in a lamentable state of decay. It will have been, by that time,
totally destroyed, at three different periods, by three successive earthquakes. Indeed, to
say the truth, what little of its former self may then remain, will be found in so desolate
and ruinous a state that the patriarch shall have removed his residence to Damascus. This
is well. I see you profit by my advice, and are making the most of your time in inspecting
the premises-in

-satisfying your eyes

With the memorials and the things of fame

That most renown this city.-

I beg pardon; I had forgotten that Shakespeare will not flourish for seventeen hundred
and fifty years to come. But does not the appearance of Epidaphne justify me in calling it
grotesque?

"It is well fortified; and in this respect is as much indebted to nature as to art."

Very true.

"There are a prodigious number of stately palaces."

There are.

"And the numerous temples, sumptuous and magnificent, may bear comparison with the
most lauded of antiquity."

All this I must acknowledge. Still there is an infinity of mud huts, and abominable hovels.
We cannot help perceiving abundance of filth in every kennel, and, were it not for the
over-powering fumes of idolatrous incense, I have no doubt we should find a most
intolerable stench. Did you ever behold streets so insufferably narrow, or houses so
miraculously tall? What gloom their shadows cast upon the ground! It is well the
swinging lamps in those endless colonnades are kept burning throughout the day; we
should otherwise have the darkness of Egypt in the time of her desolation.

"It is certainly a strange place! What is the meaning of yonder singular building? See! it
towers above all others, and lies to the eastward of what I take to be the royal palace."

That is the new Temple of the Sun, who is adored in Syria under the title of Elah
Gabalah. Hereafter a very notorious Roman Emperor will institute this worship in Rome,
and thence derive a cognomen, Heliogabalus. I dare say you would like to take a peep at
the divinity of the temple. You need not look up at the heavens; his Sunship is not there-

at least not the Sunship adored by the Syrians. That deity will be found in the interior of
yonder building. He is worshipped under the figure of a large stone pillar terminating at
the summit in a cone or pyramid, whereby is denoted Fire.

"Hark-behold!-who can those ridiculous beings be, half naked, with their faces painted,
shouting and gesticulating to the rabble?"

Some few are mountebanks. Others more particularly belong to the race of philosophers.
The greatest portion, however-those especially who belabor the populace with clubs-are
the principal courtiers of the palace, executing as in duty bound, some laudable
comicality of the king's.

"But what have we here? Heavens! the town is swarming with wild beasts! How terrible a
spectacle !-how dangerous a peculiarity!"

Terrible, if you please; but not in the least degree dangerous. Each animal if you will take
the pains to observe, is following, very quietly, in the wake of its master. Some few, to be
sure, are led with a rope about the neck, but these are chiefly the lesser or timid species.
The lion, the tiger, and the leopard are entirely without restraint. They have been trained
without difficulty to their present profession, and attend upon their respective owners in
the capacity of valets-de-chambre. It is true, there are occasions when Nature asserts her
violated dominions;-but then the devouring of a man-at-arms, or the throttling of a
consecrated bull, is a circumstance of too little moment to be more than hinted at in
Epidaphne.

"But what extraordinary tumult do I hear? Surely this is a loud noise even for Antioch! It
argues some commotion of unusual interest."

Yes-undoubtedly. The king has ordered some novel spectacle-some gladiatorial
exhibition at the hippodrome-or perhaps the massacre of the Scythian prisoners-or the
conflagration of his new palace- or the tearing down of a handsome temple-or, indeed, a
bonfire of a few Jews. The uproar increases. Shouts of laughter ascend the skies. The air
becomes dissonant with wind instruments, and horrible with clamor of a million throats.
Let us descend, for the love of fun, and see what is going on! This way-be careful! Here
we are in the principal street, which is called the street of Timarchus. The sea of people is
coming this way, and we shall find a difficulty in stemming the tide. They are pouring
through the alley of Heraclides, which leads directly from the palace ;-therefore the king
is most probably among the rioters. Yes;-I hear the shouts of the herald proclaiming his
approach in the pompous phraseology of the East. We shall have a glimpse of his person
as he passes by the temple of Ashimah. Let us ensconce ourselves in the vestibule of the
sanctuary; he will be here anon. In the meantime let us survey this image. What is it? Oh!
it is the god Ashimah in proper person. You perceive, however, that he is neither a lamb,
nor a goat, nor a satyr, neither has he much resemblance to the Pan of the Arcadians. Yet
all these appearances have been given-I beg pardon-will be given-by the learned of
future ages, to the Ashimah of the Syrians. Put on your spectacles, and tell me what it is.
What is it?

"Bless me! it is an ape!"

True-a baboon; but by no means the less a deity. His name is a derivation of the Greek
Simia-what great fools are antiquarians! But see!-see!-yonder scampers a ragged little
urchin. Where is he going? What is he bawling about? What does he say? Oh! he says the
king is coming in triumph; that he is dressed in state; that he has just finished putting to
death, with his own hand, a thousand chained Israelitish prisoners! For this exploit the
ragamuffin is lauding him to the skies. Hark! here comes a troop of a similar description.
They have made a Latin hymn upon the valor of the king, and are singing it as they go:

Mille, mille, mille,

Mille, mille, mille,

DecoUavimus, unus homo!

Mille, mille, mille, mille, decoUavimus!

Mille, mille, mille,

Vivat qui mille mille occidit!

Tantum vini habet nemo

Quantum sanguinis effudit!*

Which may be thus paraphrased:

A thousand, a thousand, a thousand,

A thousand, a thousand, a thousand.

We, with one warrior, have slain!

A thousand, a thousand, a thousand, a thousand.

Sing a thousand over again!

Soho!-let us sing

Long life to our king.

Who knocked over a thousand so fine!

Soho!-letusroar,

He has given us more

Red gallons of gore

Than all Syria can furnish of wine!

* Flavins Vospicus says, that the hymn here introduced was sung by the rabble upon the
occasion of Aurelian, in the Sarmatic war, having slain, with his own hand, nine hundred
and fifty of the enemy.

"Do you hear that flourish of trumpets?"

Yes: the king is coming! See! the people are aghast with admiration, and lift up their eyes
to the heavens in reverence. He comes;-he is coming;-there he is!

"Who?-where?-the king?-do not behold him-cannot say that I perceive him."

Then you must be blind.

"Very possible. Still I see nothing but a tumultuous mob of idiots and madmen, who are
busy in prostrating themselves before a gigantic cameleopard, and endeavoring to obtain
a kiss of the animal's hoofs. See! the beast has very justly kicked one of the rabble over-
and another-and another-and another. Indeed, I cannot help admiring the animal for the
excellent use he is making of his feet."

Rabble, indeed !-why these are the noble and free citizens of Epidaphne! Beasts, did you
say?-take care that you are not overheard. Do you not perceive that the animal has the
visage of a man? Why, my dear sir, that cameleopard is no other than Antiochus
Epiphanes, Antiochus the Illustrious, King of Syria, and the most potent of all the
autocrats of the East! It is true, that he is entitled, at times, Antiochus Epimanes-
Antiochus the madman-but that is because all people have not the capacity to appreciate
his merits. It is also certain that he is at present ensconced in the hide of a beast, and is
doing his best to play the part of a cameleopard; but this is done for the better sustaining
his dignity as king. Besides, the monarch is of gigantic stature, and the dress is therefore
neither unbecoming nor over large. We may, however, presume he would not have
adopted it but for some occasion of especial state. Such, you will allow, is the massacre
of a thousand Jews. With how superior a dignity the monarch perambulates on all fours!
His tail, you perceive, is held aloft by his two principal concubines, EUine and Argelais;
and his whole appearance would be infinitely prepossessing, were it not for the
protuberance of his eyes, which will certainly start out of his head, and the queer color of
his face, which has become nondescript from the quantity of wine he has swallowed. Let
us follow him to the hippodrome, whither he is proceeding, and listen to the song of
triumph which he is commencing:

Who is king but Epiphanes?

Say-do you know?

Who is king but Epiphanes?

Bravo !-bravo!

There is none but Epiphanes,

No-there is none:

So tear down the temples.

And put out the sun!

Well and strenuously sung! The populace are hailing him 'Prince of Poets,' as well as
'Glory of the East,' 'Delight of the Universe,' and 'Most Remarkable of Cameleopards.'
They have encored his effusion, and do you hear?-he is singing it over again. When he
arrives at the hippodrome, he will be crowned with the poetic wreath, in anticipation of
his victory at the approaching Olympics.

"But, good Jupiter! what is the matter in the crowd behind us?"

Behind us, did you say?-oh! ah!-I perceive. My friend, it is well that you spoke in time.
Let us get into a place of safety as soon as possible. Here!-let us conceal ourselves in the
arch of this aqueduct, and I will inform you presently of the origin of the commotion. It
has turned out as I have been anticipating. The singular appearance of the cameleopard

and the head of a man, has, it seems, given offence to the notions of propriety entertained,
in general, by the wild animals domesticated in the city. A mutiny has been the result;
and, as is usual upon such occasions, all human efforts will be of no avail in quelling the
mob. Several of the Syrians have already been devoured; but the general voice of the
four-footed patriots seems to be for eating up the cameleopard. 'The Prince of Poets,'
therefore, is upon his hinder legs, running for his life. His courtiers have left him in the
lurch, and his concubines have followed so excellent an example. 'Delight of the
Universe,' thou art in a sad predicament! 'Glory of the East,' thou art in danger of
mastication! Therefore never regard so piteously thy tail; it will undoubtedly be draggled
in the mud, and for this there is no help. Look not behind thee, then, at its unavoidable
degradation; but take courage, ply thy legs with vigor, and scud for the hippodrome!
Remember that thou art Antiochus Epiphanes. Antiochus the Illustrious !-also 'Prince of
Poets,' 'Glory of the East,' 'Delight of the Universe,' and 'Most Remarkable of
Cameleopards!' Heavens! what a power of speed thou art displaying! What a capacity for
leg-bail thou art developing! Run, Prince !-Bravo, Epiphanes! Well done, Cameleopard !-
Glorious Antiochus !-He runs!-he leaps !-he flies! Like an arrow from a catapult he
approaches the hippodrome! He leaps !-he shrieks !-he is there! This is well; for hadst
thou, 'Glory of the East,' been half a second longer in reaching the gates of the
Amphitheatre, there is not a bear's cub in Epidaphne that would not have had a nibble at
thy carcase. Let us be off-let us take our departure !-for we shall find our delicate modem
ears unable to endure the vast uproar which is about to commence in celebration of the
king's escape! Listen! it has already commenced. See!-the whole town is topsy-turvy.

"Surely this is the most populous city of the East! What a wilderness of people! what a
jumble of all ranks and ages! what a multiplicity of sects and nations! what a variety of
costumes! what a Babel of languages! what a screaming of beasts! what a tinkling of
instruments! what a parcel of philosophers!"

Come let us be off.

"Stay a moment! I see a vast hubbub in the hippodrome; what is the meaning of it, I
beseech you?"

That?-oh, nothing! The noble and free citizens of Epidaphne being, as they declare, well
satisfied of the faith, valor, wisdom, and divinity of their king, and having, moreover,
been eye-witnesses of his late superhuman agility, do think it no more than their duty to
invest his brows (in addition to the poetic crown) with the wreath of victory in the
footrace-a wreath which it is evident he must obtain at the celebration of the next
Olympiad, and which, therefore, they now give him in advance.

THE END

HANS PHAALL

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

There is, strictly speaking, but little similarity between this sketchy trifle and the very
celebrated and very beautiful "Moon-story" of Mr. Locke-but as both have the character
of hoaxes, (although one is in the tone of banter, the other of downright earnest) and as
both hoaxes are on the same subject, the moon-the author of "Hans Phaall" thinks it
necessary to say, in self-defence, that his own jeu-d'esprit was published, in the Southern
Literary Messenger, about three weeks previously to the appearance of Mr. L's in the
New York "Sun." Fancying a similarity which does not really exist, some of the New
York papers copied "Hans Phaall," and collated it with the Hoax- with the view of
detecting the writer of the one in the writer of the other.

By late accounts from Rotterdam, that city seems to be in a high state of philosophical
excitement. Indeed, phenomena have there occurred of a nature so completely
unexpected-so entirely novel-so utterly at variance with preconceived opinions-as to
leave no doubt on my mind that long ere this all Europe is in an uproar, all physics in a
ferment, all reason and astronomy together by the ears, date), a vast crowd of people, for
purposes not specifically mentioned, were assembled in the great square of the Exchange
in the well-conditioned city of Rotterdam. The day was warm-unusually so for the
season-there was hardly a breath of air stirring; and the multitude were in no bad humor
at being now and then besprinkled with friendly showers of momentary duration, that fell
from large white masses of cloud which chequered in a fitful manner the blue vault of the
firmament. Nevertheless, about noon, a slight but remarkable agitation became apparent
in the assembly: the clattering of ten thousand tongues succeeded; and, in an instant
afterward, ten thousand faces were upturned toward the heavens, ten thousand pipes
descended simultaneously from the corners of ten thousand mouths, and a shout, which
could be compared to nothing but the roaring of Niagara, resounded long, loudly, and
furiously, through all the environs of Rotterdam.

The origin of this hubbub soon became sufficiently evident. From behind the huge bulk
of one of those sharply-defined masses of cloud already mentioned, was seen slowly to
emerge into an open area of blue space, a queer, heterogeneous, but apparently solid
substance, so oddly shaped, so whimsically put together, as not to be in any manner
comprehended, and never to be sufficiently admired, by the host of sturdy burghers who
stood open-mouthed below. What could it be? In the name of all the vrows and devils in
Rotterdam, what could it possibly portend? No one knew, no one could imagine; no one-
not even the burgomaster Mynheer Superbus Von Underduk-had the slightest clew by
which to unravel the mystery; so, as nothing more reasonable could be done, every one to
a man replaced his pipe carefully in the corner of his mouth, and cocking up his right eye

towards the phenomenon, puffed, paused, waddled about, and grunted significantly- then
waddled back, grunted, paused, and finally-puffed again.

In the meantime, however, lower and still lower toward the goodly city, came the object
of so much curiosity, and the cause of so much smoke. In a very few minutes it arrived
near enough to be accurately discerned. It appeared to be-yes! it was undoubtedly a
species of balloon; but surely no such balloon had ever been seen in Rotterdam before.
For who, let me ask, ever heard of a balloon manufactured entirely of dirty newspapers?
No man in Holland certainly; yet here, under the very noses of the people, or rather at
some distance above their noses was the identical thing in question, and composed, I have
it on the best authority, of the precise material which no one had ever before known to be
used for a similar purpose. It was an egregious insult to the good sense of the burghers of
Rotterdam. As to the shape of the phenomenon, it was even still more reprehensible.
Being little or nothing better than a huge foolscap turned upside down. And this
similitude was regarded as by no means lessened when, upon nearer inspection, there was
perceived a large tassel depending from its apex, and, around the upper rim or base of the
cone, a circle of little instruments, resembling sheep-bells, which kept up a continual
tinkling to the tune of Betty Martin. But still worse. Suspended by blue ribbons to the end
of this fantastic machine, there hung, by way of car, an enormous drab beaver bat, with a
brim superlatively broad, and a hemispherical crown with a black band and a silver
buckle. It is, however, somewhat remarkable that many citizens of Rotterdam swore to
having seen the same hat repeatedly before; and indeed the whole assembly seemed to
regard it with eyes of familiarity; while the vrow Grettel Phaall, upon sight of it, uttered
an exclamation of joyful surprise, and declared it to be the identical hat of her good man
himself. Now this was a circumstance the more to be observed, as Phaall, with three
companions, had actually disappeared from Rotterdam about five years before, in a very
sudden and unaccountable manner, and up to the date of this narrative all attempts had
failed of obtaining any intelligence concerning them whatsoever. To be sure, some bones
which were thought to be human, mixed up with a quantity of odd-looking rubbish, had
been lately discovered in a retired situation to the east of Rotterdam, and some people
went so far as to imagine that in this spot a foul murder had been committed, and that the
sufferers were in all probability Hans Phaall and his associates. But to return.

The balloon (for such no doubt it was) had now descended to within a hundred feet of the
earth, allowing the crowd below a sufficiently distinct view of the person of its occupant.
This was in truth a very droll little somebody. He could not have been more than two feet
in height; but this altitude, little as it was, would have been sufficient to destroy his
equilibrium, and tilt him over the edge of his tiny car, but for the intervention of a
circular rim reaching as high as the breast, and rigged on to the cords of the balloon. The
body of the little man was more than proportionately broad, giving to his entire figure a
rotundity highly absurd. His feet, of course, could not be seen at all, although a horny
substance of suspicious nature was occasionally protruded through a rent in the bottom of
the car, or to speak more properly, in the top of the hat. His hands were enormously large.
His hair was extremely gray, and collected in a cue behind. His nose was prodigiously
long, crooked, and inflammatory; his eyes full, brilliant, and acute; his chin and cheeks,
although wrinkled with age, were broad, puffy, and double; but of ears of any kind or

character there was not a semblance to be discovered upon any portion of his head. This
odd little gentleman was dressed in a loose surtout of sky-blue satin, with tight breeches
to match, fastened with silver buckles at the knees. His vest was of some bright yellow
material; a white taffety cap was set jauntily on one side of his head; and, to complete his
equipment, a blood-red silk handkerchief enveloped his throat, and fell down, in a dainty
manner, upon his bosom, in a fantastic bow-knot of super-eminent dimensions.

Having descended, as I said before, to about one hundred feet from the surface of the
earth, the little old gentleman was suddenly seized with a fit of trepidation, and appeared
disinclined to make any nearer approach to terra firma. Throwing out, therefore, a
quantity of sand from a canvas bag, which, he lifted with great difficulty, he became
stationary in an instant. He then proceeded, in a hurried and agitated manner, to extract
from a side-pocket in his surtout a large morocco pocket-book. This he poised
suspiciously in his hand, then eyed it with an air of extreme surprise, and was evidently
astonished at its weight. He at length opened it, and drawing there from a huge letter
sealed with red sealing-wax and tied carefully with red tape, let it fall precisely at the feet
of the burgomaster, Superbus Von Underduk. His Excellency stooped to take it up. But
the aeronaut, still greatly discomposed, and having apparently no farther business to
detain him in Rotterdam, began at this moment to make busy preparations for departure;
and it being necessary to discharge a portion of ballast to enable him to reascend, the half
dozen bags which he threw out, one after another, without taking the trouble to empty
their contents, tumbled, every one of them, most unfortunately upon the back of the
burgomaster, and rolled him over and over no less than one-and-twenty times, in the face
of every man in Rotterdam. It is not to be supposed, however, that the great Underduk
suffered this impertinence on the part of the little old man to pass off with impunity. It is
said, on the contrary, that during each and every one of his one-and twenty
circumvolutions he emitted no less than one-and-twenty distinct and furious whiffs from
his pipe, to which he held fast the whole time with all his might, and to which he intends
holding fast until the day of his death.

In the meantime the balloon arose like a lark, and, soaring far away above the city, at
length drifted quietly behind a cloud similar to that from which it had so oddly emerged,
and was thus lost forever to the wondering eyes of the good citiezns of Rotterdam. All
attention was now directed to the letter, the descent of which, and the consequences
attending thereupon, had proved so fatally subversive of both person and personal dignity
to his Excellency, the illustrious Burgomaster Mynheer Superbus Von Underduk. That
functionary, however, had not failed, during his circumgyratory movements, to bestow a
thought upon the important subject of securing the packet in question, which was seen,
upon inspection, to have f Allan into the most proper hands, being actually addressed to
himself and Professor Rub-a-dub, in their official capacities of President and Vice-
President of the Rotterdam College of Astronomy. It was accordingly opened by those
dignitaries upon the spot, and found to contain the following extraordinary, and indeed
very serious, communications.

To their Excellencies Von Underduk and Rub-a-dub, President and Vice-President of the
States' College of Astronomers, in the city of Rotterdam.

Your Excellencies may perhaps be able to remember an humble artizan, by name Hans
Phaall, and by occupation a mender of bellows, who, with three others, disappeared from
Rotterdam, about five years ago, in a manner which must have been considered by all
parties at once sudden, and extremely unaccountable. If, however, it so please your
Excellencies, I, the writer of this communication, am the identical Hans Phaall himself. It
is well known to most of my fellow citizens, that for the period of forty years I continued
to occupy the little square brick building, at the head of the alley called Sauerkraut, in
which I resided at the time of my disappearance. My ancestors have also resided therein
time out of mind-they, as well as myself, steadily following the respectable and indeed
lucrative profession of mending of bellows. For, to speak the truth, until of late years, that
the heads of all the people have been set agog with politics, no better business than my
own could an honest citizen of Rotterdam either desire or deserve. Credit was good,
employment was never wanting, and on all hands there was no lack of either money or
good-will. But, as I was saying, we soon began to feel the effects of liberty and long
speeches, and radicalism, and all that sort of thing. People who were formerly, the very
best customers in the world, had now not a moment of time to think of us at all. They
had, so they said, as much as they could do to read about the revolutions, and keep up
with the march of intellect and the spirit of the age. If a fire wanted fanning, it could
readily be fanned with a newspaper, and as the government grew weaker, I have no doubt
that leather and iron acquired durability in proportion, for, in a very short time, there was
not a pair of bellows in all Rotterdam that ever stood in need of a stitch or required the
assistance of a hammer. This was a state of things not to be endured. I soon grew as poor
as a rat, and, having a wife and children to provide for, my burdens at length became
intolerable, and I spent hour after hour in reflecting upon the most convenient method of
putting an end to my life. Duns, in the meantime, left me little leisure for contemplation.
My house was literally besieged from morning till night, so that I began to rave, and
foam, and fret like a caged tiger against the bars of his enclosure. There were three
fellows in particular who worried me beyond endurance, keeping watch continually about
my door, and threatening me with the law. Upon these three I internally vowed the
bitterest revenge, if ever I should be so happy as to get them within my clutches; and I
believe nothing in the world but the pleasure of this anticipation prevented me from
putting my plan of suicide into immediate execution, by blowing my brains out with a
blunderbuss. I thought it best, however, to dissemble my wrath, and to treat them with
promises and fair words, until, by some good turn of fate, an opportunity of vengeance
should be afforded me.

One day, having given my creditors the slip, and feeling more than usually dejected, I
continued for a long time to wander about the most obscure streets without object
whatever, until at length I chanced to stumble against the corner of a bookseller's stall.
Seeing a chair close at hand, for the use of customers, I threw myself doggedly into it,
and, hardly knowing why, opened the pages of the first volume which came within my
reach. It proved to be a small pamphlet treatise on Speculative Astronomy, written either
by Professor Encke of Berlin or by a Frenchman of somewhat similar name. I had some
little tincture of information on matters of this nature, and soon became more and more
absorbed in the contents of the book, reading it actually through twice before I awoke to a
recollection of what was passing around me. By this time it began to grow dark, and I

directed my steps toward home. But the treatise had made an indelible impression on my
mind, and, as I sauntered along the dusky streets, I revolved carefully over in my memory
the wild and sometimes unintelligible reasonings of the writer. There are some particular
passages which affected my imagination in a powerful and extraordinary manner. The
longer I meditated upon these the more intense grew the interest which had been excited
within me. The limited nature of my education in general, and more especially my
ignorance on subjects connected with natural philosophy, so far from rendering me
diffident of my own ability to comprehend what I had read, or inducing me to mistrust
the many vague notions which had arisen in consequence, merely served as a farther
stimulus to imagination; and I was vain enough, or perhaps reasonable enough, to doubt
whether those crude ideas which, arising in ill-regulated minds, have all the appearance,
may not often in effect possess all the force, the reality, and other inherent properties, of
instinct or intuition; whether, to proceed a step farther, profundity itself might not, in
matters of a purely speculative nature, be detected as a legitimate source of falsity and
error. In other words, I believed, and still do believe, that truth, is frequently of its own
essence, superficial, and that, in many cases, the depth lies more in the abysses where we
seek her, than in the actual situations wherein she may be found. Nature herself seemed
to afford me corroboration of these ideas. In the contemplation of the heavenly bodies it
struck me forcibly that I could not distinguish a star with nearly as much precision, when
I gazed on it with earnest, direct and undeviating attention, as when I suffered my eye
only to glance in its vicinity alone. I was not, of course, at that time aware that this
apparent paradox was occasioned by the center of the visual area being less susceptible of
feeble impressions of light than the exterior portions of the retina. This knowledge, and
some of another kind, came afterwards in the course of an eventful five years, during
which I have dropped the prejudices of my former humble situation in life, and forgotten
the bellows-mender in far different occupations. But at the epoch of which I speak, the
analogy which a casual observation of a star offered to the conclusions I had already
drawn, struck me with the force of positive conformation, and I then finally made up my
mind to the course which I afterwards pursued.

It was late when I reached home, and I went immediately to bed. My mind, however, was
too much occupied to sleep, and I lay the whole night buried in meditation. Arising early
in the morning, and contriving again to escape the vigilance of my creditors, I repaired
eagerly to the bookseller's stall, and laid out what little ready money I possessed, in the
purchase of some volumes of Mechanics and Practical Astronomy. Having arrived at
home safely with these, I devoted every spare moment to their perusal, and soon made
such proficiency in studies of this nature as I thought sufficient for the execution of my
plan. In the intervals of this period, I made every endeavor to conciliate the three
creditors who had given me so much annoyance. In this I finally succeeded-partly by
selling enough of my household furniture to satisfy a moiety of their claim, and partly by
a promise of paying the balance upon completion of a little project which I told them I
had in view, and for assistance in which I solicited their services. By these means-for
they were ignorant men-I found little difficulty in gaining them over to my purpose.

Matters being thus arranged, I contrived, by the aid of my wife and with the greatest
secrecy and caution, to dispose of what property I had remaining, and to borrow, in small

sums, under various pretences, and without paying any attention to my future means of
repayment, no inconsiderable quantity of ready money. With the means thus accruing I
proceeded to procure at intervals, cambric muslin, very fine, in pieces of twelve yards
each; twine; a lot of the varnish of caoutchouc; a large and deep basket of wicker-work,
made to order; and several other articles necessary in the construction and equipment of a
balloon of extraordinary dimensions. This I directed my wife to make up as soon as
possible, and gave her all requisite information as to the particular method of proceeding.
In the meantime I worked up the twine into a net- work of sufficient dimensions; rigged it
with a hoop and the necessary cords; bought a quadrant, a compass, a spy-glass, a
common barometer with some important modifications, and two astronomical
instruments not so generally known. I then took opportunities of conveying by night, to a
retired situation east of Rotterdam, five iron-bound casks, to contain about fifty gallons
each, and one of a larger size; six tinned ware tubes, three inches in diameter, properly
shaped, and ten feet in length; a quantity of a particular metallic substance, or semi-metal,
which I shall not name, and a dozen demijohns of a very common acid. The gas to be
formed from these latter materials is a gas never yet generated by any other person than
myself-or at least never applied to any similar purpose. The secret I would make no
difficulty in disclosing, but that it of right belongs to a citizen of Nantz, in France, by
whom it was conditionally communicated to myself. The same individual submitted to
me, without being at all aware of my intentions, a method of constructing balloons from
the membrane of a certain animal, through which substance any escape of gas was nearly
an impossibility. I found it, however, altogether too expensive, and was not sure, upon
the whole, whether cambric muslin with a coating of gum caoutchouc, was not equally as
good. I mention this circumstance, because I think it probable that hereafter the
individual in question may attempt a balloon ascension with the novel gas and material I
have spoken of, and I do not wish to deprive him of the honor of a very singular
invention.

On the spot which I intended each of the smaller casks to occupy respectively during the
inflation of the balloon, I privately dug a hole two feet deep; the holes forming in this
manner a circle twenty-five feet in diameter. In the centre of this circle, being the station
designed for the large cask, I also dug a hole three feet in depth. In each of the five
smaller holes, I deposited a canister containing fifty pounds, and in the larger one a keg
holding one hundred and fifty pounds, of cannon powder. These-the keg and canisters-I
connected in a proper manner with covered trains; and having let into one of the canisters
the end of about four feet of slow match, I covered up the hole, and placed the cask over
it, leaving the other end of the match protruding about an inch, and barely visible beyond
the cask. I then filled up the remaining holes, and placed the barrels over them in their
destined situation.

Besides the articles above enumerated, I conveyed to the depot, and there secreted, one of
M. Grimm's improvements upon the apparatus for condensation of the atmospheric air. I
found this machine, however, to require considerable alteration before it could be adapted
to the purposes to which I intended making it applicable. But, with severe labor and
unremitting perseverance, I at length met with entire success in all my preparations. My
balloon was soon completed. It would contain more than forty thousand cubic feet of gas;

would take me up easily, I calculated, with all my implements, and, if I managed rightly,
with one hundred and seventy-five pounds of ballast into the bargain. It had received
three coats of varnish, and I found the cambric muslin to answer all the purposes of silk
itself, quite as strong and a good deal less expensive.

Everything being now ready, I exacted from my wife an oath of secrecy in relation to all
my actions from the day of my first visit to the bookseller's stall; and promising, on my
part, to return as soon as circumstances would permit, I gave her what little money I had
left, and bade her farewell. Indeed I had no fear on her account. She was what people call
a notable woman, and could manage matters in the world without my assistance. I
believe, to tell the truth, she always looked upon me as an idle boy, a mere make-weight,
good for nothing but building castles in the air, and was rather glad to get rid of me. It
was a dark night when I bade her good-bye, and taking with me, as aides-de-camp, the
three creditors who had given me so much trouble, we carried the balloon, with the car
and accoutrements, by a roundabout way, to the station where the other articles were
deposited. We there found them all unmolested, and I proceeded immediately to business.

It was the first of April. The night, as I said before, was dark; there was not a star to be
seen; and a drizzling rain, falling at intervals, rendered us very uncomfortable. But my
chief anxiety was concerning the balloon, which, in spite of the varnish with which it was
defended, began to grow rather heavy with the moisture; the powder also was liable to
damage. I therefore kept my three duns working with great diligence, pounding down ice
around the central cask, and stirring the acid in the others. They did not cease, however,
importuning me with questions as to what I intended to do with all this apparatus, and
expressed much dissatisfaction at the terrible labor I made them undergo. They could not
perceive, so they said, what good was likely to result from their getting wet to the skin,
merely to take a part in such horrible incantations. I began to get uneasy, and worked
away with all my might, for I verily believe the idiots supposed that I had entered into a
compact with the devil, and that, in short, what I was now doing was nothing better than
it should be. I was, therefore, in great fear of their leaving me altogether. I contrived,
however, to pacify them by promises of payment of all scores in full, as soon as I could
bring the present business to a termination. To these speeches they gave, of course, their
own interpretation; fancying, no doubt, that at all events I should come into possession of
vast quantities of ready money; and provided I paid them all I owed, and a trifle more, in
consideration of their services, I dare say they cared very little what became of either my
soul or my carcass.

In about four hours and a half I found the balloon sufficiently inflated. I attached the car,
therefore, and put all my implements in it-not forgetting the condensing apparatus, a
copious supply of water, and a large quantity of provisions, such as pemmican, in which
much nutriment is contained in comparatively little bulk. I also secured in the car a pair
of pigeons and a cat. It was now nearly daybreak, and I thought it high time to take my
departure. Dropping a lighted cigar on the ground, as if by accident, I took the
opportunity, in stooping to pick it up, of igniting privately the piece of slow match, whose
end, as I said before, protruded a very little beyond the lower rim of one of the smaller
casks. This manoeuvre was totally unperceived on the part of the three duns; and.

jumping into the car, I immediately cut the single cord which held me to the earth, and
was pleased to find that I shot upward, carrying with all ease one hundred and seventy-
five pounds of leaden ballast, and able to have carried up as many more.

Scarcely, however, had I attained the height of fifty yards, when, roaring and rumbling up
after me in the most horrible and tumultuous manner, came so dense a hurricane of fire,
and smoke, and sulphur, and legs and arms, and gravel, and burning wood, and blazing
metal, that my very heart sunk within me, and I fell down in the bottom of the car,
trembling with unmitigated terror. Indeed, I now perceived that I had entirely overdone
the business, and that the main consequences of the shock were yet to be experienced.
Accordingly, in less than a second, I felt all the blood in my body rushing to my temples,
and immediately thereupon, a concussion, which I shall never forget, burst abruptly
through the night and seemed to rip the very firmament asunder. When I afterward had
time for reflection, I did not fail to attribute the extreme violence of the explosion, as
regarded myself, to its proper cause-my situation directly above it, and in the hne of its
greatest power. But at the time, I thought only of preserving my life. The balloon at first
collapsed, then furiously expanded, then whirled round and round with horrible velocity,
and finally, reeling and staggering like a drunken man, hurled me with great force over
the rim of the car, and left me dangling, at a terrific height, with my head downward, and
my face outwards, by a piece of slender cord about three feet in length, which hung
accidentally through a crevice near the bottom of the wicker-work, and in which, as I fell,
my left foot became most providentially entangled. It is impossible-utterly impossible-to
form any adequate idea of the horror of my situation. I gasped convulsively for breath-a
shudder resembling a fit of the ague agitated every nerve and muscle of my frame-I felt
my eyes starting from their sockets-a horrible nausea overwhelmed me-and at length I
fainted away.

How long I remained in this state it is impossible to say. It must, however, have been no
inconsiderable time, for when I partially recovered the sense of existence, I found the day
breaking, the balloon at a prodigious height over a wilderness of ocean, and not a trace of
land to be discovered far and wide within the limits of the vast horizon. My sensations,
however, upon thus recovering, were by no means so rife with agony as might have been
anticipated. Indeed, there was much of incipient madness in the calm survey which I
began to take of my situation. I drew up to my eyes each of my hands, one after the other,
and wondered what occurrence could have given rise to the swelling of the veins, and the
horrible blackness of the fingemails. I afterward carefully examined my head, shaking it
repeatedly, and feeling it with minute attention, until I succeeded in satisfying myself that
it was not, as I had more than half suspected, larger than my balloon. Then, in a knowing
manner, I felt in both my breeches pockets, and, missing therefrom a set of tablets and a
toothpick case, endeavored to account for their disappearance, and not being able to do
so, felt inexpressibly chagrined. It now occurred to me that I suffered great uneasiness in
the joint of my left ankle, and a dim consciousness of my situation began to glimmer
through my mind. But, strange to say! I was neither astonished nor horror-stricken. If I
felt any emotion at all, it was a kind of chuckling satisfaction at the cleverness I was
about to display in extricating myself from this dilemma; and I never, for a moment,
looked upon my ultimate safety as a question susceptible of doubt. For a few minutes I

remained wrapped in the profoundest meditation. I have a distinct recollection of
frequently compressing my lips, putting my forefinger to the side of my nose, and making
use of other gesticulations and grimaces common to men who, at ease in their arm-chairs,
meditate upon matters of intricacy or importance. Having, as I thought, sufficiently
collected my ideas, I now, with great caution and deliberation, put my hands behind my
back, and unfastened the large iron buckle which belonged to the waistband of my
inexpressibles. This buckle had three teeth, which, being somewhat rusty, turned with
great difficulty on their axis. I brought them, however, after some trouble, at right angles
to the body of the buckle, and was glad to find them remain firm in that position. Holding
the instrument thus obtained within my teeth, I now proceeded to untie the knot of my
cravat. I had to rest several times before I could accomplish this manoeuvre, but it was at
length accomplished. To one end of the cravat I then made fast the buckle, and the other
end I tied, for greater security, tightly around my wrist. Drawing now my body upwards,
with a prodigious exertion of muscular force, I succeeded, at the very first trial, in
throwing the buckle over the car, and entangling it, as I had anticipated, in the circular
rim of the wicker-work.

My body was now inclined towards the side of the car, at an angle of about forty-five
degrees; but it must not be understood that I was therefore only forty-five degrees below
the perpendicular. So far from it, I still lay nearly level with the plane of the horizon; for
the change of situation which I had acquired, had forced the bottom of the car
considerably outwards from my position, which was accordingly one of the most
imminent and deadly peril. It should be remembered, however, that when I fell in the first
instance, from the car, if I had f Allan with my face turned toward the balloon, instead of
turned outwardly from it, as it actually was; or if, in the second place, the cord by which I
was suspended had chanced to hang over the upper edge, instead of through a crevice
near the bottom of the car,-I say it may be readily conceived that, in either of these
supposed cases, I should have been unable to accomplish even as much as I had now
accomplished, and the wonderful adventures of Hans Phaall would have been utterly lost
to posterity, I had therefore every reason to be grateful; although, in point of fact, I was
still too stupid to be anything at all, and hung for, perhaps, a quarter of an hour in that
extraordinary manner, without making the slightest farther exertion whatsoever, and in a
singularly tranquil state of idiotic enjoyment. But this feeling did not fail to die rapidly
away, and thereunto succeeded horror, and dismay, and a chilling sense of utter
helplessness and ruin. In fact, the blood so long accumulating in the vessels of my head
and throat, and which had hitherto buoyed up my spirits with madness and delirium, had
now begun to retire within their proper channels, and the distinctness which was thus
added to my perception of the danger, merely served to deprive me of the self-possession
and courage to encounter it. But this weakness was, luckily for me, of no very long
duration. In good time came to my rescue the spirit of despair, and, with frantic cries and
struggles, I jerked my way bodily upwards, till at length, clutching with a vise-like grip
the long-desired rim, I writhed my person over it, and fell headlong and shuddering
within the car.

It was not until some time afterward that I recovered myself sufficiently to attend to the
ordinary cares of the balloon. I then, however, examined it with attention, and found it, to

my great relief, uninjured. My implements were all safe, and, fortunately, I had lost
neither ballast nor provisions. Indeed, I had so well secured them in their places, that such
an accident was entirely out of the question. Looking at my watch, I found it six o'clock. I
was still rapidly ascending, and my barometer gave a present altitude of three and three-
quarter miles. Immediately beneath me in the ocean, lay a small black object, slightly
oblong in shape, seemingly about the size, and in every way bearing a great resemblance
to one of those childish toys called a domino. Bringing my telescope to bear upon it, I
plainly discerned it to be a British ninety four-gun ship, close-hauled, and pitching
heavily in the sea with her head to the W.S.W. Besides this ship, I saw nothing but the
ocean and the sky, and the sun, which had long arisen.

It is now high time that I should explain to your Excellencies the object of my perilous
voyage. Your Excellencies will bear in mind that distressed circumstances in Rotterdam
had at length driven me to the resolution of committing suicide. It was not, however, that
to life itself I had any, positive disgust, but that I was harassed beyond endurance by the
adventitious miseries attending my situation. In this state of mind, wishing to live, yet
wearied with life, the treatise at the stall of the bookseller opened a resource to my
imagination. I then finally made up my mind. I determined to depart, yet live-to leave the
world, yet continue to exist-in short, to drop enigmas, I resolved, let what would ensue,
to force a passage, if I could, to the moon. Now, lest I should be supposed more of a
madman than I actually am, I will detail, as well as I am able, the considerations which
led me to believe that an achievement of this nature, although without doubt difficult, and
incontestably full of danger, was not absolutely, to a bold spirit, beyond the confines of
the possible.

The moon's actual distance from the earth was the first thing to be attended to. Now, the
mean or average interval between the centres of the two planets is 59.9643 of the earth's
equatorial radii, or only about 237,000 miles. I say the mean or average interval. But it
must be borne in mind that the form of the moon's orbit being an ellipse of eccentricity
amounting to no less than 0.05484 of the major semi-axis of the ellipse itself, and the
earth's centre being situated in its focus, if I could, in any manner, contrive to meet the
moon, as it were, in its perigee, the above mentioned distance would be materially
diminished. But, to say nothing at present of this possibility, it was very certain that, at all
events, from the 237,000 miles I would have to deduct the radius of the earth, say 4,000,
and the radius of the moon, say 1080, in all 5,080, leaving an actual interval to be
traversed, under average circumstances, of 231,920 miles. Now this, I reflected, was no
very extraordinary distance. Travelling on land has been repeatedly accomplished at the
rate of thirty miles per hour, and indeed a much greater speed may be anticipated. But
even at this velocity, it would take me no more than 322 days to reach the surface of the
moon. There were, however, many particulars inducing me to believe that my average
rate of travelling might possibly very much exceed that of thirty miles per hour, and, as
these considerations did not fail to make a deep impression upon my mind, I will mention
them more fully hereafter.

The next point to be regarded was a matter of far greater importance. From indications
afforded by the barometer, we find that, in ascensions from the surface of the earth we

have, at the height of 1,000 feet, left below us about one-thirtieth of the entire mass of
atmospheric air, that at 10,600 we have ascended through nearly one-third; and that at
18,000, which is not far from the elevation of Cotopaxi, we have surmounted one-half the
material, or, at all events, one-half the ponderable, body of air incumbent upon our globe.
It is also calculated that at an altitude not exceeding the hundredth part of the earth's
diameter-that is, not exceeding eighty miles-the rarefaction would be so excessive that
animal life could in no manner be sustained, and, moreover, that the most delicate means
we possess of ascertaining the presence of the atmosphere would be inadequate to assure
us of its existence. But I did not fail to perceive that these latter calculations are founded
altogether on our experimental knowledge of the properties of air, and the mechanical
laws regulating its dilation and compression, in what may be called, comparatively
speaking, the immediate vicinity of the earth itself; and, at the same time, it is taken for
granted that animal life is and must be essentially incapable of modification at any given
unattainable distance from the surface. Now, all such reasoning and from such data must,
of course, be simply analogical. The greatest height ever reached by man was that of
25,000 feet, attained in the aeronautic expedition of Messieurs Gay-Lussac and Biot. This
is a moderate altitude, even when compared with the eighty miles in question; and I could
not help thinking that the subject admitted room for doubt and great latitude for
speculation.

But, in point of fact, an ascension being made to any given altitude, the ponderable
quantity of air surmounted in any farther ascension is by no means in proportion to the
additional height ascended (as may be plainly seen from what has been stated before), but
in a ratio constantly decreasing. It is therefore evident that, ascend as high as we may, we
cannot, literally speaking, arrive at a limit beyond which no atmosphere is to be found. It
must exist, I argued; although it may exist in a state of infinite rarefaction.

On the other hand, I was aware that arguments have not been wanting to prove the
existence of a real and definite limit to the atmosphere, beyond which there is absolutely
no air whatsoever. But a circumstance which has been left out of view by those who
contend for such a limit seemed to me, although no positive refutation of their creed, still
a point worthy very serious investigation. On comparing the intervals between the
successive arrivals of Encke's comet at its perihelion, after giving credit, in the most
exact manner, for all the disturbances due to the attractions of the planets, it appears that
the periods are gradually diminishing; that is to say, the major axis of the comet's ellipse
is growing shorter, in a slow but perfectly regular decrease. Now, this is precisely what
ought to be the case, if we suppose a resistance experienced from the comet from an
extremely rare ethereal medium pervading the regions of its orbit. For it is evident that
such a medium must, in retarding the comet's velocity, increase its centripetal, by
weakening its centrifugal force. In other words, the sun's attraction would be constantly
attaining greater power, and the comet would be drawn nearer at every revolution.
Indeed, there is no other way of accounting for the variation in question. But again. The
real diameter of the same comet's nebulosity is observed to contract rapidly as it
approaches the sun, and dilate with equal rapidity in its departure towards its aphelion.
Was I not justifiable in supposing with M. Valz, that this apparent condensation of
volume has its origin in the compression of the same ethereal medium I have spoken of

before, and which is only denser in proportion to its solar vicinity? The lenticular- shaped
phenomenon, also called the zodiacal light, was a matter worthy of attention. This
radiance, so apparent in the tropics, and which cannot be mistaken for any meteoric
lustre, extends from the horizon obliquely upward, and follows generally the direction of
the sun's equator. It appeared to me evidently in the nature of a rare atmosphere extending
from the sun outward, beyond the orbit of Venus at least, and I believed indefinitely
farther.* Indeed, this medium I could not suppose confined to the path of the comet's
ellipse, or to the immediate neighborhood of the sun. It was easy, on the contrary, to
imagine it pervading the entire regions of our planetary system, condensed into what we
call atmosphere at the planets themselves, and perhaps at some of them modified by
considerations, so to speak, purely geological.

*The zodiacal light is probably what the ancients called Trabes. Emicant Trabes quos
docos vocant.-Pliny, lib. 2, p. 26.

Having adopted this view of the subject, I had little further hesitation. Granting that on
my passage I should meet with atmosphere essentially the same as at the surface of the
earth, I conceived that, by means of the very ingenious apparatus of M. Grimm, I should
readily be enabled to condense it in sufficient quantity for the purposes of respiration.
This would remove the chief obstacle in a journey to the moon. I had indeed spent some
money and great labor in adapting the apparatus to the object intended, and confidently
looked forward to its successful application, if I could manage to complete the voyage
within any reasonable period. This brings me back to the rate at which it might be
possible to travel.

It is true that balloons, in the first stage of their ascensions from the earth, are known to
rise with a velocity comparatively moderate. Now, the power of elevation lies altogether
in the superior lightness of the gas in the balloon compared with the atmospheric air; and,
at first sight, it does not appear probable that, as the balloon acquires altitude, and
consequently arrives successively in atmospheric strata of densities rapidly diminishing-I
say, it does not appear at all reasonable that, in this its progress upwards, the original
velocity should be accelerated. On the other hand, I was not aware that, in any recorded
ascension, a diminution was apparent in the absolute rate of ascent; although such should
have been the case, if on account of nothing else, on account of the escape of gas through
balloons ill-constructed, and varnished with no better material than the ordinary varnish.
It seemed, therefore, that the effect of such escape was only sufficient to counterbalance
the effect of some accelerating power. I now considered that, provided in my passage I
found the medium I had imagined, and provided that it should prove to be actually and
essentially what we denominate atmospheric air, it could make comparatively little
difference at what extreme state of rarefaction I should discover it-that is to say, in regard
to my power of ascending-for the gas in the balloon would not only be itself subject to
rarefaction partially similar (in proportion to the occurrence of which, I could suffer an
escape of so much as would be requisite to prevent explosion), but, being what it was,
would, at all events, continue specifically lighter than any compound whatever of mere
nitrogen and oxygen. In the meantime, the force of gravitation would be constantly
diminishing, in proportion to the squares of the distances, and thus, with a velocity

prodigiously accelerating, I should at length arrive in those distant regions where the
force of the earth's attraction would be superseded by that of the moon. In accordance
with these ideas, I did not think it worth while to encumber myself with more provisions
than would be sufficient for a period of forty days.

There was still, however, another difficulty, which occasioned me some little disquietude.
It has been observed, that, in balloon ascensions to any considerable height, besides the
pain attending respiration, great uneasiness is experienced about the head and body, often
accompanied with bleeding at the nose, and other symptoms of an alarming kind, and
growing more and more inconvenient in proportion to the altitude attained.* This was a
reflection of a nature somewhat startling. Was it not probable that these symptoms would
increase indefinitely, or at least until terminated by death itself? I finally thought not.
Their origin was to be looked for in the progressive removal of the customary
atmospheric pressure upon the surface of the body, and consequent distention of the
superficial blood- vessels-not in any positive disorganization of the animal system, as in
the case of difficulty in breathing, where the atmospheric density is chemically
insufficient for the due renovation of blood in a ventricle of the heart. Unless for default
of this renovation, I could see no reason, therefore, why life could not be sustained even
in a vacuum; for the expansion and compression of chest, commonly called breathing, is
action purely muscular, and the cause, not the effect, of respiration. In a word, I
conceived that, as the body should become habituated to the want of atmospheric
pressure, the sensations of pain would gradually diminish-and to endure them while they
continued, I relied with confidence upon the iron hardihood of my constitution.

* Since the original publication of Hans Phaall, I find that Mr. Green, of Nassau balloon
notoriety, and other late aeronauts, deny the assertions of Humboldt, in this respect, and
speak of a decreasing inconvenience,-precisely in accordance with the theory here urged
in a mere spirit of banter.

Thus, may it please your Excellencies, I have detailed some, though by no means all, the
considerations which led me to form the project of a lunar voyage. I shall now proceed to
lay before you the result of an attempt so apparently audacious in conception, and, at all
events, so utterly unparalleled in the annals of mankind.

Having attained the altitude before mentioned, that is to say three miles and three-
quarters, I threw out from the car a quantity of feathers, and found that I still ascended
with sufficient rapidity; there was, therefore, no necessity for discharging any ballast. I
was glad of this, for I wished to retain with me as much weight as I could carry, for
reasons which will be explained in the sequel. I as yet suffered no bodily inconvenience,
breathing with great freedom, and feeling no pain whatever in the head. The cat was lying
very demurely upon my coat, which I had taken off, and eyeing the pigeons with an air of
nonchalance. These latter being tied by the leg, to prevent their escape, were busily
employed in picking up some grains of rice scattered for them in the bottom of the car.

At twenty minutes past six o'clock, the barometer showed an elevation of 26,400 feet, or
five miles to a fraction. The prospect seemed unbounded. Indeed, it is very easily

calculated by means of spherical geometry, what a great extent of the earth's area I
beheld. The convex surface of any segment of a sphere is, to the entire surface of the
sphere itself, as the versed sine of the segment to the diameter of the sphere. Now, in my
case, the versed sine-that is to say, the thickness of the segment beneath me-was about
equal to my elevation, or the elevation of the point of sight above the surface. "As five
miles, then, to eight thousand," would express the proportion of the earth's area seen by
me. In other words, I beheld as much as a sixteen-hundredth part of the whole surface of
the globe. The sea appeared unruffled as a mirror, although, by means of the spy-glass, I
could perceive it to be in a state of violent agitation. The ship was no longer visible,
having drifted away, apparently to the eastward. I now began to experience, at intervals,
severe pain in the head, especially about the ears-still, however, breathing with tolerable
freedom. The cat and pigeons seemed to suffer no inconvenience whatsoever.

At twenty minutes before seven, the balloon entered a long series of dense cloud, which
put me to great trouble, by damaging my condensing apparatus and wetting me to the
skin. This was, to be sure, a singular recontre, for I had not believed it possible that a
cloud of this nature could be sustained at so great an elevation. I thought it best, however,
to throw out two five-pound pieces of ballast, reserving still a weight of one hundred and
sixty-five pounds. Upon so doing, I soon rose above the difficulty, and perceived
immediately, that I had obtained a great increase in my rate of ascent. In a few seconds
after my leaving the cloud, a flash of vivid lightning shot from one end of it to the other,
and caused it to kindle up, throughout its vast extent, like a mass of ignited and glowing
charcoal. This, it must be remembered, was in the broad light of day. No fancy may
picture the sublimity which might have been exhibited by a similar phenomenon taking
place amid the darkness of the night. Hell itself might have been found a fitting image.
Even as it was, my hair stood on end, while I gazed afar down within the yawning
abysses, letting imagination descend, as it were, and stalk about in the strange vaulted
halls, and ruddy gulfs, and red ghastly chasms of the hideous and unfathomable fire. I had
indeed made a narrow escape. Had the balloon remained a very short while longer within
the cloud-that is to say-had not the inconvenience of getting wet, determined me to
discharge the ballast, inevitable ruin would have been the consequence. Such perils,
although little considered, are perhaps the greatest which must be encountered in
balloons. I had by this time, however, attained too great an elevation to be any longer
uneasy on this head.

I was now rising rapidly, and by seven o'clock the barometer indicated an altitude of no
less than nine miles and a half. I began to find great difficulty in drawing my breath. My
head, too, was excessively painful; and, having felt for some time a moisture about my
cheeks, I at length discovered it to be blood, which was oozing quite fast from the drums
of my ears. My eyes, also, gave me great uneasiness. Upon passing the hand over them
they seemed to have protruded from their sockets in no inconsiderable degree; and all
objects in the car, and even the balloon itself, appeared distorted to my vision. These
symptoms were more than I had expected, and occasioned me some alarm. At this
juncture, very imprudently, and without consideration, I threw out from the car three five-
pound pieces of ballast. The accelerated rate of ascent thus obtained, carried me too
rapidly, and without sufficient gradation, into a highly rarefied stratum of the atmosphere.

and the result had nearly proved fatal to my expedition and to myself. I was suddenly
seized with a spasm which lasted for more than five minutes, and even when this, in a
measure, ceased, I could catch my breath only at long intervals, and in a gasping manner-
bleeding all the while copiously at the nose and ears, and even slightly at the eyes. The
pigeons appeared distressed in the extreme, and struggled to escape; while the cat mewed
piteously, and, with her tongue hanging out of her mouth, staggered to and fro in the car
as if under the influence of poison. I now too late discovered the great rashness of which I
had been guilty in discharging the ballast, and my agitation was excessive. I anticipated
nothing less than death, and death in a few minutes. The physical suffering I underwent
contributed also to render me nearly incapable of making any exertion for the
preservation of my life. I had, indeed, little power of reflection left, and the violence of
the pain in my head seemed to be greatly on the increase. Thus I found that my senses
would shortly give way altogether, and I had already clutched one of the valve ropes with
the view of attempting a descent, when the recollection of the trick I had played the three
creditors, and the possible consequences to myself, should I return, operated to deter me
for the moment. I lay down in the bottom of the car, and endeavored to collect my
faculties. In this I so far succeeded as to determine upon the experiment of losing blood.
Having no lancet, however, I was constrained to perform the operation in the best manner
I was able, and finally succeeded in opening a vein in my right arm, with the blade of my
penknife. The blood had hardly commenced flowing when I experienced a sensible relief,
and by the time I had lost about half a moderate basin full, most of the worst symptoms
had abandoned me entirely. I nevertheless did not think it expedient to attempt getting on
my feet immediately; but, having tied up my arm as well as I could, I lay still for about a
quarter of an hour. At the end of this time I arose, and found myself freer from absolute
pain of any kind than I had been during the last hour and a quarter of my ascension. The
difficulty of breathing, however, was diminished in a very slight degree, and I found that
it would soon be positively necessary to make use of my condenser. In the meantime,
looking toward the cat, who was again snugly stowed away upon my coat, I discovered to
my infinite surprise, that she had taken the opportunity of my indisposition to bring into
light a litter of three little kittens. This was an addition to the number of passengers on
my part altogether unexpected; but I was pleased at the occurrence. It would afford me a
chance of bringing to a kind of test the truth of a surmise, which, more than anything else,
had influenced me in attempting this ascension. I had imagined that the habitual
endurance of the atmospheric pressure at the surface of the earth was the cause, or nearly
so, of the pain attending animal existence at a distance above the surface. Should the
kittens be found to suffer uneasiness in an equal degree with their mother, I must consider
my theory in fault, but a failure to do so I should look upon as a strong confirmation of
my idea.

By eight o'clock I had actually attained an elevation of seventeen miles above the surface
of the earth. Thus it seemed to me evident that my rate of ascent was not only on the
increase, but that the progression would have been apparent in a slight degree even had I
not discharged the ballast which I did. The pains in my head and ears returned, at
intervals, with violence, and I still continued to bleed occasionally at the nose; but, upon
the whole, I suffered much less than might have been expected. I breathed, however, at
every moment, with more and more difficulty, and each inhalation was attended with a

troublesome spasmodic action of the chest. I now unpacked the condensing apparatus,
and got it ready for immediate use.

The view of the earth, at this period of my ascension, was beautiful indeed. To the
westward, the northward, and the southward, as far as I could see, lay a boundless sheet
of apparently unruffled ocean, which every moment gained a deeper and a deeper tint of
blue and began already to assume a slight appearance of convexity. At a vast distance to
the eastward, although perfectly discernible, extended the islands of Great Britain, the
entire Atlantic coasts of France and Spain, with a small portion of the northern part of the
continent of Africa. Of individual edifices not a trace could be discovered, and the
proudest cities of mankind had utterly faded away from the face of the earth. From the
rock of Gibraltar, now dwindled into a dim speck, the dark Mediterranean sea, dotted
with shining islands as the heaven is dotted with stars, spread itself out to the eastward as
far as my vision extended, until its entire mass of waters seemed at length to tumble
headlong over the abyss of the horizon, and I found myself listening on tiptoe for the
echoes of the mighty cataract. Overhead, the sky was of a jetty black, and the stars were
brilliantly visible.

The pigeons about this time seeming to undergo much suffering, I determined upon
giving them their liberty. I first untied one of them, a beautiful gray-mottled pigeon, and
placed him upon the rim of the wicker-work. He appeared extremely uneasy, looking
anxiously around him, fluttering his wings, and making a loud cooing noise, but could
not be persuaded to trust himself from off the car. I took him up at last, and threw him to
about half a dozen yards from the balloon. He made, however, no attempt to descend as I
had expected, but struggled with great vehemence to get back, uttering at the same time
very shrill and piercing cries. He at length succeeded in regaining his former station on
the rim, but had hardly done so when his head dropped upon his breast, and be fell dead
within the car. The other one did not prove so unfortunate. To prevent his following the
example of his companion, and accomplishing a return, I threw him downward with all
my force, and was pleased to find him continue his descent, with great velocity, making
use of his wings with ease, and in a perfectly natural manner. In a very short time he was
out of sight, and I have no doubt he reached home in safety. Puss, who seemed in a great
measure recovered from her illness, now made a hearty meal of the dead bird and then
went to sleep with much apparent satisfaction. Her kittens were quite lively, and so far
evinced not the slightest sign of any uneasiness whatever.

At a quarter-past eight, being no longer able to draw breath without the most intolerable
pain, I proceeded forthwith to adjust around the car the apparatus belonging to the
condenser. This apparatus will require some little explanation, and your Excellencies will
please to bear in mind that my object, in the first place, was to surround myself and cat
entirely with a barricade against the highly rarefied atmosphere in which I was existing,
with the intention of introducing within this barricade, by means of my condenser, a
quantity of this same atmosphere sufficiently condensed for the purposes of respiration.
With this object in view I had prepared a very strong perfectly air-tight, but flexible gum-
elastic bag. In this bag, which was of sufficient dimensions, the entire car was in a
manner placed. That is to say, it (the bag) was drawn over the whole bottom of the car, up

its sides, and so on, along the outside of the ropes, to the upper rim or hoop where the
net-work is attached. Having pulled the bag up in this way, and formed a complete
enclosure on all sides, and at botttom, it was now necessary to fasten up its top or mouth,
by passing its material over the hoop of the net- work-in other words, between the net-
work and the hoop. But if the net- work were separated from the hoop to admit this
passage, what was to sustain the car in the meantime? Now the net- work was not
permanently fastened to the hoop, but attached by a series of running loops or nooses. I
therefore undid only a few of these loops at one time, leaving the car suspended by the
remainder. Having thus inserted a portion of the cloth forming the upper part of the bag, I
refastened the loops-not to the hoop, for that would have been impossible, since the cloth
now intervened-but to a series of large buttons, affixed to the cloth itself, about three feet
below the mouth of the bag, the intervals between the buttons having been made to
correspond to the intervals between the loops. This done, a few more of the loops were
unfastened from the rim, a farther portion of the cloth introduced, and the disengaged
loops then connected with their proper buttons. In this way it was possible to insert the
whole upper part of the bag between the net- work and the hoop. It is evident that the
hoop would now drop down within the car, while the whole weight of the car itself, with
all its contents, would be held up merely by the strength of the buttons. This, at first sight,
would seem an inadequate dependence; but it was by no means so, for the buttons were
not only very strong in themselves, but so close together that a very slight portion of the
whole weight was supported by any one of them. Indeed, had the car and contents been
three times heavier than they were, I should not have been at all uneasy. I now raised up
the hoop again within the covering of gum-elastic, and propped it at nearly its former
height by means of three light poles prepared for the occasion. This was done, of course,
to keep the bag distended at the top, and to preserve the lower part of the net-work in its
proper situation. All that now remained was to fasten up the mouth of the enclosure; and
this was readily accomplished by gathering the folds of the material together, and
twisting them up very tightly on the inside by means of a kind of stationary tourniquet.

In the sides of the covering thus adjusted round the car, had been inserted three circular
panes of thick but clear glass, through which I could see without difficulty around me in
every horizontal direction. In that portion of the cloth forming the bottom, was likewise, a
fourth window, of the same kind, and corresponding with a small aperture in the floor of
the car itself. This enabled me to see perpendicularly down, but having found it
impossible to place any similar contrivance overhead, on account of the peculiar manner
of closing up the opening there, and the consequent wrinkles in the cloth, I could expect
to see no objects situated directly in my zenith. This, of course, was a matter of little
consequence; for had I even been able to place a window at top, the balloon itself would
have prevented my making any use of it.

About a foot below one of the side windows was a circular opening, eight inches in
diameter, and fitted with a brass rim adapted in its inner edge to the windings of a screw.
In this rim was screwed the large tube of the condenser, the body of the machine being,
of course, within the chamber of gum-elastic. Through this tube a quantity of the rare
atmosphere circumjacent being drawn by means of a vacuum created in the body of the
machine, was thence discharged, in a state of condensation, to mingle with the thin air

already in the chamber. This operation being repeated several times, at length filled the
chamber with atmosphere proper for all the purposes of respiration. But in so confined a
space it would, in a short time, necessarily become foul, and unfit for use from frequent
contact with the lungs. It was then ejected by a small valve at the bottom of the car-the
dense air readily sinking into the thinner atmosphere below. To avoid the inconvenience
of making a total vacuum at any moment within the chamber, this purification was never
accomplished all at once, but in a gradual manner-the valve being opened only for a few
seconds, then closed again, until one or two strokes from the pump of the condenser had
supplied the place of the atmosphere ejected. For the sake of experiment I had put the cat
and kittens in a small basket, and suspended it outside the car to a button at the bottom,
close by the valve, through which I could feed them at any moment when necessary. I did
this at some little risk, and before closing the mouth of the chamber, by reaching under
the car with one of the poles before mentioned to which a hook had been attached.

By the time I had fully completed these arrangements and filled the chamber as
explained, it wanted only ten minutes of nine o'clock. During the whole period of my
being thus employed, I endured the most terrible distress from difficulty of respiration,
and bitterly did I repent the negligence or rather fool-hardiness, of which I had been
guilty, of putting off to the last moment a matter of so much importance. But having at
length accomplished it, I soon began to reap the benefit of my invention. Once again I
breathed with perfect freedom and ease-and indeed why should I not? I was also
agreeably surprised to find myself, in a great measure, relieved from the violent pains
which had hitherto tormented me. A slight headache, accompanied with a sensation of
fulness or distention about the wrists, the ankles, and the throat, was nearly all of which I
had now to complain. Thus it seemed evident that a greater part of the uneasiness
attending the removal of atmospheric pressure had actually worn off, as I had expected,
and that much of the pain endured for the last two hours should have been attributed
altogether to the effects of a deficient respiration.

At twenty minutes before nine o'clock-that is to say, a short time prior to my closing up
the mouth of the chamber, the mercury attained its limit, or ran down, in the barometer,
which, as I mentioned before, was one of an extended construction. It then indicated an
altitude on my part of 132,000 feet, or five-and-twenty miles, and I consequently
surveyed at that time an extent of the earth's area amounting to no less than the three
hundred-and-twentieth part of its entire superficies. At nine o'clock I had again lost sight
of land to the eastward, but not before I became aware that the balloon was drifting
rapidly to the N. N. W. The convexity of the ocean beneath me was very evident indeed,
although my view was often interrupted by the masses of cloud which floated to and fro.
I observed now that even the lightest vapors never rose to more than ten miles above the
level of the sea.

At half past nine I tried the experiment of throwing out a handful of feathers through the
valve. They did not float as I had expected; but dropped down perpendicularly, like a
bullet, en masse, and with the greatest velocity-being out of sight in a very few seconds. I
did not at first know what to make of this extraordinary phenomenon; not being able to
believe that my rate of ascent had, of a sudden, met with so prodigious an acceleration.

But it soon occurred to me that the atmosphere was now far too rare to sustain even the
feathers; that they actually fell, as they appeared to do, with great rapidity; and that I had
been surprised by the united velocities of their descent and my own elevation.

By ten o'clock I found that I had very little to occupy my immediate attention. Affairs
went swimmingly, and I believed the balloon to be going upward witb a speed increasing
momently although I had no longer any means of ascertaining the progression of the
increase. I suffered no pain or uneasiness of any kind, and enjoyed better spirits than I
had at any period since my departure from Rotterdam, busying myself now in examining
the state of my various apparatus, and now in regenerating the atmosphere within the
chamber. This latter point I determined to attend to at regular intervals of forty minutes,
more on account of the preservation of my health, than from so frequent a renovation
being absolutely necessary. In the meanwhile I could not help making anticipations.
Fancy revelled in the wild and dreamy regions of the moon. Imagination, feeling herself
for once unshackled, roamed at will among the ever-changing wonders of a shadowy and
unstable land. Now there were boary and time-honored forests, and craggy precipices,
and waterfalls tumbling with a loud noise into abysses without a bottom. Then I came
suddenly into still noonday solitudes, where no wind of heaven ever intruded, and where
vast meadows of poppies, and slender, lily- looking flowers spread themselves out a
weary distance, all silent and motionless forever. Then again I journeyed far down away
into another country where it was all one dim and vague lake, with a boundary line of
clouds. And out of this melancholy water arose a forest of tall eastern trees, like a
wilderness of dreams. And I have in mind that the shadows of the trees which fell upon
the lake remained not on the surface where they fell, but sunk slowly and steadily down,
and commingled with the waves, while from the trunks of the trees other shadows were
continually coming out, and taking the place of their brothers thus entombed. "This then,"
I said thoughtfully, "is the very reason why the waters of this lake grow blacker with age,
and more melancholy as the hours run on." But fancies such as these were not the sole
possessors of my brain. Horrors of a nature most stern and most appalling would too
frequently obtrude themselves upon my mind, and shake the innermost depths of my soul
with the bare supposition of their possibility. Yet I would not suffer my thoughts for any
length of time to dwell upon these latter speculations, rightly judging the real and
palpable dangers of the voyage sufficient for my undivided attention.

At five o'clock, p.m., being engaged in regenerating the atmosphere within the chamber, I
took that opportunity of observing the cat and kittens through the valve. The cat herself
appeared to suffer again very much, and I had no hesitation in attributing her uneasiness
chiefly to a difficulty in breathing; but my experiment with the kittens had resulted very
strangely. I had expected, of course, to see them betray a sense of pain, although in a less
degree than their mother, and this would have been sufficient to confirm my opinion
concerning the habitual endurance of atmospheric pressure. But I was not prepared to
find them, upon close examination, evidently enjoying a high degree of health, breathing
with the greatest ease and perfect regularity, and evincing not the slightest sign of any
uneasiness whatever. I could only account for all this by extending my theory, and
supposing that the highly rarefied atmosphere around might perhaps not be, as I had
taken for granted, chemically insufficient for the purposes of life, and that a person born

in such a medium might, possibly, be unaware of any inconvenience attending its
inhalation, while, upon removal to the denser strata near the earth, he might endure
tortures of a similar nature to those I had so lately experienced. It has since been to me a
matter of deep regret that an awkward accident, at this time, occasioned me the loss of
my little family of cats, and deprived me of the insight into this matter which a continued
experiment might have afforded. In passing my hand through the valve, with a cup of
water for the old puss, the sleeves of my shirt became entangled in the loop which
sustained the basket, and thus, in a moment, loosened it from the bottom. Had the whole
actually vanished into air, it could not have shot from my sight in a more abrupt and
instantaneous manner. Positively, there could not have intervened the tenth part of a
second between the disengagement of the basket and its absolute and total disappearance
with all that it contained. My good wishes followed it to the earth, but of course, I had no
hope that either cat or kittens would ever live to tell the tale of their misfortune.

At six o'clock, I perceived a great portion of the earth's visible area to the eastward
involved in thick shadow, which continued to advance with great rapidity, until, at five
minutes before seven, the whole surface in view was enveloped in the darkness of night.
It was not, however, until long after this time that the rays of the setting sun ceased to
illumine the balloon; and this circumstance, although of course fully anticipated, did not
fail to give me an infinite deal of pleasure. It was evident that, in the morning, I should
behold the rising luminary many hours at least before the citizens of Rotterdam, in spite
of their situation so much farther to the eastward, and thus, day after day, in proportion to
the height ascended, would I enjoy the light of the sun for a longer and a longer period. I
now determined to keep a journal of my passage, reckoning the days from one to twenty-
four hours continuously, without taking into consideration the intervals of darkness.

At ten o'clock, feeling sleepy, I determined to lie down for the rest of the night; but here a
difficulty presented itself, which, obvious as it may appear, had escaped my attention up
to the very moment of which I am now speaking. If I went to sleep as I proposed, how
could the atmosphere in the chamber be regenerated in the interim? To breathe it for
more than an hour, at the farthest, would be a matter of impossibility, or, if even this term
could be extended to an hour and a quarter, the most ruinous consequences might ensue.
The consideration of this dilemma gave me no little disquietude; and it will hardly be
believed, that, after the dangers I had undergone, I should look upon this business in so
serious a light, as to give up all hope of accomplishing my ultimate design, and finally
make up my mind to the necessity of a descent. But this hesitation was only momentary. I
reflected that man is the veriest slave of custom, and that many points in the routine of his
existence are deemed essentially important, which are only so at all by his having
rendered them habitual. It was very certain that I could not do without sleep; but I might
easily bring myself to feel no inconvenience from being awakened at intervals of an hour
during the whole period of my repose. It would require but five minutes at most to
regenerate the atmosphere in the fullest manner, and the only real difficulty was to
contrive a method of arousing myself at the proper moment for so doing. But this was a
question which, I am willing to confess, occasioned me no little trouble in its solution. To
be sure, I had heard of the student who, to prevent his falling asleep over his books, held
in one hand a ball of copper, the din of whose descent into a basin of the same metal on

the floor beside his chair, served effectually to startle him up, if, at any moment, he
should be overcome with drowsiness. My own case, however, was very different indeed,
and left me no room for any similar idea; for I did not wish to keep awake, but to be
aroused from slumber at regular intervals of time. I at length hit upon the following
expedient, which, simple as it may seem, was hailed by me, at the moment of discovery,
as an invention fully equal to that of the telescope, the steam-engine, or the art of printing
itself.

It is necessary to premise, that the balloon, at the elevation now attained, continued its
course upward with an even and undeviating ascent, and the car consequently followed
with a steadiness so perfect that it would have been impossible to detect in it the slightest
vacillation whatever. This circumstance favored me greatly in the project I now
determined to adopt. My supply of water had been put on board in kegs containing five
gallons each, and ranged very securely around the interior of the car. I unfastened one of
these, and taking two ropes tied them tightly across the rim of the wicker-work from one
side to the other; placing them about a foot apart and parallel so as to form a kind of
shelf, upon which I placed the keg, and steadied it in a horizontal position. About eight
inches immediately below these ropes, and four feet from the bottom of the car I fastened
another shelf-but made of thin plank, being the only similar piece of wood I had. Upon
this latter shelf, and exactly beneath one of the rims of the keg, a small earthem pitcher
was deposited. I now bored a hole in the end of the keg over the pitcher, and fitted in a
plug of soft wood, cut in a tapering or conical shape. This plug I pushed in or pulled out,
as might happen, until, after a few experiments, it arrived at that exact degree of
tightness, at which the water, oozing from the hole, and falling into the pitcher below,
would fill the latter to the brim in the period of sixty minutes. This, of course, was a
matter briefly and easily ascertained, by noticing the proportion of the pitcher filled in
any given time. Having arranged all this, the rest of the plan is obvious. My bed was so
contrived upon the floor of the car, as to bring my head, in lying down, immediately
below the mouth of the pitcher. It was evident, that, at the expiration of an hour, the
pitcher, getting full, would be forced to run over, and to run over at the mouth, which was
somewhat lower than the rim. It was also evident, that the water thus falling from a height
of more than four feet, could not do otherwise than fall upon my face, and that the sure
consequences would be, to waken me up instantaneously, even from the soundest
slumber in the world.

It was fully eleven by the time I had completed these arrangements, and I immediately
betook myself to bed, with full confidence in the efficiency of my invention. Nor in this
matter was I disappointed. Punctually every sixty minutes was I aroused by my trusty
chronometer, when, having emptied the pitcher into the bung-hole of the keg, and
performed the duties of the condenser, I retired again to bed. These regular interruptions
to my slumber caused me even less discomfort than I had anticipated; and when I finally
arose for the day, it was seven o'clock, and the sun had attained many degrees above the
line of my horizon.

April 3d. I found the balloon at an immense height indeed, and the earth's apparent
convexity increased in a material degree. Below me in the ocean lay a cluster of black

specks, which undoubtedly were islands. Far away to the northward I perceived a thin,
white, and exceedingly brilliant line, or streak, on the edge of the horizon, and I had no
hesitation in supposing it to be the southern disk of the ices of the Polar Sea. My curiosity
was greatly excited, for I had hopes of passing on much farther to the north, and might
possibly, at some period, find myself placed directly above the Pole itself. I now
lamented that my great elevation would, in this case, prevent my taking as accurate a
survey as I could wish. Much, however, might be ascertained. Nothing else of an
extraordinary nature occurred during the day. My apparatus all continued in good order,
and the balloon still ascended without any perceptible vacillation. The cold was intense,
and obliged me to wrap up closely in an overcoat. When darkness came over the earth, I
betook myself to bed, although it was for many hours afterward broad daylight all around
my immediate situation. The water-clock was punctual in its duty, and I slept until next
morning soundly, with the exception of the periodical interruption.

April 4th. Arose in good health and spirits, and was astonished at the singular change
which had taken place in the appearance of the sea. It had lost, in a great measure, the
deep tint of blue it had hitherto worn, being now of a grayish- white, and of a lustre
dazzling to the eye. The islands were no longer visible; whether they had passed down
the horizon to the southeast, or whether my increasing elevation had left them out of
sight, it is impossible to say. I was inclined, however, to the latter opinion. The rim of ice
to the northward was growing more and more apparent. Cold by no means so intense.
Nothing of importance occurred, and I passed the day in reading, having taken care to
supply myself with books.

April 5th. Beheld the singular phenomenon of the sun rising while nearly the whole
visible surface of the earth continued to be involved in darkness. In time, however, the
light spread itself over all, and I again saw the line of ice to the northward. It was now
very distinct, and appeared of a much darker hue than the waters of the ocean. I was
evidently approaching it, and with great rapidity. Fancied I could again distinguish a strip
of land to the eastward, and one also to the westward, but could not be certain. Weather
moderate. Nothing of any consequence happened during the day. Went early to bed.

April 6th. Was surprised at finding the rim of ice at a very moderate distance, and an
immense field of the same material stretching away off to the horizon in the north. It was
evident that if the balloon held its present course, it would soon arrive above the Frozen
Ocean, and I had now little doubt of ultimately seeing the Pole. During the whole of the
day I continued to near the ice. Toward night the limits of my horizon very suddenly and
materially increased, owing undoubtedly to the earth's form being that of an oblate
spheroid, and my arriving above the flattened regions in the vicinity of the Arctic circle.
When darkness at length overtook me, I went to bed in great anxiety, fearing to pass over
the object of so much curiosity when I should have no opportunity of observing it.

April 7th. Arose early, and, to my great joy, at length beheld what there could be no
hesitation in supposing the northern Pole itself. It was there, beyond a doubt, and
immediately beneath my feet; but, alas! I had now ascended to so vast a distance, that
nothing could with accuracy be discerned. Indeed, to judge from the progression of the

numbers indicating my various altitudes, respectively, at different periods, between six
A.M. on the second of April, and twenty minutes before nine A.M. of the same day (at
which time the barometer ran down), it might be fairly inferred that the balloon had now,
at four o'clock in the morning of April the seventh, reached a height of not less, certainly,
than 7,254 miles above the surface of the sea. This elevation may appear immense, but
the estimate upon which it is calculated gave a result in all probability far inferior to the
truth. At all events I undoubtedly beheld the whole of the earth's major diameter; the
entire northern hemisphere lay beneath me like a chart orthographically projected: and
the great circle of the equator itself formed the boundary line of my horizon. Your
Excellencies may, however, readily imagine that the confined regions hitherto unexplored
within the limits of the Arctic circle, although situated directly beneath me, and therefore
seen without any appearance of being foreshortened, were still, in themselves,
comparatively too diminutive, and at too great a distance from the point of sight, to admit
of any very accurate examination. Nevertheless, what could be seen was of a nature
singular and exciting. Northwardly from that huge rim before mentioned, and which, with
slight qualification, may be called the limit of human discovery in these regions, one
unbroken, or nearly unbroken, sheet of ice continues to extend. In the first few degrees of
this its progress, its surface is very sensibly flattened, farther on depressed into a plane,
and finally, becoming not a little concave, it terminates, at the Pole itself, in a circular
centre, sharply defined, wbose apparent diameter subtended at the balloon an angle of
about sixty-five seconds, and whose dusky hue, varying in intensity, was, at all times,
darker than any other spot upon the visible hemisphere, and occasionally deepened into
the most absolute and impenetrable blackness. Farther than this, little could be
ascertained. By twelve o'clock the circular centre had materially decreased in
circumference, and by seven P.M. I lost sight of it entirely; the balloon passing over the
western limb of the ice, and floating away rapidly in the direction of the equator.

April 8th. Found a sensible diminution in the earth's apparent diameter, besides a material
alteration in its general color and appearance. The whole visible area partook in different
degrees of a tint of pale yellow, and in some portions had acquired a brilliancy even
painful to the eye. My view downward was also considerably impeded by the dense
atmosphere in the vicinity of the surface being loaded with clouds, between whose
masses I could only now and then obtain a glimpse of the earth itself. This difficulty of
direct vision had troubled me more or less for the last forty-eight hours; but my present
enormous elevation brought closer together, as it were, the floating bodies of vapor, and
the inconvenience became, of course, more and more palpable in proportion to my ascent.
Nevertheless, I could easily perceive that the balloon now hovered above the range of
great lakes in the continent of North America, and was holding a course, due south,
which would bring me to the tropics. This circumstance did not fail to give me the most
heartful satisfaction, and I hailed it as a happy omen of ultimate success. Indeed, the
direction I had hitherto taken, had filled me with uneasiness; for it was evident that, had I
continued it much longer, there would have been no possibility of my arriving at the
moon at all, whose orbit is inclined to the ecliptic at only the small angle of 5 degrees 8'
48".

April 9th. To-day the earth's diameter was greatly diminished, and the color of the
surface assumed hourly a deeper tint of yellow. The balloon kept steadily on her course to
the southward, and arrived, at nine P.M., over the northern edge of the Mexican Gulf.

April 10th. I was suddenly aroused from slumber, about five o'clock this morning, by a
loud, crackling, and terrific sound, for which I could in no manner account. It was of very
brief duration, but, while it lasted resembled nothing in the world of which I had any
previous experience. It is needless to say that I became excessively alarmed, having, in
the first instance, attributed the noise to the bursting of the balloon. I examined all my
apparatus, however, with great attention, and could discover nothing out of order. Spent a
great part of the day in meditating upon an occurrence so extraordinary, but could find no
means whatever of accounting for it. Went to bed dissatisfied, and in a state of great
anxiety and agitation.

April 1 1th. Found a startling diminution in the apparent diameter of the earth, and a
considerable increase, now observable for the first time, in that of the moon itself, which
wanted only a few days of being full. It now required long and excessive labor to
condense within the chamber sufficient atmospheric air for the sustenance of life.

April 12th. A singular alteration took place in regard to the direction of the balloon, and
although fully anticipated, afforded me the most unequivocal delight. Having reached, in
its former course, about the twentieth parallel of southern latitude, it turned off suddenly,
at an acute angle, to the eastward, and thus proceeded throughout the day, keeping nearly,
if not altogether, in the exact plane of the lunar elipse. What was worthy of remark, a
very perceptible vacillation in the car was a consequence of this change of route-a
vacillation which prevailed, in a more or less degree, for a period of many hours.

April 13th. Was again very much alarmed by a repetition of the loud, crackling noise
which terrified me on the tenth. Thought long upon the subject, but was unable to form
any satisfactory conclusion. Great decrease in the earth's apparent diameter, which now
subtended from the balloon an angle of very little more than twenty-five degrees. The
moon could not be seen at all,

THE END

HOP-FROG OR THE EIGHT CHAINED OURANG-

OUTANGS

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

I NEVER knew anyone so keenly alive to a joke as the king was. He seemed to live only
for joking. To tell a good story of the joke kind, and to tell it well, was the surest road to
his favor. Thus it happened that his seven ministers were all noted for their
accomplishments as jokers. They all took after the king, too, in being large, corpulent,
oily men, as well as inimitable jokers. Whether people grow fat by joking, or whether
there is something in fat itself which predisposes to a joke, I have never been quite able to
determine; but certain it is that a lean joker is a rara avis in terris.

About the refinements, or, as he called them, the 'ghost' of wit, the king troubled himself
very little. He had an especial admiration for breadth in a jest, and would often put up
with length, for the sake of it. Over-niceties wearied him. He would have preferred
Rabelais' 'Gargantua' to the 'Zadig' of Voltaire: and, upon the whole, practical jokes
suited his taste far better than verbal ones.

At the date of my narrative, professing jesters had not altogether gone out of fashion at
court. Several of the great continental 'powers' still retain their 'fools,' who wore motley,
with caps and bells, and who were expected to be always ready with sharp witticisms, at a
moment's notice, in consideration of the crumbs that fell from the royal table.

Our king, as a matter of course, retained his 'fool.' The fact is, he required something in
the way of foUy-if only to counterbalance the heavy wisdom of the seven wise men who
were his ministers-not to mention himself.

His fool, or professional jester, was not only a fool, however. His value was trebled in the
eyes of the king, by the fact of his being also a dwarf and a cripple. Dwarfs were as
common at court, in those days, as fools; and many monarchs would have found it
difficult to get through their days (days are rather longer at court than elsewhere) without
both a jester to laugh with, and a dwarf to laugh at. But, as I have already observed, your
jesters, in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, are fat, round, and unwieldy-so that it was
no small source of self-gratulation with our king that, in Hop-Frog (this was the fool's
name), he possessed a triplicate treasure in one person.

I believe the name 'Hop-Frog' was not that given to the dwarf by his sponsors at baptism,
but it was conferred upon him, by general consent of the several ministers, on account of
his inability to walk as other men do. In fact, Hop-Frog could only get along by a sort of
interjectional gait-something between a leap and a wriggle-a movement that afforded

illimitable amusement, and of course consolation, to the king, for (notwithstanding the
protuberance of his stomach and a constitutional swelling of the head) the king, by his
whole court, was accounted a capital figure.

But although Hop-Frog, through the distortion of his legs, could move only with great
pain and difficulty along a road or floor, the prodigious muscular power which nature
seemed to have bestowed upon his arms, by way of compensation for deficiency in the
lower limbs, enabled him to perform many feats of wonderful dexterity, where trees or
ropes were in question, or any thing else to climb. At such exercises he certainly much
more resembled a squirrel, or a small monkey, than a frog.

I am not able to say, with precision, from what country Hop-Frog originally came. It was
from some barbarous region, however, that no person ever heard of-a vast distance from
the court of our king. Hop-Frog, and a young girl very little less dwarfish than himself
(although of exquisite proportions, and a marvellous dancer), had been forcibly carried
off from their respective homes in adjoining provinces, and sent as presents to the king,
by one of his ever- victorious generals.

Under these circumstances, it is not to be wondered at that a close intimacy arose
between the two little captives. Indeed, they soon became sworn friends. Hop-Frog, who,
although he made a great deal of sport, was by no means popular, had it not in his power
to render Trippetta many services; but she, on account of her grace and exquisite beauty
(although a dwarf), was universally admired and petted; so she possessed much
influence; and never failed to use it, whenever she could, for the benefit of Hop-Frog.

On some grand state occasion-I forgot what-the king determined to have a masquerade,
and whenever a masquerade or any thing of that kind, occurred at our court, then the
talents, both of Hop-Frog and Trippetta were sure to be called into play. Hop-Frog, in
especial, was so inventive in the way of getting up pageants, suggesting novel characters,
and arranging costumes, for masked balls, that nothing could be done, it seems, without
his assistance.

The night appointed for the fete had arrived. A gorgeous hall had been fitted up, under
Trippetta's eye, with every kind of device which could possibly give eclat to a
masquerade. The whole court was in a fever of expectation. As for costumes and
characters, it might well be supposed that everybody had come to a decision on such
points. Many had made up their minds (as to what roles they should assume) a week, or
even a month, in advance; and, in fact, there was not a particle of indecision anywhere-
except in the case of the king and his seven minsters. Why they hesitated I never could
tell, unless they did it by way of a joke. More probably, they found it difficult, on account
of being so fat, to make up their minds. At all events, time flew; and, as a last resort they
sent for Trippetta and Hop-Frog.

When the two little friends obeyed the summons of the king they found him sitting at his
wine with the seven members of his cabinet council; but the monarch appeared to be in a
very ill humor. He knew that Hop-Frog was not fond of wine, for it excited the poor

cripple almost to madness; and madness is no comfortable feeling. But the king loved his
practical jokes, and took pleasure in forcing Hop-Frog to drink and (as the king called it)
'to be merry.'

"Come here, Hop-Frog," said he, as the jester and his friend entered the room; "swallow
this bumper to the health of your absent friends, [here Hop-Frog sighed,] and then let us
have the benefit of your invention. We want characters-characters, man-something
novel-out of the way. We are wearied with this everlasting sameness. Come, drink! the
wine will brighten your wits."

Hop-Frog endeavored, as usual, to get up a jest in reply to these advances from the king;
but the effort was too much. It happened to be the poor dwarfs birthday, and the
command to drink to his 'absent friends' forced the tears to his eyes. Many large, bitter
drops fell into the goblet as he took it, humbly, from the hand of the tyrant.

"Ah! ha! ha!" roared the latter, as the dwarf reluctantly drained the beaker.-"See what a
glass of good wine can do! Why, your eyes are shining already!"

Poor fellow! his large eyes gleamed, rather than shone; for the effect of wine on his
excitable brain was not more powerful than instantaneous. He placed the goblet
nervously on the table, and looked round upon the company with a half-insane stare.
They all seemed highly amused at the success of the king's joke.'

"And now to business," said the prime minister, a very fat man.

"Yes," said the King; "Come lend us your assistance. Characters, my fine fellow; we
stand in need of characters-all of us-ha! ha! ha!" and as this was seriously meant for a
joke, his laugh was chorused by the seven.

Hop-Frog also laughed although feebly and somewhat vacantly.

"Come, come," said the king, impatiently, "have you nothing to suggest?"

"I am endeavoring to think of something novel," replied the dwarf, abstractedly, for he
was quite bewildered by the wine.

"Endeavoring!" cried the tyrant, fiercely; "what do you mean by that? Ah, I perceive.
You are Sulky, and want more wine. Here, drink this!" and he poured out another goblet
full and offered it to the cripple, who merely gazed at it, gasping for breath.

"Drink, I say!" shouted the monster, "or by the fiends-"

The dwarf hesitated. The king grew purple with rage. The courtiers smirked. Trippetta,
pale as a corpse, advanced to the monarch's seat, and, falling on her knees before him,
implored him to spare her friend.

The tyrant regarded her, for some moments, in evident wonder at her audacity. He
seemed quite at a loss what to do or say-how most becomingly to express his indignation.
At last, without uttering a syllable, he pushed her violently from him, and threw the
contents of the brimming goblet in her face.

The poor girl got up the best she could, and, not daring even to sigh, resumed her position
at the foot of the table.

There was a dead silence for about half a minute, during which the falling of a leaf, or of
a feather, might have been heard. It was interrupted by a low, but harsh and protracted
grating sound which seemed to come at once from every corner of the room.

"What-what-what are you making that noise for?" demanded the king, turning furiously
to the dwarf.

The latter seemed to have recovered, in great measure, from his intoxication, and looking
fixedly but quietly into the tyrant's face, merely ejaculated:

"I-I? How could it have been me?"

"The sound appeared to come from without," observed one of the courtiers. "I fancy it
was the parrot at the window, whetting his bill upon his cage-wires."

"True," replied the monarch, as if much relieved by the suggestion; "but, on the honor of
a knight, I could have sworn that it was the gritting of this vagabond's teeth."

Hereupon the dwarf laughed (the king was too confirmed a joker to object to any one's
laughing), and displayed a set of large, powerful, and very repulsive teeth. Moreover, he
avowed his perfect willingness to swallow as much wine as desired. The monarch was
pacified; and having drained another bumper with no very perceptible ill effect, Hop-
Frog entered at once, and with spirit, into the plans for the masquerade.

"I cannot tell what was the association of idea," observed he, very tranquilly, and as if he
had never tasted wine in his life, "but just after your majesty, had struck the girl and
thrown the wine in her face-just after your majesty had done this, and while the parrot
was making that odd noise outside the window, there came into my mind a capital
diversion-one of my own country frolics-often enacted among us, at our masquerades:
but here it will be new altogether. Unfortunately, however, it requires a company of eight
persons and-"

"Here we are!" cried the king, laughing at his acute discovery of the coincidence; "eight
to a fraction-I and my seven ministers. Come! what is the diversion?"

"We call it," replied the cripple, "the Eight Chained Ourang-Outangs, and it really is
excellent sport if well enacted."

"We will enact it," remarked the king, drawing himself up, and lowering his eyelids.

"The beauty of the game," continued Hop-Frog, "lies in the fright it occasions among the
women."

"Capital!" roared in chorus the monarch and his ministry.

"I will equip you as ourang-outangs," proceeded the dwarf; "leave all that to me. The
resemblance shall be so striking, that the company of masqueraders will take you for real
beasts-and of course, they will be as much terrified as astonished."

"Oh, this is exquisite!" exclaimed the king. "Hop-Frog! I will make a man of you."

"The chains are for the purpose of increasing the confusion by their jangling. You are
supposed to have escaped, en masse, from your keepers. Your majesty cannot conceive
the effect produced, at a masquerade, by eight chained ourang-outangs, imagined to be
real ones by most of the company; and rushing in with savage cries, among the crowd of
delicately and gorgeously habited men and women. The contrast is inimitable!"

"It must be," said the king: and the council arose hurriedly (as it was growing late), to put
in execution the scheme of Hop-Frog.

His mode of equipping the party as ourang-outangs was very simple, but effective enough
for his purposes. The animals in question had, at the epoch of my story, very rarely been
seen in any part of the civilized world; and as the imitations made by the dwarf were
sufficiently beast-like and more than sufficiently hideous, their truthfulness to nature was
thus thought to be secured.

The king and his ministers were first encased in tight-fitting stockinet shirts and drawers.
They were then saturated with tar. At this stage of the process, some one of the party
suggested feathers; but the suggestion was at once overruled by the dwarf, who soon
convinced the eight, by ocular demonstration, that the hair of such a brute as the ourang-
outang was much more efficiently represented by flu. A thick coating of the latter was
accordingly plastered upon the coating of tar. A long chain was now procured. First, it
was passed about the waist of the king, and tied, then about another of the party, and also
tied; then about all successively, in the same manner. When this chaining arrangement
was complete, and the party stood as far apart from each other as possible, they formed a
circle; and to make all things appear natural, Hop-Frog passed the residue of the chain in
two diameters, at right angles, across the circle, after the fashion adopted, at the present
day, by those who capture Chimpanzees, or other large apes, in Borneo.

The grand saloon in which the masquerade was to take place, was a circular room, very
lofty, and receiving the light of the sun only through a single window at top. At night (the
season for which the apartment was especially designed) it was illuminated principally by
a large chandelier, depending by a chain from the centre of the sky-light, and lowered, or

elevated, by means of a counter-balance as usual; but (in order not to look unsightly) this
latter passed outside the cupola and over the roof.

The arrangements of the room had been left to Trippetta's superintendence; but, in some
particulars, it seems, she had been guided by the calmer judgment of her friend the dwarf.
At his suggestion it was that, on this occasion, the chandelier was removed. Its waxen
drippings (which, in weather so warm, it was quite impossible to prevent) would have
been seriously detrimental to the rich dresses of the guests, who, on account of the
crowded state of the saloon, could not all be expected to keep from out its centre; that is
to say, from under the chandelier. Additional sconces were set in various parts of the hall,
out of the war, and a flambeau, emitting sweet odor, was placed in the right hand of each
of the Caryatides that stood against the wall-some fifty or sixty altogether.

The eight ourang-outangs, taking Hop-Frog's advice, waited patiently until midnight
(when the room was thoroughly filled with masqueraders) before making their
appearance. No sooner had the clock ceased striking, however, than they rushed, or rather
rolled in, all together-for the impediments of their chains caused most of the party to fall,
and all to stumble as they entered.

The excitement among the masqueraders was prodigious, and filled the heart of the king
with glee. As had been anticipated, there were not a few of the guests who supposed the
ferocious-looking creatures to be beasts of some kind in reality, if not precisely ourang-
outangs. Many of the women swooned with affright; and had not the king taken the
precaution to exclude all weapons from the saloon, his party might soon have expiated
their frolic in their blood. As it was, a general rush was made for the doors; but the king
had ordered them to be locked immediately upon his entrance; and, at the dwarfs
suggestion, the keys had been deposited with him.

While the tumult was at its height, and each masquerader attentive only to his own safety
(for, in fact, there was much real danger from the pressure of the excited crowd), the
chain by which the chandelier ordinarily hung, and which had been drawn up on its
removal, might have been seen very gradually to descend, until its hooked extremity
came within three feet of the floor.

Soon after this, the king and his seven friends having reeled about the hall in all
directions, found themselves, at length, in its centre, and, of course, in immediate contact
with the chain. While they were thus situated, the dwarf, who had followed noiselessly at
their heels, inciting them to keep up the commotion, took hold of their own chain at the
intersection of the two portions which crossed the circle diametrically and at right angles.
Here, with the rapidity of thought, he inserted the hook from which the chandelier had
been wont to depend; and, in an instant, by some unseen agency, the chandelier-chain
was drawn so far upward as to take the hook out of reach, and, as an inevitable
consequence, to drag the ourang-outangs together in close connection, and face to face.

The masqueraders, by this time, had recovered, in some measure, from their alarm; and,
beginning to regard the whole matter as a well-contrived pleasantry, set up a loud shout
of laughter at the predicament of the apes.

"Leave them to me!" now screamed Hop-Frog, his shrill voice making itself easily heard
through all the din. "Leave them to me. I fancy I know them. If I can only get a good look
at them, I can soon tell who they are."

Here, scrambling over the heads of the crowd, he managed to get to the wall; when,
seizing a flambeau from one of the Caryatides, he returned, as he went, to the centre of
the room-leaping, with the agility of a monkey, upon the kings head, and thence
clambered a few feet up the chain; holding down the torch to examine the group of
ourang-outangs, and still screaming: "I shall soon find out who they are!"

And now, while the whole assembly (the apes included) were convulsed with laughter,
the jester suddenly uttered a shrill whistle; when the chain flew violently up for about
thirty feet-dragging with it the dismayed and struggling ourang-outangs, and leaving
them suspended in mid-air between the sky-light and the floor. Hop-Frog, clinging to the
chain as it rose, still maintained his relative position in respect to the eight maskers, and
still (as if nothing were the matter) continued to thrust his torch down toward them, as
though endeavoring to discover who they were.

So thoroughly astonished was the whole company at this ascent, that a dead silence, of
about a minute's duration, ensued. It was broken by just such a low, harsh, grating sound,
as had before attracted the attention of the king and his councillors when the former
threw the wine in the face of Trippetta. But, on the present occasion, there could be no
question as to whence the sound issued. It came from the fang-like teeth of the dwarf,
who ground them and gnashed them as he foamed at the mouth, and glared, with an
expression of maniacal rage, into the upturned countenances of the king and his seven
companions.

"Ah, ha!" said at length the infuriated jester. "Ah, ha! I begin to see who these people are
now!" Here, pretending to scrutinize the king more closely, he held the flambeau to the
flaxen coat which enveloped him, and which instantly burst into a sheet of vivid flame. In
less than half a minute the whole eight ourang-outangs were blazing fiercely, amid the
shrieks of the multitude who gazed at them from below, horror-stricken, and without the
power to render them the slightest assistance.

At length the flames, suddenly increasing in virulence, forced the jester to climb higher
up the chain, to be out of their reach; and, as he made this movement, the crowd again
sank, for a brief instant, into silence. The dwarf seized his opportunity, and once more
spoke:

"I now see distinctly." he said, "what manner of people these maskers are. They are a
great king and his seven privy-councillors,-a king who does not scruple to strike a

defenceless girl and his seven councillors who abet him in the outrage. As for myself, I
am simply Hop-Frog, the jester-and this is my last jest."

Owing to the high combustibility of both the flax and the tar to which it adhered, the
dwarf had scarcely made an end of his brief speech before the work of vengeance was
complete. The eight corpses swung in their chains, a fetid, blackened, hideous, and
indistinguishable mass. The cripple hurled his torch at them, clambered leisurely to the
ceiling, and disappeared through the sky-light.

It is supposed that Trippetta, stationed on the roof of the saloon, had been the accomplice
of her friend in his fiery revenge, and that, together, they effected their escape to their
own country: for neither was seen again.

THE END

HOW TO WRITE A BLACKWOOD ARTICLE

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

"In the name of the prophets-figs! ! "
Cry of Turkish fig-peddler.

I PRESUME everybody has heard of me. My name is the Signora Psyche Zenobia. This I
know to be a fact. Nobody but my enemies ever calls me Suky Snobbs. I have been
assured that Suky is but a vulgar corruption of Psyche, which is good Greek, and means
"the soul" (that's me, I'm all soul) and sometimes "a butterfly," which latter meaning
undoubtedly alludes to my appearance in my new crimson satin dress, with the sky-blue
Arabian mantelet, and the trimmings of green agraffas, and the seven flounces of orange-
colored auriculas. As for Snobbs-any person who should look at me would be instantly
aware that my name wasn't Snobbs. Miss Tabitha Turnip propagated that report through
sheer envy. Tabitha Turnip indeed! Oh the little wretch! But what can we expect from a
turnip? Wonder if she remembers the old adage about "blood out of a turnip," &c.?
[Mem. put her in mind of it the first opportunity.] [Mem. again-puU her nose.] Where
was I? Ah! I have been assured that Snobbs is a mere corruption of Zenobia, and that
Zenobia was a queen-(So am I. Dr. Moneypenny always calls me the Queen of the
Hearts)-and that Zenobia, as well as Psyche, is good Greek, and that my father was "a
Greek," and that consequently I have a right to our patronymic, which is Zenobia and not
by any means Snobbs. Nobody but Tabitha Turnip calls me Suky Snobbs. I am the
Signora Psyche Zenobia.

As I said before, everybody has heard of me. I am that very Signora Psyche Zenobia, so
justly celebrated as corresponding secretary to the "Philadelphia, Regular, Exchange,
Tea, Total, Young, Belles, Lettres, Universal, Experimental, Bibliographical,
Association, To, Civilize, Humanity." Dr. Moneypenny made the title for us, and says he
chose it because it sounded big hke an empty rum-puncheon. (A vulgar man that
sometimes-but he's deep.) We all sign the initials of the society after our names, in the
fashion of the R. S. A., Royal Society of Arts-the S. D. U. K., Society for the Diffusion
of Useful Knowledge, &c, &c. Dr. Moneypenny says that S. stands for stale, and that D.
U. K. spells duck, (but it don't,) that S. D. U. K. stands for Stale Duck and not for Lord
Brougham's society-but then Dr. Moneypenny is such a queer man that I am never sure
when he is telling me the truth. At any rate we always add to our names the initials P. R.
E. T. T. Y. B. L. U. E. B. A. T. C. H.- that is to say, Philadelphia, Regular, Exchange,
Tea, Total, Young, Belles, Lettres, Universal, Experimental, Bibliographical,
Association, To, Civilize, Humanity-one letter for each word, which is a decided
improvement upon Lord Brougham. Dr. Moneypenny will have it that our initials give
our true character-but for my life I can't see what he means.

Notwithstanding the good offices of the Doctor, and the strenuous exertions of the
association to get itself into notice, it met with no very great success until I joined it. The
truth is, the members indulged in too flippant a tone of discussion. The papers read every
Saturday evening were characterized less by depth than buffoonery. They were all
whipped syllabub. There was no investigation of first causes, first principles. There was
no investigation of any thing at all. There was no attention paid to that great point, the
"fitness of things." In short there was no fine writing like this. It was all low-very! No
profundity, no reading, no metaphysics-nothing which the learned call spirituality, and
which the unlearned choose to stigmatize as cant. [Dr. M. says I ought to spell "cant"
with a capital K-but I know better.]

When I joined the society it was my endeavor to introduce a better style of thinking and
writing, and all the world knows how well I have succeeded. We get up as good papers
now in the P. R. E. T. T. Y. B. L. U. E. B. A. T. C. H. as any to be found even in
Blackwood. I say, Blackwood, because I have been assured that the finest writing, upon
every subject, is to be discovered in the pages of that justly celebrated Magazine. We
now take it for our model upon all themes, and are getting into rapid notice accordingly.
And, after all, it's not so very difficult a matter to compose an article of the genuine
Blackwood stamp, if one only goes properly about it. Of course I don't speak of the
political articles. Everybody knows how they are managed, since Dr. Moneypenny
explained it. Mr. Blackwood has a pair of tailor's-shears, and three apprentices who stand
by him for orders. One hands him the "Times," another the "Examiner" and a third a
"CuUey's New Compendium of Slang-Whang." Mr. B. merely cuts out and intersperses.
It is soon done-nothing but "Examiner," "Slang-Whang," and "Times"-then "Times,"
"Slang-Whang," and "Examiner"-and then "Times," "Examiner," and "Slang-Whang."

But the chief merit of the Magazine lies in its miscellaneous articles; and the best of these
come under the head of what Dr. Moneypenny calls the bizarreries (whatever that may
mean) and what everybody else calls the intensities. This is a species of writing which I
have long known how to appreciate, although it is only since my late visit to Mr.
Blackwood (deputed by the society) that I have been made aware of the exact method of
composition. This method is very simple, but not so much so as the politics. Upon my
calling at Mr. B.'s, and making known to him the wishes of the society, he received me
with great civility, took me into his study, and gave me a clear explanation of the whole
process.

"My dear madam," said he, evidently struck with my majestic appearance, for I had on
the crimson satin, with the green agraffas, and orange-colored auriclas. "My dear
madam," said he, "sit down. The matter stands thus: In the first place your writer of
intensities must have very black ink, and a very big pen, with a very blunt nib. And, mark
me. Miss Psyche Zenobia!" he continued, after a pause, with the most expressive energy
and solemnity of manner, "mark me!-that pen-must-never be mended! Herein, madam,
lies the secret, the soul, of intensity. I assume upon myself to say, that no individual, of
however great genius ever wrote with a good pen-understand me,-a good article. You
may take, it for granted, that when manuscript can be read it is never worth reading. This

is a leading principle in our faith, to which if you cannot readily assent, our conference is
at an end."

He paused. But, of course, as I had no wish to put an end to the conference, I assented to
a proposition so very obvious, and one, too, of whose truth I had all along been
sufficiently aware. He seemed pleased, and went on with his instructions.

"It may appear invidious in me. Miss Psyche Zenobia, to refer you to any article, or set of
articles, in the way of model or study, yet perhaps I may as well call your attention to a
few cases. Let me see. There was 'The Dead Alive,' a capital thing !-the record of a
gentleman's sensations when entombed before the breath was out of his body-full of
tastes, terror, sentiment, metaphysics, and erudition. You would have sworn that the
writer had been born and brought up in a coffin. Then we had the 'Confessions of an
Opium-eater'-fine, very fine!-glorious imagination-deep philosophy acute speculation-
plenty of fire and fury, and a good spicing of the decidedly unintelligible. That was a nice
bit of flummery, and went down the throats of the people delightfully. They would have
it that Coleridge wrote the paper-but not so. It was composed by my pet baboon. Juniper,
over a rummer of Hollands and water, 'hot, without sugar.'" [This I could scarcely have
believed had it been anybody but Mr. Blackwood, who assured me of it.] "Then there was
'The Involuntary Experimentalist,' all about a gentleman who got baked in an oven, and
came out alive and well, although certainly done to a turn. And then there was 'The Diary
of a Late Physician,' where the merit lay in good rant, and indifferent Greek- both of
them taking things with the public. And then there was 'The Man in the Bell,' a paper by-
the-by. Miss Zenobia, which I cannot sufficiently recommend to your attention. It is the
history of a young person who goes to sleep under the clapper of a church bell, and is
awakened by its tolling for a funeral. The sound drives him mad, and, accordingly,
pulling out his tablets, he gives a record of his sensations. Sensations are the great things
after all. Should you ever be drowned or hung, be sure and make a note of your
sensations-they will be worth to you ten guineas a sheet. If you wish to write forcibly.
Miss Zenobia, pay minute attention to the sensations."

"That I certainly will, Mr. Blackwood," said I.

"Good!" he replied. "I see you are a pupil after my own heart. But I must put you au fait
to the details necessary in composing what may be denominated a genuine Blackwood
article of the sensation stamp-the kind which you will understand me to say I consider
the best for all purposes.

"The first thing requisite is to get yourself into such a scrape as no one ever got into
before. The oven, for instance,-that was a good hit. But if you have no oven or big bell,
at hand, and if you cannot conveniently tumble out of a balloon, or be swallowed up in an
earthquake, or get stuck fast in a chimney, you will have to be contented with simply
imagining some similar misadventure. I should prefer, however, that you have the actual
fact to bear you out. Nothing so well assists the fancy, as an experimental knowledge of
the matter in hand. 'Truth is strange,' you know, 'stranger than fiction'- besides being
more to the purpose."

Here I assured him I had an excellent pair of garters, and would go and hang myself
forthwith.

"Good!" he replied, "do so;-although hanging is somewhat hacknied. Perhaps you might
do better. Take a dose of Brandreth's pills, and then give us your sensations. However,
my instructions will apply equally well to any variety of misadventure, and in your way
home you may easily get knocked in the head, or run over by an omnibus, or bitten by a
mad dog, or drowned in a gutter. But to proceed.

"Having determined upon your subject, you must next consider the tone, or manner, of
your narration. There is the tone didactic, the tone enthusiastic, the tone natural-all
common-place enough. But then there is the tone laconic, or curt, which has lately come
much into use. It consists in short sentences. Somehow thus: Can't be too brief. Can't be
too snappish. Always a full stop. And never a paragraph.

"Then there is the tone elevated, diffusive, and interjectional. Some of our best novelists
patronize this tone. The words must be all in a whirl, like a humming-top, and make a
noise very similar, which answers remarkably well instead of meaning. This is the best of
all possible styles where the writer is in too great a hurry to think.

"The tone metaphysical is also a good one. If you know any big words this is your chance
for them. Talk of the Ionic and Eleatic schools- of Archytas, Gorgias, and Alcmaeon. Say
something about objectivity and subjectivity. Be sure and abuse a man named Locke.
Turn up your nose at things in general, and when you let slip any thing a little too absurd,
you need not be at the trouble of scratching it out, but just add a footnote and say that you
are indebted for the above profound observation to the 'Kritik der reinem Vemunft,' or to
the 'Metaphysithe Anfongsgrunde der Noturwissenchaft.' This would look erudite and-
and-and frank.

"There are various other tones of equal celebrity, but I shall mention only two more-the
tone transcendental and the tone heterogeneous. In the former the merit consists in seeing
into the nature of affairs a very great deal farther than anybody else. This second sight is
very efficient when properly managed. A little reading of the 'Dial' will carry you a great
way. Eschew, in this case, big words; get them as small as possible, and write them
upside down. Look over Channing's poems and quote what he says about a 'fat little man
with a delusive show of Can.' Put in something about the Supernal Oneness. Don't say a
syllable about the Infernal Twoness. Above all, study innuendo. Hint every thing-assert
nothing. If you feel inclined to say 'bread and butter,' do not by any means say it outright.
You may say any thing and every thing approaching to 'bread and butter.' You may hint
at buck- wheat cake, or you may even go so far as to insinuate oat-meal porridge, but if
bread and butter be your real meaning, be cautious, my dear Miss Psyche, not on any
account to say 'bread and butter!'

I assured him that I should never say it again as long as I lived. He kissed me and
continued:

"As for the tone heterogeneous, it is merely a judicious mixture, in equal proportions, of
all the other tones in the world, and is consequently made up of every thing deep, great,
odd, piquant, pertinent, and pretty.

"Let us suppose now you have determined upon your incidents and tone. The most
important portion-in fact, the soul of the whole business, is yet to be attended to-I allude
to the filling up. It is not to be supposed that a lady, or gentleman either, has been leading
the life of a book worm. And yet above all things it is necessary that your article have an
air of erudition, or at least afford evidence of extensive general reading. Now I'll put you
in the way of accomplishing this point. See here!" (pulling down some three or four
ordinary-looking volumes, and opening them at random). "By casting your eye down
almost any page of any book in the world, you will be able to perceive at once a host of
little scraps of either learning or bel-espritism, which are the very thing for the spicing of
a Blackwood article. You might as well note down a few while I read them to you. I shall
make two divisions: first. Piquant Facts for the Manufacture of Similes, and, second.
Piquant Expressions to be introduced as occasion may require. Write now! "-and I wrote
as he dictated.

"PIQUANT FACTS FOR SIMILES. 'There were originally but three Muses-Melete,
Mneme, Aoede-meditation, memory, and singing.' You may make a good deal of that
little fact if properly worked. You see it is not generally known, and looks recherche. You
must be careful and give the thing with a downright improviso air.

"Again. 'The river Alpheus passed beneath the sea, and emerged without injury to the
purity of its waters.' Rather stale that, to be sure, but, if properly dressed and dished up,
will look quite as fresh as ever.

"Here is something better. 'The Persian Iris appears to some persons to possess a sweet
and very powerful perfume, while to others it is perfectly scentless.' Fine that, and very
delicate! Turn it about a little, and it will do wonders. We'll have some thing else in the
botanical line. There's nothing goes down so well, especially with the help of a little
Latin. Write!

'"The Epidendrum Flos Aeris, of Java, bears a very beautiful flower, and will live when
pulled up by the roots. The natives suspend it by a cord from the ceiling, and enjoy its
fragrance for years.' That's capital! That will do for the similes. Now for the Piquant
Expressions.

"PIQUANT EXPRESSIONS. 'The Venerable Chinese novel Ju-Kiao-Li.' Good! By
introducing these few words with dexterity you will evince your intimate acquaintance
with the language and literature of the Chinese. With the aid of this you may either get
along without either Arabic, or Sanscrit, or Chickasaw. There is no passing muster,
however, without Spanish, Italian, German, Latin, and Greek. I must look you out a little
specimen of each. Any scrap will answer, because you must depend upon your own
ingenuity to make it fit into your article. Now write!

'"Aussi tendre que Zaire'-as tender as Zaire-French. Alludes to the frequent repetition of
the phrase, la tendre Zaire, in the French tragedy of that name. Properly introduced, will
show not only your knowledge of the language, but your general reading and wit. You
can say, for instance, that the chicken you were eating (write an article about being
choked to death by a chicken-bone) was not altogether aussi tendre que Zaire. Write!

'Van muerte tan escondida.

Que no te sienta venir,

Porque el plazer del morir.

No mestorne a dar la vida.'

"That's Spanish-from Miguel de Cervantes. 'Come quickly, O death! but be sure and
don't let me see you coming, lest the pleasure I shall feel at your appearance should
unfortunately bring me back again to life.' This you may slip in quite a propos when you
are struggling in the last agonies with the chicken-bone. Write!

'II pover 'huomo che non se'n era accorto,

Andava combattendo, e era morto.' That's Italian, you perceive-from Ariosto. It means
that a great hero, in the heat of combat, not perceiving that he had been fairly killed,
continued to fight valiantly, dead as he was. The application of this to your own case is
obvious-for I trust. Miss Psyche, that you will not neglect to kick for at least an hour and
a half after you have been choked to death by that chicken-bone. Please to write!

'Und sterb'ich doch, no sterb'ich denn

Durch sie-durch sie!' That's German-from Schiller. 'And if I die, at least I die-for thee-
for thee!' Here it is clear that you are apostrophizing the cause of your disaster, the
chicken. Indeed what gentleman (or lady either) of sense, wouldn't die, I should like to
know, for a well fattened capon of the right Molucca breed, stuffed with capers and
mushrooms, and served up in a salad-bowl, with orange-jellies en mosaiques. Write!
(You can get them that way at Tortoni's)-Write, if you please!

"Here is a nice little Latin phrase, and rare too, (one can't be too recherche or brief in
one's Latin, it's getting so common-ignoratio elenchi. He has committed an ignoratio
elenchi-that is to say, he has understood the words of your proposition, but not the idea.
The man was a fool, you see. Some poor fellow whom you address while choking with
that chicken-bone, and who therefore didn't precisely understand what you were talking
about. Throw the ignoratio elenchi in his teeth, and, at once, you have him annihilated. If
he dares to reply, you can tell him from Lucan (here it is) that speeches are mere
anemonae verborum, anemone words. The anemone, with great brilliancy, has no smell.
Or, if he begins to bluster, you may be down upon him with insomnia Jovis, reveries of
Jupiter-a phrase which Silius Italicus (see here!) applies to thoughts pompous and

inflated. This will be sure and cut him to the heart. He can do nothing but roll over and
die. Will you be kind enough to write?

"In Greek we must have some thing pretty-from Demosthenes, for example.

Anerh o pheugoen kai palin makesetai

There is a tolerably good translation of it in Hudibras

'For he that flies may fight again,
Which he can never do that's slain.'

In a Blackwood article nothing makes so fine a show as your Greek. The very letters have
an air of profundity about them. Only observe, madam, the astute look of that Epsilon!
That Phi ought certainly to be a bishop! Was ever there a smarter fellow than that
Omicron? Just twig that Tau! In short, there is nothing like Greek for a genuine
sensation-paper. In the present case your application is the most obvious thing in the
world. Rap out the sentence, with a huge oath, and by way of ultimatum at the good-for-
nothing dunder-headed villain who couldn't understand your plain English in relation to
the chicken-bone. He'll take the hint and be off, you may depend upon it."

These were all the instructions Mr. B. could afford me upon the topic in question, but I
felt they would be entirely sufficient. I was, at length, able to write a genuine Blackwood
article, and determined to do it forthwith. In taking leave of me, Mr. B. made a
proposition for the purchase of the paper when written; but as he could offer me only fifty
guineas a sheet, I thought it better to let our society have it, than sacrifice it for so paltry a
sum. Notwithstanding this niggardly spirit, however, the gentleman showed his
consideration for me in all other respects, and indeed treated me with the greatest civility.
His parting words made a deep impression upon my heart, and I hope I shall always
remember them with gratitude.

"My dear Miss Zenobia," he said, while the tears stood in his eyes, "is there anything else
I can do to promote the success of your laudable undertaking? Let me reflect! It is just
possible that you may not be able, so soon as convenient, to-to-get yourself drowned,
or-choked with a chicken-bone, or-or hung,-or-bitten by a-but stay! Now I think me of
it, there are a couple of very excellent bull-dogs in the yard-fine fellows, I assure you-
savage, and all that-indeed just the thing for your money-they'U have you eaten up,
auricula and all, in less than five minutes (here's my watch!)-and then only think of the
sensations! Here! I say-Tom!- Peter!-Dick, you villain!-let out those"-but as I was really
in a great hurry, and had not another moment to spare, I was reluctantly forced to
expedite my departure, and accordingly took leave at once- somewhat more abruptly, I
admit, than strict courtesy would have otherwise allowed.

It was my primary object upon quitting Mr. Blackwood, to get into some immediate
difficulty, pursuant to his advice, and with this view I spent the greater part of the day in

wandering about Edinburgh, seeking for desperate adventures-adventures adequate to the
intensity of my feelings, and adapted to the vast character of the article I intended to
write. In this excursion I was attended by one negro- servant, Pompey, and my little lap-
dog Diana, whom I had brought with me from Philadelphia. It was not, however, until
late in the afternoon that I fully succeeded in my arduous undertaking. An important
event then happened of which the following Blackwood article, in the tone
heterogeneous, is the substance and result.

THE END

HYMN

by Edgar Allan Poe

1835

At mom-at noon-at twilight dim-
Maria! thou hast heard my hymn!
In joy and woe-in good and ill-
Mother of God, be with me still!
When the hours flew brightly by,
And not a cloud obscured the sky.
My soul, lest it should truant be.
Thy grace did guide to thine and thee;
Now, when storms of Fate o'ercast
Darkly my Present and my Past,
Let my Future radiant shine
With sweet hopes of thee and thine!

THE END

IMITATION

by Edgar Allan Poe

A dark unfathomed tide
Of interminable pride -
A mystery, and a dream,
Should my early life seem;
I say that dream was fraught
With a wild and waking thought
Of beings that have been.
Which my spirit hath not seen.
Had I let them pass me by.
With a dreaming eye!
Let none of earth inherit
That vision of my spirit;
Those thoughts I would control.
As a spell upon his soul:
For that bright hope at last
And that light time have past.
And my worldly rest hath gone
With a sigh as it passed on:
I care not though it perish
With a thought I then did cherish.

THE END

ISRAFEL

by Edgar Allan Poe

1831

In Heaven a spirit doth dwell

"Whose heart-strings are a lute";

None sing so wildly well

As the angel Israfel,

And the giddy stars (so legends tell),

Ceasing their hymns, attend the spell

Of his voice, all mute.

Tottering above
In her highest noon.
The enamored moon
Blushes with love.
While, to listen, the red levin
(With the rapid Pleiads, even.
Which were seven,)
Pauses in Heaven.

And they say (the starry choir

And the other listening things)

That Israfeli's fire

Is owing to that lyre

By which he sits and sings-

The trembling living wire

Of those unusual strings.

But the skies that angel trod.
Where deep thoughts are a duty-
Where Love's a grown-up God-
Where the Houri glances are
Imbued with all the beauty
Which we worship in a star.

Therefore thou art not wrong,
Israfeli, who despisest
An unimpassioned song;
To thee the laurels belong.
Best bard, because the wisest!
Merrily live, and long!

The ecstasies above
With thy burning measures suit-
Thy grief, thy joy, thy hate, thy love.
With the fervor of thy lute-
Well may the stars be mute!

Yes, Heaven is thine; but this
Is a world of sweets and sours;
Our flowers are merely-flowers.
And the shadow of thy perfect bliss
Is the sunshine of ours.

If I could dwell

Where Israfel

Hath dwelt, and he where I,

He might not sing so wildly well

A mortal melody.

While a bolder note than this might swell

From my lyre within the sky.

THE END

KING PEST

A Tale Containing an Allegory
by Edgar Allan Poe

1835

The gods do bear and will allow in kings
The things which they abhor in rascal routes.
Buckhurst's Tragedy of F err ex and Porrex.

ABOUT twelve o'clock, one night in the month of October, and during the chivalrous
reign of the third Edward, two seamen belonging to the crew of the "Free and Easy," a
trading schooner plying between Sluys and the Thames, and then at anchor in that river,
were much astonished to find themselves seated in the tap-room of an ale-house in the
parish of St. Andrews, London —which ale-house bore for sign the portraiture of a "Jolly
Tar."

The room, although ill-contrived, smoke-blackened, low-pitched, and in every other
respect agreeing with the general character of such places at the period —was,
nevertheless, in the opinion of the grotesque groups scattered here and there within it,
sufficiently well adapted to its purpose.

Of these groups our two seamen formed, I think, the most interesting, if not the most
conspicuous.

The one who appeared to be the elder, and whom his companion addressed by the
characteristic appellation of "Legs," was at the same time much the taller of the two. He
might have measured six feet and a half, and an habitual stoop in the shoulders seemed to
have been the necessary consequence of an altitude so enormous.— Superfluities in height
were, however, more than accounted for by deficiencies in other respects. He was
exceedingly thin; and might, as his associates asserted, have answered, when drunk, for a
pennant at the mast-head, or, when sober, have served for a jib-boom. But these jests, and
others of a similar nature, had evidently produced, at no time, any effect upon the
cachinnatory muscles of the tar. With high cheek-bones, a large hawk-nose, retreating
chin, f Allan under-jaw, and huge protruding white eyes, the expression of his
countenance, although tinged with a species of dogged indifference to matters and things
in general, was not the less utterly solemn and serious beyond all attempts at imitation or
description.

The younger seaman was, in all outward appearance, the converse of his companion. His
stature could not have exceeded four feet. A pair of stumpy bow-legs supported his squat,
unwieldy figure, while his unusually short and thick arms, with no ordinary fists at their

extremities, swung off dangling from his sides like the fins of a sea-turtle. Small eyes, of
no particular color, twinkled far back in his head. His nose remained buried in the mass
of flesh which enveloped his round, full, and purple face; and his thick upper-lip rested
upon the still thicker one beneath with an air of complacent self-satisfaction, much
heightened by the owner's habit of licking them at intervals. He evidently regarded his
tall shipmate with a feeling half-wondrous, half-quizzical; and stared up occasionally in
his face as the red setting sun stares up at the crags of Ben Nevis.

Various and eventful, however, had been the peregrinations of the worthy couple in and
about the different tap-houses of the neighbourhood during the earlier hours of the night.
Funds even the most ample, are not always everlasting: and it was with empty pockets
our friends had ventured upon the present hostelrie.

At the precise period, then, when this history properly commences. Legs, and his fellow
Hugh Tarpaulin, sat, each with both elbows resting upon the large oaken table in the
middle of the floor, and with a hand upon either cheek. They were eyeing, from behind a
huge flagon of unpaid-for "humming-stuff," the portentous words, "No Chalk," which to
their indignation and astonishment were scored over the doorway by means of that very
mineral whose presence they purported to deny. Not that the gift of decyphering written
characters —a gift among the commonalty of that day considered little less cabalistical
than the art of inditing —could, in strict justice, have been laid to the charge of either
disciple of the sea; but there was, to say the truth, a certain twist in the formation of the
letters —an indescribable lee-lurch about the whole —which foreboded, in the opinion of
both seamen, a long run of dirty weather; and determined them at once, in the allegorical
words of Legs himself, to "pump ship, clew up all sail, and scud before the wind."

Having accordingly disposed of what remained of the ale, and looped up the points of
their short doublets, they finally made a bolt for the street. Although Tarpaulin rolled
twice into the fire-place, mistaking it for the door, yet their escape was at length happily
effected —and half after twelve o'clock found our heroes ripe for mischief, and running
for life down a dark alley in the direction of St. Andrew's Stair, hotly pursued by the
landlady of the "Jolly Tar."

At the epoch of this eventful tale, and periodically, for many years before and after, all
England, but more especially the metropolis, resounded with the fearful cry of "Plague!"
The city was in a great measure depopulated —and in those horrible regions, in the
vicinity of the Thames, where amid the dark, narrow, and filthy lanes and alleys, the
Demon of Disease was supposed to have had his nativity. Awe, Terror, and Superstition
were alone to be found stalking abroad.

By authority of the king such districts were placed under ban, and all persons forbidden,
under pain of death, to intrude upon their dismal solitude. Yet neither the mandate of the
monarch, nor the huge barriers erected at the entrances of the streets, nor the prospect of
that loathsome death which, with almost absolute certainty, overwhelmed the wretch
whom no peril could deter from the adventure, prevented the unfurnished and untenanted

dwellings from being stripped, by the hand of nightly rapine, of every article, such as
iron, brass, or lead- work, which could in any manner be turned to a profitable account.

Above all, it was usually found, upon the annual winter opening of the barriers, that
locks, bolts, and secret cellars, had proved but slender protection to those rich stores of
wines and liquors which, in consideration of the risk and trouble of removal, many of the
numerous dealers having shops in the neighbourhood had consented to trust, during the
period of exile, to so insufficient a security.

But there were very few of the terror-stricken people who attributed these doings to the
agency of human hands. Pest-spirits, plague-goblins, and fever-demons, were the popular
imps of mischief; and tales so blood-chilling were hourly told, that the whole mass of
forbidden buildings was, at length, enveloped in terror as in a shroud, and the plunderer
himself was often scared away by the horrors his own depreciations had created; leaving
the entire vast circuit of prohibited district to gloom, silence, pestilence, and death.

It was by one of the terrific barriers already mentioned, and which indicated the region
beyond to be under the Pest-ban, that, in scrambling down an alley. Legs and the worthy
Hugh Tarpaulin found their progress suddenly impeded. To return was out of the
question, and no time was to be lost, as their pursuers were close upon their heels. With
thorough-bred seamen to clamber up the roughly fashioned plank- work was a trifle; and,
maddened with the twofold excitement of exercise and liquor, they leaped unhesitatingly
down within the enclosure, and holding on their drunken course with shouts and yellings,
were soon bewildered in its noisome and intricate recesses.

Had they not, indeed, been intoxicated beyond moral sense, their reeling footsteps must
have been palsied by the horrors of their situation. The air was cold and misty. The
paving-stones, loosened from their beds, lay in wild disorder amid the tall, rank grass,
which sprang up around the feet and ankles. FAUan houses choked up the streets. The
most fetid and poisonous smells everywhere prevailed; -and by the aid of that ghastly
light which, even at midnight, never fails to emanate from a vapory and pestilential at
atmosphere, might be discerned lying in the by-paths and alleys, or rotting in the
windowless habitations, the carcass of many a nocturnal plunderer arrested by the hand of
the plague in the very perpetration of his robbery.

-But it lay not in the power of images, or sensations, or impediments such as these, to
stay the course of men who, naturally brave, and at that time especially, brimful of
courage and of "humming-stuff!" would have reeled, as straight as their condition might
have permitted, undauntedly into the very jaws of Death. Onward —still onward stalked
the grim Legs, making the desolate solemnity echo and re-echo with yells like the terrific
war-whoop of the Indian: and onward, still onward rolled the dumpy Tarpaulin, hanging
on to the doublet of his more active companion, and far surpassing the latter's most
strenuous exertions in the way of vocal music, by bull-roarings in basso, from the
profundity of his stentorian lungs.

They had now evidently reached the strong hold of the pestilence. Their way at every step
or plunge grew more noisome and more horrible —the paths more narrow and more
intricate. Huge stones and beams falling momently from the decaying roofs above them,
gave evidence, by their sullen and heavy descent, of the vast height of the surrounding
houses; and while actual exertion became necessary to force a passage through frequent
heaps of rubbish, it was by no means seldom that the hand fell upon a skeleton or rested
upon a more fleshly corpse.

Suddenly, as the seamen stumbled against the entrance of a tall and ghastly-looking
building, a yell more than usually shrill from the throat of the excited Legs, was replied to
from within, in a rapid succession of wild, laughter-like, and fiendish shrieks. Nothing
daunted at sounds which, of such a nature, at such a time, and in such a place, might have
curdled the very blood in hearts less irrevocably on fire, the drunken couple rushed
headlong against the door, burst it open, and staggered into the midst of things with a
volley of curses.

The room within which they found themselves proved to be the shop of an undertaker;
but an open trap-door, in a comer of the floor near the entrance, looked down upon a long
range of wine-cellars, whose depths the occasional sound of bursting bottles proclaimed
to be well stored with their appropriate contents. In the middle of the room stood a table -
-in the centre of which again arose a huge tub of what appeared to be punch. Bottles of
various wines and cordials, together with jugs, pitchers, and flagons of every shape and
quality, were scattered profusely upon the board. Around it, upon coffin-tressels, was
seated a company of six. This company I will endeavor to delineate one by one.

Fronting the entrance, and elevated a little above his companions, sat a personage who
appeared to be the president of the table. His stature was gaunt and tall, and Legs was
confounded to behold in him a figure more emaciated than himself. His face was as
yellow as saffron -but no feature excepting one alone, was sufficiently marked to merit a
particular description. This one consisted in a forehead so unusually and hideously lofty,
as to have the appearance of a bonnet or crown of flesh superadded upon the natural
head. His mouth was puckered and dimpled into an expression of ghastly affability, and
his eyes, as indeed the eyes of all at table, were glazed over with the fumes of
intoxication. This gentleman was clothed from head to foot in a richly-embroidered black
silk- velvet pall, wrapped negligently around his form after the fashion of a Spanish cloak.
-His head was stuck full of sable hearse-plumes, which he nodded to and fro with a
jaunty and knowing air; and, in his right hand, he held a huge human thigh-bone, with
which he appeared to have been just knocking down some member of the company for a
song.

Opposite him, and with her back to the door, was a lady of no whit the less extraordinary
character. Although quite as tall as the person just described, she had no right to complain
of his unnatural emaciation. She was evidently in the last stage of a dropsy; and her
figure resembled nearly that of the huge puncheon of October beer which stood, with the
head driven in, close by her side, in a corner of the chamber. Her face was exceedingly
round, red, and full; and the same peculiarity, or rather want of peculiarity, attached itself

to her countenance, which I before mentioned in the case of the president —that is to say,
only one feature of her face was sufficiently distinguished to need a separate
characterization: indeed the acute Tarpaulin immediately observed that the same remark
might have applied to each individual person of the party; every one of whom seemed to
possess a monopoly of some particular portion of physiognomy. With the lady in
question this portion proved to be the mouth. Commencing at the right ear, it swept with
a terrific chasm to the left —the short pendants which she wore in either auricle
continually bobbing into the aperture. She made, however, every exertion to keep her
mouth closed and look dignified, in a dress consisting of a newly starched and ironed
shroud coming up close under her chin, with a crimpled ruffle of cambric muslin.

At her right hand sat a diminutive young lady whom she appeared to patronise. This
delicate little creature, in the trembling of her wasted fingers, in the livid hue of her lips,
and in the slight hectic spot which tinged her otherwise leaden complexion, gave evident
indications of a galloping consumption. An air of gave extreme haut ton, however,
pervaded her whole appearance; she wore in a graceful and degage manner, a large and
beautiful winding-sheet of the finest India lawn; her hair hung in ringlets over her neck; a
soft smile played about her mouth; but her nose, extremely long, thin, sinuous, flexible
and pimpled, hung down far below her under lip, and in spite of the delicate manner in
which she now and then moved it to one side or the other with her tongue, gave to her
countenance a somewhat equivocal expression.

Over against her, and upon the left of the dropsical lady, was seated a little puffy,
wheezing, and gouty old man, whose cheeks reposed upon the shoulders of their owner,
like two huge bladders of Oporto wine. With his arms folded, and with one bandaged leg
deposited upon the table, he seemed to think himself entitled to some consideration. He
evidently prided himself much upon every inch of his personal appearance, but took more
especial delight in calling attention to his gaudy-colored surtout. This, to say the truth,
must have cost him no little money, and was made to fit him exceedingly well —being
fashioned from one of the curiously embroidered silken covers appertaining to those
glorious escutcheons which, in England and elsewhere, are customarily hung up, in some
conspicuous place, upon the dwellings of departed aristocracy.

Next to him, and at the right hand of the president, was a gentleman in long white hose
and cotton drawers. His frame shook, in a ridiculous manner, with a fit of what Tarpaulin
called "the horrors." His jaws, which had been newly shaved, were tightly tied up by a
bandage of muslin; and his arms being fastened in a similar way at the wrists, 1 1
prevented him from helping himself too freely to the liquors upon the table; a precaution
rendered necessary, in the opinion of Legs, by the peculiarly sottish and wine-bibbing
cast of his visage. A pair of prodigious ears, nevertheless, which it was no doubt found
impossible to confine, towered away into the atmosphere of the apartment, and were
occasionally pricked up in a spasm, at the sound of the drawing of a cork.

Fronting him, sixthly and lastly, was situated a singularly stiff-looking personage, who,
being afflicted with paralysis, must, to speak seriously, have felt very ill at ease in his
unaccommodating habiliments. He was habited, somewhat uniquely, in a new and

handsome mahogany coffin. Its top or head-piece pressed upon the skull of the wearer,
and extended over it in the fashion of a hood, giving to the entire face an air of
indescribable interest. Arm-holes had been cut in the sides, for the sake not more of
elegance than of convenience; but the dress, nevertheless, prevented its proprietor from
sitting as erect as his associates; and as he lay reclining against his tressel, at an angle of
forty-five degrees, a pair of huge goggle eyes rolled up their awful whites towards the
celling in absolute amazement at their own enormity.

Before each of the party lay a portion of a skull, which was used as a drinking cup.
Overhead was suspended a human skeleton, by means of a rope tied round one of the legs
and fastened to a ring in the ceiling. The other limb, confined by no such fetter, stuck off
from the body at right angles, causing the whole loose and rattling frame to dangle and
twirl about at the caprice of every occasional puff of wind which found its way into the
apartment. In the cranium of this hideous thing lay quantity of ignited charcoal, which
threw a fitful but vivid light over the entire scene; while coffins, and other wares
appertaining to the shop of an undertaker, were piled high up around the room, and
against the windows, preventing any ray from escaping into the street.

At sight of this extraordinary assembly, and of their still more extraordinary
paraphernalia, our two seamen did not conduct themselves with that degree of decorum
which might have been expected. Legs, leaning against the wall near which he happened
to be standing, dropped his lower jaw still lower than usual, and spread open his eyes to
their fullest extent: while Hugh Tarpaulin, stooping down so as to bring his nose upon a
level with the table, and spreading out a palm upon either knee, burst into a long, loud,
and obstreperous roar of very ill-timed and immoderate laughter.

Without, however, taking offence at behaviour so excessively rude, the tall president
smiled very graciously upon the intruders -nodded to them in a dignified manner with
his head of sable plumes -and, arising, took each by an arm, and led him to a seat which
some others of the company had placed in the meantime for his accommodation. Legs to
all this offered not the slightest resistance, but sat down as he was directed; while tile
gallant Hugh, removing his coffin tressel from its station near the head of the table, to the
vicinity of the little consumptive lady in the winding sheet, plumped down by her side in
high glee, and pouring out a skull of red wine, quaffed it to their better acquaintance. But
at this presumption the stiff gentleman in the coffin seemed exceedingly nettled; and
serious consequences might have ensued, had not the president, rapping upon the table
with his truncheon, diverted the attention of all present to the following speech:

"It becomes our duty upon the present happy occasion"—

"Avast there!" interrupted Legs, looking very serious, "avast there a bit, I say, and tell us
who the devil ye all are, and what business ye have here, rigged off like the foul fiends,
and swilling the snug blue ruin stowed away for the winter by my honest shipmate. Will
Wimble the undertaker!"

At this unpardonable piece of ill-breeding, all the original company half started to their
feet, and uttered the same rapid succession of wild fiendish shrieks which had before
caught the attention of the seamen. The president, however, was the first to recover his
composure, and at length, turning to Legs with great dignity, recommenced:

"Most willingly will we gratify any reasonable curiosity on the part of guests so
illustrious, unbidden though they be. Know then that in these dominions I am monarch,
and here rule with undivided empire under the title of 'King Pest the First.'

"This apartment, which you no doubt profanely suppose to be the shop of Will Wimble
the undertaker -a man whom we know not, and whose plebeian appellation has never
before this night thwarted our royal ears —this apartment, I say, is the Dais-Chamber of
our Palace, devoted to the councils of our kingdom, and to other sacred and lofty
purposes.

"The noble lady who sits opposite is Queen Pest, our Serene Consort. The other exalted
personages whom you behold are all of our family, and wear the insignia of the blood
royal under the respective titles of 'His Grace the Arch Duke Pest-Iferous' —'His Grace
the Duke Pest-Ilential' —'His Grace the Duke Tem-Pest' —and 'Her Serene Highness the
Arch Duchess Ana-Pest.'

"As regards," continued he, "your demand of the business upon which we sit here in
council, we might be pardoned for replying that it concerns, and concerns alone, our own
private and regal interest, and is in no manner important to any other than ourself. But in
consideration of those rights to which as guests and strangers you may feel yourselves
entitled, we will furthermore explain that we are here this night, prepared by deep
research and accurate investigation, to examine, analyze, and thoroughly determine the
indefinable spirit —the incomprehensible qualities and nature —of those inestimable
treasures of the palate, the wines, ales, and liqueurs of this goodly metropolis: by so
doing to advance not more our own designs than the true welfare of that unearthly
sovereign whose reign is over us all, whose dominions are unlimited, and whose name is
'Death.'

"Whose name is Davy Jones!" ejaculated Tarpaulin, helping the lady by his side to a skull
of liqueur, and pouring out a second for himself.

"Profane varlet!" said the president, now turning his attention to the worthy Hugh,
"profane and execrable wretch! —we have said, that in consideration of those rights
which, even in thy filthy person, we feel no inclination to violate, we have condescended
to make reply to thy rude and unseasonable inquiries. We nevertheless, for your
unhallowed intrusion upon our councils, believe it our duty to mulct thee and thy
companion in each a gallon of Black Strap —having imbibed which to the prosperity of
our kingdom —at a single draught -and upon your bended knees -ye shall be forthwith
free either to proceed upon your way, or remain and be admitted to the privileges of our
table, according to your respective and individual pleasures."

"It would be a matter of utter impossibility," replied Legs, whom the assumptions and
dignity of King Pest the First had evidently inspired some feelings of respect, and who
arose and steadied himself by the table as he spoke —"It would, please your majesty, be a
matter of utter impossibility to stow away in my hold even one-fourth part of the same
liquor which your majesty has just mentioned. To say nothing of the stuffs placed on
board in the forenoon by way of ballast, and not to mention the various ales and liqueurs
shipped this evening at different sea-ports, I have, at present, a full cargo of 'humming
stuff taken in and duly paid for at the sign of the 'Jolly Tar.' You will, therefore, please
your majesty, be so good as to take the will for the deed -for by no manner of means
either can I or will I swallow another drop —least of all a drop of that villainous bilge-
water that answers to the hall of 'Black Strap.'"

"Belay that!" interrupted Tarpaulin, astonished not more at the length of his companion's
speech than at the nature of his refusal —"Belay that you tubber! —and I say. Legs, none
of your palaver! My hull is still light, although I confess you yourself seem to be a little
top-heavy; and as for the matter of your share of the cargo, why rather than raise a squall
I would find stowageroom for it myself, but" —

"This proceeding," interposed the president, "is by no means in accordance with the terms
of the mulct or sentence, which is in its nature Median, and not to be altered or recalled.
The conditions we have imposed must be fulfilled to the letter, and that without a
moment's hesitation —in failure of which fulfilment we decree that you do here be tied
neck and heels together, and duly drowned as rebels in yon hogshead of October beer!"

"A sentence! —a sentence! —a righteous and just sentence! —a glorious decree! -a most
worthy and upright, and holy condemnation!" shouted the Pest family altogether. The
king elevated his forehead into innumerable wrinkles; the gouty little old man puffed like
a pair of bellows; the lady of the winding sheet waved her nose to and fro; the gentleman
in the cotton drawers pricked up his ears; she of the shroud gasped like a dying fish; and
he of the coffin looked stiff and rolled up his eyes.

"Ugh! ugh! ugh!" chuckled Tarpaulin without heeding the general excitation, "ugh! ugh!
ugh! -ugh! ugh! ugh! —ugh! ugh! ugh! —I was saying," said he, "I was saying when Mr.
King Pest poked in his marlin- spike, that as for the matter of two or three gallons more or
less of Black Strap, it was a trifle to a tight sea-boat like myself not overstowed —but
when it comes to drinking the health of the Devil (whom God assoilzie) and going down
upon my marrow bones to his ill-favored majesty there, whom I know, as well as I know
myself to be a sinner, to be nobody in the whole world, but Tim Hurlygurly the stage-
player —why! it's quite another guess sort of a thing, and utterly and altogether past my
comprehension."

He was not allowed to finish this speech in tranquillity. At the name Tim Hurlygurly the
whole assembly leaped from their name seats.

"Treason!" shouted his Majesty King Pest the First.

"Treason!" said the little man with the gout.

"Treason!" screamed the Arch Duchess Ana-Pest.

"Treason!" muttered the gentleman with his jaws tied up.

"Treason!" growled he of the coffin.

"Treason! treason!" shrieked her majesty of the mouth; and, seizing by the hinder part of
his breeches the unfortunate Tarpaulin, who had just commenced pouring out for himself
a skull of liqueur, she lifted him high into the air, and let him fall without ceremony into
the huge open puncheon of his beloved ale. Bobbing up and down, for a few seconds, like
an apple in a bowl of toddy, he, at length, finally disappeared amid the whirlpool of foam
which, in the already effervescent liquor, his struggles easily succeeded in creating.

Not tamely, however, did the tall seaman behold the discomfiture of his companion.
Jostling King Pest through the open trap, the valiant Legs slammed the door down upon
him with an oath, and strode towards the centre of the room. Here tearing down the
skeleton which swung over the table, he laid it about him with so much energy and good
will, that, as the last glimpses of light died away within the apartment, he succeeded in
knocking out the brains of the little gentleman with the gout. Rushing then with all his
force against the fatal hogshead full of October ale and Hugh Tarpaulin, he rolled it over
and over in an instant. Out burst a deluge of liquor so fierce —so impetuous —so
overwhelming -that the room was flooded from wall to wall -the loaded table was
overturned —the tressels were thrown upon their backs —the tub of punch into the fire-
place -and the ladies into hysterics. Piles of death-furniture floundered about. Jugs,
pitchers, and carboys mingled promiscuously in the melee, and wicker flagons
encountered desperately with bottles of junk. The man with the horrors was drowned
upon the spot-the little stiff gentleman floated off in his coffin —and the victorious Legs,
seizing by the waist the fat lady in the shroud, rushed out with her into the street, and
made a bee-line for the "Free and Easy," followed under easy sail by the redoubtable
Hugh Tarpaulin, who, having sneezed three or four times, panted and puffed after him
with the Arch Duchess Ana-Pest.

THE END

LANDOR'S COTTAGE

A Pendant to "The Domain of Amheim"
by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

DURING A pedestrian trip last summer, through one or two of the river counties of New
York, I found myself, as the day declined, somewhat embarrassed about the road I was
pursuing. The land undulated very remarkably; and my path, for the last hour, had wound
about and about so confusedly, in its effort to keep in the valleys, that I no longer knew in
what direction lay the sweet village of B-, where I had determined to stop for the night.
The sun had scarcely shone-strictly speaking-during the day, which nevertheless, had
been unpleasantly warm. A smoky mist, resembling that of the Indian summer, enveloped
all things, and of course, added to my uncertainty. Not that I cared much about the matter.
If I did not hit upon the village before sunset, or even before dark, it was more than
possible that a little Dutch farmhouse, or something of that kind, would soon make its
appearance-although, in fact, the neighborhood (perhaps on account of being more
picturesque than fertile) was very sparsely inhabited. At all events, with my knapsack for
a pillow, and my hound as a sentry, a bivouac in the open air was just the thing which
would have amused me. I sauntered on, therefore, quite at ease-Ponto taking charge of
my gun-until at length, just as I had begun to consider whether the numerous little glades
that led hither and thither, were intended to be paths at all, I was conducted by one of
them into an unquestionable carriage track. There could be no mistaking it. The traces of
light wheels were evident; and although the tall shrubberies and overgrown undergrowth
met overhead, there was no obstruction whatever below, even to the passage of a
Virginian mountain wagon-the most aspiring vehicle, I take it, of its kind. The road,
however, except in being open through the wood-if wood be not too weighty a name for
such an assemblage of light trees-and except in the particulars of evident wheel-tracks-
bore no resemblance to any road I had before seen. The tracks of which I speak were but
faintly perceptible-having been impressed upon the firm, yet pleasantly moist surface of-
what looked more like green Genoese velvet than any thing else. It was grass, clearly-but
grass such as we seldom see out of England-so short, so thick, so even, and so vivid in
color. Not a single impediment lay in the wheel-route-not even a chip or dead twig. The
stones that once obstructed the way had been carefully placed-not thrown-along the sides
of the lane, so as to define its boundaries at bottom with a kind of half -precise, half-
negligent, and wholly picturesque definition. Clumps of wild flowers grew everywhere,
luxuriantly, in the interspaces.

What to make of all this, of course I knew not. Here was art undoubtedly-that did not
surprise me-all roads, in the ordinary sense, are works of art; nor can I say that there was
much to wonder at in the mere excess of art manifested; all that seemed to have been
done, might have been done here-with such natural "capabilities" (as they have it in the

books on Landscape Gardening)-with very little labor and expense. No; it was not the
amount but the character of the art which caused me to take a seat on one of the blossomy
stones and gaze up and down this fairy-like avenue for half an hour or more in
bewildered admiration. One thing became more and more evident the longer I gazed: an
artist, and one with a most scrupulous eye for form, had superintended all these
arrangements. The greatest care had been taken to preserve a due medium between the
neat and graceful on the one hand, and the pittoresque, in the true sense of the Italian
term, on the other. There were few straight, and no long uninterrupted lines. The same
effect of curvature or of color appeared twice, usually, but not oftener, at any one point of
view. Everywhere was variety in uniformity. It was a piece of "composition," in which
the most fastidiously critical taste could scarcely have suggested an emendation.

I had turned to the right as I entered this road, and now, arising, I continued in the same
direction. The path was so serpentine, that at no moment could I trace its course for more
than two or three paces in advance. Its character did not undergo any material change.

Presently the murmur of water fell gently upon my ear-and in a few moments afterward,
as I turned with the road somewhat more abruptly than hitherto, I became aware that a
building of some kind lay at the foot of a gentle declivity just before me. I could see
nothing distinctly on account of the mist which occupied all the little valley below. A
gentle breeze, however, now arose, as the sun was about descending; and while I
remained standing on the brow of the slope, the fog gradually became dissipated into
wreaths, and so floated over the scene.

As it came fully into view-thus gradually as I describe it-piece by piece, here a tree,
there a glimpse of water, and here again the summit of a chimney, I could scarcely help
fancying that the whole was one of the ingenious illusions sometimes exhibited under the
name of "vanishing pictures."

By the time, however, that the fog had thoroughly disappeared, the sun had made its way
down behind the gentle hills, and thence, as it with a slight chassez to the south, had
come again fully into sight, glaring with a purplish lustre through a chasm that entered
the valley from the west. Suddenly, therefore-and as if by the hand of magic- this whole
valley and every thing in it became brilliantly visible.

The first coup d'oeil, as the sun slid into the position described, impressed me very much
as I have been impressed, when a boy, by the concluding scene of some well-arranged
theatrical spectacle or melodrama. Not even the monstrosity of color was wanting; for the
sunlight came out through the chasm, tinted all orange and purple; while the vivid green
of the grass in the valley was reflected more or less upon all objects from the curtain of
vapor that still hung overhead, as if loth to take its total departure from a scene so
enchantingly beautiful.

The little vale into which I thus peered down from under the fog canopy could not have
been more than four hundred yards long; while in breadth it varied from fifty to one
hundred and fifty or perhaps two hundred. It was most narrow at its northern extremity.

opening out as it tended southwardly, but with no very precise regularity. The widest
portion was within eighty yards of the southern extreme. The slopes which encompassed
the vale could not fairly be called hills, unless at their northern face. Here a precipitous
ledge of granite arose to a height of some ninety feet; and, as I have mentioned, the valley
at this point was not more than fifty feet wide; but as the visiter proceeded southwardly
from the cliff, he found on his right hand and on his left, declivities at once less high, less
precipitous, and less rocky. All, in a word, sloped and softened to the south; and yet the
whole vale was engirdled by eminences, more or less high, except at two points. One of
these I have already spoken of. It lay considerably to the north of west, and was where
the setting sun made its way, as I have before described, into the amphitheatre, through a
cleanly cut natural cleft in the granite embankment; this fissure might have been ten yards
wide at its widest point, so far as the eye could trace it. It seemed to lead up, up like a
natural causeway, into the recesses of unexplored mountains and forests. The other
opening was directly at the southern end of the vale. Here, generally, the slopes were
nothing more than gentle inclinations, extending from east to west about one hundred and
fifty yards. In the middle of this extent was a depression, level with the ordinary floor of
the valley. As regards vegetation, as well as in respect to every thing else, the scene
softened and sloped to the south. To the north-on the craggy precipice-a few paces from
the verge-up sprang the magnificent trunks of numerous hickories, black walnuts, and
chestnuts, interspersed with occasional oak, and the strong lateral branches thrown out by
the walnuts especially, spread far over the edge of the cliff. Proceeding southwardly, the
explorer saw, at first, the same class of trees, but less and less lofty and Salvatorish in
character; then he saw the gentler elm, succeeded by the sassafras and locust-these again
by the softer linden, red-bud, catalpa, and maple-these yet again by still more graceful
and more modest varieties. The whole face of the southern declivity was covered with
wild shrubbery alone-an occasional silver willow or white poplar excepted. In the bottom
of the valley itself-(for it must be borne in mind that the vegetation hitherto mentioned
grew only on the cliffs or hillsides)-were to be seen three insulated trees. One was an elm
of fine size and exquisite form: it stood guard over the southern gate of the vale. Another
was a hickory, much larger than the elm, and altogether a much finer tree, although both
were exceedingly beautiful: it seemed to have taken charge of the northwestern entrance,
springing from a group of rocks in the very jaws of the ravine, and throwing its graceful
body, at an angle of nearly forty-five degrees, far out into the sunshine of the
amphitheatre. About thirty yards east of this tree stood, however, the pride of the valley,
and beyond all question the most magnificent tree I have ever seen, unless, perhaps,
among the cypresses of the Itchiatuckanee. It was a triple-stemmed tulip-tree-the
Liriodendron Tulipiferum-one of the natural order of magnolias. Its three trunks
separated from the parent at about three feet from the soil, and diverging very slightly and
gradually, were not more than four feet apart at the point where the largest stem shot out
into foliage: this was at an elevation of about eighty feet. The whole height of the
principal division was one hundred and twenty feet. Nothing can surpass in beauty the
form, or the glossy, vivid green of the leaves of the tulip-tree. In the present instance they
were fully eight inches wide; but their glory was altogether eclipsed by the gorgeous
splendor of the profuse blossoms. Conceive, closely congregated, a million of the largest
and most resplendent tulips! Only thus can the reader get any idea of the picture I would
convey. And then the stately grace of the clean, delicately-granulated columnar stems.

the largest four feet in diameter, at twenty from the ground. The innumerable blossoms,
mingling with those of other trees scarcely less beautiful, although infinitely less
majestic, filled the valley with more than Arabian perfumes.

The general floor of the amphitheatre was grass of the same character as that I had found
in the road; if anything, more deliciously soft, thick, velvety, and miraculously green. It
was hard to conceive how all this beauty had been attained.

I have spoken of two openings into the vale. From the one to the northwest issued a
rivulet, which came, gently murmuring and slightly foaming, down the ravine, until it
dashed against the group of rocks out of which sprang the insulated hickory. Here, after
encircling the tree, it passed on a little to the north of east, leaving the tulip tree some
twenty feet to the south, and making no decided alteration in its course until it came near
the midway between the eastern and western boundaries of the valley. At this point, after
a series of sweeps, it turned off at right angles and pursued a generally southern direction
meandering as it went-until it became lost in a small lake of irregular figure (although
roughly oval), that lay gleaming near the lower extremity of the vale. This lakelet was,
perhaps, a hundred yards in diameter at its widest part. No crystal could be clearer than
its waters. Its bottom, which could be distinctly seen, consisted altogether, of pebbles
brilliantly white. Its banks, of the emerald grass already described, rounded, rather than
sloped, off into the clear heaven below; and so clear was this heaven, so perfectly, at
times, did it reflect all objects above it, that where the true bank ended and where the
mimic one commenced, it was a point of no little difficulty to determine. The trout, and
some other varieties of fish, with which this pond seemed to be almost inconveniently
crowded, had all the appearance of veritable flying-fish. It was almost impossible to
believe that they were not absolutely suspended in the air. A light birch canoe that lay
placidly on the water, was reflected in its minutest fibres with a fidelity unsurpassed by
the most exquisitely polished mirror. A small island, fairly laughing with flowers in full
bloom, and affording little more space than just enough for a picturesque little building,
seemingly a fowl-house-arose from the lake not far from its northern shore-to which it
was connected by means of an inconceivably light-looking and yet very primitive bridge.
It was formed of a single, broad and thick plank of the tulip wood. This was forty feet
long, and spanned the interval between shore and shore with a slight but very perceptible
arch, preventing all oscillation. From the southern extreme of the lake issued a
continuation of the rivulet, which, after meandering for, perhaps, thirty yards, finally
passed through the "depression" (already described) in the middle of the southern
declivity, and tumbling down a sheer precipice of a hundred feet, made its devious and
unnoticed way to the Hudson.

The lake was deep-at some points thirty feet-but the rivulet seldom exceeded three,
while its greatest width was about eight. Its bottom and banks were as those of the pond-
if a defect could have been attributed, in point of picturesqueness, it was that of excessive
neatness.

The expanse of the green turf was relieved, here and there, by an occasional showy shrub,
such as the hydrangea, or the common snowball, or the aromatic seringa; or, more

frequently, by a clump of geraniums blossoming gorgeously in great varieties. These
latter grew in pots which were carefully buried in the soil, so as to give the plants the
appearance of being indigenous. Besides all this, the lawn's velvet was exquisitely
spotted with sheep-a considerable flock of which roamed about the vale, in company
with three tamed deer, and a vast number of brilliantly-plumed ducks. A very large
mastiff seemed to be in vigilant attendance upon these animals, each and all.

Along the eastern and western cliffs-where, toward the upper portion of the
amphitheatre, the boundaries were more or less precipitous-grew ivy in great profusion-
so that only here and there could even a glimpse of the naked rock be obtained. The
northern precipice, in like manner, was almost entirely clothed by grape-vines of rare
luxuriance; some springing from the soil at the base of the cliff, and others from ledges
on its face.

The slight elevation which formed the lower boundary of this little domain, was crowned
by a neat stone wall, of sufficient height to prevent the escape of the deer. Nothing of the
fence kind was observable elsewhere; for nowhere else was an artificial enclosure
needed:-any stray sheep, for example, which should attempt to make its way out of the
vale by means of the ravine, would find its progress arrested, after a few yards' advance,
by the precipitous ledge of rock over which tumbled the cascade that had arrested my
attention as I first drew near the domain. In short, the only ingress or egress was through
a gate occupying a rocky pass in the road, a few paces below the point at which I stopped
to reconnoitre the scene.

I have described the brook as meandering very irregularly through the whole of its
course. Its two general directions, as I have said, were first from west to east, and then
from north to south. At the turn, the stream, sweeping backward, made an almost circular
loop, so as to form a peninsula which was very nearly an island, and which included
about the sixteenth of an acre. On this peninsula stood a dwelling-house-and when I say
that this house, like the infernal terrace seen by Vathek, "etait d'une architecture inconnue
dans les annales de la terre," I mean, merely, that its tout ensemble struck me with the
keenest sense of combined novelty and propriety-in a word, of poetry-(for, than in the
words just employed, I could scarcely give, of poetry in the abstract, a more rigorous
definition)-and I do not mean that merely outre was perceptible in any respect.

In fact nothing could well be more simple-more utterly unpretending than this cottage. Its
marvellous effect lay altogether in its artistic arrangement as a picture. I could have
fancied, while I looked at it, that some eminent landscape-painter had built it with his
brush.

The point of view from which I first saw the valley, was not altogether, although it was
nearly, the best point from which to survey the house. I will therefore describe it as I
afterwards saw it- from a position on the stone wall at the southern extreme of the
amphitheatre.

The main building was about twenty-four feet long and sixteen broad- certainly not more.
Its total height, from the ground to the apex of the roof, could not have exceeded eighteen
feet. To the west end of this structure was attached one about a third smaller in all its
proportions:-the line of its front standing back about two yards from that of the larger
house, and the line of its roof, of course, being considerably depressed below that of the
roof adjoining. At right angles to these buildings, and from the rear of the main one-not
exactly in the middle-extended a third compartment, very small- being, in general, one-
third less than the western wing. The roofs of the two larger were very steep-sweeping
down from the ridge-beam with a long concave curve, and extending at least four feet
beyond the walls in front, so as to form the roofs of two piazzas. These latter roofs, of
course, needed no support; but as they had the air of needing it, slight and perfectly plain
pillars were inserted at the corners alone. The roof of the northern wing was merely an
extension of a portion of the main roof. Between the chief building and western wing
arose a very tall and rather slender square chimney of hard Dutch bricks, alternately black
and red:-a slight cornice of projecting bricks at the top. Over the gables the roofs also
projected very much:-in the main building about four feet to the east and two to the west.
The principal door was not exactly in the main division, being a little to the east-while
the two windows were to the west. These latter did not extend to the floor, but were much
longer and narrower than usual-they had single shutters like doors- the panes were of
lozenge form, but quite large. The door itself had its upper half of glass, also in lozenge
panes-a movable shutter secured it at night. The door to the west wing was in its gable,
and quite simple-a single window looked out to the south. There was no external door to
the north wing, and it also had only one window to the east.

The blank wall of the eastern gable was relieved by stairs (with a balustrade) running
diagonally across it-the ascent being from the south. Under cover of the widely
projecting eave these steps gave access to a door leading to the garret, or rather loft-for it
was lighted only by a single window to the north, and seemed to have been intended as a
store-room.

The piazzas of the main building and western wing had no floors, as is usual; but at the
doors and at each window, large, flat irregular slabs of granite lay imbedded in the
delicious turf, affording comfortable footing in all weather. Excellent paths of the same
material-not nicely adapted, but with the velvety sod filling frequent intervals between
the stones, led hither and thither from the house, to a crystal spring about five paces off,
to the road, or to one or two out-houses that lay to the north, beyond the brook, and were
thoroughly concealed by a few locusts and catalpas.

Not more than six steps from the main door of the cottage stood the dead trunk of a
fantastic pear-tree, so clothed from head to foot in the gorgeous bignonia blossoms that
one required no little scrutiny to determine what manner of sweet thing it could be. From
various arms of this tree hung cages of different kinds. In one, a large wicker cylinder
with a ring at top, revelled a mocking bird; in another an oriole; in a third the impudent
bobolink-while three or four more delicate prisons were loudly vocal with canaries.

The pillars of the piazza were en wreathed in jasmine and sweet honeysuckle; while from
the angle formed by the main structure and its west wing, in front, sprang a grape-vine of
unexampled luxuriance. Scorning all restraint, it had clambered first to the lower roof-
then to the higher; and along the ridge of this latter it continued to writhe on, throwing
out tendrils to the right and left, until at length it fairly attained the east gable, and fell
trailing over the stairs.

The whole house, with its wings, was constructed of the old-fashioned Dutch shingles-
broad, and with unrounded corners. It is a peculiarity of this material to give houses built
of it the appearance of being wider at bottom than at top-after the manner of Egyptian
architecture; and in the present instance, this exceedingly picturesque effect was aided by
numerous pots of gorgeous flowers that almost encompassed the base of the buildings.

The shingles were painted a dull gray; and the happiness with which this neutral tint
melted into the vivid green of the tulip tree leaves that partially overshadowed the
cottage, can readily be conceived by an artist.

From the position near the stone wall, as described, the buildings were seen at great
advantage-for the southeastern angle was thrown forward-so that the eye took in at once
the whole of the two fronts, with the picturesque eastern gable, and at the same time
obtained just a sufficient glimpse of the northern wing, with parts of a pretty roof to the
spring-house, and nearly half of a light bridge that spanned the brook in the near vicinity
of the main buildings.

I did not remain very long on the brow of the hill, although long enough to make a
thorough survey of the scene at my feet. It was clear that I had wandered from the road to
the village, and I had thus good traveller's excuse to open the gate before me, and inquire
my way, at all events; so, without more ado, I proceeded.

The road, after passing the gate, seemed to lie upon a natural ledge, sloping gradually
down along the face of the north-eastern cliffs. It led me on to the foot of the northern
precipice, and thence over the bridge, round by the eastern gable to the front door. In this
progress, I took notice that no sight of the out-houses could be obtained.

As I turned the comer of the gable, the mastiff bounded towards me in stern silence, but
with the eye and the whole air of a tiger. I held him out my hand, however, in token of
amity-and I never yet knew the dog who was proof against such an appeal to his
courtesy. He not only shut his mouth and wagged his tail, but absolutely offered me his
paw-afterward extending his civilities to Ponto.

As no bell was discemible, I rapped with my stick against the door, which stood half
open. Instantly a figure advanced to the threshold- that of a young woman about twenty-
eight years of age-slender, or rather slight, and somewhat above the medium height. As
she approached, with a certain modest decision of step altogether indescribable. I said to
myself, "Surely here I have found the perfection of natural, in contradistinction from
artificial grace." The second impression which she made on me, but by far the more vivid

of the two, was that of enthusiasm. So intense an expression of romance, perhaps I should
call it, or of unworldliness, as that which gleamed from her deep-set eyes, had never so
sunk into my heart of hearts before. I know not how it is, but this peculiar expression of
the eye, wreathing itself occasionally into the lips, is the most powerful, if not absolutely
the sole spell, which rivets my interest in woman. "Romance, provided my readers fully
comprehended what I would here imply by the word-"romance" and "womanliness"
seem to me convertible terms: and, after all, what man truly loves in woman, is simply
her womanhood. The eyes of Annie (I heard some one from the interior call her "Annie,
darling!") were "spiritual grey;" her hair, a light chestnut: this is all I had time to observe
of her.

At her most courteous of invitations, I entered-passing first into a tolerably wide
vestibule. Having come mainly to observe, I took notice that to my right as I stepped in,
was a window, such as those in front of the house; to the left, a door leading into the
principal room; while, opposite me, an open door enabled me to see a small apartment,
just the size of the vestibule, arranged as a study, and having a large bow window looking
out to the north.

Passing into the parlor, I found myself with Mr. Landor-for this, I afterwards found, was
his name. He was civil, even cordial in his manner, but just then, I was more intent on
observing the arrangements of the dwelling which had so much interested me, than the
personal appearance of the tenant.

The north wing, I now saw, was a bed-chamber, its door opened into the parlor. West of
this door was a single window, looking toward the brook. At the west end of the parlor,
were a fireplace, and a door leading into the west wing-probably a kitchen.

Nothing could be more rigorously simple than the furniture of the parlor. On the floor
was an ingrain carpet, of excellent texture-a white ground, spotted with small circular
green figures. At the windows were curtains of snowy white jaconet muslin: they were
tolerably full, and hung decisively, perhaps rather formally in sharp, parallel plaits to the
floor-just to the floor. The walls were prepared with a French paper of great delicacy, a
silver ground, with a faint green cord running zig-zag throughout. Its expanse was
relieved merely by three of Julien's exquisite lithographs a trois crayons, fastened to the
wall without frames. One of these drawings was a scene of Oriental luxury, or rather
voluptuousness; another was a "carnival piece," spirited beyond compare; the third was a
Greek female head-a face so divinely beautiful, and yet of an expression so provokingly
indeterminate, never before arrested my attention.

The more substantial furniture consisted of a round table, a few chairs (including a large
rocking-chair), and a sofa, or rather "settee;" its material was plain maple painted a
creamy white, slightly interstriped with green; the seat of cane. The chairs and table were
"to match," but the forms of all had evidently been designed by the same brain which
planned "the grounds;" it is impossible to conceive anything more graceful.

On the table were a few books, a large, square, crystal bottle of some novel perfume, a
plain ground-glass astral (not solar) lamp with an Italian shade, and a large vase of
resplendently-blooming flowers. Flowers, indeed, of gorgeous colours and delicate odour
formed the sole mere decoration of the apartment. The fire-place was nearly filled with a
vase of brilliant geranium. On a triangular shelf in each angle of the room stood also a
similar vase, varied only as to its lovely contents. One or two smaller bouquets adorned
the mantel, and late violets clustered about the open windows.

It is not the purpose of this work to do more than give in detail, a picture of Mr. Landor's
residence-as I found it. How he made it what it was-and why-with some particulars of
Mr. Landor himself- may, possibly form the subject of another article.

THE END

LENORE

by Edgar Allan Poe

1831

Ah, broken is the golden bowl! the spirit flown forever!
Let the bell toll!-a saintly soul floats on the Stygian river;
And, Guy de Vere, hast thou no tear?-weep now or nevermore!
See! on yon drear and rigid bier low lies thy love, Lenore!
Come! let the burial rite be read-the funeral song be sung!-
An anthem for the queenliest dead that ever died so young-
A dirge for her the doubly dead in that she died so young.

"Wretches! ye loved her for her wealth and hated her for her pride.
And when she fell in feeble health, ye blessed her-that she died!
How shall the ritual, then, be read?-the requiem how be sung
By you-by yours, the evil eye,-by yours, the slanderous tongue
That did to death the innocence that died, and died so young?"

Peccavimus; but rave not thus! and let a Sabbath song

Go up to God so solemnly the dead may feel no wrong.

The sweet Lenore hath "gone before," with Hope, that flew beside.

Leaving thee wild for the dear child that should have been thy

bride.

For her, the fair and debonair, that now so lowly lies.

The life upon her yellow hair but not within her eyes

The life still there, upon her hair-the death upon her eyes.

"Avaunt! avaunt! from fiends below, the indignant ghost is riven-
From Hell unto a high estate far up within the Heaven-
From grief and groan, to a golden throne, beside the King of
Heaven!

Let no bell toll, then,-lest her soul, amid its hallowed mirth.
Should catch the note as it doth float up from the damned Earth!
And I!-to-night my heart is light!-no dirge will I upraise.
But waft the angel on her flight with a Paean of old days!"

THE END

LIGEIA

by Edgar Allan Poe

1838

And the will therein lieth, which dieth not. Who knoweth the mysteries of the will, with its
vigor? For God is but a great will pervading all things by nature of its intentness. Man
doth not yield himself to the angels, nor unto death utterly, save only through the
weakness of his feeble will.
Joseph Glanvill

I CANNOT, for my soul, remember how, when, or even precisely where, I first became
acquainted with the lady Ligeia. Long years have since elapsed, and my memory is feeble
through much suffering. Or, perhaps, I cannot now bring these points to mind, because, in
truth, the character of my beloved, her rare learning, her singular yet placid cast of
beauty, and the thrilling and enthralling eloquence of her low musical language, made
their way into my heart by paces so steadily and stealthily progressive that they have
been unnoticed and unknown. Yet I believe that I met her first and most frequently in
some large, old, decaying city near the Rhine. Of her family —I have surely heard her
speak. That it is of a remotely ancient date cannot be doubted. Ligeia! Ligeia! in studies
of a nature more than all else adapted to deaden impressions of the outward world, it is by
that sweet word alone —by Ligeia —that I bring before mine eyes in fancy the image of
her who is no more. And now, while I write, a recollection flashes upon me that I have
never known the paternal name of her who was my friend and my betrothed, and who
became the partner of my studies, and finally the wife of my bosom. Was it a playful
charge on the part of my Ligeia? or was it a test of my strength of affection, that I should
institute no inquiries upon this point? or was it rather a caprice of my own —a wildly
romantic offering on the shrine of the most passionate devotion? I but indistinctly recall
the fact itself —what wonder that I have utterly forgotten the circumstances which
originated or attended it? And, indeed, if ever she, the wan and the misty- winged
Ashtophet of idolatrous Egypt, presided, as they tell, over marriages ill-omened, then
most surely she presided over mine.

There is one dear topic, however, on which my memory falls me not. It is the person of
Ligeia. In stature she was tall, somewhat slender, and, in her latter days, even emaciated.
I would in vain attempt to portray the majesty, the quiet ease, of her demeanor, or the
incomprehensible lightness and elasticity of her footfall. She came and departed as a
shadow. I was never made aware of her entrance into my closed study save by the dear
music of her low sweet voice, as she placed her marble hand upon my shoulder. In beauty
of face no maiden ever equalled her. It was the radiance of an opium-dream —an airy and
spirit-lifting vision more wildly divine than the phantasies which hovered vision about
the slumbering souls of the daughters of Delos. Yet her features were not of that regular
mould which we have been falsely taught to worship in the classical labors of the

heathen. "There is no exquisite beauty," says Bacon, Lord Verulam, speaking truly of all
the forms and genera of beauty, without some strangeness in the proportion." Yet,
although I saw that the features of Ligeia were not of a classic regularity —although I
perceived that her loveliness was indeed "exquisite," and felt that there was much of
"strangeness" pervading it, yet I have tried in vain to detect the irregularity and to trace
home my own perception of "the strange." I examined the contour of the lofty and pale
forehead —it was faultless —how cold indeed that word when applied to a majesty so
divine! —the skin rivalling the purest ivory, the commanding extent and repose, the gentle
prominence of the regions above the temples; and then the raven-black, the glossy, the
luxuriant and naturally-curling tresses, setting forth the full force of the Homeric epithet,
"hyacinthine!" I looked at the delicate outlines of the nose —and nowhere but in the
graceful medallions of the Hebrews had I beheld a similar perfection. There were the
same luxurious smoothness of surface, the same scarcely perceptible tendency to the
aquiline, the same harmoniously curved nostrils speaking the free spirit. I regarded the
sweet mouth. Here was indeed the triumph of all things heavenly —the magnificent turn
of the short upper lip -the soft, voluptuous slumber of the under —the dimples which
sported, and the color which spoke —the teeth glancing back, with a brilliancy almost
startling, every ray of the holy light which fell upon them in her serene and placid, yet
most exultingly radiant of all smiles. I scrutinized the formation of the chin —and here,
too, I found the gentleness of breadth, the softness and the majesty, the fullness and the
spirituality, of the Greek -the contour which the god Apollo revealed but in a dream, to
Cleomenes, the son of the Athenian. And then I peered into the large eves of Ligeia.
For eyes we have no models in the remotely antique. It might have been, too, that in these
eves of my beloved lay the secret to which Lord Verulam alludes. They were, I must
believe, far larger than the ordinary eyes of our own race. They were even fuller than the
fullest of the gazelle eyes of the tribe of the valley of Nourjahad. Yet it was only at
intervals —in moments of intense excitement —that this peculiarity became more than
slightly noticeable in Ligeia. And at such moments was her beauty -in my heated fancy
thus it appeared perhaps -the beauty of beings either above or apart from the earth —the
beauty of the fabulous Houri of the Turk. The hue of the orbs was the most brilliant of
black, and, far over them, hung jetty lashes of great length. The brows, slightly irregular
in outline, had the same tint. The "strangeness," however, which I found in the eyes, was
of a nature distinct from the formation, or the color, or the brilliancy of the features, and
must, after all, be referred to the expression. Ah, word of no meaning! behind whose vast
latitude of mere sound we intrench our ignorance of so much of the spiritual. The
expression of the eyes of Ligeia! How for long hours have I pondered upon it! How have
I, through the whole of a midsummer night, struggled to fathom it! What was it —that
something more profound than the well of Democritus —which lay far within the pupils
of my beloved? What was it? I was possessed with a passion to discover. Those eyes!
those large, those shining, those divine orbs! they became to me twin stars of Leda, and I
to them devoutest of astrologers.

There is no point, among the many incomprehensible anomalies of the science of mind,
more thrillingly exciting than the fact —never, I believe, noticed in the schools —that, in
our endeavors to recall to memory something long forgotten, we often find ourselves
upon the very verge of remembrance, without being able, in the end, to remember. And
thus how frequently, in my intense scrutiny of Ligeia's eyes, have I felt approaching the

full knowledge of their expression —felt it approaching —yet not quite be mine —and so at
length entirely depart! And (strange, oh strangest mystery of all!) I found, in the
commonest objects of the universe, a circle of analogies to theat expression. I mean to
say that, subsequently to the period when Ligeia's beauty passed into my spirit, there
dwelling as in a shrine, I derived, from many existences in the material world, a
sentiment such as I felt always aroused within me by her large and luminous orbs. Yet
not the more could I define that sentiment, or analyze, or even steadily view it. I
recognized it, let me repeat, sometimes in the survey of a rapidly-growing vine —in the
contemplation of a moth, a butterfly, a chrysalis, a stream of running water. I have felt it
in the ocean; in the falling of a meteor. I have felt it in the glances of unusually aged
people. And there are one or two stars in heaven —(one especially, a star of the sixth
magnitude, double and changeable, to be found near the large star in Lyra) in a telescopic
scrutiny of which I have been made aware of the feeling. I have been filled with it by
certain sounds from stringed instruments, and not unfrequently by passages from books.
Among innumerable other instances, I well remember something in a volume of Joseph
Glanvill, which (perhaps merely from its quaintness —who shall say?) never failed to
inspire me with the sentiment; —"And the will therein lieth, which dieth not. Who
knoweth the mysteries of the will, with its vigor? For God is but a great will pervading all
things by nature of its intentness. Man doth not yield him to the angels, nor unto death
utterly, save only through the weakness of his feeble will."

Length of years, and subsequent reflection, have enabled me to trace, indeed, some
remote connection between this passage in the English moralist and a portion of the
character of Ligeia. An intensity in thought, action, or speech, was possibly, in her, a
result, or at least an index, of that gigantic volition which, during our long intercourse,
failed to give other and more immediate evidence of its existence. Of all the women
whom I have ever known, she, the outwardly calm, the ever-placid Ligeia, was the most
violently a prey to the tumultuous vultures of stem passion. And of such passion I could
form no estimate, save by the miraculous expansion of those eyes which at once so
delighted and appalled me —by the almost magical melody, modulation, distinctness and
placidity of her very low voice —and by the fierce energy (rendered doubly effective by
contrast with her manner of utterance) of the wild words which she habitually uttered.
I have spoken of the learning of Ligeia: it was immense —such as I have never known in
woman. In the classical tongues was she deeply proficient, and as far as my own
acquaintance extended in regard to the modern dialects of Europe, I have never known
her at fault. Indeed upon any theme of the most admired, because simply the most
abstruse of the boasted erudition of the academy, have I ever found Ligeia at fault? How
singularly —how thrillingly, this one point in the nature of my wife has forced itself, at
this late period only, upon my attention! I said her knowledge was such as I have never
known in woman —but where breathes the man who has traversed, and successfully, all
the wide areas of moral, physical, and mathematical science? I saw not then what I now
clearly perceive, that the acquisitions of Ligeia were gigantic, were astounding; yet I was
sufficiently aware of her infinite supremacy to resign myself, with a child-like
confidence, to her guidance through the chaotic world of metaphysical investigation at
which I was most busily occupied during the earlier years of our marriage. With how vast
a triumph -with how vivid a delight —with how much of all that is ethereal in hope —did
I feel, as she bent over me in studies but little sought —but less known —that delicious

vista by slow degrees expanding before me, down whose long, gorgeous, and all
untrodden path, I might at length pass onward to the goal of a wisdom too divinely
precious not to be forbidden!

How poignant, then, must have been the grief with which, after some years, I beheld my
well-grounded expectations take wings to themselves and fly away! Without Ligeia I was
but as a child groping benighted. Her presence, her readings alone, rendered vividly
luminous the many mysteries of the transcendentalism in which we were immersed.
Wanting the radiant lustre of her eyes, letters, lambent and golden, grew duller than
Saturnian lead. And now those eyes shone less and less frequently upon the pages over
which I pored. Ligeia grew ill. The wild eyes blazed with a too —too glorious effulgence;
the pale fingers became of the transparent waxen hue of the grave, and the blue veins
upon the lofty forehead swelled and sank impetuously with the tides of the gentle
emotion. I saw that she must die —and I struggled desperately in spirit with the grim
Azrael. And the struggles of the passionate wife were, to my astonishment, even more
energetic than my own. There had been much in her stem nature to impress me with the
belief that, to her, death would have come without its terrors; —but not so. Words are
impotent to convey any just idea of the fierceness of resistance with which she wrestled
with the Shadow. I groaned in anguish at the pitiable spectacle, would have soothed —I
would have reasoned; but, in the intensity of her wild desire for life, —for life —but for
life -solace and reason were the uttermost folly. Yet not until the last instance, amid the
most convulsive writhing s of her fierce spirit, was shaken the external placidity of her
demeanor. Her voice grew more gentle —grew more low —yet I would not wish to dwell
upon the wild meaning of the quietly uttered words. My brain reeled as I hearkened
entranced, to a melody more than mortal -to assumptions and aspirations which
mortality had never before known.

That she loved me I should not have doubted; and I might have been easily aware that, in
a bosom such as hers, love would have reigned no ordinary passion. But in death only,
was I fully impressed with the strength of her affection. For long hours, detaining my
hand, would she pour out before me the overflowing of a heart whose more than
passionate devotion amounted to idolatry. How had I deserved to be so blessed by such
confessions? —how had I deserved to be so cursed with the removal of my beloved in the
hour of her making them. But upon this subject I cannot bear to dilate. Let me say only,
that in Ligeia's more than womanly abandonment to a love, alas! all unmerited, all
unworthily bestowed, I at length recognized the principle of her longing with so wildly
earnest a desire for the life which was now fleeing so rapidly away. It is this wild longing
—it is this eager vehemence of desire for life —but for life —that I have no power to
portray —no utterance capable of expressing.

At high noon of the night in which she departed, beckoning me, peremptorily, to her side,
she bade me repeat certain verses composed by herself not many days before. I obeyed
her. —They were these:

Lo! 'tis a gala night

Within the lonesome latter years!

An angel throng, bewinged, bedight

In veils, and drowned in tears,
Sit in a theatre, to see
A play of hopes and fears.
While the orchestra breathes fitfully
The music of the spheres.

Mimes, in the form of God on high.
Mutter and mumble low.
And hither and thither fly —
Mere puppets they, who come and go
At bidding of vast formless things
That shift the scenery to and fro.
Flapping from out their Condor wings
Invisible Wo!

That motley drama! -oh, be sure

It shall not be forgot!

With its Phantom chased forever more.

By a crowd that seize it not.

Through a circle that ever returneth in

To the self-same spot.

And much of Madness and more of Sin

And Horror the soul of the plot.

But see, amid the mimic rout,

A crawling shape intrude!

A blood-red thing that writhes from out

The scenic solitude!

It writhes! -it writhes! —with mortal pangs

The mimes become its food.

And the seraphs sob at vermin fangs

In human gore imbued.

Out -out are the lights -out all!

And over each quivering form.

The curtain, a funeral pall.

Comes down with the rush of a storm.

And the angels, all pallid and wan.

Uprising, unveiling, affirm

That the play is the tragedy, "Man,"

And its hero the Conqueror Worm.

"O God!" half shrieked Ligeia, leaping to her feet and extending her arms aloft with a
spasmodic movement, as I made an end of these lines — "O God! O Divine Father! -shall
these things be undeviatingly so? —shall this Conqueror be not once conquered? Are we
not part and parcel in Thee? Who —who knoweth the mysteries of the will with its vigor?

Man doth not yield him to the angels, nor unto death utterly, save only through the
weakness of his feeble will."

And now, as if exhausted with emotion, she suffered her white arms to fall, and returned
solemnly to her bed of death. And as she breathed her last sighs, there came mingled with
them a low murmur from her lips. I bent to them my ear and distinguished, again, the
concluding words of the passage in Glanvill -"Man doth not yield him to the angels, nor
unto death utterly, save only through the weakness of his feeble will."
She died; -and I, crushed into the very dust with sorrow, could no longer endure the
lonely desolation of my dwelling in the dim and decaying city by the Rhine. I had no lack
of what the world calls wealth. Ligeia had brought me far more, very far more than
ordinarily falls to the lot of mortals. After a few months, therefore, of weary and aimless
wandering, I purchased, and put in some repair, an abbey, which I shall not name, in one
of the wildest and least frequented portions of fair England. The gloomy and dreary
grandeur of the building, the almost savage aspect of the domain, the many melancholy
and time-honored memories connected with both, had much in unison with the feelings of
utter abandonment which had driven me into that remote and unsocial region of the
country. Yet although the external abbey, with its verdant decay hanging about it,
suffered but little alteration, I gave way, with a child-like perversity, and perchance with
a faint hope of alleviating my sorrows, to a display of more than regal magnificence
within. —For such follies, even in childhood, I had imbibed a taste and now they came
back to me as if in the dotage of grief. Alas, I feel how much even of incipient madness
might have been discovered in the gorgeous and fantastic draperies, in the solemn
carvings of Egypt, in the wild cornices and furniture, in the Bedlam patterns of the
carpets of tufted gold! I had become a bounden slave in the trammels of opium, and my
labors and my orders had taken a coloring from my dreams. But these absurdities must
not pause to detail. Let me speak only of that one chamber, ever accursed, whither in a
moment of mental alienation, I led from the altar as my bride —as the successor of the
unforgotten Ligeia —the fair-haired and blue-eyed Lady Rowena Trevanion, of Tremaine.
There is no individual portion of the architecture and decoration of that bridal chamber
which is not now visibly before me. Where were the souls of the haughty family of the
bride, when, through thirst of gold, they permitted to pass the threshold of an apartment
so bedecked, a maiden and a daughter so beloved? I have said that I minutely remember
the details of the chamber —yet I am sadly forgetful on topics of deep moment —and here
there was no system, no keeping, in the fantastic display, to take hold upon the memory.
The room lay in a high turret of the castellated abbey, was pentagonal in shape, and of
capacious size. Occupying the whole southern face of the pentagon was the sole window
—an immense sheet of unbroken glass from Venice —a single pane, and tinted of a leaden
hue, so that the rays of either the sun or moon, passing through it, fell with a ghastly
lustre on the objects within. Over the upper portion of this huge window, extended the
trellice-work of an aged vine, which clambered up the massy walls of the turret. The
ceiling, of gloomy-looking oak, was excessively lofty, vaulted, and elaborately fretted
with the wildest and most grotesque specimens of a semi-Gothic, semi-Druidical device.
From out the most central recess of this melancholy vaulting, depended, by a single chain
of gold with long links, a huge censer of the same metal, Saracenic in pattern, and with

many perforations so contrived that there writhed in and out of them, as if endued with a
serpent vitality, a continual succession of parti-colored fires.

Some few ottomans and golden candelabra, of Eastern figure, were in various stations
about —and there was the couch, too —bridal couch -of an Indian model, and low, and
sculptured of solid ebony, with a pall-like canopy above. In each of the angles of the
chamber stood on end a gigantic sarcophagus of black granite, from the tombs of the
kings over against Luxor, with their aged lids full of immemorial sculpture. But in the
draping of the apartment lay, alas! the chief phantasy of all. The lofty walls, gigantic in
height —even unproportionably so —were hung from summit to foot, in vast folds, with a
heavy and massive-looking tapestry —tapestry of a material which was found alike as a
carpet on the floor, as a covering for the ottomans and the ebony bed, as a canopy for the
bed, and as the gorgeous volutes of the curtains which partially shaded the window. The
material was the richest cloth of gold. It was spotted all over, at irregular intervals, with
arabesque figures, about a foot in diameter, and wrought upon the cloth in patterns of the
most jetty black. But these figures partook of the true character of the arabesque only
when regarded from a single point of view. By a contrivance now common, and indeed
traceable to a very remote period of antiquity, they were made changeable in aspect. To
one entering the room, they bore the appearance of simple monstrosities; but upon a
farther advance, this appearance gradually departed; and step by step, as the visitor
moved his station in the chamber, he saw himself surrounded by an endless succession of
the ghastly forms which belong to the superstition of the Norman, or arise in the guilty
slumbers of the monk. The phantasmagoric effect was vastly heightened by the artificial
introduction of a strong continual current of wind behind the draperies —giving a hideous
and uneasy animation to the whole.

In halls such as these —in a bridal chamber such as this —I passed, with the Lady of
Tremaine, the unhallowed hours of the first month of our marriage —passed them with
but little disquietude. That my wife dreaded the fierce moodiness of my temper —that she
shunned me and loved me but little —I could not help perceiving; but it gave me rather
pleasure than otherwise. I loathed her with a hatred belonging more to demon than to
man. My memory flew back, (oh, with what intensity of regret!) to Ligeia, the beloved,
the august, the beautiful, the entombed. I revelled in recollections of her purity, of her
wisdom, of her lofty, her ethereal nature, of her passionate, her idolatrous love. Now,
then, did my spirit fully and freely burn with more than all the fires of her own. In the
excitement of my opium dreams (for I was habitually fettered in the shackles of the drug)
I would call aloud upon her name, during the silence of the night, or among the sheltered
recesses of the glens by day, as if, through the wild eagerness, the solemn passion, the
consuming ardor of my longing for the departed, I could restore her to the pathway she
had abandoned —ah, could it be forever? -upon the earth.

About the commencement of the second month of the marriage, the Lady Rowena was
attacked with sudden illness, from which her recovery was slow. The fever which
consumed her rendered her nights uneasy; and in her perturbed state of half-slumber, she
spoke of sounds, and of motions, in and about the chamber of the turret, which I
concluded had no origin save in the distemper of her fancy, or perhaps in the
phantasmagoric influences of the chamber itself. She became at length convalescent —
finally well. Yet but a brief period elapsed, ere a second more violent disorder again
threw her upon a bed of suffering; and from this attack her frame, at all times feeble.

never altogether recovered. Her illnesses were, after this epoch, of alarming character,
and of more alarming recurrence, defying alike the knowledge and the great exertions of
her physicians. With the increase of the chronic disease which had thus, apparently, taken
too sure hold upon her constitution to be eradicated by human means, I could not fall to
observe a similar increase in the nervous irritation of her temperament, and in her
excitability by trivial causes of fear. She spoke again, and now more frequently and
pertinaciously, of the sounds -of the slight sounds —and of the unusual motions among
the tapestries, to which she had formerly alluded.

One night, near the closing in of September, she pressed this distressing subject with
more than usual emphasis upon my attention. She had just awakened from an unquiet
slumber, and I had been watching, with feelings half of anxiety, half of vague terror, the
workings of her emaciated countenance. I sat by the side of her ebony bed, upon one of
the ottomans of India. She partly arose, and spoke, in an earnest low whisper, of sounds
which she then heard, but which I could not hear —of motions which she then saw, but
which I could not perceive. The wind was rushing hurriedly behind the tapestries, and I
wished to show her (what, let me confess it, I could not all believe) that those almost
inarticulate breathings, and those very gentle variations of the figures upon the wall, were
but the natural effects of that customary rushing of the wind. But a deadly pallor,
overspreading her face, had proved to me that my exertions to reassure her would be
fruitless. She appeared to be fainting, and no attendants were within call. I remembered
where was deposited a decanter of light wine which had been ordered by her physicians,
and hastened across the chamber to procure it. But, as I stepped beneath the light of the
censer, two circumstances of a startling nature attracted my attention. I had felt that some
palpable although invisible object had passed lightly by my person; and I saw that there
lay upon the golden carpet, in the very middle of the rich lustre thrown from the censer, a
shadow -a faint, indefinite shadow of angelic aspect —such as might be fancied for the
shadow of a shade. But I was wild with the excitement of an immoderate dose of opium,
and heeded these things but little, nor spoke of them to Rowena. Having found the wine, I
recrossed the chamber, and poured out a gobletful, which I held to the lips of the fainting
lady. She had now partially recovered, however, and took the vessel herself, while I sank
upon an ottoman near me, with my eyes fastened upon her person. It was then that I
became distinctly aware of a gentle footfall upon the carpet, and near the couch; and in a
second thereafter, as Rowena was in the act of raising the wine to her lips, I saw, or may
have dreamed that I saw, fall within the goblet, as if from some invisible spring in the
atmosphere of the room, three or four large drops of a brilliant and ruby colored fluid. If
this I saw -not so Rowena. She swallowed the wine unhesitatingly, and I forbore to
speak to her of a circumstance which must, after all, I considered, have been but the
suggestion of a vivid imagination, rendered morbidly active by the terror of the lady, by
the opium, and by the hour.

Yet I cannot conceal it from my own perception that, immediately subsequent to the fall
of the ruby-drops, a rapid change for the worse took place in the disorder of my wife; so
that, on the third subsequent night, the hands of her menials prepared her for the tomb,
and on the fourth, I sat alone, with her shrouded body, in that fantastic chamber which
had received her as my bride. -Wild visions, opium-engendered, flitted, shadow-like,
before me. I gazed with unquiet eye upon the sarcophagi in the angles of the room, upon
the varying figures of the drapery, and upon the writhing of the parti-colored fires in the

censer overhead. My eyes then fell, as I called to mind the circumstances of a former
night, to the spot beneath the glare of the censer where I had seen the faint traces of the
shadow. It was there, however, no longer; and breathing with greater freedom, I turned
my glances to the pallid and rigid figure upon the bed. Then rushed upon me a thousand
memories of Ligeia —and then came back upon my heart, with the turbulent violence of a
flood, the whole of that unutterable wo with which I had regarded her thus enshrouded.
The night waned; and still, with a bosom full of bitter thoughts of the one only and
supremely beloved, I remained gazing upon the body of Rowena.
It might have been midnight, or perhaps earlier, or later, for I had taken no note of time,
when a sob, low, gentle, but very distinct, startled me from my revery. —I felt that it came
from the bed of ebony —the bed of death. I listened in an agony of superstitious terror —
but there was no repetition of the sound. I strained my vision to detect any motion in the
corpse —but there was not the slightest perceptible. Yet I could not have been deceived. I
had heard the noise, however faint, and my soul was awakened within me. I resolutely
and perseveringly kept my attention riveted upon the body. Many minutes elapsed before
any circumstance occurred tending to throw light upon the mystery. At length it became
evident that a slight, a very feeble, and barely noticeable tinge of color had flushed up
within the cheeks, and along the sunken small veins of the eyelids. Through a species of
unutterable horror and awe, for which the language of mortality has no sufficiently
energetic expression, I felt my heart cease to beat, my limbs grow rigid where I sat. Yet a
sense of duty finally operated to restore my self-possession. I could no longer doubt that
we had been precipitate in our preparations —that Rowena still lived. It was necessary
that some immediate exertion be made; yet turret was altogether apart from the portion of
the abbey tenanted by the servants —there were none within call —I had no means of
summoning them to my aid without leaving the room for many minutes -and this I could
not venture to do. I therefore struggled alone in my endeavors to call back the spirit ill
hovering. In a short period it was certain, however, that a relapse had taken place; the
color disappeared from both eyelid and cheek, leaving a wanness even more than that of
marble; the lips became doubly shrivelled and pinched up in the ghastly expression of
death; a repulsive clamminess and coldness overspread rapidly the surface of the body;
and all the usual rigorous illness immediately supervened. I fell back with a shudder upon
the couch from which I had been so startlingly aroused, and again gave myself up to
passionate waking visions of Ligeia.

An hour thus elapsed when (could it be possible?) I was a second time aware of some
vague sound issuing from the region of the bed. I listened —in extremity of horror. The
sound came again —it was a sigh. Rushing to the corpse, I saw —distinctly saw -a tremor
upon the lips. In a minute afterward they relaxed, disclosing a bright line of the pearly
teeth. Amazement now struggled in my bosom with the profound awe which had hitherto
reigned there alone. I felt that my vision grew dim, that my reason wandered; and it was
only by a violent effort that I at length succeeded in nerving myself to the task which
duty thus once more had pointed out. There was now a partial glow upon the forehead
and upon the cheek and throat; a perceptible warmth pervaded the whole frame; there was
even a slight pulsation at the heart. The lady lived; and with redoubled ardor I betook
myself to the task of restoration. I chafed and bathed the temples and the hands, and used
every exertion which experience, and no little, medical reading, could suggest. But in
vain. Suddenly, the color fled, the pulsation ceased, the lips resumed the expression of the

dead, and, in an instant afterward, the whole body took upon itself the icy chilliness, the
livid hue, the intense rigidity, the sunken outline, and all the loathsome peculiarities of
that which has been, for many days, a tenant of the tomb.

And again I sunk into visions of Ligeia —and again, (what marvel that I shudder while I
write,) again there reached my ears a low sob from the region of the ebony bed. But why
shall I minutely detail the unspeakable horrors of that night? Why shall I pause to relate
how, time after time, until near the period of the gray dawn, this hideous drama of
revivification was repeated; how each terrific relapse was only into a sterner and
apparently more irredeemable death; how each agony wore the aspect of a struggle with
some invisible foe; and how each struggle was succeeded by I know not what of wild
change in the personal appearance of the corpse? Let me hurry to a conclusion.
The greater part of the fearful night had worn away, and she who had been dead, once
again stirred —and now more vigorously than hitherto, although arousing from a
dissolution more appalling in its utter hopelessness than any. I had long ceased to
struggle or to move, and remained sitting rigidly upon the ottoman, a helpless prey to a
whirl of violent emotions, of which extreme awe was perhaps the least terrible, the least
consuming. The corpse, I repeat, stirred, and now more vigorously than before. The hues
of life flushed up with unwonted energy into the countenance —the limbs relaxed —and,
save that the eyelids were yet pressed heavily together, and that the bandages and
draperies of the grave still imparted their chamel character to the figure, I might have
dreamed that Rowena had indeed shaken off, utterly, the fetters of Death. But if this idea
was not, even then, altogether adopted, I could at least doubt no longer, when, arising
from the bed, tottering, with feeble steps, with closed eyes, and with the manner of one
bewildered in a dream, the thing that was enshrouded advanced boldly and palpably into
the middle of the apartment.

I trembled not —I stirred not —for a crowd of unutterable fancies connected with the air,
the stature, the demeanor of the figure, rushing hurriedly through my brain, had paralyzed
—had chilled me into stone. I stirred not —but gazed upon the apparition. There was a mad
disorder in my thoughts —a tumult unappeasable. Could it, indeed, be the living Rowena
who confronted me? Could it indeed be Rowena at all —the fair-haired, the blue-eyed
Lady Rowena Trevanion of Tremaine? Why, why should I doubt it? The bandage lay
heavily about the mouth —but then might it not be the mouth of the breathing Lady of
Tremaine? And the cheeks-there were the roses as in her noon of life —yes, these might
indeed be the fair cheeks of the living Lady of Tremaine. And the chin, with its dimples,
as in health, might it not be hers? —but had she then grown taller since her malady? What
inexpressible madness seized me with that thought? One bound, and I had reached her
feet! Shrinking from my touch, she let fall from her head, unloosened, the ghastly
cerements which had confined it, and there streamed forth, into the rushing atmosphere of
the chamber, huge masses of long and dishevelled hair; it was blacker than the raven
wings of the midnight! And now slowly opened the eyes of the figure which stood before
me. "Here then, at least," I shrieked aloud, "can I never —can I never be mistaken —these
are the full, and the black, and the wild eyes -of my lost love -of the lady —of the
LADY LIGEIA."

THE END

LIONIZING

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

-all people went

Upon their ten toes in wild wondemment.

Bishop Hall's Satires.

I AM, that is to say I was, a great man, but I am neither the author of Junius nor the man
in the mask, for my name, I believe, is Robert Jones, and I was born somewhere in the
city of Fum-Fudge.

The first action of my life was the taking hold of my nose with both hands. My mother
saw this and called me a genius:-my father wept for joy and presented me with a treatise
on Nosology. This I mastered before I was breeched.

I now began to feel my way in the science, and soon came to understand that, provided a
man had a nose sufficiently conspicuous, he might by merely following it, arrive at a
Lionship. But my attention was not confined to theories alone. Every morning I gave my
proboscis a couple of pulls and swallowed a half-dozen of drams.

When I came of age my father asked me, one day, if I would step with him into his study.

"My son," he said, when we were seated, "what is the chief end of your existence?"

"My father," I answered, "it is the study of Nosology."

"And what, Robert," he inquired, "is Nosology?"

"Sir," I said, "it is the science of Noses."

"And can you tell me," he demanded, "what is the meaning of a nose?"

"A nose, my father," I replied, greatly softened, "has been variously defined by about a
thousand different authors." [Here I pulled out my watch.] "It is now noon, or
thereabouts- We shall have time enough to get through with them all before midnight. To
commence then: The nose, according to Bartholinus, is that protuberance-that bump-that
excresence-that- "

"Will do, Robert," interupted the old gentleman. "I am thunderstruck at the extent of your
information-! am positively-upon my soul." [Here he closed his eyes and placed his hand
upon his heart.] "Come here!" [Here he took me by the arm.] "Your education may now

be considered as finished-it is high time you should scuffle for yourself-and you cannot
do a better thing than merely follow your nose-so-so-so-" [Here he kicked me down
stairs and out of the door.]-"So get out of my house, and God bless you!"

As I felt within me the divine afflatus, I considered this accident rather fortunate than
otherwise. I resolved to be guided by the paternal advice. I determined to follow my nose.
I gave it a pull or two upon the spot, and wrote a pamphlet on Nosology forthwith.

All Fum-Fudge was in an uproar.

"Wonderful genius!" said the Quarterly.

"Superb physiologist!" said the Westminster.

"Clever fellow!" said the Foreign.

"Fine writer!", said the Edinburgh.

"Profound thinker!" said the Dublin.

"Great man!" said Bentley.

"Divine soul!" said Fraser.

"One of us!" said Blackwood.

"Who can he be?" said Mrs. Bas-Bleu.

"What can he be?" said big Miss Bas-Bleu.

"Where can he be?" said little Miss Bas-Bleu.-But I paid these people no attention
whatever-I just stepped into the shop of an artist.

The Duchess of Bless-my-Soul was sitting for her portrait; the Marquis of So-and-So was
holding the Duchess' poodle; the Earl of This-and-That was flirting with her salts; and his
Royal Highness of Touch-me-Not was leaning upon the back of her chair.

I approached the artist and turned up my nose.

"Oh, beautiful!" sighed her Grace.

"Oh, my!" lisped the Marquis.

"Oh, shocking!" groaned the Earl.

"Oh, abominable!" growled his Royal Highness.

'What will you take for it?" asked the artist.

'For his nose!" shouted her Grace.

'A thousand pounds," said I, sitting down.

'A thousand pounds?" inquired the artist, musingly.

'A thousand pounds," said I.

'Beautiful!" said he, entranced.

'A thousand pounds," said I.

'Do you warrant it?" he asked, turning the nose to the light.

'I do," said I, blowing it well.

'Is it quite original?" he inquired, touching it with reverence.

'Humph!" said I, twisting it to one side.

'Has no copy been taken?" he demanded, surveying it through a microscope.

'None," said I, turning it up.

'Admirable!" he ejaculated, thrown quite off his guard by the beauty of the manoeuvre.

'A thousand pounds," said I.

'A thousand pounds?" said he.

'Precisely," said I.

'A thousand pounds?" said he.

'Just so," said I.

'You shall have them," said he. "What a piece of virtu!" So he drew me a check upon the
spot, and took a sketch of my nose. I engaged rooms in Jermyn street, and sent her
Majesty the ninety-ninth edition of the "Nosology," with a portrait of the proboscis. That
sad little rake, the Prince of Wales, invited me to dinner.

We are all lions and recherches.

There was a modem Platonist. He quoted Porphyry, lamblicus, Plotinus, Proclus,
Hierocles, Maximus Tyrius, and Syrianus.

There was a human-perfectibility man. He quoted Turgot, Price, Priestly, Condorcet, De
Stael, and the "Ambitious Student in 111- Health."

There was Sir Positive Paradox. He observed that all fools were philosophers, and that all
philosophers were fools.

There was Aestheticus Ethix. He spoke of fire, unity, and atoms; bi-part and pre-existent
soul; affinity and discord; primitive intelligence and homoomeria.

There was Theologos Theology. He talked of Eusebius and Arianus; heresy and the
Council of Nice; Puseyism and consubstantialism; Homousios and Homouioisios.

There was Fricassee from the Rocher de Cancale. He mentioned Muriton of red tongue;
cauliflowers with veloute sauce; veal a la St. Menehoult; marinade a la St. Florentin; and
orange jellies en mosaiques.

There was Bibulus O'Bumper. He touched upon Latour and Markbrunnen; upon Mosseux
and Chambertin; upon Richbourg and St. George; upon Haubrion, Leonville, and Medoc;
upon Barac and Preignac; upon Grave, upon Sauterne, upon Lafitte, and upon St. Peray.
He shook his head at Clos de Vougeot, and told with his eyes shut, the difference
between Sherry and Amontillado.

There was Signor Tintontintino from Florence. He discoursed of Cimabue, Arpino,
Carpaccio, and Argostino-of the gloom of Caravaggio, of the amenity of Albano, of the
colors of Titian, of the frows of Rubens, and of the waggeries of Jan Steen.

There was the President of the Fum-Fudge University. He was of the opinion that the
moon was called Bendis in Thrace, Bubastis in Egypt, Dian in Rome, and Artemis in
Greece.

There was a Grand Turk from Stamboul. He could not help thinking that the angels were
horses, cocks, and bulls; that somebody in the sixth heaven had seventy thousand heads;
and that the earth was supported by a sky-blue cow with an incalculable number of green
horns.

There was Delphinus Polyglott. He told us what had become of the eighty-three lost
tragedies of Aeschylus; of the fifty-four orations of Isaeus; of the three hundred and
ninety-one speeches of Lysias; of the hundred and eighty treatises of Theophrastus; of the
eighth book of the conic sections of ApoUonius; of Pindar's hymns and dithyrambics, and
of the five and forty tragedies of Homer Junior.

There was Ferdinand Fitz-Fossillus Feltspar. He informed us all about internal fires and
tertiary formations; about aeriforms, fluidiforms, and solidforms; about quartz and marl;

about schist and schorl; about gypsum and trap; about talc and calc; about blende and
horn-blende; about micaslate and pudding-stone; about cyanite and lepidolite; about
haematite and tremolite; about antimony and calcedony; about manganese and whatever
you please.

There was myself. I spoke of myself;-of myself, of myself, of myself;-of Nosology, of
my pamphlet, and of myself. I turned up my nose, and I spoke of myself.

"Marvellous clever man!" said the Prince.

"Superb!" said his guests;-and next morning her Grace of Bless-my-soul paid me a visit.

"Will you go to Almack's, pretty creature?" she said, tapping me under the chin.

"Upon honor," said I.

"Nose and all?" she asked.

"As I live," I replied.

"Here then is a card, my life. Shall I say you will be there?"

"Dear, Duchess, with all my heart."

"Pshaw, no!-but with all your nose?"

"Every bit of it, my love," said I:-so I gave it a twist or two, and found myself at
Almack's.

The rooms were crowded to suffocation.

"He is coming!" said somebody on the staircase.

"He is coming!" said somebody farther up.

"He is coming!" said somebody farther still.

"He is come!" exclaimed the Duchess, "He is come, the little love! "-and, seizing me
firmly by both hands, she kissed me thrice upon the nose.

A marked sensation immediately ensued.

"Diavolo!" cried Count Capricornutti.

"Dios guarda!" muttered Don Stiletto.

"Mille tonnerres!" ejaculated the Prince de Grenouille.

"Tousand teufel!" growled the Elector of Bluddennuff.

It was not to be borne. I grew angry. I turned short upon Bluddennuff.

"Sir!" said I to him, "you are a baboon."

"Sir," he replied, after a pause. "Donner und Blitzen!"

This was all that could be desired. We exchanged cards. At Chalk-Farm, the next
morning, I shot off his nose-and then called upon my friends.

"Bete!" said the first.

"Fool!" said the second.

"Dolt!" said the third.

"Ass!" said the fourth.

"Ninny!" said the fifth.

"Noodle!" said the sixth.

"Be off!" said the seventh.

At all this I felt mortified, and so called upon my father.

"Father," I asked, "what is the chief end of my existence?"

"My son," he replied, "it is still the study of Nosology; but in hitting the Elector upon the
nose you have overshot your mark. You have a fine nose, it is true; but then Bluddennuff
has none. You are damned, and he has become the hero of the day. I grant you that in
Fum-Fudge the greatness of a lion is in proportion to the size of his proboscis-but, good
heavens! there is no competing with a lion who has no proboscis at all."

THE END

LITERARY LIFE OF THINGUM BOB, ESQ.

LATE EDITOR OF THE "GOOSETHERUMFOODLE"
BY HIMSELF

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

I AM now growing in years, and-since I understand that Shakespeare and Mr. Emmons
are deceased-it is not impossible that I may even die. It has occurred to me, therefore,
that I may as well retire from the field of Letters and repose upon my laurels. But I am
ambitious of signalizing my abdication of the literary sceptre by some important bequest
to posterity; and, perhaps, I cannot do a better thing than just pen for it an account of my
earlier career. My name, indeed, has been so long and so constantly before the public eye,
that I am not only willing to admit the naturalness of the interest which it has everywhere
excited, but ready to satisfy the extreme curiosity which it has inspired. In fact, it is no
more than the duty of him who achieves greatness to leave behind him, in his ascent, such
landmarks as may guide others to be great. I propose, therefore, in the present paper
(which I had some idea of calling "Memoranda to Serve for the Literary History of
America") to give a detail of those important, yet feeble and tottering, first steps, by
which, at length, I attained the high road to the pinnacle of human renown.

Of one's very remote ancestors it is superfluous to say much. My father, Thomas Bob,
Esq., stood for many years at the summit of his profession, which was that of a merchant-
barber, in the city of Smug. His warehouse was the resort of all the principal people of
the place, and especially of the editorial corps-a body which inspires all about it with
profound veneration and awe. For my own part, I regarded them as gods, and drank in
with avidity the rich wit and wisdom which continuously flowed from their august
mouths during the process of what is styled "lather." My first moment of positive
inspiration must be dated from that ever-memorable epoch, when the brilliant conductor
of the "Gad-Fly," in the intervals of the important process just mentioned, recited aloud,
before a conclave of our apprentices, an inimitable poem in honor of the "Only Genuine
Oil-of-Bob" (so called from its talented inventor, my father), and for which effusion the
editor of the "Fly" was remunerated with a regal liberality by the firm of Thomas Bob &
Company, merchant-barbers.

The genius of the stanzas to the "Oil-of-Bob" first breathed into me, I say, the divine
afflatus. I resolved at once to become a great man, and to commence by becoming a great
poet. That very evening I fell upon my knees at the feet of my father.

"Father," I said, "pardon me!-but I have a soul above lather. It is my firm intention to cut
the shop. I would be an editor-I would be a poet-I would pen stanzas to the 'Oil-of-Bob.'
Pardon me and aid me to be great!"

"My dear Thingum," replied father, (I had been christened Thingum after a wealthy
relative so sumamed,) "My dear Thingum," he said, raising me from my knees by the
ears-"Thingum, my boy, you're a trump, and take after your father in having a soul. You
have an immense head, too, and it must hold a great many brains. This I have long seen,
and therefore had thoughts of making you a lawyer. The business, however, has grown
ungenteel and that of a politician don't pay. Upon the whole you judge wisely;-the trade
of editor is best:-and if you can be a poet at the same time,-as most of the editors are, by
the by, why, you will kill two birds with the one stone. To encourage you in the
beginning of things, I will allow you a garret, pen, ink, and paper, a rhyming dictionary;
and a copy of the 'Gad-Fly.' I suppose you would scarcely demand any more."

"I would be an ungrateful villain if I did" I replied with enthusiasm. "Your generosity is
boundless. I will repay it by making you the father of a genius."

Thus ended my conference with the best of men, and immediately upon its termination, I
betook myself with zeal to my poetical labors; as upon these, chiefly, I founded my hopes
of ultimate elevation to the editorial chair.

In my first attempts at composition I found the stanzas to "The Oil-of-Bob" rather a
drawback than otherwise. Their splendor more dazzled than enlightened me. The
contemplation of their excellence tended, naturally, to discourage me by comparison with
my own abortions; so that for a long time I labored in vain. At length there came into my
head one of those exquisitely original ideas which now and then will permeate the brain
of a man of genius. It was this:-or, rather, thus was it carried into execution. From the
rubbish of an old book- stall, in a very remote corner of the town, I got together several
antique and altogether unknown or forgotten volumes. The bookseller sold them to me
for a song. From one of these, which purported to be a translation of one Dantes
"Inferno," I copied with remarkable neatness a long passage about a man named Ugolino,
who had a parcel of brats. From another, which contained a good many old plays by some
person whose name I forget, I enacted in the same manner, and with the same care, a
great number of lines about "angels" and "ministers saying grace," and "goblins damned,"
and more besides of that sort. From a third, which was the composition of some blind
man or other, either a Greek or a Choctaw-I cannot be at the pains of remembering every
trifle exactly ,-I took about fifty verses beginning with "Achilles' wrath," and "grease,"
and something else. From a fourth, which I recollect was also the work of a blind man, I
selected a page or two all about "hail" and "holy light"; and, although a blind man has no
business to write about light, still the verses were sufficiently good in their way.

Having made fair copies of these poems, I signed every one of them "Oppodeldoc" (a
fine sonorous name), and, doing each up nicely in a separate envelope, I dispatched one
to each of the four principal Magazines, with a request for speedy insertion and prompt
pay. The result of this well-conceived plan, however, (the success of which would have

saved me much trouble in after-life,) served to convince me that some editors are not to
be bamboozled, and gave the coup-de-grace (as they say in France) to my nascent hopes
(as they say in the city of the transcendentals).

The fact is, that each and every one of the Magazines in question gave Mr. "Oppodeldoc"
a complete using-up, in the "Monthly Notices to Correspondents." The "Hum-Drum"
gave him a dressing after this fashion:

"'Oppodeldoc' (whoever he is) has sent us a long tirade concerning a bedlamite whom he
styles 'Ugolino,' had a great many children that should have been all whipped and sent to
bed without their suppers. The whole affair is exceedingly tame-not to say flat.
'Oppodeldoc' (whoever he is) is entirely devoid of imagination-and imagination, in our
humble opinion, is not only the soul of Poesy, but also its very heart. 'Oppodeldoc'
(whoever he is) has the audacity to demand of us, for his twattle, a 'speedy insertion and
prompt pay.' We neither insert nor purchase any stuff of the sort. There can be no doubt,
however, that he would meet with a ready sale for all the balderdash he can scribble, at
the office of either the 'Rowdy-Dow,' the 'Lollipop,' or the 'Goosetherumfoodle.'

All this, it must be acknowledged, was very severe upon "Oppodeldoc, "-but the
unkindest cut was putting the word Poesy in small caps. In those five pre-eminent letters
what a world of bitterness is there not involved!

But "Oppodeldoc" was punished with equal severity in the "Rowdy Dow," which spoke
thus:

"We have received a most singular and insolent communication from a person (whoever
he is) signing himself 'Oppodeldoc, '-thus desecrating the greatness of the illustrious
Roman emperor so named. Accompanying the letter of 'Oppodeldoc' (whoever he is) we
find sundry lines of most disgusting and unmeaning rant about 'angels and ministers of
grace,'-rant such as no madman short of a Nat Lee, or an 'Oppodeldoc,' could possibly
perpetrate. And for this trash of trash, we are modestly requested to 'pay promptly.' No,
sir-no! We pay for nothing of that sort. Apply to the 'Hum-Drum,' the 'Lollipop,' or the
'Goosetherumfoodle.' These periodicals will undoubtedly accept any literary offal you
may send them-and as undoubtedly promise to pay for it."

This was bitter indeed upon poor "Oppodeldoc"; but, in this instance, the weight of the
satire falls upon the "Hum-Drum," the "Lollipop," and the "Goosetherumfoodle," who are
pungently styled "periodicals "-in Italics, too-a thing that must have cut them to the heart.

Scarcely less savage was the "Lollipop," which thus discoursed:

"Some individual, who rejoices in the appellation 'Oppodeldoc,' (to what low uses are the
names of the illustrious dead too often applied!) has enclosed us some fifty or sixty
verses commencing after this fashion:

'Achilles' wrath, to Greece the direful spring

Of woes unnumbered, &c., &c., &c, &c.'

"'Oppodeldoc?' (whoever he is) is respectfully informed that there is not a printer's devil
in our office who is not in the daily habit of composing better lines. Those of
'Oppodeldoc' will not scan. 'Oppodeldoc' should learn to count. But why he should have
conceived the idea that we (of all others, we!) would disgrace our pages with his ineffable
nonsense is utterly beyond comprehension. Why, the absurd twattle is scarcely good
enough for the 'Hum-Drum,' the 'Rowdy-Dow,' the 'Goosetherumfoodle,'-things that are
in the practice of publishing 'Mother Gooses Melodies' as original lyrics. And
'Oppodeldoc' (whoever he is) has even the assurance to demand pay for this drivel. Does
'Oppodeldoc' (whoever he is) know-is he aware that we could not be paid to insert it?"

As I perused this I felt myself growing gradually smaller and smaller, and when I came to
the point at which the editor sneered at the poem as "verses," there was little more than an
ounce of me left. As for "Oppodeldoc," I began to experience compassion for the poor
fellow. But the "Goosetherumfoodle" showed, if possible, less mercy than the "Lollipop."
It was the "Goosetherumfoodle" that said-

"A wretched poetaster, who signs himself 'Oppodeldoc,' is silly enough to fancy that we
will print and pay for a medley of incoherent and ungrammatical bombast which he has
transmitted to us, and which commences with the following most intelligible line:-

'Hail Holy Light! Offspring of Heaven, firstborn.'

"We say, 'most intelligible.' 'Oppodeldoc' (whoever he is) will be kind enough to tell us,
perhaps, how 'hail' can be 'holy light.' We always regarded it as frozen rain. Will he
inform us, also, how frozen rain can be, at one and the same time, both 'holy light'
(whatever that is) and an 'off-spring'?-which latter term (if we understand anything about
English) is only employed, with propriety, in reference to small babies of about six weeks
old. But it is preposterous to descant upon such absurdity-although 'Oppodeldoc'
(whoever he is) has the unparalled effrontery to suppose that we will not only 'insert' his
ignorant ravings, but (absolutely) pay for them?

"Now this is fine-it is rich!-and we have half a mind to punish this young scribbler for
his egotism by really publishing his effusion verbatim et literatim, as he has written it.
We could inflict no punishment so severe, and we would inflict it, but for the boredom
which we should cause our readers in so doing.

"Let 'Oppodeldoc' (whoever he is) send any future composition of like character to the
'Hum-Drum,' the 'Lollipop,' or the 'Rowdy-Dow: They will 'insert' it. They 'insert' every
month just such stuff. Send it to them. WE are not to be insulted with impunity."

This made an end of me, and as for the "Hum-Drum," the "Rowdy-Dow," and the
"Lollipop," I never could comprehend how they survived it. The putting them in the
smallest possible minion (that was the rub-thereby insinuating their lowness-their
baseness,) while WE stood looking upon them in gigantic capitals !-oh it was too bitter!-

it was wormwood-it was gall. Had I been either of these periodicals I would have spared
no pains to have the "Goosetherumfoodle" prosecuted. It might have been done under the
Act for the "Prevention of Cruelty to Animals." for Oppodeldoc (whoever he was), I had
by this time lost all patience with the fellow, and sympathized with him no longer. He
was a fool, beyond doubt, (whoever he was,) and got not a kick more than he deserved.

The result of my experiment with the old books convinced me, in the first place, that
"honesty is the best policy," and, in the second, that if I could not write better than Mr.
Dante, and the two blind men, and the rest of the old set, it would, at least, be a difficult
matter to write worse. I took heart, therefore, and determined to prosecute the "entirely
original" (as they say on the covers of the magazines), at whatever cost of study and
pains. I again placed before my eyes, as a model, the brilliant stanzas on "The Oil-of-
Bob" by the editor of the "Gad-Fly" and resolved to construct an ode on the same sublime
theme, in rivalry of what had already been done.

With my first line I had no material difficulty. It ran thus:

"To pen an Ode upon the 'Oil-of-Bob.'"

Having carefully looked out, however, all the legitimate rhymes to "Bob," I found it
impossible to proceed. In this dilemma I had recourse to paternal aid; and, after some
hours of mature thought, my father and myself thus constructed the poem:

"To pen an Ode upon the 'Oil-of-Bob'

Is all sorts of a job.

(Signed) Snob."

To be sure, this composition was of no very great length,-but I "have yet to learn," as
they say in the "Edinburgh Review," that the mere extent of a literary work has anything
to do with its merit. As for the Quarterly cant about "sustained effort," it is impossible to
see the sense of it. Upon the whole, therefore, I was satisfied with the success of my
maiden attempt, and now the only question regarded the disposal I should make of it. My
father suggested that I should send it to the "Gad-Fly, "-but there were two reasons which
operated to prevent me from so doing. I dreaded the jealousy of the editor-and I had
ascertained that he did not pay for original contributions. I therefore, after due
deliberation, consigned the article to the more dignified pages of the "Lollipop" and
awaited the event in anxiety, but with resignation.

In the very next published number I had the proud satisfaction of seeing my poem printed
at length, as the leading article, with the following significant words, prefixed in italics
and between brackets:

[We call the attention of our readers to the subjoined admirable on "The Oil-of-Bob." We
need say nothing of their sublimity, or of their pathos.-it is impossible to peruse them

without tears. Those who have been nauseated with a sad dose on the same august topic
from the goose-quill of the editor of the "Gad-Fly," will do well to compare the two
compositions.

P. S.-We are consumed with anxiety to probe the mystery which envelops the evident
pseudonym "Snob" May we hope for a personal interview?]

All this was scarcely more than justice, but it was, I confess, rather more than I had
expected:-! acknowledge this, be it observed, to the everlasting disgrace of my country
and of mankind. I lost no time, however, in calling upon the editor of the "Lollipop" and
had the good fortune to find this gentleman at home. He saluted me with an air of
profound respect, slightly blended with a fatherly and patronizing admiration, wrought in
him, no doubt, by my appearance of extreme youth and inexperience. Begging me to be
seated, he entered at once upon the subject of my poem;-but modesty will ever forbid me
to repeat the thousand compliments which he lavished upon me. The eulogies of Mr.
Crab (such was the editor's name) were, however, by no means fulsomely indiscriminate.
He analyzed my composition with much freedom and great ability-not hesitating to point
out a few trivial defects-a circumstance which elevated him highly in my esteem. The
"Gad-Fly" was, of course, brought upon the tapis, and I hope never to be subjected to a
criticism so searching, or to rebukes so withering, as were bestowed by Mr. Crab upon
that unhappy effusion. I had been accustomed to regard the editor of the "Gad-Fly" as
something superhuman; but Mr. Crab soon disabused me of that idea. He set the literary
as well as the personal character of the Fly (so Mr. C. satirically designated the rival
editor), in its true light. He, the Fly, was very little better than he should be. He had
written infamous things. He was a penny-a-liner, and a buffoon. He was a villain. He had
composed a tragedy which set the whole country in a guffaw, and a farce which deluged
the universe in tears. Besides all this, he had the impudence to pen what he meant for a
lampoon upon himself (Mr. Crab), and the temerity to style him "an ass." Should I at any
time wish to express my opinion of Mr. Fly, the pages of the "Lollipop," Mr. Crab
assured me, were at my unlimited disposal. In the meantime, as it was very certain that I
would be attacked in the "Fly" for my attempt at composing a rival poem on the "Oil-of-
Bob," he (Mr. Crab) would take it upon himself to attend, pointedly, to my private and
personal interests. If I were not made a man of at once, it should not be the fault of
himself (Mr. Crab).

Mr. Crab having now paused in his discourse (the latter portion of which I found it
impossible to comprehend), I ventured to suggest something about the remuneration
which I had been taught to expect for my poem, by an announcement on the cover of the
"Lollipop," declaring that it (the "Lollipop") "insisted upon being permitted to pay
exorbitant prices for all accepted contributions,-frequently expending more money for a
single brief poem than the whole annual cost of the 'Hum-Drum,' the 'Rowdy-Dow,' and
the 'Goosetherumfoodle' combined."

As I mentioned the word "remuneration," Mr. Crab first opened his eyes, and then his
mouth, to quite a remarkable extent, causing his personal appearance to resemble that of a
highly agitated elderly duck in the act of quacking; and in this condition he remained

(ever and anon pressing his hinds tightly to his forehead, as if in a state of desperate
bewilderment) until I had nearly made an end of what I had to say.

Upon my conclusion, he sank back into his seat, as if much overcome, letting his arms
fall lifelessly by his side, but keeping his mouth still rigorously open, after the fashion of
the duck. While I remained in speechless astonishment at behavior so alarming he
suddenly leaped to his feet and made a rush at the bell-rope; but just as he reached this,
he appeared to have altered his intention, whatever it was, for he dived under a table and
immediately re-appeared with a cudgel. This he was in the act of uplifting (for what
purpose I am at a loss to imagine), when all at once, there came a benign smile over his
features, and he sank placidly back in his chair.

"Mr. Bob," he said, (for I had sent up my card before ascending myself,) "Mr. Bob, you
are a young man, I presume-very?"

I assented; adding that I had not yet concluded my third lustrum.

"Ah!" he replied, "very good! I see how it is-say no more! Touching this matter of
compensation, what you observe is very just,-in fact it is excessively so. But ah-ah-the
first contribution-the first, I say-it is never the Magazine custom to pay for,-you
comprehend, eh? The truth is, we are usually the recipients in such case." [Mr. Crab
smiled blandly as he emphasized the word "recipients."] "for the most part, we are paid
for the insertion of a maiden attempt- especially in verse. In the second place, Mr. Bob,
the Magazine rule is never to disburse what we term in France the argent comptant:-!
have no doubt you understand. In a quarter or two after publication of the article-or in a
year or two-we make no objection to giving our note at nine months; provided, always,
that we can so arrange our affairs as to be quite certain of a 'burst up' in six. I really do
hope, Mr. Bob, that you will look upon this explanation as satisfactory." Here Mr. Crab
concluded, and the tears stood in his eyes.

Grieved to the soul at having been, however innocently, the cause of pain to so eminent
and so sensitive a man, I hastened to apologize, and to reassure him, by expressing my
perfect coincidence with his views, as well as my entire appreciation of the delicacy of
his position. Having done all this in a neat speech, I took leave.

One fine morning, very shortly afterwards, "I awoke and found myself famous." The
extent of my renown will be best estimated by reference to the editorial opinions of the
day. These opinions, it will be seen, were embodied in critical notices of the number of
the "Lollipop" containing my poem, and are perfectly satisfactory, conclusive, and clear
with the exception, perhaps, of the hieroglyphical marks, "Sep. 15-1 1," appended to each
of the critiques.

The "Owl" a journal of profound sagacity, and well known for the deliberate gravity of its
literary decisions-the "Owl," I say, spoke as follows:

"The LOLLIPOP! The October number of this dehcious Magazine surpasses its
predecessors, and sets competition at defiance. In the beauty of its typography and paper-
in the number and excellence of its steel plates-as well as in the literary merit of its
contributions-the 'Lollipop' compares with its slow-paced rivals as Hyperion with Satyr.
The 'Hum-Drum,' the 'Rowdy-Dow,' and the 'Goosetherumfoodle,' excel, it is true, in
braggadocio, but in all other points, give us the 'Lollipop'! How this celebrated journal
can sustain its evidently tremendous expenses, is more than we can understand. To be
sure, it has a circulation of 100,000 and its subscription list has increased one fourth
during the last month; but, on the other hand, the sums it disburses constantly for
contributions are inconceivable. It is reported that Mr. Slyass received no less than thirty-
seven and a half cents for his inimitable paper on 'Pigs.' With Mr. Crab, as editor, and
with such names upon the list of contributors as SNOB and Slyass, there can be no such
word as 'fail' for the 'Lollipop.' Go and subscribe. Sep. 15-1 1."

I must say that I was gratified with this high-toned notice from a paper so respectable as
the "Owl." The placing my name-that is to say, my nom de guerre-in priority of station
to that of the great Slyass, was a compliment as happy as I felt it to be deserved.

My attention was next arrested by these paragraphs in the "Toad"- print highly
distinguished for its uprightness and independence-for its entire freedom from
sycophancy and subservience to the givers of dinners:

"The 'Lollipop' for October is out in advance of all its contemporaries, and infinitely
surpasses them, of course, in the splendor of its embellishments, as well as in the richness
of its contents. The 'Hum-Drum,' the 'Rowdy-Dow,' and the 'Goosetherumfoodle' excel,
we admit, in braggadocio, but, in all other points, give us the 'Lollipop.' How this
celebrated Magazine can sustain its evidently tremendous expenses is more than we can
understand. To be sure, it has a circulation of 200,000 and its subscription list has
increased one third during the last fortnight, but, on the other hand, the sums it disburses,
monthly, for contributions, are fearfully great. We learn that Mr. Mumblethumb received
no less than fifty cents for his late 'Monody in a Mud-Puddle.'

"Among the original contributors to the present number we notice (besides the eminent
editor, Mr. Crab), such men as SNOB, Slyass, and Mumblethumb. Apart from the
editorial matter, the most valuable paper, nevertheless, is, we think, a poetical gem by
Snob, on the 'Oil-of-Bob.'-but our readers must not suppose, from the title of this
incomparable bijou, that it bears any similitude to some balderdash on the same subject
by a certain contemptible individual whose name is unmentionable to ears polite. The
present poem 'On the Oil-of-Bob,' has excited universal anxiety and curiosity in respect
to the owner of the evident pseudonym, 'Snob, '-a curiosity which, happily, we have it in
our power to satisfy. 'Snob' is the nom de plume of Mr. Thingum Bob, of this city, a
relative of the great Mr. Thingum, (after whom he is named), and otherwise connected
with the most illustrious families of the State. His father, Thomas Bob, Esq., is an opulent
merchant in Smug. Sep. 15-1 t."

This generous approbation touched me to the heart-the more especially as it emanated
from a source so avowedly-so proverbially pure as the "Toad." The word "balderdash,"
as applied to the "Oil-of-Bob" of the Fly, I considered singularly pungent and
appropriate. The words "gem" and "bijou," however, used in reference to my
composition, struck me as being, in some degree, feeble. They seemed to me to be
deficient in force. They were not sufficiently prononces (as we have it in France).

I had hardly finished reading the "Toad," when a friend placed in my hands a copy of the
"Mole," a daily, enjoying high reputation for the keenness of its perception about matters
in general, and for the open, honest, above-ground style of its editorials. The "Mole"
spoke of the "LoUypop" as follows:

"We have just received the 'Lollipop' for October, and must say that never before have we
perused any single number of any periodical which afforded us a felicity so supreme. We
speak advisedly. The 'Hum-Drum.' the 'Rowdy-Dow,' and the 'Goosetherumfoodle' must
look well to their laurels. These prints, no doubt, surpass everything in loudness of
pretension, but, in all other points, give us the 'Lollipop'! How this celebrated Magazine
can sustain its evidently tremendous expenses, is more than we can comprehend. To be
sure, it has a circulation of 300,000; and its subscription list has increased one half within
the last week, but then the sum it disburses, monthly, for contributions, is astoundingly
enormous. We have it upon good authority that Mr. Fatquack received no less than sixty-
two cents and a half for his late Domestic Nouvellette, the 'Dish-Clout.'

"The contributors to the number before us are Mr. CRAB (the eminent editor), SNOB,
Mumblethumb, Fatquack, and others; but, after the inimitable compositions of the editor
himself, we prefer a diamond-like effusion from the pen of a rising poet who writes over
the signature 'Snob '-a nom de guerre which we predict will one day extinguish the
radiance of 'BOZ.' 'SNOB,' we learn, is a Mr. THINGUM BOB, Esq., sole heir of a
wealthy merchant of this city, Thomas Bob, Esq., and a near relative of the distinguished
Mr. Thingum. The title of Mr. B.'s admirable poem is the 'Oil-of-Bob '-a somewhat
unfortunate name, by-the-bye, as some contemptible vagabond connected with the penny
press has already disgusted the town with a great deal of drivel upon the same topic.
There will be no danger, however, of confounding the compositions. Sep. 15-1 1.

The generous approbation of so clear-sighted a journal as the "Mole" penetrated my soul
with delight. The only objection which occurred to me was, that the terms "contemptible
vagabond" might have been better written "odious and contemptible wretch, villain, and
vagabond." This would have sounded more graceful, I think. "Diamond-like," also, was
scarcely, it will be admitted, of sufficient intensity to express what the "Mole" evidently
thought of the brilliancy of the "Oil-of-Bob."

On the same afternoon in which I saw these notices in the "Owl," the "Toad" and the
"Mole," I happened to meet with a copy of the "Daddy-Long-Legs," a periodical
proverbial for the extreme extent of its understanding. And it was the "Daddy-Long-
Legs" which spoke thus:

"The 'Lollipop'! This gorgeous Magazine is already before the public for October. The
question of pre-eminence is forever put to rest, and hereafter it will be preposterous in the
'Hum-Drum,' the 'Rowdy-Dow,' or the 'Goosetherumfoodle' to make any further
spasmodic attempts at competition. These journals may excel the 'Lollipop' in outcry, but,
in all other points, give us the 'Lollipop'! How this celebrated Magazine can sustain its
evidently tremendous expenses, is past comprehension. To be sure it has a circulation of
precisely half a million, and its subscription list has increased seventy-five per cent,
within the last couple of days, but then the sums it disburses, monthly, for contributions,
are scarcely credible; we are cognizant of the fact, that Mademoiselle Cribalittle received
no less than eighty- seven cents and a half for her late valuable Revolutionary Tale,
entitled 'The York-Town Katy-Did, and the Bunker-Hill Katy-Didn't.'

"The most able papers in the present number are, of course, those furnished by the editor
(the eminent Mr. CRAB), but there are numerous magnificent contributions from such
names as SNOB, Mademoiselle Cribalittle, Slyass, Mrs. Fibalittle, Mumblethumb, Mrs.
Squibalittle, and last, though not least, Fatquack. The world may well be chAUanged to
produce so rich a galaxy of genius.

"The poem over the signature, "SNOB" is, we find, attracting universal commendation,
and, we are constrained to say, deserves, if possible, even more applause than it has
received. The 'Oil-of-Bob' is the title of this masterpiece of eloquence and art. One or two
of our readers may have a very faint, although sufficiently disgusting recollection of a
poem (?) similarly entitled, the perpetration of a miserable penny-a-liner, mendicant, and
cut-throat, connected in the capacity of scullion, we believe, with one of the indecent
prints about the purlieus of the city, we beg them, for God's sake, not to confound the
compositions. The author of the 'Oil-of-Bob' is, we hear, Thingum Bob, Esq, a gentleman
of high genius, and a scholar. 'Snob' is merely a nom de guerre. Sep. 15-1 t."

I could scarcely restrain my indignation while I perused the concluding portions of this
diatribe. It was clear to me that the yea-nay manner-not to say the gentleness,-the
positive forbearance-with which the "Daddy-Long-Legs" spoke of that pig, the editor of
the "Gad-Fly, "-it was evident to me, I say, that this gentleness of speech could proceed
from nothing else than a partiality for the "Fly"-whom it was clearly the intention of the
"Daddy-Long-Legs" to elevate into reputation at my expense. Any one, indeed, might
perceive, with half an eye, that, had the real design of the "Daddy" been what it wished to
appear, it (the "Daddy") might have expressed itself in terms more direct, more pungent,
and altogether more to the purpose. The words "penny-a-liner," "mendicant," "scullion,"
and "cut-throat," were epithets so intentionally inexpressive and equivocal, as to be worse
than nothing when applied to the author of the very worst stanzas ever penned by one of
the human race. We all know what is meant by "damning with faint praise," and, on the
other hand, who could fail seeing through the covert purpose of the "Daddy,"-that of
glorifying with feeble abuse?

What the "Daddy" chose to say to the "Fly," however, was no business of mine. What it
said of myself was. After the noble manner in which the "Owl," the "Toad," the "Mole,"
had expressed themselves in respect to my ability, it was rather too much to be coolly

spoken of by a thing like the "Daddy-Long-Legs," as merely "a gentleman of high genius
and scholar." Gentleman indeed! I made up my mind at once either to get written apology
from the "Daddy-Long-Legs," or to call it out.

Full of this purpose, I looked about me to find a friend whom I could entrust with a
message to his "Daddy"ship, and as the editor of the "Lollipop" had given me marked
tokens of regard, I at length concluded to seek assistance upon the present occasion.

I have never yet been able to account, in a manner satisfactory to my own understanding,
for the very peculiar countenance and demeanor with which Mr. Crab listened to me, as I
unfolded to him my design. He again went through the scene of the bell-rope and cudgel,
and did not omit the duck. At one period I thought he really intended to quack. His fit,
nevertheless, finally subsided as before, and he began to act and speak in a rational way.
He declined bearing the cartel, however, and in fact, dissuaded me from sending it at all;
but was candid enough to admit that the "Daddy-Long-Legs" had been disgracefully in
the wrong-more especially in what related to the epithets "gentleman and scholar."

Toward the end of this interview with Mr. Crab, who really appeared to take a paternal
interest in my welfare, he suggested to me that I might turn an honest penny, and at the
same time, advance my reputation, by occasionally playing Thomas Hawk for the
"LoUypop."

I begged Mr. Crab to inform me who was Mr. Thomas Hawk, and how it was expected
that I should play him.

Here Mr. Crab again "made great eyes" (as we say in Germany), but at length, recovering
himself from a profound attack of astonishment, he assured me that he employed the
words "Thomas Hawk" to avoid the colloquialism. Tommy, which was low-but that the
true idea was Tommy Hawk-or tomahawk-and that by "playing tomahawk" he referred
to scalping, brow-beating, and otherwise using-up the herd of poor-devil authors.

I assured my patron that, if this was all, I was perfectly resigned to the task of playing
Thomas Hawk. Hereupon Mr. Crab desired me to use up the editor of the "Gad-Fly"
forthwith, in the fiercest style within the scope of my ability, and as a specimen of my
powers. This I did, upon the spot, in a review of the original "Oil-of-Bob," occupying
thirty-six pages of the "Lollipop." I found playing Thomas Hawk, indeed, a far less
onerous occupation than poetizing; for I went upon system altogether, and thus it was
easy to do the thing thoroughly well. My practice was this. I bought auction copies
(cheap) of "Lord Brougham's speeches," "Cobbett's Complete Works," the "New Slang-
Syllabus," the "Whole Art of Snubbing," "Prentice's Billingsgate" (folio edition), and
"Lewis G. Clarke on Tongue." These works I cut up thoroughly with a curry-comb, and
then, throwing the shreds into a sieve, sifted out carefully all that might be thought decent
(a mere trifle); reserving the hard phrases, which I threw into a large tin pepper-castor
with longitudinal holes, so that an entire sentence could get through without material
injury. The mixture was then ready for use. When called upon to play Thomas Hawk, I
anointed a sheet of foolscap with the white of a gander's egg; then, shredding the thing to

be reviewed as I had previously shredded the books- only with more care, so as to get
every word separate-I threw the latter shreds in with the former, screwed on the lid of the
castor, gave it a shake, and so dusted out the mixture upon the egged foolscap; where it
stuck. The effect was beautiful to behold. It was captivating. Indeed, the reviews I
brought to pass by this simple expedient have never been approached, and were the
wonder of the world. At first, through bashfulness-the result of inexperience-I was a
little put out by a certain inconsistency-a certain air of the bizarre (as we say in France),
worn by the composition as a whole. All the phrases did not fit (as we say in the Anglo-
Saxon). Many were quite awry. Some, even, were upside-down; and there were none of
them which were not in some measure, injured in regard to effect, by this latter species of
accident, when it occurred-with the exception of Mr. Lewis Clarkes paragraphs, which
were so vigorous and altogether stout, that they seemed not particularly disconcerted by
any extreme of position, but looked equally happy and satisfactory, whether on their
heads, or on their heels.

What became of the editor of the "Gad-Fly" after the publication of my criticism on his
"Oil-of-Bob," it is somewhat difficult to determine. The most reasonable conclusion is,
that he wept himself to death. At all events he disappeared instantaneously from the face
of the earth, and no man has seen even the ghost of him since.

This matter having been properly accomplished, and the Furies appeased, I grew at once
into high favor with Mr. Crab. He took me into his confidence, gave me a permanent
situation as Thomas Hawk of the "Lollipop," and, as for the present, he could afford me
no salary, allowed me to profit, at discretion, by his advice.

"My dear Thingum," said he to me one day after dinner, "I respect your abilities and love
you as a son. You shall be my heir. When I die I will bequeath you the "Lollipop." In the
meantime I will make a man of you-I will-provided always that you follow my counsel.
The first thing to do is to get rid of the old bore."

"Boar?" said I inquiringly-"pig, eh?-aper? (as we say in Latin)- who?-where?"

"Your father," said he.

"Precisely," I replied-"pig."

"You have your fortune to make, Thingum," resumed Mr. Crab, "and that governor of
yours is a millstone about your neck. We must cut him at once." [Here I took out my
knife.] "We must cut him," continued Mr. Crab, "decidedly and forever. He won't do-he
won't. Upon second thoughts, you had better kick him, or cane him, or something of that
kind."

"What do you say," I suggested modestly, "to my kicking him in the first instance, caning
him afterward, and winding up by tweaking his nose?"

Mr. Crab looked at me musingly for some moments, and then answered:

"I think, Mr. Bob, that what you propose would answer sufficiently well-indeed
remarkably well-that is to say, as far as it went-but barbers are exceedingly hard to cut,
and I think, upon the whole, that, having performed upon Thomas Bob the operations you
suggest, it would be advisable to blacken, with your fists, both his eyes, very carefully
and thoroughly, to prevent his ever seeing you again in fashionable promenades. After
doing this, I really do not perceive that you can do any more. However-it might be just as
well to roll him once or twice in the gutter, and then put him in charge of the police. Any
time the next morning you can call at the watch-house and swear an assault."

I was much affected by the kindness of feeling toward me personally, which was evinced
in this excellent advice of Mr. Crab, and I did not fail to profit by it forthwith. The result
was, that I got rid of the old bore, and began to feel a little independent and gentleman-
like. The want of money, however, was, for a few weeks, a source of some discomfort;
but at length, by carefully putting to use my two eyes, and observing how matters went
just in front of my nose, I perceived how the thing was to be brought about. I say "thing "-
be it observed-for they tell me in the Latin for it is rem. By the way, talking of Latin, can
any one tell me the meaning of quocunque-or what is the meaning of modo?

My plan was exceedingly simple. I bought, for a song, a sixteenth of the "Snapping-
Turtle":-that was all. The thing was done, and I put money in my purse. There were some
trivial arrangements afterward, to be sure, but these formed no portion of the plan. They
were a consequence-a result. For example, I bought pen, ink, and paper, and put them
into furious activity. Having thus completed a Magazine article, I gave it, for appellation,
"Fol Lol, by the Author of 'THE OIL-OF-BOB,'" and enveloped it to the
"Goosetherumfoodle." That journal, however, having pronounced it "twattle" in the
"Monthly Notices to Correspondents," I reheaded the paper "Hey-Diddle-Diddle," by
Thigum BOB, Esq., Author of the Ode on 'The Oil-of-Bob,' and Editor of the 'Snapping
Turtle.'" With this amendment, I re-enclosed it to the "Goosetherumfoodle," and, while I
awaited a reply, published daily, in the "Turtle," six columns of what may be termed
philosophical and analytical investigation of the literary merits of the
"Goosetherumfoodle," as well as of the personal character of the editor of the
"Goosetherumfoodle." At the end of a week the "Goosetherumfoodle," discovered that it
had, by some odd mistake, "confounded a stupid article, headed 'Hey-Diddle-Diddle,' and
composed by some unknown ignoramus, with a gem of resplendent lustre similarly
entitled, the work of Thingum Bob, Esq, the celebrated author of 'The Oil-of-Bob.'" The
"Goosetherumfoodle" deeply "regretted this very natural accident," and promised,
moreover, an insertion of the genuine "Hey-Diddle-Diddle" in the very next number of
the Magazine.

The fact is, I thought-I really thought-I thought at the time-I thought then-and have no
reason for thinking otherwise now-that the "Goosetherumfoodle" did make a mistake.
With the best intentions in the world, I never knew any thing that made as many singular
mistakes as the "Goosetherumfoodle." From that day I took a liking to the
"Goosetherumfoodle" and the result was I soon saw into the very depths of its literary
merits, and did not fail to expatiate upon them, in the "Turtle," whenever a fitting
opportunity occurred. And it is to be regarded as a very peculiar coincidence-as one of

those positively remarkable coincidences which set a man to serious thinking-that just
such a total revolution of opinion-just such entire bouleversement (as we say in French)-
just such thorough topsiturviness (if I may be permitted to employ a rather forcible term
of the Choctaws), as happened, pro and con, between myself on the one part, and the
"Goosetherumfoodle" on the other, did actually again happen, in a brief period
afterwards, and with precisely similar circumstances, in the case of myself and the
"Rowdy-Dow," and in the case of myself and the "Hum-Drum."

Thus it was that, by a master-stroke of genius, I at length consummated my triumphs by
"putting money in my purse," and thus may be said really and fairly to have commenced
that brilliant and eventful career which rendered me illustrious, and which now enables
me to say with Chateaubriand: "I have made history"-J'ai fait I'histoire."

I have indeed "made history." From the bright epoch which I now record, my actions-my
works-are the property of mankind. They are familiar to the world. It is, then, needless
for me to detail how, soaring rapidly, I fell heir to the "Lollipop"-how I merged this
journal in the "Hum-Drum"-how again I made purchase of the "Rowdy-Dow," thus
combining the three periodicals-how lastly, I effected a bargain for the sole remaining
rival, and united all the literature of the country in one magnificent Magazine known
everywhere as the-

Rowdy-Dow, Lollipop, Hum-Drum,

and

GOOSETHERUMFOODLE.

Yes, I have made history. My fame is universal. It extends to the uttermost ends of the
earth. You cannot take up a common newspaper in which you shall not see some allusion
to the immortal Thigum Bob. It is Mr. Thingum Bob said so, and Mr. Thingum Bob
wrote this, and Mr. Thingum Bob did that. But I am meek and expire with an humble
heart. After all, what is it?-this indescribable something which men will persist in
terming "genius"? I agree with Buffon-with Hogarth-it is but diligence after all.

Look at me!-how I labored-how I toiled-how I wrote! Ye Gods, did I not write? I knew
not the word "ease." By day I adhered to my desk, and at night, a pale student, I
consumed the midnight oil. You should have seen me-you should. I leaned to the right. I
leaned to the left. I sat forward. I sat backward. I sat tete baissee (as they have it in the
Kickapoo), bowing my head close to the alabaster page. And, through all, I-wrote.
Through joy and through sorrow, I-wrote. Through hunger and through thirst, I-wrote.
Through good report and through ill report-I wrote. Through sunshine and through
moonshine, I-wrote. What I wrote it is unnecessary to say. The style!- that was the thing.
I caught it from Fatquack-whizz!-fizz!-and I am giving you a specimen of it now.

THE END

LOSS OF BREATH

A Tale Neither In nor Out of "Blackwood"

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

O Breathe not, etc.
Moore 's Melodies

THE MOST notorious ill-fortune must in the end yield to the untiring courage of
philosophy-as the most stubborn city to the ceaseless vigilance of an enemy.
Shalmanezer, as we have it in holy writings, lay three years before Samaria; yet it fell.
Sardanapalus-see Diodorus-maintained himself seven in Nineveh; but to no purpose.
Troy expired at the close of the second lustrum; and Azoth, as Aristaeus declares upon
his honour as a gentleman, opened at last her gates to Psammetichus, after having barred
them for the fifth part of a century....

"Thou wretch !-thou vixen !-thou shrew!" said I to my wife on the morning after our
wedding; "thou witch!-thou hag!-thou whippersnapper-thou sink of iniquity !-thou fiery-
faced quintessence of all that is abominable !-thou-thou-" here standing upon tiptoe,
seizing her by the throat, and placing my mouth close to her ear, I was preparing to
launch forth a new and more decided epithet of opprobrium, which should not fail, if
ejaculated, to convince her of her insignificance, when to my extreme horror and
astonishment I discovered that I had lost my breath.

The phrases "I am out of breath," "I have lost my breath," etc., are often enough repeated
in common conversation; but it had never occurred to me that the terrible accident of
which I speak could bona fide and actually happen! Imagine-that is if you have a fanciful
turn-imagine, I say, my wonder-my constemation-my despair!

There is a good genius, however, which has never entirely deserted me. In my most
ungovernable moods I still retain a sense of propriety, et le chemin des passions me
conduit-as Lord Edouard in the "Julie" says it did him-a la philosophie veritable.

Although I could not at first precisely ascertain to what degree the occurence had affected
me, I determined at all events to conceal the matter from my wife, until further
experience should discover to me the extent of this my unheard of calamity. Altering my
countenance, therefore, in a moment, from its bepuffed and distorted appearance, to an
expression of arch and coquettish benignity, I gave my lady a pat on the one cheek, and a
kiss on the other, and without saying one syllable (Furies! I could not), left her astonished
at my drollery, as I pirouetted out of the room in a Pas de Zephyr.

Behold me then safely ensconced in my private boudoir, a fearful instance of the ill
consequences attending upon irascibility-alive, with the qualifications of the dead-dead,
with the propensities of the living-an anomaly on the face of the earth-being very calm,
yet breathless.

Yes! breathless. I am serious in asserting that my breath was entirely gone. I could not
have stirred with it a feather if my life had been at issue, or sullied even the delicacy of a
mirror. Hard fate!-yet there was some alleviation to the first overwhelming paroxysm of
my sorrow. I found, upon trial, that the powers of utterance which, upon my inability to
proceed in the conversation with my wife, I then concluded to be totally destroyed, were
in fact only partially impeded, and I discovered that had I, at that interesting crisis,
dropped my voice to a singularly deep guttural, I might still have continued to her the
communication of my sentiments; this pitch of voice (the guttural) depending, I find, not
upon the current of the breath, but upon a certain spasmodic action of the muscles of the
throat.

Throwing myself upon a chair, I remained for some time absorbed in meditation. My
reflections, be sure, were of no consolatory kind. A thousand vague and lachrymatory
fancies took possesion of my soul- and even the idea of suicide flitted across my brain;
but it is a trait in the perversity of human nature to reject the obvious and the ready, for
the far-distant and equivocal. Thus I shuddered at self-murder as the most decided of
atrocities while the tabby cat purred strenuously upon the rug, and the very water dog
wheezed assiduously under the table, each taking to itself much merit for the strength of
its lungs, and all obviously done in derision of my own pulmonary incapacity.

Oppressed with a tumult of vague hopes and fears, I at length heard the footsteps of my
wife descending the staircase. Being now assured of her absence, I returned with a
palpitating heart to the scene of my disaster.

Carefully locking the door on the inside, I commenced a vigorous search. It was possible,
I thought, that, concealed in some obscure corner, or lurking in some closet or drawer,
might be found the lost object of my inquiry. It might have a vapory-it might even have a
tangible form. Most philosophers, upon many points of philosophy, are still very
unphilosophical. William Godwin, however, says in his "Mandeville," that "invisible
things are the only realities," and this, all will allow, is a case in point. I would have the
judicious reader pause before accusing such asseverations of an undue quantum of
absurdity. Anaxagoras, it will be remembered, maintained that snow is black, and this I
have since found to be the case.

Long and earnestly did I continue the investigation: but the contemptible reward of my
industry and perseverance proved to be only a set of false teeth, two pair of hips, an eye,
and a bundle of billets-doux from Mr. Windenough to my wife. I might as well here
observe that this confirmation of my lady's partiality for Mr. W. occasioned me little
uneasiness. That Mrs. Lackobreath should admire anything so dissimilar to myself was a
natural and necessary evil. I am, it is well known, of a robust and corpulent appearance,
and at the same time somewhat diminutive in stature. What wonder, then, that the lath-

like tenuity of my acquaintance, and his altitude, which has grown into a proverb, should
have met with all due estimation in the eyes of Mrs. Lackobreath. But to return.

My exertions, as I have before said, proved fruitless. Closet after closet-drawer after
drawer-corner after corner-were scrutinized to no purpose. At one time, however, I
thought myself sure of my prize, having, in rummaging a dressing-case, accidentally
demolished a bottle of Grandjean's Oil of Archangels-which, as an agreeable perfume, I
here take the liberty of recommending.

With a heavy heart I returned to my boudoir-there to ponder upon some method of
eluding my wife's penetration, until I could make arrangements prior to my leaving the
country, for to this I had already made up my mind. In a foreign climate, being unknown,
I might, with some probability of success, endeavor to conceal my unhappy calamity-a
calamity calculated, even more than beggary, to estrange the affections of the multitude,
and to draw down upon the wretch the well-merited indignation of the virtuous and the
happy. I was not long in hesitation. Being naturally quick, I committed to memory the
entire tragedy of "Metamora." I had the good fortune to recollect that in the accentuation
of this drama, or at least of such portion of it as is allotted to the hero, the tones of voice
in which I found myself deficient were altogether unnecessary, and the deep guttural was
expected to reign monotonously throughout.

I practised for some time by the borders of a well frequented marsh;-herein, however,
having no reference to a similar proceeding of Demosthenes, but from a design peculiarly
and conscientiously my own. Thus armed at all points, I determined to make my wife
believe that I was suddenly smitten with a passion for the stage. In this, I succeeded to a
miracle; and to every question or suggestion found myself at liberty to reply in my most
frog-like and sepulchral tones with some passage from the tragedy-any portion of which,
as I soon took great pleasure in observing, would apply equally well to any particular
subject. It is not to be supposed, however, that in the dehvery of such passages I was
found at all deficient in the looking asquint-the showing my teeth-the working my
knees-the shuffling my feet-or in any of those unmentionable graces which are now
justly considered the characteristics of a popular performer. To be sure they spoke of
confining me in a strait-jacket-but, good God! they never suspected me of having lost my
breath.

Having at length put my affairs in order, I took my seat very early one morning in the
mail stage for — , giving it to be understood, among my acquaintances, that business of the
last importance required my immediate personal attendance in that city.

The coach was crammed to repletion; but in the uncertain twilight the features of my
companions could not be distinguished. Without making any effectual resistance, I
suffered myself to be placed between two gentlemen of colossal dimensions; while a
third, of a size larger, requesting pardon for the liberty he was about to take, threw
himself upon my body at full length, and falling asleep in an instant, drowned all my
guttural ejaculations for relief, in a snore which would have put to blush the roarings of

the bull of Phalaris. Happily the state of my respiratory faculties rendered suffocation an
accident entirely out of the question.

As, however, the day broke more distinctly in our approach to the outskirts of the city,
my tormentor, arising and adjusting his shirt-collar, thanked me in a very friendly manner
for my civility. Seeing that I remained motionless (all my limbs were dislocated and my
head twisted on one side), his apprehensions began to be excited; and arousing the rest of
the passengers, he communicated, in a very decided manner, his opinion that a dead man
had been palmed upon them during the night for a living and responsible fellow-traveller;
here giving me a thump on the right eye, by way of demonstrating the truth of his
suggestion.

Hereupon all, one after another (there were nine in company), believed it their duty to
pull me by the ear. A young practising physician, too, having applied a pocket-mirror to
my mouth, and found me without breath, the assertion of my persecutor was pronounced
a true bill; and the whole party expressed a determination to endure tamely no such
impositions for the future, and to proceed no farther with any such carcasses for the
present.

I was here, accordingly, thrown out at the sign of the "Crow" (by which tavern the coach
happened to be passing), without meeting with any farther accident than the breaking of
both my arms, under the left hind wheel of the vehicle. I must besides do the driver the
justice to state that he did not forget to throw after me the largest of my trunks, which,
unfortunately falling on my head, fractured my skull in a manner at once interesting and
extraordinary.

The landlord of the "Crow," who is a hospitable man, finding that my trunk contained
sufficient to indemnify him for any little trouble he might take in my behalf, sent
forthwith for a surgeon of his acquaintance, and delivered me to his care with a bill and
receipt for ten dollars.

The purchaser took me to his apartments and commenced operations immediately.
Having cut off my ears, however, he discovered signs of animation. He now rang the bell,
and sent for a neighboring apothecary with whom to consult in the emergency. In case of
his suspicions with regard to my existence proving ultimately correct, he, in the
meantime, made an incision in my stomach, and removed several of my viscera for
private dissection.

The apothecary had an idea that I was actually dead. This idea I endeavored to confute,
kicking and plunging with all my might, and making the most furious contortions-for the
operations of the surgeon had, in a measure, restored me to the possession of my
faculties. All, however, was attributed to the effects of a new galvanic battery, wherewith
the apothecary, who is really a man of information, performed several curious
experiments, in which, from my personal share in their fulfillment, I could not help
feeling deeply interested. It was a course of mortification to me, nevertheless, that
although I made several attempts at conversation, my powers of speech were so entirely

in abeyance, that I could not even open my mouth; much less, then, make reply to some
ingenious but fanciful theories of which, under other circumstances, my minute
acquaintance with the Hippocratian pathology would have afforded me a ready
confutation.

Not being able to arrive at a conclusion, the practitioners remanded me for farther
examination. I was taken up into a garret; and the surgeon's lady having accommodated
me with drawers and stockings, the surgeon himself fastened my hands, and tied up my
jaws with a pocket-handkerchief-then bolted the door on the outside as he hurried to his
dinner, leaving me alone to silence and to meditation.

I now discovered to my extreme delight that I could have spoken had not my mouth been
tied up with the pocket-handkerchief. Consoling myself with this reflection, I was
mentally repeating some passages of the "Omnipresence of the Deity," as is my custom
before resigning myself to sleep, when two cats, of a greedy and vituperative turn,
entering at a hole in the wall, leaped up with a flourish a la Catalani, and alighting
opposite one another on my visage, betook themselves to indecorous contention for the
paltry consideration of my nose.

But, as the loss of his ears proved the means of elevating to the throne of Cyrus, the
Magian or Mige-Gush of Persia, and as the cutting off his nose gave Zopyrus possession
of Babylon, so the loss of a few ounces of my countenance proved the salvation of my
body. Aroused by the pain, and burning with indignation, I burst, at a single effort, the
fastenings and the bandage. Stalking across the room I cast a glance of contempt at the
belligerents, and throwing open the sash to their extreme horror and disappointment,
precipitated myself, very dexterously, from the window, this moment passing from the
city jail to the scaffold erected for his execution in the suburbs. His extreme infirmity and
long continued ill health had obtained him the privilege of remaining unmanacled; and
habited in his gallows costume-one very similar to my own,-he lay at full length in the
bottom of the hangman's cart (which happened to be under the windows of the surgeon at
the moment of my precipitation) without any other guard than the driver, who was asleep,
and two recruits of the sixth infantry, who were drunk.

As ill-luck would have it, I alit upon my feet within the vehicle, immediately, he bolted
out behind, and turning down an alley, was out of sight in the twinkling of an eye. The
recruits, aroused by the bustle, could not exactly comprehend the merits of the
transaction. Seeing, however, a man, the precise counterpart of the felon, standing upright
in the cart before their eyes, they were of (so they expressed themselves,) and, having
communicated this opinion to one another, they took each a dram, and then knocked me
down with the butt-ends of their muskets.

It was not long ere we arrived at the place of destination. Of course nothing could be said
in my defence. Hanging was my inevitable fate. I resigned myself thereto with a feeling
half stupid, half acrimonious. Being little of a cynic, I had all the sentiments of a dog.
The hangman, however, adjusted the noose about my neck. The drop fell.

I forbear to depict my sensations upon the gallows; although here, undoubtedly, I could
speak to the point, and it is a topic upon which nothing has been well said. In fact, to
write upon such a theme it is necessary to have been hanged. Every author should confine
himself to matters of experience. Thus Mark Antony composed a treatise upon getting
drunk.

I may just mention, however, that die I did not. My body was, but I had no breath to be,
suspended; and but for the knot under my left ear (which had the feel of a military stock)
I dare say that I should have experienced very little inconvenience. As for the jerk given
to my neck upon the falling of the drop, it merely proved a corrective to the twist
afforded me by the fat gentleman in the coach.

For good reasons, however, I did my best to give the crowd the worth of their trouble. My
convulsions were said to be extraordinary. My spasms it would have been difficult to
beat. The populace encored. Several gentlemen swooned; and a multitude of ladies were
carried home in hysterics. Pinxit availed himself of the opportunity to retouch, from a
sketch taken upon the spot, his admirable painting of the "Marsyas flayed alive."

When I had afforded sufficient amusement, it was thought proper to remove my body
from the gallows;-this the more especially as the real culprit had in the meantime been
retaken and recognized, a fact which I was so unlucky as not to know.

Much sympathy was, of course, exercised in my behalf, and as no one made claim to my
corpse, it was ordered that I should be interred in a public vault.

Here, after due interval, I was deposited. The sexton departed, and I was left alone. A line
of Marston's "Malcontent"-

Death's a good fellow and keeps open house-
struck me at that moment as a palpable lie.

I knocked off, however, the lid of my coffin, and stepped out. The place was dreadfully
dreary and damp, and I became troubled with ennui. By way of amusement, I felt my way
among the numerous coffins ranged in order around. I lifted them down, one by one, and
breaking open their lids, busied myself in speculations about the mortality within.

"This," I soliloquized, tumbling over a carcass, puffy, bloated, and rotund-"this has been,
no doubt, in every sense of the word, an unhappy-an unfortunate man. It has been his
terrible lot not to walk but to waddle-to pass through life not like a human being, but like
an elephant-not like a man, but like a rhinoceros.

"His attempts at getting on have been mere abortions, and his circumgyratory
proceedings a palpable failure. Taking a step forward, it has been his misfortune to take
two toward the right, and three toward the left. His studies have been confined to the
poetry of Crabbe. He can have no idea of the wonder of a pirouette. To him a pas de

papillon has been an abstract conception. He has never ascended the summit of a hill. He
has never viewed from any steeple the glories of a metropolis. Heat has been his mortal
enemy. In the dog-days his days have been the days of a dog. Therein, he has dreamed of
flames and suffocation-of mountains upon mountains-of Pelion upon Ossa. He was short
of breath-to say all in a word, he was short of breath. He thought it extravagant to play
upon wind instruments. He was the inventor of self- moving fans, wind- sails, and
ventilators. He patronized Du Pont the bellows-maker, and he died miserably in
attempting to smoke a cigar. His was a case in which I feel a deep interest-a lot in which
I sincerely sympathize.

"But here,"-said I-"here"-and I dragged spitefully from its receptacle a gaunt, tall and
peculiar-looking form, whose remarkable appearance struck me with a sense of
unwelcome familiarity-" here is a wretch entitled to no earthly commiseration." Thus
saying, in order to obtain a more distinct view of my subject, I applied my thumb and
forefinger to its nose, and causing it to assume a sitting position upon the ground, held it
thus, at the length of my arm, while I continued my soliloquy.

-"Entitled," I repeated, "to no earthly commiseration. Who indeed would think of
compassioning a shadow? Besides, has he not had his full share of the blessings of
mortality? He was the originator of tall monuments-shot-towers-lightning-rods-
Lombardy poplars. His treatise upon "Shades and Shadows" has immortalized him. He
edited with distinguished ability the last edition of "South on the Bones." He went early
to college and studied pneumatics. He then came home, talked eternally, and played upon
the French-horn. He patronized the bagpipes. Captain Barclay, who walked against Time,
would not walk against him. Windham and AUbreath were his favorite writers,-his
favorite artist. Phiz. He died gloriously while inhaling gas-levique flatu corrupitur, like
the fama pudicitae in Hieronymus.* He was indubitably a"-

*Tenera res in feminis fama pudicitiae, et quasi flos pulcherrimus, cito ad levem
marcessit auram, levique flatu corrumpitur, maxime, &c .-Hieronymus ad Salvinam.

"How can you?-how-can-you? "-interrupted the object of my animadversions, gasping
for breath, and tearing off, with a desperate exertion, the bandage around its jaws-"how
can you, Mr. Lackobreath, be so infernally cruel as to pinch me in that manner by the
nose? Did you not see how they had fastened up my mouth-and you must know-if you
know any thing-how vast a superfluity of breath I have to dispose of! If you do not know,
however, sit down and you shall see. In my situation it is really a great relief to be able to
open ones mouth-to be able to expatiate-to be able to communicate with a person like
yourself, who do not think yourself called upon at every period to interrupt the thread of a
gentleman's discourse. Interruptions are annoying and should undoubtedly be abolished-
don't you think so?-no reply, I beg you,-one person is enough to be speaking at a time.-I
shall be done by and by, and then you may begin.-How the devil sir, did you get into this
place?-not a word I beseech you-been here some time my self-terrible accident !-heard of
it, I suppose?-awful calamity !-walking under your windows-some short while ago-
about the time you were stage-struck-horrible occurrence! -heard of "catching one's
breath," eh?-hold your tongue I tell you!-I caught somebody elses!-had always too much

of my own- met Blab at the corner of the street-wouldn't give me a chance for a word-
couldn't get in a syllable edgeways-attacked, consequently, with epilepsis-Blab made his
escape-damn all fools !-they took me up for dead, and put me in this place-pretty doings
all of them!-heard all you said about me-every word a lie-horrible ! -wonderful-
outrageous !-hideous!-incomprehensible!-et cetera-et cetera-et cetera-et cetera-"

It is impossible to conceive my astonishment at so unexpected a discourse, or the joy with
which I became gradually convinced that the breath so fortunately caught by the
gentleman (whom I soon recognized as my neighbor Windenough) was, in fact, the
identical expiration mislaid by myself in the conversation with my wife. Time, place, and
circumstances rendered it a matter beyond question. I did not at least during the long
period in which the inventor of Lombardy poplars continued to favor me with his
explanations.

In this respect I was actuated by that habitual prudence which has ever been my
predominating trait. I reflected that many difficulties might still lie in the path of my
preservation which only extreme exertion on my part would be able to surmount. Many
persons, I considered, are prone to estimate commodities in their possession-however
valueless to the then proprietor-however troublesome, or distressing-in direct ratio with
the advantages to be derived by others from their attainment, or by themselves from their
abandonment. Might not this be the case with Mr. Windenough? In displaying anxiety for
the breath of which he was at present so willing to get rid, might I not lay myself open to
the exactions of his avarice? There are scoundrels in this world, I remembered with a
sigh, who will not scruple to take unfair opportunities with even a next door neighbor,
and (this remark is from Epictetus) it is precisely at that time when men are most anxious
to throw off the burden of their own calamities that they feel the least desirous of
relieving them in others.

Upon considerations similar to these, and still retaining my grasp upon the nose of Mr.
W., I accordingly thought proper to model my reply.

"Monster!" I began in a tone of the deepest indignation-"monster and double-winded
idiot !-dost thou, whom for thine iniquities it has pleased heaven to accurse with a two-
fold respimtion-dost thou, I say, presume to address me in the familiar language of an old
acquaintance?-! lie,' forsooth! and 'hold my tongue,' to be sure!-pretty conversation
indeed, to a gentleman with a single breath !-all this, too, when I have it in my power to
relieve the calamity under which thou dost so justly suffer-to curtail the superfluities of
thine unhappy respiration."

Like Brutus, I paused for a reply-with which, like a tornado, Mr. Windenough
immediately overwhelmed me. Protestation followed upon protestation, and apology
upon apology. There were no terms with which he was unwilling to comply, and there
were none of which I failed to take the fullest advantage.

Preliminaries being at length arranged, my acquaintance delivered me the respiration; for
which (having carefully examined it) I gave him afterward a receipt.

I am aware that by many I shall be held to blame for speaking in a manner so cursory, of
a transaction so impalpable. It will be thought that I should have entered more minutely,
into the details of an occurrence by which-and this is very true-much new light might be
thrown upon a highly interesting branch of physical philosophy.

To all this I am sorry that I cannot reply. A hint is the only answer which I am permitted
to make. There were circumstances-but I think it much safer upon consideration to say as
little as possible about an affair so delicate-so delicate, I repeat, and at the time involving
the interests of a third party whose sulphurous resentment I have not the least desire, at
this moment, of incurring.

We were not long after this necessary arrangement in effecting an escape from the
dungeons of the sepulchre. The united strength of our resuscitated voices was soon
sufficiently apparent. Scissors, the Whig editor, republished a treatise upon "the nature
and origin of subterranean noises." A reply-rejoinder-confutation-and justification-
followed in the columns of a Democratic Gazette. It was not until the opening of the vault
to decide the controversy, that the appearance of Mr. Windenough and myself proved
both parties to have been decidedly in the wrong.

I cannot conclude these details of some very singular passages in a life at all times
sufficiently eventful, without again recalling to the attention of the reader the merits of
that indiscriminate philosophy which is a sure and ready shield against those shafts of
calamity which can neither be seen, felt nor fully understood. It was in the spirit of this
wisdom that, among the ancient Hebrews, it was believed the gates of Heaven would be
inevitably opened to that sinner, or saint, who, with good lungs and implicit confidence,
should vociferate the word "Amen!" It was in the spirit of this wisdom that, when a great
plague raged at Athens, and every means had been in vain attempted for its removal,
Epimenides, as Laertius relates, in his second book, of that philosopher, advised the
erection of a shrine and temple "to the proper God."

LYTTLETON BARRY.

THE END

MANUSCRIPT FOUND IN A BOTTLE

by Edgar Allan Poe

1833

Qui n 'a plus qu 'un moment a vivre
N'aplus rien a dissimuler.
—Quinault —Atys.

OF my country and of my family I have little to say. Ill usage and length of years have
driven me from the one, and estranged me from the other. Hereditary wealth afforded me
an education of no common order, and a contemplative turn of mind enabled me to
methodize the stores which early study very diligently garnered up. —Beyond all things,
the study of the German moralists gave me great delight; not from any ill-advised
admiration of their eloquent madness, but from the ease with which my habits of rigid
thought enabled me to detect their falsities. I have often been reproached with the aridity
of my genius; a deficiency of imagination has been imputed to me as a crime; and the
Pyrrhonism of my opinions has at all times rendered me notorious. Indeed, a strong relish
for physical philosophy has, I fear, tinctured my mind with a very common error of this
age —I mean the habit of referring occurrences, even the least susceptible of such
reference, to the principles of that science. Upon the whole, no person could be less liable
than myself to be led away from the severe precincts of truth by the ignes fatui of
superstition. I have thought proper to premise thus much, lest the incredible tale I have to
tell should be considered rather the raving of a crude imagination, than the positive
experience of a mind to which the reveries of fancy have been a dead letter and a nullity.

After many years spent in foreign travel, I sailed in the year 18—, from the port of
Batavia, in the rich and populous island of Java, on a voyage to the Archipelago of the
Sunda islands. I went as passenger —having no other inducement than a kind of nervous
restlessness which haunted me as a fiend.

Our vessel was a beautiful ship of about four hundred tons, copper-fastened, and built at
Bombay of Malabar teak. She was freighted with cotton- wool and oil, from the
Lachadive islands. We had also on board coir, jaggeree, ghee, cocoa-nuts, and a few
cases of opium. The stowage was clumsily done, and the vessel consequently crank.

We got under way with a mere breath of wind, and for many days stood along the eastern
coast of Java, without any other incident to beguile the monotony of our course than the
occasional meeting with some of the small grabs of the Archipelago to which we were
bound.

One evening, leaning over the taffrail, I observed a very singular, isolated cloud, to the
N.W. It was remarkable, as well for its color, as from its being the first we had seen since

our departure from Batavia. I watched it attentively until sunset, when it spread all at
once to the eastward and westward, girting in the horizon with a narrow strip of vapor,
and looking like a long line of low beach. My notice was soon afterwards attracted by the
dusky-red appearance of the moon, and the peculiar character of the sea. The latter was
undergoing a rapid change, and the water seemed more than usually transparent.
Although I could distinctly see the bottom, yet, heaving the lead, I found the ship in
fifteen fathoms. The air now became intolerably hot, and was loaded with spiral
exhalations similar to those arising from heat iron. As night came on, every breath of
wind died away, an more entire calm it is impossible to conceive. The flame of a candle
burned upon the poop without the least perceptible motion, and a long hair, held between
the finger and thumb, hung without the possibility of detecting a vibration. However, as
the captain said he could perceive no indication of danger, and as we were drifting in
bodily to shore, he ordered the sails to be furled, and the anchor let go. No watch was set,
and the crew, consisting principally of Malays, stretched themselves deliberately upon
deck. I went below —not without a full presentiment of evil. Indeed, every appearance
warranted me in apprehending a Simoom. I told the captain my fears; but he paid no
attention to what I said, and left me without deigning to give a reply. My uneasiness,
however, prevented me from sleeping, and about midnight I went upon deck. -As I
placed my foot upon the upper step of the companion-ladder, I was startled by a loud,
humming noise, like that occasioned by the rapid revolution of a mill-wheel, and before I
could ascertain its meaning, I found the ship quivering to its centre. In the next instant, a
wilderness of foam hurled us upon our beam-ends, and, rushing over us fore and aft,
swept the entire decks from stem to stem.

The extreme fury of the blast proved, in a great measure, the salvation of the ship.
Although completely water-logged, yet, as her masts had gone by the board, she rose,
after a minute, heavily from the sea, and, staggering awhile beneath the immense pressure
of the tempest, finally righted.

By what miracle I escaped destruction, it is impossible to say. Stunned by the shock of
the water, I found myself, upon recovery, jammed in between the stern-post and rudder.
With great difficulty I gained my feet, and looking dizzily around, was, at first, struck
with the idea of our being among breakers; so terrific, beyond the wildest imagination,
was the whirlpool of mountainous and foaming ocean within which we were engulfed.
After a while, I heard the voice of an old Swede, who had shipped with us at the moment
of our leaving port. I hallooed to him with all my strength, and presently he came reeling
aft. We soon discovered that we were the sole survivors of the accident. All on deck, with
the exception of ourselves, had been swept overboard; -the captain and mates must have
perished as they slept, for the cabins were deluged with water. Without assistance, we
could expect to do little for the security of the ship, and our exertions were at first
paralyzed by the momentary expectation of going down. Our cable had, of course, parted
like pack-thread, at the first breath of the hurricane, or we should have been
instantaneously overwhelmed. We scudded with frightful velocity before the sea, and the
water made clear breaches over us. The frame- work of our stern was shattered
excessively, and, in almost every respect, we had received considerable injury; but to our
extreme Joy we found the pumps unchoked, and that we had made no great shifting of

our ballast. The main fury of the blast had already blown over, and we apprehended little
danger from the violence of the wind; but we looked forward to its total cessation with
dismay; well believing, that, in our shattered condition, we should inevitably perish in the
tremendous swell which would ensue. But this very just apprehension seemed by no
means likely to be soon verified. For five entire days and nights —during which our only
subsistence was a small quantity of jaggeree, procured with great difficulty from the
forecastle -the hulk flew at a rate defying computation, before rapidly succeeding flaws
of wind, which, without equalling the first violence of the Simoom, were still more
terrific than any tempest I had before encountered. Our course for the first four days was,
with trifling variations, S.E. and by S.; and we must have run down the coast of New
Holland. -On the fifth day the cold became extreme, although the wind had hauled round
a point more to the northward. —The sun arose with a sickly yellow lustre, and clambered
a very few degrees above the horizon —emitting no decisive light. —There were no clouds
apparent, yet the wind was upon the increase, and blew with a fitful and unsteady fury.
About noon, as nearly as we could guess, our attention was again arrested by the
appearance of the sun. It gave out no light, properly so called, but a dull and sullen glow
without reflection, as if all its rays were polarized. Just before sinking within the turgid
sea, its central fires suddenly went out, as if hurriedly extinguished by some
unaccountable power. It was a dim, sliver-like rim, alone, as it rushed down the
unfathomable ocean.

We waited in vain for the arrival of the sixth day —that day to me has not arrived —to the
Swede, never did arrive. Thenceforward we were enshrouded in patchy darkness, so that
we could not have seen an object at twenty paces from the ship. Eternal night continued
to envelop us, all unrelieved by the phosphoric sea-brilliancy to which we had been
accustomed in the tropics. We observed too, that, although the tempest continued to rage
with unabated violence, there was no longer to be discovered the usual appearance of
surf, or foam, which had hitherto attended us. All around were horror, and thick gloom,
and a black sweltering desert of ebony. -Superstitious terror crept by degrees into the
spirit of the old Swede, and my own soul was wrapped up in silent wonder. We neglected
all care of the ship, as worse than useless, and securing ourselves, as well as possible, to
the stump of the mizen-mast, looked out bitterly into the world of ocean. We had no
means of calculating time, nor could we form any guess of our situation. We were,
however, well aware of having made farther to the southward than any previous
navigators, and felt great amazement at not meeting with the usual impediments of ice. In
the meantime every moment threatened to be our last —every mountainous billow hurried
to overwhelm us. The swell surpassed anything I had imagined possible, and that we
were not instantly buried is a miracle. My companion spoke of the lightness of our cargo,
and reminded me of the excellent qualities of our ship; but I could not help feeling the
utter hopelessness of hope itself, and prepared myself gloomily for that death which I
thought nothing could defer beyond an hour, as, with every knot of way the ship made,
the swelling of the black stupendous seas became more dismally appalling. At times we
gasped for breath at an elevation beyond the albatross -at times became dizzy with the
velocity of our descent into some watery hell, where the air grew stagnant, and no sound
disturbed the slumbers of the kraken.

We were at the bottom of one of these abysses, when a quick scream from my companion
broke fearfully upon the night. "See! see!" cried he, shrieking in my ears, "Almighty
God! see! see!" As he spoke, I became aware of a dull, sullen glare of red light which
streamed down the sides of the vast chasm where we lay, and threw a fitful brilliancy
upon our deck. Casting my eyes upwards, I beheld a spectacle which froze the current of
my blood. At a terrific height directly above us, and upon the very verge of the
precipitous descent, hovered a gigantic ship of, perhaps, four thousand tons. Although
upreared upon the summit of a wave more than a hundred times her own altitude, her
apparent size exceeded that of any ship of the line or East Indiaman in existence. Her
huge hull was of a deep dingy black, unrelieved by any of the customary carvings of a
ship. A single row of brass cannon protruded from her open ports, and dashed from their
polished surfaces the fires of innumerable battle-lanterns, which swung to and fro about
her rigging. But what mainly inspired us with horror and astonishment, was that she bore
up under a press of sail in the very teeth of that supernatural sea, and of that ungovernable
hurricane. When we first discovered her, her bows were alone to be seen, as she rose
slowly from the dim and horrible gulf beyond her. For a moment of intense terror she
paused upon the giddy pinnacle, as if in contemplation of her own sublimity, then
trembled and tottered, and —came down.

At this instant, I know not what sudden self-possession came over my spirit. Staggering
as far aft as I could, I awaited fearlessly the ruin that was to overwhelm. Our own vessel
was at length ceasing from her struggles, and sinking with her head to the sea. The shock
of the descending mass struck her, consequently, in that portion of her frame which was
already under water, and the inevitable result was to hurl me, with irresistible violence,
upon the rigging of the stranger.

As I fell, the ship hove in stays, and went about; and to the confusion ensuing I attributed
my escape from the notice of the crew. With little difficulty I made my way unperceived
to the main hatchway, which was partially open, and soon found an opportunity of
secreting myself in the hold. Why I did so I can hardly tell. An indefinite sense of awe,
which at first sight of the navigators of the ship had taken hold of my mind, was perhaps
the principle of my concealment. I was unwilling to trust myself with a race of people
who had offered, to the cursory glance I had taken, so many points of vague novelty,
doubt, and apprehension. I therefore thought proper to contrive a hiding-place in the hold.
This I did by removing a small portion of the shifting-boards, in such a manner as to
afford me a convenient retreat between the huge timbers of the ship.

I had scarcely completed my work, when a footstep in the hold forced me to make use of
it. A man passed by my place of concealment with a feeble and unsteady gait. I could not
see his face, but had an opportunity of observing his general appearance. There was about
it an evidence of great age and infirmity. His knees tottered beneath a load of years, and
his entire frame quivered under the burthen. He muttered to himself, in a low broken
tone, some words of a language which I could not understand, and groped in a comer
among a pile of singular-looking instruments, and decayed charts of navigation. His
manner was a wild mixture of the peevishness of second childhood, and the solemn
dignity of a God. He at length went on deck, and I saw him no more.

A feeling, for which I have no name, has taken possession of my soul —a sensation which
will admit of no analysis, to which the lessons of bygone times are inadequate, and for
which I fear futurity itself will offer me no key. To a mind constituted like my own, the
latter consideration is an evil. I shall never —I know that I shall never —be satisfied with
regard to the nature of my conceptions. Yet it is not wonderful that these conceptions are
indefinite, since they have their origin in sources so utterly novel. A new sense —a new
entity is added to my soul.

It is long since I first trod the deck of this terrible ship, and the rays of my destiny are, I
think, gathering to a focus. Incomprehensible men! Wrapped up in meditations of a kind
which I cannot divine, they pass me by unnoticed. Concealment is utter folly on my part,
for the people will not see. It was but just now that I passed directly before the eyes of the
mate —it was no long while ago that I ventured into the captain's own private cabin, and
took thence the materials with which I write, and have written. I shall from time to time
continue this Journal. It is true that I may not find an opportunity of transmitting it to the
world, but I will not fall to make the endeavour. At the last moment I will enclose the
MS. in a bottle, and cast it within the sea.

An incident has occurred which has given me new room for meditation. Are such things
the operation of ungovemed Chance? I had ventured upon deck and thrown myself down,
without attracting any notice, among a pile of ratlin- stuff and old sails in the bottom of
the yawl. While musing upon the singularity of my fate, I unwittingly daubed with a tar-
brush the edges of a neatly-folded studding-sail which lay near me on a barrel. The
studding-sail is now bent upon the ship, and the thoughtless touches of the brush are
spread out into the word DISCOVERY.

I have made many observations lately upon the structure of the vessel. Although well
armed, she is not, I think, a ship of war. Her rigging, build, and general equipment, all
negative a supposition of this kind. What she is not, I can easily perceive -what she is I
fear it is impossible to say. I know not how it is, but in scrutinizing her strange model and
singular cast of spars, her huge size and overgrown suits of canvas, her severely simple
bow and antiquated stern, there will occasionally flash across my mind a sensation of
familiar things, and there is always mixed up with such indistinct shadows of
recollection, an unaccountable memory of old foreign chronicles and ages long ago. I
have been looking at the timbers of the ship. She is built of a material to which I am a
stranger. There is a peculiar character about the wood which strikes me as rendering it
unfit for the purpose to which it has been applied. I mean its extreme porousness,
considered independently by the worm-eaten condition which is a consequence of
navigation in these seas, and apart from the rottenness attendant upon age. It will appear
perhaps an observation somewhat over-curious, but this wood would have every,
characteristic of Spanish oak, if Spanish oak were distended by any unnatural means.

In reading the above sentence a curious apothegm of an old weather-beaten Dutch
navigator comes full upon my recollection. "It is as sure," he was wont to say, when any
doubt was entertained of his veracity, "as sure as there is a sea where the ship itself will
grow in bulk like the living body of the seaman."

About an hour ago, I made bold to thrast myself among a group of the crew. They paid
me no manner of attention, and, although I stood in the very midst of them all, seemed
utterly unconscious of my presence. Like the one I had at first seen in the hold, they all
bore about them the marks of a hoary old age. Their knees trembled with infirmity; their
shoulders were bent double with decrepitude; their shrivelled skins rattled in the wind;
their voices were low, tremulous and broken; their eyes glistened with the rheum of
years; and their gray hairs streamed terribly in the tempest. Around them, on every part of
the deck, lay scattered mathematical instruments of the most quaint and obsolete
construction.

I mentioned some time ago the bending of a studding-sail. From that period the ship,
being thrown dead off the wind, has continued her terrific course due south, with every
rag of canvas packed upon her, from her trucks to her lower studding-sail booms, and
rolling every moment her top-gallant yard-arms into the most appalling hell of water
which it can enter into the mind of a man to imagine. I have just left the deck, where I
find it impossible to maintain a footing, although the crew seem to experience little
inconvenience. It appears to me a miracle of miracles that our enormous bulk is not
swallowed up at once and forever. We are surely doomed to hover continually upon the
brink of Eternity, without taking a final plunge into the abyss. From billows a thousand
times more stupendous than any I have ever seen, we glide away with the facility of the
arrowy sea-gull; and the colossal waters rear their heads above us like demons of the
deep, but like demons confined to simple threats and forbidden to destroy. I am led to
attribute these frequent escapes to the only natural cause which can account for such
effect. —I must suppose the ship to be within the influence of some strong current, or
impetuous under-tow.

I have seen the captain face to face, and in his own cabin —but, as I expected, he paid me
no attention. Although in his appearance there is, to a casual observer, nothing which
might bespeak him more or less than man-still a feeling of irrepressible reverence and
awe mingled with the sensation of wonder with which I regarded him. In stature he is
nearly my own height; that is, about five feet eight inches. He is of a well-knit and
compact frame of body, neither robust nor remarkably otherwise. But it is the singularity
of the expression which reigns upon the face —it is the intense, the wonderful, the
thrilling evidence of old age, so utter, so extreme, which excites within my spirit a sense -
-a sentiment ineffable. His forehead, although little wrinkled, seems to bear upon it the
stamp of a myriad of years. —His gray hairs are records of the past, and his grayer eyes
are Sybils of the future. The cabin floor was thickly strewn with strange, iron-clasped
folios, and mouldering instruments of science, and obsolete long-forgotten charts. His
head was bowed down upon his hands, and he pored, with a fiery unquiet eye, over a
paper which I took to be a commission, and which, at all events, bore the signature of a
monarch. He muttered to himself, as did the first seaman whom I saw in the hold, some
low peevish syllables of a foreign tongue, and although the speaker was close at my
elbow, his voice seemed to reach my ears from the distance of a mile.

The ship and all in it are imbued with the spirit of Eld. The crew glide to and fro like the
ghosts of buried centuries; their eyes have an eager and uneasy meaning; and when their

fingers fall athwart my path in the wild glare of the battle-lanterns, I feel as I have never
felt before, although I have been all my life a dealer in antiquities, and have imbibed the
shadows of f Allan columns at Balbec, and Tadmor, and Persepolis, until my very soul
has become a ruin.

When I look around me I feel ashamed of my former apprehensions. If I trembled at the
blast which has hitherto attended us, shall I not stand aghast at a warring of wind and
ocean, to convey any idea of which the words tornado and simoom are trivial and
ineffective? All in the immediate vicinity of the ship is the blackness of eternal night, and
a chaos of foamless water; but, about a league on either side of us, may be seen,
indistinctly and at intervals, stupendous ramparts of ice, towering away into the desolate
sky, and looking like the walls of the universe.

As I imagined, the ship proves to be in a current; if that appellation can properly be given
to a tide which, howling and shrieking by the white ice, thunders on to the southward
with a velocity like the headlong dashing of a cataract.

To conceive the horror of my sensations is, I presume, utterly impossible; yet a curiosity
to penetrate the mysteries of these awful regions, predominates even over my despair,
and will reconcile me to the most hideous aspect of death. It is evident that we are
hurrying onwards to some exciting knowledge —some never-to-be-imparted secret, whose
attainment is destruction. Perhaps this current leads us to the southern pole itself. It must
be confessed that a supposition apparently so wild has every probability in its favor.

The crew pace the deck with unquiet and tremulous step; but there is upon their
countenances an expression more of the eagerness of hope than of the apathy of despair.

In the meantime the wind is still in our poop, and, as we carry a crowd of canvas, the ship
is at times lifted bodily from out the sea —Oh, horror upon horror! the ice opens suddenly
to the right, and to the left, and we are whirling dizzily, in immense concentric circles,
round and round the borders of a gigantic amphitheatre, the summit of whose walls is lost
in the darkness and the distance. But little time will be left me to ponder upon my destiny
-the circles rapidly grow small -we are plunging madly within the grasp of the
whirlpool -and amid a roaring, and bellowing, and thundering of ocean and of tempest,
the ship is quivering, oh God! and -going down.

NOTE.-The "MS. Found in a Bottle," was originally published in 1831 [1833], and it
was not until many years afterwards that I became acquainted with the maps of Mercator,
in which the ocean is represented as rushing, by four mouths, into the (northern) Polar
Gulf, to be absorbed into the bowels of the earth; the Pole itself being represented by a
black rock, towering to a prodigious height.

THE END

MARGINALIA

by Edgar Allan Poe

1844-49

DEMOCRATIC REVIEW, November, 1844

In getting my books, I have been always solicitous of an ample margin; this not so much
through any love of the thing in itself, however agreeable, as for the facility it affords me
of pencilling suggested thoughts, agreements, and differences of opinion, or brief critical
comments in general. Where what I have to note is too much to be included within the
narrow limits of a margin, I commit it to a slip of paper, and deposit it between the
leaves; taking care to secure it by an imperceptible portion of gum tragacanth paste.

All this may be whim; it may be not only a very hackneyed, but a very idle practice;-yet I
persist in it still; and it affords me pleasure; which is profit, in despite of Mr. Bentham,
with Mr. Mill on his back.

This making of notes, however, is by no means the making of mere memorandum-a
custom which has its disadvantages, beyond doubt "Ce que je mets sur papier," says
Bernadine de St. Pierre, "je remets de ma memoire et par consequence je roublie;"-and,
in fact, if you wish to forget anything upon the spot, make a note that this thing is to be
remembered.

But the purely marginal jottings, done with no eye to the Memorandum Book, have a
distinct complexion, and not only a distinct purpose, but none at all; this it is which
imparts to them a value. They have a rank somewhat above the chance and desultory
comments of literary chit-chat-for these latter are not unfrequently "talk for talk's sake,"
hurried out of the mouth; while the marginalia are deliberately pencilled, because the
mind of the reader wishes to unburthen itself of a thought;-however flippant-however
silly-however trivial-still a thought indeed, not merely a thing that might have been a
thought in time, and under more favorable circumstances. In the marginalia, too, we talk
only to ourselves; we therefore talk freshly-boldly- originally-with abandonnement-
without conceit-much after the fashion of Jeremy Taylor, and Sir Thomas Browne, and
Sir William Temple, and the anatomical Burton, and that most logical analogist, Butler,
and some other people of the old day, who were too full of their matter to have any room
for their manner, which, being thus left out of question, was a capital manner, indeed,-a
model of manners, with a richly marginalic air.

The circumscription of space, too, in these pencillings, has in it something more of
advantage than of inconvenience. It compels us (whatever diffuseness of idea we may
clandestinely entertain), into Montesquieu-ism, into Tacitus-ism (here I leave out of view
the concluding portion of the "Annals")-or even into Carlyle-ism-a thing which, I have

been told, is not to be confounded with your ordinary affectation and bad grammar. I say
"bad grammar," through sheer obstinacy, because the grammarians (who should know
better) insist upon it that I should not. But then grammar is not what these grammarians
will have it; and, being merely the analysis of language, with the result of this analysis,
must be good or bad just as the analyst is sage or silly-just as he is Home Tooke or a
Cobbett.

But to our sheep. During a rainy afternoon, not long ago, being in a mood too listless for
continuous study, I sought relief from ennui in dipping here and there, at random, among
the volumes of my library- no very large one, certainly, but sufficiently miscellaneous;
and, I flatter myself, not a little recherche.

Perhaps it was what the Germans call the "brain- scattering" humor of the moment; but,
while the picturesqueness of the numerous pencil- scratches arrested my attention, their
helter- skelter- iness of commentary amused me. I found myself at length forming a wish
that it had been some other hand than my own which had so bedevilled the books, and
fancying that, in such case, I might have derived no inconsiderable pleasure from turning
them over. From this the transition-thought (as Mr. Lyell, or Mr. Murchison, or Mr.
Featherstonhaugh would have it) was natural enough:-there might be something even in
my scribblings which, for the mere sake of scribblings would have interest for others.

The main difficulty respected the mode of transferring the notes from the volumes-the
context from the text-without detriment to that exceedingly frail fabric of intelligibility in
which the context was imbedded. With all appliances to boot, with the printed pages at
their back, the commentaries were too often like Dodona's oracles-or those of Lycophron
Tenebrosus-or the essays of the pedant's pupils, in Quintilian, which were "necessarily
excellent, since even he (the pedant) found it impossible to comprehend them":-what,
then, would become of it-this context-if transferred?-if translated? Would it not rather
be traduit (traduced) which is the French synonym, or overzezet (turned topsy-turvy)
which is the Dutch one?

I concluded, at length, to put extensive faith in the acumen and imagination of the
reader:-this as a general rule. But, in some instances, where even faith would not remove
mountains, there seemed no safer plan than so to re-model the note as to convey at least
the ghost of a conception as to what it was all about. Where, for such conception, the text
itself was absolutely necessary, I could quote it, where the title of the book commented
upon was indispensable, I could name it. In short, like a novel-hero dilemma'd, I made up
my mind "to be guided by circumstances," in default of more satisfactory rules of
conduct.

As for the multitudinous opinion expressed in the subjoined farrago- as for my present
assent to all, or dissent from any portion of it-as to the possibility of my having, in some
instances, altered my mind- or as to the impossibility of my not having altered it often-
these are points upon which I say nothing, because upon these there can be nothing
cleverly said. It may be as well to observe, however, that just as the goodness of your true

pun is in the direct ratio of its intolerability, so is nonsense the essential sense of the
Marginal Note.

I have seen many computations respecting the greatest amount of erudition attainable by
an individual in his life-time, but these computations are falsely based, and fall infinitely
beneath the truth. It is true that, in general we retain, we remember to available purpose,
scarcely one-hundredth part of what we read; yet there are minds which not only retain
all receipts, but keep them at compound interest forever. Again:-were every man
supposed to read out, he could read, of course, very little, even in half a century; for, in
such case, each individual word must be dwelt upon in some degree. But, in reading to
ourselves, at the ordinary rate of what is called "light reading," we scarcely touch one
word in ten. And, even physically considered, knowledge breeds knowledge, as gold
gold; for he who reads really much, finds his capacity to read increase in geometrical
ratio. The helluo librorum will but glance at the page which detains the ordinary reader
some minutes; and the difference in the absolute reading (its uses considered), will be in
favor of the helluo, who will have winnowed the matter of which the tyro mumbled both
the seeds and the chaff. A deep-rooted and strictly continuous habit of reading will, with
certain classes of intellect, result in an instinctive and seemingly magnetic appreciation of
a thing written; and now the student reads by pages just as other men by words. Long
years to come, with a careful analysis of the mental process, may even render this species
of appreciation a common thing. It may be taught in the schools of our descendants of the
tenth or twentieth generation. It may become the method of the mob of the eleventh or
twenty-first. And should these matters come to pass-as they will- there will be in them no
more legitimate cause for wonder than there is, to-day, in the marvel that, syllable by
syllable, men comprehend what, letter by letter, I now trace upon this page.

Is it not a law that need has a tendency to engender the thing needed?

Moore has been noted for the number of appositeness, as well as novelty of his similes;
and the renown thus acquired is indicial of his deficiency in that noble merit-the noblest
of all. No poet thus distinguished was ever richly ideal. Pope and Cowper are instances.
Direct similes are of too palpably artificial a character to be artistical. An artist will
always contrive to weave his illustrations into the metaphorical form.

Moore has a peculiar facility in prosaically telling a poetical story. By this I mean that he
preserves the tone and method of arrangement of a prose relation, and thus obtains great
advantage, in important points, over his more stilted compeers. His is no poetical style
(such as the French have-a distinct style for a distinct purpose) but an easy and ordinary
prose manner, which rejects the licenses because it does not require them, and is merely
ornamented into poetry. By means of this manner he is enabled to encounter, effectually,
details which would baffle any other versifier of the day; and at which Lamartine would
stand aghast. In "Alciphron" we see this exemplified. Here the minute and perplexed
incidents of the descent into the pyramid, are detailed, in verse, with quite as much
precision and intelligibility as could be attained even by the coolest prose of Mr. Jeremy
Bentham.

Moore has vivacity; verbal and constructive dexterity; a musical ear not sufficiently
cultivated; a vivid fancy; an epigrammatic spirit; and a fine taste-as far as it goes.

Democratic Review, December, 1844

I am not sure that Tennyson is not the greatest of poets. The uncertainty attending the
public conception of the term "poet" alone prevents me from demonstrating that he is.
Other bards produce effects which are, now and then, otherwise produced than by what
we call poems; but Tennyson an effect which only a poem does. His alone are
idiosyncratic poems. By the enjoyment or non-enjoyment of the "Morte D'Arthur" or of
the "Oenone," I would test any one's ideal sense.

There are passages in his works which rivet a conviction I had long entertained, that the
indefinite is an element in the true poiesis. Why do some persons fatigue themselves in
attempts to unravel such fantasy -pieces as the "Lady of Shalott"? As well unweave the
"ventum textilem." If the author did not deliberately propose to himself a suggestive
indefinitiveness of meaning with the view of bringing about a definitiveness of vague and
therefore of spiritual effect-this, at least, arose from the silent analytical promptings of
that poetic genius which, in its supreme development, embodies all orders of intellectual
capacity.

I know that indefinitiveness is an element of the true music-I mean of the true musical
expression. Give to it any undue decision-imbue it with any very determinate tone-and
you deprive it at once of its ethereal, its ideal, its intrinsic and essential character. You
dispel its luxury of dream. You dissolve the atmosphere of the mystic upon which it
floats. You exhaust it of its breath of fiery. It now becomes a tangible and easily
appreciable idea-a thing of the earth, earthy. It has not, indeed, lost its power to please,
but all which I consider the distinctiveness of that power. And to the uncultivated talent,
or to the unimaginative apprehension, this deprivation of its most delicate air will be, not
unfrequently, a recommendation. A determinateness of expression is sought-and often by
composers who should know better-is sought as a beauty rather than rejected as a
blemish. Thus we have, even from high authorities, attempts at absolute imitation in
music. Who can forget the silliness of the "Battle of Prague"? What man of taste but must
laugh at the interminable drums, trumpets, blunderbusses, and thunder? "Vocal music,"
says L'Abbate Gravina, who would have said the same thing of instrumental, "ought to
imitate the natural language of the human feelings and passions, rather than the warblings
of canary birds, which our singers, now-a-days, affect so vastly to mimic with their
quaverings and boasted cadences." This is true only so far as the "rather" is concerned. If
any music must imitate anything, it were assuredly better to limit the imitation as Gravina
suggests.

Tennyson's shorter pieces abound in minute rhythmical lapses sufficient to asure me that-
in common with all poets living or dead-he has neglected to make precise investigation
of the principles of metre; but, on the other hand, so perfect is his rhythmical instinct in
general that, like the present Viscount Canterbury, he seems to see with his ear.

Godey's Lady's Book, September, 1845

The increase, within a few years, of the magazine literature, is by no means to be
regarded as indicating what some critics would suppose it to indicate-a downward
tendency in American taste or in American letters. It is but a sign of the times, an
indication of an era in which men are forced upon the curt, the condensed, the well-
digested in place of the voluminous-in a word, upon journalism in lieu of dissertation.
We need now the light artillery rather than the peace-makers of the intellect. I will not be
sure that men at present think more profoundly than half a century ago, but beyond
question they think with more rapidity, with more skill, with more tact, with more of
method and less of excrescence in the thought. Besides all this, they have a vast increase
in the thinking material; they have more facts, more to think about. For this reason, they
are disposed to put the greatest amount of thought in the smallest compass and disperse it
with the utmost attainable rapidity. Hence the journalism of the age; hence, in especial,
magazines. Too many we cannot have, as a general proposition; but we demand that they
have sufficient merit to render them noticeable in the beginning, and that they continue in
existence sufficiently long to permit us a fair estimation of their value.

Broadway Journal, Oct. 4, 1845

Much has been said, of late, about the necessity of maintaining a proper nationality in
American Letters; but what this nationality is, or what is to be gained by it, has never
been distinctly understood. That an American should confine himself to American
themes, or even prefer them, is rather a political than a literary idea-and at best is a
questionable point. We would do well to bear in mind that "distance lends enchantment to
the view." Ceteris paribus, a foreign theme is, in a strictly literary sense, to be preferred.
After all, the world at large is the only legitimate stage for the autorial histrio.

But of the need of that nationality which defends our own literature, sustains our own
men of letters, upholds our own dignity, and depends upon our own resources, there can
not be the shadow of a doubt. Yet here is the very point at which we are most supine. We
complain of our want of International Copyright on the ground that this want justifies our
publishers in inundating us with British opinion in British books; and yet when these very
publishers, at their own obvious risk, and even obvious loss, do publish an American
book, we turn up our noses at it with supreme contempt (this is a general thing) until it
(the American book) has been dubbed "readable" by some literate Cockney critic. Is it too
much to say that, with us, the opinion of Washington Irving-of Prescott- of Bryant-is a
mere nullity in comparison with that of any anonymous sub- sub-editor of the Spectator,
the Athenaeum, or the London Punch? It is not saying too much to say this. It is a
solemn- an absolutely awful fact. Every publisher in the country will admit it to be a fact.
There is not a more disgusting spectacle under the sun than our subserviency to British
criticism. It is disgusting, first because it is truckling, servile, pusilanimous-secondly,
because of its gross irrationality. We know the British to bear us little but ill will-we
know that, in no case, do they utter unbiased opinions of American books-we know that
in the few instances in which our writers have been treated with common decency in
England, these writers have either openly paid homage to English institutions, or have

had lurking at the bottom of their hearts a secret principle at war with Democracy:-we
know all this, and yet, day after day, submit our necks to the degrading yoke of the
crudest opinion that emanates from the fatherland. Now if we must have nationality, let it
be a nationality that will throw off this yoke.

The chief of the rhapsodists who have ridden us to death like the Old Man of the
Mountain, is the ignorant and egotistical Wilson. We use the term rhapsodists with
perfect deliberation; for, Macaulay, and Dilke, and one or two others, excepted, there is
not in Great Britain a critic who can be fairly considered worthy the name. The Germans
and even the French, are infinitely superior. As regards Wilson, no man ever penned
worse criticism or better rhodomontade. That he is "egotistical" his works show to all
men, running as they read. That he is "ignorant" let his absurd and continuous school-boy
blunders about Homer bear witness. Not long ago we ourselves pointed out a series of
similar inanities in his review of Miss Barret's [sic] poems-a series, we say, of gross
blunders, arising from sheer ignorance-and we defy him or any one to answer a single
syllable of what we then advanced.

And yet this is the man whose simple dictum (to our shame be it spoken) has the power to
make or to mar any American reputation! In the last number of Blackwood, he has a
continuation of the dull "Specimens of the British Critics," and makes occasion wantonly
to insult one of the noblest of our poets, Mr. Lowell. The point of the whole attack
consists in the use of slang epithets and phrases of the most ineffably vulgar description.
"Squabashes" is a pet term. "Faugh!" is another. "We are Scotsmen to the spiner" says
Sawney-as if the thing were not more than self-evident. Mr. Lowell is called a "magpie,"
an "ape," a "Yankee cockney," and his name is intentionally mis-written John Russell
Lowell. Now were these indecencies perpetrated by an American critic, that critic would
be sent to Coventry by the whole press of the country, but since it is Wilson who insults,
we, as in duty bound, not only submit to the insult, but echo it, as an excellent jest,
throughout the length and breadth of the land. "Quamdiu Catilina?" We do indeed
demand the nationality of self-respect. In Letters as in Government we require a
Declaration of Independence. A better thing still would be a Declaration of War-and that
war should be carried forthwith "into Africa."

Graham's Magazine, March, 1846

Some Frenchman-possibly Montaigne-says: "People talk about thinking, but for my part
I never think except when I sit down to write." It is this never thinking, unless when we
sit down to write, which is the cause of so much indifferent composition. But perhaps
there is something more involved in the Frenchman's observation than meets the eye. It is
certain that the mere act of inditing tends, in a great degree, to the logicalisation of
thought. Whenever, on account of its vagueness, I am dissatisfied with a conception of
the brain, I resort forthwith to the pen, for the purpose of obtaining, through its aid, the
necessary form, consequence, and precision.

How very commonly we hear it remarked that such and such thoughts are beyond the
compass of words! I do not believe that any thought, properly so called, is out of the

reach of language. I fancy, rather, that where difficulty in expression is experienced, there
is, in the intellect which experiences it, a want either of deliberateness or of method. For
my own part, I have never had a thought which I could not set down in words, with even
more distinctness than that with which I conceived it:-as I have before observed, the
thought is logicalised by the effort at (written) expression.

There is, however, a class of fancies, of exquisite delicacy, which are not thoughts, and to
which, as yet, I have found it absolutely impossible to adapt language. I use the word
fancies at random, and merely because I must use some word; but the idea commonly
attached to the term is not even remotely applicable to the shadows of shadows in
question. They seem to me rather psychal than intellectual. They arise in the soul (alas,
how rarely!) only at its epochs of most intense tranquillity- when the bodily and mental
health are in perfection-and at those mere points of time where the confines of the
waking world blend with those of the world of dreams. I am aware of these "fancies"
only when I am upon the very brink of sleep, with the consciousness that I am so. I have
satisfied myself that this condition exists but for an inappreciable point of time-yet it is
crowded with these "shadows of shadows"; and for absolute thought there is demanded
time's endurance.

These "fancies" have in them a pleasurable ecstasy, as far beyond the most pleasurable of
the world of wakefulness, or of dreams, as the Heaven of the Northman theology is
beyond its Hell. I regard the visions, even as they arise, with an awe which, in some
measure moderates or tranquillises the ecstasy-I so regard them, through a conviction
(which seems a portion of the ecstasy itself) that this ecstasy, in itself, is of a character
supernal to the Human Nature-is a glimpse of the spirit's outer world; and I arrive at this
conclusion-if this term is at all applicable to instantaneous intuition-by a perception that
the delight experienced has, as its element, but the absoluteness of novelty. I say the
absoluteness- for in the fancies-let me now term them psychal impressions-there is really
nothing even approximate in character to impressions ordinarily received. It is as if the
five senses were supplanted by five myriad others alien to mortality.

Now, so entire is my faith in the power of words, that at times I have believed it possible
to embody even the evanescence of fancies such as I have attempted to describe. In
experiments with this end in view, I have proceeded so far as, first, to control (when the
bodily and mental health are good), the existence of the condition:- that is to say, I can
now (unless when ill), be sure that the condition will supervene, if I so wish it, at the
point of time already described: of its supervention until lately I could never be certain
even under the most favorable circumstances. I mean to say, merely, that now I can be
sure, when all circumstances are favorable, of the supervention of the condition, and feel
even the capacity of inducing or compelling it:-the favorable circumstances, however,
are not the less rare-else had I compelled already the Heaven into the Earth.

I have proceeded so far, secondly, as to prevent the lapse from the Point of which I
speak-the point of blending between wakefulness and sleep-as to prevent at will, I say,
the lapse from this border-ground into the dominion of sleep. Not that I can continue the
condition-not that I can render the point more than a point-but that I can startle myself

from the point into wakefulness; and thus transfer the point itself into the realm of
Memory-convey its impressions, or more properly their recollections, to a situation
where (although still for a very brief period) I can survey them with the eye of analysis.

For these reasons-that is to say, because I have been enabled to accomplish thus much-I
do not altogether despair of embodying in words at least enough of the fancies in
question to convey to certain classes of intellect, a shadowy conception of their character.

In saying this I am not to be understood as supposing that the fancies or psychal
impressions to which I allude are confined to my individual self-are not, in a word,
common to all mankind-for on this point it is quite impossible that I should form an
opinion-but nothing can be more certain than that even a partial record of the impressions
would startle the universal intellect of mankind, by the supremeness of the novelty of the
material employed, and of its consequent suggestions. In a word-should I ever write a
paper on this topic, the world will be compelled to acknowledge that, at last, I have done
an original thing.

Democratic Review, April, 1846

In general, our first impressions are true ones-the chief difficulty is in making sure which
are the first. In early youth we read a poem, for instance, and are enraptured with it. At
manhood we are assured by our reason that we had no reason to be enraptured. But some
years elapse, and we return to our primitive admiration, just as a matured judgment
enables us precisely to see what and why we admired.

Thus, as individuals, we think in cycles, and may, from the frequency, or infrequency of
our revolutions about the various thought-centres, form an accurate estimate of the
advance of our thought toward maturity. It is really wonderful to observe how closely, in
all the essentials of truth, the child-opinion coincides with that of the man proper-of the
man at his best.

And as with individuals so, perhaps, with mankind. When the world begins to return,
frequently, to its first impressions, we shall then be warranted in looking for the
millennium-or whatever it is:- we may safely take it for granted that we are attaining our
maximum of wit, and of the happiness which is thence to ensue. The indications of such a
return are, at present, like the visits of angels-but we have them now and then-in the
case, for example, of credulity. The philosophic, of late days, are distinguished by that
very facility in belief which was the characteristic of the illiterate half a century ago.
Skepticism in regard to apparent miracles, is not, as formerly, an evidence either of
superior wisdom or knowledge. In a word, the wise now believe-yesterday they would
not believe-and day before yesterday (in the time of Strabo, for example) they believed,
exclusively, anything and everything:-here, then, is one of the indicative cycles of
discretion. I mention Strabo merely as an exception to the rule of his epoch-(just as one
in a hurry for an illustration, might describe Mr. So and So to be as witty or as amiable as
Mr. This and That is not-for so rarely did men reject in Strabo's time, and so much more

rarely did they err by rejection, that the skepticism of this philosopher must be regarded
as one of the most remarkable anomalies on record.

I have not the slightest faith in Carlyle. In ten years-possibly in five-he will be
remembered only as a butt for sarcasm. His linguistic Euphuisms might very well have
been taken as prima facie evidence of his philosophic ones; they were the froth which
indicated, first, the shallowness, and secondly, the confusion of the waters. I would blame
no man of sense for leaving the works of Carlyle unread merely on account of these
Euphuisms; for it might be shown a priori that no man capable of producing a definite
impression upon his age or race, could or would commit himself to such inanities and
insanities. The book about 'Hero-Worship '-is it possible that it ever excited a feeling
beyond contempt? No hero-worshipper can possess anything within himself. That man is
no man who stands in awe of his fellow-man. Genius regards genius with respect-with
even enthusiastic admiration-but there is nothing of worship in the admiration, for it
springs from a thorough cognizance of the one admired-from a perfect sympathy, the
result of the cognizance; and it is needless to say, that sympathy and worship are
antagonistic. Your hero-worshippers, for example-what do they know about
Shakespeare? They worship him-rant about him-lecture about him-about him, him and
nothing else-for no other reason than that he is utterly beyond their comprehension. They
have arrived at an idea of his greatness from the pertinacity with which men have called
him great. As for their own opinion about him-they really have none at all. In general the
very smallest of mankind are the class of men- worshippers. Not one out of this class have
ever accomplished anything beyond a very contemptible mediocrity.

Carlyle, however, has rendered an important service (to posterity, at least) in pushing rant
and cant to that degree of excess which inevitably induces reaction. Had he not appeared
we might have gone on for yet another century, Emerson-izing in prose, Wordsworth-
izing in poetry, and Fourier-izing in philosophy, Wilson-izing in criticism- Hudson-izing
and Tom O'Bedlam-izing in everything. The author of the 'Sartor Resartus,' however, has
overthrown the various arguments of his own order, by a personal reductio ad absurdum.
Yet an Olympiad, perhaps, and the whole horde will be swept bodily from the memory of
man-or be remembered only when we have occasion to talk of such fantastic tricks as,
erewhile, were performed by the Abderites.

Graham's Magazine, January, 1848

If any ambitious man have a fancy a revolutionize, at one effort, the universal world of
human thought, human opinion, and human sentiment, the opportunity is his own-the
road to immortal renown lies straight, open, and unencumbered before him. All that he
has to do is to write and publish a very little book. Its title should be simple-a few plain
words-"My Heart Laid Bare." But-this little book must be true to its title.

Now, is it not very singular that, with the rabid thirst for notoriety which distinguishes so
many of mankind-so many, too, who care not a fig what is thought of them after death,
there should not be found one man having sufficient hardihood to write this little book?
To write, I say. There are ten thousand men who, if the book were once written, would

laugh at the notion of being disturbed by its publication during their life, and who could
not even conceive why they should object to its being published after their death. But to
write it-there is the rub. No man dare write it. No man ever will dare write it. No man
could write it, even if he dared. The paper would shrivel and blaze at every touch of the
fiery pen.

Southern Literary Messenger, April, 1849

I blush to see, in the—, an invidious notice of Bayard Taylor's "Rhimes of Travel." What
makes the matter worse, the critique is from the pen of one who, although undeservedly,
holds, himself, some position as a poet:-and what makes the matter worst, the attack is
anonymous, and (while ostensibly commending) most zealously endeavors to damn the
young writer "with faint praise." In his whole life, the author of the criticism never
published a poem, long or short, which could compare, either in the higher merits, or in
the minor morals of the Muse, with the worst of Mr. Taylor's compositions.

Observe the generalizing, disingenuous, patronizing tone:-

"It is the empty charlatan, to whom all things are alike impossible, who attempts
everything. He can do one thing as well as another, for he can really do nothing.... Mr.
Taylor's volume, as we have intimated, is an advance upon his previous publication. We
could have wished, indeed, something more of restraint in the rhetoric, but," &c., &c.,
&c.

The concluding sentence, here, is an excellent example of one of the most ingeniously
malignant of critical ruses-that of condemning an author, in especial, for what the world,
in general, feel to be his principal merit. In fact, the "rhetoric" of Mr. Taylor, in the sense
intended by the critic, is Mr. Taylor's distinguishing excellence. He is, unquestionably,
the most terse, glowing, and vigorous of all our poets, young or old-in point, I mean, of
expression. His sonorous, well-balanced rhythm puts me often in mind of Campbell (in
spite of our anonymous friend's implied sneer at "mere jingling of rhymes, brilliant and
successful for the moment,") and his rhetoric in general is of the highest order:-By
"rhetoric, I intend the mode generally in which thought is presented. When shall we find
more magnificent passages than these?

First queenly Asia, from the fAUan thrones

Of twice three thousand years

Came with the woe a grieving Goddess owns

Who longs for mortal tears.

The dust of ruin to her mantle clung

And dimmed her crown of gold.

While the majestic sorrow of her tongue

From Tyre to Indus rolled.

Mourn with me, sisters, in my realm of woe

Whose only glory streams

From its lost childhood like the Arctic glow

Which sunless winter dreams.

In the red desert moulders Babylon

And the wild serpent's hiss

Echoes in Petra's palaces of stone

And waste Persepolis.

Then from her seat, amid the palms embowered

That shade the Lion-land,

Swart Africa in dusky aspect towered.

The fetters on her hand.

Backward she saw, from out the drear eclipse.

The mighty Theban years.

And the deep anguish of her mournful lips

Interpreted, her tears.

I copy these passages first, because the critic in question has copied them, without the
slightest appreciation of their grandeur-for they are grand; and secondly, to put the
question of "rhetoric" at rest. No artist who reads them will deny that they are the
perfection of skill in their way. But thirdly, I wish to call attention to the glowing
imagination evinced in the lines. My very soul revolts at such efforts, (as the one I refer
to,) to depreciate such poems as Mr. Taylor's. Is there no honor-no chivalry left in the
land? Are our most deserving writers to be forever sneered down, or hooted down, or
damned down with faint praise, by a set of men who possess little other ability than that
which assures temporary success to them, in common with Swaim's Panaces or
Morrison's Pills? The fact is, some person should write, at once, a Magazine paper
exposing- ruthlessly exposing, the dessous de cartes of our literary affairs. He should
show how and why it is that ubiquitous quack in letters can always "succeed," while
genius, (which implies self-respect with a scorn of creeping and crawling,) must
inevitably succumb. He should point out the "easy arts" by which any one, base enough
to do it, can get himself placed at the very head of American Letters by an article in that
magnanimous Journal, "The Review." He should explain, too, how readily the same work
can be induced (in the case of Simms,) to vilify personally, any one not a Northerner, for
a trifling "consideration." In fact, our criticism needs a thorough regeneration, and must
have it.

Southern Literary Messenger, June, 1849

I have sometimes amused myself by endeavoring to fancy what would be the fate of any
individual gifted, or rather accursed, with an intellect very far superior to that of his race.
Of course, he would be conscious of his superiority; nor could he (if otherwise
constituted as man is) help manifesting his consciousness. Thus he would make himself
enemies at all points. And since his opinions and speculations would widely differ from
those of all mankind-that he would be considered a madman, is evident. How horribly
painful such a condition! Hell could invent no greater torture than that of being charged
with abnormal weakness on account of being abnormally strong.

In like manner, nothing can be clearer than that a very generous spirit-truly feeling what
all merely profess-must inevitably find itself misconceived in every direction-its motives
misinterpreted. Just as extremeness of intelligence would be thought fatuity, so excess of
chivalry could not fail of being looked upon as meanness in its last degree-and so on with
other virtues. This subject is a painful one indeed. That individuals have so soared above
the plane of their race, is scarcely to be questioned; but, in looking back through history
for traces of their existence, we should pass over all biographies of "the good and the
great," while we search carefully the slight records of wretches who died in prison, in
Bedlam, or upon the gallows.

THE END

MELLONTA TAUTA

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

TO THE EDITORS OF THE LADY'S BOOK:

I have the honor of sending you, for your magazine, an article which I hope you will be
able to comprehend rather more distinctly than I do myself. It is a translation, by my
friend, Martin Van Buren Mavis, (sometimes called the "Toughkeepsie Seer") of an odd-
looking MS. which I found, about a year ago, tightly corked up in a jug floating in the
Mare Tenebrarum-a sea well described by the Nubian geographer, but seldom visited
now-a-days, except for the transcendentalists and divers for crotchets.

Truly yours,
EDGAR A. POE

ON BOARD BALLOON "SKYLARK"

April, 1, 2848

NOW, my dear friend-now, for your sins, you are to suffer the infliction of a long
gossiping letter. I tell you distinctly that I am going to punish you for all your
impertinences by being as tedious, as discursive, as incoherent and as unsatisfactory as
possible. Besides, here I am, cooped up in a dirty balloon, with some one or two hundred
of the canaille, all bound on a pleasure excursion, (what a funny idea some people have
of pleasure!) and I have no prospect of touching terra firma for a month at least. Nobody
to talk to. Nothing to do. When one has nothing to do, then is the time to correspond with
ones friends. You perceive, then, why it is that I write you this letter-it is on account of
my ennui and your sins.

Get ready your spectacles and make up your mind to be annoyed. I mean to write at you
every day during this odious voyage.

Heigho ! when will any Invention visit the human pericranium? Are we forever to be
doomed to the thousand inconveniences of the balloon? Will nobody contrive a more
expeditious mode of progress? The jog-trot movement, to my thinking, is little less than
positive torture. Upon my word we have not made more than a hundred miles the hour
since leaving home! The very birds beat us-at least some of them. I assure you that I do
not exaggerate at all. Our motion, no doubt, seems slower than it actually is-this on
account of our having no objects about us by which to estimate our velocity, and on
account of our going with the wind. To be sure, whenever we meet a balloon we have a
chance of perceiving our rate, and then, I admit, things do not appear so very bad.

Accustomed as I am to this mode of travelling, I cannot get over a kind of giddiness
whenever a balloon passes us in a current directly overhead. It always seems to me like
an immense bird of prey about to pounce upon us and carry us off in its claws. One went
over us this morning about sunrise, and so nearly overhead that its drag-rope actually
brushed the network suspending our car, and caused us very serious apprehension. Our
captain said that if the material of the bag had been the trumpery varnished "silk" of five
hundred or a thousand years ago, we should inevitably have been damaged. This silk, as
he explained it to me, was a fabric composed of the entrails of a species of earth-worm.
The worm was carefully fed on mulberries-kind of fruit resembling a water-melon-and,
when sufficiently fat, was crushed in a mill. The paste thus arising was called papyrus in
its primary state, and went through a variety of processes until it finally became "silk."
Singular to relate, it was once much admired as an article of female dress! Balloons were
also very generally constructed from it. A better kind of material, it appears, was
subsequently found in the down surrounding the seed-vessels of a plant vulgarly called
euphorbium, and at that time botanically termed milk-weed. This latter kind of silk was
designated as silk-buckingham, on account of its superior durability, and was usually
prepared for use by being varnished with a solution of gum caoutchouc-a substance
which in some respects must have resembled the gutta percha now in common use. This
caoutchouc was occasionally called Indian rubber or rubber of twist, and was no doubt
one of the numerous fungi. Never tell me again that I am not at heart an antiquarian.

Talking of drag-ropes-our own, it seems, has this moment knocked a man overboard
from one of the small magnetic propellers that swarm in ocean below us-a boat of about
six thousand tons, and, from all accounts, shamefully crowded. These diminutive barques
should be prohibited from carrying more than a definite number of passengers. The man,
of course, was not permitted to get on board again, and was soon out of sight, he and his
life-preserver. I rejoice, my dear friend, that we live in an age so enlightened that no such
a thing as an individual is supposed to exist. It is the mass for which the true Humanity
cares. By-the-by, talking of Humanity, do you know that our immortal Wiggins is not so
original in his views of the Social Condition and so forth, as his contemporaries are
inclined to suppose? Pundit assures me that the same ideas were put nearly in the same
way, about a thousand years ago, by an Irish philosopher called Furrier, on account of his
keeping a retail shop for cat peltries and other furs. Pundit knows, you know; there can be
no mistake about it. How very wonderfully do we see verified every day, the profound
observation of the Hindoo Aries Tottle (as quoted by Pundit)-"Thus must we say that, not
once or twice, or a few times, but with almost infinite repetitions, the same opinions
come round in a circle among men."

April 2. -Spoke to-day the magnetic cutter in charge of the middle section of floating
telegraph wires. I learn that when this species of telegraph was first put into operation by
Horse, it was considered quite impossible to convey the wires over sea, but now we are at
a loss to comprehend where the difficulty lay! So wags the world. Tempora mutantur-
excuse me for quoting the Etruscan. What would we do without the Atalantic telegraph?
(Pundit says Atlantic was the ancient adjective.) We lay to a few minutes to ask the cutter
some questions, and learned, among other glorious news, that civil war is raging in
Africa, while the plague is doing its good work beautifully both in Yurope and Ayesher.

Is it not truly remarkable that, before the magnificent light shed upon philosophy by
Humanity, the world was accustomed to regard War and Pestilence as calamities? Do you
know that prayers were actually offered up in the ancient temples to the end that these
evils (!) might not be visited upon mankind? Is it not really difficult to comprehend upon
what principle of interest our forefathers acted? Were they so blind as not to perceive that
the destruction of a myriad of individuals is only so much positive advantage to the mass!

April 3. -It is really a very fine amusement to ascend the rope-ladder leading to the
summit of the balloon-bag, and thence survey the surrounding world. From the car below
you know the prospect is not so comprehensive-you can see little vertically. But seated
here (where I write this) in the luxuriously-cushioned open piazza of the summit, one can
see everything that is going on in all directions. Just now there is quite a crowd of
balloons in sight, and they present a very animated appearance, while the air is resonant
with the hum of so many millions of human voices. I have heard it asserted that when
Yellow or (Pundit will have it) Violet, who is supposed to have been the first aeronaut,
maintained the practicability of traversing the atmosphere in all directions, by merely
ascending or descending until a favorable current was attained, he was scarcely
hearkened to at all by his contemporaries, who looked upon him as merely an ingenious
sort of madman, because the philosophers (?) of the day declared the thing impossible.
Really now it does seem to me quite unaccountable how any thing so obviously feasible
could have escaped the sagacity of the ancient savans. But in all ages the great obstacles
to advancement in Art have been opposed by the so-called men of science. To be sure,
our men of science are not quite so bigoted as those of old:-oh, I have something so
queer to tell you on this topic. Do you know that it is not more than a thousand years ago
since the metaphysicians consented to relieve the people of the singular fancy that there
existed but two possible roads for the attainment of Truth! Believe it if you can! It
appears that long, long ago, in the night of Time, there lived a Turkish philosopher (or
Hindoo possibly) called Aries Tottle. This person introduced, or at all events propagated
what was termed the deductive or a priori mode of investigation. He started with what he
maintained to be axioms or "self-evident truths," and thence proceeded "logically" to
results. His greatest disciples were one Neuclid, and one Cant. Well, Aries Tottle
flourished supreme until advent of one Hog, surnamed the "Ettrick Shepherd," who
preached an entirely different system, which he called the a posteriori or inductive. His
plan referred altogether to Sensation. He proceeded by observing, analyzing, and
classifying facts-instantiae naturae, as they were affectedly called-into general laws.
Aries Tottle's mode, in a word, was based on noumena; Hog's on phenomena. Well, so
great was the admiration excited by this latter system that, at its first introduction, Aries
Tottle fell into disrepute; but finally he recovered ground and was permitted to divide the
realm of Truth with his more modern rival. The savans now maintained the Aristotelian
and Baconian roads were the sole possible avenues to knowledge. "Baconian," you must
know, was an adjective invented as equivalent to Hog-ian and more euphonious and
dignified.

Now, my dear friend, I do assure you, most positively, that I represent this matter fairly,
on the soundest authority and you can easily understand how a notion so absurd on its
very face must have operated to retard the progress of all true knowledge-which makes

its advances almost invariably by intuitive bounds. The ancient idea confined
investigations to crawling; and for hundreds of years so great was the infatuation about
Hog especially, that a virtual end was put to all thinking, properly so called. No man
dared utter a truth to which he felt himself indebted to his Soul alone. It mattered not
whether the truth was even demonstrably a truth, for the bullet-headed savans of the time
regarded only the road by which he had attained it. They would not even look at the end.
"Let us see the means," they cried, "the means!" If, upon investigation of the means, it
was found to come under neither the category Aries (that is to say Ram) nor under the
category Hog, why then the savans went no farther, but pronounced the "theorist" a fool,
and would have nothing to do with him or his truth.

Now, it cannot be maintained, even, that by the crawling system the greatest amount of
truth would be attained in any long series of ages, for the repression of imagination was
an evil not to be compensated for by any superior certainty in the ancient modes of
investigation. The error of these Jurmains, these Vrinch, these Inglitch, and these
Amriccans (the latter, by the way, were our own immediate progenitors), was an error
quite analogous with that of the wiseacre who fancies that he must necessarily see an
object the better the more closely he holds it to his eyes. These people blinded themselves
by details. When they proceeded Hoggishly, their "facts" were by no means always facts-
a matter of little consequence had it not been for assuming that they were facts and must
be facts because they appeared to be such. When they proceeded on the path of the Ram,
their course was scarcely as straight as a ram's horn, for they never had an axiom which
was an axiom at all. They must have been very blind not to see this, even in their own
day; for even in their own day many of the long "established" axioms had been rejected.
For example-"Ex nihilo nihil fit"; "a body cannot act where it is not"; "there cannot exist
antipodes"; "darkness cannot come out of light"-all these, and a dozen other similar
propositions, formerly admitted without hesitation as axioms, were, even at the period of
which I speak, seen to be untenable. How absurd in these people, then, to persist in
putting faith in "axioms" as immutable bases of Truth! But even out of the mouths of
their soundest reasoners it is easy to demonstrate the futility, the impalpability of their
axioms in general. Who was the soundest of their logicians? Let me see! I will go and ask
Pundit and be back in a minute.... Ah, here we have it! Here is a book written nearly a
thousand years ago and lately translated from the Inglitch-which, by the way, appears to
have been the rudiment of the Amriccan. Pundit says it is decidedly the cleverest ancient
work on its topic. Logic. The author (who was much thought of in his day) was one
Miller, or Mill; and we find it recorded of him, as a point of some importance, that he had
a mill-horse called Bentham. But let us glance at the treatise!

Ah!-" Ability or inability to conceive," says Mr. Mill, very properly, "is in no case to be
received as a criterion of axiomatic truth." What modem in his senses would ever think of
disputing this truism? The only wonder with us must be, how it happened that Mr. Mill
conceived it necessary even to hint at any thing so obvious. So far good-but let us turn
over another paper. What have we here?- "Contradictories cannot both be true-that is,
cannot co-exist in nature." Here Mr. Mill means, for example, that a tree must be either a
tree or not a tree-that it cannot be at the same time a tree and not a tree. Very well; but I
ask him why. His reply is this-and never pretends to be any thing else than this-"Because

it is impossible to conceive that contradictories can both be true." But this is no answer at
all, by his own showing, for has he not just admitted as a truism that "ability or inability
to conceive is in no case to be received as a criterion of axiomatic truth."

Now I do not complain of these ancients so much because their logic is, by their own
showing, utterly baseless, worthless and fantastic altogether, as because of their pompous
and imbecile proscription of all other roads of Truth, of all other means for its attainment
than the two preposterous paths-the one of creeping and the one of crawling-to which
they have dared to confine the Soul that loves nothing so well as to soar.

By the by, my dear friend, do you not think it would have puzzled these ancient
dogmaticians to have determined by which of their two roads it was that the most
important and most sublime of all their truths was, in effect, attained? I mean the truth of
Gravitation. Newton owed it to Kepler. Kepler admitted that his three laws were guessed
at-these three laws of all laws which led the great Inglitch mathematician to his principle,
the basis of all physical principle-to go behind which we must enter the Kingdom of
Metaphysics. Kepler guessed-that is to say imagined. He was essentially a "theorist"-that
word now of so much sanctity, formerly an epithet of contempt. Would it not have
puzzled these old moles too, to have explained by which of the two "roads" a
cryptographist unriddles a cryptograph of more than usual secrecy, or by which of the
two roads ChampoUion directed mankind to those enduring and almost innumerable
truths which resulted from his deciphering the Hieroglyphics.

One word more on this topic and I will be done boring you. Is it not passing strange that,
with their eternal prattling about roads to Truth, these bigoted people missed what we
now so clearly perceive to be the great highway-that of Consistency? Does it not seem
singular how they should have failed to deduce from the works of God the vital fact that a
perfect consistency must be an absolute truth! How plain has been our progress since the
late announcement of this proposition! Investigation has been taken out of the hands of
the ground-moles and given, as a task, to the true and only true thinkers, the men of
ardent imagination. These latter theorize. Can you not fancy the shout of scorn with
which my words would be received by our progenitors were it possible for them to be
now looking over my shoulder? These men, I say, theorize; and their theories are simply
corrected, reduced, systematized-cleared, little by little, of their dross of inconsistency-
until, finally, a perfect consistency stands apparent which even the most stolid admit,
because it is a consistency, to be an absolute and an unquestionable truth.

April 4.-The new gas is doing wonders, in conjunction with the new improvement with
gutta percha. How very safe, commodious, manageable, and in every respect convenient
are our modern balloons! Here is an immense one approaching us at the rate of at least a
hundred and fifty miles an hour. It seems to be crowded with people- perhaps there are
three or four hundred passengers-and yet it soars to an elevation of nearly a mile, looking
down upon poor us with sovereign contempt. Still a hundred or even two hundred miles
an hour is slow travelling after all. Do you remember our flight on the railroad across the
Kanadaw continent ?-fully three hundred miles the hour-that was travelling. Nothing to
be seen though-nothing to be done but flirt, feast and dance in the magnificent saloons.

Do you remember what an odd sensation was experienced when, by chance, we caught a
glimpse of external objects while the cars were in full flight? Every thing seemed unique-
in one mass. For my part, I cannot say but that I preferred the travelling by the slow train
of a hundred miles the hour. Here we were permitted to have glass windows-even to have
them open-and something like a distinct view of the country was attainable.... Pundit
says that the route for the great Kanadaw railroad must have been in some measure
marked out about nine hundred years ago! In fact, he goes so far as to assert that actual
traces of a road are still discernible-traces referable to a period quite as remote as that
mentioned. The track, it appears was double only; ours, you know, has twelve paths; and
three or four new ones are in preparation. The ancient rails were very slight, and placed
so close together as to be, according to modem notions, quite frivolous, if not dangerous
in the extreme. The present width of track-fifty feet-is considered, indeed, scarcely
secure enough. For my part, I make no doubt that a track of some sort must have existed
in very remote times, as Pundit asserts; for nothing can be clearer, to my mind, than that,
at some period-not less than seven centuries ago, certainly-the Northern and Southern
Kanadaw continents were united; the Kanawdians, then, would have been driven, by
necessity, to a great railroad across the continent.

April 5. -I am almost devoured by ennui. Pundit is the only conversible person on board;
and he, poor soul! can speak of nothing but antiquities. He has been occupied all the day
in the attempt to convince me that the ancient Amriccans governed themselves !-did ever
anybody hear of such an absurdity?-that they existed in a sort of every-man-for-himself
confederacy, after the fashion of the "prairie dogs" that we read of in fable. He says that
they started with the queerest idea conceivable, viz: that all men are born free and equal-
this in the very teeth of the laws of gradation so visibly impressed upon all things both in
the moral and physical universe. Every man "voted," as they called it-that is to say
meddled with public affairs-until at length, it was discovered that what is everybody's
business is nobody's, and that the "Republic" (so the absurd thing was called) was
without a government at all. It is related, however, that the first circumstance which
disturbed, very particularly, the self-complacency of the philosophers who constructed
this "Republic," was the startling discovery that universal suffrage gave opportunity for
fraudulent schemes, by means of which any desired number of votes might at any time be
polled, without the possibility of prevention or even detection, by any party which should
be merely villainous enough not to be ashamed of the fraud. A little reflection upon this
discovery sufficed to render evident the consequences, which were that rascality must
predominate-in a word, that a republican government could never be any thing but a
rascally one. While the philosophers, however, were busied in blushing at their stupidity
in not having foreseen these inevitable evils, and intent upon the invention of new
theories, the matter was put to an abrupt issue by a fellow of the name of Mob, who took
every thing into his own hands and set up a despotism, in comparison with which those of
the fabulous Zeros and Hellofagabaluses were respectable and delectable. This Mob (a
foreigner, by-the-by), is said to have been the most odious of all men that ever
encumbered the earth. He was a giant in stature-insolent, rapacious, filthy, had the gall of
a bullock with the heart of a hyena and the brains of a peacock. He died, at length, by dint
of his own energies, which exhausted him. Nevertheless, he had his uses, as every thing
has, however vile, and taught mankind a lesson which to this day it is in no danger of

forgetting-never to run directly contrary to the natural analogies. As for Republicanism,
no analogy could be found for it upon the face of the earth-unless we except the case of
the "prairie dogs," an exception which seems to demonstrate, if anything, that democracy
is a very admirable form of govemment-for dogs.

April 6.-Last night had a fine view of Alpha Lyrae, whose disk, through our captain's
spy-glass, subtends an angle of half a degree, looking very much as our sun does to the
naked eye on a misty day. Alpha Lyrae, although so very much larger than our sun, by
the by, resembles him closely as regards its spots, its atmosphere, and in many other
particulars. It is only within the last century. Pundit tells me, that the binary relation
existing between these two orbs began even to be suspected. The evident motion of our
system in the heavens was (strange to say!) referred to an orbit about a prodigious star in
the centre of the galaxy. About this star, or at all events about a centre of gravity common
to all the globes of the Milky Way and supposed to be near Alcyone in the Pleiades,
every one of these globes was declared to be revolving, our own performing the circuit in
a period of 1 17,000,000 of years! We, with our present lights, our vast telescopic
improvements, and so forth, of course find it difficult to comprehend the ground of an
idea such as this. Its first propagator was one Mudler. He was led, we must presume, to
this wild hypothesis by mere analogy in the first instance; but, this being the case, he
should have at least adhered to analogy in its development. A great central orb was, in
fact, suggested; so far Mudler was consistent. This central orb, however, dynamically,
should have been greater than all its surrounding orbs taken together. The question might
then have been asked-"Why do we not see it?"- we, especially, who occupy the mid
region of the cluster-the very locality near which, at least, must be situated this
inconceivable central sun. The astronomer, perhaps, at this point, took refuge in the
suggestion of non-luminosity; and here analogy was suddenly let fall. But even admitting
the central orb non-luminous, how did he manage to explain its failure to be rendered
visible by the incalculable host of glorious suns glaring in all directions about it? No
doubt what he finally maintained was merely a centre of gravity common to all the
revolving orbs-but here again analogy must have been let fall. Our system revolves, it is
true, about a common centre of gravity, but it does this in connection with and in
consequence of a material sun whose mass more than counterbalances the rest of the
system. The mathematical circle is a curve composed of an infinity of straight lines; but
this idea of the circle-this idea of it which, in regard to all earthly geometry, we consider
as merely the mathematical, in contradistinction from the practical, idea-is, in sober fact,
the practical conception which alone we have any right to entertain in respect to those
Titanic circles with which we have to deal, at least in fancy, when we suppose our
system, with its fellows, revolving about a point in the centre of the galaxy. Let the most
vigorous of human imaginations but attempt to take a single step toward the
comprehension of a circuit so unutterable! I would scarcely be paradoxical to say that a
flash of lightning itself, travelling forever upon the circumference of this inconceivable
circle, would still forever be travelling in a straight line. That the path of our sun along
such a circumference- that the direction of our system in such an orbit-would, to any
human perception, deviate in the slightest degree from a straight line even in a million of
years, is a proposition not to be entertained; and yet these ancient astronomers were
absolutely cajoled, it appears, into believing that a decisive curvature had become

apparent during the brief period of their astronomical history-during the mere point-
during the utter nothingness of two or three thousand years! How incomprehensible, that
considerations such as this did not at once indicate to them the true state of affairs-that of
the binary revolution of our sun and Alpha Lyrae around a common centre of gravity!

April 7.-Continued last night our astronomical amusements. Had a fine view of the five
Neptunian asteroids, and watched with much interest the putting up of a huge impost on a
couple of lintels in the new temple at Daphnis in the moon. It was amusing to think that
creatures so diminutive as the lunarians, and bearing so little resemblance to humanity,
yet evinced a mechanical ingenuity so much superior to our own. One finds it difficult,
too, to conceive the vast masses which these people handle so easily, to be as light as our
own reason tells us they actually are.

April 8.-Eureka! Pundit is in his glory. A balloon from Kanadaw spoke us to-day and
threw on board several late papers; they contain some exceedingly curious information
relative to Kanawdian or rather Amriccan antiquities. You know, I presume, that laborers
have for some months been employed in preparing the ground for a new fountain at
Paradise, the Emperor's principal pleasure garden. Paradise, it appears, has been, literally
speaking, an island time out of mind- that is to say, its northern boundary was always (as
far back as any record extends) a rivulet, or rather a very narrow arm of the sea. This arm
was gradually widened until it attained its present breadth-a mile. The whole length of
the island is nine miles; the breadth varies materially. The entire area (so Pundit says)
was, about eight hundred years ago, densely packed with houses, some of them twenty
stories high; land (for some most unaccountable reason) being considered as especially
precious just in this vicinity. The disastrous earthquake, however, of the year 2050, so
totally uprooted and overwhelmed the town (for it was almost too large to be called a
village) that the most indefatigable of our antiquarians have never yet been able to obtain
from the site any sufficient data (in the shape of coins, medals or inscriptions) wherewith
to build up even the ghost of a theory concerning the manners, customs, &c., &c., &c., of
the aboriginal inhabitants. Nearly all that we have hitherto known of them is, that they
were a portion of the Knickerbocker tribe of savages infesting the continent at its first
discovery by Recorder Riker, a knight of the Golden Fleece. They were by no means
uncivilized, however, but cultivated various arts and even sciences after a fashion of their
own. It is related of them that they were acute in many respects, but were oddly afflicted
with monomania for building what, in the ancient Amriccan, was denominated
"churches"- a kind of pagoda instituted for the worship of two idols that went by the
names of Wealth and Fashion. In the end, it is said, the island became, nine tenths of it,
church. The women, too, it appears, were oddly deformed by a natural protuberance of
the region just below the small of the back-although, most unaccountably, this deformity
was looked upon altogether in the light of a beauty. One or two pictures of these singular
women have in fact, been miraculously preserved. They look very odd, very-like
something between a turkey-cock and a dromedary.

Well, these few details are nearly all that have descended to us respecting the ancient
Knickerbockers. It seems, however, that while digging in the centre of the emperors
garden, (which, you know, covers the whole island), some of the workmen unearthed a

cubical and evidently chiseled block of granite, weighing several hundred pounds. It was
in good preservation, having received, apparently, little injury from the convulsion which
entombed it. On one of its surfaces was a marble slab with (only think of it!) an
inscription- a legible inscription. Pundit is in ecstacies. Upon detaching the slab, a cavity
appeared, containing a leaden box filled with various coins, a long scroll of names,
several documents which appear to resemble newspapers, with other matters of intense
interest to the antiquarian! There can be no doubt that all these are genuine Amriccan
relics belonging to the tribe called Knickerbocker. The papers thrown on board our
balloon are filled with fac-similes of the coins, MSS., typography, &c., &c. I copy for
your amusement the Knickerbocker inscription on the marble slab:-

This Corner Stone of a Monument to

The Memory of

GEORGE WASHINGTON

Was Laid With Appropriate Ceremonies

on the

19th Day of October, 1847

The Anniversary of the Surrender of

Lord ComwaUis

to General Washington at Yorktown

A. D. 1781

Under the Auspices of the

Washington Monument Association of

the City of New York

This, as I give it, is a verbatim translation done by Pundit himself, so there can be no
mistake about it. From the few words thus preserved, we glean several important items of
knowledge, not the least interesting of which is the fact that a thousand years ago actual
monuments had fAUan into disuse-as was all very proper-the people contenting
themselves, as we do now, with a mere indication of the design to erect a monument at
some future time; a corner-stone being cautiously laid by itself "solitary and alone"
(excuse me for quoting the great American poet Benton!), as a guarantee of the
magnanimous intention. We ascertain, too, very distinctly, from this admirable
inscription, the how as well as the where and the what, of the great surrender in question.
As to the where, it was Yorktown (wherever that was), and as to the what, it was General
Cornwallis (no doubt some wealthy dealer in com). He was surrendered. The inscription
commemorates the surrender of-what? why, "of Lord ComwaUis." The only question is
what could the savages wish him surrendered for. But when we remember that these
savages were undoubtedly cannibals, we are led to the conclusion that they intended him
for sausage. As to the how of the surrender, no language can be more explicit. Lord
Cornwallis was surrendered (for sausage) "under the auspices of the Washington
Monument Association"-no doubt a charitable institution for the depositing of comer-
stones.-But, Heaven bless me! what is the matter? Ah, I see-the balloon has collapsed,
and we shall have a tumble into the sea. I have, therefore, only time enough to add that,
from a hasty inspection of the fac-similes of newspapers, &c., &c., I find that the great

men in those days among the Amriccans, were one John, a smith, and one Zacchary, a
tailor.

Good-bye, until I see you again. Whether you ever get this letter or not is point of little
importance, as I write altogether for my own amusement. I shall cork the MS. up in a
bottle, however, and throw it into the sea.

Yours everlastingly, PUNDITA.

THE END

MESMERIC REVELATION

by Edgar Allan Poe

1844

WHATEVER doubt may still envelop the rationale of mesmerism, its startling facts are
now almost universally admitted. Of these latter, those who doubt, are your mere
doubters by profession-an unprofitable and disreputable tribe. There can be no more
absolute waste of time than the attempt to prove, at the present day, that man, by mere
exercise of will can so impress his fellow as to cast him into an abnormal condition, of
which the phenomena resemble very closely those of death, or at least resemble them
more nearly than they do the phenomena of any other normal condition within our
cognizance; that, while in this state, the person so impressed employs only with effort,
and then feebly, the external organs of sense, yet perceives, with keenly refined
perception, and through channels supposed unknown, matters beyond the scope of the
physical organs; that, moreover, his intellectual faculties are wonderfully exalted and
invigorated; that his sympathies with the person so impressing him are profound, and,
finally, that his susceptibility to the impression increases with its frequency, while in the
same proportion, the peculiar phenomena elicited are more extended and more
pronounced.

I say that these-which are the laws of mesmerism in its general features-it would be
supererogation to demonstrate; nor shall I inflict upon my readers so needless a
demonstration to-day. My purpose at present is a very different one indeed. I am
impelled, even in the teeth of a world of prejudice, to detail without comment, the very
remarkable substance of a colloquy occurring between a sleep-waker and myself.

I had long been in the habit of mesmerizing the person in question (Mr. Vankirk), and the
usual acute susceptibility and exaltation of the mesmeric perception had supervened. For
many months he had been laboring under confirmed phthisis, the more distressing effects
of which had been relieved by my manipulations; and on the night of Wednesday, the
fifteenth instant, I was summoned to his bedside.

The invalid was suffering with acute pain in the region of the heart, and breathed with
great difficulty, having all the ordinary symptoms of asthma. In spasms such as these he
had usually found relief from the application of mustard to the nervous centres, but to-
night this had been attempted in vain.

As I entered his room he greeted me with a cheerful smile, and although evidently in
much bodily pain, appeared to be, mentally, quite at ease.

"I sent for you to-night," he said, "not so much to administer to my bodily ailment, as to
satisfy me concerning certain physical impressions which, of late, have occasioned me

much anxiety and surprise. I need not tell you how skeptical I have hitherto been on the
topic of the soul's immortality. I cannot deny that there has always existed, as if in that
very soul which I have been denying, a vague half- sentiment of its own existence. But
this half- sentiment at no time amounted to conviction. With it my reason had nothing to
do. All attempts at logical inquiry resulted, indeed, in leaving me more sceptical than
before. I had been advised to study Cousin. I studied him in his own works as well as in
those of his European and American echoes. The 'Charles Elwood' of Mr. Brownson for
example, was placed in my hands. I read it with profound attention. Throughout I found it
logical but the portions which were not merely logical were unhappily the initial
arguments of the disbelieving hero of the book. In his summing up it seemed evident to
me that the reasoner had not even succeeded in convincing himself. His end had plainly
forgotten his beginning, like the government of Trinculo. In short, I was not long in
perceiving that if man is to be intellectually convinced of his own immortality, he will
never be so convinced by the mere abstractions which have been so long the fashion of
the moralists of England, of France, and of Germany. Abstractions may amuse and
exercise, but take no hold on the mind. Here upon earth, at least, philosophy, I am
persuaded, will always in vain call upon us to look upon qualities as things. The will may
assent-the soul-the intellect, never.

"I repeat, then, that I only half felt, and never intellectually believed. But latterly there
has been a certain deepening of the feeling, until it has come so nearly to resemble the
acquiesence of reason, that I find it difficult to distinguish the two. I am enabled, too,
plainly to trace this effect to the mesmeric influence. I cannot better explain my meaning
than by the hypothesis that the mesmeric exaltation enables me to perceive a train of
ratiocination which, in my abnormal existence, convinces, but which, in full accordance
with the mesmeric phenomena, does not extend, except through its effect, into my normal
condition. In sleep-waking, the reasoning and its conclusion-the cause and its effect-are
present together. In my natural state, the cause vanishes, the effect only, and perhaps only
partially, remains.

"These considerations have led me to think that some good results might ensue from a
series of well-directed questions propounded to me while mesmerized. You have often
observed the profound self-cognizance evinced by the sleep-waker-the extensive
knowledge he displays upon all points relating to the mesmeric condition itself, and from
this self-cognizance may be deduced hints for the proper conduct of a catechism."

I consented of course to make this experiment. A few passes threw Mr. Vankirk into the
mesmeric sleep. His breathing became immediately more easy, and he seemed to suffer
no physical uneasiness. The following conversation then ensued:-V. in the dialogue
representing the patient, and P. myself.

P. Are you asleep?

V. Yes-no; I would rather sleep more soundly.

P. [After a few more passes.] Do you sleep now?

V. Yes.

P. How do you think your present illness will result?

V. [After a long hesitation and speaking as if with effort.] I must die.

P. Does the idea of death afflict you?

V. [Very quickly.] No-no!

P. Are you pleased with the prospect?

V. If I were awake I should like to die, but now it is no matter. The mesmeric condition is
so near death as to content me.

P. I wish you would explain yourself, Mr. Vankirk.

V. I am willing to do so, but it requires more effort than I feel able to make. You do not
question me properly.

P. What then shall I ask?

V. You must begin at the beginning.

P. The beginning! But where is the beginning?

V. You know that the beginning is GOD. [This was said in a low, fluctuating tone, and
with every sign of the most profound veneration.]

P. What, then, is God?

V. [Hesitating for many minutes.] I cannot tell.

P. Is not God spirit?

V. While I was awake I knew what you meant by "spirit," but now it seems only a word-
such, for instance, as truth, beauty-a quality, I mean.

P. Is not God immaterial?

V. There is no immateriality-it is a mere word. That which is not matter, is not at all-
unless qualities are things.

P. Is God, then, material?

V. No. [This reply startled me very much.]

p. What, then, is he?

V. [After a long pause, and mutteringly.] I see-but it is a thing difficult to tell. [Another
long pause.] He is not spirit, for he exists. Nor is he matter, as you understand it. But
there are gradations of matter of which man knows nothing; the grosser impelling the
finer, the finer pervading the grosser. The atmosphere, for example, impels the electric
principle, while the electric principle permeates the atmosphere. These gradations of
matter increase in rarity or fineness until we arrive at a matter unparticled-without
particles-indivisible-one, and here the law of impulsion and permeation is modified. The
ultimate or unparticled matter not only permeates all things, but impels all things; and
thus is all things within itself. This matter is God. What men attempt to embody in the
word "thought," is this matter in motion.

P. The metaphysicians maintain that all action is reducible to motion and thinking, and
that the latter is the origin of the former.

V. Yes; and I now see the confusion of idea. Motion is the action of mind, not of
thinking. The unparticled matter, or God, in quiescence is (as nearly as we can conceive
it) what men call mind. And the power of self-movement (equivalent in effect to human
volition) is, in the unparticled matter, the result of its unity and omniprevalence; how, I
know not, and now clearly see that I shall never know. But the unparticled matter, set in
motion by a law or quality existing within itself, is thinking.

P. Can you give me no more precise idea of what you term the unparticled matter?

V. The matters of which man is cognizant escape the senses in gradation. We have, for
example, a metal, a piece of wood, a drop of water, the atmosphere, a gas, caloric,
electricity, the luminiferous ether. Now, we call all these things matter, and embrace all
matter in one general definition; but in spite of this, there can be no two ideas more
essentially distinct than that which we attach to a metal, and that which we attach to the
luminiferous ether. When we reach the latter, we feel an almost irresistible inclination to
class it with spirit, or with nihilty. The only consideration which restrains us is our
conception of its atomic constitution; and here, even, we have to seek aid from our notion
of an atom, as something possessing in infinite minuteness, solidity, palpability, weight.
Destroy the idea of the atomic constitution and we should no longer be able to regard the
ether as an entity, or, at least, as matter. For want of a better word we might term it spirit.
Take, now, a step beyond the luminiferous ether-conceive a matter as much more rare
than the ether, as this ether is more rare than the metal, and we arrive at once (in spite of
all the school dogmas) at a unique mass- an unparticled matter. For although we may
admit infinite littleness in the atoms themselves, the infinitude of littleness in the spaces
between them is an absurdity. There will be a point-there will be a degree of rarity at
which, if the atoms are sufficiently numerous, the interspaces must vanish, and the mass
absolutely coalesce. But the consideration of the atomic constitution being now taken
away, the nature of the mass inevitably glides into what we conceive of spirit. It is clear,
however, that it is as fully matter as before. The truth is, it is impossible to conceive spirit
since it is impossible to imagine what is not. When we flatter ourselves that we have

formed its conception, we have merely deceived our understanding by the consideration
of infinitely rarefied matter.

P. There seems to me an insurmountable objection to the idea of absolute coalescence;-
and that is the very slight resistance experienced by the heavenly bodies in their
revolutions through space- a resistance now ascertained, it is true, to exist in some
degree, but which is, nevertheless, so slight as to have been quite overlooked by the
sagacity even of Newton. We know that the resistance of bodies is, chiefly, in proportion
to their density. Absolute coalescence is absolute density. Where there are no interspaces,
there can be no yielding. An ether, absolutely dense, would put an infinitely more
effectual stop to the progress of a star than would an ether of adamant or of iron.

V. Your objection is answered with an ease which is nearly in the ratio of its apparent
unanswerability.-As regards the progress of the star, it can make no difference whether
the star passes through the ether or the ether through it. There is no astronomical error
more unaccountable than that which reconciles the known retardation of the comets with
the idea of their passage through an ether, for, however rare this ether be supposed, it
would put a stop to all sidereal revolution in a very far briefer period than has been
admitted by those astronomers who have endeavored to slur over a point which they
found it impossible to comprehend. The retardation actually experienced is, on the other
hand, about that which might be expected from the friction of the ether in the
instantaneous passage through the orb. In the one case, the retarding force is momentary
and complete within itself-in the other it is endlessly accumulative.

P. But in all this-in this identification of mere matter with God-is there nothing of
irreverence? [I was forced to repeat this question before the sleep-waker fully
comprehended my meaning.]

V. Can you say why matter should be less reverenced than mind? But you forget that the
matter of which "mind" or "spirit" of the schools, so far as regards its high capacities, and
is, moreover, the "matter" of these schools at the same time. God, with all the powers
attributed to spirit, is but the perfection of matter.

P. You assert, then, that the unparticled matter, in motion, is thought.

V. In general, this motion is the universal thought of the universal mind. This thought
creates. All created things are but the thoughts of God.

P. You say, "in general."

V. Yes. The universal mind is God. For new individualities, matter is necessary.

P. But you now speak of "mind" and "matter" as do the metaphysicians.

V. Yes-to avoid confusion. When I say "mind," I mean the unparticled or ultimate
matter, by "matter," I intend all else.

p. You were saying that "for new individualities matter is necessary."

V. Yes; for mind, existing unincorporate, is merely God. To create individual, thinking
beings, it was necessary to incarnate portions of the divine mind. Thus man is
individualized. Divested of corporate investiture, he were God. Now the particular
motion of the incarnated portions of the unparticled matter is the thought of man; as the
motion of the whole is that of God.

P. You say that divested of the body man will be God?

V. [After much hesitation.] I could not have said this; it is an absurdity.

P. [Referring to my notes.] You did say that "divested of corporate investiture man were
God."

V. And this is true. Man thus divested would be God-would be unindividualized. But he
can never be thus divested-at least never will be-else we must imagine an action of God
returning upon itself-a purposeless and futile action. Man is a creature. Creatures are
thoughts of God. It is the nature of thought to be irrevocable.

P. I do not comprehend. You say that man will never put off the body?

V. I say that he will never be bodiless.

P. Explain.

V. There are two bodies-the rudimental and the complete, corresponding with the two
conditions of the worm and the butterfly. What we call "death," is but the painful
metamorphosis. Our present incarnation is progressive, preparatory, temporary. Our
future is perfected, ultimate, immortal. The ultimate life is the full design.

P. But of the worm's metamorphosis we are palpably cognizant.

V. We, certainly-but not the worm. The matter of which our rudimental body is
composed, is within the ken of the organs of that body; or, more distinctly, our
rudimental organs are adapted to the matter of which is formed the rudimental body, but
not to that of which the ultimate is composed. The ultimate body thus escapes our
rudimental senses, and we perceive only the shell which falls, in decaying, from the inner
form, not that inner form itself; but this inner form as well as the shell, is appreciable by
those who have already acquired the ultimate life.

P. You have often said that the mesmeric state very nearly resembles death. How is this?

V. When I say that it resembles death, I mean that it resembles the ultimate life; for when
I am entranced the senses of my rudimental life are in abeyance and I perceive external

things directly, without organs, through a medium which I shall employ in the ultimate,
unorganized life.

P. Unorganized?

V. Yes; organs are contrivances by which the individual is brought into sensible relation
with particular classes and forms of matter, to the exclusion of other classes and forms.
The organs of man are adapted to his rudimental condition, and to that only; his ultimate
condition, being unorganized, is of unlimited comprehension in all points but one-the
nature of the volition of God-that is to say, the motion of the unparticled matter. You
may have a distinct idea of the ultimate body by conceiving it to be entire brain. This it is
not, but a conception of this nature will bring you near a comprehension of what it is. A
luminous body imparts vibration to the luminiferous ether. The vibrations generate
similar ones within the retina; these again communicate similar ones to the optic nerve.
The nerve conveys similar ones to the brain; the brain, also, similar ones to the
unparticled matter which permeates it. The motion of this latter is thought, of which
perception is the first undulation. This is the mode by which the mind of the rudimental
life communicates with the external world; and this external world is, to the rudimental
life, limited, through the idiosyncrasy of its organs. But in the ultimate, unorganized life,
the external world reaches the whole body, (which is of a substance having affinity to
brain, as I have said,) with no other intervention than that of an infinitely rarer ether than
even the luminiferous; and to this ether-in unison with it-the whole body vibrates, setting
in motion the unparticled matter which permeates it. It is to the absence of idiosyncratic
organs, therefore, that we must attribute the nearly unlimited perception of the ultimate
life. To rudimental beings, organs are the cages necessary to confine them until fledged.

P. You speak of rudimental "beings." Are there other rudimental thinking beings than
man?

V. The multitudinous conglomeration of rare matter into nebulae, planets, suns, and other
bodies which are neither nebulae, suns, nor planets, is for the sole purpose of supplying
pabulum for the idiosyncrasy of the organs of an infinity of rudimental beings. But for the
necessity of the rudimental, prior to the ultimate life, there would have been no bodies
such as these. Each of these is tenanted by a distinct variety of organic rudimental
thinking creatures. In all, the organs vary with the features of the place tenanted. At
death, or metamorphosis, these creatures, enjoying the ultimate life-immortality-and
cognizant of all secrets but the one, act all things and pass every where by mere volition:-
indwelling, not the stars, which to us seem the sole palpabilities, and for the
accommodation of which we blindly deem space created-but that space itself-that
infinity of which the truly substantive vastness swallows up the star- shadows-blotting
them out as non-entities from the perception of the angels.

P. You say that "but for the necessity of the rudimental life, there would have been no
stars." But why this necessity?

V. In the inorganic life, as well as in the inorganic matter generally, there is nothing to
impede the action of one simple unique law-the Divine Volition. With the view of
producing impediment, the organic life and matter (complex, substantial and law-
encumbered) were contrived.

P. But again-why need this impediment have been produced?

V. The result of law inviolate is perfection-right-negative happiness. The result of law
violate is imperfection, wrong, positive pain. Through the impediments afforded by the
number, complexity, and substantiality of the laws of organic life and matter, the
violation of law is rendered, to a certain extent, practicable. Thus pain, which is the
inorganic life is impossible, is possible in the organic.

P. But to what good end is pain thus rendered possible?

V. All things are either good or bad by comparison. A sufficient analysis will show that
pleasure in all cases, is but the contrast of pain. Positive pleasure is a mere idea. To be
happy at any one point we must have suffered at the same. Never to suffer would have
been never to have been blessed. But it has been shown that, in the inorganic life, pain
cannot be; thus the necessity for the organic. The pain of the primitive life of Earth, is the
sole basis of the bliss of the ultimate life in Heaven.

P. Still there is one of your expressions which I find it impossible to comprehend-"the
truly substantive vastness of infinity."

V. This, probably, is because you have no sufficiently generic conception of the term
"substance" itself. We must not regard it as a quality, but as a sentiment:-it is the
perception, in thinking beings, of the adaptation of matter to their organization. There are
many things on the Earth, which would be nihility to the inhabitants of Venus-many
things visible and tangible in Venus, which we could not be brought to appreciate as
existing at all. But to the inorganic beings-to the angels-the whole of the unparticled
matter is substance; that is to say, the whole of what we term "space," is to them the
truest substantiality;-the stars, meantime, through what we consider their materiality,
escaping the angelic sense, just in proportion as the unparticled matter, through what we
consider its immateriality, eludes the organic.

As the sleep-waker pronounced these latter words, in a feeble tone, I observed on his
countenance a singular expression, which somewhat alarmed me, and induced me to
awake him at once. No sooner had I done this than, with a bright smile irradiating all his
features, he fell back upon his pillow and expired. I noticed that in less than a minute
afterward his corpse had all the stern rigidity of stone. His brow was of the coldness of
ice. Thus, ordinarily, should it have appeared, only after long pressure from Azrael's
hand. Had the sleep-waker, indeed, during the latter portion of his discourse, been
addressing me from out the regions of the shadows?

THE END

METZENGERSTEIN

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

Pestis eram vivus-moriens tua mors ero.
Martin Luther

HORROR and fatality have been stalking abroad in all ages. Why then give a date to this
story I have to tell? Let it suffice to say, that at the period of which I speak, there existed,
in the interior of Hungary, a settled although hidden belief in the doctrines of the
Metempsychosis. Of the doctrines themselves-that is, of their falsity, or of their
probability-! say nothing. I assert, however, that much of our incredulity-as La Bruyere
says of all our unhappiness-'Vient de ne pouvoir etre seuls."

But there are some points in the Hungarian superstition which were fast verging to
absurdity. They-the Hungarians-differed very essentially from their Eastern authorities.
For example, "The soul," said the former-I give the words of an acute and intelligent
Parisian-"ne demeure qu'un seul fois dans un corps sensible: au reste-un cheval, un
chien, un homme meme, n'est que la ressemblance peu tangible de ces animaux."

The families of Berlifitzing and Metzengerstein had been at variance for centuries. Never
before were two houses so illustrious, mutually embittered by hostility so deadly. Indeed
at the era of this history, it was observed by an old crone of haggard and sinister
appearance, that "fire and water might sooner mingle than a Berlifitzing clasp the hand of
a Metzengerstein." The origin of this enmity seems to be found in the words of an ancient
prophecy-"A lofty name shall have a fearful fall when, as the rider over his horse, the
mortality of Metzengerstein shall triumph over the immortality of Berlifitzing."

To be sure the words themselves had little or no meaning. But more trivial causes have
given rise-and that no long while ago-to consequences equally eventful. Besides, the
estates, which were contiguous, had long exercised a rival influence in the affairs of a
busy government. Moreover, near neighbors are seldom friends; and the inhabitants of
the Castle Berlifitzing might look, from their lofty buttresses, into the very windows of
the palace Metzengerstein. Least of all had the more than feudal magnificence, thus
discovered, a tendency to allay the irritable feelings of the less ancient and less wealthy
Berlifitzing s. What wonder then, that the words, however silly, of that prediction, should
have succeeded in setting and keeping at variance two families already predisposed to
quarrel by every instigation of hereditary jealousy? The prophecy seemed to imply-if it
implied anything-a final triumph on the part of the already more powerful house; and
was of course remembered with the more bitter animosity by the weaker and less
influential.

Wilhelm, Count Berlifitzing, although loftily descended, was, at the epoch of this
narrative, an infirai and doting old man, remarkable for nothing but an inordinate and
inveterate personal antipathy to the family of his rival, and so passionate a love of horses,
and of hunting, that neither bodily infirmity, great age, nor mental incapacity, prevented
his daily participation in the dangers of the chase.

Frederick, Baron Metzengerstein, was, on the other hand, not yet Mary, followed him
quickly after. Frederick was, at that time, in his fifteenth year. In a city, fifteen years are
no long period-a child may be still a child in his third lustrum: but in a wildemess-in so
magnificent a wilderness as that old principality, fifteen years have a far deeper meaning.

The beautiful Lady Mary! How could she die?-and of consumption! But it is a path I
have prayed to follow. I would wish all I love to perish of that gentle disease. How
glorious-to depart in the heyday of the young blood-the heart of all passion-the
imagination all fire-amid the remembrances of happier days-in the fall of the year- and
so be buried up forever in the gorgeous autumnal leaves!

Thus died the Lady Mary. The young Baron Frederick stood without a living relative by
the coffin of his dead mother. He placed his hand upon her placid forehead. No shudder
came over his delicate frame-no sigh from his flinty bosom. Heartless, self-willed and
impetuous from his childhood, he had reached the age of which I speak through a career
of unfeeling, wanton, and reckless dissipation; and a barrier had long since arisen in the
channel of all holy thoughts and gentle recollections.

From some peculiar circumstances attending the administration of his father, the young
Baron, at the decease of the former, entered immediately upon his vast possessions. Such
estates were seldom held before by a nobleman of Hungary. His castles were without
number. The chief in point of splendor and extent was the "Chateau Metzengerstein." The
boundary line of his dominions was never clearly defined; but his principal park
embraced a circuit of fifty miles.

Upon the succession of a proprietor so young, with a character so well known, to a
fortune so unparalleled, little speculation was afloat in regard to his probable course of
conduct. And, indeed, for the space of three days, the behavior of the heir out-heroded
Herod, and fairly surpassed the expectations of his most enthusiastic admirers. Shameful
debaucheries-flagrant treacheries-unheard-of atrocities-gave his trembling vassals
quickly to understand that no servile submission on their part-no punctilios of conscience
on his own-were thenceforward to prove any security against the remorseless fangs of a
petty Caligula. On the night of the fourth day, the stables of the castle Berlifitzing were
discovered to be on fire; and the unanimous opinion of the neighborhood added the crime
of the incendiary to the already hideous list of the Baron's misdemeanors and enormities.

But during the tumult occasioned by this occurrence, the young nobleman himself sat
apparently buried in meditation, in a vast and desolate upper apartment of the family
palace of Metzengerstein. The rich although faded tapestry hangings which swung
gloomily upon the walls, represented the shadowy and majestic forms of a thousand

illustrious ancestors. Here, rich-ermined priests, and pontifical dignitaries, familiarly
seated with the autocrat and the sovereign, put a veto on the wishes of a temporal king, or
restrained with the fiat of papal supremacy the rebellious sceptre of the Arch-enemy.
There, the dark, tall statures of the Princes Metzengerstein-their muscular war-coursers
plunging over the carcasses of f Allan foes-startled the steadiest nerves with their
vigorous expression; and here, again, the voluptuous and swan-like figures of the dames
of days gone by, floated away in the mazes of an unreal dance to the strains of imaginary
melody.

But as the Baron listened, or affected to listen, to the gradually increasing uproar in the
stables of Berlifitzing-or perhaps pondered upon some more novel, some more decided
act of audacity-his eyes became unwittingly rivetted to the figure of an enormous, and
unnaturally colored horse, represented in the tapestry as belonging to a Saracen ancestor
of the family of his rival. The horse itself, in the foreground of the design, stood
motionless and statue-like-while farther back, its discomfited rider perished by the
dagger of a Metzengerstein.

On Frederick's lip arose a fiendish expression, as he became aware of the direction which
his glance had, without his consciousness, assumed. Yet he did not remove it. On the
contrary, he could by no means account for the overwhelming anxiety which appeared
falling like a pall upon his senses. It was with difficulty that he reconciled his dreamy and
incoherent feelings with the certainty of being awake. The longer he gazed the more
absorbing became the spell-the more impossible did it appear that he could ever
withdraw his glance from the fascination of that tapestry. But the tumult without
becoming suddenly more violent, with a compulsory exertion he diverted his attention to
the glare of ruddy light thrown full by the flaming stables upon the windows of the
apartment.

The action, however, was but momentary, his gaze returned mechanically to the wall. To
his extreme horror and astonishment, the head of the gigantic steed had, in the meantime,
altered its position. The neck of the animal, before arched, as if in compassion, over the
prostrate body of its lord, was now extended, at full length, in the direction of the Baron.
The eyes, before invisible, now wore an energetic and human expression, while they
gleamed with a fiery and unusual red; and the distended lips of the apparently enraged
horse left in full view his gigantic and disgusting teeth.

Stupefied with terror, the young nobleman tottered to the door. As he threw it open, a
flash of red light, streaming far into the chamber, flung his shadow with a clear outline
against the quivering tapestry, and he shuddered to perceive that shadow-as he staggered
awhile upon the threshold-assuming the exact position, and precisely filling up the
contour, of the relentless and triumphant murderer of the Saracen Berlifitzing.

To lighten the depression of his spirits, the Baron hurried into the open air. At the
principal gate of the palace he encountered three equerries. With much difficulty, and at
the imminent peril of their lives, they were restraining the convulsive plunges of a
gigantic and fiery-colored horse.

"Whose horse? Where did you get him?" demanded the youth, in a querulous and husky
tone of voice, as he became instantly aware that the mysterious steed in the tapestried
chamber was the very counterpart of the furious animal before his eyes.

"He is your own property, sire," replied one of the equerries, "at least he is claimed by no
other owner. We caught him flying, all smoking and foaming with rage, from the burning
stables of the Castle Berlifitzing. Supposing him to have belonged to the old Count's stud
of foreign horses, we led him back as an estray. But the grooms there disclaim any title to
the creature; which is strange, since he bears evident marks of having made a narrow
escape from the flames.

"The letters W. V. B. are also branded very distinctly on his forehead," interrupted a
second equerry, "I supposed them, of course, to be the initials of Wilhelm Von
Berlifitzing-but all at the castle are positive in denying any knowledge of the horse."

"Extremely singular!" said the young Baron, with a musing air, and apparently
unconscious of the meaning of his words. "He is, as you say, a remarkable horse-a
prodigious horse! although, as you very justly observe, of a suspicious and untractable
character, let him be mine, however," he added, after a pause, "perhaps a rider like
Frederick of Metzengerstein, may tame even the devil from the stables of Berlifitzing."

"You are mistaken, my lord; the horse, as I think we mentioned, is not from the stables of
the Count. If such had been the case, we know our duty better than to bring him into the
presence of a noble of your family."

"True!" observed the Baron, dryly, and at that instant a page of the bedchamber came
from the palace with a heightened color, and a precipitate step. He whispered into his
master's ear an account of the sudden disappearance of a small portion of the tapestry, in
an apartment which he designated; entering, at the same time, into particulars of a minute
and circumstantial character; but from the low tone of voice in which these latter were
communicated, nothing escaped to gratify the excited curiosity of the equerries.

The young Frederick, during the conference, seemed agitated by a variety of emotions.
He soon, however, recovered his composure, and an expression of determined
malignancy settled upon his countenance, as he gave peremptory orders that a certain
chamber should be immediately locked up, and the key placed in his own possession.

"Have you heard of the unhappy death of the old hunter Berlifitzing?" said one of his
vassals to the Baron, as, after the departure of the page, the huge steed which that
nobleman had adopted as his own, plunged and curvetted, with redoubled fury, down the
long avenue which extended from the chateau to the stables of Metzengerstein.

"No!" said the Baron, turning abruptly toward the speaker, "dead! say you?"

"It is indeed true, my lord; and, to a noble of your name, will be, I imagine, no
unwelcome intelligence."

A rapid smile shot over the countenance of the listener. "How died he?"

"In his rash exertions to rescue a favorite portion of his hunting stud, he has himself
perished miserably in the flames."

"I-n-d-e-e-d-!" ejaculated the Baron, as if slowly and deliberately impressed with the
truth of some exciting idea.

"Indeed;" repeated the vassal.

"Shocking!" said the youth, calmly, and turned quietly into the chateau.

From this date a marked alteration took place in the outward demeanor of the dissolute
young Baron Frederick Von Metzengerstein. Indeed, his behavior disappointed every
expectation, and proved little in accordance with the views of many a manoeuvering
mamma; while his habits and manner, still less than formerly, offered any thing congenial
with those of the neighboring aristocracy. He was never to be seen beyond the limits of
his own domain, and, in this wide and social world, was utterly companionless-unless,
indeed, that unnatural, impetuous, and fiery-colored horse, which he henceforward
continually bestrode, had any mysterious right to the title of his friend.

Numerous invitations on the part of the neighborhood for a long time, however,
periodically came in. "Will the Baron honor our festivals with his presence?" "Will the
Baron join us in a hunting of the boar? "-"Metzengerstein does not hunt;"
"Metzengerstein will not attend," were the haughty and laconic answers.

These repeated insults were not to be endured by an imperious nobility. Such invitations
became less cordial-less frequent-in time they ceased altogether. The widow of the
unfortunate Count Berlifitzing was even heard to express a hope "that the Baron might be
at home when he did not wish to be at home, since he disdained the company of his
equals; and ride when he did not wish to ride, since he preferred the society of a horse."
This to be sure was a very silly explosion of hereditary pique; and merely proved how
singularly unmeaning our sayings are apt to become, when we desire to be unusually
energetic.

The charitable, nevertheless, attributed the alteration in the conduct of the young
nobleman to the natural sorrow of a son for the untimely loss of his parents-forgetting,
however, his atrocious and reckless behavior during the short period immediately
succeeding that bereavement. Some there were, indeed, who suggested a too haughty idea
of self-consequence and dignity. Others again (among them may be mentioned the family
physician) did not hesitate in speaking of morbid melancholy, and hereditary ill-health;
while dark hints, of a more equivocal nature, were current among the multitude.

Indeed, the Baron's perverse attachment to his lately- acquired charger-an attachment
which seemed to attain new strength from every fresh example of the animal's ferocious
and demon-like propensities- at length became, in the eyes of all reasonable men, a

hideous and unnatural fervor. In the glare of noon-at the dead hour of night-in sickness
or in health-in calm or in tempest-the young Metzengerstein seemed rivetted to the
saddle of that colossal horse, whose intractable audacities so well accorded with his own
spirit.

There were circumstances, moreover, which coupled with late events, gave an unearthly
and portentous character to the mania of the rider, and to the capabilities of the steed. The
space passed over in a single leap had been accurately measured, and was found to
exceed, by an astounding difference, the wildest expectations of the most imaginative.
The Baron, besides, had no particular name for the animal, although all the rest in his
collection were distinguished by characteristic appellations. His stable, too, was
appointed at a distance from the rest; and with regard to grooming and other necessary
offices, none but the owner in person had ventured to officiate, or even to enter the
enclosure of that particular stall. It was also to be observed, that although the three
grooms, who had caught the steed as he fled from the conflagration at Berlifitzing, had
succeeded in arresting his course, by means of a chain-bridle and noose-yet no one of the
three could with any certainty affirm that he had, during that dangerous struggle, or at
any period thereafter, actually placed his hand upon the body of the beast. Instances of
peculiar intelligence in the demeanor of a noble and high-spirited horse are not to be
supposed capable of exciting unreasonable attention-e specially among men who, daily
trained to the labors of the chase, might appear well acquainted with the sagacity of a
horse-but there were certain circumstances which intruded themselves per force upon the
most skeptical and phlegmatic; and it is said there were times when the animal caused the
gaping crowd who stood around to recoil in horror from the deep and impressive meaning
of his terrible stamp-times when the young Metzengerstein turned pale and shrunk away
from the rapid and searching expression of his earnest and human-looking eye.

Among all the retinue of the Baron, however, none were found to doubt the ardor of that
extraordinary affection which existed on the part of the young nobleman for the fiery
qualities of his horse; at least, none but an insignificant and misshapen little page, whose
deformities were in everybody's way, and whose opinions were of the least possible
importance. He-if his ideas are worth mentioning at all-had the effrontery to assert that
his master never vaulted into the saddle without an unaccountable and almost
imperceptible shudder, and that, upon his return from every long-continued and habitual
ride, an expression of triumphant malignity distorted every muscle in his countenance.

One tempestuous night, Metzengerstein, awaking from a heavy slumber, descended like a
maniac from his chamber, and, mounting in hot haste, bounded away into the mazes of
the forest. An occurrence so common attracted no particular attention, but his return was
looked for with intense anxiety on the part of his domestics, when, after some hours'
absence, the stupendous and magnificent battlements of the Chateau Metzengerstein,
were discovered crackling and rocking to their very foundation, under the influence of a
dense and livid mass of ungovernable fire.

As the flames, when first seen, had already made so terrible a progress that all efforts to
save any portion of the building were evidently futile, the astonished neighborhood stood

idly around in silent and pathetic wonder. But a new and fearful object soon rivetted the
attention of the multitude, and proved how much more intense is the excitement wrought
in the feelings of a crowd by the contemplation of human agony, than that brought about
by the most appalling spectacles of inanimate matter.

Up the long avenue of aged oaks which led from the forest to the main entrance of the
Chateau Metzengerstein, a steed, bearing an unbonneted and disordered rider, was seen
leaping with an impetuosity which outstripped the very Demon of the Tempest, and
extorted from every stupefied beholder the ejaculation-"horrible."

The career of the horseman was indisputably, on his own part, uncontrollable. The agony
of his countenance, the convulsive struggle of his frame, gave evidence of superhuman
exertion: but no sound, save a solitary shriek, escaped from his lacerated lips, which were
bitten through and through in the intensity of terror. One instant, and the clattering of
hoofs resounded sharply and shrilly above the roaring of the flames and the shrieking of
the winds-another, and, clearing at a single plunge the gate- way and the moat, the steed
bounded far up the tottering staircases of the palace, and, with its rider, disappeared amid
the whirlwind of chaotic fire.

The fury of the tempest immediately died away, and a dead calm sullenly succeeded. A
white flame still enveloped the building like a shroud, and, streaming far away into the
quiet atmosphere, shot forth a glare of preternatural light; while a cloud of smoke settled
heavily over the battlements in the distinct colossal figure of-a horse.

THE END

MORELLA

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

Itself, by itself, solely, one everlasting, and single.
PLATO: SYMPOS.

WITH a feeling of deep yet most singular affection I regarded my friend Morella.
Thrown by accident into her society many years ago, my soul from our first meeting,
burned with fires it had never before known; but the fires were not of Eros, and bitter and
tormenting to my spirit was the gradual conviction that I could in no manner define their
unusual meaning or regulate their vague intensity. Yet we met; and fate bound us
together at the altar, and I never spoke of passion nor thought of love. She, however,
shunned society, and, attaching herself to me alone rendered me happy. It is a happiness
to wonder; it is a happiness to dream.

Morella's erudition was profound. As I hope to live, her talents were of no common
order-her powers of mind were gigantic. I felt this, and, in many matters, became her
pupil. I soon, however, found that, perhaps on account of her Presburg education, she
placed before me a number of those mystical writings which are usually considered the
mere dross of the early German literature. These, for what reason I could not imagine,
were her favourite and constant study-and that in process of time they became my own,
should be attributed to the simple but effectual influence of habit and example.

In all this, if I err not, my reason had little to do. My convictions, or I forget myself, were
in no manner acted upon by the ideal, nor was any tincture of the mysticism which I read
to be discovered, unless I am greatly mistaken, either in my deeds or in my thoughts.
Persuaded of this, I abandoned myself implicitly to the guidance of my wife, and entered
with an unflinching heart into the intricacies of her studies. And then-then, when poring
over forbidden pages, I felt a forbidden spirit enkindling within me- would Morella place
her cold hand upon my own, and rake up from the ashes of a dead philosophy some low,
singular words, whose strange meaning burned themselves in upon my memory. And
then, hour after hour, would I linger by her side, and dwell upon the music of her voice,
until at length its melody was tainted with terror, and there fell a shadow upon my soul,
and I grew pale, and shuddered inwardly at those too unearthly tones. And thus, joy
suddenly faded into horror, and the most beautiful became the most hideous, as Hinnon
became Ge-Henna.

It is unnecessary to state the exact character of those disquisitions which, growing out of
the volumes I have mentioned, formed, for so long a time, almost the sole conversation of
Morella and myself. By the learned in what might be termed theological morality they
will be readily conceived, and by the unlearned they would, at all events, be little

understood. The wild Pantheism of Fichte; the modified Paliggenedia of the
Pythagoreans; and, above all, the doctrines of Identity as urged by Schelling, were
generally the points of discussion presenting the most of beauty to the imaginative
Morella. That identity which is termed personal, Mr. Locke, I think, truly defines to
consist in the saneness of rational being. And since by person we understand an
intelligent essence having reason, and since there is a consciousness which always
accompanies thinking, it is this which makes us all to be that which we call ourselves,
thereby distinguishing us from other beings that think, and giving us our personal
identity. But the principium indivduationis, the notion of that identity which at death is or
is not lost for ever, was to me, at all times, a consideration of intense interest; not more
from the perplexing and exciting nature of its consequences, than from the marked and
agitated manner in which Morella mentioned them.

But, indeed, the time had now arrived when the mystery of my wife's manner oppressed
me as a spell. I could no longer bear the touch of her wan fingers, nor the low tone of her
musical language, nor the lustre of her melancholy eyes. And she knew all this, but did
not upbraid; she seemed conscious of my weakness or my folly, and, smiling, called it
fate. She seemed also conscious of a cause, to me unknown, for the gradual alienation of
my regard; but she gave me no hint or token of its nature. Yet was she woman, and pined
away daily. In time the crimson spot settled steadily upon the cheek, and the blue veins
upon the pale forehead became prominent; and one instant my nature melted into pity,
but in, next I met the glance of her meaning eyes, and then my soul sickened and became
giddy with the giddiness of one who gazes downward into some dreary and unfathomable
abyss.

Shall I then say that I longed with an earnest and consuming desire for the moment of
Morella's decease? I did; but the fragile spirit clung to its tenement of clay for many days,
for many weeks and irksome months, until my tortured nerves obtained the mastery over
my mind, and I grew furious through delay, and, with the heart of a fiend, cursed the days
and the hours and the bitter moments, which seemed to lengthen and lengthen as her
gentle life declined, like shadows in the dying of the day.

But one autumnal evening, when the winds lay still in heaven, Morella called me to her
bedside. There was a dim mist over all the earth, and a warm glow upon the waters, and
amid the rich October leaves of the forest, a rainbow from the firmament had surely
fAUan.

"It is a day of days," she said, as I approached; "a day of all days either to live or die. It is
a fair day for the sons of earth and life-ah, more fair for the daughters of heaven and
death!"

I kissed her forehead, and she continued:

"I am dying, yet shall I live."

"Morella!"

"The days have never been when thou couldst love me-but her whom in life thou didst
abhor, in death thou shalt adore."

"Morella!"

"I repeat I am dying. But within me is a pledge of that affection- ah, how little!-which
thou didst feel for me, Morella. And when my spirit departs shall the child live-thy child
and mine, Morella's. But thy days shall be days of sorrow-that sorrow which is the most
lasting of impressions, as the cypress is the most enduring of trees. For the hours of thy
happiness are over and joy is not gathered twice in a life, as the roses of Paestum twice in
a year. Thou shalt no longer, then, play the Teian with time, but, being ignorant of the
myrtle and the vine, thou shalt bear about with thee thy shroud on the earth, as do the
Moslemin at Mecca."

"Morella!" I cried, "Morella! how knowest thou this?" but she turned away her face upon
the pillow and a slight tremor coming over her limbs, she thus died, and I heard her voice
no more.

Yet, as she had foretold, her child, to which in dying she had given birth, which breathed
not until the mother breathed no more, her child, a daughter, lived. And she grew
strangely in stature and intellect, and was the perfect resemblance of her who had
departed, and I loved her with a love more fervent than I had believed it possible to feel
for any denizen of earth.

But, ere long the heaven of this pure affection became darkened, and gloom, and horror,
and grief swept over it in clouds. I said the child grew strangely in stature and
intelligence. Strange, indeed, was her rapid increase in bodily size, but terrible, oh!
terrible were the tumultuous thoughts which crowded upon me while watching the
development of her mental being. Could it be otherwise, when I daily discovered in the
conceptions of the child the adult powers and faculties of the woman? when the lessons
of experience fell from the lips of infancy? and when the wisdom or the passions of
maturity I found hourly gleaming from its full and speculative eye? When, I say, all this
beeame evident to my appalled senses, when I could no longer hide it from my soul, nor
throw it off from those perceptions which trembled to receive it, is it to be wondered at
that suspicions, of a nature fearful and exciting, crept in upon my spirit, or that my
thoughts fell back aghast upon the wild tales and thrilling theories of the entombed
Morella? I snatched from the scrutiny of the world a being whom destiny compelled me
to adore, and in the rigorous seclusion of my home, watched with an agonizing anxiety
over all which concerned the beloved.

And as years rolled away, and I gazed day after day upon her holy, and mild, and
eloquent face, and poured over her maturing form, day after day did I discover new
points of resemblance in the child to her mother, the melancholy and the dead. And
hourly grew darker these shadows of similitude, and more full, and more definite, and
more perplexing, and more hideously terrible in their aspect. For that her smile was like
her mother's I could bear; but then I shuddered at its too perfect identity, that her eyes

were like Morella's I could endure; but then they, too, often looked down into the depths
of my soul with Morella's own intense and bewildering meaning. And in the contour of
the high forehead, and in the ringlets of the silken hair, and in the wan fingers which
buried themselves therein, and in the sad musical tones of her speech, and above all-oh,
above all, in the phrases and expressions of the dead on the lips of the loved and the
living, I found food for consuming thought and horror, for a worm that would not die.

Thus passed away two lustra of her life, and as yet my daughter remained nameless upon
the earth. "My child," and "my love," were the designations usually prompted by a
father's affection, and the rigid seclusion of her days precluded all other intercourse.
Morella's name died with her at her death. Of the mother I had never spoken to the
daughter, it was impossible to speak. Indeed, during the brief period of her existence, the
latter had received no impressions from the outward world, save such as might have been
afforded by the narrow limits of her privacy. But at length the ceremony of baptism
presented to my mind, in its unnerved and agitated condition, a present deliverance from
the terrors of my destiny. And at the baptismal font I hesitated for a name. And many
titles of the wise and beautiful, of old and modern times, of my own and foreign lands,
came thronging to my lips, with many, many fair titles of the gentle, and the happy, and
the good. What prompted me then to disturb the memory of the buried dead? What
demon urged me to breathe that sound, which in its very recollection was wont to make
ebb the purple blood in torrents from the temples to the heart? What fiend spoke from the
recesses of my soul, when amid those dim aisles, and in the silence of the night, I
whispered within the ears of the holy man the syllables-Morella? What more than fiend
convulsed the features of my child, and overspread them with hues of death, as starting at
that scarcely audible sound, she turned her glassy eyes from the earth to heaven, and
falling prostrate on the black slabs of our ancestral vault, responded-"! am here!"

Distinct, coldly, calmly distinct, fell those few simple sounds within my ear, and thence
like molten lead rolled hissingly into my brain. Years-years may pass away, but the
memory of that epoch never. Nor was I indeed ignorant of the flowers and the vine-but
the hemlock and the cypress overshadowed me night and day. And I kept no reckoning of
time or place, and the stars of my fate faded from heaven, and therefore the earth grew
dark, and its figures passed by me like flitting shadows, and among them all I beheld
only-Morella. The winds of the firmament breathed but one sound within my ears, and
the ripples upon the sea murmured evermore-Morella. But she died; and with my own
hands I bore her to the tomb; and I laughed with a long and bitter laugh as I found no
traces of the first in the channel where I laid the second.-Morella.

THE END

MORNING ON THE WISSAHICCON

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

THE NATURAL scenery of America has often been contrasted, in its general features as
well as in detail, with the landscape of the Old World-more especially of Europe-and not
deeper has been the enthusiasm, than wide the dissension, of the supporters of each
region. The discussion is one not likely to be soon closed, for, although much has been
said on both sides, a word more yet remains to be said.

The most conspicuous of the British tourists who have attempted a comparison, seem to
regard our northern and eastern seaboard, comparatively speaking, as all of America, at
least, as all of the United States, worthy consideration. They say little, because they have
seen less, of the gorgeous interior scenery of some of our western and southern districts-
of the vast valley of Louisiana, for example,-a realization of the wildest dreams of
paradise. For the most part, these travellers content themselves with a hasty inspection of
the natural lions of the land-the Hudson, Niagara, the Catskills, Harper's Ferry, the lakes
of New York, the Ohio, the prairies, and the Mississippi. These, indeed, are objects well
worthy the contemplation even of him who has just clambered by the castellated Rhine,
or roamed

By the blue rushing of the arrowy Rhone;

but these are not all of which we can boast; and, indeed, I will be so hardy as to assert
that there are innumerable quiet, obscure, and scarcely explored nooks, within the limits
of the United States, that, by the true artist, or cultivated lover of the grand and beautiful
amid the works of God, will be preferred to each and to all of the chronicled and better
accredited scenes to which I have referred.

In fact, the real Edens of the land lie far away from the track of our own most deliberate
tourists-how very far, then, beyond the reach of the foreigner, who, having made with his
publisher at home arrangements for a certain amount of comment upon America, to be
furnished in a stipulated period, can hope to fulfil his agreement in no other manner than
by steaming it, memorandum-book in hand, through only the most beaten thoroughfares
of the country!

I mentioned, just above, the valley of Louisiana. Of all extensive areas of natural
loveliness, this is perhaps the most lovely. No fiction has approached it. The most
gorgeous imagination might derive suggestions from its exuberant beauty. And beauty is,
indeed, its sole character. It has little, or rather nothing, of the sublime. Gentle
undulations of soil, interwreathed with fantastic crystallic streams, banked by flowery
slopes, and backed by a forest vegetation, gigantic, glossy, multicoloured, sparkling with

gay birds and burthened with perfume-these features make up, in the vale of Louisiana,
the most voluptuous natural scenery upon earth.

But, even of this delicious region, the sweeter portions are reached only by the bypaths.
Indeed, in America generally, the traveller who would behold the finest landscapes, must
seek them not by the railroad, nor by the steamboat, not by the stage-coach, nor in his
private carriage, not yet even on horseback-but on foot. He must walk, he must leap
ravines, he must risk his neck among precipices, or he must leave unseen the truest, the
richest, and most unspeakable glories of the land.

Now in the greater portion of Europe no such necessity exists. In England it exists not at
all. The merest dandy of a tourist may there visit every nook worth visiting without
detriment to his silk stockings; so thoroughly known are all points of interest, and so
well-arranged are the means of attaining them. This consideration has never been allowed
its due weight, in comparisons of the natural scenery of the Old and New Worlds. The
entire loveliness of the former is collated with only the most noted, and with by no means
the most eminent items in the general loveliness of the latter.

River scenery has, unquestionably, within itself, all the main elements of beauty, and,
time out of mind, has been the favourite theme of the poet. But much of this fame is
attributable to the predominance of travel in fluvial over that in mountainous districts. In
the same way, large rivers, because usually highways, have, in all countries, absorbed an
undue share of admiration. They are more observed, and, consequently, made more the
subject of discourse, than less important, but often more interesting streams.

A singular exemplification of my remarks upon this head may be found in the
Wissahiccon, a brook, (for more it can scarcely be called,) which empties itself into the
Schuylkill, about six miles westward of Philadelphia. Now the Wissahiccon is of so
remarkable a loveliness that, were it flowing in England, it would be the theme of every
bard, and the common topic of every tongue, if, indeed, its banks were not parcelled off
in lots, at an exorbitant price, as building-sites for the villas of the opulent. Yet it is only
within a very few years that any one has more than heard of the Wissahiccon, while the
broader and more navigable water into which it flows, has been long celebrated as one of
the finest specimens of American river scenery. The Schuylkill, whose beauties have
been much exaggerated, and whose banks, at least in the neighborhood of Philadelphia,
are marshy like those of the Delaware, is not at all comparable, as an object of
picturesque interest, with the more humble and less notorious rivulet of which we speak.

It was not until Fanny Kemble, in her droll book about the United States, pointed out to
the Philadelphians the rare loveliness of a stream which lay at their own doors, that this
loveliness was more than suspected by a few adventurous pedestrians of the vicinity. But,
the "Journal" having opened all eyes, the Wissahiccon, to a certain extent, rolled at once
into notoriety. I say "to a certain extent," for, in fact, the true beauty of the stream lies far
above the route of the Philadelphian picturesque-hunters, who rarely proceed farther than
a mile or two above the mouth of the rivulet-for the very excellent reason that here the
carriage-road stops. I would advise the adventurer who would behold its finest points to

take the Ridge Road, ranning westwardly from the city, and, having reached the second
lane beyond the sixth mile-stone, to follow this lane to its termination. He will thus strike
the Wissahiccon, at one of its best reaches, and, in a skiff, or by clambering along its
banks, he can go up or down the stream, as best suits his fancy, and in either direction
will meet his reward.

I have already said, or should have said, that the brook is narrow. Its banks are generally,
indeed almost universally, precipitous, and consist of high hills, clothed with noble
shrubbery near the water, and crowned at a greater elevation, with some of the most
magnificent forest trees of America, among which stands conspicuous the liriodendron
tulipiferum. The immediate shores, however, are of granite, sharply defined or moss-
covered, against which the pellucid water lolls in its gentle flow, as the blue waves of the
Mediterranean upon the steps of her palaces of marble. Occasionally in front of the cliffs,
extends a small definite plateau of richly herbaged land, affording the most picturesque
position for a cottage and garden which the richest imagination could conceive. The
windings of the stream are many and abrupt, as is usually the case where banks are
precipitous, and thus the impression conveyed to the voyager's eye, as he proceeds, is that
of an endless succession of infinitely varied small lakes, or, more properly speaking,
tarns. The Wissahiccon, however, should be visited, not like "fair Melrose," by
moonlight, or even in cloudy weather, but amid the brightest glare of a noonday sun; for
the narrowness of the gorge through which it flows, the height of the hills on either hand,
and the density of the foliage, conspire to produce a gloominess, if not an absolute
dreariness of effect, which, unless relieved by a bright general light, detracts from the
mere beauty of the scene.

Not long ago I visited the stream by the route described, and spent the better part of a
sultry day in floating in a skiff upon its bosom. The heat gradually overcame me, and,
resigning myself to the influence of the scenes and of the weather, and of the gentle
moving current, I sank into a half slumber, during which my imagination revelled in
visions of the Wissahiccon of ancient days-of the "good old days" when the Demon of
the Engine was not, when picnics were undreamed of, when "water privileges" were
neither bought nor sold, and when the red man trod alone, with the elk, upon the ridges
that now towered above. And, while gradually these conceits took possession of my
mind, the lazy brook had borne me, inch by inch, around one promontory and within full
view of another that bounded the prospect at the distance of forty or fifty yards. It was a
steep rocky cliff, abutting far into the stream, and presenting much more of the Salvator
character than any portion of the shore hitherto passed. What I saw upon this cliff,
although surely an object of very extraordinary nature, the place and season considered,
at first neither startled nor amazed me-so thoroughly and appropriately did it chime in
with the half- slumberous fancies that enwrapped me. I saw, or dreamed that I saw,
standing upon the extreme verge of the precipice, with neck outstretched, with ears erect,
and the whole attitude indicative of profound and melancholy inquisitiveness, one of the
oldest and boldest of those identical elks which had been coupled with the red men of my
vision.

I say that, for a few moments, this apparition neither startled nor amazed me. During this
interval my whole soul was bound up in intense sympathy alone. I fancied the elk
repining, not less than wondering, at the manifest alterations for the worse, wrought upon
the brook and its vicinage, even within the last few years, by the stem hand of the
utilitarian. But a slight movement of the animal's head at once dispelled the dreaminess
which invested me, and aroused me to a full sense of novelty of the adventure. I arose
upon one knee within the skiff, and, while I hesitated whether to stop my career, or let
myself float nearer to the object of my wonder, I heard the words "hist!" "hist!"
ejaculated quickly but cautiously, from the shrubbery overhead. In an instant afterwards,
a negro emerged from the thicket, putting aside the bushes with care, and treading
stealthily. He bore in one hand a quantity of salt, and, holding it towards the elk, gently
yet steadily approached. The noble animal, although a little fluttered, made no attempt at
escape. The negro advanced; offered the salt; and spoke a few words of encouragement
or conciliation. Presently, the elk bowed and stamped, and then lay quietly down and was
secured with a halter.

Thus ended my romance of the elk. It was a pet of great age and very domestic habits,
and belonged to an English family occupying a villa in the vicinity.

THE END

MYSTIFICATION

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

Slid, if these be your "passados" and "montantes, " I'll have none o' them.
NED KNOWLES.

THE BARON RITZNER VON JUNG was a noble Hungarian family, every member of
which (at least as far back into antiquity as any certain records extend) was more or less
remarkable for talent of some description-the majority for that species of grotesquerie in
conception of which Tieck, a scion of the house, has given a vivid, although by no means
the most vivid exemplifications. My acquaintance with Ritzner commenced at the
magnificent Chateau Jung, into which a train of droll adventures, not to be made public,
threw a place in his regard, and here, with somewhat more difficulty, a partial insight into
his mental conformation. In later days this insight grew more clear, as the intimacy which
had at first permitted it became more close; and when, after three years of the character of
the Baron Ritzner von Jung.

I remember the buzz of curiosity which his advent excited within the college precincts on
the night of the twenty- fifth of June. I remember still more distinctly, that while he was
pronounced by all parties at first sight "the most remarkable man in the world," no person
made any attempt at accounting for his opinion. That he was unique appeared so
undeniable, that it was deemed impertinent to inquire wherein the uniquity consisted.
But, letting this matter pass for the present, I will merely observe that, from the first
moment of his setting foot within the limits of the university, he began to exercise over
the habits, manners, persons, purses, and propensities of the whole community which
surrounded him, an influence the most extensive and despotic, yet at the same time the
most indefinite and altogether unaccountable. Thus the brief period of his residence at the
university forms an era in its annals, and is characterized by all classes of people
appertaining to it or its dependencies as "that very extraordinary epoch forming the
domination of the Baron Ritzner von Jung." then of no particular age, by which I mean
that it was impossible to form a guess respecting his age by any data personally afforded.
He might have been fifteen or fifty, and was twenty-one years and seven months. He was
by no means a handsome man-perhaps the reverse. The contour of his face was
somewhat angular and harsh. His forehead was lofty and very fair; his nose a snub; his
eyes large, heavy, glassy, and meaningless. About the mouth there was more to be
observed. The lips were gently protruded, and rested the one upon the other, after such a
fashion that it is impossible to conceive any, even the most complex, combination of
human features, conveying so entirely, and so singly, the idea of unmitigated gravity,
solemnity and repose.

It will be perceived, no doubt, from what I have already said, that the Baron was one of
those human anomalies now and then to be found, who make the science of mystification
the study and the business of their lives. For this science a peculiar turn of mind gave him
instinctively the cue, while his physical appearance afforded him unusual facilities for
carrying his prospects into effect. I quaintly termed the domination of the Baron Ritzner
von Jung, ever rightly entered into the mystery which overshadowed his character. I truly
think that no person at the university, with the exception of myself, ever suspected him to
be capable of a joke, verbal or practical:-the old bull-dog at the garden-gate would
sooner have been accused,-the ghost of Heraclitus,-or the wig of the Emeritus Professor
of Theology. This, too, when it was evident that the most egregious and unpardonable of
all conceivable tricks, whimsicalities and buffooneries were brought about, if not directly
by him, at least plainly through his intermediate agency or connivance. The beauty, if I
may so call it, of his art mystifique, lay in that consummate ability (resulting from an
almost intuitive knowledge of human nature, and a most wonderful self-possession,) by
means of which he never failed to make it appear that the drolleries he was occupied in
bringing to a point, arose partly in spite, and partly in consequence of the laudable efforts
he was making for their prevention, and for the preservation of the good order and dignity
of Alma Mater. The deep, the poignant, the overwhelming mortification, which upon
each such failure of his praise worthy endeavors, would suffuse every lineament of his
countenance, left not the slightest room for doubt of his sincerity in the bosoms of even
his most skeptical companions. The adroitness, too, was no less worthy of observation by
which he contrived to shift the sense of the grotesque from the creator to the created-
from his own person to the absurdities to which he had given rise. In no instance before
that of which I speak, have I known the habitual mystific escape the natural consequence
of his manoevres-an attachment of the ludicrous to his own character and person.
Continually enveloped in an atmosphere of whim, my friend appeared to live only for the
severities of society; and not even his own household have for a moment associated other
ideas than those of the rigid and august with the memory of the Baron Ritzner von Jung,
the demon of the dolce far niente lay like an incubus upon the university. Nothing, at
least, was done beyond eating and drinking and making merry. The apartments of the
students were converted into so many pot-houses, and there was no pot-house of them all
more famous or more frequented than that of the Baron. Our carousals here were many,
and boisterous, and long, and never unfruitful of events.

Upon one occasion we had protracted our sitting until nearly daybreak, and an unusual
quantity of wine had been drunk. The company consisted of seven or eight individuals
besides the Baron and myself. Most of these were young men of wealth, of high
connection, of great family pride, and all alive with an exaggerated sense of honor. They
abounded in the most ultra German opinions respecting the duello. To these Quixotic
notions some recent Parisian publications, backed by three or four desperate and fatal
conversation, during the greater part of the night, had run wild upon the all-engrossing
topic of the times. The Baron, who had been unusually silent and abstracted in the earlier
portion of the evening, at length seemed to be aroused from his apathy, took a leading
part in the discourse, and dwelt upon the benefits, and more especially upon the beauties,
of the received code of etiquette in passages of arms with an ardor, an eloquence, an
impressiveness, and an affectionateness of manner, which elicited the warmest

enthusiasm from his hearers in general, and absolutely staggered even myself, who well
knew him to be at heart a ridiculer of those very points for which he contended, and
especially to hold the entire fanfaronade of duelling etiquette in the sovereign contempt
which it deserves.

Looking around me during a pause in the Baron's discourse (of which my readers may
gather some faint idea when I say that it bore resemblance to the fervid, chanting,
monotonous, yet musical sermonic manner of Coleridge), I perceived symptoms of even
more than the general interest in the countenance of one of the party. This gentleman,
whom I shall call Hermann, was an original in every respect-except, perhaps, in the
single particular that he was a very great fool. He contrived to bear, however, among a
particular set at the university, a reputation for deep metaphysical thinking, and, I believe,
for some logical talent. As a duellist he had acquired who had fAUan at his hands; but
they were many. He was a man of courage undoubtedly. But it was upon his minute
acquaintance with the etiquette of the duello, and the nicety of his sense of honor, that he
most especially prided himself. These things were a hobby which he rode to the death. To
Ritzner, ever upon the lookout for the grotesque, his peculiarities had for a long time past
afforded food for mystification. Of this, however, I was not aware; although, in the
present instance, I saw clearly that something of a whimsical nature was upon the tapis
with my friend, and that Hermann was its especial object.

As the former proceeded in his discourse, or rather monologue I perceived the excitement
of the latter momently increasing. At length he spoke; offering some objection to a point
insisted upon by R., and giving his reasons in detail. To these the Baron replied at length
(still maintaining his exaggerated tone of sentiment) and concluding, in what I thought
very bad taste, with a sarcasm and a sneer. The hobby of Hermann now took the bit in his
teeth. This I could discern by the studied hair-splitting farrago of his rejoinder. His last
words I distinctly remember. "Your opinions, allow me to say. Baron von Jung, although
in the main correct, are, in many nice points, discreditable to yourself and to the
university of which you are a member. In a few respects they are even unworthy of
serious refutation. I would say more than this, sir, were it not for the fear of giving you
offence (here the speaker smiled blandly), I would say, sir, that your opinions are not the
opinions to be expected from a gentleman."

As Hermann completed this equivocal sentence, all eyes were turned upon the Baron. He
became pale, then excessively red; then, dropping his pocket-handkerchief, stooped to
recover it, when I caught a glimpse of his countenance, while it could be seen by no one
else at the table. It was radiant with the quizzical expression which was its natural
character, but which I had never seen it assume except when we were alone together, and
when he unbent himself freely. In an instant afterward he stood erect, confronting
Hermann; and so total an alteration of countenance in so short a period I certainly never
saw before. For a moment I even fancied that I had misconceived him, and that he was in
sober earnest. He appeared to be stifling with passion, and his face was cadaverously
white. For a short time he remained silent, apparently striving to master his emotion.
Having at length seemingly succeeded, he reached a decanter which stood near him,
saying as he held it firmly clenched "The language you have thought proper to employ.

Mynheer Hermann, in addressing yourself to me, is objectionable in so many particulars,
that I have neither temper nor time for specification. That my opinions, however, are not
the opinions to be expected from a gentleman, is an observation so directly offensive as
to allow me but one line of conduct. Some courtesy, nevertheless, is due to the presence
of this company, and to yourself, at this moment, as my guest. You will pardon me,
therefore, if, upon this consideration, I deviate slightly from the general usage among
gentlemen in similar cases of personal affront. You will forgive me for the moderate tax I
shall make upon your imagination, and endeavor to consider, for an instant, the reflection
of your person in yonder mirror as the living Mynheer Hermann himself. This being
done, there will be no difficulty whatever. I shall discharge this decanter of wine at your
image in yonder mirror, and thus fulfil all the spirit, if not the exact letter, of resentment
for your insult, while the necessity of physical violence to your real person will be
obviated."

With these words he hurled the decanter, full of wine, against the mirror which hung
directly opposite Hermann; striking the reflection of his person with great precision, and
of course shattering the glass into fragments. The whole company at once started to their
feet, and, with the exception of myself and Ritzner, took their departure. As Hermann
went out, the Baron whispered me that I should follow him and make an offer of my
services. To this I agreed; not knowing precisely what to make of so ridiculous a piece of
business.

The duellist accepted my aid with his stiff and ultra recherche air, and, taking my arm,
led me to his apartment. I could hardly forbear laughing in his face while he proceeded to
discuss, with the profoundest gravity, what he termed "the refinedly peculiar character"
of the insult he had received. After a tiresome harangue in his ordinary style, he took
down from his book shelves a number of musty volumes on the subject of the duello, and
entertained me for a long time with their contents; reading aloud, and commenting
earnestly as he read. I can just remember the titles of some of the works. There were the
"Ordonnance of Philip le Bel on Single Combat"; the "Theatre of Honor," by Favyn, and
a treatise "On the Permission of Duels," by Andiguier. He displayed, also, with much
pomposity, Brantome's "Memoirs of Duels, "-published at Cologne, 1666, in the types of
Elzevir-a precious and unique vellum-paper volume, with a fine margin, and bound by
Derome. But he requested my attention particularly, and with an air of mysterious
sagacity, to a thick octavo, written in barbarous Latin by one Hedelin, a Frenchman, and
having the quaint title, "Duelli Lex Scripta, et non; aliterque." From this he read me one
of the drollest chapters in the world concerning "Injuriae per applicationem, per
constructionem, et per se," about half of which, he averred, was strictly applicable to his
own "refinedly peculiar" case, although not one syllable of the whole matter could I
understand for the life of me. Having finished the chapter, he closed the book, and
demanded what I thought necessary to be done. I replied that I had entire confidence in
his superior delicacy of feeling, and would abide by what he proposed. With this answer
he seemed flattered, and sat down to write a note to the Baron. It ran thus:

Sir,-My friend, M. P.-, will hand you this note. I find it incumbent upon me to request, at
your earliest convenience, an explanation of this evening's occurrences at your chambers.

In the event of your declining this request, Mr. P. will be happy to arrange, with any
friend whom you may appoint, the steps preliminary to a meeting.

With sentiments of perfect respect.

Your most humble servant,

JOHANN HERMAN.

To the Baron Ritzner von Jung,

Not knowing what better to do, I called upon Ritzner with this epistle. He bowed as I
presented it; then, with a grave countenance, motioned me to a seat. Having perused the
cartel, he wrote the following reply, which I carried to Hermann.

SIR,-Through our common friend, Mr. P., I have received your note of this evening.
Upon due reflection I frankly admit the propriety of the explanation you suggest. This
being admitted, I still find great difficulty, (owing to the refinedly peculiar nature of our
disagreement, and of the personal affront offered on my part,) in so wording what I have
to say by way of apology, as to meet all the minute exigencies, and all the variable
shadows, of the case. I have great reliance, however, on that extreme delicacy of
discrimination, in matters appertaining to the rules of etiquette, for which you have been
so long and so pre-eminently distinguished. With perfect certainty, therefore, of being
comprehended, I beg leave, in lieu of offering any sentiments of my own, to refer you to
the opinions of Sieur Hedelin, as set forth in the ninth paragraph of the chapter of
"Injuriae per applicationem, per constructionem, et per se," in his "Duelli Lex scripta, et
non; aliterque." The nicety of your discernment in all the matters here treated, will be
sufficient, I am assured, to convince you that the mere circumstance of me referring you
to this admirable passage, ought to satisfy your request, as a man of honor, for
explanation.

With sentiments of profound respect.
Your most obedient servant,
VON JUNG.

The Herr Johann Hermann

Hermann commenced the perusal of this epistle with a scowl, which, however, was
converted into a smile of the most ludicrous self-complacency as he came to the
rigmarole about Injuriae per applicationem, per constructionem, et per se. Having
finished reading, he begged me, with the blandest of all possible smiles, to be seated,
while he made reference to the treatise in question. Turning to the passage specified, he
read it with great care to himself, then closed the book, and desired me, in my character
of confidential acquaintance, to express to the Baron von Jung his exalted sense of his
chivalrous behavior, and, in that of second, to assure him that the explanation offered was
of the fullest, the most honorable, and the most unequivocally satisfactory nature.

Somewhat amazed at all this, I made my retreat to the Baron. He seemed to receive
Hermann's amicable letter as a matter of course, and after a few words of general
conversation, went to an inner room and brought out the everlasting treatise "Duelli Lex
scripta, et non; aliterque." He handed me the volume and asked me to look over some
portion of it. I did so, but to little purpose, not being able to gather the least particle of
meaning. He then took the book himself, and read me a chapter aloud. To my surprise,
what he read proved to be a most horribly absurd account of a duel between two baboons.
He now explained the mystery; showing that the volume, as it appeared prima facie, was
written upon the plan of the nonsense verses of Du Bartas; that is to say, the language
was ingeniously framed so as to present to the ear all the outward signs of intelligibility,
and even of profundity, while in fact not a shadow of meaning existed. The key to the
whole was found in leaving out every second and third word alternately, when there
appeared a series of ludicrous quizzes upon a single combat as practised in modem times.

The Baron afterwards informed me that he had purposely thrown the treatise in
Hermann's way two or three weeks before the adventure, and that he was satisfied, from
the general tenor of his conversation, that he had studied it with the deepest attention, and
firmly believed it to be a work of unusual merit. Upon this hint he proceeded. Hermann
would have died a thousand deaths rather than acknowledge his inability to understand
anything and everything in the universe that had ever been written about the duello.

LITTLETON BARRY.

THE END

NEVER BET THE DEVIL YOUR HEAD

A Tale With a Moral

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

CON tal que las costumbres de un autor," says Don Thomas de las Torres, in the preface
to his "Amatory Poems" "sean puras y castas, importo muy poco que no sean igualmente
severas sus obras"-meaning, in plain English, that, provided the morals of an author are
pure personally, it signifies nothing what are the morals of his books. We presume that
Don Thomas is now in Purgatory for the assertion. It would be a clever thing, too, in the
way of poetical justice, to keep him there until his "Amatory Poems" get out of print, or
are laid definitely upon the shelf through lack of readers. Every fiction should have a
moral; and, what is more to the purpose, the critics have discovered that every fiction has.
Philip Melanchthon, some time ago, wrote a commentary upon the
"Batrachomyomachia," and proved that the poet's object was to excite a distaste for
sedition. Pierre la Seine, going a step farther, shows that the intention was to recommend
to young men temperance in eating and drinking. Just so, too. Jacobus Hugo has satisfied
himself that, by Euenis, Homer meant to insinuate John Calvin; by Antinous, Martin
Luther; by the Lotophagi, Protestants in general; and, by the Harpies, the Dutch. Our
more modern Scholiasts are equally acute. These fellows demonstrate a hidden meaning
in "The Antediluvians," a parable in Powhatan," new views in "Cock Robin," and
transcendentalism in "Hop O' My Thumb." In short, it has been shown that no man can sit
down to write without a very profound design. Thus to authors in general much trouble is
spared. A novelist, for example, need have no care of his moral. It is there-that is to say,
it is somewhere-and the moral and the critics can take care of themselves. When the
proper time arrives, all that the gentleman intended, and all that he did not intend, will be
brought to light, in the "Dial," or the "Down-Easter," together with all that he ought to
have intended, and the rest that he clearly meant to intend:-so that it will all come very
straight in the end.

There is no just ground, therefore, for the charge brought against me by certain
ignoramuses-that I have never written a moral tale, or, in more precise words, a tale with
a moral. They are not the critics predestined to bring me out, and develop my morals:-
that is the secret. By and by the "North American Quarterly Humdrum" will make them
ashamed of their stupidity. In the meantime, by way of staying execution-by way of
mitigating the accusations against me-I offer the sad history appended,-a history about
whose obvious moral there can be no question whatever, since he who runs may read it in
the large capitals which form the title of the tale. I should have credit for this
arrangement-a far wiser one than that of La Fontaine and others, who reserve the

impression to be conveyed until the last moment, and thus sneak it in at the fag end of
their fables.

Defuncti injuria ne afficiantur was a law of the twelve tables, and De mortuis nil nisi
bonum is an excellent injunction-even if the dead in question be nothing but dead small
beer. It is not my design, therefore, to vituperate my deceased friend, Toby Dammit. He
was a sad dog, it is true, and a dog's death it was that he died; but he himself was not to
blame for his vices. They grew out of a personal defect in his mother. She did her best in
the way of flogging him while an infant-for duties to her well-regulated mind were
always pleasures, and babies, like tough steaks, or the modern Greek olive trees, are
invariably the better for beating-but, poor woman! she had the misfortune to be left-
handed, and a child flogged left-handedly had better be left unflogged. The world
revolves from right to left. It will not do to whip a baby from left to right. If each blow in
the proper direction drives an evil propensity out, it follows that every thump in an
opposite one knocks its quota of wickedness in. I was often present at Toby's
chastisements, and, even by the way in which he kicked, I could perceive that he was
getting worse and worse every day. At last I saw, through the tears in my eyes, that there
was no hope of the villain at all, and one day when he had been cuffed until he grew so
black in the face that one might have mistaken him for a little African, and no effect had
been produced beyond that of making him wriggle himself into a fit, I could stand it no
longer, but went down upon my knees forthwith, and, uplifting my voice, made prophecy
of his ruin.

The fact is that his precocity in vice was awful. At five months of age he used to get into
such passions that he was unable to articulate. At six months, I caught him gnawing a
pack of cards. At seven months he was in the constant habit of catching and kissing the
female babies. At eight months he peremptorily refused to put his signature to the
Temperance pledge. Thus he went on increasing in iniquity, month after month, until, at
the close of the first year, he not only insisted upon wearing moustaches, but had
contracted a propensity for cursing and swearing, and for backing his assertions by bets.

Through this latter most ungentlemanly practice, the ruin which I had predicted to Toby
Dammit overtook him at last. The fashion had "grown with his growth and strengthened
with his strength," so that, when he came to be a man, he could scarcely utter a sentence
without interlarding it with a proposition to gamble. Not that he actually laid wagers-no.
I will do my friend the justice to say that he would as soon have laid eggs. With him the
thing was a mere formula- nothing more. His expressions on this head had no meaning
attached to them whatever. They were simple if not altogether innocent expletives-
imaginative phrases wherewith to round off a sentence. When he said "I'll bet you so and
so," nobody ever thought of taking him up; but still I could not help thinking it my duty
to put him down. The habit was an immoral one, and so I told him. It was a vulgar one-
this I begged him to believe. It was discountenanced by society-here I said nothing but
the truth. It was forbidden by act of Congress-here I had not the slightest intention of
telling a lie. I remonstrated-but to no purpose. I demonstrated-in vain. I entreated- he
smiled. I implored-he laughed. I preached-he sneered. I threatened-he swore. I kicked

him-he called for the police. I pulled his nose-he blew it, and offered to bet the Devil his
head that I would not venture to try that experiment again.

Poverty was another vice which the peculiar physical deficiency of Dammit's mother had
entailed upon her son. He was detestably poor, and this was the reason, no doubt, that his
expletive expressions about betting, seldom took a pecuniary turn. I will not be bound to
say that I ever heard him make use of such a figure of speech as "I'll bet you a dollar." It
was usually "I'll bet you what you please," or "I'll bet you what you dare," or "I'll bet you
a trifle," or else, more significantly still, "I'll bet the Devil my head."

This latter form seemed to please him best;-perhaps because it involved the least risk; for
Dammit had become excessively parsimonious. Had any one taken him up, his head was
small, and thus his loss would have been small too. But these are my own reflections and
I am by no means sure that I am right in attributing them to him. At all events the phrase
in question grew daily in favor, notwithstanding the gross impropriety of a man betting
his brains like bank-notes:-but this was a point which my friend's perversity of
disposition would not permit him to comprehend. In the end, he abandoned all other
forms of wager, and gave himself up to "I'll bet the Devil my head," with a pertinacity
and exclusiveness of devotion that displeased not less than it surprised me. I am always
displeased by circumstances for which I cannot account. Mysteries force a man to think,
and so injure his health. The truth is, there was something in the air with which Mr.
Dammit was wont to give utterance to his offensive expression-something in his manner
of enunciation-which at first interested, and afterwards made me very uneasy-something
which, for want of a more definite term at present, I must be permitted to call queer; but
which Mr. Coleridge would have called mystical, Mr. Kant pantheistical, Mr. Carlyle
twistical, and Mr. Emerson hyperquizzitistical. I began not to like it at all. Mr. Dammits
soul was in a perilous state. I resolved to bring all my eloquence into play to save it. I
vowed to serve him as St. Patrick, in the Irish chronicle, is said to have served the toad,-
that is to say, "awaken him to a sense of his situation." I addressed myself to the task
forthwith. Once more I betook myself to remonstrance. Again I collected my energies for
a final attempt at expostulation.

When I had made an end of my lecture, Mr. Dammit indulged himself in some very
equivocal behavior. For some moments he remained silent, merely looking me
inquisitively in the face. But presently he threw his head to one side, and elevated his
eyebrows to a great extent. Then he spread out the palms of his hands and shrugged up
his shoulders. Then he winked with the right eye. Then he repeated the operation with the
left. Then he shut them both up very tight. Then he opened them both so very wide that I
became seriously alarmed for the consequences. Then, applying his thumb to his nose, he
thought proper to make an indescribable movement with the rest of his fingers. Finally,
setting his arms a-kimbo, he condescended to reply.

I can call to mind only the beads of his discourse. He would be obliged to me if I would
hold my tongue. He wished none of my advice. He despised all my insinuations. He was
old enough to take care of himself. Did I still think him baby Dammit? Did I mean to say
any thing against his character? Did I intend to insult him? Was I a fool? Was my

maternal parent aware, in a word, of my absence from the domiciliary residence? He
would put this latter question to me as to a man of veracity, and he would bind himself to
abide by my reply. Once more he would demand explicitly if my mother knew that I was
out. My confusion, he said, betrayed me, and he would be willing to bet the Devil his
head that she did not.

Mr. Dammit did not pause for my rejoinder. Turning upon his heel, he left my presence
with undignified precipitation. It was well for him that he did so. My feelings had been
wounded. Even my anger had been aroused. For once I would have taken him up upon
his insulting wager. I would have won for the Arch-Enemy Mr. Dammit's little head- for
the fact is, my mamma was very well aware of my merely temporary absence from home.

But Khoda shefa midehed-Heaven gives relief-as the Mussulmans say when you tread
upon their toes. It was in pursuance of my duty that I had been insulted, and I bore the
insult like a man. It now seemed to me, however, that I had done all that could be
required of me, in the case of this miserable individual, and I resolved to trouble him no
longer with my counsel, but to leave him to his conscience and himself. But although I
forebore to intrude with my advice, I could not bring myself to give up his society
altogether. I even went so far as to humor some of his less reprehensible propensities; and
there were times when I found myself lauding his wicked jokes, as epicures do mustard,
with tears in my eyes:-so profoundly did it grieve me to hear his evil talk.

One fine day, having strolled out together, arm in arm, our route led us in the direction of
a river. There was a bridge, and we resolved to cross it. It was roofed over, by way of
protection from the weather, and the archway, having but few windows, was thus very
uncomfortably dark. As we entered the passage, the contrast between the external glare
and the interior gloom struck heavily upon my spirits. Not so upon those of the unhappy
Dammit, who offered to bet the Devil his head that I was hipped. He seemed to be in an
unusual good humor. He was excessively lively-so much so that I entertained I know not
what of uneasy suspicion. It is not impossible that he was affected with the
transcendentals. I am not well enough versed, however, in the diagnosis of this disease to
speak with decision upon the point; and unhappily there were none of my friends of the
"Dial" present. I suggest the idea, nevertheless, because of a certain species of austere
Merry- Andre wism which seemed to beset my poor friend, and caused him to make quite
a Tom- Fool of himself. Nothing would serve him but wriggling and skipping about under
and over every thing that came in his way; now shouting out, and now lisping out, all
manner of odd little and big words, yet preserving the gravest face in the world all the
time. I really could not make up my mind whether to kick or to pity him. At length,
having passed nearly across the bridge, we approached the termination of the footway,
when our progress was impeded by a turnstile of some height. Through this I made my
way quietly, pushing it around as usual. But this turn would not serve the turn of Mr.
Dammit. He insisted upon leaping the stile, and said he could cut a pigeon- wing over it in
the air. Now this, conscientiously speaking, I did not think he could do. The best pigeon-
winger over all kinds of style was my friend Mr. Carlyle, and as I knew he could not do
it, I would not believe that it could be done by Toby Dammit. I therefore told him, in so
many words, that he was a braggadocio, and could not do what he said. For this I had

reason to be sorry afterward;-for he straightway offered to bet the Devil his head that he
could.

I was about to reply, notwithstanding my previous resolutions, with some remonstrance
against his impiety, when I heard, close at my elbow, a slight cough, which sounded very
much like the ejaculation "ahem!" I started, and looked about me in surprise. My glance
at length fell into a nook of the frame-work of the bridge, and upon the figure of a little
lame old gentleman of venerable aspect. Nothing could be more reverend than his whole
appearance; for he not only had on a full suit of black, but his shirt was perfectly clean
and the collar turned very neatly down over a white cravat, while his hair was parted in
front like a girl's. His hands were clasped pensively together over his stomach, and his
two eyes were carefully rolled up into the top of his head.

Upon observing him more closely, I perceived that he wore a black silk apron over his
small-clothes; and this was a thing which I thought very odd. Before I had time to make
any remark, however, upon so singular a circumstance, he interrupted me with a second
"ahem!"

To this observation I was not immediately prepared to reply. The fact is, remarks of this
laconic nature are nearly unanswerable. I have known a Quarterly Review non-plussed by
the word "Fudge!" I am not ashamed to say, therefore, that I turned to Mr. Dammit for
assistance.

"Dammit," said I, "what are you about? don't you hear?-the gentleman says 'ahem!'" I
looked sternly at my friend while I thus addressed him; for, to say the truth, I felt
particularly puzzled, and when a man is particularly puzzled he must knit his brows and
look savage, or else he is pretty sure to look like a fool.

"Dammit," observed I-although this sounded very much like an oath, than which nothing
was further from my thoughts-"Dammit," I suggested-"the gentleman says 'ahem!'"

I do not attempt to defend my remark on the score of profundity; I did not think it
profound myself; but I have noticed that the effect of our speeches is not always
proportionate with their importance in our own eyes; and if I had shot Mr. D. through and
through with a Paixhan bomb, or knocked him in the head with the "Poets and Poetry of
America," he could hardly have been more discomfited than when I addressed him with
those simple words: "Dammit, what are you about?- don't you hear?-the gentleman says
'ahem!'"

"You don't say so?" gasped he at length, after turning more colors than a pirate runs up,
one after the other, when chased by a man-of-war. "Are you quite sure he said that? Well,
at all events I am in for it now, and may as well put a bold face upon the matter. Here
goes, then-ahem!"

At this the little old gentleman seemed pleased-God only knows why. He left his station
at the nook of the bridge, limped forward with a gracious air, took Dammit by the hand

and shook it cordially, looking all the while straight up in his face with an air of the most
unadulterated benignity which it is possible for the mind of man to imagine.

"I am quite sure you will win it, Dammit," said he, with the frankest of all smiles, "but we
are obliged to have a trial, you know, for the sake of mere form."

"Ahem!" replied my friend, taking off his coat, with a deep sigh, tying a pocket-
handkerchief around his waist, and producing an unaccountable alteration in his
countenance by twisting up his eyes and bringing down the comers of his mouth-
"ahem!" And "ahem!" said he again, after a pause; and not another word more than
"ahem!" did I ever know him to say after that. "Aha!" thought I, without expressing
myself aloud-"this is quite a remarkable silence on the part of Toby Dammit, and is no
doubt a consequence of his verbosity upon a previous occasion. One extreme induces
another. I wonder if he has forgotten the many unanswerable questions which he
propounded to me so fluently on the day when I gave him my last lecture? At all events,
he is cured of the transcendentals."

"Ahem!" here replied Toby, just as if he had been reading my thoughts, and looking like
a very old sheep in a revery.

The old gentleman now took him by the arm, and led him more into the shade of the
bridge-a few paces back from the turnstile. "My good fellow," said he, "I make it a point
of conscience to allow you this much run. Wait here, till I take my place by the stile, so
that I may see whether you go over it handsomely, and transcendentally, and don't omit
any flourishes of the pigeon- wing. A mere form, you know. I will say 'one, two, three,
and away.' Mind you, start at the word 'away'" Here he took his position by the stile,
paused a moment as if in profound reflection, then looked up and, I thought, smiled very
slightly, then tightened the strings of his apron, then took a long look at Dammit, and
finally gave the word as agreed upon-

One-two-three-and-away !

Punctually at the word "away," my poor friend set off in a strong gallop. The stile was
not very high, like Mr. Lord's-nor yet very low, like that of Mr. Lord's reviewers, but
upon the whole I made sure that he would clear it. And then what if he did not?-ah, that
was the question-what if he did not? "What right," said I, "had the old gentleman to make
any other gentleman jump? The little old dot-and-carry-one! who is he? If he asks me to
jump, I won't do it, that's flat, and I don't care who the devil he is." The bridge, as I say,
was arched and covered in, in a very ridiculous manner, and there was a most
uncomfortable echo about it at all times-an echo which I never before so particularly
observed as when I uttered the four last words of my remark.

But what I said, or what I thought, or what I heard, occupied only an instant. In less than
five seconds from his starting, my poor Toby had taken the leap. I saw him run nimbly,
and spring grandly from the floor of the bridge, cutting the most awful flourishes with his
legs as he went up. I saw him high in the air, pigeon- winging it to admiration just over

the top of the stile; and of course I thought it an unusually singular thing that he did not
continue to go over. But the whole leap was the affair of a moment, and, before I had a
chance to make any profound reflections, down came Mr. Dammit on the flat of his back,
on the same side of the stile from which he had started. At the same instant I saw the old
gentleman limping off at the top of his speed, having caught and wrapt up in his apron
something that fell heavily into it from the darkness of the arch just over the turnstile. At
all this I was much astonished; but I had no leisure to think, for Dammit lay particularly
still, and I concluded that his feelings had been hurt, and that he stood in need of my
assistance. I hurried up to him and found that he had received what might be termed a
serious injury. The truth is, he had been deprived of his head, which after a close search I
could not find anywhere; so I determined to take him home and send for the
homoeopathists. In the meantime a thought struck me, and I threw open an adjacent
window of the bridge, when the sad truth flashed upon me at once. About five feet just
above the top of the turnstile, and crossing the arch of the foot-path so as to constitute a
brace, there extended a flat iron bar, lying with its breadth horizontally, and forming one
of a series that served to strengthen the structure throughout its extent. With the edge of
this brace it appeared evident that the neck of my unfortunate friend had come precisely
in contact.

He did not long survive his terrible loss. The homoeopathists did not give him little
enough physic, and what little they did give him he hesitated to take. So in the end he
grew worse, and at length died, a lesson to all riotous livers. I bedewed his grave with my
tears, worked a bar sinister on his family escutcheon, and, for the general expenses of his
funeral, sent in my very moderate bill to the transcendentalists. The scoundrels refused to
pay it, so I had Mr. Dammit dug up at once, and sold him for dog's meat.

THE END

ROMANCE

by Edgar Allan Poe

1829

Romance, who loves to nod and sing,
With drowsy head and folded wing.
Among the green leaves as they shake
Far down within some shadowy lake.
To me a painted paroquet
Hath been-a most familiar bird-
Taught me my alphabet to say-
To lisp my very earliest word
While in the wild wood I did lie,
A child- with a most knowing eye.

Of late, eternal Condor years
So shake the very Heaven on high
With tumult as they thunder by,
I have no time for idle cares
Through gazing on the unquiet sky.
And when an hour with calmer wings
Its down upon my spirit flings-
That little time with lyre and rhyme
To while away-forbidden things!
My heart would feel to be a crime
Unless it trembled with the strings.

THE END

SCENES FROM "POLITIAN"

by Edgar Allan Poe

1835

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

POLITIAN, Earl of Leicester. A MONK.

DI BROGLIO, a Roman Duke. LALAGE

COUNT CASTIGLIONE, his son. ALESSANDRA, betrothed to

B ALDAZZAR, Duke of Surrey, Castiglione.

Friend to Politian. JACINTA, maid to Lalage.

The Scene lies in Rome
I.

ROME-A Hall in a Palace

ALESSANDRA and CASTIGLIONE.

ALESSANDRA

Thou art sad, Castiglione.

CASTIGLIONE

Sad!-not I.

Oh, I'm the happiest, happiest man in Rome!

A few days more, thou knowest, my Alessandra,

Will make thee mine. Oh, I am very happy!

ALESSANDRA.

Methinks thou hast a singular way of showing
Thy happiness !-what ails thee, cousin of mine?
Why didst thou sigh so deeply?

CASTIGLIONE

I was not conscious of it. It is a fashion,

A silly-a most silly fashion I have

When I am very happy. Did I sigh? (Sighing)

ALESSANDRA

Thou didst. Thou art not well. Thou hast indulged
Too much of late, and I am vexed to see it.
Late hours and wine, Castiglione,-these

Will ruin thee! thou art already altered-

Thy looks are haggard-nothing so wears away

The constitution as late hours and wine.

CASTIGLIONE (musing)

Nothing, fair cousin, nothing-not even deep sorrow-
Wears it away like evil hours and wine.
I will amend.

ALESSANDRA
Do it! I would have thee drop
Thy riotous company, too-fellows low born-
Ill suit the like with old Di Broglio's heir
And Alessandra's husband.

CASTIGLIONE

I will drop them.

ALESSANDRA

Thou wilt-thou must. Attend thou also more
To thy dress and equippage-they are over plain
For thy lofty rank and fashion-much depends
Upon appearances.

CASTIGLIONE

I'll see to it.

ALESSANDRA

Then see to it!-pay more attention, sir.

To a becoming carriage-much thou wantest

In dignity.

CASTIGLIONE

Much, much, oh! much I want
In proper dignity.

ALESSANDRA (haughtily)
Thou mockest me, sir.

CASTIGLIONE (abstractedly)
Sweet, gentle Lalage!

ALESSANDRA

Heard I aright?

speak to him-he speaks of Lalage!

Sir Count! (places her hand on his shoulder) what art thou dreaming?

(aside) He's not well!
What ails thee, sir?

CASTIGLIONE (starting)

Cousin! fair cousin!-madam!

I crave thy pardon-indeed I am not well-

Your hand from off my shoulder, if you please.

This air is most oppressive !-Madam-the Duke!

(Enter DI BROGLIO)

DI BROGLIO

My son, I've news for thee!-hey?-what's the matter? (observing

Alessandra)

r the pouts? Kiss her, Castiglione! kiss her.

You dog! and make it up, I say, this minute!

I've news for you both. Politian is expected

Hourly in Rome-Politian, Earl of Leicester!

We'll have him at the wedding. 'Tis his first visit

To the imperial city.

ALESSANDRA

What! Politian

Of Britain, Earl of Leicester?

DI BROGLIO

The same, my love.

We'll have him at the wedding. A man quite young

In years, but grey in fame. I have not seen him.

But Rumour speaks of him as of a prodigy

Preeminent in arts and arms, and wealth.

As of one who entered madly into life.

Drinking the cup of pleasure to the dregs.

And high descent. We'll have him at the wedding.

ALESSANDRA

I have heard much of this Politian.
Gay, volatile and giddy-is he not?
And little given to thinking.

DI BROGLIO

Far from it, love.

No branch, they say, of all philosophy
So deep abstruse he has not mastered it.
Learned as few are learned.

ALESSANDRA

'Tis very strange!

I have known men have seen Politian

And sought his company. They speak of him

As of one who entered madly into life,

Drinking the cup of pleasure to the dregs.

CASTIGLIONE

Ridiculous! Now I have seen Politian
And know him well-nor learned nor he.
He is a dreamer, and a man shut out
From common passions.

DI BROGLIO

Children, we disagree.

Let us go forth and taste the fragrant air

Of the garden. Did I dream, or did I hear

Politian was a melancholy man? (Exeunt)

II

ROME-A Lady's apartment, with a window open and looking into a
garden. LALAGE, in deep mourning, reading at a table on which lie
some books and a hand mirror. In the background JACINTA (a servant
maid) leans carelessly upon a chair.

LALAGE.

Jacinta, is it thou?

JACINTA (pertly)
Yes, ma'am, I'm here.

LALAGE.

I did not know, Jacinta, you were in waiting.
Sit down!-Let not my presence trouble you-
Sit down!-for I am humble, most humble.

JACINTA (aside)
'Tis time.

(JACINTA seats herself in a side-long manner upon the chair,
resting her elbows upon the back, and regarding her mistress
with a contemptuous look. LALAGE continues to read.)

LALAGE

"It in another climate, so he said,

"Bore a bright golden flower, but not this soil!"

(pauses-turns over some leaves, and resumes)

"No lingering winters there, nor snow, nor shower-

"But Ocean ever to refresh mankind

"Breathes the shrill spirit of the western wind."

O, beautiful !-most beautiful-how like

To what my fevered soul doth dream of Heaven!

O happy land (pauses) She died!-the maiden died!

A still more happy maiden who couldst die!

Jacinta!

(JACINTA returns no answer, and LALAGE presently resumes)

Again !-a similar tale

Told of a beauteous dame beyond the sea!

Thus speaketh one Ferdinand in the words of the play-

"She died full young"-one Bossola answers him-

"I think not so-her infelicity

"Seemed to have years too many"-Ah luckless lady!

Jacinta! (still no answer)

Here 's a far sterner story.

But like-oh, very like in its despair-

Of that Egyptian queen, winning so easily

A thousand hearts-losing at length her own.

She died. Thus endeth the history-and her maids

Lean over and weep-two gentle maids

With gentle names-Eiros and Charmion!

Rainbow and Dove!-Jacinta!

JACINTA (pettishly)
Madam, what is it?

LALAGE

Wilt thou, my good Jacinta, be so kind
As go down in the library and bring me
The Holy Evangelists?

JACINTA

Pshaw! (Exit)

LALAGE

If there be balm

For the wounded spirit in Gilead it is there!

Dew in the night-time of my bitter trouble

Will there be found-"dew sweeter far than that

Which hangs like chains of pearl on Hermon hill."

(Re-enter JACINTA, and throws a volume on the table)

There, ma'am, 's the book. Indeed she is very troublesome. (Aside)

LALAGE (astonished)

What didst thou say, Jacinta? Have I done aught

To grieve thee or to vex thee?-I am sorry.

For thou hast served me long and ever been

Trustworthy and respectful, (resumes her reading)

JACINTA (aside)

I can't believe

She has any more jewels-no-no-she gave me all.

LALAGE

What didst thou say, Jacinta? Now I bethink me
Thou hast not spoken lately of thy wedding.
How fares good Ugo?-and when is it to be?
Can I do aught?-is there no farther aid
Thou needest, Jacinta?

JACINTA

Is there no farther aid!

That's meant for me (aside). I'm sure, madam, you need not

Be always throwing those jewels in my teeth.

LALAGE

Jewels! Jacinta,-now indeed, Jacinta,
I thought not of the jewels.

JACINTA

Oh! perhaps not!

But then I might have sworn it. After all.

There 's Ugo says the ring is only paste.

For he 's sure the Count Castiglione never

Would have given a real diamond to such as you;

And at the best I'm certain, madam, you cannot

Have use for jewels now. But I might have sworn it. (Exit)

(LALAGE bursts into tears and leans her head upon the
table-after a short pause raises it)

LALAGE

Poor Lalage!-and is it come to this?

Thy servant maid!-but courage !-'tis but a viper

Whom thou hast cherished to sting thee to the soul!

(Taking up the mirror)

Ha! here at least 's a friend-too much a friend

In earlier day-a friend will not deceive thee.

Fair mirror and true! now tell me (for thou canst)

A tale-a pretty tale-and heed thou not

Though it be rife with woe. It answers me.

It speaks of sunken eyes, and wasted cheeks,

And Beauty long deceased-remembers me

Of Joy departed-Hope, the Seraph Hope,

Inurned and entombed:-now, in a tone

Low, sad, and solemn, but most audible.

Whispers of early grave untimely yawning

For ruined maid. Fair mirror and true-thou liest not!

Thou hast no end to gain-no heart to break-

Castiglione lied who said he loved-

Thou true-he false !-false!-false!

(While she speaks, a monk enters her apartment, and
approaches unobserved)

MONK

Refuge thou hast.

Sweet daughter, in Heaven. Think of eternal things!

Give up thy soul to penitence, and pray!

LALAGE (arising hurriedly)

I cannot pray!-My soul is at war with God!

The frightful sounds of merriment below

Disturb my senses-go! I cannot pray-

The sweet airs from the garden worry me!

Thy presence grieves me-go!-thy priestly raiment

Fills me with dread-thy ebony crucifix

With horror and awe!

MONK

Think of thy precious soul!

LALAGE

Think of my early days!-think of my father
And mother in Heaven think of our quiet home.
And the rivulet that ran before the door!
Think of my little sisters !-think of them!
And think of me!-think of my trusting love
And confidence-his vows-my ruin-think-think
Of my unspeakable misery !-begone!
Yet stay! yet stay!-what was it thou saidst of prayer
And penitence? Didst thou not speak of faith
And vows before the throne?

MONK

I did.

LALAGE

'Tis well.

There is a vow were fitting should be made-

A sacred vow, imperative, and urgent,

A solemn vow!

MONK

Daughter, this zeal is well.

LALAGE

Father, this zeal is anything but well!

Hast thou a crucifix fit for this thing?

A crucifix whereon to register

This sacred vow? (He hands her his own)

Notthat-Oh! no!-no!-no! (Shuddering)

Not that! Not that!-I tell thee, holy man.

Thy raiments and thy ebony cross affright me!

Stand back! I have a crucifix my self, -

I have a crucifix Methinks 'twere fitting

The deed-the vow-the symbol of the deed-

And the deed's register should tally, father!

(Draws a cross-handled dagger, and raises it on high)

Behold the cross wherewith a vow like mine

Is written in Heaven!

MONK

Thy words are madness, daughter.
And speak a purpose unholy-thy lips are livid-
Thine eyes are wild-tempt not the wrath divine!
Pause ere too late!-oh, be not-be not rash!
Swear not the oath-oh, swear it not!

LALAGE
'Tis sworn!
IIL

An apartment in a Palace. POLITIAN and BALDAZZAR

BALDAZZAR

-Arouse thee now, Politian!

Thou must not-nay indeed, indeed, shalt not

Give away unto these humors. Be thyself!

Shake off the idle fancies that beset thee,
And live, for now thou diest!

POLITIAN

Not so, Baldazzar
Surely I live.

BALDAZZAR

Politian, it doth grieve me
To see thee thus.

POLITIAN

Baldazzar, it doth grieve me
To give thee cause for grief, my honored friend.
Command me, sir! what wouldst thou have me do?
At thy behest I will shake off that nature
Which from my, forefathers I did inherit.
Which with my mother's milk I did imbibe.
And be no more Politician, but some other.
Command me, sir!

BALDAZZAR

To the field, then-to the field-
To the senate or the field.

POLITIAN.

Alas! Alas!

There is an imp would follow me even there!
There is an imp hath followed me even there!
There is-what voice was that?

BALDAZZAR

I heard it not.

I heard not any voice except thine own.

And the echo of thine own.

POLITIAN

Then I but dreamed.

BALDAZZAR

Give not thy soul to dreams: the camp-the court.
Befit thee-Fame awaits thee-Glory calls-
And her, the trumpet-tongued, thou wilt not hear
In hearkening to imaginary sounds
And phantom voices.

POLITIAN

It is a phantom voice!
Didst thou not hear it then?

BALDAZZAR

I heard it not.

POLITIAN

Thou heardst it not!-Baldazaar, speak no more

To me, Politian, of thy camps and courts.

Oh I am sick, sick, even unto death.

Of the hollow and high-sounding vanities

Of the populous Earth! Bear with me yet awhile!

We have been boys together-schoolfellows-

And now are friends-yet shall not be so long-

For in the eternal city thou shalt do me

A kind and gentle office, and a Power

A Power august, benignant and supreme-

Shall then absolve thee of all further duties

Unto thy friend.

BALDAZZAR

Thou speakest a fearful riddle
I will not understand.

POLITIAN

Yet now as Fate

Approaches, and the Hours are breathing low.

The sands of Time are changed to golden grains.

And dazzle me, Baldazzar. Alas! alas!

I cannot die, having within my heart

So keen a relish for the beautiful

As hath been kindled within it. Methinks the air

Is balmier now than it was wont to be,-

Rich melodies are floating in the winds-

A rarer loveliness bedecks the earth-

And with a holier lustre the quiet moon

Sitteth in Heaven.-Hist! hist! thou canst not say

Thou hearest not now, Baldazzar?

BALDAZZAR
Indeed I hear not.

POLITIAN

Not hear it!-listen now!-listen!-the faintest sound
And yet the sweetest that ear ever heard!

A lady's voice! -and sorrow in the tone!
Baldazzar, it oppresses me like a spell!
Again !-again!-how solemnly it falls
Into my heart of hearts! that eloquent voice
Surely I never heard-yet it were well
Had I but heard it with its thrilling tones
In earlier days!

BALDAZZAR

I myself hear it now.

Be still !-the voice, if I mistake not greatly,

Proceeds from yonder lattice-which you may see

Very plainly through the window-it belongs.

Does it not? unto this palace of the Duke?

The singer is undoubtedly beneath

The roof of his Excellency-and perhaps

Is even that Alessandra of whom he spoke

As the betrothed of Castiglione,

His son and heir.

POLITIAN

Be still !-it comes again!

VOICE (very faintly)
"And is thy heart so strong
As for to leave me thus
Who hath loved thee so long
In wealth and woe among?
And is thy heart so strong
As for to leave me thus?
Say nay-say nay!"

BALDAZZAR

The song is English, and I oft have heard it
In merry England-never so plaintively-
Hist! hist! it comes again!

VOICE (more loudly)
"Is it so strong
As for to leave me thus
Who hath loved thee so long
In wealth and woe among?
And is thy heart so strong
As for to leave me thus?
Say nay-say nay!"

BALDAZZAR

'Tis hushed and all is still!

POLITIAN

All is not still!

BALDAZZAR

Let us go down.

POLITIAN

Go down, Baldazzar, go!

BALDAZZAR

The hour is growing late-the Duke awaits use-
Thy presence is expected in the hall
Below. What ails thee, Earl Politian?

VOICE (distinctly)
"Who hath loved thee so long
In wealth and woe among.
And is thy heart so strong?
Say nay-say nay!"

BALDAZZAR

Let us descend-'tis time. Politian, give
These fancies to the wind. Remember, pray.
Your bearing lately savored much of rudeness
Unto the Duke. Arouse thee! and remember

POLITIAN

Remember? I do. lead on! I do remember.

(Going)

Let us descend. Believe me I would give.

Freely would give the broad lands of my earldom

To look upon the face hidden by yon lattice-

"To gaze upon that veiled face, and hear

Once more that silent tongue."

BALDAZZAR

Let me beg you, sir.

Descend with me-the Duke may be offended.

Let us go down, I pray you.

VOICE (loudly)
Say nay!-say nay!

POLITIAN (aside)

'Tis strange !-'tis very strange-methought the voice

Chimed in with my desires, and bade me stay!

(Approaching the window)

Sweet voice! I heed thee, and will surely stay.

Now be this Fancy, by Heaven or be it Fate,

Still will I not descend. Baldazzar make

Apology unto the Duke for me;

I go not down to-night.

BALDAZZAR

Your lordship's pleasure

Shall be attended to. Good-night, Politian.

POLITIAN

Good-night, my friend, good-night.
IV.

The gardens of a Palace-Moonlight

LALAGE, and POLITIAN

LALAGE

And dost thou speak of love

To me, Politian ?-dost thou speak of love

To Lalage?-ah, woe-ah, woe is me!

This mockery is most cruel-most cruel indeed!

POLITIAN

Weep not! oh, sob not thus!-thy bitter tears
Will madden me. Oh, mourn not, Lalage-
Be comforted! I know-I know it all.
And still I speak of love. Look at me, brightest
And beautiful Lalage!-turn here thine eyes!
Thou askest me if I could speak of love.
Knowing what I know, and seeing what I have seen.
Thou askest me that-and thus I answer thee-
Thus on my bended knee I answer thee. (Kneeling)
Sweet Lalage, I love thee-love thee-love thee;
Thro' good and ill-thro' weal and woe I love thee.
Not mother, with her first-bom on her knee.
Thrills with intenser love than I for thee.
Not on God's altar, in any time or clime.
Burned there a holier fire than burneth now
Within my spirit for thee. And do I love? (Arising)

Even for thy woes I love thee-even for thy woes-
Thy beauty and thy woes.

LALAGE

Alas, proud Earl,

Thou dost forget thyself, remembering me!

How, in thy father's halls, among the maidens

Pure and reproachless of thy princely line.

Could the dishonored Lalage abide?

Thy wife, and with a tainted memory-

MY seared and bhghted name, how would it tally

With the ancestral honors of thy house.

And with thy glory?

POLITIAN

Speak not to me of glory!
I hate-I loathe the name; I do abhor
The unsatisfactory and ideal thing.
Art thou not Lalage and I Politian?
Do I not love-art thou not beautiful-
What need we more? Ha! glory !-now speak not of it.
By all I hold most sacred and most solemn-
By all my wishes now-my fears hereafter-
By all I scorn on earth and hope in heaven-
There is no deed I would more glory in.
Than in thy cause to scoff at this same glory
And trample it under foot. What matters it-
What matters it, my fairest, and my best.
That we go down unhonored and forgotten
Into the dust-so we descend together.
Descend together-and then-and then, perchance-

LALAGE

Why dost thou pause, Politian?

POLITIAN

And then, perchance

Arise together, Lalage, and roam

The starry and quiet dwellings of the blest.

And still-

LALAGE

Why dost thou pause, Politian?

POLITIAN

And still together-together.

LALAGE

Now Earl of Leicester!

Thou lovest me, and in my heart of hearts

I feel thou lovest me truly.

POLITIAN

Oh, Lalage !

(Throwing himself upon his knee)

And lovest thou me?

LALAGE

Hist! hush! within the gloom
Of yonder trees methought a figure passed-
A spectral figure, solemn, and slow, and noiseless-
Like the grim shadow Conscience, solemn and noiseless.
(Walks across and returns)
I was mistaken-'twas but a giant bough
Stirred by the autumn wind. Politian!

POLITIAN

My Lalage-my love! why art thou moved?

Why dost thou turn so pale? Not Conscience' self.

Far less a shadow which thou likenest to it.

Should shake the firm spirit thus. But the night wind

Is chilly-and these melancholy boughs

Throw over all things a gloom.

LALAGE
Politian!

Thou speakest to me of love. Knowest thou the land
With which all tongues are busy-a land new found-
Miraculously found by one of Genoa-
A thousand leagues within the golden west?
A fairy land of flowers, and fruit, and sunshine.
And crystal lakes, and over-arching forests.
And mountains, around whose towering summits the winds
Of Heaven untrammelled flow-which air to breathe
Is Happiness now, and will be Freedom hereafter
In days that are to come?

POLITIAN

O, wilt thou-wilt thou

Fly to that Paradise-my Lalage, wilt thou

Fly thither with me? There Care shall be forgotten.

And Sorrow shall be no more, and Eros be all.

And life shall then be mine, for I will live

For thee, and in thine eyes-and thou shalt be
No more a moumer-but the radiant Joys
Shall wait upon thee, and the angel Hope
Attend thee ever; and I will kneel to thee
And worship thee, and call thee my beloved.
My own, my beautiful, my love, my wife.
My all;-oh, wilt thou-wilt thou, Lalage,
Fly thither with me?

LALAGE

A deed is to be done-

Castiglione lives!

POLITIAN

And he shall die! (Exit)

LALAGE (after a pause)
And-he-shall-die !-alas !
Castiglione die? Who spoke the words?
Where am I?-what was it he said?-Politian!
Thou art not gone-thou are not gone, Politian!
I feel thou art not gone-yet dare not look.
Lest I behold thee not; thou couldst not go
With those words upon thy lips-0, speak to me!
And let me hear thy voice-one word-one word.
To say thou art not gone,-one little sentence.
To say how thou dost scorn-how thou dost hate
My womanly weakness. Ha! ha! thou art not gone-

speak to me! I knew thou wouldst not go!

1 knew thou wouldst not, couldst not, durst not go.
Villain, thou art not gone-thou mockest me!

And thus I clutch thee-thus!-He is gone, he is gone
Gone-gone. Where am I?-'tis well-'tis very well!
So that the blade be keen-the blow be sure,
'Tis well, 'tis very well-alas! alas!
V

The suburbs. POLITIAN alone

POLITIAN

This weakness grows upon me. I am faint.
And much I fear me ill-it will not do
To die ere I have lived !-Stay, stay thy hand,
O Azrael, yet awhile !-Prince of the Powers
Of Darkness and the Tomb, O pity me!
O pity me! let me not perish now.

In the budding of my Paradisal Hope!
Give me to live yet-yet a little while:
'Tis I who pray for life-I who so late
Demanded but to die!-what sayeth the Count?
(Enter BALDAZZAR)

BALDAZZAR

That knowing no cause of quarrel or of feud
Between the Earl Politian and himself.
He doth decline your cartel.

POLITIAN

What didst thou say?

What answer was it you brought me, good Baldazzar?

With what excessive fragrance the zephyr comes

Laden from yonder bowers !-a fairer day,

Or one more worthy Italy, methinks

No mortal eyes have seen!-what said the Count?

BALDAZZAR

That he, Castiglione' not being aware

Of any feud existing, or any cause

Of quarrel between your lordship and himself.

Cannot accept the chAUange.

POLITIAN

It is most true-
All this is very true. When saw you, sir.
When saw you now, Baldazzar, in the frigid
Ungenial Britain which we left so lately,
A heaven so calm as this-so utterly free
From the evil taint of clouds?-and he did say?

BALDAZZAR

No more, my lord, than I have told you, sir:
The Count Castighone will not fight.
Having no cause for quarrel.

POLITIAN

Now this is true-
All very true. Thou art my friend, Baldazzar,
And I have not forgotten it-thou'lt do me
A piece of service; wilt thou go back and say
Unto this man, that I, the Earl of Leicester,
Hold him a villain ?-thus much, I prythee, say

Unto the Count-it is exceeding just
He should have cause for quarrel.

BALDAZZAR

My lord!-my friend!-

POLITIAN (aside)

'Tis he!-he comes himself? (aloud) Thou reasonest well.
I know what thou wouldst say-not send the message-
Well!-! will think of it-I will not send it.
Now prythee, leave me-hither doth come a person
With whom affairs of a most private nature
I would adjust.

BALDAZZAR

I go-to-morrow we meet,
Do we not?-at the Vatican.

POLITIAN

At the Vatican.
(Exit BALDAZZAR)
Enter CASTIGLIONE

CASTIGLIONE

The Earl of Leicester here!

POLITIAN

I am the Earl of Leicester, and thou seest.
Dost thou not? that I am here.

CASTIGLIONE

My lord, some strange.

Some singular mistake-misunderstanding-

Hath without doubt arisen: thou hast been urged

Thereby, in heat of anger, to address

Some words most unaccountable, in writing.

To me, Castiglione; the bearer being

Baldazzar, Duke of Surrey. I am aware

Of nothing which might warrant thee in this thing.

Having given thee no offence. Ha! -am I right?

'Twas a mistake?-undoubtedly-we all

Do err at times.

POLITIAN

Draw, villain, and prate no more!

CASTIGLIONE

Ha!-draw?-and villain? have at thee then at once,
Proud Earl! (Draws)

POLITIAN (drawing)
Thus to the expiatory tomb,
Untimely sepulchre, I do devote thee
In the name of Lalage!

CASTIGLIONE

(letting fall his sword and recoiling to

the extremity of the stage)

Of Lalage!

Hold off-thy sacred hand!-avaunt, I say!

Avaunt-I will not fight thee-indeed I dare not.

POLITIAN

Thou wilt not fight with me didst say. Sir Count?
Shall I be baffled thus?-now this is well;
Didst say thou darest not? Ha!

CASTIGLIONE

I dare not-dare not-

Hold off thy hand-with that beloved name

So fresh upon thy lips I will not fight thee-

I cannot-dare not.

POLITIAN

Now by my halidom

I do believe thee!-coward, I do believe thee!

CASTIGLIONE

Ha!-coward!-this may not be!

(Clutches his sword and staggers towards POLITIAN, but

his purpose is changed before reaching him, and he

falls upon his knee at the feet of the Earl)

Alas! my lord.

It is-it is-most true. In such a cause

I am the veriest coward. O pity me!

POLITIAN (greatly softened)
Alas!-I do-indeed I pity thee.

CASTIGLIONE

And Lalage-

POLITIAN

Scoundrell-arise and die!

CASTIGLIONE

It needeth not be-thus-thus-0 let me die
Thus on my bended knee. It were most fitting
That in this deep humiliation I perish.
For in the fight I will not raise a hand
Against thee, Earl of Leicester. Strike thou home-
(Baring his bosom)

Here is no let or hindrance to thy weapon-
Strike home. I will not fight thee.

POLITIAN

Now, s' Death and Hell!

Am I not-am I not sorely-grievously tempted

To take thee at thy word? But mark me, sir.

Think not to fly me thus. Do thou prepare

For public insult in the streets-before

The eyes of the citizens. I'll follow thee

Like an avenging spirit I'll follow thee

Even unto death. Before those whom thou lovest-

Before all Rome I'll taunt thee, villain,-ril taunt thee.

Dost hear? with cowardice-thou will not fight me?

Thou liest! thou shalt! (Exit)

CASTIGLIONE

Now this indeed is just!

Most righteous, and most just, avenging Heaven!

THE END

SERENADE

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

So sweet the hour, so calm the time,
I feel it more than half a crime.
When Nature sleeps and stars are mute.
To mar the silence ev'n with lute.
At rest on ocean's brilliant dyes
An image of Elysium lies:
Seven Pleiades entranced in Heaven,
Form in the deep another seven:
Endymion nodding from above
Sees in the sea a second love.
Within the valleys dim and brown.
And on the spectral mountain's crown.
The wearied light is dying down.
And earth, and stars, and sea, and sky
Are redolent of sleep, as I
Am redolent of thee and thine
Enthralling love, my Adeline.
But list, O list,-so soft and low
Thy lover's voice tonight shall flow.
That, scarce awake, thy soul shall deem
My words the music of a dream.
Thus, while no single sound too rude
Upon thy slumber shall intrude.
Our thoughts, our souls-0 God above!
In every deed shall mingle, love.

THE END

SHADOW-A PARABLE

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the Shadow:
Psalm of David.

YE who read are still among the living; but I who write shall have long since gone my
way into the region of shadows. For indeed strange things shall happen, and secret things
be known, and many centuries shall pass away, ere these memorials be seen of men. And,
when seen, there will be some to disbelieve, and some to doubt, and yet a few who will
find much to ponder upon in the characters here graven with a stylus of iron.

The year had been a year of terror, and of feelings more intense than terror for which
there is no name upon the earth. For many prodigies and signs had taken place, and far
and wide, over sea and land, the black wings of the Pestilence were spread abroad. To
those, nevertheless, cunning in the stars, it was not unknown that the heavens wore an
aspect of ill; and to me, the Greek Oinos, among others, it was evident that now had
arrived the alternation of that seven hundred and ninety-fourth year when, at the entrance
of Aries, the planet Jupiter is conjoined with the red ring of the terrible Satumus. The
peculiar spirit of the skies, if I mistake not greatly, made itself manifest, not only in the
physical orb of the earth, but in the souls, imaginations, and meditations of mankind.

Over some flasks of the red Chian wine, within the walls of a noble hall, in a dim city
called Ptolemais, we sat, at night, a company of seven. And to our chamber there was no
entrance save by a lofty door of brass: and the door was fashioned by the artisan
Corinnos, and, being of rare workmanship, was fastened from within. Black draperies,
hkewise, in the gloomy room, shut out from our view the moon, the lurid stars, and the
peopleless streets-but the boding and the memory of Evil they would not be so excluded.
There were things around us and about of which I can render no distinct account-things
material and spiritual-heaviness in the atmosphere-a sense of suffocation-anxiety-and,
above all, that terrible state of existence which the nervous experience when the senses
are keenly living and awake, and meanwhile the powers of thought lie dormant. A dead
weight hung upon us. It hung upon our limbs-upon the household fumiture-upon the
goblets from which we drank; and all things were depressed, and borne down thereby-all
things save only the flames of the seven lamps which illumined our revel. Uprearing
themselves in tall slender lines of light, they thus remained burning all pallid and
motionless; and in the mirror which their lustre formed upon the round table of ebony at
which we sat, each of us there assembled beheld the pallor of his own countenance, and
the unquiet glare in the downcast eyes of his companions. Yet we laughed and were
merry in our proper way-which was hysterical; and sang the songs of Anacreon-which
are madness; and drank deeply-although the purple wine reminded us of blood. For there

was yet another tenant of our chamber in the person of young Zoilus. Dead, and at full
length he lay, enshrouded; the genius and the demon of the scene. Alas! he bore no
portion in our mirth, save that his countenance, distorted with the plague, and his eyes, in
which Death had but half extinguished the fire of the pestilence, seemed to take such
interest in our merriment as the dead may haply take in the merriment of those who are to
die. But although I, Oinos, felt that the eyes of the departed were upon me, still I forced
myself not to perceive the bitterness of their expression, and gazing down steadily into
the depths of the ebony mirror, sang with a loud and sonorous voice the songs of the son
of Teios. But gradually my songs they ceased, and their echoes, rolling afar off among
the sable draperies of the chamber, became weak, and undistinguishable, and so faded
away. And lo! from among those sable draperies where the sounds of the song departed,
there came forth a dark and undefined shadow-a shadow such as the moon, when low in
heaven, might fashion from the figure of a man: but it was the shadow neither of man nor
of God, nor of any familiar thing. And quivering awhile among the draperies of the room,
it at length rested in full view upon the surface of the door of brass. But the shadow was
vague, and formless, and indefinite, and was the shadow neither of man nor of God-
neither God of Greece, nor God of Chaldaea, nor any Egyptian God. And the shadow
rested upon the brazen doorway, and under the arch of the entablature of the door, and
moved not, nor spoke any word, but there became stationary and remained. And the door
whereupon the shadow rested was, if I remember aright, over against the feet of the
young Zoilus enshrouded. But we, the seven there assembled, having seen the shadow as
it came out from among the draperies, dared not steadily behold it, but cast down our
eyes, and gazed continually into the depths of the mirror of ebony. And at length I, Oinos,
speaking some low words, demanded of the shadow its dwelling and its appellation. And
the shadow answered, "I am SHADOW, and my dwelling is near to the Catacombs of
Ptolemais, and hard by those dim plains of Helusion which border upon the foul
Charonian canal." And then did we, the seven, start from our seats in horror, and stand
trembling, and shuddering, and aghast, for the tones in the voice of the shadow were not
the tones of any one being, but of a multitude of beings, and, varying in their cadences
from syllable to syllable fell duskly upon our ears in the well-remembered and familiar
accents of many thousand departed friends.

THE END

SILENCE-A FABLE

by Edgar Allan Poe

1837

'Eudosin d'orheon korhuphai te kai pharhagges'

'Prhones te kai charhadrhai. ' ALCMAN. (60 (10), 646.) The mountain pinnacles slumber;

valleys, crags and caves are silent.

"LISTEN to me," said the Demon as he placed his hand upon my head. "The region of
which I speak is a dreary region in Libya, by the borders of the river Zaire. And there is
no quiet there, nor silence.

"The waters of the river have a saffron and sickly hue; and they flow not onwards to the
sea, but palpitate forever and forever beneath the red eye of the sun with a tumultuous
and convulsive motion. For many miles on either side of the river's oozy bed is a pale
desert of gigantic water-lilies. They sigh one unto the other in that solitude, and stretch
towards the heaven their long and ghastly necks, and nod to and fro their everlasting
heads. And there is an indistinct murmur which cometh out from among them like the
rushing of subterrene water. And they sigh one unto the other.

"But there is a boundary to their realm— the boundary of the dark, horrible, lofty forest.
There, like the waves about the Hebrides, the low underwood is agitated continually. But
there is no wind throughout the heaven. And the tall primeval trees rock eternally hither
and thither with a crashing and mighty sound. And from their high summits, one by one,
drop everlasting dews. And at the roots strange poisonous flowers lie writhing in
perturbed slumber. And overhead, with a rustling and loud noise, the gray clouds rush
westwardly forever, until they roll, a cataract, over the fiery wall of the horizon. But there
is no wind throughout the heaven. And by the shores of the river Zaire there is neither
quiet nor silence.

"It was night, and the rain fell; and falling, it was rain, but, having fAUan, it was blood.
And I stood in the morass among the tall and the rain fell upon my head —and the lilies
sighed one unto the other in the solemnity of their desolation.

"And, all at once, the moon arose through the thin ghastly mist, and was crimson in color.
And mine eyes fell upon a huge gray rock which stood by the shore of the river, and was
lighted by the light of the moon. And the rock was gray, and ghastly, and tall, -and the
rock was gray. Upon its front were characters engraven in the stone; and I walked
through the morass of water-lilies, until I came close unto the shore, that I might read the
characters upon the stone. But I could not decypher them. And I was going back into the
morass, when the moon shone with a fuller red, and I turned and looked again upon the
rock, and upon the characters;— and the characters were DESOLATION.

"And I looked upwards, and there stood a man upon the summit of the rock; and I hid
myself among the water-lilies that I might discover the actions of the man. And the man
was tall and stately in form, and was wrapped up from his shoulders to his feet in the toga
of old Rome. And the outlines of his figure were indistinct— but his features were the
features of a deity; for the mantle of the night, and of the mist, and of the moon, and of
the dew, had left uncovered the features of his face. And his brow was lofty with thought,
and his eye wild with care; and, in the few furrows upon his cheek I read the fables of
sorrow, and weariness, and disgust with mankind, and a longing after solitude.

"And the man sat upon the rock, and leaned his head upon his hand, and looked out upon
the desolation. He looked down into the low unquiet shrubbery, and up into the tall
primeval trees, and up higher at the rustling heaven, and into the crimson moon. And I
lay close within shelter of the lilies, and observed the actions of the man. And the man
trembled in the solitude; -but the night waned, and he sat upon the rock.

"And the man turned his attention from the heaven, and looked out upon the dreary river
Zaire, and upon the yellow ghastly waters, and upon the pale legions of the water-lilies.
And the man listened to the sighs of the water-lilies, and to the murmur that came up
from among them. And I lay close within my covert and observed the actions of the man.
And the man trembled in the solitude; —but the night waned and he sat upon the rock.

"Then I went down into the recesses of the morass, and waded afar in among the
wilderness of the lilies, and called unto the hippopotami which dwelt among the fens in
the recesses of the morass. And the hippopotami heard my call, and came, with the
behemoth, unto the foot of the rock, and roared loudly and fearfully beneath the moon.
And I lay close within my covert and observed the actions of the man. And the man
trembled in the solitude; -but the night waned and he sat upon the rock.

"Then I cursed the elements with the curse of tumult; and a frightful tempest gathered in
the heaven where, before, there had been no wind. And the heaven became livid with the
violence of the tempest —and the rain beat upon the head of the man —and the floods of
the river came down —and the river was tormented into foam —and the water-lilies
shrieked within their beds —and the forest crumbled before the wind —and the thunder
rolled -and the lightning fell —and the rock rocked to its foundation. And I lay close
within my covert and observed the actions of the man. And the man trembled in the
solitude; —but the night waned and he sat upon the rock.

"Then I grew angry and cursed, with the curse of silence, the river, and the lilies, and the
wind, and the forest, and the heaven, and the thunder, and the sighs of the water-lilies.
And they became accursed, and were still. And the moon ceased to totter up its pathway
to heaven —and the thunder died away -and the lightning did not flash -and the clouds
hung motionless —and the waters sunk to their level and remained —and the trees ceased
to rock —and the water-lilies sighed no more —and the murmur was heard no longer from
among them, nor any shadow of sound throughout the vast illimitable desert. And I
looked upon the characters of the rock, and they were changed; —and the characters were
SILENCE.

"And mine eyes fell upon the countenance of the man, and his countenance was wan with
terror. And, hurriedly, he raised his head from his hand, and stood forth upon the rock
and listened. But there was no voice throughout the vast illimitable desert, and the
characters upon the rock were SILENCE. And the man shuddered, and turned his face
away, and fled afar off, in haste, so that I beheld him no more."

Now there are fine tales in the volumes of the Magi —in the iron-bound, melancholy
volumes of the Magi. Therein, I say, are glorious histories of the Heaven, and of the
Earth, and of the mighty sea —and of the Genii that over-ruled the sea, and the earth, and
the lofty heaven. There was much lore too in the sayings which were said by the Sybils;
and holy, holy things were heard of old by the dim leaves that trembled around Dodona -
but, as Allah liveth, that fable which the Demon told me as he sat by my side in the
shadow of the tomb, I hold to be the most wonderful of all! And as the Demon made an
end of his story, he fell back within the cavity of the tomb and laughed. And I could not
laugh with the Demon, and he cursed me because I could not laugh. And the lynx which
dwelleth forever in the tomb, came out therefrom, and lay down at the feet of the Demon,
and looked at him steadily in the face.

THE END

SOME WORDS WITH A MUMMY

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

THE SYMPOSIUM of the preceding evening had been a little too much for my nerves. I
had a wretched headache, and was desperately drowsy. Instead of going out therefore to
spend the evening as I had proposed, it occurred to me that I could not do a wiser thing
than just eat a mouthful of supper and go immediately to bed.

A light supper of course. I am exceedingly fond of Welsh rabbit. More than a pound at
once, however, may not at all times be advisable. Still, there can be no material objection
to two. And really between two and three, there is merely a single unit of difference. I
ventured, perhaps, upon four. My wife will have it five;-but, clearly, she has confounded
two very distinct affairs. The abstract number, five, I am willing to admit; but, concretely,
it has reference to bottles of Brown Stout, without which, in the way of condiment, Welsh
rabbit is to be eschewed.

Having thus concluded a frugal meal, and donned my night-cap, with the serene hope of
enjoying it till noon the next day, I placed my head upon the pillow, and, through the aid
of a capital conscience, fell into a profound slumber forthwith.

But when were the hopes of humanity fulfilled? I could not have completed my third
snore when there came a furious ringing at the street-door bell, and then an impatient
thumping at the knocker, which awakened me at once. In a minute afterward, and while I
was still rubbing my eyes, my wife thrust in my face a note, from my old friend. Doctor
Ponnonner. It ran thus:

Come to me, by all means, my dear good friend, as soon as you receive this. Come and
help us to rejoice. At last, by long persevering diplomacy, I have gained the assent of the
Directors of the City Museum, to my examination of the Mummy-you know the one I
mean. I have permission to unswathe it and open it, if desirable. A few friends only will
be present-you, of course. The Mummy is now at my house, and we shall begin to unroll
it at eleven to-night.

Yours, ever, PONNONNER.

By the time I had reached the "Ponnonner," it struck me that I was as wide awake as a
man need be. I leaped out of bed in an ecstacy, overthrowing all in my way; dressed
myself with a rapidity truly marvellous; and set off, at the top of my speed, for the
doctor's.

There I found a very eager company assembled. They had been awaiting me with much
impatience; the Mummy was extended upon the dining-table; and the moment I entered
its examination was commenced.

It was one of a pair brought, several years previously, by Captain Arthur Sabretash, a
cousin of Ponnonner's from a tomb near Eleithias, in the Lybian mountains, a
considerable distance above Thebes on the Nile. The grottoes at this point, although less
magnificent than the Theban sepulchres, are of higher interest, on account of affording
more numerous illustrations of the private life of the Egyptians. The chamber from which
our specimen was taken, was said to be very rich in such illustrations; the walls being
completely covered with fresco paintings and bas-reliefs, while statues, vases, and
Mosaic work of rich patterns, indicated the vast wealth of the deceased.

The treasure had been deposited in the Museum precisely in the same condition in which
Captain Sabretash had found it;-that is to say, the coffin had not been disturbed. For eight
years it had thus stood, subject only externally to public inspection. We had now,
therefore, the complete Mummy at our disposal; and to those who are aware how very
rarely the unransacked antique reaches our shores, it will be evident, at once that we had
great reason to congratulate ourselves upon our good fortune.

Approaching the table, I saw on it a large box, or case, nearly seven feet long, and
perhaps three feet wide, by two feet and a half deep. It was oblong-not coffin- shaped.
The material was at first supposed to be the wood of the sycamore (platanus), but, upon
cutting into it, we found it to be pasteboard, or, more properly, papier mache, composed
of papyrus. It was thickly ornamented with paintings, representing funeral scenes, and
other mournful subjects- interspersed among which, in every variety of position, were
certain series of hieroglyphical characters, intended, no doubt, for the name of the
departed. By good luck, Mr. Gliddon formed one of our party; and he had no difficulty in
translating the letters, which were simply phonetic, and represented the word
AUamistakeo.

We had some difficulty in getting this case open without injury; but having at length
accomplished the task, we came to a second, coffin- shaped, and very considerably less in
size than the exterior one, but resembling it precisely in every other respect. The interval
between the two was filled with resin, which had, in some degree, defaced the colors of
the interior box.

Upon opening this latter (which we did quite easily), we arrived at a third case, also
coffin- shaped, and varying from the second one in no particular, except in that of its
material, which was cedar, and still emitted the peculiar and highly aromatic odor of that
wood. Between the second and the third case there was no interval-the one fitting
accurately within the other.

Removing the third case, we discovered and took out the body itself. We had expected to
find it, as usual, enveloped in frequent rolls, or bandages, of linen; but, in place of these,
we found a sort of sheath, made of papyrus, and coated with a layer of plaster, thickly gilt

and painted. The paintings represented subjects connected with the various supposed
duties of the soul, and its presentation to different divinities, with numerous identical
human figures, intended, very probably, as portraits of the persons embalmed. Extending
from head to foot was a columnar, or perpendicular, inscription, in phonetic
hieroglyphics, giving again his name and titles, and the names and titles of his relations.

Around the neck thus ensheathed, was a collar of cylindrical glass beads, diverse in color,
and so arranged as to form images of deities, of the scarabaeus, etc, with the winged
globe. Around the small of the waist was a similar collar or belt.

Stripping off the papyrus, we found the flesh in excellent preservation, with no
perceptible odor. The color was reddish. The skin was hard, smooth, and glossy. The
teeth and hair were in good condition. The eyes (it seemed) had been removed, and glass
ones substituted, which were very beautiful and wonderfully life-like, with the exception
of somewhat too determined a stare. The fingers and the nails were brilliantly gilded.

Mr. Gliddon was of opinion, from the redness of the epidermis, that the embalmment had
been effected altogether by asphaltum; but, on scraping the surface with a steel
instrument, and throwing into the fire some of the powder thus obtained, the flavor of
camphor and other sweet-scented gums became apparent.

We searched the corpse very carefully for the usual openings through which the entrails
are extracted, but, to our surprise, we could discover none. No member of the party was
at that period aware that entire or unopened mummies are not infrequently met. The brain
it was customary to withdraw through the nose; the intestines through an incision in the
side; the body was then shaved, washed, and salted; then laid aside for several weeks,
when the operation of embalming, properly so called, began.

As no trace of an opening could be found. Doctor Ponnonner was preparing his
instruments for dissection, when I observed that it was then past two o'clock. Hereupon it
was agreed to postpone the internal examination until the next evening; and we were
about to separate for the present, when some one suggested an experiment or two with the
Voltaic pile.

The application of electricity to a mummy three or four thousand years old at the least,
was an idea, if not very sage, still sufficiently original, and we all caught it at once. About
one-tenth in earnest and nine-tenths in jest, we arranged a battery in the Doctor's study,
and conveyed thither the Egyptian.

It was only after much trouble that we succeeded in laying bare some portions of the
temporal muscle which appeared of less stony rigidity than other parts of the frame, but
which, as we had anticipated, of course, gave no indication of galvanic susceptibility
when brought in contact with the wire. This, the first trial, indeed, seemed decisive, and,
with a hearty laugh at our own absurdity, we were bidding each other good night, when
my eyes, happening to fall upon those of the Mummy, were there immediately riveted in
amazement. My brief glance, in fact, had sufficed to assure me that the orbs which we

had all supposed to be glass, and which were originally noticeable for a certain wild stare,
were now so far covered by the lids, that only a small portion of the tunica albuginea
remained visible.

With a shout I called attention to the fact, and it became immediately obvious to all.

I cannot say that I was alarmed at the phenomenon, because "alarmed" is, in my case, not
exactly the word. It is possible, however, that, but for the Brown Stout, I might have been
a little nervous. As for the rest of the company, they really made no attempt at concealing
the downright fright which possessed them. Doctor Ponnonner was a man to be pitied.
Mr. Gliddon, by some peculiar process, rendered himself invisible. Mr. Silk Buckingham,
I fancy, will scarcely be so bold as to deny that he made his way, upon all fours, under
the table.

After the first shock of astonishment, however, we resolved, as a matter of course, upon
further experiment forthwith. Our operations were now directed against the great toe of
the right foot. We made an incision over the outside of the exterior os sesamoideum
poUicis pedis, and thus got at the root of the abductor muscle. Readjusting the battery, we
now applied the fluid to the bisected nerves-when, with a movement of exceeding life-
likeness, the Mummy first drew up its right knee so as to bring it nearly in contact with
the abdomen, and then, straightening the limb with inconceivable force, bestowed a kick
upon Doctor Ponnonner, which had the effect of discharging that gentleman, like an
arrow from a catapult, through a window into the street below.

We rushed out en masse to bring in the mangled remains of the victim, but had the
happiness to meet him upon the staircase, coming up in an unaccountable hurry, brimful
of the most ardent philosophy, and more than ever impressed with the necessity of
prosecuting our experiment with vigor and with zeal.

It was by his advice, accordingly, that we made, upon the spot, a profound incision into
the tip of the subject's nose, while the Doctor himself, laying violent hands upon it, pulled
it into vehement contact with the wire.

Morally and physically-figuratively and literally-was the effect electric. In the first
place, the corpse opened its eyes and winked very rapidly for several minutes, as does
Mr. Barnes in the pantomime, in the second place, it sneezed; in the third, it sat upon end;
in the fourth, it shook its fist in Doctor Ponnonner's face; in the fifth, turning to Messieurs
Gliddon and Buckingham, it addressed them, in very capital Egyptian, thus:

"I must say, gentlemen, that I am as much surprised as I am mortified at your behaviour.
Of Doctor Ponnonner nothing better was to be expected. He is a poor little fat fool who
knows no better. I pity and forgive him. But you, Mr. Gliddon-and you, Silk-who have
travelled and resided in Egypt until one might imagine you to the manner born-you, I say
who have been so much among us that you speak Egyptian fully as well, I think, as you
write your mother tongue-you, whom I have always been led to regard as the firm friend
of the mummies-I really did anticipate more gentlemanly conduct from you. What am I

to think of your standing quietly by and seeing me thus unhandsomely used? What am I
to suppose by your permitting Tom, Dick, and Harry to strip me of my coffins, and my
clothes, in this wretchedly cold climate? In what light (to come to the point) am I to
regard your aiding and abetting that miserable little villain. Doctor Ponnonner, in pulling
me by the nose?"

It will be taken for granted, no doubt, that upon hearing this speech under the
circumstances, we all either made for the door, or fell into violent hysterics, or went off
in a general swoon. One of these three things was, I say, to be expected. Indeed each and
all of these lines of conduct might have been very plausibly pursued. And, upon my
word, I am at a loss to know how or why it was that we pursued neither the one nor the
other. But, perhaps, the true reason is to be sought in the spirit of the age, which proceeds
by the rule of contraries altogether, and is now usually admitted as the solution of every
thing in the way of paradox and impossibility. Or, perhaps, after all, it was only the
Mummy's exceedingly natural and matter-of-course air that divested his words of the
terrible. However this may be, the facts are clear, and no member of our party betrayed
any very particular trepidation, or seemed to consider that any thing had gone very
especially wrong.

For my part I was convinced it was all right, and merely stepped aside, out of the range of
the Egyptian's fist. Doctor Ponnonner thrust his hands into his breeches' pockets, looked
hard at the Mummy, and grew excessively red in the face. Mr. Glidden stroked his
whiskers and drew up the collar of his shirt. Mr. Buckingham hung down his head, and
put his right thumb into the left corner of his mouth.

The Egyptian regarded him with a severe countenance for some minutes and at length,
with a sneer, said:

"Why don't you speak, Mr. Buckingham? Did you hear what I asked you, or not? Do take
your thumb out of your mouth!"

Mr. Buckingham, hereupon, gave a slight start, took his right thumb out of the left comer
of his mouth, and, by way of indemnification inserted his left thumb in the right corner of
the aperture above-mentioned.

Not being able to get an answer from Mr. B., the figure turned peevishly to Mr. Gliddon,
and, in a peremptory tone, demanded in general terms what we all meant.

Mr. Gliddon replied at great length, in phonetics; and but for the deficiency of American
printing-offices in hieroglyphic al type, it would afford me much pleasure to record here,
in the original, the whole of his very excellent speech.

I may as well take this occasion to remark, that all the subsequent conversation in which
the Mummy took a part, was carried on in primitive Egyptian, through the medium (so
far as concerned myself and other untravelled members of the company )-through the
medium, I say, of Messieurs Gliddon and Buckingham, as interpreters. These gentlemen

spoke the mother tongue of the Mummy with inimitable fluency and grace; but I could
not help observing that (owing, no doubt, to the introduction of images entirely modern,
and, of course, entirely novel to the stranger) the two travellers were reduced,
occasionally, to the employment of sensible forms for the purpose of conveying a
particular meaning. Mr. Gliddon, at one period, for example, could not make the
Egyptian comprehend the term "politics," until he sketched upon the wall, with a bit of
charcoal a little carbuncle-nosed gentleman, out at elbows, standing upon a stump, with
his left leg drawn back, right arm thrown forward, with his fist shut, the eyes rolled up
toward Heaven, and the mouth open at an angle of ninety degrees. Just in the same way
Mr. Buckingham failed to convey the absolutely modern idea "wig," until (at Doctor
Ponnonner's suggestion) he grew very pale in the face, and consented to take off his own.

It will be readily understood that Mr. Gliddon's discourse turned chiefly upon the vast
benefits accruing to science from the unrolling and disembowelling of mummies;
apologizing, upon this score, for any disturbance that might have been occasioned him, in
particular, the individual Mummy called AUamistakeo; and concluding with a mere hint
(for it could scarcely be considered more) that, as these little matters were now explained,
it might be as well to proceed with the investigation intended. Here Doctor Ponnonner
made ready his instruments.

In regard to the latter suggestions of the orator, it appears that AUamistakeo had certain
scruples of conscience, the nature of which I did not distinctly learn; but he expressed
himself satisfied with the apologies tendered, and, getting down from the table, shook
hands with the company all round.

When this ceremony was at an end, we immediately busied ourselves in repairing the
damages which our subject had sustained from the scalpel. We sewed up the wound in his
temple, bandaged his foot, and applied a square inch of black plaster to the tip of his
nose.

It was now observed that the Count (this was the title, it seems, of AUamistakeo) had a
slight fit of shivering-no doubt from the cold. The Doctor immediately repaired to his
wardrobe, and soon returned with a black dress coat, made in Jennings' best manner, a
pair of sky-blue plaid pantaloons with straps, a pink gingham chemise, a flapped vest of
brocade, a white sack overcoat, a walking cane with a hook, a hat with no brim, patent-
leather boots, straw-colored kid gloves, an eye-glass, a pair of whiskers, and a waterfall
cravat. Owing to the disparity of size between the Count and the doctor (the proportion
being as two to one), there was some little difficulty in adjusting these habiliments upon
the person of the Egyptian; but when all was arranged, he might have been said to be
dressed. Mr. Gliddon, therefore, gave him his arm, and led him to a comfortable chair by
the fire, while the Doctor rang the bell upon the spot and ordered a supply of cigars and
wine.

The conversation soon grew animated. Much curiosity was, of course, expressed in
regard to the somewhat remarkable fact of AUamistakeo's still remaining alive.

"I should have thought," observed Mr. Buckingham, "that it is high time you were dead."

"Why," replied the Count, very much astonished, "I am little more than seven hundred
years old! My father lived a thousand, and was by no means in his dotage when he died."

Here ensued a brisk series of questions and computations, by means of which it became
evident that the antiquity of the Mummy had been grossly misjudged. It had been five
thousand and fifty years and some months since he had been consigned to the catacombs
at Eleithias.

"But my remark," resumed Mr. Buckingham, "had no reference to your age at the period
of interment (I am willing to grant, in fact, that you are still a young man), and my
illusion was to the immensity of time during which, by your own showing, you must have
been done up in asphaltum."

"In what?" said the Count.

"In asphaltum," persisted Mr. B.

"Ah, yes; I have some faint notion of what you mean; it might be made to answer, no
doubt-but in my time we employed scarcely any thing else than the Bichloride of
Mercury."

"But what we are especially at a loss to understand," said Doctor Ponnonner, "is how it
happens that, having been dead and buried in Egypt five thousand years ago, you are here
to-day all ahve and looking so delightfully well."

"Had I been, as you say, dead," replied the Count, "it is more than probable that dead, I
should still be; for I perceive you are yet in the infancy of Calvanism, and cannot
accomplish with it what was a common thing among us in the old days. But the fact is, I
fell into catalepsy, and it was considered by my best friends that I was either dead or
should be; they accordingly embalmed me at once-I presume you are aware of the chief
principle of the embalming process?"

"Why not altogether."

"Why, I perceive-a deplorable condition of ignorance! Well I cannot enter into details
just now: but it is necessary to explain that to embalm (properly speaking), in Egypt, was
to arrest indefinitely all the animal functions subjected to the process. I use the word
'animal' in its widest sense, as including the physical not more than the moral and vital
being. I repeat that the leading principle of embalmment consisted, with us, in the
immediately arresting, and holding in perpetual abeyance, all the animal functions
subjected to the process. To be brief, in whatever condition the individual was, at the
period of embalmment, in that condition he remained. Now, as it is my good fortune to be
of the blood of the Scarabaeus, I was embalmed alive, as you see me at present."

"The blood of the Scarabaeus!" exclaimed Doctor Ponnonner.

"Yes. The Scarabaeus was the insignium or the 'arms,' of a very distinguished and very
rare patrician family. To be 'of the blood of the Scarabaeus,' is merely to be one of that
family of which the Scarabaeus is the insignium. I speak figuratively."

"But what has this to do with you being alive?"

"Why, it is the general custom in Egypt to deprive a corpse, before embalmment, of its
bowels and brains; the race of the Scarabaei alone did not coincide with the custom. Had
I not been a Scarabeus, therefore, I should have been without bowels and brains; and
without either it is inconvenient to live."

"I perceive that," said Mr. Buckingham, "and I presume that all the entire mummies that
come to hand are of the race of Scarabaei."

"Beyond doubt."

"I thought," said Mr. Gliddon, very meekly, "that the Scarabaeus was one of the Egyptian
gods."

"One of the Egyptian what?" exclaimed the Mummy, starting to its feet.

"Gods!" repeated the traveller.

"Mr. Gliddon, I really am astonished to hear you talk in this style," said the Count,
resuming his chair. "No nation upon the face of the earth has ever acknowledged more
than one god. The Scarabaeus, the Ibis, etc., were with us (as similar creatures have been
with others) the symbols, or media, through which we offered worship to the Creator too
august to be more directly approached."

There was here a pause. At length the colloquy was renewed by Doctor Ponnonner.

"It is not improbable, then, from what you have explained," said he, "that among the
catacombs near the Nile there may exist other mummies of the Scarabaeus tribe, in a
condition of vitality?"

"There can be no question of it," replied the Count; "all the Scarabaei embalmed
accidentally while alive, are alive now. Even some of those purposely so embalmed, may
have been overlooked by their executors, and still remain in the tomb."

"Will you be kind enough to explain," I said, "what you mean by 'purposely so
embalmed'?"

"With great pleasure!" answered the Mummy, after surveying me leisurely through his
eye-glass-for it was the first time I had ventured to address him a direct question.

"With great pleasure," he said. "The usual duration of man's life, in my time, was about
eight hundred years. Few men died, unless by most extraordinary accident, before the age
of six hundred; few lived longer than a decade of centuries; but eight were considered the
natural term. After the discovery of the embalming principle, as I have already described
it to you, it occurred to our philosophers that a laudable curiosity might be gratified, and,
at the same time, the interests of science much advanced, by living this natural term in
installments. In the case of history, indeed, experience demonstrated that something of
this kind was indispensable. An historian, for example, having attained the age of five
hundred, would write a book with great labor and then get himself carefully embalmed;
leaving instructions to his executors pro tem., that they should cause him to be revivified
after the lapse of a certain period-say five or six hundred years. Resuming existence at
the expiration of this time, he would invariably find his great work converted into a
species of hap-hazard note-book-that is to say, into a kind of literary arena for the
conflicting guesses, riddles, and personal squabbles of whole herds of exasperated
commentators. These guesses, etc., which passed under the name of annotations, or
emendations, were found so completely to have enveloped, distorted, and overwhelmed
the text, that the author had to go about with a lantern to discover his own book. When
discovered, it was never worth the trouble of the search. After re-writing it throughout, it
was regarded as the bounden duty of the historian to set himself to work immediately in
correcting, from his own private knowledge and experience, the traditions of the day
concerning the epoch at which he had originally lived. Now this process of re-scription
and personal rectification, pursued by various individual sages from time to time, had the
effect of preventing our history from degenerating into absolute fable."

"I beg your pardon," said Doctor Ponnonner at this point, laying his hand gently upon the
arm of the Egyptian-"! beg your pardon, sir, but may I presume to interrupt you for one
moment?"

"By all means, sir," replied the Count, drawing up.

"I merely wished to ask you a question," said the Doctor. "You mentioned the historian's
personal correction of traditions respecting his own epoch. Pray, sir, upon an average
what proportion of these Kabbala were usually found to be right?"

"The Kabbala, as you properly term them, sir, were generally discovered to be precisely
on a par with the facts recorded in the un-re- written histories themselves;-that is to say,
not one individual iota of either was ever known, under any circumstances, to be not
totally and radically wrong."

"But since it is quite clear," resumed the Doctor, "that at least five thousand years have
elapsed since your entombment, I take it for granted that your histories at that period, if
not your traditions were sufficiently explicit on that one topic of universal interest, the
Creation, which took place, as I presume you are aware, only about ten centuries before."

"Sir!" said the Count AUamistakeo.

The Doctor repeated his remarks, but it was only after much additional explanation that
the foreigner could be made to comprehend them. The latter at length said, hesitatingly:

"The ideas you have suggested are to me, I confess, utterly novel. During my time I never
knew any one to entertain so singular a fancy as that the universe (or this world if you
will have it so) ever had a beginning at all. I remember once, and once only, hearing
something remotely hinted, by a man of many speculations, concerning the origin of the
human race; and by this individual, the very word Adam (or Red Earth), which you make
use of, was employed. He employed it, however, in a generical sense, with reference to
the spontaneous germination from rank soil (just as a thousand of the lower genera of
creatures are germinated)-the spontaneous germination, I say, of five vast hordes of men,
simultaneously upspringing in five distinct and nearly equal divisions of the globe."

Here, in general, the company shrugged their shoulders, and one or two of us touched our
foreheads with a very significant air. Mr. Silk Buckingham, first glancing slightly at the
occiput and then at the sinciput of AUamistakeo, spoke as follows:

"The long duration of human life in your time, together with the occasional practice of
passing it, as you have explained, in installments, must have had, indeed, a strong
tendency to the general development and conglomeration of knowledge. I presume,
therefore, that we are to attribute the marked inferiority of the old Egyptians in all
particulars of science, when compared with the modems, and more especially with the
Yankees, altogether to the superior solidity of the Egyptian skull."

"I confess again," replied the Count, with much suavity, "that I am somewhat at a loss to
comprehend you; pray, to what particulars of science do you allude?"

Here our whole party, joining voices, detailed, at great length, the assumptions of
phrenology and the marvels of animal magnetism.

Having heard us to an end, the Count proceeded to relate a few anecdotes, which
rendered it evident that prototypes of Gall and Spurzheim had flourished and faded in
Egypt so long ago as to have been nearly forgotten, and that the manoeuvres of Mesmer
were really very contemptible tricks when put in collation with the positive miracles of
the Theban savans, who created lice and a great many other similar things.

I here asked the Count if his people were able to calculate eclipses. He smiled rather
contemptuously, and said they were.

This put me a little out, but I began to make other inquiries in regard to his astronomical
knowledge, when a member of the company, who had never as yet opened his mouth,
whispered in my ear, that for information on this head, I had better consult Ptolemy
(whoever Ptolemy is), as well as one Plutarch de facie lunae.

I then questioned the Mummy about burning-glasses and lenses, and, in general, about
the manufacture of glass; but I had not made an end of my queries before the silent

member again touched me quietly on the elbow, and begged me for God's sake to take a
peep at Diodorus Siculus. As for the Count, he merely asked me, in the way of reply, if
we moderns possessed any such microscopes as would enable us to cut cameos in the
style of the Egyptians. While I was thinking how I should answer this question, little
Doctor Ponnonner committed himself in a very extraordinary way.

"Look at our architecture!" he exclaimed, greatly to the indignation of both the travellers,
who pinched him black and blue to no purpose.

"Look," he cried with enthusiasm, "at the Bowling-Green Fountain in New York! or if
this be too vast a contemplation, regard for a moment the Capitol at Washington, D. C.!"-
and the good little medical man went on to detail very minutely, the proportions of the
fabric to which he referred. He explained that the portico alone was adorned with no less
than four and twenty columns, five feet in diameter, and ten feet apart.

The Count said that he regretted not being able to remember, just at that moment, the
precise dimensions of any one of the principal buildings of the city of Aznac, whose
foundations were laid in the night of Time, but the ruins of which were still standing, at
the epoch of his entombment, in a vast plain of sand to the westward of Thebes. He
recollected, however, (talking of the porticoes,) that one affixed to an inferior palace in a
kind of suburb called Carnac, consisted of a hundred and forty-four columns, thirty-seven
feet in circumference, and twenty-five feet apart. The approach to this portico, from the
Nile, was through an avenue two miles long, composed of sphynxes, statues, and
obelisks, twenty, sixty, and a hundred feet in height. The palace itself (as well as he could
remember) was, in one direction, two miles long, and might have been altogether about
seven in circuit. Its walls were richly painted all over, within and without, with
hieroglyphics. He would not pretend to assert that even fifty or sixty of the Doctor's
Capitols might have been built within these walls, but he was by no means sure that two
or three hundred of them might not have been squeezed in with some trouble. That palace
at Carnac was an insignificant little building after all. He (the Count), however, could not
conscientiously refuse to admit the ingenuity, magnificence, and superiority of the
Fountain at the Bowling Green, as described by the Doctor. Nothing like it, he was forced
to allow, had ever been seen in Egypt or elsewhere.

I here asked the Count what he had to say to our railroads.

"Nothing," he replied, "in particular." They were rather slight, rather ill-conceived, and
clumsily put together. They could not be compared, of course, with the vast, level, direct,
iron-grooved causeways upon which the Egyptians conveyed entire temples and solid
obelisks of a hundred and fifty feet in altitude.

I spoke of our gigantic mechanical forces.

He agreed that we knew something in that way, but inquired how I should have gone to
work in getting up the imposts on the lintels of even the little palace at Carnac.

This question I concluded not to hear, and demanded if he had any idea of Artesian wells;
but he simply raised his eyebrows; while Mr. Gliddon winked at me very hard and said,
in a low tone, that one had been recently discovered by the engineers employed to bore
for water in the Great Oasis.

I then mentioned our steel; but the foreigner elevated his nose, and asked me if our steel
could have executed the sharp carved work seen on the obelisks, and which was wrought
altogether by edge-tools of copper.

This disconcerted us so greatly that we thought it advisable to vary the attack to
Metaphysics. We sent for a copy of a book called the "Dial," and read out of it a chapter
or two about something that is not very clear, but which the Bostonians call the Great
Movement of Progress.

The Count merely said that Great Movements were awfully common things in his day,
and as for Progress, it was at one time quite a nuisance, but it never progressed.

We then spoke of the great beauty and importance of Democracy, and were at much
trouble in impressing the Count with a due sense of the advantages we enjoyed in living
where there was suffrage ad libitum, and no king.

He listened with marked interest, and in fact seemed not a little amused. When we had
done, he said that, a great while ago, there had occurred something of a very similar sort.
Thirteen Egyptian provinces determined all at once to be free, and to set a magnificent
example to the rest of mankind. They assembled their wise men, and concocted the most
ingenious constitution it is possible to conceive. For a while they managed remarkably
well; only their habit of bragging was prodigious. The thing ended, however, in the
consolidation of the thirteen states, with some fifteen or twenty others, in the most odious
and insupportable despotism that was ever heard of upon the face of the Earth.

I asked what was the name of the usurping tyrant.

As well as the Count could recollect, it was Mob.

Not knowing what to say to this, I raised my voice, and deplored the Egyptian ignorance
of steam.

The Count looked at me with much astonishment, but made no answer. The silent
gentleman, however, gave me a violent nudge in the ribs with his elbows-told me I had
sufficiently exposed myself for once- and demanded if I was really such a fool as not to
know that the modern steam-engine is derived from the invention of Hero, through
Solomon de Caus.

We were now in imminent danger of being discomfited; but, as good luck would have it.
Doctor Ponnonner, having rallied, returned to our rescue, and inquired if the people of

Egypt would seriously pretend to rival the modems in the all-important particular of
dress.

The Count, at this, glanced downward to the straps of his pantaloons, and then taking
hold of the end of one of his coat-tails, held it up close to his eyes for some minutes.
Letting it fall, at last, his mouth extended itself very gradually from ear to ear; but I do
not remember that he said any thing in the way of reply.

Hereupon we recovered our spirits, and the Doctor, approaching the Mummy with great
dignity, desired it to say candidly, upon its honor as a gentleman, if the Egyptians had
comprehended, at any period, the manufacture of either Ponnonner's lozenges or
Brandreth's pills.

We looked, with profound anxiety, for an answer-but in vain. It was not forthcoming.
The Egyptian blushed and hung down his head. Never was triumph more consummate;
never was defeat borne with so ill a grace. Indeed, I could not endure the spectacle of the
poor Mummy's mortification. I reached my hat, bowed to him stiffly, and took leave.

Upon getting home I found it past four o'clock, and went immediately to bed. It is now
ten A.M. I have been up since seven, penning these memoranda for the benefit of my
family and of mankind. The former I shall behold no more. My wife is a shrew. The truth
is, I am heartily sick of this life and of the nineteenth century in general. I am convinced
that every thing is going wrong. Besides, I am anxious to know who will be President in
2045. As soon, therefore, as I shave and swallow a cup of coffee, I shall just step over to
Ponnonner's and get embalmed for a couple of hundred years.

THE END

SONG

by Edgar Allan Poe

1827

I saw thee on thy bridal day-
When a burning blush came o'er thee,
Though happiness around thee lay,
The world all love before thee:

And in thine eye a kindling light
(Whatever it might be)
Was all on Earth my aching sight
Of Loveliness could see.

That blush, perhaps, was maiden shame-
As such it well may pass-
Though its glow hath raised a fiercer flame
In the breast of him, alas!

Who saw thee on that bridal day.

When that deep blush would come o'er thee.

Though happiness around thee lay;

The world all love before thee.

THE END

SONNET-TO ZANTE

by Edgar Allan Poe

1837

Fair isle, that from the fairest of all flowers,

Thy gentlest of all gentle names dost take!

How many memories of what radiant hours

At sight of thee and thine at once awake!

How many scenes of what departed bliss!

How many thoughts of what entombed hopes!

How many visions of a maiden that is

No more-no more upon thy verdant slopes!

No more! alas, that magical sad sound

Transforming all! Thy charms shall please no more-

Thy memory no more! Accursed ground

Henceforth I hold thy flower-enameled shore,

O hyacinthine isle! O purple Zante!

"Isola d'oro! Fior di Levante!"

THE END

SONNET-SILENCE

by Edgar Allan Poe

1840

There are some qualities-some incorporate things,
That have a double life, which thus is made
A type of that twin entity which springs
From matter and light, evinced in solid and shade.
There is a two-fold Silence-sea and shore-
Body and soul. One dwells in lonely places.
Newly with grass o'ergrown; some solemn graces.
Some human memories and tearful lore.
Render him terrorless: his name's "No More."
He is the corporate Silence: dread him not!
No power hath he of evil in himself;
But should some urgent fate (untimely lot!)
Bring thee to meet his shadow (nameless elf.
That haunteth the lone regions where hath trod
No foot of man,) commend thyself to God!

THE END

SONNET-TO SCIENCE

by Edgar Allan Poe

1829

Science! true daughter of Old Time thou art!
Who alterest all things with thy peering eyes.
Why preyest thou thus upon the poet's heart,
Vulture, whose wings are dull realities?
How should he love thee? or how deem thee wise.
Who wouldst not leave him in his wandering
To seek for treasure in the jewelled skies.
Albeit he soared with an undaunted wing?
Hast thou not dragged Diana from her car?
And driven the Hamadryad from the wood
To seek a shelter in some happier star?
Hast thou not torn the Naiad from her flood.
The Elfin from the green grass, and from me
The summer dream beneath the tamarind tree?

THE END

SPIRITS OF THE DEAD

by Edgar Allan Poe

1827

Thy soul shall find itself alone

'Mid dark thoughts of the grey tomb-stone;

Not one, of all the crowd, to pry

Into thine hour of secrecy.

Be silent in that solitude.
Which is not loneliness-for then
The spirits of the dead, who stood
In life before thee, are again
In death around thee, and their will
Shall overshadow thee; be still.

The night, though clear, shall frown.
And the stars shall not look down
From their high thrones in the Heaven
With light like hope to mortals given.
But their red orbs, without beam,
To thy weariness shall seem
As a burning and a fever
Which would cling to thee for ever.

Now are thoughts thou shalt not banish.
Now are visions ne'er to vanish;
From thy spirit shall they pass
No more, like dew-drop from the grass.

The breeze, the breath of God, is still.
And the mist upon the hill
Shadowy, shadowy, yet unbroken.
Is a symbol and a token.
How it hangs upon the trees,
A mystery of mysteries!

THE END

STANZAS

by Edgar Allan Poe

1827

How often we forget all time, when lone

Admiring Nature's universal throne;

Her woods-her wilds-her mountains-the intense

Reply of HERS to OUR intelligence! [BYRON, The Island.]

I

In youth have I known one with whom the Earth
In secret communing held-as he with it,
In daylight, and in beauty from his birth:
Whose fervid, flickering torch of life was lit
From the sun and stars, whence he had drawn forth
A passionate light-such for his spirit was fit-
And yet that spirit knew not, in the hour
Of its own fervor what had o'er it power.

II

Perhaps it may be that my mind is wrought
To a fever by the moonbeam that hangs o'er.
But I will half believe that wild light fraught
With more of sovereignty than ancient lore
Hath ever told-or is it of a thought
The unembodied essence, and no more.
That with a quickening spell doth o'er us pass
As dew of the night-time o'er the summer grass?

Ill

Doth o'er us pass, when, as th' expanding eye
To the loved object-so the tear to the lid
Will start, which lately slept in apathy?
And yet it need not be-(that object) hid
From us in life-but common-which doth lie
Each hour before us-but then only, bid
With a strange sound, as of a harp- string broken.
To awake us-'Tis a symbol and a token

IV

Of what in other worlds shall be-and given
In beauty by our God, to those alone
Who otherwise would fall from life and Heaven
Drawn by their heart's passion, and that tone.
That high tone of the spirit which hath striven,
Tho' not with Faith-with godliness-whose throne
With desperate energy 't hath beaten down;
Wearing its own deep feeling as a crown.

THE END

TALE OF JERUSALEM

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

Intensos rigidam in frontem ascendere canos

Passus erat

Lucan

—a bristly bore.
Translation

"LET us hurry to the walls," said Abel-Phittim to Buzi-Ben-Levi and Simeon the
Pharisee, on the tenth day of the month Thammuz, in the year of the world three thousand
nine hundred and forty-one-"let us hasten to the ramparts adjoining the gate of Benjamin,
which is in the city of David, and overlooking the camp of the uncircumcised; for it is the
last hour of the fourth watch, being sunrise; and the idolaters, in fulfilment of the promise
of Pompey, should be awaiting us with the lambs for the sacrifices."

Simeon, Abel-Phittim, and Buzi-Ben-Levi, were the Gizbarim, or sub-collectors of the
offering, in the holy city of Jerusalem.

"Verily," replied the Pharisee, "let us hasten: for this generosity in the heathen is
unwonted; and fickle-mindedness has ever been an attribute of the worshippers of Baal."

"That they are fickle-minded and treacherous is as true as the Pentateuch," said Buzi-
Ben-Levi, "but that is only towards the people of Adonai. When was it ever known that
the Ammonites proved wanting to their own interests? Methinks it is no great stretch of
generosity to allow us lambs for the altar of the Lord, receiving in lieu thereof thirty
silver shekels per head!"

"Thou forgettest, however, Ben-Levi," replied Abel-Phittim, "that the Roman Pompey,
who is now impiously besieging the city of the Most High, has no assurity that we apply
not the lambs thus purchased for the altar, to the sustenance of the body, rather than of
the spirit."

"Now, by the five corners of my beard!" shouted the Pharisee, who belonged to the sect
called The Dashers (that little knot of saints whose manner of dashing and lacerating the
feet against the pavement was long a thorn and a reproach to less zealous devotees-a
stumbling-block to less gifted perambulators)-"by the five corners of that beard which, as
a priest, I am forbidden to shave !-have we Uved to see the day when a blaspheming and
idolatrous upstart of Rome shall accuse us of appropriating to the appetites of the flesh
the most holy and consecrated elements? Have we lived to see the day when-"

"Let us not question the motives of the Philistine," interrupted Abel-Phittim, "for to-day
we profit for the first time by his avarice or by his generosity, but rather let us hurry to
the ramparts, lest offerings should be wanting for that altar whose fire the rains of heaven
cannot extinguish, and whose pillars of smoke no tempest can turn aside."

That part of the city to which our worthy Gizbarin now hastened, and which bore the
name of its architect. King David, was esteemed the most strongly fortified district of
Jerusalem; being situated upon the steep and lofty hill of Zion. Here, a broad, deep,
circumvallatory trench, hewn from the solid rock, was defended by a wall of great
strength erected upon its inner edge. This wall was adorned, at regular interspaces, by
square towers of white marble; the lowest sixty, and the highest one hundred and twenty
cubits in height. But, in the vicinity of the gate of Benjamin, the wall arose by no means
from the margin of the fosse. On the contrary, between the level of the ditch and the
basement of the rampart, sprang up a perpendicular cliff of two hundred and fifty cubits,
forming part of the precipitous Mount Moriah. So that when Simeon and his associates
arrived on the summit of the tower called Adoni-Bezek-the loftiest of all the turrets
around about Jerusalem, and the usual place of conference with the besieging army-they
looked down upon the camp of the enemy from an eminence excelling by many feet that
of the Pyramid of Cheops, and, by several, that of the temple of Belus.

"Verily," sighed the Pharisee, as he peered dizzly over the precipice, "the uncircumcised
are as the sands by the seashore-as the locusts in the wilderness! The valley of The King
hath become the valley of Adommin."

"And yet," added Ben-Levi, "thou canst not point me out a Philistine-no, not one-from
Aleph to Tau-from the wilderness to the battlements-who seemeth any bigger than the
letter Jod!"

"Lower away the basket with the shekels of silver!" here shouted a Roman soldier in a
hoarse, rough voice, which appeared to issue from the regions of Pluto-"lower away the
basket with the accursed coin which it has broken the jaw of a noble Roman to
pronounce! Is it thus you evince your gratitude to our master Pompeius, who, in his
condescension, has thought fit to listen to your idolatrous importunities? The god
Phoebus, who is a true god, has been charioted for an hour-and were you not to be on the
ramparts by sunrise? Aedepol! do you think that we, the conquerors of the world, have
nothing better to do than stand waiting by the walls of every kennel, to traffic with the
dogs of the earth? Lower away! I say-and see that your trumpery be bright in color and
Justin weight!"

"El Elohim!" ejaculated the Pharisee, as the discordant tones of the centurion rattled up
the crags of the precipice, and fainted away against the temple-"El Elohim!-who is the
God Phoebus?-whom doth the blasphemer invoke? Thou, Buzi-Ben-Levi! who art read
in the laws of the Gentiles, and hast sojourned among them who dabble with the
Teraphim!-is it Nergal of whom the idolater speaketh?-or Ashimah?-or-Nibhaz?-or
Tartak?-or Adramalech?-or Anamalech?-or Succoth-Benith?-or Dragon?-or Belial?-or
Baal-Perith?-or Baal-Peor?-or Baal-Zebub?"

"Verily it is neither-but beware how thou lettest the rope slip too rapidly through thy
fingers; for should the wicker-work chance to hang on the projection of yonder crag,
there will be a woful outpouring of the holy things of the sanctuary."

By the assistance of some rudely constructed machinery, the heavily laden basket was
now carefully lowered down among the multitude; and, from the giddy pinnacle, the
Romans were seen gathering confusedly round it; but owing to the vast height and the
prevalence of a fog, no distinct view of their operations could be obtained.

Half an hour had already elapsed.

"We shall be too late!" sighed the Pharisee, as at the expiration of this period, he looked
over into the abyss-" we shall be too late! we shall be turned out of office by the
Katholim."

"No more," responded Abel-Phittim,-"no more shall we feast upon the fat of the land-no
longer shall our beards be odorous with frankincense-our loins girded up with fine linen
from the Temple."

"Raca!" swore Ben-Levi, "Raca! do they mean to defraud us of the purchase money? or.
Holy Moses! are they weighing the shekels of the tabernacle?

"They have given the signal at last!" cried the Pharisee-"they have given the signal at
last!-pull away, Abel-Phittim!-and thou, Buzi-Ben-Levi, pull away!-for verily the
Philistines have either still hold upon the basket, or the Lord hath softened their hearts to
place therein a beast of good weight!" And the Gizbarim pulled away, while their burthen
swung heavily upwards through the still increasing mist.

"Booshoh he! "-as, at the conclusion of an hour, some object at the extremity of the rope
became indistinctly visible-"Booshoh he!" was the exclamation which burst from the lips
of Ben-Levi.

"Booshoh he!-for shame !-it is a ram from the thickets of Engedi, and as rugged as the
valley of Jehosaphat! "

"It is a firstling of the flock," said Abel-Phittim, "I know him by the bleating of his lips,
and the innocent folding of his limbs. His eyes are more beautiful than the jewels of the
Pectoral, and his flesh is like the honey of Hebron."

"It is a fatted calf from the pastures of Bashan," said the Pharisee, "the heathen have dealt
wonderfully with us!-let us raise up our voices in a psalm !-let us give thanks on the
shawm and on the psaltery-on the harp and on the huggab-on the cythem and on the
sackbutt"

It was not until the basket had arrived within a few feet of the Gizbarium, that a low grunt
betrayed to their perception a hog of no common size.

"Now El Emanu!" slowly, and with upturned eyes ejaculated the trio, as, letting go their
hold, the emancipated porker tumbled headlong among the Philistines, "El Emanu !-God
be with US-it is the unutterable flesh!"

THE END

TAMERLANE

by Edgar Allan Poe

1827

Kind solace in a dying hour!
Such, father, is not (now) my theme-
I will not madly deem that power
Of Earth may shrive me of the sin
Unearthly pride hath revell'd in-
I have no time to dote or dream:
You call it hope-that fire of fire!
It is but agony of desire:
If I can hope-Oh God! I can-
Its fount is holier-more divine-
I would not call thee fool, old man.
But such is not a gift of thine.

Know thou the secret of a spirit
Bow'd from its wild pride into shame.
O yearning heart! I did inherit
Thy withering portion with the fame,
The searing glory which hath shone
Amid the jewels of my throne.
Halo of Hell! and with a pain
Not Hell shall make me fear again-

craving heart, for the lost flowers
And sunshine of my summer hours!
The undying voice of that dead time.
With its interminable chime.
Rings, in the spirit of a spell.
Upon thy emptiness-a knell.

1 have not always been as now:
The fever'd diadem on my brow
I claim'd and won usurpingly-

Hath not the same fierce heirdom given
Rome to the Caesar-this to me?
The heritage of a kingly mind.
And a proud spirit which hath striven
Triumphantly with human kind.

On mountain soil I first drew life:
The mists of the Taglay have shed
Nightly their dews upon my head,
And, I believe, the winged strife
And tumult of the headlong air
Have nestled in my very hair.

So late from Heaven-that dew-it fell

(Mid dreams of an unholy night)

Upon me with the touch of Hell,

While the red flashing of the light

From clouds that hung, like banners, o'er.

Appeared to my half-closing eye

The pageantry of monarchy.

And the deep trumpet-thunder's roar

Came hurriedly upon me, telling

Of human battle, where my voice.

My own voice, silly child! -was swelling

(O! how my spirit would rejoice.

And leap within me at the cry)

The battle-cry of Victory!

The rain came down upon my head
Unshelter'd-and the heavy wind
Rendered me mad and deaf and blind.
It was but man, I thought, who shed
Laurels upon me: and the rush-
The torrent of the chilly air
Gurgled within my ear the crush
Of empires-with the captive's prayer-
The hum of suitors-and the tone
Of flattery 'round a sovereign's throne.

My passions, from that hapless hour.

Usurp 'd a tyranny which men

Have deem'd, since I have reach'd to power.

My innate nature-be it so:

But father, there liv'd one who, then,

Then-in my boyhood-when their fire

Burn'd with a still intenser glow,

(For passion must, with youth, expire)

E'en then who knew this iron heart

In woman's weakness had a part.

I have no words-alas!-to tell
The loveliness of loving well!

Nor would I now attempt to trace
The more than beauty of a face
Whose lineaments, upon my mind,
Are-shadows on th' unstable wind:
Thus I remember having dwelt
Some page of early lore upon.
With loitering eye, till I have felt
The letters-with their meaning-melt
To fantasies-with none.

O, she was worthy of all love!
Love-as in infancy was mine-
'Twas such as angel minds above
Might envy; her young heart the shrine
On which my every hope and thought
Were incense-then a goodly gift.
For they were childish and upright-
Pure-as her young example taught:
Why did I leave it, and, adrift.
Trust to the fire within, for light?

We grew in age-and love-together.
Roaming the forest, and the wild;
My breast her shield in wintry weather-
And when the friendly sunshine smil'd.
And she would mark the opening skies,
I saw no Heaven-but in her eyes.

Young Love's first lesson is-the heart:
For 'mid that sunshine, and those smiles,
When, from our little cares apart.
And laughing at her girlish wiles,
I'd throw me on her throbbing breast.
And pour my spirit out in tears-
There was no need to speak the rest-
No need to quiet any fears
Of her-who ask'd no reason why.
But turn'd on me her quiet eye!

Yet more than worthy of the love
My spirit struggled with, and strove.
When, on the mountain peak, alone.
Ambition lent it a new tone-
I had no being-but in thee:
The world, and all it did contain
In the earth-the air-the sea-

Its joy-its little lot of pain

That was new pleasure-the ideal,

Dim vanities of dreams by night-

And dimmer nothings which were real-
(Shadows-and a more shadowy light!)
Parted upon their misty wings,
And, so, confusedly, became
Thine image, and-a name-a name!
Two separate-yet most intimate things.

I was ambitious-have you known
The passion, father? You have not:
A cottager, I mark'd a throne
Of half the world as all my own.
And murmur'd at such lowly lot-
But, just like any other dream.
Upon the vapour of the dew
My own had past, did not the beam
Of beauty which did while it thro'
The minute-the hour-the day-oppress
My mind with double loveliness.

We walk'd together on the crown

Of a high mountain which look'd down

Afar from its proud natural towers

Of rock and forest, on the hills-

The dwindled hills! begirt with bowers.

And shouting with a thousand rills.

I spoke to her of power and pride.
But mystically-in such guise
That she might deem it nought beside
The moment's converse; in her eyes
I read, perhaps too carelessly-
A mingled feeling with my own-
The flush on her bright cheek, to me
Seem'd to become a queenly throne
Too well that I should let it be
Light in the wilderness alone.

I wrapp'd myself in grandeur then.
And donn'd a visionary crown-
Yet it was not that Fantasy
Had thrown her mantle over me-
But that, among the rabble-men.

Lion ambition is chained down-
And crouches to a keeper's hand-
Not so in deserts where the grand-
The wild-the terrible conspire
With their own breath to fan his fire.

Look 'round thee now on Samarcand!
Is not she queen of Earth? her pride
Above all cities? in her hand
Their destinies? in all beside
Of glory which the world hath known
Stands she not nobly and alone?
Falling-her veriest stepping-stone
Shall form the pedestal of a throne-
And who her sovereign? Timour-he
Whom the astonished people saw
Striding o'er empires haughtily
A diadem'd outlaw!

O, human love! thou spirit given
On Earth, of all we hope in Heaven!
Which fall'st into the soul like rain
Upon the Siroc-wither'd plain,
And, failing in thy power to bless.
But leav'st the heart a wilderness!
Idea! which bindest life around
With music of so strange a sound.
And beauty of so wild a birth-
Farewell! for I have won the Earth.

When Hope, the eagle that tower'd, could see

No cliff beyond him in the sky.

His pinions were bent droopingly-

And homeward tum'd his soften'd eye.

'Twas sunset: when the sun will part

There comes a suUenness of heart

To him who still would look upon

The glory of the summer sun.

That soul will hate the ev'ning mist.

So often lovely, and will list

To the sound of the coming darkness (known

To those whose spirits hearken) as one

Who, in a dream of night, would fly

But cannot from a danger nigh.

What tho' the moon-the white moon
Shed all the splendour of her noon,
Her smile is chilly, and her beam.
In that time of dreariness, will seem
(So like you gather in your breath)
A portrait taken after death.
And boyhood is a summer sun
Whose waning is the dreariest one-
For all we live to know is known,
And all we seek to keep hath flown-
Let life, then, as the day-flower, fall
With the noon-day beauty-which is all.

I reach'd my home-my home no more
For all had flown who made it so.
I pass'd from out its mossy door.
And, tho' my tread was soft and low,
A voice came from the threshold stone
Of one whom I had earlier known-
O, I defy thee. Hell, to show
On beds of fire that burn below,
A humbler heart-a deeper woe.

Father, I firmly do believe-
I know-for Death, who comes for me
From regions of the blest afar.
Where there is nothing to deceive.
Hath left his iron gate ajar.
And rays of truth you cannot see
Are flashing thro' Eternity-
I do believe that Eblis hath
A snare in every human path-
Else how, when in the holy grove
I wandered of the idol. Love,
Who daily scents his snowy wings
With incense of burnt offerings
From the most unpolluted things.
Whose pleasant bowers are yet so riven
Above with trellis'd rays from Heaven,
No mote may shun-no tiniest fly-
The lightning of his eagle eye-
How was it that Ambition crept.
Unseen, amid the revels there.
Till growing bold, he laughed and leapt
In the tangles of Love's very hair?

THE ANGEL OF THE ODD-AN EXTRAVAGANZA

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

IT WAS a chilly November afternoon. I had just consummated an unusually hearty
dinner, of which the dyspeptic truffe formed not the least important item, and was sitting
alone in the dining-room, with my feet upon the fender, and at my elbow a small table
which I had rolled up to the fire, and upon which were some apologies for dessert, with
some miscellaneous bottles of wine, spirit, and liqueur. In the morning I had been reading
Glover's "Leonidas," Wilkies "Epigoniad," Lamartine's "Pilgrimage," Barlow's
"Columbiad," Tuckermann's "Sicily," and Griswold's "Curiosities"; I am willing to
confess, therefore, that I now felt a little stupid. I made effort to arouse myself by aid of
frequent Lafitte, and, all failing, I betook myself to a stray newspaper in despair. Having
carefully perused the column of "houses to let," and the column of "dogs lost," and then
the two columns of "wives and apprentices runaway," I attacked with great resolution the
editorial matter, and, reading it from beginning to end without understanding a syllable,
conceived the possibility of its being Chinese, and so re-read it from the end to the
beginning, but with no more satisfactory result. I was about throwing away, in disgust.

This folio of four pages, happy work
Which not even poets criticise,

when I felt my attention somewhat aroused by the paragraph which follows:

"The avenues to death are numerous and strange. A London paper mentions the decease
of a person from a singular cause. He was playing at 'puff the dart,' which is played with
a long needle inserted in some worsted, and blown at a target through a tin tube. He
placed the needle at the wrong end of the tube, and drawing his breath strongly to puff the
dart forward with force, drew the needle into his throat. It entered the lungs, and in a few
days killed him."

Upon seeing this I fell into a great rage, without exactly knowing why. "This thing," I
exclaimed, "is a contemptible falsehood-a poor hoax-the lees of the invention of some
pitiable penny-a-liner-of some wretched concoctor of accidents in Cocaigne. These
fellows, knowing the extravagant gullibility of the age, set their wits to work in the
imagination of improbable possibilities-of odd accidents, as they term them; but to a
reflecting intellect (like mine," I added, in parenthesis, putting my forefinger
unconsciously to the side of my nose), "to a contemplative understanding such as I
myself possess, it seems evident at once that the marvelous increase of late in these 'odd
accidents' is by far the oddest accident of all. For my own part, I intend to believe nothing
henceforward that has anything of the 'singular' about it.

"Mein Gott, den, vat a vool you bees for dat!" replied one of the most remarkable voices I
ever heard. At first I took it for a rumbling in my ears-such as man sometimes
experiences when getting very drunk- but, upon second thought, I considered the sound
as more nearly resembling that which proceeds from an empty barrel beaten with a big
stick; and, in fact, this I should have concluded it to be, but for the articulation of the
syllables and words. I am by no means naturally nervous, and the very few glasses of
Lafitte which I had sipped served to embolden me a little, so that I felt nothing of
trepidation, but merely uplifted my eyes with a leisurely movement, and looked carefully
around the room for the intruder. I could not, however, perceive any one at all.

"Humph!" resumed the voice, as I continued my survey, "you mus pe so dronk as de pig,
den, for not zee me as I zit here at your zide."

Hereupon I bethought me of looking immediately before my nose, and there, sure
enough, confronting me at the table sat a personage nondescript, although not altogether
indescribable. His body was a wine-pipe, or a rum-puncheon, or something of that
character, and had a truly Falstaffian air. In its nether extremity were inserted two kegs,
which seemed to answer all the purposes of legs. For arms there dangled from the upper
portion of the carcass two tolerably long bottles, with the necks outward for hands. All
the head that I saw the monster possessed of was one of those Hessian canteens which
resemble a large snuff-box with a hole in the middle of the lid. This canteen (with a
funnel on its top, like a cavalier cap slouched over the eyes) was set on edge upon the
puncheon, with the hole toward myself; and through this hole, which seemed puckered up
like the mouth of a very precise old maid, the creature was emitting certain rumbling and
grumbling noises which he evidently intended for intelligible talk.

"I zay," said he, "you mos pe dronk as de pig, vor zit dare and not zee me zit ere; and I
zay, doo, you most pe pigger vool as de goose, vor to dispelief vat iz print in de print. 'Tiz
de troof-dat it iz-eberry vord ob it."

"Who are you, pray?" said I, with much dignity, although somewhat puzzled; "how did
you get here? and what is it you are talking about?"

"Az vor ow I com'd ere," replied the figure, "dat iz none of your pizzness; and as vor vat I
be talking apout, I be talk apout vot I tink proper; and as vor who I be, vy dat is de very
ting I com'd here for to let you zee for yourzelf."

"You are a drunken vagabond," said I, "and I shall ring the bell and order my footman to
kick you into the street."

"He! he! he!" said the fellow, "hu! hu! hu! dat you can't do."

"Can't do!" said I, "what do you mean?-can't do what?"

"Ring de pell," he replied, attempting a grin with his little villainous mouth.

Upon this I made an effort to get up, in order to put my threat into execution; but the
ruffian just reached across the table very deliberately, and hitting me a tap on the
forehead with the neck of one of the long bottles, knocked me back into the arm-chair
from which I had half arisen. I was utterly astounded; and, for a moment, was quite at a
loss what to do. In the meantime, he continued his talk.

"You zee," said he, "it iz te bess vor zit still; and now you shall know who I pe. Look at
me! zee! I am te Angel ov te Odd!"

"And odd enough, too," I ventured to reply; "but I was always under the impression that
an angel had wings."

"Te wing!" he cried, highly incensed, "vat I pe do mit te wing? Mein Gott! do you take
me vor a shicken?"

"No-oh, no!" I replied, much alarmed, "you are no chicken- certainly not."

"Well, den, zit still and pehabe yourself, or I'll rap you again mid me vist. It iz te shicken
ab te wing, und te owl ab te wing, und te imp ab te wing, und te headteuffel ab te wing.
Te angel ab not te wing, and I am te Angel ov te Odd."

"And your business with me at present is-is-"

"My pizzness!" ejaculated the thing, "vy vot a low bred puppy you mos pe vor to ask a
gentleman und an angel apout his pizzness!"

This language was rather more than I could bear, even from an angel; so, plucking up
courage, I seized a salt-cellar which lay within reach, and hurled it at the head of the
intruder. Either he dodged, however, or my aim was inaccurate; for all I accomplished
was the demolition of the crystal which protected the dial of the clock upon the
mantelpiece. As for the Angel, he evinced his sense of my assault by giving me two or
three hard consecutive raps upon the forehead as before. These reduced me at once to
submission, and I am almost ashamed to confess that, either through pain or vexation,
there came a few tears into my eyes.

"Mein Gott!" said the Angel of the Odd, apparently much softened at my distress; "mein
Gott, te man is eder ferry dronck or ferry sorry. You mos not trink it so strong-you mos
put de water in te wine. Here, trink dis, like a goot veller, und don't gry now-don't!"

Hereupon the Angel of the Odd replenished my goblet (which was about a third full of
Port) with a colorless fluid that he poured from one of his hand bottles. I observed that
these bottles had labels about their necks, and that these labels were inscribed
"Kirschenwasser."

The considerate kindness of the Angel mollified me in no little measure; and, aided by
the water with which he diluted my Port more than once, I at length regained sufficient

temper to listen to his very extraordinary discourse. I cannot pretend to recount all that he
told me, but I gleaned from what he said that he was the genius who presided over the
contre temps of mankind, and whose business it was to bring about the odd accidents
which are continually astonishing the skeptic. Once or twice, upon my venturing to
express my total incredulity in respect to his pretensions, he grew very angry indeed, so
that at length I considered it the wiser policy to say nothing at all, and let him have his
own way. He talked on, therefore, at great length, while I merely leaned back in my chair
with my eyes shut, and amused myself with munching raisins and flipping the stems
about the room. But, by and bye, the Angel suddenly construed this behavior of mine into
contempt. He arose in a terrible passion, slouched his funnel down over his eyes, swore a
vast oath, uttered a threat of some character which I did not precisely comprehend, and
finally made me a low bow and departed, wishing me, in the language of the archbishop
in Gil-Bias, "beaucoup de bonheur et un peu plus de bon sens."

His departure afforded me relief. The very few glasses of Lafitte that I had sipped had the
effect of rendering me drowsy, and I felt inclined to take a nap of some fifteen or twenty
minutes, as is my custom after dinner. At six I had an appointment of consequence, which
it was quite indispensable that I should keep. The policy of insurance for my dwelling
house had expired the day before; and, some dispute having arisen, it was agreed that, at
six, I should meet the board of directors of the company and settle the terms of a renewal.
Glancing upward at the clock on the mantel-piece (for I felt too drowsy to take out my
watch), I had the pleasure to find that I had still twenty-five minutes to spare. It was half
past five; I could easily walk to the insurance office in five minutes; and my usual post
prandian siestas had never been known to exceed five and twenty. I felt sufficiently safe,
therefore, and composed myself to my slumbers forthwith.

Having completed them to my satisfaction, I again looked toward the time -piece, and was
half inclined to believe in the possibility of odd accidents when I found that, instead of
my ordinary fifteen or twenty minutes, I had been dozing only three; for it still wanted
seven and twenty of the appointed hour. I betook myself again to my nap, and at length a
second time awoke, when, to my utter amazement, it still wanted twenty-seven minutes
of six. I jumped up to examine the clock, and found that it had ceased running. My watch
informed me that it was half past seven; and, of course, having slept two hours, I was too
late for my appointment "It will make no difference," I said; "I can call at the office in the
morning and apologize; in the meantime what can be the matter with the clock?" Upon
examining it I discovered that one of the raisin-stems which I had been flipping about the
room during the discourse of the Angel of the Odd had flown through the fractured
crystal, and lodging, singularly enough, in the key-hole, with an end projecting outward,
had thus arrested the revolution of the minute-hand.

"Ah!" said I; "I see how it is. This thing speaks for itself. A natural accident, such as will
happen now and then!"

I gave the matter no further consideration, and at my usual hour retired to bed. Here,
having placed a candle upon a reading-stand at the bed- head, and having made an attempt

to peruse some pages of the "Omnipresence of the Deity," I unfortunately fell asleep in
less than twenty seconds, leaving the light burning as it was.

My dreams were terrifically disturbed by visions of the Angel of the Odd. Methought he
stood at the foot of the couch, drew aside the curtains, and, in the hollow, detestable tones
of a rum-puncheon, menaced me with the bitterest vengeance for the contempt with
which I had treated him. He concluded a long harrangue by taking off his funnelcap,
inserting the tube into my gullet, and thus deluging me with an ocean of Kirschenwasser,
which he poured, in a continuous flood, from one of the long-necked bottles that stood
him instead of an arm. My agony was at length insufferable, and I awoke just in time to
perceive that a rat had ran off with the lighted candle from the stand, but not in season to
prevent his making his escape with it through the hole. Very soon, a strong suffocating
odor assailed my nostrils; the house, I clearly perceived, was on fire. In a few minutes the
blaze broke forth with violence, and in an incredibly brief period the entire building was
wrapped in flames. All egress from my chamber, except through a window, was cut off.
The crowd, however, quickly procured and raised a long ladder. By means of this I was
descending rapidly, and in apparent safety, when a huge hog, about whose rotund
stomach, and indeed about whose whole air and physiognomy, there was something
which reminded me of the Angel of the Odd,-when this hog, I say, which hitherto had
been quietly slumbering in the mud, took it suddenly into his head that his left shoulder
needed scratching, and could find no more convenient rubbing post than that afforded by
the foot of the ladder. In an instant I was precipitated, and had the misfortune to fracture
my arm.

This accident, with the loss of my insurance, and with the more serious loss of my hair,
the whole of which had been singed off by the fire, predisposed me to serious
impressions, so that, finally, I made up my mind to take a wife. There was a rich widow
disconsolate for the loss of her seventh husband, and to her wounded spirit I offered the
balm of my vows. She yielded a reluctant consent to my prayers. I knelt at her feet in
gratitude and adoration. She blushed, and bowed her luxuriant tresse into close contact
with those supplied me, temporarily, by Grandjean. I know not how the entanglement
took place, but so it was. I arose with a shining pate, wigless, she in disdain and wrath,
half buried in alien hair. Thus ended my hopes of the widow by an accident which could
not have been anticipated, to be sure, but which the natural sequence of events had
brought about.

Without despairing, however, I undertook the siege of a less implacable heart. The fates
were again propitious for a brief period; but again a trivial incident interfered. Meeting
my betrothed in an avenue thronged with the elite of the city, I was hastening to greet her
with one of my best considered bows, when a small particle of some foreign matter
lodging in the corner of my eye, rendered me, for the moment, completely blind. Before I
could recover my sight, the lady of my love had disappeared-irreparably affronted at
what she chose to consider my premeditated rudeness in passing her by ungreeted. While
I stood bewildered at the suddenness of this accident (which might have happened,
nevertheless, to any one under the sun), and while I still continued incapable of sight, I
was accosted by the Angel of the Odd, who proffered me his aid with a civility which I

had no reason to expect. He examined my disordered eye with much gentleness and skill,
informed me that I had a drop in it, and (whatever a "drop" was) took it out, and afforded
me relief.

I now considered it time to die, (since fortune had so determined to persecute me,) and
accordingly made my way to the nearest river. Here, divesting myself of my clothes, (for
there is no reason why we cannot die as we were born,) I threw myself headlong into the
current; the sole witness of my fate being a solitary crow that had been seduced into the
eating of brandy- saturated corn, and so had staggered away from his fellows. No sooner
had I entered the water than this bird took it into its head to fly away with the most
indispensable portion of my apparel. Postponing, therefore, for the present, my suicidal
design, I just slipped my nether extremities into the sleeves of my coat, and betook
myself to a pursuit of the felon with all the nimbleness which the case required and its
circumstances would admit. But my evil destiny attended me still. As I ran at full speed,
with my nose up in the atmosphere, and intent only upon the purloiner of my property, I
suddenly perceived that my feet rested no longer upon terre firma; the fact is, I had
thrown myself over a precipice, and should inevitably have been dashed to pieces, but for
my good fortune in grasping the end of a long guide-rope, which descended from a
passing balloon.

As soon as I sufficiently recovered my senses to comprehend the terrific predicament in
which I stood or rather hung, I exerted all the power of my lungs to make that
predicament known to the aeronaut overhead. But for a long time I exerted myself in
vain. Either the fool could not, or the villain would not perceive me. Meantime the
machine rapidly soared, while my strength even more rapidly failed. I was soon upon the
point of resigning myself to my fate, and dropping quietly into the sea, when my spirits
were suddenly revived by hearing a hollow voice from above, which seemed to be lazily
humming an opera air. Looking up, I perceived the Angel of the Odd. He was leaning
with his arms folded, over the rim of the car, and with a pipe in his mouth, at which he
puffed leisurely, seemed to be upon excellent terms with himself and the universe. I was
too much exhausted to speak, so I merely regarded him with an imploring air.

For several minutes, although he looked me full in the face, he said nothing. At length
removing carefully his meerschaum from the right to the left comer of his mouth, he
condescended to speak.

"Who pe you?" he asked, "und what der teuffel you pe do dare?"

To this piece of impudence, cruelty, and affectation, I could reply only by ejaculating the
monosyllable "Help!"

"Elp!" echoed the ruffian-"not I. Dare iz te pottle-elp yourself, und pe tam'd!"

With these words he let fall a heavy bottle of Kirschenwasser which, dropping precisely
upon the crown of my head, caused me to imagine that my brains were entirely knocked

out. Impressed with this idea, I was about to relinquish my hold and give up the ghost
with a good grace, when I was arrested by the cry of the Angel, who bade me hold on.

"Old on!" he said; "don't pe in te urry-don't. Will you pe take de odder pottle, or ave you
pe got zober yet and come to your zenzes?"

I made haste, hereupon, to nod my head twice-once in the negative, meaning thereby that
I would prefer not taking the other bottle at present-and once in the affirmative, intending
thus to imply that I was sober and had positively come to my senses. By these means I
somewhat softened the Angel.

"Und you pelief, ten," he inquired, "at te last? You pelief, ten, in te possibilty of te odd?"

I again nodded my head in assent.

"Und you ave pelief in me, te Angel of te Odd?"

I nodded again.

"Und you acknowledge tat you pe te blind dronk and te vool?"

I nodded once more.

"Put your right hand into your left hand preeches pocket, ten, in token oy your vuU
zubmission unto te Angel ov te Odd."

This thing, for very obvious reasons, I found it quite impossible to do. In the first place,
my left arm had been broken in my fall from the ladder, and, therefore, had I let go my
hold with the right hand, I must have let go altogether. In the second place, I could have
no breeches until I came across the crow. I was therefore obliged, much to my regret, to
shake my head in the negative-intending thus to give the Angel to understand that I
found it inconvenient, just at that moment, to comply with his very reasonable demand!
No sooner, however, had I ceased shaking my head than-

"Go to der teuffel ten!" roared the Angel of the Odd.

In pronouncing these words, he drew a sharp knife across the guide, rope by which I was
suspended, and as we then happened to be precisely over my own house, (which, during
my peregrinations, had been handsomely rebuilt,) it so occurred that I tumbled headlong
down the ample chimney and alit upon the dining-room hearth.

Upon coming to my senses, (for the fall had very thoroughly stunned me,) I found it
about four o'clock in the morning. I lay outstretched where I had f Allan from the balloon.
My head grovelled in the ashes of an extinguished fire, while my feet reposed upon the
wreck of a small table, overthrown, and amid the fragments of a miscellaneous dessert.

interaiingled with a newspaper, some broken glass and shattered bottles, and an empty
jug of the Schiedam Kirschenwasser. Thus revenged himself the Angel of the Odd.

THE END

THE ASSIGNATION

by Edgar Allan Poe

1834

Stay for me there! I will not fail
To meet thee in that hollow vale.

[Exequy on the death of his wife, by Henry King, Bishop of
Chichester.]

ILL-FATED and mysterious man! —bewildered in the brilliancy of thine own and f Allan
in the flames of thine own youth! Again in fancy I behold thee! Once more thy form hath
risen before me! —not —oh not as thou art —in the cold valley and shadow -but as thou
shouldst be -squandering away a life of magnificent meditation in that city of dim
visions, thine own Venice -which is a star-beloved Elysium of the sea, and the wide
windows of whose Palladian palaces look down with a deep and bitter meaning upon the
secrets of her silent waters. Yes! I repeat it-as thou shouldst be. There are surely other
worlds than this -other thoughts than the thoughts of the multitude —other speculations
than the speculations of the sophist. Who then shall call thy conduct into question? who
blame thee for thy visionary hours, or denounce those occupations as a wasting away of
life, which were but the overflowings of thine everlasting energies?

It was at Venice, beneath the covered archway there called the Ponte di Sospiri, that I met
for the third or fourth time the person of whom I speak. It is with a confused recollection
that I bring to mind the circumstances of that meeting. Yet I remember — aah! how should
I forget? —the deep midnight, the Bridge of Sighs, the beauty of woman, and the Genius
of Romance that stalked up and down the narrow canal.

It was a night of unusual gloom. The great clock of the Piazza had sounded the fifth hour
of the Italian evening. The square of the Campanile lay silent and deserted, and the lights
in the old Ducal Palace were dying fast away. I was returning home from the Piazetta, by
way of the Grand Canal. But as my gondola arrived opposite the mouth of the canal San
Marco, a female voice from its recesses broke suddenly upon the night, in one hysterical,
and long continued shriek. Startled at the sound, I sprang upon my feet: while the
gondolier, letting slip his single oar, lost it in the pitchy darkness beyond a chance of
recovery, and we were consequently left to the guidance of the current which here sets
from the greater into the smaller channel. Like some huge and sable-feathered condor, we
were slowly drifting down towards the Bridge of Sighs, when a thousand flambeaux
flashing from the windows, and down the staircases of the Ducal Palace, turned all at
once that deep gloom into a livid and preternatural day.

A child, slipping from the arms of its own mother, had f Allan from an upper window of
the lofty structure into the deep and dim canal. The quiet waters had closed placidly over
their victim; and, although my own gondola was the only one in sight, many a stout
swimmer, already in the stream, was seeking in vain upon the surface, the treasure which
was to be found, alas! only within the abyss. Upon the broad black marble flagstones at
the entrance of the palace, and a few steps above the water, stood a figure which none
who then saw can have ever since forgotten. It was the Marchesa Aphrodite —the
adoration of all Venice -the gayest of the gay —the most lovely where all were beautiful -
-but still the young wife of the old and intriguing Mentoni, and the mother of that fair
child, her first and only one, who now deep beneath the murky water, was thinking in
bitterness of heart upon her sweet caresses, and exhausting its little life in struggles to call
upon her name.

She stood alone. Her small, bare, and silvery feet gleamed in the black mirror of marble
beneath her. Her hair, not as yet more than half loosened for the night from its ball-room
array, clustered, amid a shower of diamonds, round and round her classical head, in curls
like those of the young hyacinth. A snowy-white and gauze-like drapery seemed to be
nearly the sole covering to her delicate form; but the mid- summer and midnight air was
hot, sullen, and still, and no motion in the statue-like form itself, stirred even the folds of
that raiment of very vapor which hung around it as the heavy marble hangs around the
Niobe. Yet —strange to say! —her large lustrous eyes were not turned downwards upon
that grave wherein her brightest hope lay buried —but riveted in a widely different
direction! The prison of the Old Republic is, I think, the stateliest building in all Venice —
but how could that lady gaze so fixedly upon it, when beneath her lay stifling her only
child? Yon dark, gloomy niche, too, yawns right opposite her chamber window -what,
then, could there be in its shadows —in its architecture —in its ivy-wreathed and solemn
cornices —that the Marchesa di Mentoni had not wondered at a thousand times before?
Nonsense! —Who does not remember that, at such a time as this, the eye, like a shattered
mirror, multiplies the images of its sorrow, and sees in innumerable far-off places, the wo
which is close at hand?

Many steps above the Marchesa, and within the arch of the water-gate, stood, in full
dress, the Satyr-like figure of Mentoni himself. He was occasionally occupied in
thrumming a guitar, and seemed ennuye to the very death, as at intervals he gave
directions for the recovery of his child. Stupefied and aghast, I had myself no power to
move from the upright position I had assumed upon first hearing the shriek, and must
have presented to the eyes of the agitated group a spectral and ominous appearance, as
with pale countenance and rigid limbs, I floated down among them in that funereal
gondola.

All efforts proved in vain. Many of the most energetic in the search were relaxing their
exertions, and yielding to a gloomy sorrow. There seemed but little hope for the child;
(how much less than for the mother!) but now, from the interior of that dark niche which
has been already mentioned as forming a part of the Old Republican prison, and as
fronting the lattice of the Marchesa, a figure muffled in a cloak, stepped out within reach
of the light, and, pausing a moment upon the verge of the giddy descent, plunged

headlong into the canal. As, in an instant afterwards, he stood with the still living and
breathing child within his grasp, upon the marble flagstones by the side of the Marchesa,
his cloak, heavy with the drenching water, became unfastened, and, falling in folds about
his feet, discovered to the wonder-stricken spectators the graceful person of a very young
man, with the sound of whose name the greater part of Europe was then ringing.

No word spoke the deliverer. But the Marchesa! She will now receive her child —she will
press it to her heart —she will cling to its little form, and smother it with her caresses.
Alas! another's arms have taken it from the stranger -another's arms have taken it away,
and borne it afar off, unnoticed, into the palace! And the Marchesa! Her lip —her
beautiful lip trembles: tears are gathering in her eyes —those eyes which, like Pliny's
acanthus, are "soft and almost liquid." Yes! tears are gathering in those eyes-and see! the
entire woman thrills throughout the soul, and the statue has started into life! The pallor of
the marble countenance, the swelling of the marble bosom, the very purity of the marble
feet, we behold suddenly flushed over with a tide of ungovernable crimson; and a slight
shudder quivers about her delicate frame, as a gentle air at Napoli about the rich silver
lilies in the grass.

Why should that lady blush! To this demand there is no answer —except that, having left,
in the eager haste and terror of a mother's heart, the privacy of her own boudoir, she has
neglected to enthrall her tiny feet in their slippers, and utterly forgotten to throw over her
Venetian shoulders that drapery which is their due. What other possible reason could
there have been for her so blushing? —for the glance of those wild appealing eyes? for the
unusual tumult of that throbbing bosom? —for the convulsive pressure of that trembling
hand? -that hand which fell, as Mentoni turned into the palace, accidentally, upon the
hand of the stranger. What reason could there have been for the low —the singularly low
tone of those unmeaning words which the lady uttered hurriedly in bidding him adieu?
"Thou hast conquered — " she said, or the murmurs of the water deceived me-"thou hast
conquered —one hour after sunrise —we shall meet —so let it be!"

The tumult had subsided, the lights had died away within the palace, and the stranger,
whom I now recognized, stood alone upon the flags. He shook with inconceivable
agitation, and his eye glanced around in search of a gondola. I could not do less than offer
him the service of my own; and he accepted the civility. Having obtained an oar at the
water-gate, we proceeded together to his residence, while he rapidly recovered his self-
possession, and spoke of our former slight acquaintance in terms of great apparent
cordiality.

There are some subjects upon which I take pleasure in being minute. The person of the
stranger —let me call him by this title, who to all the world was still a stranger —the
person of the stranger is one of these subjects. In height he might have been below rather
than above the medium size: although there were moments of intense passion when his
frame actually expanded and belled the assertion. The light, almost slender symmetry of
his figure, promised more of that ready activity which he evinced at the Bridge of Sighs,
than of that Herculean strength which he has been known to wield without an effort, upon
occasions of more dangerous emergency. With the mouth and chin of a deity —singular.

wild, full, liquid eyes, whose shadows varied from pure hazel to intense and brilliant jet -
and a profusion of curling, black hair, from which a forehead of unusual breadth gleamed
forth at intervals all light and ivory —his were features than which I have seen none more
classically regular, except, perhaps, the marble ones of the Emperor Commodus. Yet his
countenance was, nevertheless, one of those which all men have seen at some period of
their lives, and have never afterwards seen again. It had no peculiar —it had no settled
predominant expression to be fastened upon the memory; a countenance seen and
instantly forgotten —but forgotten with a vague and never-ceasing desire of recalling it to
mind. Not that the spirit of each rapid passion failed, at any time, to throw its own distinct
image upon the mirror of that face —but that the mirror, mirror-like, retained no vestige of
the passion, when the passion had departed.

Upon leaving him on the night of our adventure, he solicited me, in what I thought an
urgent manner, to call upon him very early the next morning. Shortly after sunrise, I
found myself accordingly at his Palazzo, one of those huge structures of gloomy, yet
fantastic pomp, which tower above the waters of the Grand Canal in the vicinity of the
Rialto. I was shown up a broad winding staircase of mosaics, into an apartment whose
unparalleled splendor burst through the opening door with an actual glare, making me
blind and dizzy with luxuriousness.

I knew my acquaintance to be wealthy. Report had spoken of his possessions in terms
which I had even ventured to call terms of ridiculous exaggeration. But as I gazed about
me, I could not bring myself to believe that the wealth of any subject in Europe could
have supplied the princely magnificence which burned and blazed around.

Although, as I say, the sun had arisen, yet the room was still brilliantly lighted up. I judge
from this circumstance, as well as from an air of exhaustion in the countenance of my
friend, that he had not retired to bed during the whole of the preceding night. In the
architecture and embellishments of the chamber, the evident design had been to dazzle
and astound. Little attention had been paid to the decora of what is technically called
keeping, or to the proprieties of nationality. The eye wandered from object to object, and
rested upon none —neither the grotesques of the Greek painters, nor the sculptures of the
best Italian days, nor the huge carvings of untutored Egypt. Rich draperies in every part
of the room trembled to the vibration of low, melancholy music, whose origin was not to
be discovered. The senses were oppressed by mingled and conflicting perfumes, reeking
up from strange convolute censers, together with multitudinous flaring and flickering
tongues of emerald and violet fire. The rays of the newly, risen sun poured in upon the
whole, through windows formed each of a single pane of crimson-tinted glass. Glancing
to and fro, in a thousand reflections, from curtains which rolled from their cornices like
cataracts of molten silver, the beams of natural glory mingled at length fitfully with the
artificial light, and lay weltering in subdued masses upon a carpet of rich, liquid-looking
cloth of Chih gold.

"Ha! ha! ha! -ha! ha! ha!" -laughed the proprietor, motioning me to a seat as I entered
the room, and throwing himself back at full length upon an ottoman. "I see," said he,
perceiving that I could not immediately reconcile myself to the bienseance of so singular

a welcome —"I see you are astonished at my apartment —at my statues —my pictures —my
originality of conception in architecture and upholstery —absolutely drunk, eh? with my
magnificence? But pardon me, my dear sir, (here his tone of voice dropped to the very
spirit of cordiality,) pardon me for my uncharitable laughter. You appeared so utterly
astonished. Besides, some things are so completely ludicrous that a man must laugh or
die. To die laughing must be the most glorious of all glorious deaths! Sir Thomas More —
a very fine man was Sir Thomas More —Sir Thomas More died laughing, you remember.
Also in the Absurdities of Ravisius Textor, there is a long list of characters who came to
the same magnificent end. Do you know, however," continued he musingly, "that at
Sparta (which is now Palaeochori,) at Sparta, I say, to the west of the citadel, among a
chaos of scarcely visible ruins, is a kind of socle, upon which are still legible the letters
'LASM'. They are undoubtedly part of 'GELASMA'. Now at Sparta were a thousand
temples and shrines to a thousand different divinities. How exceedingly strange that the
altar of Laughter should have survived all the others! But in the present instance," he
resumed, with a singular alteration of voice and manner, "I have no right to be merry at
your expense. You might well have been amazed. Europe cannot produce anything so
fine as this, my little regal cabinet. My other apartments are by no means of the same
order; mere ultras of fashionable insipidity. This is better than fashion —is it not? Yet this
has but to be seen to become the rage —that is, with those who could afford it at the cost
of their entire patrimony. I have guarded, however, against any such profanation. With
one exception you are the only human being besides myself and my valet, who has been
admitted within the mysteries of these imperial precincts, since they have been bedizened
as you see!"

I bowed in acknowledgment; for the overpowering sense of splendor and perfume, and
music, together with the unexpected eccentricity of his address and manner, prevented me
from expressing, in words, my appreciation of what I might have construed into a
compliment.

"Here," he resumed, arising and leaning on my arm as he sauntered around the apartment,
"here are paintings from the Greeks to Cimabue, and from Cimabue to the present hour.
Many are chosen, as you see, with little deference to the opinions of Virtu. They are all,
however, fitting tapestry for a chamber such as this. Here too, are some chefs d'oeuvre of
the unknown great —and here unfinished designs by men, celebrated in their day, whose
very names the perspicacity of the academies has left to silence and to me. What think
you," said he, turning abruptly as he spoke —"what think you of this Madonna della
Pieta?"

It is Guido's own!" I said with all the enthusiasm of my nature, for I had been poring
intently over its surpassing loveliness. "It is Guido's own! -how could you have obtained
it? —she is undoubtedly in painting what the Venus is in sculpture."

"Ha!" said he thoughtfully, "the Venus -the beautiful Venus? -the Venus of the Medici?
—she of the diminutive head and the gilded hair? Part of the left arm (here his voice
dropped so as to be heard with difficulty,) and all the right are restorations, and in the
coquetry of that right arm lies, I think, the quintessence of all affectation. Give me the

Canova! The Apollo, too! --is a copy -there can be no doubt of it -blind fool that I am,
who cannot behold the boasted inspiration of the Apollo! I cannot help —pity me! —I
cannot help preferring the Antinous. Was it not Socrates who said that the statuary found
his statue in the block of marble? Then Michael Angelo was by no means original in his
couplet —

'Non ha I'ottimo artista alcun concetto

Che tin marmo solo in se non circonscriva.'"

It has been, or should be remarked, that, in the manner of the true gentleman, we are
always aware of a difference from the bearing of the vulgar, without being at once
precisely able to determine in what such difference consists. Allowing the remark to have
applied in its full force to the outward demeanor of my acquaintance, I felt it, on that
eventful morning, still more fully applicable to his moral temperament and character. Nor
can I better define that peculiarity of spirit which seemed to place him so essentially apart
from all other human beings, than by calling it a habit of intense and continual thought,
pervading even his most trivial actions —intruding upon his moments of dalliance -and
interweaving itself with his very flashes of merriment —like adders which writhe from out
the eyes of the grinning masks in the cornices around the temples of Persepolis.

I could not help, however, repeatedly observing, through the mingled tone of levity and
solemnity with which he rapidly descanted upon matters of little importance, a certain air
of trepidation —a degree of nervous unction in action and in speech —an unquiet
excitability of manner which appeared to me at all times unaccountable, and upon some
occasions even filled me with alarm. Frequently, too, pausing in the middle of a sentence
whose commencement he had apparently forgotten, he seemed to be listening in the
deepest attention, as if either in momentary expectation of a visitor, or to sounds, which
must have had existence in his imagination alone.

It was during one of these reveries or pauses of apparent abstraction, that, in turning over
a page of the poet and scholar Politian's beautiful tragedy "The Orfeo," (the first native
Italian tragedy,) which lay near me upon an ottoman, I discovered a passage underlined in
pencil. It was a passage towards the end of the third act —a passage of the most heart-
stirring excitement —a passage which, although tainted with impurity, no man shall read
without a thrill of novel emotion —no woman without a sigh. The whole page was blotted
with fresh tears, and, upon the opposite interleaf, were the following English lines,
written in a hand so very different from the peculiar characters of my acquaintance, that I
had some difficulty in recognising it as his own.

Thou wast that all to me, love.

For which my soul did pine —

A green isle in the sea, love,

A fountain and a shrine.

All wreathed with fairy fruits and flowers;

And all the flowers were mine.

Ah, dream too bright to last;
Ah, starry Hope that didst arise
But to be overcast!
A voice from out the Future cries
"Onward!" --but o'er the Past
(Dim gulf!) my spirit hovering lies.
Mute, motionless, aghast!

For alas! alas! me

The light of life is o'er.

"No more-no more-no more,"

(Such language holds the solemn sea

To the sands upon the shore,)

Shall bloom the thunder-blasted tree.

Or the stricken eagle soar!

Now all my hours are trances;
And all my nightly dreams
Are where the dark eye glances.
And where thy footstep gleams.
In what ethereal dances.
By what Italian streams.

Alas! for that accursed time
They bore thee o'er the billow.
For Love to titled age and crime.
And an unholy pillow -
From me, and from our misty clime.
Where weeps the silver willow!

That these lines were written in English —a language with which I had not believed their
author acquainted —afforded me little matter for surprise. I was too well aware of the
extent of his acquirements, and of the singular pleasure he took in concealing them from
observation, to be astonished at any similar discovery; but the place of date, I must
confess, occasioned me no little amazement. It had been originally written London, and
afterwards carefully overscored —not, however, so effectually as to conceal the word
from a scrutinizing eye. I say this occasioned me no little amazement; for I well
remember that, in a former conversation with a friend, I particularly inquired if he had at
any time met in London the Marchesa di Mentoni, (who for some years previous to her
marriage had resided in that city,) when his answer, if I mistake not, gave me to
understand that he had never visited the metropolis of Great Britain. I might as well here
mention, that I have more than once heard, (without of course giving credit to a report
involving so many improbabilities,) that the person of whom I speak was not only by
birth, but in education, an Englishman.

"There is one painting," said he, without being aware of my notice of the tragedy —"there
is still one painting which you have not seen." And throwing aside a drapery, he
discovered a full length portrait of the Marchesa Aphrodite.

Human art could have done no more in the delineation of her superhuman beauty. The
same ethereal figure which stood before me the preceding night upon the steps of the
Ducal Palace, stood before me once again. But in the expression of the countenance,
which was beaming all over with smiles, there still lurked (incomprehensible anomaly!)
that fitful stain of melancholy which will ever be found inseparable from the perfection of
the beautiful. Her right arm lay folded over her bosom. With her left she pointed
downward to a curiously fashioned vase. One small, fairy foot, alone visible, barely
touched the earth —and, scarcely discernible in the brilliant atmosphere which seemed to
encircle and enshrine her loveliness, floated a pair of the most delicately imagined wings.
My glance fell from the painting to the figure of my friend, and the vigorous words of
Chapman's Bussy D'Ambois quivered instinctively upon my lips:

"He is up

There like a Roman statue! He will stand

Till Death hath made him marble!"

"Come!" he said at length, turning towards a table of richly enamelled and massive silver,
upon which were a few goblets fantastically stained, together with two large Etruscan
vases, fashioned in the same extraordinary model as that in the foreground of the portrait,
and filled with what I supposed to be Johannisberger. "Come!" he said abruptly, "let us
drink! It is early —but let us drink. It is indeed early," he continued, musingly, as a cherub
with a heavy golden hammer, made the apartment ring with the first hour after sunrise —
"It is indeed early, but what matters it? let us drink! Let us pour out an offering to yon
solemn sun which these gaudy lamps and censers are so eager to subdue!" And, having
made me pledge him in a bumper, he swallowed in rapid succession several goblets of the
wine.

"To dream", he continued, resuming the tone of his desultory conversation, as he held up
to the rich light of a censer one of the magnificent vases —"to dream has been the
business of my life. I have therefore framed for myself, as you see, a bower of dreams. In
the heart of Venice could I have erected a better? You behold around you, it is true, a
medley of architectural embellishments. The chastity of Ionia is offended by antediluvian
devices, and the sphynxes of Egypt are outstretched upon carpets of gold. Yet the effect
is incongruous to the timid alone. Proprieties of place, and especially of time, are the
bugbears which terrify mankind from the contemplation of the magnificent. Once I was
myself a decorist: but that sublimation of folly has palled upon my soul. All this is now
the fitter for my purpose. Like these arabesque censers, my spirit is writhing in fire, and
the delirium of this scene is fashioning me for the wilder visions of that land of real
dreams whither I am now rapidly departing." He here paused abruptly, bent his head to
his bosom, and seemed to listen to a sound which I could not hear. At length, erecting his
frame, he looked upwards and ejaculated the lines of the Bishop of Chichester: —

Stay for me there! I will not fail
To meet thee in that hollow vale.

In the next instant, confessing the power of the wine, he threw himself at full length upon
an ottoman.

A quick step was now heard upon the staircase, and a loud knock at the door rapidly
succeeded. I was hastening to anticipate a second disturbance, when a page of Mentoni's
household burst into the room, and faltered out, in a voice choking with emotion, the
incoherent words, "My mistress! —my mistress! —poisoned! -poisoned! Oh beautiful —
oh beautiful Aphrodite!"

Bewildered, I flew to the ottoman, and endeavored to arouse the sleeper to a sense of the
startling intelligence. But his limbs were rigid —his lips were livid —his lately beaming
eyes were riveted in death. I staggered back toward the table -my hand fell upon a
cracked and blackened goblet —and a consciousness of the entire and terrible truth
flashed suddenly over my soul.

THE END

THE BALLOON-HOAX

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

ASTOUNDING NEWS BY EXPRESS, VIA NORFOLK!-The Atlantic Crossed in Three
Days!-Signal Triumph of Mr. Monck Mason's Flying Machine!- Arrival at Sullivan's
Island, near Charlestown, S. C, of Mr. Mason, Mr. Robert Holland, Mr. Henson, Mr.
Harrison Ainsworth, and four others, in the Steering Balloon, Victoria, after a Passage of
Seventy-five Hours from Land to Land! Full Particulars of the Voyage!

The subjoined jeu d'esprit with the preceding heading in magnificent capitals, well
interspersed with notes of admiration, was originally published, as matter of fact, in the
New York Sun, a daily newspaper, and therein fully subserved the purpose of creating
indigestible aliment for the quidnuncs during the few hours intervening between a couple
of the Charleston mails. The rush for the "sole paper which had the news" was something
beyond even the prodigious; and, in fact, if (as some assert) the Victoria did not
absolutely accomplish the voyage recorded it will be difficult to assign a reason why she
should not have accomplished it. E. A. P.

THE GREAT problem is at length solved! The air, as well as the earth and the ocean, has
been subdued by science, and will become a common and convenient highway for
mankind. The Atlantic has been actually crossed in a Balloon! and this too without
difficulty-without any great apparent danger-with thorough control of the machine-and
in the inconceivably brief period of seventy-five hours from shore to shore ! By the
energy of an agent at Charleston, S. C, we are enabled to be the first to furnish the public
with a detailed account of this most extraordinary voyage, which was performed between
Saturday, the 6th instant, at 1 1 A.M. and 2 P.M., on Tuesday, the 9th instant, by Sir
Everard Bringhurst; Mr. Osborne, a nephew of Lord Bentinck's; Mr. Monck Mason and
Mr. Robert Holland, the well-known aeronauts; Mr. Harrison Ainsworth, author of "Jack
Sheppard," etc.; and Mr. Henson the projector of the late unsuccessful flying machine-
with two seamen from Woolwich-in all, eight persons. The particulars furnished below
may be relied on as authentic and accurate in every respect, as, with a slight exception,
they are copied verbatim from the joint diaries of Mr. Monck Mason and Mr. Harrison
Ainsworth, to whose politeness our agent is also indebted for much verbal information
respecting the balloon itself, its construction, and other matters of interest. The only
alteration in the MS. received, has been made for the purpose of throwing the hurried
account of our agent, Mr. Forsyth, into a connected and intelligible form.

THE BALLOON

Two very decided failures, of late,-those of Mr. Henson and Sir George Cayley,-had
much weakened the public interest in the subject of aerial navigation. Mr. Henson's

scheme (which at first was considered very feasible even by men of science) was founded
upon the principle of an inclined plane, started from an eminence by an extrinsic force,
applied and continued by the revolution of impinging vanes, in form and number
resembling the vanes of a windmill. But, in all the experiments made with models at the
Adelaide Gallery, it was found that the operation of these fins not only did not propel the
machine, but actually impeded its flight. The only propelling force it ever exhibited, was
the mere impetus acquired from the descent of the inclined plane, and this impetus
carried the machine farther when the vanes were at rest, than when they were in motion-a
fact which sufficiently demonstrates their inutility, and in the absence of the propelling,
which was also the sustaining power, the whole fabric would necessarily descend. This
consideration led Sir George Cayley to think only of adapting a propeller to some
machine having of itself an independent power of support-in a word, to a balloon; the
idea, however, being novel, or original, with Sir George, only so far as regards the mode
of its application to practice. He exhibited a model of his invention at the Polytechnic
Institution. The propelling principle, or power, was here, also, applied to interrupted
surfaces, or vanes, put in revolution. These vanes were four in number, but were found
entirely ineffectual in moving the balloon, or in aiding its ascending power. The whole
project was thus a complete failure.

It was at this juncture that Mr. Monck Mason (whose voyage from Dover to Weilburg in
the balloon Nassau occasioned so much excitement in 1837) conceived the idea of
employing the principle of the Archimedean screw for the purpose of propulsion through
the air- rightly attributing the failure of Mr. Henson's scheme, and of Sir George Cayley's
to the interruption of surface in the independent vanes. He made the first public
experiment at Willis's Rooms, but afterward removed his model to the Adelaide Gallery.

Like Sir George Cayley's balloon, his own was an ellipsoid. Its length was 13 feet 6
inches-height, 6 feet 8 inches. It contained about 320 cubic feet of gas, which, if pure
hydrogen, would support 21 pounds upon its first inflation, before the gas has time to
deteriorate or escape. The weight of the whole machine and apparatus was 17 pounds-
leaving about 4 pounds to spare. Beneath the centre of the balloon, was a frame of light
wood, about 9 feet long, and rigged on to the balloon itself with a net- work in the
customary manner. From this framework was suspended a wicker basket or car.

The screw consists of an axis of hollow brass tube, 18 inches in length, through which,
upon a semi-spiral inclined at 15 degrees, pass a series of steel-wire radii, 2 feet long, and
thus projecting a foot on either side. These radii are connected at the outer extremities by
2 bands of flattened wire; the whole in this manner forming the framework of the screw,
which is completed by a covering of oiled silk cut into gores, and tightened so as to
present a tolerably uniform surface. At each end of its axis this screw is supported by
pillars of hollow brass tube descending from the hoop. In the lower ends of these tubes
are holes in which the pivots of the axis revolve. From the end of the axis which is next
the car, proceeds a shaft of steel, connecting the screw with the pinion of a piece of
spring machinery fixed in the car. By the operation of this spring, the screw is made to
revolve with great rapidity, communicating a progressive motion to the whole. By means
of the rudder, the machine was readily turned in any direction. The spring was of great

power, compared with its dimensions, being capable of raising 45 pounds upon a barrel
of 4 inches diameter, after the first turn, and gradually increasing as it was wound up. It
weighed, altogether, eight pounds six ounces. The rudder was a light frame of cane
covered with silk, shaped somewhat like a battledoor, and was about 3 feet long, and at
the widest, one foot. Its weight was about 2 ounces. It could be turned flat, and directed
upward or downward, as well as to the right or left-, and thus enabled the aeronaut to
transfer the resistance of the air which in an inclined position it must generate in its
passage, to any side upon which he might desire to act; thus determining the balloon in
the opposite direction.

This model (which, through want of time, we have necessarily described in an imperfect
manner) was put in action at the Adelaide Gallery, where it accomplished a velocity of 5
miles per hour; although, strange to say, it excited very little interest in comparison with
the previous complex machine of Mr. Henson-so resolute is the world to despise
anything which carries with it an air of simplicity. To accomplish the great desideratum
of aerial navigation, it was very generally supposed that some exceedingly complicated
application must be made of some unusually profound principle in dynamics.

So well satisfied, however, was Mr. Mason of the ultimate success of his invention, that
he determined to construct immediately, if possible, a balloon of sufficient capacity to
test the question by a voyage of some extent; the original design being to cross the British
Channel, as before, in the Nassau balloon. To carry out his views, he solicited and
obtained the patronage of Sir Everard Bringhurst and Mr. Osborne, two gentlemen well
known for scientific acquirement, and especially for the interest they have exhibited in
the progress of aerostation. The project, at the desire of Mr. Osborne, was kept a
profound secret from the public-the only persons entrusted with the design being those
actually engaged in the construction of the machine, which was built (under the
superintendence of Mr. Mason, Mr. Holland, Sir Everard Bringhurst, and Mr. Osborne) at
the seat of the latter gentleman near Penstruthal, in Wales. Mr. Henson, accompanied by
his friend Mr. Ainsworth, was admitted to a private view of the balloon, on Saturday last;
when the two gentlemen made final arrangements to be included in the adventure. We are
not informed for what reason the two seamen were also included in the party-but in the
course of a day or two, we shall put our readers in possession of the minutest particulars
respecting this extraordinary voyage.

The balloon is composed of silk, varnished with the liquid gum caoutchouc. It is of vast
dimensions, containing more than 40,000 cubic feet of gas; but as coal gas was employed
in place of the more expensive and inconvenient hydrogen, the supporting power of the
machine, when fully inflated, and immediately after inflation, is not more than about
2500 pounds. The coal gas is not only much less costly, but is easily procured and
managed.

For its introduction into common use for purposes of aerostation, we are indebted to Mr.
Charles Green. Up to his discovery, the process of inflation was not only exceedingly
expensive, but uncertain. Two and even three days have frequently been wasted in futile
attempts to procure a sufficiency of hydrogen to fill a balloon, from which it had great

tendency to escape, owing to its extreme subtlety, and its affinity for the surrounding
atmosphere. In a balloon sufficiently perfect to retain its contents of coal gas unaltered, in
quantity or amount, for six months, an equal quantity of hydrogen could not be
maintained in equal purity for six weeks.

The supporting power being estimated at 2500 pounds, and the united weights of the
party amounting only to about 1200, there was left a surplus of 1300, of which again
1200 was exhausted by ballast, arranged in bags of different sizes, with their respective
weights marked upon them-by cordage, barometers, telescopes, barrels containing
provision for a fortnight, water-casks, cloaks, carpet-bags, and various other
indispensable matters, including a coffee- warmer, contrived for warming coffee by
means of slack-lime, so as to dispense altogether with fire, if it should be judged prudent
to do so. All these articles, with the exception of the ballast, and a few trifles, were
suspended from the hoop overhead. The car is much smaller and lighter, in proportion,
than the one appended to the model. It is formed of a light wicker, and is wonderfully
strong for so frail looking a machine. Its rim is about 4 feet deep. The rudder is also very
much larger, in proportion, than that of the model; and the screw is considerably smaller.
The balloon is furnished besides with a grapnel, and a guide-rope, which latter is of the
most indispensable importance. A few words, in explanation, will here be necessary for
such of our readers as are not conversant with the details of aerostation.

As soon as the balloon quits the earth, it is subjected to the influence of many
circumstances tending to create a difference in its weight; augmenting or diminishing its
ascending power. For example, there may be a deposition of dew upon the silk, to the
extent, even, of several hundred pounds; ballast has then to be thrown out, or the machine
may descend. This ballast being discarded, and a clear sunshine evaporating the dew, and
at the same time expanding the gas in the silk, the whole will again rapidly ascend. To
check this ascent, the only recourse is (or rather was, until Mr. Green's invention of the
guide-rope) the permission of the escape of gas from the valve; but, in the loss of gas, is a
proportionate general loss of ascending power; so that, in a comparatively brief period,
the best-constructed balloon must necessarily exhaust all its resources, and come to the
earth. This was the great obstacle to voyages of length.

The guide-rope remedies the difficulty in the simplest manner conceivable. It is merely a
very long rope which is suffered to trail from the car, and the effect of which is to prevent
the balloon from changing its level in any material degree. If, for example, there should
be a deposition of moisture upon, the silk, and the machine begins to descend in
consequence, there will be no necessity for discharging ballast to remedy the increase of
weight, for it is remedied, or counteracted, in an exactly just proportion, by the deposit on
the ground of just so much of the end of the rope as is necessary. If, on the other hand,
any circumstances should cause undue levity, and consequent ascent, this levity is
immediately counteracted by the additional weight of rope upraised from the earth. Thus,
the balloon can neither ascend nor descend, except within very narrow limits, and its
resources, either in gas or ballast, remain comparatively unimpaired. When passing over
an expanse of water, it becomes necessary to employ small kegs of copper or wood, filled
with liquid ballast of a lighter nature than water. These float, and serve all the purposes of

a mere rope on land. Another most important office of the guide-rope, is to point out the
direction of the balloon. The rope drags, either on land or sea, while the balloon is free;
the latter, consequently, is always in advance, when any progress whatever is made, a
comparison, therefore, by means of the compass, of the relative positions of the two
objects, will always indicate the course. In the same way, the angle formed by the rope
with the vertical axis of the machine, indicates the velocity. When there is no angle-in
other words, when the rope hangs perpendicularly, the whole apparatus is stationary; but
the larger the angle, that is to say, the farther the balloon precedes the end of the rope, the
greater the velocity; and the converse.

As the original design was to cross the British Channel, and alight as near Paris as
possible, the voyagers had taken the precaution to prepare themselves with passports
directed to all parts of the Continent, specifying the nature of the expedition, as in the
case of the Nassau voyage, and entitling the adventurers to exemption from the usual
formalities of office; unexpected events, however, rendered these passports superfluous.

The inflation was commenced very quietly at day-break, on Saturday morning, the 6th
instant in the courtyard of Wheal- Vor House, Mr. Osborne's seat, about a mile from
Penstruthal, in North Wales; and at 7 minutes past 11, everything being ready for
departure, the balloon was set free, rising gently but steadily, in a direction nearly South;
no use being made, for the first half hour, of either the screw or the rudder. We proceed
now with the journal, as transcribed by Mr. Forsyth from the joint MSS. of Mr. Monck
Mason and Mr. Ainsworth. The body of the journal, as given, is in the handwriting of Mr.
Mason, and a P. S. is appended, each day, by Mr. Ainsworth, who has in preparation, and
will shortly give the public a more minute and, no doubt, a thrillingly interesting account
of the voyage.

THE JOURNAL

Saturday, April the 6th.-Every preparation likely to embarrass us having been made
overnight, we commenced the inflation this morning at daybreak; but owing to a thick
fog which encumbered the folds of the silk and rendered it unmanageable, we did not get
through before nearly eleven o'clock. Cut loose, then, in high spirits, and rose gently but
steadily, with a light breeze at North, which bore us in the direction of the Bristol
Channel. Found the ascending force greater than we had expected; and as we arose higher
and so got clear of the cliffs, and more in the sun's rays, our ascent became very rapid. I
did not wish, however, to lose gas at so early a period of the adventure, and so concluded
to ascend for the present. We soon ran out our guide-rope; but even when we had raised it
clear of the earth, we still went up very rapidly. The balloon was unusually steady, and
looked beautifully. In about 10 minutes after starting, the barometer indicated an altitude
of 15,000 feet. The weather was remarkably fine, and the view of the subjacent country-a
most romantic one when seen from any point-was now especially sublime. The
numerous deep gorges presented the appearance of lakes, on account of the dense vapors
with which they were filled, and the pinnacles and crags to the South East, piled in
inextricable confusion, resembling nothing so much as the giant cities of Eastern fable.
We were rapidly approaching the mountains in the South, but our elevation was more

than sufficient to enable us to pass them in safety. In a few minutes we soared over them
in fine style; and Mr. Ainsworth, with the seamen, was surprised at their apparent want of
altitude when viewed from the car, the tendency of great elevation in a balloon being to
reduce inequalities of the surface below, to nearly a dead level. At half-past eleven still
proceeding nearly South, we obtained our first view of the Bristol Channel; and, in fifteen
minutes afterward, the line of breakers on the coast appeared immediately beneath us,
and we were fairly out at sea. We now resolved to let off enough gas to bring our guide-
rope, with the buoys affixed, into the water. This was immediately done, and we
commenced a gradual descent. In about 20 minutes our first buoy dipped, and at the
touch of the second soon afterward, we remained stationary as to elevation. We were all
now anxious to test the efficiency of the rudder and screw, and we put them both into
requisition forthwith, for the purpose of altering our direction more to the eastward, and
in a line for Paris. By means of the rudder we instantly effected the necessary change of
direction, and our course was brought nearly at right angles to that of the wind; when we
set in motion the spring of the screw, and were rejoiced to find it propel us readily as
desired. Upon this we gave nine hearty cheers, and dropped in the sea a bottle, inclosing a
slip of parchment with a brief account of the principle of the invention. Hardly, however,
had we done with our rejoicings, when an unforeseen accident occurred which
discouraged us in no little degree. The steel rod connecting the spring with the propeller
was suddenly jerked out of place, at the car end, (by a swaying of the car through some
movement of one of the two seamen we had taken up,) and in an instant hung dangling
out of reach, from the pivot of the axis of the screw. While we were endeavoring to
regain it, our attention being completely absorbed, we became involved in a strong
current of wind from the East, which bore us, with rapidly increasing force, toward the
Atlantic. We soon found ourselves driving out to sea at the rate of not less, certainly, than
50 or 60 miles an hour, so that we came up with Cape Clear, at some 40 miles to our
North, before we had secured the rod, and had time to think what we were about. It was
now that Mr. Ainsworth made an extraordinary but, to my fancy, a by no means
unreasonable or chimerical proposition, in which he was instantly seconded by Mr.
HoUand-viz.: that we should take advantage of the strong gale which bore us on, and in
place of beating back to Paris, make an attempt to reach the coast of North America.
After slight reflection, I gave a willing assent to this bold proposition, which (strange to
say) met with objection from the two seamen only. As the stronger party, however, we
overruled their fears, and kept resolutely upon our course. We steered due West; but as
the trailing of the buoys materially impeded our progress, and we had the balloon
abundantly at command, either for ascent or descent, we first threw out fifty pounds of
ballast, and then wound up (by means of a windlass) so much of the rope as brought it
quite clear of the sea. We perceived the effect of this manoeuvre immediately, in a vastly
increased rate of progress; and, as the gale freshened, we flew with a velocity nearly
inconceivable; the guide-rope flying out behind the car, like a streamer from a vessel. It is
needless to say that a very short time sufficed us to lose sight of the coast. We passed
over innumerable vessels of all kinds, a few of which were endeavoring to beat up, but
the most of them lying to. We occasioned the greatest excitement on board all-an
excitement greatly relished by ourselves, and especially by our two men, who, now under
the influence of a dram of Geneva, seemed resolved to give all scruple, or fear, to the
wind. Many of the vessels fired signal guns; and in all we were saluted with loud cheers

(which we heard with surprising distinctness) and the waving of caps and handkerchiefs.
We kept on in this manner throughout the day with no material incident, and, as the
shades of night closed around us, we made a rough estimate of the distance traversed. It
could not have been less than 500 miles, and was probably much more. The propeller was
kept in constant operation, and, no doubt, aided our progress materially. As the sun went
down, the gale freshened into an absolute hurricane, and the ocean beneath was clearly
visible on account of its phosphorescence. The wind was from the East all night, and
gave us the brightest omen of success. We suffered no little from cold, and the dampness
of the atmosphere was most unpleasant; but the ample space in the car enabled us to lie
down, and by means of cloaks and a few blankets we did sufficiently well.

P.S. [by Mr. Ainsworth.] The last nine hours have been unquestionably the most exciting
of my life. I can conceive nothing more sublimating than the strange peril and novelty of
an adventure such as this. May God grant that we succeed! I ask not success for mere
safety to my insignificant person, but for the sake of human knowledge and-for the
vastness of the triumph. And yet the feat is only so evidently feasible that the sole wonder
is why men have scrupled to attempt it before. One single gale such as now befriends us-
let such a tempest whirl forward a balloon for 4 or 5 days (these gales often last longer)
and the voyager will be easily borne, in that period, from coast to coast. In view of such a
gale the broad Atlantic becomes a mere lake. I am more struck, just now, with the
supreme silence which reigns in the sea beneath us, notwithstanding its agitation, than
with any other phenomenon presenting itself. The waters give up no voice to the
Heavens. The immense flaming ocean writhes and is tortured uncomplainingly. The
mountainous surges suggest the idea of innumerable dumb gigantic fiends struggling in
impotent agony. In a night such as is this to me, a man lives-lives a whole century of
ordinary life-nor would I forego this rapturous delight for that of a whole century of
ordinary existence.

Sunday, the 7th. [Mr. Mason's MS.] This morning the gale, by 10, had subsided to an
eight-or nine-knot breeze (for a vessel at sea), and bears us, perhaps, 30 miles per hour,
or more. It has veered, however, very considerably to the North; and now, at sundown,
we are holding our course due West, principally by the screw and rudder, which answer
their purposes to admiration. I regard the project as thoroughly successful, and the easy
navigation of the air in any direction (not exactly in the teeth of a gale) as no longer
problematical. We could not have made head against the strong wind of yesterday, but,
by ascending, we might have got out of its influence, if requisite. Against a pretty stiff
breeze, I feel convinced, we can make our way with the propeller. At noon, today,
ascended to an elevation of nearly 25,000 feet, (about the height of Cotopaxi) by
discharging ballast. Did this to search for a more direct current, but found none so
favorable as the one we are now in. We have an abundance of gas to take us across this
small pond, even should the voyage last 3 weeks. I have not the slightest fear for the
result. The difficulty has been strangely exaggerated and misapprehended. I can choose
my current, and should I find all currents against me, I can make very tolerable headway
with the propeller. We have had no incidents worth recording. The night promises fair.

P.S. [By Mr. Ainsworth.] I have little to record, except the fact (to me quite a surprising
one) that, at an elevation equal to that of Cotopaxi, I experienced neither very intense
cold, nor headache, nor difficulty of breathing; neither, I find, did Mr. Mason, nor Mr.
Holland, nor Sir Everard. Mr. Osborne complained of constriction of the chest-but this
soon wore off. We have flown at a great rate during the day, and we must be more than
half way across the Atlantic. We have passed over some 20 or 30 vessels of various
kinds, and all seem to be delightfully astonished. Crossing the ocean in a balloon is not so
difficult a feat after all. Omne ignotum pro magnifico. Mem.: at 25,000 feet elevation the
sky appears nearly black, and the stars are distinctly visible; while the sea does not seem
convex (as one might suppose) but absolutely and most unequivocally concave.*

* "Mr. Ainsworth has not attempted to account for this phenomenon, which however, is
quite susceptible of explanation. A line dropped from an elevation of 25,000 feet,
perpendicularly to the surface of the earth (or sea), would form the perpendicular of a
right-angled triangle, of which the base would extend from the right angle to the horizon,
and the hypothenuse from the horizon to the balloon. But the 25,000 feet of altitude is
little or nothing, in comparison with the extent of the prospect. In other words, the base
and hypothenuse of the supposed triangle would be so long, when compared with the
perpendicular, that the two former may be regarded as nearly parallel. In this manner the
horizon of the aeronaut would appear to be on a level with the car. But, as the point
immediately beneath him seems, and is, at a great distance below him, it seems, of
course, also, at a great distance below the horizon. Hence the impression of concavity;
and this impression must remain, until the elevation shall bear so great a proportion to the
extent of prospect, that the apparent parallelism of the base and hypothenuse disappears-
when the earth's real convexity must appear.

Monday, the 8th. [Mr. Mason's MS.] This morning we had again some little trouble with
the rod of the propeller, which must be entirely remodelled, for fear of serious accident-I
mean the steel rod, not the vanes. The latter could not be improved. The wind has been
blowing steadily and strongly from the North-East all day; and so far fortune seems bent
upon favoring us. Just before day, we were all somewhat alarmed at some odd noises and
concussions in the balloon, accompanied with the apparent rapid subsidence of the whole
machine. These phenomena were occasioned by the expansion of the gas, through
increase of heat in the atmosphere, and the consequent disruption of the minute particles
of ice with which the network had become encrusted during the night. Threw down
several bottles to the vessels below. Saw one of them picked up by a large ship-
seemingly one of the New York line packets. Endeavored to make out her name, but
could not be sure of it. Mr. Osbomes telescope made it out something like "Atalanta." It
is now 12 at night, and we are still going nearly West, at a rapid pace. The sea is
peculiarly phosphorescent.

P.S. [By Mr. Ainsworth.] It is now 2 A.M., and nearly calm, as well as I can judge-but it
is very difficult to determine this point since we move with the air so completely. I have
not slept since quitting Wheal- Vor, but can stand it no longer, and must take a nap. We
cannot be far from the American coast.

Tuesday, the 9th. [Mr. Ainsworth's MS.] One, P.M. We are in full view of the low coast
of South Carolina. The great problem is accomplished. We have crossed the Atlantic-
fairly and easily crossed it in a balloon! God be praised! Who shall say that anything is
impossible hereafter?

The Journal here ceases. Some particulars of the descent were communicated, however,
by Mr. Ainsworth to Mr. Forsyth. It was nearly dead calm when the voyagers first came
in view of the coast, which was immediately recognized by both the seamen, and by Mr.
Osborne. The latter gentleman having acquaintances at Fort Moultrie, it was immediately
resolved to descend in its vicinity. The balloon was brought over the beach (the tide being
out and the sand hard, smooth, and admirably adapted for a descent), and the grapnel let
go, which took firm hold at once. The inhabitants of the Island, and of the Fort, thronged
out, of course, to see the balloon; but it was with the greatest difficulty that any one could
be made to credit the actual voyage-the crossing of the Atlantic. The grapnel caught at 2
P.M. precisely; and thus the whole voyage was completed in 75 hours; or rather less,
counting from shore to shore. No serious accident occurred. No real danger was at any
time apprehended. The balloon was exhausted and secured without trouble; and when the
MS. from which this narrative is compiled was despatched from Charleston, the party
were still at Fort Moultrie. Their further intentions were not ascertained; but we can
safely promise our readers some additional information either on Monday or in the course
of the next day, at furthest.

This is unquestionably the most stupendous, the most interesting, and the most important
undertaking ever accomplished or even attempted by man. What magnificent events may
ensue, it would be useless now to think of determining.

THE END

THE BELLS

by Edgar Allan Poe

1849

Hear the sledges with the bells-
Silver bells!

What a world of merriment their melody foretells!
How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle.
In the icy air of night!
While the stars that oversprinkle
All the heavens, seem to twinkle
With a crystalline delight;
Keeping time, time, time.
In a sort of Runic rhyme.
To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells
From the bells, bells, bells, bells.
Bells, bells, bells-
From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.

n

Hear the mellow wedding bells.

Golden bells!

What a world of happiness their harmony foretells!

Through the balmy air of night

How they ring out their delight!

From the molten-golden notes.

And an in tune.

What a liquid ditty floats

To the turtle-dove that listens, while she gloats

On the moon!

Oh, from out the sounding cells.

What a gush of euphony voluminously wells!

How it swells!

How it dwells

On the Future! how it tells

Of the rapture that impels

To the swinging and the ringing

Of the bells, bells, bells.

Of the bells, bells, bells,bells.

Bells, bells, bells-

To the rhyming and the chiming of the bells!

Ill

Hear the loud alarum bells-
Brazen bells!

What a tale of terror, now, their turbulency tells!
In the startled ear of night
How they scream out their affright!
Too much horrified to speak.
They can only shriek, shriek.
Out of tune.

In a clamorous appealing to the mercy of the fire.
In a mad expostulation with the deaf and frantic fire.
Leaping higher, higher, higher.
With a desperate desire.
And a resolute endeavor,
Now-now to sit or never.
By the side of the pale-faced moon.
Oh, the bells, bells, bells!
What a tale their terror tells
Of Despair!

How they clang, and clash, and roar!
What a horror they outpour
On the bosom of the palpitating air!
Yet the ear it fully knows.
By the twanging.
And the clanging.
How the danger ebbs and flows:
Yet the ear distinctly tells.
In the jangling.
And the wrangling.
How the danger sinks and swells.
By the sinking or the swelling in the anger of the bells-
Ofthebells-

Of the bells, bells, bells,bells.
Bells, bells, bells-
In the clamor and the clangor of the bells!

IV

Hear the tolling of the bells-
Iron Bells!
What a world of solemn thought their monody compels!

In the silence of the night,
How we shiver with affright
At the melancholy menace of their tone!
For every sound that floats
From the rust within their throats
Is a groan.

And the people-ah, the people-
They that dwell up in the steeple,
All Alone

And who, tolling, tolling, tolling.
In that muffled monotone.
Feel a glory in so rolling
On the human heart a stone-
They are neither man nor woman-
They are neither brute nor human-
They are Ghouls:
And their king it is who tolls;
And he rolls, rolls, rolls.
Rolls

A paean from the bells!
And his merry bosom swells
With the paean of the bells!
And he dances, and he yells;
Keeping time, time, time.
In a sort of Runic rhyme.
To the paean of the bells-
Of the bells:

Keeping time, time, time.
In a sort of Runic rhyme.
To the throbbing of the bells-
Of the bells, bells, bells-
To the sobbing of the bells;
Keeping time, time, time.
As he knells, knells, knells.
In a happy Runic rhyme.
To the rolling of the bells-
Of the bells, bells, bells:
To the tolling of the bells.
Of the bells, bells, bells, bells-
Bells, bells, bells-
To the moaning and the groaning of the bells.

THE END

THE BLACK CAT

by Edgar Allan Poe

1843

FOR the most wild, yet most homely narrative which I am about to pen, I neither expect
nor solicit belief. Mad indeed would I be to expect it, in a case where my very senses
reject their own evidence. Yet, mad am I not —and very surely do I not dream. But to-
morrow I die, and to-day I would unburthen my soul. My immediate purpose is to place
before the world, plainly, succinctly, and without comment, a series of mere household
events. In their consequences, these events have terrified —have tortured —have destroyed
me. Yet I will not attempt to expound them. To me, they have presented little but Horror -
-to many they will seem less terrible than baroques. Hereafter, perhaps, some intellect
may be found which will reduce my phantasm to the common-place —some intellect
more calm, more logical, and far less excitable than my own, which will perceive, in the
circumstances I detail with awe, nothing more than an ordinary succession of very natural
causes and effects.

From my infancy I was noted for the docility and humanity of my disposition. My
tenderness of heart was even so conspicuous as to make me the jest of my companions. I
was especially fond of animals, and was indulged by my parents with a great variety of
pets. With these I spent most of my time, and never was so happy as when feeding and
caressing them. This peculiar of character grew with my growth, and in my manhood, I
derived from it one of my principal sources of pleasure. To those who have cherished an
affection for a faithful and sagacious dog, I need hardly be at the trouble of explaining the
nature or the intensity of the gratification thus derivable. There is something in the
unselfish and self-sacrificing love of a brute, which goes directly to the heart of him who
has had frequent occasion to test the paltry friendship and gossamer fidelity of mere Man.

I married early, and was happy to find in my wife a disposition not uncongenial with my
own. Observing my partiality for domestic pets, she lost no opportunity of procuring
those of the most agreeable kind. We had birds, gold fish, a fine dog, rabbits, a small
monkey, and a cat.

This latter was a remarkably large and beautiful animal, entirely black, and sagacious to
an astonishing degree. In speaking of his intelligence, my wife, who at heart was not a
little tinctured with superstition, made frequent allusion to the ancient popular notion,
which regarded all black cats as witches in disguise. Not that she was ever serious upon
this point -and I mention the matter at all for no better reason than that it happens, just
now, to be remembered.

Pluto -this was the cat's name —was my favorite pet and playmate. I alone fed him, and
he attended me wherever I went about the house. It was even with difficulty that I could
prevent him from following me through the streets.

Our friendship lasted, in this manner, for several years, during which my general
temperament and character —through the instrumentality of the Fiend Intemperance —had
(I blush to confess it) experienced a radical alteration for the worse. I grew, day by day,
more moody, more irritable, more regardless of the feelings of others. I suffered myself
to use intemperate language to my At length, I even offered her personal violence. My
pets, of course, were made to feel the change in my disposition. I not only neglected, but
ill-used them. For Pluto, however, I still retained sufficient regard to restrain me from
maltreating him, as I made no scruple of maltreating the rabbits, the monkey, or even the
dog, when by accident, or through affection, they came in my way. But my disease grew
upon me —for what disease is like Alcohol! —and at length even Pluto, who was now
becoming old, and consequently somewhat peevish —even Pluto began to experience the
effects of my ill temper.

One night, returning home, much intoxicated, from one of my haunts about town, I
fancied that the cat avoided my presence. I seized him; when, in his fright at my violence,
he inflicted a slight wound upon my hand with his teeth. The fury of a demon instantly
possessed me. I knew myself no longer. My original soul seemed, at once, to take its
flight from my body; and a more than fiendish malevolence, gin-nurtured, thrilled every
fibre of my frame. I took from my waistcoat-pocket a pen-knife, opened it, grasped the
poor beast by the throat, and deliberately cut one of its eyes from the socket! I blush, I
bum, I shudder, while I pen the damnable atrocity.

When reason returned with the morning —when I had slept off the fumes of the night's
debauch —I experienced a sentiment half of horror, half of remorse, for the crime of
which I had been guilty; but it was, at best, a feeble and equivocal feeling, and the soul
remained untouched. I again plunged into excess, and soon drowned in wine all memory
of the deed.

In the meantime the cat slowly recovered. The socket of the lost eye presented, it is true,
a frightful appearance, but he no longer appeared to suffer any pain. He went about the
house as usual, but, as might be expected, fled in extreme terror at my approach. I had so
much of my old heart left, as to be at first grieved by this evident dislike on the part of a
creature which had once so loved me. But this feeling soon gave place to irritation. And
then came, as if to my final and irrevocable overthrow, the spirit of PERVERSENESS.
Of this spirit philosophy takes no account. Yet I am not more sure that my soul lives, than
I am that perverseness is one of the primitive impulses of the human heart —one of the
indivisible primary faculties, or sentiments, which give direction to the character of Man.
Who has not, a hundred times, found himself committing a vile or a silly action, for no
other reason than because he knows he should not? Have we not a perpetual inclination,
in the teeth of our best judgment, to violate that which is Law, merely because we
understand it to be such? This spirit of perverseness, I say, came to my final overthrow. It
was this unfathomable longing of the soul to vex itself -to offer violence to its own

nature —to do wrong for the wrong's sake only —that urged me to continue and finally to
consummate the injury I had inflicted upon the unoffending brute. One morning, in cool
blood, I slipped a noose about its neck and hung it to the limb of a tree; —hung it with the
tears streaming from my eyes, and with the bitterest remorse at my heart; —hung it
because I knew that it had loved me, and because I felt it had given me no reason of
offence; —hung it because I knew that in so doing I was committing a sin —a deadly sin
that would so jeopardize my immortal soul as to place it —if such a thing were possible -
even beyond the reach of the infinite mercy of the Most Merciful and Most Terrible God.

On the night of the day on which this cruel deed was done, I was aroused from sleep by
the cry of fire. The curtains of my bed were in flames. The whole house was blazing. It
was with great difficulty that my wife, a servant, and myself, made our escape from the
conflagration. The destruction was complete. My entire worldly wealth was swallowed
up, and I resigned myself thenceforward to despair.

I am above the weakness of seeking to establish a sequence of cause and effect, between
the disaster and the atrocity. But I am detailing a chain of facts -and wish not to leave
even a possible link imperfect. On the day succeeding the fire, I visited the ruins. The
walls, with one exception, had fAUan in. This exception was found in a compartment
wall, not very thick, which stood about the middle of the house, and against which had
rested the head of my bed. The plastering had here, in great measure, resisted the action
of the fire —a fact which I attributed to its having been recently spread. About this wall a
dense crowd were collected, and many persons seemed to be examining a particular
portion of it with every minute and eager attention. The words "strange!" "singular!" and
other similar expressions, excited my curiosity. I approached and saw, as if graven in bas
relief upon the white surface, the figure of a gigantic cat. The impression was given with
an accuracy truly marvellous. There was a rope about the animal's neck.

When I first beheld this apparition -for I could scarcely regard it as less —my wonder and
my terror were extreme. But at length reflection came to my aid. The cat, I remembered,
had been hung in a garden adjacent to the house. Upon the alarm of fire, this garden had
been immediately filled by the crowd —by some one of whom the animal must have been
cut from the tree and thrown, through an open window, into my chamber. This had
probably been done with the view of arousing me from sleep. The falling of other walls
had compressed the victim of my cruelty into the substance of the freshly-spread plaster;
the lime of which, had then with the flames, and the ammonia from the carcass,
accomplished the portraiture as I saw it.

Although I thus readily accounted to my reason, if not altogether to my conscience, for
the startling fact just detailed, it did not the less fall to make a deep impression upon my
fancy. For months I could not rid myself of the phantasm of the cat; and, during this
period, there came back into my spirit a half- sentiment that seemed, but was not, remorse.
I went so far as to regret the loss of the animal, and to look about me, among the vile
haunts which I now habitually frequented, for another pet of the same species, and of
somewhat similar appearance, with which to supply its place.

One night as I sat, half stupefied, in a den of more than infamy, my attention was
suddenly drawn to some black object, reposing upon the head of one of the immense
hogsheads of Gin, or of Rum, which constituted the chief furniture of the apartment. I had
been looking steadily at the top of this hogshead for some minutes, and what now caused
me surprise was the fact that I had not sooner perceived the object thereupon. I
approached it, and touched it with my hand. It was a black cat —a very large one —fully as
large as Pluto, and closely resembling him in every respect but one. Pluto had not a white
hair upon any portion of his body; but this cat had a large, although indefinite splotch of
white, covering nearly the whole region of the breast.

Upon my touching him, he immediately arose, purred loudly, rubbed against my hand,
and appeared delighted with my notice. This, then, was the very creature of which I was
in search. I at once offered to purchase it of the landlord; but this person made no claim
to it —knew nothing of it —had never seen it before.

I continued my caresses, and, when I prepared to go home, the animal evinced a
disposition to accompany me. I permitted it to do so; occasionally stooping and patting it
as I proceeded. When it reached the house it domesticated itself at once, and became
immediately a great favorite with my wife.

For my own part, I soon found a dislike to it arising within me. This was just the reverse
of what I had anticipated; but I know not how or why it was —its evident fondness for
myself rather disgusted and annoyed. By slow degrees, these feelings of disgust and
annoyance rose into the bitterness of hatred. I avoided the creature; a certain sense of
shame, and the remembrance of my former deed of cruelty, preventing me from
physically abusing it. I did not, for some weeks, strike, or otherwise violently ill use it;
but gradually —very gradually —I came to look upon it with unutterable loathing, and to
flee silently from its odious presence, as from the breath of a pestilence.

What added, no doubt, to my hatred of the beast, was the discovery, on the morning after
I brought it home, that, like Pluto, it also had been deprived of one of its eyes. This
circumstance, however, only endeared it to my wife, who, as I have already said,
possessed, in a high degree, that humanity of feeling which had once been my
distinguishing trait, and the source of many of my simplest and purest pleasures.

With my aversion to this cat, however, its partiality for myself seemed to increase. It
followed my footsteps with a pertinacity which it would be difficult to make the reader
comprehend. Whenever I sat, it would crouch beneath my chair, or spring upon my
knees, covering me with its loathsome caresses. If I arose to walk it would get between
my feet and thus nearly throw me down, or, fastening its long and sharp claws in my
dress, clamber, in this manner, to my breast. At such times, although I longed to destroy
it with a blow, I was yet withheld from so doing, partly it at by a memory of my former
crime, but chiefly -let me confess it at once —by absolute dread of the beast.

This dread was not exactly a dread of physical evil-and yet I should be at a loss how
otherwise to define it. I am almost ashamed to own —yes, even in this felon's cell, I am

almost ashamed to own —that the terror and horror with which the animal inspired me,
had been heightened by one of the merest chimaeras it would be possible to conceive. My
wife had called my attention, more than once, to the character of the mark of white hair,
of which I have spoken, and which constituted the sole visible difference between the
strange beast and the one I had y si destroyed. The reader will remember that this mark,
although large, had been originally very indefinite; but, by slow degrees —degrees nearly
imperceptible, and which for a long time my Reason struggled to reject as fanciful -it
had, at length, assumed a rigorous distinctness of outline. It was now the representation
of an object that I shudder to name -and for this, above all, I loathed, and dreaded, and
would have rid myself of the monster had I dared —it was now, I say, the image of a
hideous -of a ghastly thing -of the GALLOWS! -oh, mournful and terrible engine of
Horror and of Crime -of Agony and of Death!

And now was I indeed wretched beyond the wretchedness of mere Humanity. And a
brute beast —whose fellow I had contemptuously destroyed —a brute beast to work out for
me —for me a man, fashioned in the image of the High God —so much of insufferable wo!
Alas! neither by day nor by night knew I the blessing of Rest any more! During the
former the creature left me no moment alone; and, in the latter, I started, hourly, from
dreams of unutterable fear, to find the hot breath of the thing upon my face, and its vast
weight —an incarnate Night-Mare that I had no power to shake off —incumbent eternally
upon my heart!

Beneath the pressure of torments such as these, the feeble remnant of the good within me
succumbed. Evil thoughts became my sole intimates —the darkest and most evil of
thoughts. The moodiness of my usual temper increased to hatred of all things and of all
mankind; while, from the sudden, frequent, and ungovernable outbursts of a fury to
which I now blindly abandoned myself, my uncomplaining wife, alas! was the most usual
and the most patient of sufferers.

One day she accompanied me, upon some household errand, into the cellar of the old
building which our poverty compelled us to inhabit. The cat followed me down the steep
stairs, and, nearly throwing me headlong, exasperated me to madness. Uplifting an axe,
and forgetting, in my wrath, the childish dread which had hitherto stayed my hand, I
aimed a blow at the animal which, of course, would have proved instantly fatal had it
descended as I wished. But this blow was arrested by the hand of my wife. Goaded, by
the interference, into a rage more than demoniacal, I withdrew my arm from her grasp
and buried the axe in her brain. She fell dead upon the spot, without a groan.

This hideous murder accomplished, I set myself forthwith, and with entire deliberation, to
the task of concealing the body. I knew that I could not remove it from the house, either
by day or by night, without the risk of being observed by the neighbors. Many projects
entered my mind. At one period I thought of cutting the corpse into minute fragments,
and destroying them by fire. At another, I resolved to dig a grave for it in the floor of the
cellar. Again, I deliberated about casting it in the well in the yard —about packing it in a
box, as if merchandize, with the usual arrangements, and so getting a porter to take it
from the house. Finally I hit upon what I considered a far better expedient than either of

these. I determined to wall it up in the cellar —as the monks of the middle ages are
recorded to have walled up their victims.

For a purpose such as this the cellar was well adapted. Its walls were loosely constructed,
and had lately been plastered throughout with a rough plaster, which the dampness of the
atmosphere had prevented from hardening. Moreover, in one of the walls was a
projection, caused by a false chimney, or fireplace, that had been filled up, and made to
resemble the rest of the cellar. I made no doubt that I could readily displace the at this
point, insert the corpse, and wall the whole up as before, so that no eye could detect
anything suspicious.

And in this calculation I was not deceived. By means of a crow-bar I easily dislodged the
bricks, and, having carefully deposited the body against the inner wall, I propped it in that
position, while, with little trouble, I re-laid the whole structure as it originally stood.
Having procured mortar, sand, and hair, with every possible precaution, I prepared a
plaster could not every poss be distinguished from the old, and with this I very carefully
went over the new brick- work. When I had finished, I felt satisfied that all was right. The
wall did not present the slightest appearance of having been disturbed. The rubbish on the
floor was picked up with the minutest care. I looked around triumphantly, and said to
myself —"Here at least, then, my labor has not been in vain."

My next step was to look for the beast which had been the cause of so much
wretchedness; for I had, at length, firmly resolved to put it to death. Had I been able to
meet with it, at the moment, there could have been no doubt of its fate; but it appeared
that the crafty animal had been alarmed at the violence of my previous anger, and
forebore to present itself in my present mood. It is impossible to describe, or to imagine,
the deep, the blissful sense of relief which the absence of the detested creature occasioned
in my bosom. It did not make its appearance during the night -and thus for one night at
least, since its introduction into the house, I soundly and tranquilly slept; aye, slept even
with the burden of murder upon my soul!

The second and the third day passed, and still my tormentor came not. Once again I
breathed as a free-man. The monster, in terror, had fled the premises forever! I should
behold it no more! My happiness was supreme! The guilt of my dark deed disturbed me
but little. Some few inquiries had been made, but these had been readily answered. Even
a search had been instituted —but of course nothing was to be discovered. I looked upon
my future felicity as secured.

Upon the fourth day of the assassination, a party of the police came, very unexpectedly,
into the house, and proceeded again to make rigorous investigation of the premises.
Secure, however, in the inscrutability of my place of concealment, I felt no
embarrassment whatever. The officers bade me accompany them in their search. They
left no nook or corner unexplored. At length, for the third or fourth time, they descended
into the cellar. I quivered not in a muscle. My heart beat calmly as that of one who
slumbers in innocence. I walked the cellar from end to end. I folded my arms upon my
bosom, and roamed easily to and fro. The police were thoroughly satisfied and prepared

to depart. The glee at my heart was too strong to be restrained. I burned to say if but one
word, by way of triumph, and to render doubly sure their assurance of my guiltlessness.

"Gentlemen," I said at last, as the party ascended the steps, "I delight to have allayed your
suspicions. I wish you all health, and a little more courtesy. By the bye, gentlemen, this —
this is a very well constructed house." (In the rabid desire to say something easily, I
scarcely knew what I uttered at all.) -"I may say an excellently well constructed house.
These walls —are you going, gentlemen? -these walls are solidly put together"; and here,
through the mere phrenzy of bravado, I rapped heavily, with a cane which I held in my
hand, upon that very portion of the brick-work behind which stood the corpse of the wife
of my bosom.

But may God shield and deliver me from the fangs of the Arch-Fiend! No sooner had the
reverberation of my blows sunk into silence than I was answered by a voice from within
the tomb! —by a cry, at first muffled and broken, like the sobbing of a child, and then
quickly swelling into one long, loud, and continuous scream, utterly anomalous and
inhuman -a howl —a wailing shriek, half of horror and half of triumph, such as might
have arisen only out of hell, conjointly from the throats of the damned in their agony and
of the demons that exult in the damnation.

Of my own thoughts it is folly to speak. Swooning, I staggered to the opposite wall. For
one instant the party upon the stairs remained motionless, through extremity of terror and
of awe. In the next, a dozen stout arms were tolling at the wall. It fell bodily. The corpse,
already greatly decayed and clotted with gore, stood erect before the eyes of the
spectators. Upon its head, with red extended mouth and solitary eye of fire, sat the
hideous beast whose craft had seduced me into murder, and whose informing voice had
consigned me to the hangman. I had walled the monster up within the tomb!

THE END

THE BUSINESS MAN

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

Method is the soul of business.
OLD SAYING.

I AM a business man. I am a methodical man. Method is the thing, after all. But there are
no people I more heartily despise than your eccentric fools who prate about method
without understanding it; attending strictly to its letter, and violating its spirit. These
fellows are always doing the most out-of-the-way things in what they call an orderly
manner. Now here, I conceive, is a positive paradox. True method appertains to the
ordinary and the obvious alone, and cannot be applied to the outre. What definite idea can
a body attach to such expressions as "methodical Jack o' Dandy," or "a systematical Will
o' the Wisp"?

My notions upon this head might not have been so clear as they are, but for a fortunate
accident which happened to me when I was a very little boy. A good-hearted old Irish
nurse (whom I shall not forget in my will) took me up one day by the heels, when I was
making more noise than was necessary, and swinging me round two or knocked my head
into a cocked hat against the bedpost. This, I say, decided my fate, and made my fortune.
A bump arose at once on my sinciput, and turned out to be as pretty an organ of order as
one shall see on a summer's day. Hence that positive appetite for system and regularity
which has made me the distinguished man of business that I am.

If there is any thing on earth I hate, it is a genius. Your geniuses are all arrant asses-the
greater the genius the greater the ass- and to this rule there is no exception whatever.
Especially, you cannot make a man of business out of a genius, any more than money out
of a Jew, or the best nutmegs out of pine-knots. The creatures are always going off at a
tangent into some fantastic employment, or ridiculous speculation, entirely at variance
with the "fitness of things," and having no business whatever to be considered as a
business at all. Thus you may tell these characters immediately by the nature of their
occupations. If you ever perceive a man setting up as a merchant or a manufacturer, or
going into the cotton or tobacco trade, or any of those eccentric pursuits; or getting to be
a drygoods dealer, or soap-boiler, or something of that kind; or pretending to be a lawyer,
or a blacksmith, or a physician-any thing out of the usual way-you may set him down at
once as a genius, and then, according to the rule-of-three, he's an ass.

Now I am not in any respect a genius, but a regular business man. My Day-book and
Ledger will evince this in a minute. They are well kept, though I say it myself; and, in my
general habits of accuracy and punctuality, I am not to be beat by a clock. Moreover, my
occupations have been always made to chime in with the ordinary habitudes of my

fellowmen. Not that I feel the least indebted, upon this score, to my exceedingly weak-
minded parents, who, beyond doubt, would have made an arrant genius of me at last, if
my guardian angel had not come, in good time, to the rescue. In biography the truth is
every thing, and in autobiography it is especially so- yet I scarcely hope to be believed
when I state, however solemnly, that my poor father put me, when I was about fifteen
years of age, into the counting-house of what be termed "a respectable hardware and
commission merchant doing a capital bit of business!" A capital bit of fiddlestick!
However, the consequence of this folly was, that in two or three days, I had to be sent
home to my button-headed family in a high state of fever, and with a most violent and
dangerous pain in the sinciput, all around about my organ of order. It was nearly a gone
case with me then-just touch-and-go for six weeks-the physicians giving me up and all
that sort of thing. But, although I suffered much, I was a thankful boy in the main. I was
saved from being a "respectable hardware and commission merchant, doing a capital bit
of business," and I felt grateful to the protuberance which had been the means of my
salvation, as well as to the kindhearted female who had originally put these means within
my reach.

The most of boys run away from home at ten or twelve years of age, but I waited till I
was sixteen. I don't know that I should have gone even then, if I had not happened to hear
my old mother talk about setting me up on my own hook in the grocery way. The grocery
way!- only think of that! I resolved to be off forthwith, and try and establish myself in
some decent occupation, without dancing attendance any longer upon the caprices of
these eccentric old people, and running the risk of being made a genius of in the end. In
this project I succeeded perfectly well at the first effort, and by the time I was fairly
eighteen, found myself doing an extensive and profitable business in the Tailor's
Walking-Advertisement line.

I was enabled to discharge the onerous duties of this profession, only by that rigid
adherence to system which formed the leading feature of my mind. A scrupulous method
characterized my actions as well as my accounts. In my case it was method-not money-
which made the man: at least all of him that was not made by the tailor whom I served.
At nine, every morning, I called upon that individual for the clothes of the day. Ten
o'clock found me in some fashionable promenade or other place of public amusement.
The precise regularity with which I turned my handsome person about, so as to bring
successively into view every portion of the suit upon my back, was the admiration of all
the knowing men in the trade. Noon never passed without my bringing home a customer
to the house of my employers, Messrs. Cut & Comeagain. I say this proudly, but with
tears in my eyes-for the firm proved themselves the basest of ingrates. The little account,
about which we quarreled and finally parted, cannot, in any item, be thought
overcharged, by gentlemen really conversant with the nature of the business. Upon this
point, however, I feel a degree of proud satisfaction in permitting the reader to judge for
himself. My bill ran thus:

Messrs. Cut & Comeagain,

Merchant Tailors.

To Peter Proffit, Walking Advertiser,

Drs. JULY lO.-to promenade, as usual and customer brought home... $00 25 JULY 11.-
To do do do 25 JULY 12.-To one lie, second class; damaged black cloth sold for

invisible green 25 JULY 13.-To one lie, first class, extra

quality and size;

recommended milled satinet as broadcloth 75 JULY 20.-To purchasing

bran new paper shirt collar or dickey,

to set off gray Petersham 02 AUG. 15. -To wearing double-padded

bobtail frock, (thermometer

106 in the shade) 25 AUG. 16.-Standing on one leg three

hours, to show off new- style

strapped pants at 12 1/2 cents per leg per hour 37 1/2 AUG. 17.-To promenade,

as usual, and large customer brought

(fat man) 50 AUG. I8.-T0 do do (medium

size) 25 AUG. 19.-To do do (small man and bad pay) 06

TOTAL
[sic] $2 96 1/2

The item chiefly disputed in this bill was the very moderate charge of two pennies for the
dickey. Upon my word of honor, this was not an unreasonable price for that dickey. It
was one of the cleanest and prettiest little dickeys I ever saw; and I have good reason to
believe that it effected the sale of three Petershams. The elder partner of the firm,
however, would allow me only one penny of the charge, and took it upon himself to show
in what manner four of the same sized conveniences could be got out of a sheet of
foolscap. But it is needless to say that I stood upon the principle of the thing. Business is
business, and should be done in a business way. There was no system whatever in
swindling me out of a penny-a clear fraud of fifty per cent-no method in any respect. I
left at once the employment of Messrs. Cut & Comeagain, and set up in the Eye-Sore line
by myself-one of the most lucrative, respectable, and independent of the ordinary
occupations.

My strict integrity, economy, and rigorous business habits, here again came into play. I
found myself driving a flourishing trade, and soon became a marked man upon 'Change.
The truth is, I never dabbled in flashy matters, but jogged on in the good old sober
routine of the calling-a calling in which I should, no doubt, have remained to the present
hour, but for a little accident which happened to me in the prosecution of one of the usual
business operations of the profession. Whenever a rich old hunks or prodigal heir or
bankrupt corporation gets into the notion of putting up a palace, there is no such thing in
the world as stopping either of them, and this every intelligent person knows. The fact in
question is indeed the basis of the Eye-Sore trade. As soon, therefore, as a building-
project is fairly afoot by one of these parties, we merchants secure a nice corner of the lot
in contemplation, or a prime little situation just adjoining, or tight in front. This done, we
wait until the palace is half-way up, and then we pay some tasty architect to run us up an
ornamental mud hovel, right against it; or a Down-East or Dutch Pagoda, or a pig-sty, or

an ingenious little bit of fancy work, either Esquimau, Kickapoo, or Hottentot. Of course
we can't afford to take these structures down under a bonus of five hundred per cent upon
the prime cost of our lot and plaster. Can we? I ask the question. I ask it of business men.
It would be irrational to suppose that we can. And yet there was a rascally corporation
which asked me to do this very thing-this very thing! I did not reply to their absurd
proposition, of course; but I felt it a duty to go that same night, and lamp-black the whole
of their palace. For this the unreasonable villains clapped me into jail; and the gentlemen
of the Eye-Sore trade could not well avoid cutting my connection when I came out.

The Assault- and-Battery business, into which I was now forced to adventure for a
livelihood, was somewhat ill-adapted to the delicate nature of my constitution; but I went
to work in it with a good heart, and found my account here, as heretofore, in those stern
habits of methodical accuracy which had been thumped into me by that delightful old
nurse-I would indeed be the basest of men not to remember her well in my will. By
observing, as I say, the strictest system in all my dealings, and keeping a well-regulated
set of books, I was enabled to get over many serious difficulties, and, in the end, to
establish myself very decently in the profession. The truth is, that few individuals, in any
line, did a snugger little business than 1. 1 will just copy a page or so out of my Day-
Book; and this will save me the necessity of blowing my own trumpet-a contemptible
practice of which no high-minded man will be guilty. Now, the Day-Book is a thing that
don't lie.

"Jan. l.-New Year's Day. Met Snap in the street, groggy. Mem-he'U do. Met Gruff
shortly afterward, blind drunk. Mem-he'U answer, too. Entered both gentlemen in my
Ledger, and opened a running account with each.

"Jan. 2.-Saw Snap at the Exchange, and went up and trod on his toe. Doubled his fist and
knocked me down. Good!-got up again. Some trifling difficulty with Bag, my attorney. I
want the damages at a thousand, but he says that for so simple a knock down we can't lay
them at more than five hundred. Mem-must get rid of Bag-no system at all.

"Jan. 3-Went to the theatre, to look for Gruff. Saw him sitting in a side box, in the second
tier, between a fat lady and a lean one. Quizzed the whole party through an opera-glass,
till I saw the fat lady blush and whisper to G. Went round, then, into the box, and put my
nose within reach of his hand. Wouldn't pull it-no go. Blew it, and tried again-no go. Sat
down then, and winked at the lean lady, when I had the high satisfaction of finding him
lift me up by the nape of the neck, and fling me over into the pit. Neck dislocated, and
right leg capitally splintered. Went home in high glee, drank a bottle of champagne, and
booked the young man for five thousand. Bag says it'll do.

"Feb. 15-Compromised the case of Mr. Snap. Amount entered in Journal-fifty cents-
which see.

"Feb. 16.-Cast by that ruffian. Gruff, who made me a present of five dollars. Costs of
suit, four dollars and twenty-five cents. Nett profit,-see Joumal,-seventy-five cents."

Now, here is a clear gain, in a very brief period, of no less than one dollar and twenty-
five cents-this is in the mere cases of Snap and Gruff; and I solemnly assure the reader
that these extracts are taken at random from my Day-Book.

It's an old saying, and a true one, however, that money is nothing in comparison with
health. I found the exactions of the profession somewhat too much for my delicate state
of body; and, discovering, at last, that I was knocked all out of shape, so that I didn't
know very well what to make of the matter, and so that my friends, when they met me in
the street, couldn't tell that I was Peter Proffit at all, it occurred to me that the best
expedient I could adopt was to alter my line of business. I turned my attention, therefore,
to Mud-Dabbling, and continued it for some years.

The worst of this occupation is, that too many people take a fancy to it, and the
competition is in consequence excessive. Every ignoramus of a fellow who finds that he
hasn't brains in sufficient quantity to make his way as a walking advertiser, or an eye- sore
prig, or a salt-and-batter man, thinks, of course, that he'll answer very well as a dabbler of
mud. But there never was entertained a more erroneous idea than that it requires no brains
to mud-dabble. Especially, there is nothing to be made in this way without method. I did
only a retail business myself, but my old habits of system carried me swimmingly along.
I selected my street-crossing, in the first place, with great deliberation, and I never put
down a broom in any part of the town but that. I took care, too, to have a nice little
puddle at hand, which I could get at in a minute. By these means I got to be well known
as a man to be trusted; and this is one-half the battle, let me tell you, in trade. Nobody
ever failed to pitch me a copper, and got over my crossing with a clean pair of
pantaloons. And, as my business habits, in this respect, were sufficiently understood, I
never met with any attempt at imposition. I wouldn't have put up with it, if I had. Never
imposing upon any one myself, I suffered no one to play the possum with me. The frauds
of the banks of course I couldn't help. Their suspension put me to ruinous inconvenience.
These, however, are not individuals, but corporations; and corporations, it is very well
known, have neither bodies to be kicked nor souls to be damned.

I was making money at this business when, in an evil moment, I was induced to merge it
in the Cur-Spattering-a somewhat analogous, but, by no means, so respectable a
profession. My location, to be sure, was an excellent one, being central, and I had capital
blacking and brushes. My little dog, too, was quite fat and up to all varieties of snuff. He
had been in the trade a long time, and, I may say, understood it. Our general routine was
this:-Pompey, having rolled himself well in the mud, sat upon end at the shop door, until
he observed a dandy approaching in bright boots. He then proceeded to meet him, and
gave the Wellingtons a rub or two with his wool. Then the dandy swore very much, and
looked about for a boot-black. There I was, full in his view, with blacking and brushes. It
was only a minute's work, and then came a sixpence. This did moderately well for a
time;-in fact, I was not avaricious, but my dog was. I allowed him a third of the profit,
but he was advised to insist upon half. This I couldn't stand-so we quarrelled and parted.

I next tried my hand at the Organ-Grinding for a while, and may say that I made out
pretty well. It is a plain, straightforward business, and requires no particular abilities. You

can get a music-mill for a mere song, and to put it in order, you have but to open the
works, and give them three or four smart raps with a hammer. In improves the tone of the
thing, for business purposes, more than you can imagine. This done, you have only to
stroll along, with the mill on your back, until you see tanbark in the street, and a knocker
wrapped up in buckskin. Then you stop and grind; looking as if you meant to stop and
grind till doomsday. Presently a window opens, and somebody pitches you a sixpence,
with a request to "Hush up and go on," etc. I am aware that some grinders have actually
afforded to "go on" for this sum; but for my part, I found the necessary outlay of capital
too great to permit of my "going on" under a shilling.

At this occupation I did a good deal; but, somehow, I was not quite satisfied, and so
finally abandoned it. The truth is, I labored under the disadvantage of having no monkey-
and American streets are so muddy, and a Democratic rabble is so obstrusive, and so full
of demnition mischievous little boys.

I was now out of employment for some months, but at length succeeded, by dint of great
interest, in procuring a situation in the Sham-Post. The duties, here, are simple, and not
altogether unprofitable. For example:-very early in the morning I had to make up my
packet of sham letters. Upon the inside of each of these I had to scrawl a few lines on any
subject which occurred to me as sufficiently mysterious-signing all the epistles Tom
Dobson, or Bobby Tompkins, or anything in that way. Having folded and sealed all, and
stamped them with sham postmarks-New Orleans, Bengal, Botany Bay, or any other
place a great way off-I set out, forthwith, upon my daily route, as if in a very great hurry.
I always called at the big houses to deliver the letters, and receive the postage. Nobody
hesitates at paying for a letter-especially for a double one-people are such fools-and it
was no trouble to get round a comer before there was time to open the epistles. The worst
of this profession was, that I had to walk so much and so fast; and so frequently to vary
my route. Besides, I had serious scruples of conscience. I can't bear to hear innocent
individuals abused-and the way the whole town took to cursing Tom Dobson and Bobby
Tompkins was really awful to hear. I washed my hands of the matter in disgust.

My eighth and last speculation has been in the Cat-Growing way. I have found that a
most pleasant and lucrative business, and, really, no trouble at all. The country, it is well
known, has become infested with cats-so much so of late, that a petition for relief, most
numerously and respectably signed, was brought before the Legislature at its late
memorable session. The Assembly, at this epoch, was unusually well-informed, and,
having passed many other wise and wholesome enactments, it crowned all with the Cat-
Act. In its original form, this law offered a premium for cat- heads (fourpence a-piece),
but the Senate succeeded in amending the main clause, so as to substitute the word "tails"
for "heads." This amendment was so obviously proper, that the House concurred in it
nem. con.

As soon as the governor had signed the bill, I invested my whole estate in the purchase of
Toms and Tabbies. At first I could only afford to feed them upon mice (which are cheap),
but they fulfilled the scriptural injunction at so marvellous a rate, that I at length
considered it my best policy to be liberal, and so indulged them in oysters and turtle.

Their tails, at a legislative price, now bring me in a good income; for I have discovered a
way, in which, by means of Macassar oil, I can force three crops in a year. It delights me
to find, too, that the animals soon get accustomed to the thing, and would rather have the
appendages cut off than otherwise. I consider myself, therefore, a made man, and am
bargaining for a country seat on the Hudson.

THE END

THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO

by Edgar Allan Poe

1846

THE thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured
upon insult I vowed revenge. You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not
suppose, however, that gave utterance to a threat. At length I would be avenged; this was
a point definitely, settled —but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved
precluded the idea of risk. I must not only punish but punish with impunity. A wrong is
unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the
avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong.

It must be understood that neither by word nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt
my good will. I continued, as was my in to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that
my to smile now was at the thought of his immolation.

He had a weak point —this Fortunato —although in other regards he was a man to be
respected and even feared. He prided himself on his connoisseurship in wine. Few
Italians have the true virtuoso spirit. For the most part their enthusiasm is adopted to suit
the time and opportunity, to practise imposture upon the British and Austrian
millionaires. In painting and gemmary, Fortunato, like his countrymen, was a quack, but
in the matter of old wines he was sincere. In this respect I did not differ from him
materially; -I was skilful in the Italian vintages myself, and bought largely whenever I
could.

It was about dusk, one evening during the supreme madness of the carnival season, that I
encountered my friend. He accosted me with excessive warmth, for he had been drinking
much. The man wore motley. He had on a tight-fitting parti-striped dress, and his head
was surmounted by the conical cap and bells. I was so pleased to see him that I thought I
should never have done wringing his hand.

I said to him —"My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met. How remarkably well you are
looking to-day. But I have received a pipe of what passes for Amontillado, and I have my
doubts."

"How?" said he. "Amontillado, A pipe? Impossible! And in the middle of the carnival!"

"I have my doubts," I replied; "and I was silly enough to pay the full Amontillado price
without consulting you in the matter. You were not to be found, and I was fearful of
losing a bargain."

"Amontillado!"

"I have my doubts."

"Amontillado!"

"And I must satisfy them."

"Amontillado!"

"As you are engaged, I am on my way to Luchresi. If any one has a critical turn it is he.
He will tell me--"

"Luchresi cannot tell Amontillado from Sherry."

"And yet some fools will have it that his taste is a match for your own.

"Come, let us go."

"Whither?"

"To your vaults."

"My friend, no; I will not impose upon your good nature. I perceive you have an
engagement. Luchresi—"

"I have no engagement; —come."

"My friend, no. It is not the engagement, but the severe cold with which I perceive you
are afflicted. The vaults are insufferably damp. They are encrusted with nitre."

"Let us go, nevertheless. The cold is merely nothing. Amontillado! You have been
imposed upon. And as for Luchresi, he cannot distinguish Sherry from Amontillado."

Thus speaking, Fortunato possessed himself of my arm; and putting on a mask of black
silk and drawing a roquelaire closely about my person, I suffered him to hurry me to my
palazzo.

There were no attendants at home; they had absconded to make merry in honour of the
time. I had told them that I should not return until the morning, and had given them
explicit orders not to stir from the house. These orders were sufficient, I well knew, to
insure their immediate disappearance, one and all, as soon as my back was turned.

I took from their sconces two flambeaux, and giving one to Fortunato, bowed him
through several suites of rooms to the archway that led into the vaults. I passed down a
long and winding staircase, requesting him to be cautious as he followed. We came at
length to the foot of the descent, and stood together upon the damp ground of the
catacombs of the Montresors.

The gait of my friend was unsteady, and the bells upon his cap jingled as he strode.

"The pipe," he said.

"It is farther on," said I; "but observe the white web-work which gleams from these
cavern walls."

He turned towards me, and looked into my eves with two filmy orbs that distilled the
rheum of intoxication.

"Nitre?" he asked, at length.

"Nitre," I replied. "How long have you had that cough?"

"Ugh! ugh! ugh! --ugh! ugh! ugh! -ugh! ugh! ugh! -ugh! ugh! ugh! -ugh! ugh! ugh!"

My poor friend found it impossible to reply for many minutes.

"It is nothing," he said, at last.

"Come," I said, with decision, "we will go back; your health is precious. You are rich,
respected, admired, beloved; you are happy, as once I was. You are a man to be missed.
For me it is no matter. We will go back; you will be ill, and I cannot be responsible.
Besides, there is Luchresi — "

"Enough," he said; "the cough's a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a
cough."

"True —true," I replied; "and, indeed, I had no intention of alarming you unnecessarily -
but you should use all proper caution. A draught of this Medoc will defend us from the
damps.

Here I knocked off the neck of a bottle which I drew from a long row of its fellows that
lay upon the mould.

"Drink," I said, presenting him the wine.

He raised it to his lips with a leer. He paused and nodded to me familiarly, while his bells
jingled.

"I drink," he said, "to the buried that repose around us."

"And I to your long life."

He again took my arm, and we proceeded.

"These vaults," he said, "are extensive."

"The Montresors," I replied, "were a great and numerous family."

"I forget your arms."

"A huge human foot d'or, in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs
are imbedded in the heel."

"And the motto?"

"Nemo me impune lacessit."

"Good!" he said.

The wine sparkled in his eyes and the bells jingled. My own fancy grew warm with the
Medoc. We had passed through long walls of piled skeletons, with casks and puncheons
intermingling, into the inmost recesses of the catacombs. I paused again, and this time I
made bold to seize Fortunato by an arm above the elbow.

"The nitre!" I said; "see, it increases. It hangs like moss upon the vaults. We are below
the river's bed. The drops of moisture trickle among the bones. Come, we will go back
ere it is too late. Your cough — "

"It is nothing," he said; "let us go on. But first, another draught of the Medoc."

I broke and reached him a flagon of De Grave. He emptied it at a breath. His eyes flashed
with a fierce light. He laughed and threw the bottle upwards with a gesticulation I did not
understand.

I looked at him in surprise. He repeated the movement —a grotesque one.

"You do not comprehend?" he said.

"Not I," I replied.

"Then you are not of the brotherhood."

"How?"

"You are not of the masons."

"Yes, yes," I said; "yes, yes."

"You? Impossible! A mason?"

"A mason," I replied.

"A sign," he said, "a sign."

"It is this," I answered, producing from beneath the folds of my roquelaire a trowel.

"You jest," he exclaimed, recoiling a few paces. "But let us proceed to the Amontillado."

"Be it so," I said, replacing the tool beneath the cloak and again offering him my arm. He
leaned upon it heavily. We continued our route in search of the Amontillado. We passed
through a range of low arches, descended, passed on, and descending again, arrived at a
deep crypt, in which the foulness of the air caused our flambeaux rather to glow than
flame.

At the most remote end of the crypt there appeared another less spacious. Its walls had
been lined with human remains, piled to the vault overhead, in the fashion of the great
catacombs of Paris. Three sides of this interior crypt were still ornamented in this
manner. From the fourth side the bones had been thrown down, and lay promiscuously
upon the earth, forming at one point a mound of some size. Within the wall thus exposed
by the displacing of the bones, we perceived a still interior crypt or recess, in depth about
four feet, in width three, in height six or seven. It seemed to have been constructed for no
especial use within itself, but formed merely the interval between two of the colossal
supports of the roof of the catacombs, and was backed by one of their circumscribing
walls of solid granite.

It was in vain that Fortunato, uplifting his dull torch, endeavoured to pry into the depth of
the recess. Its termination the feeble light did not enable us to see.

"Proceed," I said; "herein is the Amontillado. As for Luchresi — "

"He is an ignoramus," interrupted my friend, as he stepped unsteadily forward, while I
followed immediately at his heels. In niche, and finding an instant he had reached the
extremity of the niche, and finding his progress arrested by the rock, stood stupidly
bewildered. A moment more and I had fettered him to the granite. In its surface were two
iron staples, distant from each other about two feet, horizontally. From one of these
depended a short chain, from the other a padlock. Throwing the links about his waist, it
was but the work of a few seconds to secure it. He was too much astounded to resist.
Withdrawing the key I stepped back from the recess.

"Pass your hand," I said, "over the wall; you cannot help feeling the nitre. Indeed, it is
very damp. Once more let me implore you to return. No? Then I must positively leave
you. But I must first render you all the little attentions in my power."

"The Amontillado!" ejaculated my friend, not yet recovered from his astonishment.

"True," I replied; "the Amontillado."

As I said these words I busied myself among the pile of bones of which I have before
spoken. Throwing them aside, I soon uncovered a quantity of building stone and mortar.
With these materials and with the aid of my trowel, I began vigorously to wall up the
entrance of the niche.

I had scarcely laid the first tier of the masonry when I discovered that the intoxication of
Fortunato had in a great measure worn off. The earliest indication I had of this was a low
moaning cry from the depth of the recess. It was not the cry of a drunken man. There was
then a long and obstinate silence. I laid the second tier, and the third, and the fourth; and
then I heard the furious vibrations of the chain. The noise lasted for several minutes,
during which, that I might hearken to it with the more satisfaction, I ceased my labours
and sat down upon the bones. When at last the clanking subsided, I resumed the trowel,
and finished without interruption the fifth, the sixth, and the seventh tier. The wall was
now nearly upon a level with my breast. I again paused, and holding the flambeaux over
the mason- work, threw a few feeble rays upon the figure within.

A succession of loud and shrill screams, bursting suddenly from the throat of the chained
form, seemed to thrust me violently back. For a brief moment I hesitated, I trembled.
Unsheathing my rapier, I began to grope with it about the recess; but the thought of an
instant reassured me. I placed my hand upon the solid fabric of the catacombs, and felt
satisfied. I reapproached the wall; I replied to the yells of him who clamoured. I re-
echoed, I aided, I surpassed them in volume and in strength. I did this, and the clamourer
grew still.

It was now midnight, and my task was drawing to a close. I had completed the eighth, the
ninth and the tenth tier. I had finished a portion of the last and the eleventh; there
remained but a single stone to be fitted and plastered in. I struggled with its weight; I
placed it partially in its destined position. But now there came from out the niche a low
laugh that erected the hairs upon my head. It was succeeded by a sad voice, which I had
difficulty in recognizing as that of the noble Fortunato. The voice said—

"Ha! ha! ha! —he! he! he! —a very good joke, indeed —an excellent jest. We will have
many a rich laugh about it at the palazzo —he! he! he! —over our wine —he! he! he!"

"The Amontillado!" I said.

"He! he! he! —he! he! he! —yes, the Amontillado. But is it not getting late? Will not they
be awaiting us at the palazzo, the Lady Fortunato and the rest? Let us be gone."

"Yes," I said, "let us be gone."

"For the love of God, Montresor!"

"Yes," I said, "for the love of God!"

But to these words I hearkened in vain for a reply. I grew impatient. I called aloud

"Fortunato!"

No answer. I called again —

"Fortunato!"

No answer still. I thrust a torch through the remaining aperture and let it fall within.
There came forth in return only a jingling of the bells. My heart grew sick; it was the
dampness of the catacombs that made it so. I hastened to make an end of my labour. I
forced the last stone into its position; I plastered it up. Against the new masonry I re-
erected the old rampart of bones. For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them.
In pace requiescat!

THE END

THE CITY IN THE SEA

by Edgar Allan Poe

1831

Lo ! Death has reared himself a throne

In a strange city lying alone

Far down within the dim West,

Where the good and the bad and the worst and the best

Have gone to their eternal rest.

There shrines and palaces and towers

(Time-eaten towers that tremble not!)

Resemble nothing that is ours.

Around, by lifting winds forgot.

Resignedly beneath the sky

The melancholy waters he.

No rays from the holy heaven come down
On the long night-time of that town;
But light from out the lurid sea
Streams up the turrets silently-
Gleams up the pinnacles far and free-
Up domes-up spires-up kingly halls-
Up fanes-up Babylon-like walls-
Up shadowy long-forgotten bowers
Of sculptured ivy and stone flowers-
Up many and many a marvellous shrine
Whose wreathed friezes intertwine
The viol, the violet, and the vine.
Resignedly beneath the sky
The melancholy waters lie.
So blend the turrets and shadows there
That all seem pendulous in air.
While from a proud tower in the town
Death looks gigantically down.

There open fanes and gaping graves
Yawn level with the luminous waves;
But not the riches there that lie
In each idol's diamond eye-
Not the gaily -jewelled dead
Tempt the waters from their bed;
For no ripples curl, alas!

Along that wilderness of glass-
No swellings tell that winds may be
Upon some far-off happier sea-
No heavings hint that winds have been
On seas less hideously serene.

But lo, a stir is in the air!
The wave-there is a movement there!
As if the towers had thrust aside,
In slightly sinking, the dull tide-
As if their tops had feebly given
A void within the filmy Heaven.
The waves have now a redder glow-
The hours are breathing faint and low-
And when, amid no earthly moans,
Down, down that town shall settle hence.
Hell, rising from a thousand thrones.
Shall do it reverence.

THE END

THE COLISEUM

by Edgar Allan Poe

1833

Type of the antique Rome! Rich reliquary
Of lofty contemplation left to Time
By buried centuries of pomp and power!
At length-at length-after so many days
Of weary pilgrimage and burning thirst,
(Thirst for the springs of lore that in thee lie,)
I kneel, an altered and an humble man.
Amid thy shadows, and so drink within
My very soul thy grandeur, gloom, and glory!

Vastness! and Age! and Memories of Eld!
Silence! and Desolation! and dim Night!
I feel ye now-I feel ye in your strength-
O spells more sure than e'er Judaean king
Taught in the gardens of Gethsemane!
O charms more potent than the rapt Chaldee
Ever drew down from out the quiet stars!

Here, where a hero fell, a column falls!

Here, where the mimic eagle glared in gold,

A midnight vigil holds the swarthy bat!

Here, where the dames of Rome their gilded hair

Waved to the wind, now wave the reed and thistle!

Here, where on golden throne the monarch lolled.

Glides, spectre-like, unto his marble home.

Lit by the wan light of the horned moon.

The swift and silent lizard of the stones!

But stay! these walls-these ivy-clad arcades-
These moldering plinths-these sad and blackened shafts-
These vague entablatures-this crumbling frieze-
These shattered cornices-this wreck-this ruin-
These stones-alas! these grey stones-are they all-
All of the famed, and the colossal left
By the corrosive Hours to Fate and me?

"Not aU"-the Echoes answer me-"not all!
Prophetic sounds and loud, arise forever

From us, and from all Ruin, unto the wise.
As melody from Memnon to the Sun.
We rule the hearts of mightiest men-we rule
With a despotic sway all giant minds.
We are not impotent-we pallid stones.
Not all our power is gone-not all our fame-
Not all the magic of our high renown-
Not all the wonder that encircles us-
Not all the mysteries that in us lie-
Not all the memories that hang upon
And cling around about us as a garment.
Clothing us in a robe of more than glory."

THE END

THE COLLOQUY OF MONOS AND UNA

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

These things are in the future.
SOPHOCLES-Antig.

UNA. "Bom again?"

MONOS. Yes, fairest and best beloved Una, "born again." These were the words upon
whose mystical meaning I had so long pondered, rejecting the explanations of the
priesthood, until Death itself resolved for me the secret.

UNA. Death!

MONOS. How strangely, sweet Una, you echo my words! I observe, too, a vacillation in
your step, a joyous inquietude in your eyes. You are confused and oppressed by the
majestic novelty of the Life Etemal. Yes, it was of Death I spoke. And here how
singularly sounds that word which of old was wont to bring terror to all hearts, throwing
a mildew upon all pleasures!

UNA. Ah, Death, the spectre which sate at all feasts! How often, Monos, did we lose
ourselves in speculations upon its nature! How mysteriously did it act as a check to
human bliss, saying unto it "thus far and no further!" That eamest mutual love, my own
Monos, which burned within our bosoms-how vainly did we flatter ourselves, feeling
happy in its first upspringing, that our happiness would strengthen with its strength! Alas!
as it grew, so grew in our hearts the dread of that evil hour which was hurrying to
separate us forever! Thus, in time, it became painful to love. Hate would have been
mercy then.

MONOS. Speak not here of these griefs, dear Una-mine, mine, forever now!

UNA. But the memory of past sorrow-is it not present joy? I have much to say yet of the
things which have been. Above all, I burn to know the incidents of your own passage
through the dark Valley and Shadow.

MONOS. And when did the radiant Una ask any thing of her Monos in vain? I will be
minute in relating ail-but at what point shall the weird narrative begin?

UNA. At what point?

MONOS. You have said.

UNA. Monos, I comprehend you. In Death we have both learned the propensity of man to
define the indefinable. I will not say, then, commence with the moment of life's
cessation-but commence with that sad, sad instant when, the fever having abandoned
you, you sank into a breathless and motionless torpor, and I pressed down your pallid
eyelids with the passionate fingers of love.

MONOS. One word first, my Una, in regard to man's general condition at this epoch.
You will remember that one or two of the wise among our forefathers-wise in fact,
although not in the world's esteem-had ventured to doubt the propriety of the term
"improvement," as applied to the progress of our civilization. There were periods in each
of the five or six centuries immediately preceding our dissolution, when arose some
vigorous intellect, boldly contending for those principles whose truth appears now, to our
disenfranchised reason, so utterly obvious-principles which should have taught our race
to submit to the guidance of the natural laws, rather than attempt their control. At long
intervals some master-minds appeared, looking upon each advance in practical science as
a retro-gradation in the true utility. Occasionally the poetic intellect-that intellect which
we now feel to have been the most exalted of ail-since those truths which to us were of
the most enduring importance could only be reached by that analogy which speaks in
proof-tones to the imagination alone, and to the unaided reason bears no weight-
occasionally did this poetic intellect proceed a step farther in the evolving of the vague
idea of the philosophic, and find in the mystic parable that tells of the tree of knowledge,
and of its forbidden fruit, death-producing, a distinct intimation that knowledge was not
meet for man in the infant condition of his soul. And these men, the poets, living and
perishing amid the scorn of the "utilitarians"-or rough pedants, who arrogated to
themselves a title which could have been properly applied only to the scorned- these men,
the poets, ponder piningly, yet not unwisely, upon the ancient days when our wants were
not more simple than our enjoyments were keen-days when mirth was a word unknown,
so solemnly deep-toned was happiness-holy, august and blissful days, when blue rivers
ran undammed, between hills unhewn, into far forest solitudes, primeval, odorous, and
unexplored.

Yet these noble exceptions from the general misrule served but to strengthen it by
opposition. Alas! we had f Allan upon the most evil of all our evil days. The great
"movement"-that was the cant term- went on: a diseased commotion, moral and physical.
Art-the Arts- arose supreme, and, once enthroned, cast chains upon the intellect which
had elevated them to power. Man, because he could not but acknowledge the majesty of
Nature, fell into childish exultation at his acquired and still increasing dominion over her
elements. Even while he stalked a God in his own fancy, an infantine imbecility came
over him. As might be supposed from the origin of his disorder, he grew infected with
system, and with abstraction. He enwrapped himself in generalities. Among other odd
ideas, that of universal equality gained ground; and in the face of analogy and of God-in
despite of the loud warning voice of the laws of gradation so visibly pervading all things
in Earth and Heaven-wild attempts at an omni-prevalent Democracy were made. Yet this
evil sprang necessarily from the leading evil-Knowledge. Man could not both know and
succumb. Meantime huge smoking cities arose, innumerable. Green leaves shrank before
the hot breath of furnaces. The fair face of Nature was deformed as with the ravages of

some loathsome disease. And methinks, sweet Una, even our slumbering sense of the
forced and of the farfetched might have arrested us here. But now it appears that we had
worked out our own destruction in the perversion of our taste, or rather in the blind
neglect of its culture in the schools. For, in truth, it was at this crisis that taste alone-that
faculty which, holding a middle position between the pure intellect and the moral sense,
could never safely have been disregarded-it was now that taste alone could have led us
gently back to Beauty, to Nature, and to Life. But alas for the pure contemplative spirit
and majestic intuition of Plato! Alas for the mousika which he justly regarded as an all
sufficient education for the soul! Alas for him and for it!-since both were most
desperately needed when both were most entirely forgotten or despised.*

* It will be hard to discover a better [method of education] than that which the experience
of so many ages has already discovered; and this may be summed up as consisting in
gymnastics for the body and music for the soul."-Repub. lib. 2. "For this reason is a
musical education most essential; since it causes Rhythm and Harmony to penetrate most
intimately into the soul, taking the strangest hold upon it, filling it with beauty and
making the man beautiful-minded... He will praise and admire the beautiful; will receive
it with joy into his soul, will feed upon it, and assimilate his own condition with it." Ibid,
lib. 3. Music mousika had, among the Athenians, a far more comprehensive signification
than with us. It included not only the harmonies of time and of tune, but the poetic
diction, sentiment and creation each in its widest sense. The study of music was with
them in fact, the general cultivation of the taste-of that which recognizes the beautiful-in
contra-distinction from reason, which deals only with the true.

Pascal, a philosopher whom we both love, has said, how truly!- "que tout notre
raisonnement se reduit a ceder au sentiment," and it is not impossible that the sentiment
of the natural, had time permitted it, would have regained its old ascendancy over the
harsh mathematical reason of the schools. But this thing was not to be. Prematurely
induced by intemperance of knowledge, the old age of the world drew on. This the mass
of mankind saw not, or, living lustily although unhappily, affected not to see. But, for
myself, the Earth's records had taught me to look for widest ruin as the price of highest
civilization. I had imbibed a prescience of our Fate from comparison of China the simple
and enduring, with Assyria the architect, with Egypt the astrologer, with Nubia, more
crafty than either, the turbulent mother of all Arts. In history* of these regions I met with
a ray from the Future. The individual artificialities of the three latter were local diseases
of the Earth, and in their individual overthrows we had seen local remedies applied; but
for the infected world at large I could anticipate no regeneration save in death. That man,
as a race, should not become extinct, I saw that he must be "born again."

* "History," from istorein, to contemplate.

And now it was, fairest and dearest, that we wrapped our spirits, daily, in dreams. Now it
was that, in twilight, we discoursed of the days to come, when the Art- scarred surface of
the Earth, having undergone that purification* which alone could efface its rectangular
obscenities, should clothe itself anew in the verdure and the mountain-slopes and the
smiling waters of Paradise, and be rendered at length a fit dwelling-place for man:-for

man the Death-purged-for man to whose now exalted intellect there should be poison in
knowledge no more-for the redeemed, regenerated, blissful, and now immortal, but still
for the material, man.

* The word "purification" seems here to be used with reference to its root in the Greek,
pur, fire.

UNA. Well do I remember these conversations, dear Monos; but the epoch of the fiery
overthrow was not so near at hand as we believed, and as the corruption you indicate did
surely warrant us in believing. Men lived; and died individually. You yourself sickened,
and passed into the grave; and thither your constant Una speedily followed you. And
though the century which has since elapsed, and whose conclusion brings us thus together
once more, tortured our slumbering senses with no impatience of duration, yet, my
Monos, it was a century still.

MONOS. Say, rather, a point in the vague infinity. Unquestionably, it was in the Earth's
dotage that I died. Wearied at heart with anxieties which had their origin in the general
turmoil and decay, I succumbed to the fierce fever. After some few days of pain, and
many of dreamy delirium replete with ecstasy, the manifestations of which you mistook
for pain, while I longed but was impotent to undeceive you-after some days there came
upon me, as you have said, a breathless and motionless torpor; and this was termed Death
by those who stood around me.

Words are vague things. My condition did not deprive me of sentience. It appeared to me
not greatly dissimilar to the extreme quiescence of him, who, having slumbered long and
profoundly, lying motionless and fully prostrate in a midsummer noon, begins to steal
slowly back into consciousness, through the mere sufficiency of his sleep, and without
being awakened by external disturbances.

I breathed no longer. The pulses were still. The heart had ceased to beat. Volition had not
departed, but was powerless. The senses were unusually active, although eccentrically
so-assuming often each other's functions at random. The taste and the smell were
inextricably confounded, and became one sentiment, abnormal and intense. The
rosewater with which your tenderness had moistened my lips to the last, affected me with
sweet fancies of flowers-fantastic flowers, far more lovely than any of the old Earth, but
whose prototypes we have here blooming around us. The eyelids, transparent and
bloodless, offered no complete impediment to vision. As volition was in abeyance the
balls could not roll in their sockets-but all objects within the range of the visual
hemisphere were seen with more or less distinctness; the rays which fell upon the
external retina, or into the corner of the eye, producing a more vivid effect than those
which struck the front or anterior surface. Yet, in the former instance, this effect was so
far anomalous that I appreciated it only as sound-sound sweet or discordant as the
matters presenting themselves at my side were light or dark in shade-curved or angular in
outline. The hearing at the same time, although excited in degree, was not irregular in
action-estimating real sounds with an extravagance of precision, not less than of
sensibility. Touch had undergone a modification more peculiar. Its impressions were

tardily received, but pertinaciously retained, and resulted always in the highest physical
pleasure. Thus the pressure of your sweet fingers upon my eyelids, at first only
recognized through vision, at length, long after their removal, filled my whole being with
a sensual delight immeasurable. I say with a sensual delight. All my perceptions were
purely sensual. The materials furnished the passive brain by the senses were not in the
least degree wrought into shape by the deceased understanding. Of pain there was some
little; of pleasure there was much; but of moral pain or pleasure none at all. Thus your
wild sobs floated into my ears with all their mournful cadences, and were appreciated in
their every variation of sad tone; but they were soft musical sounds and no more; they
conveyed to the extinct reason no intimation of the sorrows which gave them birth; while
the large and constant tears which fell upon my face, telling the bystanders of a heart
which broke, thrilled every fibre of my frame with ecstasy alone. And this was in truth
the Death of which these bystanders spoke reverently, in low whispers-you, sweet Una,
gaspingly, with loud cries.

They attired me for the coffin-three or four dark figures which flitted busily to and fro.
As these crossed the direct line of my vision they affected me as forms; but upon passing
to my side their images impressed me with the idea of shrieks, groans, and other dismal
expressions of terror, of horror, or of wo. You alone, habited in a white robe, passed in all
directions musically about me.

The day waned; and, as its light faded away, I became possessed by a vague uneasiness-
an anxiety such as the sleeper feels when sad real sounds fall continuously within his ear-
low distant bell tones, solemn, at long but equal intervals, and commingling with
melancholy dreams. Night arrived; and with its shadows a heavy discomfort. It oppressed
my limbs with the oppression of some dull weight, and was palpable. There was also a
moaning sound, not unlike the distant reverberation of surf, but more continuous, which
beginning with the first twilight, had grown in strength with the darkness. Suddenly lights
were brought into the room, and this reverberation became forthwith interrupted into
frequent unequal bursts of the same sound, but less dreary and less distinct. The
ponderous oppression was in a great measure relieved; and, issuing from the flame of
each lamp, (for there were many,) there flowed unbrokenly into my ears a strain of
melodious monotone. And when now, dear Una, approaching the bed upon which I lay
outstretched, you sat gently by my side, breathing odor from your sweet lips, and
pressing them upon my brow, there arose tremulously within my bosom, and mingling
with the merely physical sensations which circumstances had called forth, a something
akin to sentiment itself-a feeling that, half appreciating, half responded to your earnest
love and sorrow,-but this feeling took no root in the pulseless heart, and seemed indeed
rather a shadow than a reality, and faded quickly away, first into extreme quiescence, and
then into a purely sensual pleasure as before.

And now, from the wreck and the chaos of the usual senses, there appeared to have arisen
within me a sixth, all perfect. In its exercise I found a wild delight yet a delight still
physical, inasmuch as the understanding had in it no part. Motion in the animal frame had
fully ceased. No muscle quivered; no nerve thrilled; no artery throbbed. But there seemed
to have sprung up in the brain, that of which no words could convey to the merely human

intelligence even an indistinct conception. Let me term it a mental pendulous pulsation. It
was the moral embodiment of man's abstract idea of Time. By the absolute equalization
of this movement-or of such as this-had the cycles of the firmamental orbs themselves,
been adjusted. By its aid I measured the irregularities of the clock upon the mantel, and of
the watches of the attendants. Their tickings came sonorously to my ears. The slightest
deviation from the true proportion-and these deviations were omni-prevalent-affected
me just as violations of abstract truth were wont, on earth, to affect the moral sense.
Although no two of the time-pieces in the chamber struck individual seconds accurately
together, yet I had no difficulty in holding steadily in mind the tones, and the respective
momentary errors of each. And this-this keen, perfect, self-existing sentiment of
duration-this sentiment existing (as man could not possibly have conceived it to exist)
independently of any succession of events-this idea-this sixth sense, upspringing from
the ashes of the rest, was the first obvious and certain step of the intemporal soul upon the
threshold of the temporal Eternity.

It was midnight; and you still sat by my side. All others had departed from the chamber
of Death. They had deposited me in the coffin. The lamps burned flickeringly; for this I
knew by the tremulousness of the monotonous strains. But, suddenly these strains
diminished in distinctness and in volume. Finally they ceased. The perfume in my nostrils
died away. Forms affected my vision no longer. The oppression of the Darkness uplifted
itself from my bosom. A dull shock like that of electricity pervaded my frame, and was
followed by total loss of the idea of contact. All of what man has termed sense was
merged in the sole consciousness of entity, and in the one abiding sentiment of duration.
The mortal body had been at length stricken with the hand of the deadly Decay.

Yet had not all of sentience departed; for the consciousness and the sentiment remaining
supplied some of its functions by a lethargic intuition. I appreciated the direful change
now in operation upon the flesh, and, as the dreamer is sometimes aware of the bodily
presence of one who leans over him, so, sweet Una, I still dully felt that you sat by my
side. So, too, when the noon of the second day came, I was not unconscious of those
movements which displaced you from my side, which confined me within the coffin,
which deposited me within the hearse, which bore me to the grave, which lowered me
within it, which heaped heavily the mould upon me, and which thus left me, in blackness
and corruption, to my sad and solemn slumbers with the worm.

And here, in the prison-house which has few secrets to disclose, they rolled away days
and weeks and months; and the soul watched narrowly each second as it flew, and,
without effort, took record of its flight- without effort and without object.

A year passed. The consciousness of being had grown hourly more indistinct, and that of
mere locality had, in great measure, usurped its position. The idea of entity was becoming
merged in that of place. The narrow space immediately surrounding what had been the
body, was now growing to be the body itself. At length, as often happens to the sleeper
(by sleep and its world alone is Death imaged)-at length, as sometimes happened on
Earth to the deep slumberer, when some flitting light half startled him into awaking, yet
left him half enveloped in dreams-so to me, in the strict embrace of the Shadow, came

that light which alone might have had power to startle-the light of enduring Love. Men
toiled at the grave in which I lay darkling. They up threw the damp earth. Upon my
mouldering bones there descended the coffin of Una.

And now again all was void. That nebulous light had been extinguished. That feeble thrill
had vibrated itself into quiescence. Many lustra had supervened. Dust had returned to
dust. The worm had food no more. The sense of being at length utterly departed, and
there reigned in its stead-instead of all things- dominant and perpetual-the autocrats
Place and Time. For that which was not-for that which had no form-for that which had
no thought- for that which had no sentience-for that which was soulless, yet of which
matter formed no portion-for all this nothingness, yet for all this immortality, the grave
was still a home, and the corrosive hours, co-mates.

THE END

THE CONQUEROR WORM

by Edgar Allan Poe

1843

Lo ! 'tis a gala night

Within the lonesome latter years!

An angel throng, bewinged, bedight

In veils, and drowned in tears.

Sit in a theatre, to see

A play of hopes and fears.

While the orchestra breathes fitfully

The music of the spheres.

Mimes, in the form of God on high.
Mutter and mumble low.
And hither and thither fly-
Mere puppets they, who come and go
At bidding of vast formless things
That shift the scenery to and fro.
Flapping from out their Condor wings
Invisible Woe!

That motley drama-oh, be sure

It shall not be forgot!

With its Phantom chased for evermore.

By a crowd that seize it not.

Through a circle that ever retumeth in

To the self-same spot.

And much of Madness, and more of Sin,

And Horror the soul of the plot.

But see, amid the mimic rout

A crawling shape intrude!

A blood-red thing that writhes from out

The scenic solitude!

It writhes !-it writhes !-with mortal pangs

The mimes become its food.

And seraphs sob at vermin fangs

In human gore imbued.

Out-out are the lights-out all!
And, over each quivering form.

The curtain, a funeral pall,

Comes down with the rush of a storm.

While the angels, all pallid and wan.

Uprising, unveiling, affirm

That the play is the tragedy, "Man,"

And its hero the Conqueror Worm.

THE END

THE CONVERSATION OF EIROS AND CHARMION

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

/ will bring fire to thee.
EURIPIDES Andiom.

EIROS. Why do you call me Eiros?

CHARMION. So henceforth will you always be called. You must forget, too, my earthly
name, and speak to me as Charmion.

EIROS. This is indeed no dream!

CHARMION. Dreams are with us no more; but of these mysteries anon. I rejoice to see
you looking like-life and rational. The film of the shadow has already passed from off
your eyes. Be of heart and fear nothing. Your allotted days of stupor have expired; and,
to-morrow, I will myself induct you into the full joys and wonders of your novel
existence.

EIROS. True, I feel no stupor, none at all. The wild sickness and the terrible darkness
have left me, and I hear no longer that mad, rushing, horrible sound, like the "voice of
many waters." Yet my senses are bewildered, Charmion, with the keenness of their
perception of the new.

CHARMION. A few days will remove all this;-but I fully understand you, and feel for
you. It is now ten earthly years since I underwent what you undergo, yet the
remembrance of it hangs by me still. You have now suffered all of pain, however, which
you will suffer in Aidenn.

EIROS. In Aidenn?

CHARMION. In Aidenn.

EIROS. Oh, God!-pity me, Charmion!-I am overburthened with the majesty of all
things-of the unknown now known-of the speculative Future merged in the august and
certain Present.

CHARMION. Grapple not now with such thoughts. Tomorrow we will speak of this.
Your mind wavers, and its agitation will find relief in the exercise of simple memories.
Look not around, nor forward-but back. I am burning with anxiety to hear the details of

that stupendous event which threw you among us. Tell me of it. Let us converse of
familiar things, in the old familiar language of the world which has so fearfully perished.

EIROS. Most fearfully, fearfully !-this is indeed no dream.

CHARMION. Dreams are no more. Was I much mourned, my Eiros?

EIROS. Mourned, Charmion?-oh deeply. To that last hour of all, there hung a cloud of
intense gloom and devout sorrow over your household.

CHARMION. And that last hour-speak of it. Remember that, beyond the naked fact of
the catastrophe itself, I know nothing. When, coming out from among mankind, I passed
into Night through the Grave-at that period, if I remember aright, the calamity which
overwhelmed you was utterly unanticipated. But, indeed, I knew little of the speculative
philosophy of the day.

EIROS. The individual calamity was, as you say, entirely unanticipated; but analogous
misfortunes had been long a subject of discussion with astronomers. I need scarce tell
you, my friend, that, even when you left us, men had agreed to understand those passages
in the most holy writings which speak of the final destruction of all things by fire, as
having reference to the orb of the earth alone. But in regard to the immediate agency of
the ruin, speculation had been at fault from that epoch in astronomical knowledge in
which the comets were divested of the terrors of flame. The very moderate density of
these bodies had been well established. They had been observed to pass among the
satellites of Jupiter, without bringing about any sensible alteration either in the masses or
in the orbits of these secondary planets. We had long regarded the wanderers as vapory
creations of inconceivable tenuity, and as altogether incapable of doing injury to our
substantial globe, even in the event of contact. But contact was not in any degree
dreaded; for the elements of all the comets were accurately known. That among them we
should look for the agency of the threatened fiery destruction had been for many years
considered an inadmissible idea. But wonders and wild fancies had been, of late days,
strangely rife among mankind; and although it was only with a few of the ignorant that
actual apprehension prevailed, upon the announcement by astronomers of a new comet,
yet this announcement was generally received with I know not what of agitation and
mistrust.

The elements of the strange orb were immediately calculated, and it was at once
conceded by all observers, that its path, at perihelion, would bring it into very close
proximity with the earth. There were two or three astronomers, of secondary note, who
resolutely maintained that a contact was inevitable. I cannot very well express to you the
effect of this intelligence upon the people. For a few short days they would not believe an
assertion which their intellect, so long employed among worldly considerations, could
not in any manner grasp. But the truth of a vitally important fact soon makes its way into
the understanding of even the most stolid. Finally, all men saw that astronomical
knowledge lied not, and they awaited the comet. Its approach was not, at first, seemingly
rapid; nor was its appearance of very unusual character. It was of a dull red, and had little

perceptible train. For seven or eight days we saw no material increase in its apparent
diameter, and but a partial alteration in its color. Meantime the ordinary affairs of men
were discarded, and all interests absorbed in a growing discussion, instituted by the
philosophic, in respect to the cometary nature. Even the grossly ignorant aroused their
sluggish capacities to such considerations. The learned now gave their intellect-their
soul-to no such points as the allaying of fear, or to the sustenance of loved theory. They
sought- they panted for right views. They groaned for perfected knowledge. Truth arose
in the purity of her strength and exceeding majesty, and the wise bowed down and
adored.

That material injury to our globe or to its inhabitants would result from the apprehended
contact, was an opinion which hourly lost ground among the wise; and the wise were now
freely permitted to rule the reason and the fancy of the crowd. It was demonstrated, that
the density of the comet's nucleus was far less than that of our rarest gas; and the
harmless passage of a similar visitor among the satellites of Jupiter was a point strongly
insisted upon, and which served greatly to allay terror. Theologists, with an earnestness
fear-enkindled, dwelt upon the biblical prophecies, and expounded them to the people
with a directness and simplicity of which no previous instance had been known. That the
final destruction of the earth must be brought about by the agency of fire, was urged with
a spirit that enforced everywhere conviction; and that the comets were of no fiery nature
(as all men now knew) was a truth which relieved all, in a great measure, from the
apprehension of the great calamity foretold. It is noticeable that the popular prejudices
and vulgar errors in regard to pestilences and wars-errors which were wont to prevail
upon every appearance of a comet-were now altogether unknown. As if by some sudden
convulsive exertion, reason had at once hurled superstition from her throne. The feeblest
intellect had derived vigor from excessive interest.

What minor evils might arise from the contact were points of elaborate question. The
learned spoke of slight geological disturbances, of probable alterations in climate, and
consequently in vegetation; of possible magnetic and electric influences. Many held that
no visible or perceptible effect would in any manner be produced. While such discussions
were going on, their subject gradually approached, growing larger in apparent diameter,
and of a more brilliant lustre. Mankind grew paler as it came. All human operations were
suspended. There was an epoch in the course of the general sentiment when the comet
had attained, at length, a size surpassing that of any previously recorded visitation. The
people now, dismissing any lingering hope that the astronomers were wrong, experienced
all the certainty of evil. The chimerical aspect of their terror was gone. The hearts of the
stoutest of our race beat violently within their bosoms. A very few days sufficed,
however, to merge even such feelings in sentiments more unendurable. We could no
longer apply to the strange orb any accustomed thoughts. Its historical attributes had
disappeared. It oppressed us with a hideous novelty of emotion. We saw it not as an
astronomical phenomenon in the heavens, but as an incubus upon our hearts, and a
shadow upon our brains. It had taken, with inconceivable rapidity, the character of a
gigantic mantle of rare flame, extending from horizon to horizon.

Yet a day, and men breathed with greater freedom. It was clear that we were already
within the influence of the comet; yet we lived. We even felt an unusual elasticity of
frame and vivacity of mind. The exceeding tenuity of the object of our dread was
apparent; for all heavenly objects were plainly visible through it. Meantime, our
vegetation had perceptibly altered; and we gained faith, from this predicted circumstance,
in the foresight of the wise. A wild luxuriance of foliage, utterly unknown before, burst
out upon every vegetable thing.

Yet another day-and the evil was not altogether upon us. It was now evident that its
nucleus would first reach us. A wild change had come over all men; and the first sense of
pain was the wild signal for general lamentation and horror. This first sense of pain lay in
a rigorous constriction of the breast and lungs, and an insufferable dryness of the skin. It
could not be denied that our atmosphere was radically affected; the conformation of this
atmosphere and the possible modifications to which it might be subjected, were now the
topics of discussion. The result of investigation sent an electric thrill of the intensest
terror through the universal heart of man.

It had been long known that the air which encircled us was a compound of oxygen and
nitrogen gases, in the proportion of twenty-one measures of oxygen, and seventy-nine of
nitrogen, in every one hundred of the atmosphere. Oxygen, which was the principle of
combustion, and the vehicle of heat, was absolutely necessary to the support of animal
life, and was the most powerful and energetic agent in nature. Nitrogen, on the contrary,
was incapable of supporting either animal life or flame. An unnatural excess of oxygen
would result, it had been ascertained, in just such an elevation of the animal spirits as we
had latterly experienced. It was the pursuit, the extension of the idea, which had
engendered awe. What would be the result of a total extraction of the nitrogen? A
combustion irresistible, all-devouring, omni-prevalent, immediate; the entire fulfillment,
in all their minute and terrible details, of the fiery and horror- inspiring denunciations of
the prophecies of the Holy Book.

Why need I paint, Charmion, the now disenchained frenzy of mankind? That tenuity in
the comet which had previously inspired us with hope, was now the source of the
bitterness of despair. In its impalpable gaseous character we clearly perceived the
consummation of Fate. Meantime a day again passed, bearing away with it the last
shadow of Hope. We gasped in the rapid modification of the air. The red blood bounded
tumultuously through its strict channels. A furious delirium possessed all men; and, with
arms rigidly outstretched toward the threatening heavens, they trembled and shrieked
aloud. But the nucleus of the destroyer was now upon us; even here in Aidenn, I shudder
while I speak. Let me be brief-brief as the ruin that overwhelmed. For a moment there
was a wild lurid light alone, visiting and penetrating all things. Then-let us bow down,
Charmion, before the excessive majesty of the great God!-then, there came a shouting
and pervading sound, as if from the mouth itself of HIM; while the whole incumbent
mass of ether in which we existed, burst at once into a species of intense flame, for whose
surpassing brilliancy and all-fervid heat even the angels in the high Heaven of pure
knowledge have no name. Thus ended all.

THE DAGUERREOTYPE

by Edgar Allan Poe

(1840)

Alexander's Weekly Messenger, Jan. 15, 1840, p. 2.

THIS WORD is properly spelt Daguerreotype, and pronounced as if written
Dagairraioteep. The inventor's name is Daguerre, but the French usage requires an accent
on the second e, in the formation of the compound term.

The instrument itself must undoubtedly be regarded as the most important, and perhaps
the most extraordinary triumph of modern science. We have not now space to touch upon
the history of the invention, the earliest idea of which is derived from the camera
obscure, and even the minute details of the process of photogeny (from Greek words
signifying sun-painting) are too long for our present purpose. We may say in brief,
however, that a plate of silver upon copper is prepared, presenting a surface for the action
of the light, of the most delicate texture conceivable. A high polish being given this plate
by means of a steatitic calcareous stone (called Daguerreolite) and containing equal parts
of steatite and carbonate of lime, the fine surface is then iodized by being placed over a
vessel containing iodine, until the whole assumes a tint of pale yellow. The plate is then
deposited in a camera obscure, and the lens of this instrument directed to the object which
it is required to paint. The action of the light does the rest. The length of time requisite for
the operation varies according to the hour of the day, and the state of the weather— the
general period being from ten to thirty minutes— experience alone suggesting the proper
moment of removal. When taken out, the plate does not at first appear to have received a
definite impression— some short processes, however, develope it in the most miraculous
beauty. All language must fall short of conveying any just idea of the truth, and this will
not appear so wonderful when we reflect that the source of vision itself has been, in this
instance, the designer. Perhaps, if we imagine the distinctness with which an object is
reflected in a positively perfect mirror, we come as near the reality as by any other
means. For, in truth, the Daguerreotyped plate is infinitely (we use the term advisedly) is
infinitely more accurate in its representation than any painting by human hands. If we
examine a work of ordinary art, by means of a powerful microscope, all traces of
resemblance to nature will disappear-but the closest scrutiny of the photogenic drawing
discloses only a more absolute truth, a more perfect identity of aspect with the thing rep
resented. The variations of shade, and the gradations of both linear and aerial perspective
are those of truth itself in the supremeness of its perfection.

The results of the invention cannot, even remotely, be seen— but all experience, in
matters of philosophical discovery, teaches us that, in such discovery, it is the unforeseen
upon which we must calculate most largely. It is a theorem almost demonstrated, that the
consequences of any new scientific invention will, at the present day exceed, by very
much, the wildest expectations of the most imaginative. Among the obvious advantages
derivable from the Daguerreotype, we may mention that, by its aid, the height of

inaccessible elevations may in many cases be immediately ascertained, since it will
afford an absolute perspective of objects in such situations, and that the drawing of a
correct lunar chart will be at once accomplished, since the rays of this luminary are found
to be appreciated by the plate.

Transcription by David Phillips

- THE END --

THE DEVIL IN THE BELFRY

by Edgar Allan Poe

What o'clock is it?
Old Saying.

EVERYBODY knows, in a general way, that the finest place in the world is-or, alas,
was-the Dutch borough of Vondervotteimittiss. Yet as it lies some distance from any of
the main roads, being in a somewhat out-of-the-way situation, there are perhaps very few
of my readers who have ever paid it a visit. For the benefit of those who have not,
therefore, it will be only proper that I should enter into some account of it. And this is
indeed the more necessary, as with the hope of enlisting public sympathy in behalf of the
inhabitants, I design here to give a history of the calamitous events which have so lately
occurred within its limits. No one who knows me will doubt that the duty thus self-
imposed will be executed to the best of my ability, with all that rigid impartiality, all that
cautious examination into facts, and diligent collation of authorities, which should ever
distinguish him who aspires to the title of historian.

By the united aid of medals, manuscripts, and inscriptions, I am enabled to say,
positively, that the borough of Vondervotteimittiss has existed, from its origin, in
precisely the same condition which it at present preserves. Of the date of this origin,
however, I grieve that I can only speak with that species of indefinite definiteness which
mathematicians are, at times, forced to put up with in certain algebraic formulae. The
date, I may thus say, in regard to the remoteness of its antiquity, cannot be less than any
assignable quantity whatsoever.

Touching the derivation of the name Vondervotteimittiss, I confess myself, with sorrow,
equally at fault. Among a multitude of opinions upon this delicate point-some acute,
some learned, some sufficiently the reverse-I am able to select nothing which ought to be
considered satisfactory. Perhaps the idea of Grogswigg-nearly coincident with that of
Kroutaplenttey-is to be cautiously preferred.-It runs:-Vondervotteimittis-Vonder, lege
Donder- Votteimittis, quasi und Bleitziz-Bleitziz obsol:-pro Blitzen." This derivative, to
say the truth, is still countenanced by some traces of the electric fluid evident on the
summit of the steeple of the House of the Town-Council. I do not choose, however, to
commit myself on a theme of such importance, and must refer the reader desirous of
information to the "Oratiunculae de Rebus Praeter-Veteris," of Dundergutz. See, also,
Blunderbuzzard "De Derivationibus," pp. 27 to 5010, Folio, Gothic edit.. Red and Black
character. Catch-word and No Cypher; wherein consult, also, marginal notes in the
autograph of Stuffundpuff, with the Sub-Commentaries of Gruntundguzzell.

Notwithstanding the obscurity which thus envelops the date of the foundation of
Vondervotteimittis, and the derivation of its name, there can be no doubt, as I said before,
that it has always existed as we find it at this epoch. The oldest man in the borough can
remember not the slightest difference in the appearance of any portion of it; and, indeed,
the very suggestion of such a possibility is considered an insult. The site of the village is

in a perfectly circular valley, about a quarter of a mile in circumference, and entirely
surrounded by gentle hills, over whose summit the people have never yet ventured to
pass. For this they assign the very good reason that they do not believe there is anything
at all on the other side.

Round the skirts of the valley (which is quite level, and paved throughout with flat tiles),
extends a continuous row of sixty little houses. These, having their backs on the hills,
must look, of course, to the centre of the plain, which is just sixty yards from the front
door of each dwelling. Every house has a small garden before it, with a circular path, a
sun-dial, and twenty-four cabbages. The buildings themselves are so precisely alike, that
one can in no manner be distinguished from the other. Owing to the vast antiquity, the
style of architecture is somewhat odd, but it is not for that reason the less strikingly
picturesque. They are fashioned of hard-burned little bricks, red, with black ends, so that
the walls look like a chess-board upon a great scale. The gables are turned to the front,
and there are cornices, as big as all the rest of the house, over the eaves and over the main
doors. The windows are narrow and deep, with very tiny panes and a great deal of sash.
On the roof is a vast quantity of tiles with long curly ears. The woodwork, throughout, is
of a dark hue and there is much carving about it, with but a trifling variety of pattern for,
time out of mind, the carvers of Vondervotteimittiss have never been able to carve more
than two objects-a time -piece and a cabbage. But these they do exceedingly well, and
intersperse them, with singular ingenuity, wherever they find room for the chisel.

The dwellings are as much alike inside as out, and the furniture is all upon one plan. The
floors are of square tiles, the chairs and tables of black- looking wood with thin crooked
legs and puppy feet. The mantelpieces are wide and high, and have not only time-pieces
and cabbages sculptured over the front, but a real time-piece, which makes a prodigious
ticking, on the top in the middle, with a flower-pot containing a cabbage standing on each
extremity by way of outrider. Between each cabbage and the time-piece, again, is a little
China man having a large stomach with a great round hole in it, through which is seen the
dial-plate of a watch.

The fireplaces are large and deep, with fierce crooked-looking fire-dogs. There is
constantly a rousing fire, and a huge pot over it, full of sauer-kraut and pork, to which the
good woman of the house is always busy in attending. She is a little fat old lady, with
blue eyes and a red face, and wears a huge cap like a sugar-loaf, ornamented with purple
and yellow ribbons. Her dress is of orange-colored linsey-woolsey, made very full behind
and very short in the waist-and indeed very short in other respects, not reaching below
the middle of her leg. This is somewhat thick, and so are her ankles, but she has a fine
pair of green stockings to cover them. Her shoes-of pink leather-are fastened each with a
bunch of yellow ribbons puckered up in the shape of a cabbage. In her left hand she has a
little heavy Dutch watch; in her right she wields a ladle for the sauerkraut and pork. By
her side there stands a fat tabby cat, with a gilt toy-repeater tied to its tail, which "the
boys" have there fastened by way of a quiz.

The boys themselves are, all three of them, in the garden attending the pig. They are each
two feet in height. They have three-cornered cocked hats, purple waistcoats reaching

down to their thighs, buckskin knee-breeches, red stockings, heavy shoes with big silver
buckles, long surtout coats with large buttons of mother-of-pearl. Each, too, has a pipe in
his mouth, and a little dumpy watch in his right hand. He takes a puff and a look, and
then a look and a puff. The pig-which is corpulent and lazy-is occupied now in picking
up the stray leaves that fall from the cabbages, and now in giving a kick behind at the gilt
repeater, which the urchins have also tied to his tail in order to make him look as
handsome as the cat.

Right at the front door, in a high-backed leather-bottomed armed chair, with crooked legs
and puppy feet like the tables, is seated the old man of the house himself. He is an
exceedingly puffy little old gentleman, with big circular eyes and a huge double chin. His
dress resembles that of the boys-and I need say nothing farther about it. All the
difference is, that his pipe is somewhat bigger than theirs and he can make a greater
smoke. Like them, he has a watch, but he carries his watch in his pocket. To say the truth,
he has something of more importance than a watch to attend to-and what that is, I shall
presently explain. He sits with his right leg upon his left knee, wears a grave
countenance, and always keeps one of his eyes, at least, resolutely bent upon a certain
remarkable object in the centre of the plain.

This object is situated in the steeple of the House of the Town Council. The Town
Council are all very little, round, oily, intelligent men, with big saucer eyes and fat
double chins, and have their coats much longer and their shoe-buckles much bigger than
the ordinary inhabitants of Vondervotteimittiss. Since my sojourn in the borough, they
have had several special meetings, and have adopted these three important resolutions:

"That it is wrong to alter the good old course of things:"

"That there is nothing tolerable out of Vondervotteimittiss:" and-

"That we will stick by our clocks and our cabbages."

Above the session-room of the Council is the steeple, and in the steeple is the belfry,
where exists, and has existed time out of mind, the pride and wonder of the village-the
great clock of the borough of Vondervotteimittiss. And this is the object to which the
eyes of the old gentlemen are turned who sit in the leather-bottomed arm-chairs.

The great clock has seven faces-one in each of the seven sides of the steeple-so that it
can be readily seen from all quarters. Its faces are large and white, and its hands heavy
and black. There is a belfry-man whose sole duty is to attend to it; but this duty is the
most perfect of sinecures-for the clock of Vondervotteimittis was never yet known to
have anything the matter with it. Until lately, the bare supposition of such a thing was
considered heretical. From the remotest period of antiquity to which the archives have
reference, the hours have been regularly struck by the big bell. And, indeed the case was
just the same with all the other clocks and watches in the borough. Never was such a
place for keeping the true time. When the large clapper thought proper to say "Twelve
o'clock!" all its obedient followers opened their throats simultaneously, and responded
like a very echo. In short, the good burghers were fond of their sauer-kraut, but then they
were proud of their clocks.

All people who hold sinecure offices are held in more or less respect, and as the belfry-
man of Vondervotteimittiss has the most perfect of sinecures, he is the most perfectly
respected of any man in the world. He is the chief dignitary of the borough, and the very
pigs look up to him with a sentiment of reverence. His coat-tail is very far longer-his
pipe, his shoe-buckles, his eyes, and his stomach, very far bigger-than those of any other
old gentleman in the village; and as to his chin, it is not only double, but triple.

I have thus painted the happy estate of Vondervotteimittiss: alas, that so fair a picture
should ever experience a reverse!

There has been long a saying among the wisest inhabitants, that "no good can come from
over the hills"; and it really seemed that the words had in them something of the spirit of
prophecy. It wanted five minutes of noon, on the day before yesterday, when there
appeared a very odd-looking object on the summit of the ridge of the eastward. Such an
occurrence, of course, attracted universal attention, and every little old gentleman who sat
in a leather-bottomed arm-chair turned one of his eyes with a stare of dismay upon the
phenomenon, still keeping the other upon the clock in the steeple.

By the time that it wanted only three minutes to noon, the droll object in question was
perceived to be a very diminutive foreign-looking young man. He descended the hills at a
great rate, so that every body had soon a good look at him. He was really the most finicky
little personage that had ever been seen in Vondervotteimittiss. His countenance was of a
dark snuff-color, and he had a long hooked nose, pea eyes, a wide mouth, and an
excellent set of teeth, which latter he seemed anxious of displaying, as he was grinning
from ear to ear. What with mustachios and whiskers, there was none of the rest of his
face to be seen. His head was uncovered, and his hair neatly done up in papillotes. His
dress was a tight-fitting swallow-tailed black coat (from one of whose pockets dangled a
vast length of white handkerchief), black kerseymere knee-breeches, black stockings, and
stumpy-looking pumps, with huge bunches of black satin ribbon for bows. Under one
arm he carried a huge chapeau-de-bras, and under the other a fiddle nearly five times as
big as himself. In his left hand was a gold snuff-box, from which, as he capered down the
hill, cutting all manner of fantastic steps, he took snuff incessantly with an air of the
greatest possible self-satisfaction. God bless me!-here was a sight for the honest burghers
of Vondervotteimittiss!

To speak plainly, the fellow had, in spite of his grinning, an audacious and sinister kind
of face; and as he curvetted right into the village, the old stumpy appearance of his pumps
excited no little suspicion; and many a burgher who beheld him that day would have
given a trifle for a peep beneath the white cambric handkerchief which hung so
obtrusively from the pocket of his swallow-tailed coat. But what mainly occasioned a
righteous indignation was, that the scoundrelly popinjay, while he cut a fandango here,
and a whirligig there, did not seem to have the remotest idea in the world of such a thing
as keeping time in his steps.

The good people of the borough had scarcely a chance, however, to get their eyes
thoroughly open, when, just as it wanted half a minute of noon, the rascal bounced, as I

say, right into the midst of them; gave a chassez here, and a balancez there; and then,
after a pirouette and a pas-de-zephyr, pigeon- winged himself right up into the belfry of
the House of the Town Council, where the wonder-stricken belfry-man sat smoking in a
state of dignity and dismay. But the little chap seized him at once by the nose; gave it a
swing and a pull; clapped the big chapeau de-bras upon his head; knocked it down over
his eyes and mouth; and then, lifting up the big fiddle, beat him with it so long and so
soundly, that what with the belfry-man being so fat, and the fiddle being so hollow, you
would have sworn that there was a regiment of double-bass drummers all beating the
devil's tattoo up in the belfry of the steeple of Vondervotteimittiss.

There is no knowing to what desperate act of vengeance this unprincipled attack might
have aroused the inhabitants, but for the important fact that it now wanted only half a
second of noon. The bell was about to strike, and it was a matter of absolute and pre-
eminent necessity that every body should look well at his watch. It was evident, however,
that just at this moment the fellow in the steeple was doing something that he had no
business to do with the clock. But as it now began to strike, nobody had any time to
attend to his manoeuvres, for they had all to count the strokes of the bell as it sounded.

"One!" said the clock.

"Von!" echoed every little old gentleman in every leather-bottomed arm-chair in
Vondervotteimittiss. "Von!" said his watch also; "von!" said the watch of his vrow; and
"von!" said the watches of the boys, and the little gilt repeaters on the tails of the cat and
pig-

"Two!" continued the big bell; and

"Doo!" repeated all the repeaters.

"Three! Four! Five! Six! Seven! Eight! Nine! Ten!" said the bell.

"Dree! Vour! Fibe! Sax! Seben! Aight! Noin! Den!" answered the others.

"Eleven!" said the big one.

"Eleben!" assented the little ones.

"Twelve!" said the bell.

"Dvelf ! " they replied perfectly satisfied, and dropping their voices.

"Und dvelf it is!" said all the little old gentlemen, putting up their watches. But the big
bell had not done with them yet.

"Thirteen!" said he.

"Der Teufel!" gasped the little old gentlemen, turning pale, dropping their pipes, and
putting down all their right legs from over their left knees.

"Der Teufel!" groaned they, "Dirteen! Dirteen!!-Mein Gott, it is Dirteen o'clock!!"

Why attempt to describe the terrible scene which ensued? All Vondervotteimittiss flew at
once into a lamentable state of uproar.

"Vot is cum'd to mein pelly?" roared all the boys-"rve been ongry for dis hour!"

"Vot is com'd to mein kraut?" screamed all the vrows, "It has been done to rags for this
hour!"

"Vot is cum'd to mein pipe?" swore all the little old gentlemen, "Bonder and Blitzen; it
has been smoked out for dis hour! "-and they filled them up again in a great rage, and
sinking back in their arm-chairs, puffed away so fast and so fiercely that the whole valley
was immediately filled with impenetrable smoke.

Meantime the cabbages all turned very red in the face, and it seemed as if old Nick
himself had taken possession of every thing in the shape of a timepiece. The clocks
carved upon the furniture took to dancing as if bewitched, while those upon the mantel-
pieces could scarcely contain themselves for fury, and kept such a continual striking of
thirteen, and such a frisking and wriggling of their pendulums as was really horrible to
see. But, worse than all, neither the cats nor the pigs could put up any longer with the
behavior of the little repeaters tied to their tails, and resented it by scampering all over the
place, scratching and poking, and squeaking and screeching, and caterwauling and
squalling, and flying into the faces, and running under the petticoats of the people, and
creating altogether the most abominable din and confusion which it is possible for a
reasonable person to conceive. And to make matters still more distressing, the rascally
little scape-grace in the steeple was evidently exerting himself to the utmost. Every now
and then one might catch a glimpse of the scoundrel through the smoke. There he sat in
the belfry upon the belfry-man, who was lying flat upon his back. In his teeth the villain
held the bell-rope, which he kept jerking about with his head, raising such a clatter that
my ears ring again even to think of it. On his lap lay the big fiddle, at which he was
scraping, out of all time and tune, with both hands, making a great show, the
nincompoop! of playing "Judy O'Flannagan and Paddy O'Rafferty."

Affairs being thus miserably situated, I left the place in disgust, and now appeal for aid to
all lovers of correct time and fine kraut. Let us proceed in a body to the borough, and
restore the ancient order of things in Vondervotteimittiss by ejecting that little fellow
from the steeple.

THE END

THE DOMAIN OF ARNHEIM

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

The garden like a lady fair was cut,

That lay as if she slumbered in delight,

And to the open skies her eyes did shut.

The azure fields of Heaven were 'sembled right

In a large round, set with the flowers of light.

The flowers de luce, and the round sparks of dew.

That hung upon their azure leaves did shew

Like twinkling stars that sparkle in the evening blue.

—Giles Fletcher

FROM his cradle to his grave a gale of prosperity bore my friend Ellison along. Nor do I
use the word prosperity in its mere worldly sense. I mean it as synonymous with
happiness. The person of whom I speak seemed bom for the purpose of foreshadowing
the doctrines of Turgot, Price, Priestley, and Condorcet-of exemplifying by individual
instance what has been deemed the chimera of the perfectionists. In the brief existence of
Ellison I fancy that I have seen refuted the dogma, that in man's very nature lies some
hidden principle, the antagonist of bliss. An anxious examination of his career has given
me to understand that in general, from the violation of a few simple laws of humanity
arises the wretchedness of mankind-that as a species we have in our possession the as yet
unwrought elements of content-and that, even now, in the present darkness and madness
of all thought on the great question of the social condition, it is not impossible that man,
the individual, under certain unusual and highly fortuitous conditions, may be happy.

With opinions such as these my young friend, too, was fully imbued, and thus it is worthy
of observation that the uninterrupted enjoyment which distinguished his life was, in great
measure, the result of preconcert. It is indeed evident that with less of the instinctive
philosophy which, now and then, stands so well in the stead of experience, Mr. Ellison
would have found himself precipitated, by the very extraordinary success of his life, into
the common vortex of unhappiness which yawns for those of pre-eminent endowments.
But it is by no means my object to pen an essay on happiness. The ideas of my friend
may be summed up in a few words. He admitted but four elementary principles, or more
strictly, conditions of bliss. That which he considered chief was (strange to say!) the
simple and purely physical one of free exercise in the open air. "The health," he said,
"attainable by other means is scarcely worth the name." He instanced the ecstasies of the
fox-hunter, and pointed to the tillers of the earth, the only people who, as a class, can be
fairly considered happier than others. His second condition was the love of woman. His
third, and most difficult of realization, was the contempt of ambition. His fourth was an

object of unceasing pursuit; and he held that, other things being equal, the extent of
attainable happiness was in proportion to the spirituality of this object.

Ellison was remarkable in the continuous profusion of good gifts lavished upon him by
fortune. In personal grace and beauty he exceeded all men. His intellect was of that order
to which the acquisition of knowledge is less a labor than an intuition and a necessity. His
family was one of the most illustrious of the empire. His bride was the loveliest and most
devoted of women. His possessions had been always ample; but on the attainment of his
majority, it was discovered that one of those extraordinary freaks of fate had been played
in his behalf which startle the whole social world amid which they occur, and seldom fail
radically to alter the moral constitution of those who are their objects.

It appears that about a hundred years before Mr. Ellison's coming of age, there had died,
in a remote province, one Mr. Seabright Ellison. This gentleman had amassed a princely
fortune, and, having no immediate connections, conceived the whim of suffering his
wealth to accumulate for a century after his decease. Minutely and sagaciously directing
the various modes of investment, he bequeathed the aggregate amount to the nearest of
blood, bearing the name of Ellison, who should be alive at the end of the hundred years.
Many attempts had been made to set aside this singular bequest; their ex post facto
character rendered them abortive; but the attention of a jealous government was aroused,
and a legislative act finally obtained, forbidding all similar accumulations. This act,
however, did not prevent young Ellison from entering into possession, on his twenty-first
birthday, as the heir of his ancestor Seabright, of a fortune of four hundred and fifty
millions of dollars.*

* An incident, similar in outline to the one here imagined, occurred, not very long ago, in
England. The name of the fortunate heir was Thelluson. I first saw an account of this
matter in the "Tour" of Prince Puckler Muskau, who makes the sum inherited ninety
millions of pounds, and justly observes that "in the contemplation of so vast a sum, and
of the services to which it might be applied, there is something even of the sublime." To
suit the views of this article I have followed the Prince's statement, although a grossly
exaggerated one. The germ, and in fact, the commencement of the present paper was
published many years ago-previous to the issue of the first number of Sue's admirable
"Juif Errant," which may possibly have been suggested to him by Muskau's account.

When it had become known that such was the enormous wealth inherited, there were, of
course, many speculations as to the mode of its disposal. The magnitude and the
immediate availability of the sum bewildered all who thought on the topic. The possessor
of any appreciable amount of money might have been imagined to perform any one of a
thousand things. With riches merely surpassing those of any citizen, it would have been
easy to suppose him engaging to supreme excess in the fashionable extravagances of his
time-or busying himself with political intrigue-or aiming at ministerial power-or
purchasing increase of nobility-or collecting large museums of virtu- or playing the
munificent patron of letters, of science, of art-or endowing, and bestowing his name upon
extensive institutions of charity. But for the inconceivable wealth in the actual possession
of the heir, these objects and all ordinary objects were felt to afford too limited a field.

Recourse was had to figures, and these but sufficed to confound. It was seen that, even at
three per cent., the annual income of the inheritance amounted to no less than thirteen
millions and five hundred thousand dollars; which was one million and one hundred and
twenty-five thousand per month; or thirty-six thousand nine hundred and eighty-six per
day; or one thousand five hundred and forty-one per hour; or six and twenty dollars for
every minute that flew. Thus the usual track of supposition was thoroughly broken up.
Men knew not what to imagine. There were some who even conceived that Mr. Ellison
would divest himself of at least one-half of his fortune, as of utterly superfluous
opulence-enriching whole troops of his relatives by division of his superabundance. To
the nearest of these he did, in fact, abandon the very unusual wealth which was his own
before the inheritance.

I was not surprised, however, to perceive that he had long made up his mind on a point
which had occasioned so much discussion to his friends. Nor was I greatly astonished at
the nature of his decision. In regard to individual charities he had satisfied his conscience.
In the possibility of any improvement, properly so called, being effected by man himself
in the general condition of man, he had (I am sorry to confess it) little faith. Upon the
whole, whether happily or unhappily, he was thrown back, in very great measure, upon
self.

In the widest and noblest sense he was a poet. He comprehended, moreover, the true
character, the august aims, the supreme majesty and dignity of the poetic sentiment. The
fullest, if not the sole proper satisfaction of this sentiment he instinctively felt to lie in the
creation of novel forms of beauty. Some peculiarities, either in his early education, or in
the nature of his intellect, had tinged with what is termed materialism all his ethical
speculations; and it was this bias, perhaps, which led him to believe that the most
advantageous at least, if not the sole legitimate field for the poetic exercise, lies in the
creation of novel moods of purely physical loveliness. Thus it happened he became
neither musician nor poet-if we use this latter term in its every-day acceptation. Or it
might have been that he neglected to become either, merely in pursuance of his idea that
in contempt of ambition is to be found one of the essential principles of happiness on
earth. Is it not indeed, possible that, while a high order of genius is necessarily ambitious,
the highest is above that which is termed ambition? And may it not thus happen that
many far greater than Milton have contentedly remained "mute and inglorious?" I believe
that the world has never seen-and that, unless through some series of accidents goading
the noblest order of mind into distasteful exertion, the world will never see- that full
extent of triumphant execution, in the richer domains of art, of which the human nature is
absolutely capable.

Ellison became neither musician nor poet; although no man lived more profoundly
enamored of music and poetry. Under other circumstances than those which invested
him, it is not impossible that he would have become a painter. Sculpture, although in its
nature rigorously poetical was too limited in its extent and consequences, to have
occupied, at any time, much of his attention. And I have now mentioned all the provinces
in which the common understanding of the poetic sentiment has declared it capable of
expatiating. But Ellison maintained that the richest, the truest, and most natural, if not

altogether the most extensive province, had been unaccountably neglected. No definition
had spoken of the landscape-gardener as of the poet; yet it seemed to my friend that the
creation of the landscape-garden offered to the proper Muse the most magnificent of
opportunities. Here, indeed, was the fairest field for the display of imagination in the
endless combining of forms of novel beauty; the elements to enter into combination
being, by a vast superiority, the most glorious which the earth could afford. In the
multiform and multicolor of the flowers and the trees, he recognised the most direct and
energetic efforts of Nature at physical loveliness. And in the direction or concentration of
this effort-or, more properly, in its adaptation to the eyes which were to behold it on
earth-he perceived that he should be employing the best means-laboring to the greatest
advantage-in the fulfilment, not only of his own destiny as poet, but of the august
purposes for which the Deity had implanted the poetic sentiment in man.

"Its adaptation to the eyes which were to behold it on earth." In his explanation of this
phraseology, Mr. Ellison did much toward solving what has always seemed to me an
enigma:-I mean the fact (which none but the ignorant dispute) that no such combination
of scenery exists in nature as the painter of genius may produce. No such paradises are to
be found in reality as have glowed on the canvas of Claude. In the most enchanting of
natural landscapes, there will always be found a defect or an excess-many excesses and
defects. While the component parts may defy, individually, the highest skill of the artist,
the arrangement of these parts will always be susceptible of improvement. In short, no
position can be attained on the wide surface of the natural earth, from which an artistical
eye, looking steadily, will not find matter of offence in what is termed the "composition"
of the landscape. And yet how unintelligible is this! In all other matters we are justly
instructed to regard nature as supreme. With her details we shrink from competition. Who
shall presume to imitate the colors of the tulip, or to improve the proportions of the lily of
the valley? The criticism which says, of sculpture or portraiture, that here nature is to be
exalted or idealized rather than imitated, is in error. No pictorial or sculptural
combinations of points of human liveliness do more than approach the living and
breathing beauty. In landscape alone is the principle of the critic true; and, having felt its
truth here, it is but the headlong spirit of generalization which has led him to pronounce it
true throughout all the domains of art. Having, I say, felt its truth here; for the feeling is
no affectation or chimera. The mathematics afford no more absolute demonstrations than
the sentiments of his art yields the artist. He not only believes, but positively knows, that
such and such apparently arbitrary arrangements of matter constitute and alone constitute
the true beauty. His reasons, however, have not yet been matured into expression. It
remains for a more profound analysis than the world has yet seen, fully to investigate and
express them. Nevertheless he is confirmed in his instinctive opinions by the voice of all
his brethren. Let a "composition" be defective; let an emendation be wrought in its mere
arrangement of form; let this emendation be submitted to every artist in the world; by
each will its necessity be admitted. And even far more than this:-in remedy of the
defective composition, each insulated member of the fraternity would have suggested the
identical emendation.

I repeat that in landscape arrangements alone is the physical nature susceptible of
exaltation, and that, therefore, her susceptibility of improvement at this one point, was a

mystery I had been unable to solve. My own thoughts on the subject had rested in the
idea that the primitive intention of nature would have so arranged the earth's surface as to
have fulfilled at all points man's sense of perfection in the beautiful, the sublime, or the
picturesque; but that this primitive intention had been frustrated by the known geological
disturbances-disturbances of form and color-grouping, in the correction or allaying of
which lies the soul of art. The force of this idea was much weakened, however, by the
necessity which it involved of considering the disturbances abnormal and unadapted to
any purpose. It was Ellison who suggested that they were prognostic of death. He thus
explained:-Admit the earthly immortality of man to have been the first intention. We
have then the primitive arrangement of the earth's surface adapted to his blissful estate, as
not existent but designed. The disturbances were the preparations for his subsequently
conceived deathful condition.

"Now," said my friend, "what we regard as exaltation of the landscape may be really
such, as respects only the moral or human point of view. Each alteration of the natural
scenery may possibly effect a blemish in the picture, if we can suppose this picture
viewed at large-in mass-from some point distant from the earth's surface, although not
beyond the limits of its atmosphere. It is easily understood that what might improve a
closely scrutinized detail, may at the same time injure a general or more distantly
observed effect. There may be a class of beings, human once, but now invisible to
humanity, to whom, from afar, our disorder may seem order-our unpicturesqueness
picturesque, in a word, the earth-angels, for whose scrutiny more especially than our
own, and for whose death- refined appreciation of the beautiful, may have been set in
array by God the wide landscape-gardens of the hemispheres."

In the course of discussion, my friend quoted some passages from a writer on landscape-
gardening who has been supposed to have well treated his theme:

"There are properly but two styles of landscape-gardening, the natural and the artificial.
One seeks to recall the original beauty of the country, by adapting its means to the
surrounding scenery, cultivating trees in harmony with the hills or plain of the
neighboring land; detecting and bringing into practice those nice relations of size,
proportion, and color which, hid from the common observer, are revealed everywhere to
the experienced student of nature. The result of the natural style of gardening, is seen
rather in the absence of all defects and incongruities-in the prevalence of a healthy
harmony and order-than in the creation of any special wonders or miracles. The artificial
style has as many varieties as there are different tastes to gratify. It has a certain general
relation to the various styles of building. There are the stately avenues and retirements of
Versailles; Italian terraces; and a various mixed old English style, which bears some
relation to the domestic Gothic or English Elizabethan architecture. Whatever may be
said against the abuses of the artificial landscape-gardening, a mixture of pure art in a
garden scene adds to it a great beauty. This is partly pleasing to the eye, by the show of
order and design, and partly moral. A terrace, with an old moss-covered balustrade, calls
up at once to the eye the fair forms that have passed there in other days. The slightest
exhibition of art is an evidence of care and human interest."

"From what I have already observed," said Ellison, "you will understand that I reject the
idea, here expressed, of recalling the original beauty of the country. The original beauty
is never so great as that which may be introduced. Of course, every thing depends on the
selection of a spot with capabilities. What is said about detecting and bringing into
practice nice relations of size, proportion, and color, is one of those mere vaguenesses of
speech which serve to veil inaccuracy of thought. The phrase quoted may mean any
thing, or nothing, and guides in no degree. That the true result of the natural style of
gardening is seen rather in the absence of all defects and incongruities than in the creation
of any special wonders or miracles, is a proposition better suited to the grovelling
apprehension of the herd than to the fervid dreams of the man of genius. The negative
merit suggested appertains to that hobbling criticism which, in letters, would elevate
Addison into apotheosis. In truth, while that virtue which consists in the mere avoidance
of vice appeals directly to the understanding, and can thus be circumscribed in rule, the
loftier virtue, which flames in creation, can be apprehended in its results alone. Rule
applies but to the merits of denial-to the excellencies which refrain. Beyond these, the
critical art can but suggest. We may be instructed to build a "Cato," but we are in vain
told how to conceive a Parthenon or an "Inferno." The thing done, however; the wonder
accomplished; and the capacity for apprehension becomes universal. The sophists of the
negative school who, through inability to create, have scoffed at creation, are now found
the loudest in applause. What, in its chrysalis condition of principle, affronted their
demure reason, never fails, in its maturity of accomplishment, to extort admiration from
their instinct of beauty.

"The author's observations on the artificial style," continued Ellison, "are less
objectionable. A mixture of pure art in a garden scene adds to it a great beauty. This is
just; as also is the reference to the sense of human interest. The principle expressed is
incontrovertible-but there may be something beyond it. There may be an object in
keeping with the principle-an object unattainable by the means ordinarily possessed by
individuals, yet which, if attained, would lend a charm to the landscape-garden far
surpassing that which a sense of merely human interest could bestow. A poet, having
very unusual pecuniary resources, might, while retaining the necessary idea of art or
culture, or, as our author expresses it, of interest, so imbue his designs at once with extent
and novelty of beauty, as to convey the sentiment of spiritual interference. It will be seen
that, in bringing about such result, he secures all the advantages of interest or design,
while relieving his work of the harshness or technicality of the worldly art. In the most
rugged of wildernesses- in the most savage of the scenes of pure nature-there is apparent
the art of a creator; yet this art is apparent to reflection only; in no respect has it the
obvious force of a feeling. Now let us suppose this sense of the Almighty design to be
one step depressed-to be brought into something like harmony or consistency with the
sense of human art-to form an intermedium between the two:-let us imagine, for
example, a landscape whose combined vastness and definitiveness-whose united beauty,
magnificence, and strangeness, shall convey the idea of care, or culture, or
superintendence, on the part of beings superior, yet akin to humanity-then the sentiment
of interest is preserved, while the art intervolved is made to assume the air of an
intermediate or secondary nature-a nature which is not God, nor an emanation from God,

but which still is nature in the sense of the handiwork of the angels that hover between
man and God."

It was in devoting his enormous wealth to the embodiment of a vision such as this-in the
free exercise in the open air ensured by the personal superintendence of his plans-in the
unceasing object which these plans afforded-in the high spirituality of the object-in the
contempt of ambition which it enabled him truly to feel-in the perennial springs with
which it gratified, without possibility of satiating, that one master passion of his soul, the
thirst for beauty, above all, it was in the sympathy of a woman, not unwomanly, whose
loveliness and love enveloped his existence in the purple atmosphere of Paradise, that
Ellison thought to find, and found, exemption from the ordinary cares of humanity, with a
far greater amount of positive happiness than ever glowed in the rapt day-dreams of De
Stael.

I despair of conveying to the reader any distinct conception of the marvels which my
friend did actually accomplish. I wish to describe, but am disheartened by the difficulty
of description, and hesitate between detail and generality. Perhaps the better course will
be to unite the two in their extremes.

Mr. Ellison's first step regarded, of course, the choice of a locality, and scarcely had he
commenced thinking on this point, when the luxuriant nature of the Pacific Islands
arrested his attention. In fact, he had made up his mind for a voyage to the South Seas,
when a night's reflection induced him to abandon the idea. "Were I misanthropic," he
said, "such a locale would suit me. The thoroughness of its insulation and seclusion, and
the difficulty of ingress and egress, would in such case be the charm of charms; but as yet
I am not Timon. I wish the composure but not the depression of solitude. There must
remain with me a certain control over the extent and duration of my repose. There will be
frequent hours in which I shall need, too, the sympathy of the poetic in what I have done.
Let me seek, then, a spot not far from a populous city-whose vicinity, also, will best
enable me to execute my plans."

In search of a suitable place so situated, Ellison travelled for several years, and I was
permitted to accompany him. A thousand spots with which I was enraptured he rejected
without hesitation, for reasons which satisfied me, in the end, that he was right. We came
at length to an elevated table-land of wonderful fertility and beauty, affording a
panoramic prospect very little less in extent than that of Aetna, and, in Ellison's opinion
as well as my own, surpassing the far-famed view from that mountain in all the true
elements of the picturesque.

"I am aware," said the traveller, as he drew a sigh of deep delight after gazing on this
scene, entranced, for nearly an hour, "I know that here, in my circumstances, nine-tenths
of the most fastidious of men would rest content. This panorama is indeed glorious, and I
should rejoice in it but for the excess of its glory. The taste of all the architects I have
ever known leads them, for the sake of 'prospect,' to put up buildings on hill-tops. The
error is obvious. Grandeur in any of its moods, but especially in that of extent, startles,
excites-and then fatigues, depresses. For the occasional scene nothing can be better-for

the constant view nothing worse. And, in the constant view, the most objectionable phase
of grandeur is that of extent; the worst phase of extent, that of distance. It is at war with
the sentiment and with the sense of seclusion-the sentiment and sense which we seek to
humor in 'retiring to the country.' In looking from the summit of a mountain we cannot
help feeling abroad in the world. The heart-sick avoid distant prospects as a pestilence."

It was not until toward the close of the fourth year of our search that we found a locality
with which Ellison professed himself satisfied. It is, of course, needless to say where was
the locality. The late death of my friend, in causing his domain to be thrown open to
certain classes of visiters, has given to Arnheim a species of secret and subdued if not
solemn celebrity, similar in kind, although infinitely superior in degree, to that which so
long distinguished Fonthill.

The usual approach to Arnheim was by the river. The visiter left the city in the early
morning. During the forenoon he passed between shores of a tranquil and domestic
beauty, on which grazed innumerable sheep, their white fleeces spotting the vivid green
of rolling meadows. By degrees the idea of cultivation subsided into that of merely
pastoral care. This slowly became merged in a sense of retirement-this again in a
consciousness of solitude. As the evening approached, the channel grew more narrow, the
banks more and more precipitous; and these latter were clothed in rich, more profuse, and
more sombre foliage. The water increased in transparency. The stream took a thousand
turns, so that at no moment could its gleaming surface be seen for a greater distance than
a furlong. At every instant the vessel seemed imprisoned within an enchanted circle,
having insuperable and impenetrable walls of foliage, a roof of ultramarine satin, and no
floor-the keel balancing itself with admirable nicety on that of a phantom bark which, by
some accident having been turned upside down, floated in constant company with the
substantial one, for the purpose of sustaining it. The channel now became a gorge-
although the term is somewhat inapplicable, and I employ it merely because the language
has no word which better represents the most striking-not the most distinctive-feature of
the scene. The character of gorge was maintained only in the height and parallelism of the
shores; it was lost altogether in their other traits. The walls of the ravine (through which
the clear water still tranquilly flowed) arose to an elevation of a hundred and occasionally
of a hundred and fifty feet, and inclined so much toward each other as, in a great
measure, to shut out the light of day; while the long plume-like moss which depended
densely from the intertwining shrubberies overhead, gave the whole chasm an air of
funereal gloom. The windings became more frequent and intricate, and seemed often as if
returning in upon themselves, so that the voyager had long lost all idea of direction. He
was, moreover, enwrapt in an exquisite sense of the strange. The thought of nature still
remained, but her character seemed to have undergone modification, there was a weird
symmetry, a thrilling uniformity, a wizard propriety in these her works. Not a dead
branch-not a withered leaf-not a stray pebble-not a patch of the brown earth was
anywhere visible. The crystal water welled up against the clean granite, or the
unblemished moss, with a sharpness of outline that delighted while it bewildered the eye.

Having threaded the mazes of this channel for some hours, the gloom deepening every
moment, a sharp and unexpected turn of the vessel brought it suddenly, as if dropped

from heaven, into a circular basin of very considerable extent when compared with the
width of the gorge. It was about two hundred yards in diameter, and girt in at all points
but one-that immediately fronting the vessel as it entered-by hills equal in general height
to the walls of the chasm, although of a thoroughly different character. Their sides sloped
from the water's edge at an angle of some forty-five degrees, and they were clothed from
base to summit-not a perceptible point escaping-in a drapery of the most gorgeous
flower-blossoms; scarcely a green leaf being visible among the sea of odorous and
fluctuating color. This basin was of great depth, but so transparent was the water that the
bottom, which seemed to consist of a thick mass of small round alabaster pebbles, was
distinctly visible by glimpses-that is to say, whenever the eye could permit itself not to
see, far down in the inverted heaven, the duplicate blooming of the hills. On these latter
there were no trees, nor even shrubs of any size. The impressions wrought on the
observer were those of richness, warmth, color, quietude, uniformity, softness, delicacy,
daintiness, voluptuousness, and a miraculous extremeness of culture that suggested
dreams of a new race of fairies, laborious, tasteful, magnificent, and fastidious; but as the
eye traced upward the myriad-tinted slope, from its sharp junction with the water to its
vague termination amid the folds of overhanging cloud, it became, indeed, difficult not to
fancy a panoramic cataract of rubies, sapphires, opals, and golden onyxes, rolling silently
out of the sky.

The visiter, shooting suddenly into this bay from out the gloom of the ravine, is delighted
but astounded by the full orb of the declining sun, which he had supposed to be already
far below the horizon, but which now confronts him, and forms the sole termination of an
otherwise limitless vista seen through another chasm-like rift in the hills.

But here the voyager quits the vessel which has borne him so far, and descends into a
light canoe of ivory, stained with arabesque devices in vivid scarlet, both within and
without. The poop and beak of this boat arise high above the water, with sharp points, so
that the general form is that of an irregular crescent. It lies on the surface of the bay with
the proud grace of a swan. On its ermined floor reposes a single feathery paddle of satin-
wood; but no oarsmen or attendant is to be seen. The guest is bidden to be of good cheer-
that the fates will take care of him. The larger vessel disappears, and he is left alone in the
canoe, which lies apparently motionless in the middle of the lake. While he considers
what course to pursue, however, he becomes aware of a gentle movement in the fairy
bark. It slowly swings itself around until its prow points toward the sun. It advances with
a gentle but gradually accelerated velocity, while the slight ripples it creates seem to
break about the ivory side in divinest melody-seem to offer the only possible explanation
of the soothing yet melancholy music for whose unseen origin the bewildered voyager
looks around him in vain.

The canoe steadily proceeds, and the rocky gate of the vista is approached, so that its
depths can be more distinctly seen. To the right arise a chain of lofty hills rudely and
luxuriantly wooded. It is observed, however, that the trait of exquisite cleanness where
the bank dips into the water, still prevails. There is not one token of the usual river debris.
To the left the character of the scene is softer and more obviously artificial. Here the bank
slopes upward from the stream in a very gentle ascent, forming a broad sward of grass of

a texture resembling nothing so much as velvet, and of a brilliancy of green which would
bear comparison with the tint of the purest emerald. This plateau varies in width from ten
to three hundred yards; reaching from the river-bank to a wall, fifty feet high, which
extends, in an infinity of curves, but following the general direction of the river, until lost
in the distance to the westward. This wall is of one continuous rock, and has been formed
by cutting perpendicularly the once rugged precipice of the stream's southern bank, but
no trace of the labor has been suffered to remain. The chiselled stone has the hue of ages,
and is profusely overhung and overspread with the ivy, the coral honeysuckle, the
eglantine, and the clematis. The uniformity of the top and bottom lines of the wall is fully
relieved by occasional trees of gigantic height, growing singly or in small groups, both
along the plateau and in the domain behind the wall, but in close proximity to it; so that
frequent limbs (of the black walnut especially) reach over and dip their pendent
extremities into the water. Farther back within the domain, the vision is impeded by an
impenetrable screen of foliage.

These things are observed during the canoe's gradual approach to what I have called the
gate of the vista. On drawing nearer to this, however, its chasm-like appearance vanishes;
a new outlet from the bay is discovered to the left-in which direction the wall is also seen
to sweep, still following the general course of the stream. Down this new opening the eye
cannot penetrate very far; for the stream, accompanied by the wall, still bends to the left,
until both are swallowed up by the leaves.

The boat, nevertheless, glides magically into the winding channel; and here the shore
opposite the wall is found to resemble that opposite the wall in the straight vista. Lofty
hills, rising occasionally into mountains, and covered with vegetation in wild luxuriance,
still shut in the scene.

Floating gently onward, but with a velocity slightly augmented, the voyager, after many
short turns, finds his progress apparently barred by a gigantic gate or rather door of
burnished gold, elaborately carved and fretted, and reflecting the direct rays of the now
fast- sinking sun with an effulgence that seems to wreath the whole surrounding forest in
flames. This gate is inserted in the lofty wall; which here appears to cross the river at
right angles. In a few moments, however, it is seen that the main body of the water still
sweeps in a gentle and extensive curve to the left, the wall following it as before, while a
stream of considerable volume, diverging from the principal one, makes its way, with a
slight ripple, under the door, and is thus hidden from sight. The canoe falls into the lesser
channel and approaches the gate. Its ponderous wings are slowly and musically
expanded. The boat glides between them, and commences a rapid descent into a vast
amphitheatre entirely begirt with purple mountains, whose bases are laved by a gleaming
river throughout the full extent of their circuit. Meantime the whole Paradise of Amheim
bursts upon the view. There is a gush of entrancing melody; there is an oppressive sense
of strange sweet odor,-there is a dream-like intermingling to the eye of tall slender
Eastern trees-bosky shrubberies-flocks of golden and crimson birds-lily-fringed lakes-
meadows of violets, tulips, poppies, hyacinths, and tuberoses-long intertangled lines of
silver streamlets-and, upspringing confusedly from amid all, a mass of semi-Gothic,
semi-Saracenic architecture sustaining itself by miracle in mid-air, glittering in the red

sunlight with a hundred oriels, minarets, and pinnacles; and seeming the phantom
handiwork, conjointly, of the Sylphs, of the Fairies, of the Genii and of the Gnomes.

THE END

THE DUG DE L'OMLETTE

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

And stepped at once into a cooler clime.
Cowper

KEATS fell by a criticism. Who was it died of "The Andromache"?* Ignoble souls!-De
L'Omelette perished of an ortolan. L'histoire en est breve. Assist me, Spirit of Apicius!

*Montfleury. The author of the Parnasse Reforme makes him thus speak in Hades:-
"L'homme done qui voudrait savoir ce dont Je suis morte, qu'il ne demande pas si'l fut de
fievre ou de podagre ou d'autre chose, mais qui'l entende que ce fut de 'L Andromache.'"

A golden cage bore the little winged wanderer, enamored, melting, indolent, to the
Chaussee DAntin, from its home in far Peru. From its queenly possessor La Bellissima,
to the Due De L'Omelette, six peers of the empire conveyed the happy bird.

That night the Due was to sup alone. In the privacy of his bureau he reclined languidly on
that ottoman for which he sacrificed his loyalty in outbidding his king-the notorious
ottoman of Cadet.

He buries his face in the pillow. The clock strikes! Unable to restrain his feelings, his
Grace swallows an olive. At this moment the door gently opens to the sound of soft
music, and lo! the most delicate of birds is before the most enamored of men! But what
inexpressible dismay now overshadows the countenance of the Due?- "Horreur!-chien!-
Baptiste!-roiseau! ah, bon Dieu! cet oiseau modeste que tu as deshabille de ses plumes,
et que tu as servi sans papier!" It is superfluous to say more:-the Due expired in a
paroxysm of disgust.

"Ha! ha! ha!" said his Grace on the third day after his decease.

"He! he! he!" replied the Devil faintly, drawing himself up with an air of hauteur.

"Why, surely you are not serious," retorted De L'Omelette. "I have sinned-c'est vrai-but,
my good sir, consider!-you have no actual intention of putting such-such barbarous
threats into execution."

"No what?" said his majesty-"come, sir, strip!"

"Strip, indeed! very pretty i' faith! no, sir, I shall not strip. Who are you, pray, that I, Due
De L'Omelette, Prince de Foie-Gras, just come of age, author of the 'Mazurkiad,' and

Member of the Academy, should divest myself at your bidding of the sweetest pantaloons
ever made by Bourdon, the daintiest robe-de-chambre ever put together by Rombert-to
say nothing of the taking my hair out of paper-not to mention the trouble I should have in
drawing off my gloves?"

"Who am I?-ah, true! I am Baal-Zebub, Prince of the Fly. I took thee, just now, from a
rose-wood coffin inlaid with ivory. Thou wast curiously scented, and labelled as per
invoice. Belial sent thee,-my Inspector of Cemeteries. The pantaloons, which thou sayest
were made by Bourdon, are an excellent pair of linen drawers, and thy robe-de-chambre
is a shroud of no scanty dimensions."

"Sir!" replied the Due, "I am not to be insulted with impunity!- Sir! I shall take the
earliest opportunity of avenging this insult!- Sir! you shall hear from me! in the meantime
au revoir!"-and the Due was bowing himself out of the Satanic presence, when he was
interrupted and brought back by a gentleman in waiting. Hereupon his Grace rubbed his
eyes, yawned, shrugged his shoulders, reflected. Having become satisfied of his identity,
he took a bird's eye view of his whereabouts.

The apartment was superb. Even De L'Omelette pronounced it bien comme il faut. It was
not its length nor its breadth,-but its height-ah, that was appalling !-There was no
ceiling-certainly none- but a dense whirling mass of fiery-colored clouds. His Grace's
brain reeled as he glanced upward. From above, hung a chain of an unknown blood-red
metal-its upper end lost, like the city of Boston, parmi les nues. From its nether extremity
swung a large cresset. The Due knew it to be a ruby; but from it there poured a light so
intense, so still, so terrible, Persia never worshipped such-Gheber never imagined such-
Mussulman never dreamed of such when, drugged with opium, he has tottered to a bed of
poppies, his back to the flowers, and his face to the God Apollo. The Due muttered a
slight oath, decidedly approbatory.

The corners of the room were rounded into niches. Three of these were filled with statues
of gigantic proportions. Their beauty was Grecian, their deformity Egyptian, their tout
ensemble French. In the fourth niche the statue was veiled; it was not colossal. But then
there was a taper ankle, a sandalled foot. De L'Omelette pressed his hand upon his heart,
closed his eyes, raised them, and caught his Satanic Majesty-in a blush.

But the paintings !-Kupris! Astarte! Astoreth!-a thousand and the same! And Rafaelle has
beheld them! Yes, Rafaelle has been here, for did he not paint the — ? and was he not
consequently damned? The paintings-the paintings! O luxury! O love!-who, gazing on
those forbidden beauties, shall have eyes for the dainty devices of the golden frames that
besprinkled, like stars, the hyacinth and the porphyry walls?

But the Due's heart is fainting within him. He is not, however, as you suppose, dizzy with
magnificence, nor drunk with the ecstatic breath of those innumerable censers. C'est vrai
que de toutes ces choses il a pense beaucoup-mais! The Due De L'Omelette is terror-
stricken; for, through the lurid vista which a single uncurtained window is affording, lo!
gleams the most ghastly of all fires!

Le pauvre Due! He could not help imagining that the glorious, the voluptuous, the never-
dying melodies which pervaded that hall, as they passed filtered and transmuted through
the alchemy of the enchanted window-panes, were the wailings and the howlings of the
hopeless and the damned! And there, too!-there!-upon the ottoman !-who could he be?-
he, the petitmaitre-no, the Deity-who sat as if carved in marble, et qui sourit, with his
pale countenance, si amerement?

Mais il faut agir-that is to say, a Frenchman never faints outright. Besides, his Grace
hated a scene-De L'Omelette is himself again. There were some foils upon a table-some
points also. The Due s'echapper. He measures two points, and, with a grace inimitable,
offers his Majesty the choice. Horreur! his Majesty does not fence!

Mais il joue!-how happy a thought!-but his Grace had always an excellent memory. He
had dipped in the "Diable" of Abbe Gualtier. Therein it is said "que le Diable n'ose pas
refuser un jeu d'ecarte."

But the chances-the chances! True-desperate: but scarcely more desperate than the Due.
Besides, was he not in the secret?-had he not skimmed over Pere Le Brun?-was he not a
member of the Club Vingt-un? "Si je perds," said he, "je serai deux fois perdu-I shall be
doubly dammed-voila tout! (Here his Grace shrugged his shoulders.) Si je gagne, je
reviendrai a mes ortolans-que les cartes soient preparees!"

His Grace was all care, all attention-his Majesty all confidence. A spectator would have
thought of Francis and Charles. His Grace thought of his game. His Majesty did not
think; he shuffled. The Due cut.

The cards were dealt. The trump is turned-it is-it is-the king! No-it was the queen. His
Majesty cursed her masculine habiliments. De L'Omelette placed his hand upon his heart.

They play. The Due counts. The hand is out. His Majesty counts heavily, smiles, and is
taking wine. The Due slips a card.

"C'est a vous a faire," said his Majesty, cutting. His Grace bowed, dealt, and arose from
the table en presentant le Roi.

His Majesty looked chagrined.

Had Alexander not been Alexander, he would have been Diogenes; and the Due assured
his antagonist in taking leave, "que s'il n'eut ete De L'Omelette il n'aurait point
d'objection d'etre le Diable."

THE END

THE FACTS IN THE CASE OF M. VALDEMAR

by Edgar Allan Poe

1845

OF course I shall not pretend to consider it any matter for wonder, that the extraordinary
case of M. Valdemar has excited discussion. It would have been a miracle had it not-
especially under the circumstances. Through the desire of all parties concerned, to keep
the affair from the public, at least for the present, or until we had farther opportunities for
investigation —through our endeavors to effect this -a garbled or exaggerated account
made its way into society, and became the source of many unpleasant misrepresentations,
and, very naturally, of a great deal of disbelief.

It is now rendered necessary that I give the facts —as far as I comprehend them myself.
They are, succinctly, these:

My attention, for the last three years, had been repeatedly drawn to the subject of
Mesmerism; and, about nine months ago it occurred to me, quite suddenly, that in the
series of experiments made hitherto, there had been a very remarkable and most
unaccountable omission: —no person had as yet been mesmerized in articulo mortis. It
remained to be seen, first, whether, in such condition, there existed in the patient any
susceptibility to the magnetic influence; secondly, whether, if any existed, it was
impaired or increased by the condition; thirdly, to what extent, or for how long a period,
the encroachments of Death might be arrested by the process. There were other points to
be ascertained, but these most excited my curiosity —the last in especial, from the
immensely important character of its consequences.

In looking around me for some subject by whose means I might test these particulars, I
was brought to think of my friend, M. Ernest Valdemar, the well-known compiler of the
"Bibliotheca Forensica," and author (under the nom de plume of Issachar Marx) of the
Polish versions of "WAUanstein" and "Gargantua." M. Valdemar, who has resided
principally at Harlaem, N.Y., since the year 1839, is (or was) particularly noticeable for
the extreme spareness of his person —his lower limbs much resembling those of John
Randolph; and, also, for the whiteness of his whiskers, in violent contrast to the blackness
of his hair —the latter, in consequence, being very generally mistaken for a wig. His
temperament was markedly nervous, and rendered him a good subject for mesmeric
experiment. On two or three occasions I had put him to sleep with little difficulty, but
was disappointed in other results which his peculiar constitution had naturally led me to
anticipate. His will was at no period positively, or thoroughly, under my control, and in
regard to clairvoyance, I could accomplish with him nothing to be relied upon. I always
attributed my failure at these points to the disordered state of his health. For some months
previous to my becoming acquainted with him, his physicians had declared him in a

confirmed phthisis. It was his custom, indeed, to speak calmly of his approaching
dissolution, as of a matter neither to be avoided nor regretted.

When the ideas to which I have alluded first occurred to me, it was of course very natural
that I should think of M. Valdemar. I knew the steady philosophy of the man too well to
apprehend any scruples from him; and he had no relatives in America who would be
likely to interfere. I spoke to him frankly upon the subject; and, to my surprise, his
interest seemed vividly excited. I say to my surprise, for, although he had always yielded
his person freely to my experiments, he had never before given me any tokens of
sympathy with what I did. His disease was if that character which would admit of exact
calculation in respect to the epoch of its termination in death; and it was finally arranged
between us that he would send for me about twenty-four hours before the period
announced by his physicians as that of his decease.

It is now rather more than seven months since I received, from M. Valdemar himself, the
subjoined note:

My DEAR P-,

You may as well come now. D— and F— are agreed that I cannot hold out beyond to-
morrow midnight; and I think they have hit the time very nearly.

VALDEMAR

I received this note within half an hour after it was written, and in fifteen minutes more I
was in the dying man's chamber. I had not seen him for ten days, and was appalled by the
fearful alteration which the brief interval had wrought in him. His face wore a leaden hue;
the eyes were utterly lustreless; and the emaciation was so extreme that the skin had been
broken through by the cheek-bones. His expectoration was excessive. The pulse was
barely perceptible. He retained, nevertheless, in a very remarkable manner, both his
mental power and a certain degree of physical strength. He spoke with distinctness -took
some palliative medicines without aid —and, when I entered the room, was occupied in
penciling memoranda in a pocket-book. He was propped up in the bed by pillows.
Doctors D— and F— were in attendance.

After pressing Valdemar's hand, I took these gentlemen aside, and obtained from them a
minute account of the patient's condition. The left lung had been for eighteen months in a
semi-osseous or cartilaginous state, and was, of course, entirely useless for all purposes
of vitality. The right, in its upper portion, was also partially, if not thoroughly, ossified,
while the lower region was merely a mass of purulent tubercles, running one into another.
Several extensive perforations existed; and, at one point, permanent adhesion to the ribs
had taken place. These appearances in the right lobe were of comparatively recent date.
The ossification had proceeded with very unusual rapidity; no sign of it had discovered a
month before, and the adhesion had only been observed during the three previous days.
Independently of the phthisis, the patient was suspected of aneurism of the aorta; but on
this point the osseous symptoms rendered an exact diagnosis impossible. It was the

opinion of both physicians that M. Valdemar would die about midnight on the morrow
(Sunday). It was then seven o'clock on Saturday evening.

On quitting the invalid's bed-side to hold conversation with myself, Doctors D— and F—
had bidden him a final farewell. It had not been their intention to return; but, at my
request, they agreed to look in upon the patient about ten the next night.

When they had gone, I spoke freely with M. Valdemar on the subject of his approaching
dissolution, as well as, more particularly, of the experiment proposed. He still professed
himself quite willing and even anxious to have it made, and urged me to commence it at
once. A male and a female nurse were in attendance; but I did not feel myself altogether
at liberty to engage in a task of this character with no more reliable witnesses than these
people, in case of sudden accident, might prove. I therefore postponed operations until
about eight the next night, when the arrival of a medical student with whom I had some
acquaintance, (Mr. Theodore L— 1,) relieved me from farther embarrassment. It had been
my design, originally, to wait for the physicians; but I was induced to proceed, first, by
the urgent entreaties of M. Valdemar, and secondly, by my conviction that I had not a
moment to lose, as he was evidently sinking fast.

Mr. L— 1 was so kind as to accede to my desire that he would take notes of all that
occurred, and it is from his memoranda that what I now have to relate is, for the most
part, either condensed or copied verbatim.

It wanted about five minutes of eight when, taking the patient's hand, I begged him to
state, as distinctly as he could, to Mr. L— 1, whether he (M. Valdemar) was entirely
willing that I should make the experiment of mesmerizing him in his then condition.

He replied feebly, yet quite audibly, "Yes, I wish to be "I fear you have mesmerized" —
adding immediately afterwards, deferred it too long."

While he spoke thus, I commenced the passes which I had already found most effectual
in subduing him. He was evidently influenced with the first lateral stroke of my hand
across his forehead; but although I exerted all my powers, no farther perceptible effect
was induced until some minutes after ten o'clock, when Doctors D— and F— called,
according to appointment. I explained to them, in a few words, what I designed, and as
they opposed no objection, saying that the patient was already in the death agony, I
proceeded without hesitation -exchanging, however, the lateral passes for downward
ones, and directing my gaze entirely into the right eye of the sufferer.

By this time his pulse was imperceptible and his breathing was stertorous, and at intervals
of half a minute.

This condition was nearly unaltered for a quarter of an hour. At the expiration of this
period, however, a natural although a very deep sigh escaped the bosom of the dying
man, and the stertorous breathing ceased —that is to say, its stertorousness was no longer

apparent; the intervals were undiminished. The patient's extremities were of an icy
coldness.

At five minutes before eleven I perceived unequivocal signs of the mesmeric influence.
The glassy roll of the eye was changed for that expression of uneasy inward examination
which is never seen except in cases of sleep-waking, and which it is quite impossible to
mistake. With a few rapid lateral passes I made the lids quiver, as in incipient sleep, and
with a few more I closed them altogether. I was not satisfied, however, with this, but
continued the manipulations vigorously, and with the fullest exertion of the will, until I
had completely stiffened the limbs of the slumberer, after placing them in a seemingly
easy position. The legs were at full length; the arms were nearly so, and reposed on the
bed at a moderate distance from the loin. The head was very slightly elevated.

When I had accomplished this, it was fully midnight, and I requested the gentlemen
present to examine M. Valdemar's condition. After a few experiments, they admitted him
to be an unusually perfect state of mesmeric trance. The curiosity of both the physicians
was greatly excited. Dr. D — resolved at once to remain with the patient all night, while
Dr. F — took leave with a promise to return at daybreak. Mr. L— 1 and the nurses remained.

We left M. Valdemar entirely undisturbed until about three o'clock in the morning, when
I approached him and found him in precisely the same condition as when Dr. F— went
away —that is to say, he lay in the same position; the pulse was imperceptible; the
breathing was gentle (scarcely noticeable, unless through the application of a mirror to
the lips); the eyes were closed naturally; and the limbs were as rigid and as cold as
marble. Still, the general appearance was certainly not that of death.

As I approached M. Valdemar I made a kind of half effort to influence his right arm into
pursuit of my own, as I passed the latter gently to and fro above his person. In such
experiments with this patient had never perfectly succeeded before, and assuredly I had
little thought of succeeding now; but to my astonishment, his arm very readily, although
feebly, followed every direction I assigned it with mine. I determined to hazard a few
words of conversation.

"M. Valdemar," I said, "are you asleep?" He made no answer, but I perceived a tremor
about the lips, and was thus induced to repeat the question, again and again. At its third
repetition, his whole frame was agitated by a very slight shivering; the eyelids unclosed
themselves so far as to display a white line of the ball; the lips moved sluggishly, and
from between them, in a barely audible whisper, issued the words:

"Yes; —asleep now. Do not wake me! —let me die so!"

I here felt the limbs and found them as rigid as ever. The right arm, as before, obeyed the
direction of my hand. I questioned the sleep-waker again:

"Do you still feel pain in the breast, M. Valdemar?"

The answer now was immediate, but even less audible than before:

"No pain --I am dying."

I did not think it advisable to disturb him farther just then, and nothing more was said or
done until the arrival of Dr. F— , who came a little before sunrise, and expressed
unbounded astonishment at finding the patient still alive. After feeling the pulse and
applying a mirror to the lips, he requested me to speak to the sleep-waker again. I did so,
saying:

"M. Valdemar, do you still sleep?"

As before, some minutes elapsed ere a reply was made; and during the interval the dying
man seemed to be collecting his energies to speak. At my fourth repetition of the
question, he said very faintly, almost inaudibly:

"Yes; still asleep --dying."

It was now the opinion, or rather the wish, of the physicians, that M. Valdemar should be
suffered to remain undisturbed in his present apparently tranquil condition, until death
should supervene -and this, it was generally agreed, must now take place within a few
minutes. I concluded, however, to speak to him once more, and merely repeated my
previous question.

While I spoke, there came a marked change over the countenance of the sleep-waker. The
eyes rolled themselves slowly open, the pupils disappearing upwardly; the skin generally
assumed a cadaverous hue, resembling not so much parchment as white paper; and the
circular hectic spots which, hitherto, had been strongly defined in the centre of each
cheek, went out at once. I use this expression, because the suddenness of their departure
put me in mind of nothing so much as the extinguishment of a candle by a puff of the
breath. The upper lip, at the same time, writhed itself away from the teeth, which it had
previously covered completely; while the lower jaw fell with an audible jerk, leaving the
mouth widely extended, and disclosing in full view the swollen and blackened tongue. I
presume that no member of the party then present had been unaccustomed to death-bed
horrors; but so hideous beyond conception was the appearance of M. Valdemar at this
moment, that there was a general shrinking back from the region of the bed.

I now feel that I have reached a point of this narrative at which every reader will be
startled into positive disbelief. It is my business, however, simply to proceed.

There was no longer the faintest sign of vitality in M. Valdemar; and concluding him to
be dead, we were consigning him to the charge of the nurses, when a strong vibratory
motion was observable in the tongue. This continued for perhaps a minute. At the
expiration of this period, there issued from the distended and motionless jaws a voice —
such as it would be madness in me to attempt describing. There are, indeed, two or three
epithets which might be considered as applicable to it in part; I might say, for example.

that the sound was harsh, and broken and hollow; but the hideous whole is indescribable,
for the simple reason that no similar sounds have ever jarred upon the ear of humanity.
There were two particulars, nevertheless, which I thought then, and still think, might
fairly be stated as characteristic of the intonation -as well adapted to convey some idea
of its unearthly peculiarity. In the first place, the voice seemed to reach our ears —at least
mine —from a vast distance, or from some deep cavern within the earth. In the second
place, it impressed me (I fear, indeed, that it will be impossible to make myself
comprehended) as gelatinous or glutinous matters impress the sense of touch.

I have spoken both of "sound" and of "voice." I mean to say that the sound was one of
distinct —of even wonderfully, thrillingly distinct —syllabification. M. Valdemar spoke —
obviously in reply to the question I had propounded to him a few minutes before. I had
asked him, it will be remembered, if he still slept. He now said:

"Yes; —no; —I have been sleeping —and now -now -I am dead.

No person present even affected to deny, or attempted to repress, the unutterable,
shuddering horror which these few words, thus uttered, were so well calculated to
convey. Mr. L— 1 (the student) swooned. The nurses immediately left the chamber, and
could not be induced to return. My own impressions I would not pretend to render
intelligible to the reader. For nearly an hour, we busied ourselves, silently —without the
utterance of a word —in endeavors to revive Mr. L— 1. When he came to himself, we
addressed ourselves again to an investigation of M. Valdemar's condition.

It remained in all respects as I have last described it, with the exception that the mirror no
longer afforded evidence of respiration. An attempt to draw blood from the arm failed. I
should mention, too, that this limb was no farther subject to my will. I endeavored in vain
to make it follow the direction of my hand. The only real indication, indeed, of the
mesmeric influence, was now found in the vibratory movement of the tongue, whenever I
addressed M. Valdemar a question. He seemed to be making an effort to reply, but had no
longer sufficient volition. To queries put to him by any other person than myself he
seemed utterly insensible —although I endeavored to place each member of the company
in mesmeric rapport with him. I believe that I have now related all that is necessary to an
understanding of the sleep-waker's state at this epoch. Other nurses were procured; and at
ten o'clock I left the house in company with the two physicians and Mr. L— 1.

In the afternoon we all called again to see the patient. His condition remained precisely
the same. We had now some discussion as to the propriety and feasibility of awakening
him; but we had little difficulty in agreeing that no good purpose would be served by so
doing. It was evident that, so far, death (or what is usually termed death) had been
arrested by the mesmeric process. It seemed clear to us all that to awaken M. Valdemar
would be merely to insure his instant, or at least his speedy dissolution.

From this period until the close of last week —an interval of nearly seven months —we
continued to make daily calls at M. Valdemar's house, accompanied, now and then, by

medical and other friends. All this time the sleeper- waker remained exactly as I have last
described him. The nurses' attentions were continual.

It was on Friday last that we finally resolved to make the experiment of awakening or
attempting to awaken him; and it is the (perhaps) unfortunate result of this latter
experiment which has given rise to so much discussion in private circles —to so much of
what I cannot help thinking unwarranted popular feeling.

For the purpose of relieving M. Valdemar from the mesmeric trance, I made use of the
customary passes. These, for a time, were unsuccessful. The first indication of revival
was afforded by a partial descent of the iris. It was observed, as especially remarkable,
that this lowering of the pupil was accompanied by the profuse out- flowing of a
yellowish ichor (from beneath the lids) of a pungent and highly offensive odor.

It was now suggested that I should attempt to influence the patient's arm, as heretofore. I
made the attempt and failed. Dr. F— then intimated a desire to have me put a question. I
did so, as follows:

"M. Valdemar, can you explain to us what are your feelings or wishes now?"

There was an instant return of the hectic circles on the cheeks; the tongue quivered, or
rather rolled violently in the mouth (although the jaws and lips remained rigid as before;)
and at length the same hideous voice which I have already described, broke forth:

"For God's sake! —quick! —quick! —put me to sleep —or, quick! —waken me! —quick! —I
say to you that I am dead!"

I was thoroughly unnerved, and for an instant remained undecided what to do. At first I
made an endeavor to re-compose the patient; but, failing in this through total abeyance of
the will, I retraced my steps and as earnestly struggled to awaken him. In this attempt I
soon saw that I should be successful -or at least I soon fancied that my success would be
complete —and I am sure that all in the room were prepared to see the patient awaken.

For what really occurred, however, it is quite impossible that any human being could
have been prepared.

As I rapidly made the mesmeric passes, amid ejaculations of "dead! dead!" absolutely
bursting from the tongue and not from the lips of the sufferer, his whole frame at once —
within the space of a single minute, or even less, shrunk —crumbled —absolutely rotted
away beneath my hands. Upon the bed, before that whole company, there lay a nearly
liquid mass of loathsome —of detestable putridity.

THE END

THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER

by Edgar Allan Poe

1839

Son coeur est un luth suspendu;
Shot qu 'on le touche il resonne.
De Beranger.

DURING the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when
the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, had been passing alone, on horseback,
through a singularly dreary tract of country; and at length found myself, as the shades of
the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher. I know not how it
was —but, with the first glimpse of the building, a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded
my spirit. I say insufferable; for the feeling was unrelieved by any of that half-
pleasurable, because poetic, sentiment, with which the mind usually receives even the
sternest natural images of the desolate or terrible. I looked upon the scene before me —
upon the mere house, and the simple landscape features of the domain —upon the bleak
walls -upon the vacant eye-like windows —upon a few rank sedges —and upon a few
white trunks of decayed trees —with an utter depression of soul which I can compare to
no earthly sensation more properly than to the after-dream of the reveller upon opium —
the bitter lapse into everyday life-the hideous dropping off of the reveller upon opium —
the bitter lapse into everyday life -the hideous dropping off of the veil. There was an
iciness, a sinking, a sickening of the heart —an unredeemed dreariness of thought which
no goading of the imagination could torture into aught of the sublime. What was it —I
paused to think —what was it that so unnerved me in the contemplation of the House of
Usher? It was a mystery all insoluble; nor could I grapple with the shadowy fancies that
crowded upon me as I pondered. I was forced to fall back upon the unsatisfactory
conclusion, that while, beyond doubt, there are combinations of very simple natural
objects which have the power of thus affecting us, still the analysis of this power lies
among considerations beyond our depth. It was possible, I reflected, that a mere different
arrangement of the particulars of the scene, of the details of the picture, would be
sufficient to modify, or perhaps to annihilate its capacity for sorrowful impression; and,
acting upon this idea, I reined my horse to the precipitous brink of a black and lurid tarn
that lay in unruffled lustre by the dwelling, and gazed down -but with a shudder even
more thrilling than before —upon the remodelled and inverted images of the gray sedge,
and the ghastly tree-stems, and the vacant and eye-like windows.

Nevertheless, in this mansion of gloom I now proposed to myself a sojourn of some
weeks. Its proprietor, Roderick Usher, had been one of my boon companions in boyhood;
but many years had elapsed since our last meeting. A letter, however, had lately reached
me in a distant part of the country —a letter from him —which, in its wildly importunate
nature, had admitted of no other than a personal reply. The MS. gave evidence of nervous

agitation. The writer spoke of acute bodily illness —of a mental disorder which oppressed
him —and of an earnest desire to see me, as his best, and indeed his only personal friend,
with a view of attempting, by the cheerfulness of my society, some alleviation of his
malady. It was the manner in which all this, and much more, was said —it the apparent
heart that went with his request —which allowed me no room for hesitation; and I
accordingly obeyed forthwith what I still considered a very singular summons.

Although, as boys, we had been even intimate associates, yet really knew little of my
friend. His reserve had been always excessive and habitual. I was aware, however, that
his very ancient family had been noted, time out of mind, for a peculiar sensibility of
temperament, displaying itself, through long ages, in many works of exalted art, and
manifested, of late, in repeated deeds of munificent yet unobtrusive charity, as well as in
a passionate devotion to the intricacies, perhaps even more than to the orthodox and
easily recognisable beauties, of musical science. I had learned, too, the very remarkable
fact, that the stem of the Usher race, all time-honoured as it was, had put forth, at no
period, any enduring branch; in other words, that the entire family lay in the direct line of
descent, and had always, with very trifling and very temporary variation, so lain. It was
this deficiency, I considered, while running over in thought the perfect keeping of the
character of the premises with the accredited character of the people, and while
speculating upon the possible influence which the one, in the long lapse of centuries,
might have exercised upon the other —it was this deficiency, perhaps, of collateral issue,
and the consequent undeviating transmission, from sire to son, of the patrimony with the
name, which had, at length, so identified the two as to merge the original title of the
estate in the quaint and equivocal appellation of the "House of Usher" —an appellation
which seemed to include, in the minds of the peasantry who used it, both the family and
the family mansion.

I have said that the sole effect of my somewhat childish experiment —that of looking
down within the tarn —had been to deepen the first singular impression. There can be no
doubt that the consciousness of the rapid increase of my superstition -for why should I
not so term it? —served mainly to accelerate the increase itself. Such, I have long known,
is the paradoxical law of all sentiments having terror as a basis. And it might have been
for this reason only, that, when I again uplifted my eyes to the house itself, from its image
in the pool, there grew in my mind a strange fancy -a fancy so ridiculous, indeed, that I
but mention it to show the vivid force of the sensations which oppressed me. I had so
worked upon my imagination as really to believe that about the whole mansion and
domain there hung an atmosphere peculiar to themselves and their immediate vicinity-an
atmosphere which had no affinity with the air of heaven, but which had reeked up from
the decayed trees, and the gray wall, and the silent tarn —a pestilent and mystic vapour,
dull, sluggish, faintly discernible, and leaden-hued.

Shaking off from my spirit what must have been a dream, I scanned more narrowly the
real aspect of the building. Its principal feature seemed to be that of an excessive
antiquity. The discoloration of ages had been great. Minute fungi overspread the whole
exterior, hanging in a fine tangled web-work from the eaves. Yet all this was apart from
any extraordinary dilapidation. No portion of the masonry had f Allan; and there appeared

to be a wild inconsistency between its still perfect adaptation of parts, and the crumbling
condition of the individual stones. In this there was much that reminded me of the
specious totality of old wood- work which has rotted for long years in some neglected
vault, with no disturbance from the breath of the external air. Beyond this indication of
extensive decay, however, the fabric gave little token of instability. Perhaps the eye of a
scrutinising observer might have discovered a barely perceptible fissure, which,
extending from the roof of the building in front, made its way down the wall in a zigzag
direction, until it became lost in the sullen waters of the tarn.

Noticing these things, I rode over a short causeway to the house. A servant in waiting
took my horse, and I entered the Gothic archway of the hall. A valet, of stealthy step,
thence conducted me, in silence, through many dark and intricate passages in my
progress to the studio of his master. Much that I encountered on the way contributed, I
know not how, to heighten the vague sentiments of which I have already spoken. While
the objects around me —while the carvings of the ceilings, the sombre tapestries of the
walls, the ebon blackness of the floors, and the phantasmagoric armorial trophies which
rattled as I strode, were but matters to which, or to such as which, I had been accustomed
from my infancy -while I hesitated not to acknowledge how familiar was all this —I still
wondered to find how unfamiliar were the fancies which ordinary images were stirring
up. On one of the staircases, I met the physician of the family. His countenance, I
thought, wore a mingled expression of low cunning and perplexity. He accosted me with
trepidation and passed on. The valet now threw open a door and ushered me into the
presence of his master.

The room in which I found myself was very large and lofty. The windows were long,
narrow, and pointed, and at so vast a distance from the black oaken floor as to be
altogether inaccessible from within. Feeble gleams of encrimsoned light made their way
through the trellised panes, and served to render sufficiently distinct the more prominent
objects around the eye, however, struggled in vain to reach the remoter angles of the
chamber, or the recesses of the vaulted and fretted ceiling. Dark draperies hung upon the
walls. The general furniture was profuse, comfortless, antique, and tattered. Many books
and musical instruments lay scattered about, but failed to give any vitality to the scene. I
felt that I breathed an atmosphere of sorrow. An air of stern, deep, and irredeemable
gloom hung over and pervaded all.

Upon my entrance. Usher arose from a sofa on which he had been lying at full length,
and greeted me with a vivacious warmth which had much in it, I at first thought, of an
overdone cordiality —of the constrained effort of the ennuye man of the world. A glance,
however, at his countenance, convinced me of his perfect sincerity. We sat down; and for
some moments, while he spoke not, I gazed upon him with a feeling half of pity, half of
awe. Surely, man had never before so terribly altered, in so brief a period, as had
Roderick Usher! It was with difficulty that I could bring myself to admit the identity of
the wan being before me with the companion of my early boyhood. Yet the character of
his face had been at all times remarkable. A cadaverousness of complexion; an eye large,
liquid, and luminous beyond comparison; lips somewhat thin and very pallid, but of a
surpassingly beautiful curve; a nose of a delicate Hebrew model, but with a breadth of

nostril unusual in similar formations; a finely moulded chin, speaking, in its want of
prominence, of a want of moral energy; hair of a more than web-like softness and tenuity;
these features, with an inordinate expansion above the regions of the temple, made up
altogether a countenance not easily to be forgotten. And now in the mere exaggeration of
the prevailing character of these features, and of the expression they were wont to
convey, lay so much of change that I doubted to whom I spoke. The now ghastly pallor of
the skin, and the now miraculous lustre of the eve, above all things startled and even
awed me. The silken hair, too, had been suffered to grow all unheeded, and as, in its wild
gossamer texture, it floated rather than fell about the face, I could not, even with effort,
connect its Arabesque expression with any idea of simple humanity.

In the manner of my friend I was at once struck with an incoherence —an inconsistency;
and I soon found this to arise from a series of feeble and futile struggles to overcome an
habitual trepidancy -an excessive nervous agitation. For something of this nature I had
indeed been prepared, no less by his letter, than by reminiscences of certain boyish traits,
and by conclusions deduced from his peculiar physical conformation and temperament.
His action was alternately vivacious and sullen. His voice varied rapidly from a
tremulous indecision (when the animal spirits seemed utterly in abeyance) to that species
of energetic concision —that abrupt, weighty, unhurried, and hollow- sounding
enunciation -that leaden, self-balanced and perfectly modulated guttural utterance, which
may be observed in the lost drunkard, or the irreclaimable eater of opium, during the
periods of his most intense excitement.

It was thus that he spoke of the object of my visit, of his earnest desire to see me, and of
the solace he expected me to afford him. He entered, at some length, into what he
conceived to be the nature of his malady. It was, he said, a constitutional and a family
evil, and one for which he despaired to find a remedy —a mere nervous affection, he
immediately added, which would undoubtedly soon pass off. It displayed itself in a host
of unnatural sensations. Some of these, as he detailed them, interested and bewildered
me; although, perhaps, the terms, and the general manner of the narration had their
weight. He suffered much from a morbid acuteness of the senses; the most insipid food
was alone endurable; he could wear only garments of certain texture; the odours of all
flowers were oppressive; his eyes were tortured by even a faint light; and there were but
peculiar sounds, and these from stringed instruments, which did not inspire him with
horror.

To an anomalous species of terror I found him a bounden slave. "I shall perish," said he,
"I must perish in this deplorable folly. Thus, thus, and not otherwise, shall I be lost. I
dread the events of the future, not in themselves, but in their results. I shudder at the
thought of any, even the most trivial, incident, which may operate upon this intolerable
agitation of soul. I have, indeed, no abhorrence of danger, except in its absolute effect —
in terror. In this unnerved-in this pitiable condition —I feel that the period will sooner or
later arrive when I must abandon life and reason together, in some struggle with the grim
phantasm, FEAR."

I learned, moreover, at intervals, and through broken and equivocal hints, another
singular feature of his mental condition. He was enchained by certain superstitious
impressions in regard to the dwelling which he tenanted, and whence, for many years, he
had never ventured forth —in regard to an influence whose supposititious force was
conveyed in terms too shadowy here to be re-stated —an influence which some
peculiarities in the mere form and substance of his family mansion, had, by dint of long
sufferance, he said, obtained over his spirit-an effect which the physique of the gray walls
and turrets, and of the dim tarn into which they all looked down, had, at length, brought
about upon the morale of his existence.

He admitted, however, although with hesitation, that much of the peculiar gloom which
thus afflicted him could be traced to a more natural and far more palpable origin —to the
severe and long-continued illness —indeed to the evidently approaching dissolution-of a
tenderly beloved sister -his sole companion for long years —his last and only relative on
earth. "Her decease," he said, with a bitterness which I can never forget, "would leave
him (him the hopeless and the frail) the last of the ancient race of the Ushers." While he
spoke, the lady Madeline (for so was she called) passed slowly through a remote portion
of the apartment, and, without having noticed my presence, disappeared. I regarded her
with an utter astonishment not unmingled with dread —and yet I found it impossible to
account for such feelings. A sensation of stupor oppressed me, as my eyes followed her
retreating steps. When a door, at length, closed upon her, my glance sought instinctively
and eagerly the countenance of the brother -but he had buried his face in his hands, and I
could only perceive that a far more than ordinary wanness had overspread the emaciated
fingers through which trickled many passionate tears.

The disease of the lady Madeline had long baffled the skill of her physicians. A settled
apathy, a gradual wasting away of the person, and frequent although transient affections
of a partially cataleptical character, were the unusual diagnosis. Hitherto she had steadily
borne up against the pressure of her malady, and had not betaken herself finally to bed;
but, on the closing in of the evening of my arrival at the house, she succumbed (as her
brother told me at night with inexpressible agitation) to the prostrating power of the
destroyer; and I learned that the glimpse I had obtained of her person would thus
probably be the last I should obtain -that the lady, at least while living, would be seen by
me no more.

For several days ensuing, her name was unmentioned by either Usher or myself: and
during this period I was busied in earnest endeavours to alleviate the melancholy of my
friend. We painted and read together; or I listened, as if in a dream, to the wild
improvisations of his speaking guitar. And thus, as a closer and still intimacy admitted
me more unreservedly into the recesses of his spirit, the more bitterly did I perceive the
futility of all attempt at cheering a mind from which darkness, as if an inherent positive
quality, poured forth upon all objects of the moral and physical universe, in one
unceasing radiation of gloom.

I shall ever bear about me a memory of the many solemn hours I thus spent alone with
the master of the House of Usher. Yet I should fail in any attempt to convey an idea of

the exact character of the studies, or of the occupations, in which he involved me, or led
me the way. An excited and highly distempered ideality threw a sulphureous lustre over
all. His long improvised dirges will ring forever in my cars. Among other things, I hold
painfully in mind a certain singular perversion and amplification of the wild air of the last
waltz of Von Weber. From the paintings over which his elaborate fancy brooded, and
which grew, touch by touch, into vaguenesses at which I shuddered the more thrillingly,
because I shuddered knowing not why; —from these paintings (vivid as their images now
are before me) I would in vain endeavour to educe more than a small portion which
should lie within the compass of merely written words. By the utter simplicity, by the
nakedness of his designs, he arrested and overawed attention. If ever mortal painted an
idea, that mortal was Roderick Usher. For me at least —in the circumstances then
surrounding me —there arose out of the pure abstractions which the hypochondriac
contrived to throw upon his canvas, an intensity of intolerable awe, no shadow of which
felt I ever yet in the contemplation of the certainly glowing yet too concrete reveries of
Fuseli.

One of the phantasmagoric conceptions of my friend, partaking not so rigidly of the spirit
of abstraction, may be shadowed forth, although feebly, in words. A small picture
presented the interior of an immensely long and rectangular vault or tunnel, with low
walls, smooth, white, and without interruption or device. Certain accessory points of the
design served well to convey the idea that this excavation lay at an exceeding depth
below the surface of the earth. No outlet was observed in any portion of its vast extent,
and no torch, or other artificial source of light was discernible; yet a flood of intense rays
rolled throughout, and bathed the whole in a ghastly and inappropriate splendour.

I have just spoken of that morbid condition of the auditory nerve which rendered all
music intolerable to the sufferer, with the exception of certain effects of stringed
instruments. It was, perhaps, the narrow limits to which he thus confined himself upon
the guitar, which gave birth, in great measure, to the fantastic character of his
performances. But the fervid facility of his impromptus could not be so accounted for.
They must have been, and were, in the notes, as well as in the words of his wild fantasias
(for he not unfrequently accompanied himself with rhymed verbal improvisations), the
result of that intense mental coUectedness and concentration to which I have previously
alluded as observable only in particular moments of the highest artificial excitement. The
words of one of these rhapsodies I have easily remembered. I was, perhaps, the more
forcibly impressed with it, as he gave it, because, in the under or mystic current of its
meaning, I fancied that I perceived, and for the first time, a full consciousness on the part
of Usher, of the tottering of his lofty reason upon her throne. The verses, which were
entitled "The Haunted Palace," ran very nearly, if not accurately, thus:

I.

In the greenest of our valleys.
By good angels tenanted.
Once fair and stately palace —
Radiant palace -reared its head.

In the monarch Thought's dominion
It stood there!

Never seraph spread a pinion
Over fabric half so fair.

11.

Banners yellow, glorious, golden.

On its roof did float and flow;

(This -all this —was in the olden

Time long ago)

And every gentle air that dallied.

In that sweet day.

Along the ramparts plumed and pallid,

A winged odour went away.

III.

Wanderers in that happy valley

Through two luminous windows saw

Spirits moving musically

To a lute's well-tuned law.

Round about a throne, where sitting

(Porphyrogene!)

In state his glory well befitting.

The ruler of the realm was seen.

IV.

And all with pearl and ruby glowing

Was the fair palace door.

Through which came flowing, flowing, flowing

And sparkling evermore,

A troop of Echoes whose sweet duty

Was but to sing.

In voices of surpassing beauty.

The wit and wisdom of their king.

V.

But evil things, in robes of sorrow.
Assailed the monarch's high estate;
(Ah, let us mourn, for never morrow
Shall dawn upon him, desolate!)
And, round about his home, the glory
That blushed and bloomed

Is but a dim-remembered story
Of the old time entombed.

VI.

And travellers now within that valley,
Through the red-litten windows, see
Vast forms that move fantastically
To a discordant melody;
While, like a rapid ghastly river.
Through the pale door,
A hideous throng rush out forever.
And laugh —but smile no more.

I well remember that suggestions arising from this ballad led us into a train of thought
wherein there became manifest an opinion of Usher's which I mention not so much on
account of its novelty, (for other men have thought thus,) as on account of the pertinacity
with which he maintained it. This opinion, in its general form, was that of the sentience
of all vegetable things. But, in his disordered fancy, the idea had assumed a more daring
character, and trespassed, under certain conditions, upon the kingdom of inorganization. I
lack words to express the full extent, or the earnest abandon of his persuasion. The belief,
however, was connected (as I have previously hinted) with the gray stones of the home of
his forefathers. The conditions of the sentience had been here, he imagined, fulfilled in
the method of collocation of these stones —in the order of their arrangement, as well as in
that of the many fungi which overspread them, and of the decayed trees which stood
around —above all, in the long undisturbed endurance of this arrangement, and in its
reduplication in the still waters of the tarn. Its evidence —the evidence of the sentience —
was to be seen, he said, (and I here started as he spoke,) in the gradual yet certain
condensation of an atmosphere of their own about the waters and the walls. The result
was discoverable, he added, in that silent, yet importunate and terrible influence which
for centuries had moulded the destinies of his family, and which made him what I now
saw him —what he was. Such opinions need no comment, and I will make none.

Our books —the books which, for years, had formed no small portion of the mental
existence of the invalid -were, as might be supposed, in strict keeping with this character
of phantasm. We pored together over such works as the Ververt et Chartreuse of Cresset;
the Belphegor of Machiavelli; the Heaven and Hell of Swedenborg; the Subterranean
Voyage of Nicholas Klimm by Holberg; the Chiromancy of Robert Flud, of Jean
D'Indagine, and of De la Chambre; the Journey into the Blue Distance of Tieck; and the
City of the Sun of Campanella. One favourite volume was a small octavo edition of the
Directorium Inquisitorum, by the Dominican Eymeric de Gironne; and there were
passages in Pomponius Mela, about the old African Satyrs and AEgipans, over which
Usher would sit dreaming for hours. His chief delight, however, was found in the perusal
of an exceedingly rare and curious book in quarto Gothic —the manual of a forgotten
church —the Vigilae Mortuorum secundum Chorum Ecclesiae Maguntinae.

I could not help thinking of the wild ritual of this work, and of its probable influence
upon the hypochondriac, when, one evening, having informed me abruptly that the lady
Madeline was no more, he stated his intention of preserving her corpse for a fortnight,
(previously to its final interment,) in one of the numerous vaults within the main walls of
the building. The worldly reason, however, assigned for this singular proceeding, was one
which I did not feel at liberty to dispute. The brother had been led to his resolution (so he
told me) by consideration of the unusual character of the malady of the deceased, of
certain obtrusive and eager inquiries on the part of her medical men, and of the remote
and exposed situation of the burial-ground of the family. I will not deny that when I
called to mind the sinister countenance of the person whom I met upon the stair case, on
the day of my arrival at the house, I had no desire to oppose what I regarded as at best but
a harmless, and by no means an unnatural, precaution.

At the request of Usher, I personally aided him in the arrangements for the temporary
entombment. The body having been encoffined, we two alone bore it to its rest. The vault
in which we placed it (and which had been so long unopened that our torches, half
smothered in its oppressive atmosphere, gave us little opportunity for investigation) was
small, damp, and entirely without means of admission for light; lying, at great depth,
immediately beneath that portion of the building in which was my own sleeping
apartment. It had been used, apparently, in remote feudal times, for the worst purposes of
a donjon-keep, and, in later days, as a place of deposit for powder, or some other highly
combustible substance, as a portion of its floor, and the whole interior of a long archway
through which we reached it, were carefully sheathed with copper. The door, of massive
iron, had been, also, similarly protected. Its immense weight caused an unusually sharp
grating sound, as it moved upon its hinges.

Having deposited our mournful burden upon tressels within this region of horror, we
partially turned aside the yet unscrewed lid of the coffin, and looked upon the face of the
tenant. A striking similitude between the brother and sister now first arrested my
attention; and Usher, divining, perhaps, my thoughts, murmured out some few words
from which I learned that the deceased and himself had been twins, and that sympathies
of a scarcely intelligible nature had always existed between them. Our glances, however,
rested not long upon the dead -for we could not regard her unawed. The disease which
had thus entombed the lady in the maturity of youth, had left, as usual in all maladies of a
strictly cataleptical character, the mockery of a faint blush upon the bosom and the face,
and that suspiciously lingering smile upon the lip which is so terrible in death. We
replaced and screwed down the lid, and, having secured the door of iron, made our way,
with toll, into the scarcely less gloomy apartments of the upper portion of the house.

And now, some days of bitter grief having elapsed, an observable change came over the
features of the mental disorder of my friend. His ordinary manner had vanished. His
ordinary occupations were neglected or forgotten. He roamed from chamber to chamber
with hurried, unequal, and objectless step. The pallor of his countenance had assumed, if
possible, a more ghastly hue —but the luminousness of his eye had utterly gone out. The
once occasional huskiness of his tone was heard no more; and a tremulous quaver, as if of
extreme terror, habitually characterized his utterance. There were times, indeed, when I

thought his unceasingly agitated mind was labouring with some oppressive secret, to
divulge which he struggled for the necessary courage. At times, again, I was obliged to
resolve all into the mere inexplicable vagaries of madness, for I beheld him gazing upon
vacancy for long hours, in an attitude of the profoundest attention, as if listening to some
imaginary sound. It was no wonder that his condition terrified-that it infected me. I felt
creeping upon me, by slow yet certain degrees, the wild influences of his own fantastic
yet impressive superstitions.

It was, especially, upon retiring to bed late in the night of the seventh or eighth day after
the placing of the lady Madeline within the donjon, that I experienced the full power of
such feelings. Sleep came not near my couch -while the hours waned and waned away. I
struggled to reason off the nervousness which had dominion over me. I endeavoured to
believe that much, if not all of what I felt, was due to the bewildering influence of the
gloomy furniture of the room —of the dark and tattered draperies, which, tortured into
motion by the breath of a rising tempest, swayed fitfully to and fro upon the walls, and
rustled uneasily about the decorations of the bed. But my efforts were fruitless. An
irrepressible tremour gradually pervaded my frame; and, at length, there sat upon my
very heart an incubus of utterly causeless alarm. Shaking this off with a gasp and a
struggle, I uplifted myself upon the pillows, and, peering earnestly within the intense
darkness of the chamber, hearkened —I know not why, except that an instinctive spirit
prompted me —to certain low and indefinite sounds which came, through the pauses of
the storm, at long intervals, I knew not whence. Overpowered by an intense sentiment of
horror, unaccountable yet unendurable, I threw on my clothes with haste (for I felt that I
should sleep no more during the night), and endeavoured to arouse myself from the
pitiable condition into which I had fAUan, by pacing rapidly to and fro through the
apartment.

I had taken but few turns in this manner, when a light step on an adjoining staircase
arrested my attention. I presently recognised it as that of Usher. In an instant afterward he
rapped, with a gentle touch, at my door, and entered, bearing a lamp. His countenance
was, as usual, cadaverously wan —but, moreover, there was a species of mad hilarity in
his eyes —an evidently restrained hysteria in his whole demeanour. His air appalled me —
but anything was preferable to the solitude which I had so long endured, and I even
welcomed his presence as a relief.

"And you have not seen it?" he said abruptly, after having stared about him for some
moments in silence —"you have not then seen it? —but, stay! you shall." Thus speaking,
and having carefully shaded his lamp, he hurried to one of the casements, and threw it
freely open to the storm.

The impetuous fury of the entering gust nearly lifted us from our feet. It was, indeed, a
tempestuous yet sternly beautiful night, and one wildly singular in its terror and its
beauty. A whirlwind had apparently collected its force in our vicinity; for there were
frequent and violent alterations in the direction of the wind; and the exceeding density of
the clouds (which hung so low as to press upon the turrets of the house) did not prevent
our perceiving the life-like velocity with which they flew careering from all points

against each other, without passing away into the distance. I say that even their exceeding
density did not prevent our perceiving this —yet we had no glimpse of the moon or stars -
-nor was there any flashing forth of the lightning. But the under surfaces of the huge
masses of agitated vapour, as well as all terrestrial objects immediately around us, were
glowing in the unnatural light of a faintly luminous and distinctly visible gaseous
exhalation which hung about and enshrouded the mansion.

"You must not -you shall not behold this!" said I, shudderingly, to Usher, as I led him,
with a gentle violence, from the window to a seat. "These appearances, which bewilder
you, are merely electrical phenomena not uncommon —or it may be that they have their
ghastly origin in the rank miasma of the tarn. Let us close this casement; -the air is
chilling and dangerous to your frame. Here is one of your favourite romances. I will read,
and you shall listen; —and so we will pass away this terrible night together."

The antique volume which I had taken up was the "Mad Trist" of Sir Launcelot Canning;
but I had called it a favourite of Usher's more in sad jest than in earnest; for, in truth,
there is little in its uncouth and unimaginative prolixity which could have had interest for
the lofty and spiritual ideality of my friend. It was, however, the only book immediately
at hand; and I indulged a vague hope that the excitement which now agitated the
hypochondriac, might find relief (for the history of mental disorder is full of similar
anomalies) even in the extremeness of the folly which I should read. Could I have judged,
indeed, by the wild over- strained air of vivacity with which he hearkened, or apparently
hearkened, to the words of the tale, I might well have congratulated myself upon the
success of my design.

I had arrived at that well-known portion of the story where Ethelred, the hero of the Trist,
having sought in vain for peaceable admission into the dwelling of the hermit, proceeds
to make good an entrance by force. Here, it will be remembered, the words of the
narrative run thus:

"And Ethelred, who was by nature of a doughty heart, and who was now mighty withal,
on account of the powerfulness of the wine which he had drunken, waited no longer to
hold parley with the hermit, who, in sooth, was of an obstinate and maliceful turn, but,
feeling the rain upon his shoulders, and fearing the rising of the tempest, uplifted his
mace outright, and, with blows, made quickly room in the plankings of the door for his
gauntleted hand; and now pulling there-with sturdily, he so cracked, and ripped, and tore
all asunder, that the noise of the dry and hollow- sounding wood alarumed and
reverberated throughout the forest.

At the termination of this sentence I started, and for a moment, paused; for it appeared to
me (although I at once concluded that my excited fancy had deceived me) —it appeared to
me that, from some very remote portion of the mansion, there came, indistinctly, to my
ears, what might have been, in its exact similarity of character, the echo (but a stifled and
dull one certainly) of the very cracking and ripping sound which Sir Launcelot had so
particularly described. It was, beyond doubt, the coincidence alone which had arrested
my attention; for, amid the rattling of the sashes of the casements, and the ordinary

commingled noises of the still increasing storm, the sound, in itself, had nothing, surely,
which should have interested or disturbed me. I continued the story:

"But the good champion Ethelred, now entering within the door, was sore enraged and
amazed to perceive no signal of the maliceful hermit; but, in the stead thereof, a dragon
of a scaly and prodigious demeanour, and of a fiery tongue, which sate in guard before a
palace of gold, with a floor of silver; and upon the wall there hung a shield of shining
brass with this legend enwritten —

Who entereth herein, a conqueror hath bin;

Who slayeth the dragon, the shield he shall win;

And Ethelred uplifted his mace, and struck upon the head of the dragon, which fell before
him, and gave up his pesty breath, with a shriek so horrid and harsh, and withal so
piercing, that Ethelred had fain to close his ears with his hands against the dreadful noise
of it, the like whereof was never before heard."

Here again I paused abruptly, and now with a feeling of wild amazement —for there could
be no doubt whatever that, in this instance, I did actually hear (although from what
direction it proceeded I found it impossible to say) a low and apparently distant, but
harsh, protracted, and most unusual screaming or grating sound —the exact counterpart of
what my fancy had already conjured up for the dragon's unnatural shriek as described by
the romancer.

Oppressed, as I certainly was, upon the occurrence of the second and most extraordinary
coincidence, by a thousand conflicting sensations, in which wonder and extreme terror
were predominant, I still retained sufficient presence of mind to avoid exciting, by any
observation, the sensitive nervousness of my companion. I was by no means certain that
he had noticed the sounds in question; although, assuredly, a strange alteration had,
during the last few minutes, taken place in his demeanour. From a position fronting my
own, he had gradually brought round his chair, so as to sit with his face to the door of the
chamber; and thus I could but partially perceive his features, although I saw that his lips
trembled as if he were murmuring inaudibly. His head had dropped upon his breast —yet I
knew that he was not asleep, from the wide and rigid opening of the eye as I caught a
glance of it in profile. The motion of his body, too, was at variance with this idea -for he
rocked from side to side with a gentle yet constant and uniform sway. Having rapidly
taken notice of all this, I resumed the narrative of Sir Launcelot, which thus proceeded:

"And now, the champion, having escaped from the terrible fury of the dragon, bethinking
himself of the brazen shield, and of the breaking up of the enchantment which was upon
it, removed the carcass from out of the way before him, and approached valorously over
the silver pavement of the castle to where the shield was upon the wall; which in sooth
tarried not for his full coming, but fell down at his feet upon the silver floor, with a
mighty great and terrible ringing sound."

No sooner had these syllables passed my lips, than -as if a shield of brass had indeed, at
the moment, fAUan heavily upon a floor of silver became aware of a distinct, hollow,
metallic, and clangorous, yet apparently muffled reverberation. Completely unnerved, I
leaped to my feet; but the measured rocking movement of Usher was undisturbed. I
rushed to the chair in which he sat. His eyes were bent fixedly before him, and
throughout his whole countenance there reigned a stony rigidity. But, as I placed my hand
upon his shoulder, there came a strong shudder over his whole person; a sickly smile
quivered about his lips; and I saw that he spoke in a low, hurried, and gibbering murmur,
as if unconscious of my presence. Bending closely over him, I at length drank in the
hideous import of his words.

"Not hear it? -yes, I hear it, and have heard it. Long -long —long —many minutes, many
hours, many days, have I heard it -yet I dared not —oh, pity me, miserable wretch that I
am! -I dared not -I dared not speak! We have put her living in the tomb! Said I not that
my senses were acute? I now tell you that I heard her first feeble movements in the
hollow coffin. I heard them —many, many days ago —yet I dared not —I dared not speak!
And now -to-night -Ethelred —ha! ha! —the breaking of the hermit's door, and the death-
cry of the dragon, and the clangour of the shield! —say, rather, the rending of her coffin,
and the grating of the iron hinges of her prison, and her struggles within the coppered
archway of the vault! Oh whither shall I fly? Will she not be here anon? Is she not
hurrying to upbraid me for my haste? Have I not heard her footstep on the stair? Do I not
distinguish that heavy and horrible beating of her heart? MADMAN!" here he sprang
furiously to his feet, and shrieked out his syllables, as if in the effort he were giving up
his soul -"MADMAN! I TELL YOU THAT SHE NOW STANDS WITHOUT THE
DOOR!"

As if in the superhuman energy of his utterance there had been found the potency of a
spell —the huge antique panels to which the speaker pointed, threw slowly back, upon the
instant, ponderous and ebony jaws. It was the work of the rushing gust —but then without
those doors there DID stand the lofty and enshrouded figure of the lady Madeline of
Usher. There was blood upon her white robes, and the evidence of some bitter struggle
upon every portion of her emaciated frame. For a moment she remained trembling and
reeling to and fro upon the threshold, then, with a low moaning cry, fell heavily inward
upon the person of her brother, and in her violent and now final death-agonies, bore him
to the floor a corpse, and a victim to the terrors he had anticipated.

From that chamber, and from that mansion, I fled aghast. The storm was still abroad in all
its wrath as I found myself crossing the old causeway. Suddenly there shot along the path
a wild light, and I turned to see whence a gleam so unusual could wi have issued; for the
vast house and its shadows were alone behind me. The radiance was that of the full,
setting, and blood-red moon which now shone vividly through that once barely-
discernible fissure of which I have before spoken as extending from the roof of the
building, in a zigzag direction, to the base. While I gazed, this fissure rapidly widened —
there came a fierce breath of the whirlwind —the entire orb of the satellite burst at once
upon my sight —my brain reeled as I saw the mighty walls rushing asunder —there was a
long tumultuous shouting sound like the voice of a thousand waters —and the deep and

dank tarn at my feet closed sullenly and silently over the fragments of the "HOUSE OF
USHER."

THE END

THE GOLD-BUG

by Edgar Allan Poe

1843

What ho! what ho! this fellow is dancing mad!
He hath been bitten by the Tarantula.
All in the Wrong.

MANY years ago, I contracted an intimacy with a Mr. William Legrand. He was of an
ancient Huguenot family, and had once been wealthy; but a series of misfortunes had
reduced him to want. To avoid the mortification consequent upon his disasters, he left
New Orleans, the city of his forefathers, and took up his residence at Sullivan's Island,
near Charleston, South Carolina.

This Island is a very singular one. It consists of little else than the sea sand, and is about
three miles long. Its breadth at no point exceeds a quarter of a mile. It is separated from
the main land by a scarcely perceptible creek, oozing its way through a wilderness of
reeds and slime, a favorite resort of the marsh-hen. The vegetation, as might be supposed,
is scant, or at least dwarfish. No trees of any magnitude are to be seen. Near the western
extremity, where Fort Moultrie stands, and where are some miserable frame buildings,
tenanted, during summer, by the fugitives from Charleston dust and fever, may be found,
indeed, the bristly palmetto; but the whole island, with the exception of this western
point, and a line of hard, white beach on the seacoast, is covered with a dense
undergrowth of the sweet myrtle, so much prized by the horticulturists of England. The
shrub here often attains the height of fifteen or twenty feet, and forms an almost
impenetrable coppice, burthening the air with its fragrance.

In the inmost recesses of this coppice, not far from the eastern or more remote end of the
island, Legrand had built himself a small hut, which he occupied when I first, by mere
accident, made his acquaintance. This soon ripened into friendship —for there was much
in the recluse to excite interest and esteem. I found him well educated, with unusual
powers of mind, but infected with misanthropy, and subject to perverse moods of
alternate enthusiasm and melancholy. He had with him many books, but rarely employed
them. His chief amusements were gunning and fishing, or sauntering along the beach and
through the myrtles, in quest of shells or entomological specimens;-his collection of the
latter might have been envied by a Swammerdamm. In these excursions he was usually
accompanied by an old negro, called Jupiter, who had been manumitted before the
reverses of the family, but who could be induced, neither by threats nor by promises, to
abandon what he considered his right of attendance upon the footsteps of his young
"Massa Will." It is not improbable that the relatives of Legrand, conceiving him to be
somewhat unsettled in intellect, had contrived to instil this obstinacy into Jupiter, with a
view to the supervision and guardianship of the wanderer.

The winters in the latitude of Sullivan's Island are seldom very severe, and in the fall of
the year it is a rare event indeed when a fire is considered necessary. About the middle of
October, 18—, there occurred, however, a day of remarkable chilliness. Just before sunset
I scrambled my way through the evergreens to the hut of my friend, whom I had not
visited for several weeks —my residence being, at that time, in Charleston, a distance of
nine my miles from the Island, while the facilities of passage and re-passage were very
far behind those of the present day. Upon reaching the hut I rapped, as was my custom,
and getting no reply, sought for the key where I knew it was secreted, unlocked the door
and went in. A fine fire was blazing upon the hearth. It was a novelty, and by no means
an ungrateful one. I threw off an overcoat, took an arm-chair by the crackling logs, and
awaited patiently the arrival of my hosts.

Soon after dark they arrived, and gave me a most cordial welcome. Jupiter, grinning from
ear to ear, bustled about to prepare some marsh-hens for supper. Legrand was in one of
his fits —how else shall I term them? —of enthusiasm. He had found an unknown bivalve,
forming a new genus, and, more than this, he had hunted down and secured, with Jupiter's
assistance, a scarabaeus which he believed to be totally new, but in respect to which he
wished to have my opinion on the morrow.

"And why not to-night?" I asked, rubbing my hands over the blaze, and wishing the
whole tribe of scarabaei at the devil.

"Ah, if I had only known you were here!" said Legrand, "but it's so long since I saw you;
and how could I foresee that you would pay me a visit this very night of all others? As I
was coming home I met Lieutenant G— , from the fort, and, very foolishly, I lent him the
bug; so it will be impossible for you to see it until morning. Stay here to-night, and I will
send Jup down for it at sunrise. It is the loveliest thing in creation!"

"What? -sunrise?"

"Nonsense! no! —the bug. It is of a brilliant gold color —about the size of a large hickory-
nut —with two jet black spots near one extremity of the back, and another, somewhat
longer, at the other. The antennae are — "

"Dey aint no tin in him, Massa Will, I keep a tellin on you," here interrupted Jupiter; "de
bug is a goole bug, solid, ebery bit of him, inside and all, sep him wing -neber feel half
so hebby a bug in my life."

"Well, suppose it is, Jup," replied Legrand, somewhat more earnestly, it seemed to me,
than the case demanded, "is that any reason for your letting the birds bum? The color" —
here he turned to me -"is really almost enough to warrant Jupiter's idea. You never saw a
more brilliant metallic lustre than the scales emit —but of this you cannot judge till
tomorrow. In the mean time I can give you some idea of the shape." Saying this, he
seated himself at a small table, on which were a pen and ink, but no paper. He looked for
some in a drawer, but found none.

"Never mind," said he at length, "this will answer"; and he drew from his waistcoat
pocket a scrap of what I took to be very dirty foolscap, and made upon it a rough drawing
with the pen. While he did this, I retained my seat by the fire, for I was still chilly. When
the design was complete, he handed it to me without rising. As I received it, a loud growl
was heard, succeeded by a scratching at the door. Jupiter opened it, and a large
Newfoundland, belonging to Legrand, rushed in, leaped upon my shoulders, and loaded
me with caresses; for I had shown him much attention during previous visits. When his
gambols were over, I looked at the paper, and, to speak the truth, found myself not a little
puzzled at what my friend had depicted.

"Well!" I said, after contemplating it for some minutes, "this is a strange scarabaeus, I
must confess: new to me: never saw anything like it before —unless it was a skull, or a
death's-head —which it more nearly resembles than anything else that has come under my
observation."

"A death's-head!" echoed Legrand -"Oh -yes -well, it has something of that appearance
upon paper, no doubt. The two upper black spots look like eyes, eh? and the longer one at
the bottom like a mouth —and then the shape of the whole is oval."

"Perhaps so," said I; "but, Legrand, I fear you are no artist. I must wait until I see the
beetle itself, if I am to form any idea of its personal appearance."

"Well, I don't know," said he, a little nettled, "I draw tolerably -should do it at least -
have had good masters, and flatter myself that I am not quite a blockhead."

"But, my dear fellow, you are joking then," said I, "this is a very passable skull —indeed, I
may say that it is a very excellent skull, according to the vulgar notions about such
specimens of physiology —and your scarabaeus must be the queerest scarabaeus in the
world if it resembles it. Why, we may get up a very thrilling bit of superstition upon this
hint. I presume you will call the bug scarabaeus caput hominis, or something of that kind
—there are many titles in the Natural Histories. But where are the antennae you spoke
of?"

"The antennae!" said Legrand, who seemed to be getting unaccountably warm upon the
subject; "I am sure you must see the antennae. I made them as distinct as they are in the
original insect, and I presume that is sufficient."

"Well, well," I said, "perhaps you have -still I don't see them;" and I handed him the
paper without additional remark, not wishing to ruffle his temper; but I was much
surprised at the turn affairs had taken; his ill humor puzzled me —and, as for the drawing
of the beetle, there were positively no antennae visible, and the whole did bear a very
close resemblance to the ordinary cuts of a death's-head.

He received the paper very peevishly, and was about to crumple it, apparently to throw it
in the fire, when a casual glance at the design seemed suddenly to rivet his attention. In
an instant his face grew violently red —in another as excessively pale. For some minutes

he continued to scrutinize the drawing minutely where he sat. At length he arose, took a
candle from the table, and proceeded to seat himself upon a sea-chest in the farthest
comer of the room. Here again he made an anxious examination of the paper; turning it in
all directions. He said nothing, however, and his conduct greatly astonished me; yet I
thought it prudent not to exacerbate the growing moodiness of his temper by any
comment. Presently he took from his coat pocket a wallet, placed the paper carefully in it,
and deposited both in a writing-desk, which he locked. He now grew more composed in
his demeanor; but his original air of enthusiasm had quite disappeared. Yet he seemed not
so much sulky as abstracted. As the evening wore away he became more and more
absorbed in reverie, from which no sallies of mine could arouse him. It had been my to
pass the night at the hut, as I had frequently done before, but, seeing my host in this
mood, I deemed it proper to take leave. He did not press me to remain, but, as I departed,
he shook my hand with even more than his usual cordiality.

It was about a month after this (and during the interval I had seen nothing of Legrand)
when I received a visit, at Charleston, from his man, Jupiter. I had never seen the good
old negro look so dispirited, and I feared that some serious disaster had befAUan my
friend.

"Well, Jup," said I, "what is the matter now? -how is your master?"

"Why, to speak de troof, massa, him not so berry well as mought be."

"Not well! I am truly sorry to hear it. What does he complain of?"

Dar! dat's it! —him neber plain of notin —but him berry sick for all dat."

"Very sick, Jupiter! —why didn't you say so at once? Is he confined to bed?"

"No, dat he ain't! —he ain't find nowhar —dat's just whar de shoe pinch -my mind is got
to be berry hebby bout poor Massa Will."

"Jupiter, I should like to understand what it is you are talking about. You say your master
is sick. Hasn't he told you what ails him?"

"Why, massa, taint worf while for to git mad bout de matter -Massa Will say noffin at all
ain't de matter wid him —but den what make him go about looking dis here way, wid he
head down and he soldiers up, and as white as a gose? And den he keep a syphon all de
time -"

"Keeps a what, Jupiter?"

"Keeps a syphon wid de figgurs on de slate -de queerest figgurs I ebber did see. Ise gittin
to be skeered, I tell you. Hab for to keep mighty tight eye pon him noovers. Todder day
he gib me slip fore de sun up and was gone de whole ob de blessed day. I had a big stick

ready cut for to gib him d-d good beating when he did come —but Ise sich a fool dat I
hadn't de heart arter all —he look so berry poorly."

"Eh? —what? —ah yes! —upon the whole I think you had better not be too severe with the
poor fellow —don't flog him, Jupiter —he can't very well stand it —but can you form no
idea of what has occasioned this illness, or rather this change of conduct? Has anything
unpleasant happened since I saw you?"

"No, massa, dey ain't bin noffin onpleasant since den — 't was fore den I'm feared — 't was
de berry day you was dare."

"How? what do you mean?"

"Why, massa, I mean de bug —dare now."

"The what?"

"De bug —I'm berry sartain dat Massa Will bin bit somewhere bout de head by dat goole-
bug."

"And what cause have you, Jupiter, for such a supposition?"

"Claws enoff, massa, and mouff too. I nabber did see sich a d— d bug -he kick and he bite
ebery ting what cum near him. Massa Will cotch him fuss, but had for to let him go gin
mighty quick, I tell you —den was de time he must ha got de bite. I didn't like de look ob
de bug mouff, myself, no how, so I wouldn't take hold ob him wid my finger, but I cotch
him wid a piece ob paper dat I found. I rap him up in de paper and stuff piece ob it in he
mouff -dat was de way."

"And you think, then, that your master was really bitten by the beetle, and that the bite
made him sick?"

"I don't tink noffin about it -I nose it. What make him dream bout de goole so much, if
tain't cause he bit by de goole-bug? Ise heerd bout dem goole -bugs fore dis."

"But how do you know he dreams about gold?"

"How I know? why cause he talk about it in he sleep — dat's how I nose."

"Well, Jup, perhaps you are right; but to what fortunate circumstance am I to attribute the
honor of a visit from you to-day?"

"What de matter, massa?"

"Did you bring any message from Mr. Legrand?"

"No, massa, I bring dis here pissel;" and here Jupiter handed me a note which ran thus:

My DEAR -

Why have I not seen you for so long a time? I hope you have not been so foolish as to
take offence at any little brusquerie of mine; but no, that is improbable.

Since I saw you I have had great cause for anxiety. I have something to tell you, yet
scarcely know how to tell it, or whether I should tell it at all.

I have not been quite well for some days past, and poor old Jup annoys me, almost
beyond endurance, by his well-meant attentions. Would you believe it? —he had prepared
a huge stick, the other day, with which to chastise me for giving him the slip, and
spending the day, solus, among the hills on the main land. I verily believe that my ill
looks alone saved me a flogging.

I have made no addition to my cabinet since we met.

If you can, in any way, make it convenient, come over with Jupiter. Do come. I wish to
see you tonight, upon business of importance. I assure you that it is of the highest
importance.

Ever yours,

WILLIAM LEGRAND.

There was something in the tone of this note which gave me great uneasiness. Its whole
style differed materially from that of Legrand. What could he be dreaming of? What new
crotchet possessed his excitable brain? What "business of the highest importance" could
he possibly have to transact? Jupiter's account of him boded no good. I dreaded lest the
continued pressure of misfortune had, at length, fairly unsettled the reason of my friend.
Without a moment's hesitation, therefore, I prepared to accompany the negro.

Upon reaching the wharf, I noticed a scythe and three spades, all apparently new, lying in
the bottom of the boat in which we were to embark.

"What is the meaning of all this, Jup?" I inquired.

"Him syfe, massa, and spade."

"Very true; but what are they doing here?"

"Him de syfe and de spade what Massa Will sis pon my buying for him in de town, and
de debbil's own lot of money I had to gib for em."

But what, in the name of all that is mysterious, is your 'Massa Will' going to do with
scythes and spades?"

"Dat's more dan I know, and debbil take me if I don't blieve 'tis more dan he know, too.
But it's all cum ob de bug."

Finding that no satisfaction was to be obtained of Jupiter, whose whole intellect seemed
to be absorbed by "de bug," I now stepped into the boat and made sail. With a fair and
strong breeze we soon ran into the little cove to the northward of Fort Moultrie, and a
walk of some two miles brought us to the hut. It was about three in the afternoon when
we arrived. Legrand had been awaiting us in eager expectation. He grasped my hand with
a nervous empressement which alarmed me and strengthened the suspicions already
entertained. His countenance was pale even to ghastliness, and his deep-set eyes glared
with unnatural lustre. After some inquiries respecting his health, I asked him, not
knowing what better to say, if he had yet obtained the scarabaeus from Lieutenant G— .

"Oh, yes," he replied, coloring violently, "I got it from him the next morning. Nothing
should tempt me to part with that scarabaeus. Do you know that Jupiter is quite right
about it?"

"In what way?" I asked, with a sad foreboding at heart.

"In supposing it to be a bug of real gold." He said this with an air of profound
seriousness, and I felt inexpressibly shocked.

"This bug is to make my fortune," he continued, with a triumphant smile, "to reinstate me
in my family possessions. Is it any wonder, then, that I prize it? Since Fortune has
thought fit to bestow it upon me, I have only to use it properly and I shall arrive at the
gold of which it is the index. Jupiter, bring me that scarabaeus!"

"What! de bug, massa? I'd rudder not go fer trubble dat bug -you mus git him for your
own self." Hereupon Legrand arose, with a grave and stately air, and brought me the
beetle from a glass case in which it was enclosed. It was a beautiful scarabaeus, and, at
that time, unknown to naturalists —of course a great prize in a scientific point of view.
There were two round, black spots near one extremity of the back, and a long one near
the other. The scales were exceedingly hard and glossy, with all the appearance of
burnished gold. The weight of the insect was very remarkable, and, taking all things into
consideration, I could hardly blame Jupiter for his opinion respecting it; but what to make
of Legrand's agreement with that opinion, I could not, for the life of me, tell.

"I sent for you," said he, in a grandiloquent tone, when I had completed my examination
of the beetle, "I sent for you, that I might have your counsel and assistance in furthering
the views of Fate and of the bug"—

"My dear Legrand," I cried, interrupting him, "you are certainly unwell, and had better
use some little precautions. You shall go to bed, and I will remain with you a few days,
until you get over this. You are feverish and"—

"Feel my pulse," said he.

I felt it, and, to say the truth, found not the slightest indication of fever.

"But you may be ill and yet have no fever. Allow me this once to prescribe for you. In the
first place, go to bed. In the next"-

"You are mistaken," he interposed, "I am as well as I can expect to be under the
excitement which I suffer. If you really wish me well, you will relieve this excitement."

"And how is this to be done?"

"Very easily. Jupiter and myself are going upon an expedition into the hills, upon the
main land, and, in this expedition, we shall need the aid of some person in whom we can
confide. You are the only one we can trust. Whether we succeed or fail, the excitement
which you now perceive in me will be equally allayed."

"I am anxious to oblige you in any way," I replied; "but do you mean to say that this
infernal beetle has any connection with your expedition into the hills?"

"It has."

"Then, Legrand, I can become a party to no such absurd proceeding.

"I am sorry -very sorry -for we shall have to try it by ourselves."

"Try it by yourselves! The man is surely mad! —but stay! —how long do you propose to
be absent?"

"Probably all night. We shall start immediately, and be back, at all events, by sunrise."

"And will you promise me, upon your honor, that when this freak of yours is over, and
the bug business (good God!) settled to your satisfaction, you will then return home and
follow my advice implicitly, as that of your physician?"

"Yes; I promise; and now let us be off, for we have no time to lose."

With a heavy heart I accompanied my friend. We started about four o'clock —Legrand,
Jupiter, the dog, and myself. Jupiter had with him the scythe and spades —the whole of
which he insisted upon carrying —more through fear, it seemed to me, of trusting either of
the implements within reach of his master, than from any excess of industry or
complaisance. His demeanor was dogged in the extreme, and "dat d— d bug" were the sole

words which escaped his lips during the journey. For my own part, I had charge of a
couple of dark lanterns, while Legrand contented himself with the scarabaeus, which he
carried attached to the end of a bit of whip-cord; twirling it to and fro, with the air of a
conjuror, as he went. When I observed this last, plain evidence of my friend's aberration
of mind, I could scarcely refrain from tears. I thought it best, however, to humor his
fancy, at least for the present, or until I could adopt some more energetic measures with a
chance of success. In the mean time I endeavored, but all in vain, to sound him in regard
to the object of the expedition. Having succeeded in inducing me to accompany him, he
seemed unwilling to hold conversation upon any topic of minor importance, and to all my
questions vouchsafed no other reply than "we shall see!"

We crossed the creek at the head of the island by means of a skiff, and, ascending the
high grounds on the shore of the mainland, proceeded in a northwesterly direction,
through a tract of country excessively wild and desolate, where no trace of a human
footstep was to be seen. Legrand led the way with decision; pausing only for an instant,
here and there, to consult what appeared to be certain landmarks of his own contrivance
upon a former occasion.

In this manner we journeyed for about two hours, and the sun was just setting when we
entered a region infinitely more dreary than any yet seen. It was a species of table land,
near the summit of an almost inaccessible hill, densely wooded from base to pinnacle,
and interspersed with huge crags that appeared to lie loosely upon the soil, and in many
cases were prevented from precipitating themselves into the valleys below, merely by the
support of the trees against which they reclined. Deep ravines, in various directions, gave
an air of still sterner solemnity to the scene.

The natural platform to which we had clambered was thickly overgrown with brambles,
through which we soon discovered that it would have been impossible to force our way
but for the scythe; and Jupiter, by direction of his master, proceeded to clear for us a path
to the foot of an enormously tall tulip-tree, which stood, with some eight or ten oaks,
upon the level, and far surpassed them all, and all other trees which I had then ever seen,
in the beauty of its foliage and form, in the wide spread of its branches, and in the general
majesty of its appearance. When we reached this tree, Legrand turned to Jupiter, and
asked him if he thought he could climb it. The old man seemed a little staggered by the
question, and for some moments made no reply. At length he approached the huge trunk,
walked slowly around it, and examined it with minute attention. When he had completed
his scrutiny, he merely said,

"Yes, massa, Jup climb any tree he ebber see in he life."

"Then up with you as soon as possible, for it will soon be too dark to see what we are
about."

"How far mus go up, massa?" inquired Jupiter.

"Get up the main trunk first, and then I will tell you which way to go —and here -stop!
take this beetle with you."

"De bug, Massa Will! -de goole bug!" cried the negro, drawing back in dismay -"what
for mus tote de bug way up de tree? — d-n if I do!"

"If you are afraid, Jup, a great big negro like you, to take hold of a harmless little dead
beetle, why you can carry it up by this string -but, if you do not take it up with you in
some way, I shall be under the necessity of breaking your head with this shovel."

"What de matter now, massa?" said Jup, evidently shamed into compliance; "always want
for to raise fuss wid old nigger. Was only funnin' anyhow. Me feered de bug! what I keer
for de bug?" Here he took cautiously hold of the extreme end of the string, and,
maintaining the insect as far from his person as circumstances would permit, prepared to
ascend the tree.

In youth, the tulip-tree, or Liriodendron Tulipiferum, the most magnificent of American
foresters, has a trunk peculiarly smooth, and often rises to a great height without lateral
branches; but, in its riper age, the bark becomes gnarled and uneven, while many short
limbs make their appearance on the stem. Thus the difficulty of ascension, in the present
case, lay more in semblance than in reality. Embracing the huge cylinder, as closely as
possible, with his arms and knees, seizing with his hands some projections, and resting
his naked toes upon others, Jupiter, after one or two narrow escapes from falling, at
length wriggled himself into the first great fork, and seemed to consider the whole
business as virtually accomplished. The risk of the achievement was, in fact, now over,
although the climber was some sixty or seventy feet from the ground.

"Which way mus go now, Massa Will?" he asked.

Keep up the largest branch —the one on this side," said Legrand. The negro obeyed him
promptly, and apparently with but little trouble; ascending higher and higher, until no
glimpse of his squat figure could be obtained through the dense foliage which enveloped
it. Presently his voice was heard in a sort of halloo.

"How much fudder is got for go?"

"How high up are you?" asked Legrand.

"Ebber so fur," replied the negro; "can see de sky fru de top ob de tree."

"Never mind the sky, but attend to what I say. Look down the trunk and count the limbs
below you on this side. How many limbs have you passed?"

"One, two, tree, four, fibe -I done pass fibe big limb, massa, 'pon dis side."

"Then go one limb higher."

In a few minutes the voice was heard again, announcing that the seventh limb was
attained.

"Now, Jup," cried Legrand, evidently much excited, "I want you to work your way out
upon that limb as far as you can. If you see anything strange, let me know."

By this time what little doubt I might have entertained of my poor friend's insanity, was
put finally at rest. I had no alternative but to conclude him stricken with lunacy, and I
became seriously anxious about getting him home. While I was pondering upon what was
best to be done, Jupiter's voice was again heard.

"Mos' feerd for to ventur 'pon dis limb berry far -'tis dead limb putty much all de way."

"Did you say it was a dead limb, Jupiter?" cried Legrand in a quavering voice.

"Yes, massa, him dead as de door-nail —done up for sartain -done departed dis here life."

"What in the name of heaven shall I do?" asked Legrand, seemingly in the greatest
distress.

"Do!" said I, glad of an opportunity to interpose a word, "why come home and go to bed.
Come now! -that's a fine fellow. It's getting late, and, besides, you remember your
promise."

"Jupiter," cried he, without heeding me in the least, "do you hear me?"

"Yes, Massa Will, hear you ebber so plain."

"Try the wood well, then, with your knife, and see if you think it very rotten."

"Him rotten, massa, sure nuff," replied the negro in a few moments, "but not so berry
rotten as mought be. Mought ventur out leetle way pon de limb by myself, dat's true."

"By yourself! -what do you mean?"

"Why I mean de bug. 'Tis berry hebby bug. Spose I drop him down fuss, and den de limb
won't break wid just de weight ob one nigger."

"You infernal scoundrel!" cried Legrand, apparently much relieved, "what do you mean
by telling me such nonsense as that? As sure as you let that beetle fall! —I'll break your
neck. Look here, Jupiter! do you hear me?"

"Yes, massa, needn't hollo at poor nigger dat style."

"Well! now listen! —if you will venture out on the limb as far as you think safe, and not
let go the beetle, I'll make you a present of a silver dollar as soon as you get down."

"I'm gwine, Massa Will —deed I is," replied the negro very promptly -"mos out to the
eendnow."

"Out to the end!" here fairly screamed Legrand, "do you say you are out to the end of that
limb?"

"Soon be to de eend, massa, — o-o-o-o-oh! Lor-gol-a-marcy! what is dis here pon de
tree?"

"Well!" cried Legrand, highly delighted, "what is it?"

"Why taint noffin but a skull -somebody bin lef him head up de tree, and de crows done
gobble ebery bit ob de meat off."

"A skull, you say! -very well! -how is it fastened to the limb? -what holds it on?"

"Sure nuff, massa; mus look. Why dis berry curous sarcumstance, pon my word -dare's a
great big nail in de skull, what fastens ob it on to de tree."

"Well now, Jupiter, do exactly as I tell you -do you hear?"

"Yes, massa."

"Pay attention, then! —find the left eye of the skull."

"Hum! hoo! dat's good! why dar ain't no eye lef at all."

"Curse your stupidity! do you know your right hand from your left?"

"Yes, I nose dat -nose all bout dat -'tis my left hand what I chops de wood wid."

"To be sure! you are left-handed; and your left eye is on the same side as your left hand.
Now, I suppose, you can find the left eye of the skull, or the place where the left eye has
been. Have you found it?"

Here was a long pause. At length the negro asked,

"Is de lef eye of de skull pon de same side as de lef hand of de skull, too? -cause de
skull ain't got not a bit ob a hand at all -nebber mind! I got de lef eye now -here de lef
eye! what mus do wid it?"

"Let the beetle drop through it, as far as the string will reach —but be careful and not let
go your hold of the string."

"All dat done, Massa Will; mighty easy ting for to put de bug fru de hole -look out for
him dar below?"

During this colloquy no portion of Jupiter's person could be seen; but the beetle, which he
had suffered to descend, was now visible at the end of the string, and glistened, like a
globe of burnished gold, in the last rays of the setting sun, some of which still faintly
illumined the eminence upon which we stood. The scarabaeus hung quite clear of any
branches, and, if allowed to fall, would have f Allan at our feet. Legrand immediately took
the scythe, and cleared with it a circular space, three or four yards in diameter, just
beneath the insect, and, having accomplished this, ordered Jupiter to let go the string and
come down from the tree.

Driving a peg, with great nicety, into the ground, at the precise spot where the beetle fell,
my friend now produced from his pocket a tape-measure. Fastening one end of this at that
point of the trunk of the tree which was nearest the peg, he unrolled it till it reached the
peg, and thence farther unrolled it, in the direction already established by the two points
of the tree and the peg, for the distance of fifty feet —Jupiter clearing away the brambles
with the scythe. At the spot thus attained a second peg was driven, and about this, as a
centre, a rude circle, about four feet in diameter, described. Taking now a spade himself,
and giving one to Jupiter and one to me, Legrand begged us to set about one to digging as
quickly as possible.

To speak the truth, I had no especial relish for such amusement at any time, and, at that
particular moment, would most willingly have declined it; for the night was coming on,
and I felt much fatigued with the exercise already taken; but I saw no mode of escape,
and was fearful of disturbing my poor friend's equanimity by a refusal. Could I have
depended, indeed, upon Jupiter's aid, I would have had no hesitation in attempting to get
the lunatic home by force; but I was too well assured of the old negro's disposition, to
hope that he would assist me, under any circumstances, in a personal contest with his
master. I made no doubt that the latter had been infected with some of the innumerable
Southern superstitions about money buried, and that his phantasy had received
confirmation by the finding of the scarabaeus, or, perhaps, by Jupiter's obstinacy in
maintaining it to be "a bug of real gold." A mind disposed to lunacy would readily be led
away by such suggestions —especially if chiming in with favorite preconceived ideas -
and then I called to mind the poor fellow's speech about the beetle's being "the index of
his fortune." Upon the whole, I was sadly vexed and puzzled, but, at length, I concluded
to make a virtue of necessity —to dig with a good will, and thus the sooner to convince
the visionary, by ocular demonstration, of the fallacy of the opinions he entertained.

The lanterns having been lit, we all fell to work with a zeal worthy a more rational cause;
and, as the glare fell upon our persons and implements, I could not help thinking how
picturesque a group we composed, and how strange and suspicious our labors must have
appeared to any interloper who, by chance, might have stumbled upon our whereabouts.

We dug very steadily for two hours. Little was said; and our chief embarrassment lay in
the yelpings of the dog, who took exceeding interest in our proceedings. He, at length,
became so obstreperous that we grew fearful of his giving the alarm to some stragglers in
the vicinity; —or, rather, this was the apprehension of Legrand; —for myself, I should
have rejoiced at any interruption which might have enabled me to get the wanderer home.

The noise was, at length, very effectually silenced by Jupiter, who, getting out of the hole
with a dogged air of deliberation, tied the brute's mouth up with one of his suspenders,
and then returned, with a grave chuckle, to his task.

When the time mentioned had expired, we had reached a depth of five feet, and yet no
signs of any treasure became manifest. A general pause ensued, and I began to hope that
the farce was at an end. Legrand, however, although evidently much disconcerted, wiped
his brow thoughtfully and recommenced. We had excavated the entire circle of four feet
diameter, and now we slightly enlarged the limit, and went to the farther depth of two
feet. Still nothing appeared. The gold-seeker, whom I sincerely pitied, at length
clambered from the pit, with the bitterest disappointment imprinted upon every feature,
and proceeded, slowly and reluctantly, to put on his coat, which he had thrown off at the
beginning of his labor. In the mean time I made no remark. Jupiter, at a signal from his
master, began to gather up his tools. This done, and the dog having been unmuzzled, we
turned in profound silence towards home.

We had taken, perhaps, a dozen steps in this direction, when, with a loud oath, Legrand
strode up to Jupiter, and seized him by the collar. The astonished negro opened his eyes
and mouth to the fullest extent, let fall the spades, and fell upon his knees.

"You scoundrel," said Legrand, hissing out the syllables from between his clenched teeth
-"you infernal black villain! -speak, I tell you! —answer me this instant, without
prevarication! which —which is your left eye?"

"Oh, my golly, Massa Will! ain't dis here my lef eye for sartain?" roared the terrified
Jupiter, placing his hand upon his right organ of vision, and holding it there with a
desperate pertinacity, as if in immediate dread of his master's attempt at a gouge.

"I thought so! -I knew it! -hurrah!" vociferated Legrand, letting the negro go, and
executing a series of curvets and caracols, much to the astonishment of his valet, who,
arising from his knees, looked, mutely, from his master to myself, and then from myself
to his master.

"Come! we must go back," said the latter, "the game's not up yet;" and he again led the
way to the tulip-tree.

"Jupiter," said he, when we reached its foot, come here! was the skull nailed to the limb
with the face outward, or with the face to the limb?"

"De face was out, massa, so dat de crows could get at de eyes good, widout any trouble."

"Well, then, was it this eye or that through which you let the beetle fall?" —here Legrand
touched each of Jupiter's eyes.

'"Twas dis eye, massa — de lef eye -jis as you tell me," and here it was his right eye that
the negro indicated.

"That will do --we must try it again."

Here my friend, about whose madness I now saw, or fancied that I saw, certain
indications of method, removed the peg which marked the spot where the beetle fell, to a
spot about three inches to the westward of its former position. Taking, now, the tape-
measure from the nearest point of the trunk to the peg, as before, and continuing the
extension in a straight line to the distance of fifty feet, a spot was indicated, removed, by
several yards, from the point at which we had been digging.

Around the new position a circle, somewhat larger than in the former instance, was now
described, and we again set to work with the spades. I was dreadfully weary, but, scarcely
understanding what had occasioned the change in my thoughts, I felt no longer any great
aversion from the labor imposed. I had become most unaccountably interested —nay,
even excited. Perhaps there was something, amid all the extravagant demeanor of
Legrand -some air of forethought, or of deliberation, which impressed me. I dug eagerly,
and now and then caught myself actually looking, with something that very much
resembled expectation, for the fancied treasure, the vision of which had demented my
unfortunate companion. At a period when such vagaries of thought most fully possessed
me, and when we had been at work perhaps an hour and a half, we were again interrupted
by the violent howlings of the dog. His uneasiness, in the first instance, had been,
evidently, but the result of playfulness or caprice, but he now assumed a bitter and
serious tone. Upon Jupiter's again attempting to muzzle him, he made furious resistance,
and, leaping into the hole, tore up the mould frantically with his claws. In a few seconds
he had uncovered a mass of human bones, forming two complete skeletons, intermingled
with several buttons of metal, and what appeared to be the dust of decayed woollen. One
or two strokes of a spade upturned the blade of a large Spanish knife, and, as we dug
farther, three or four loose pieces of gold and silver coin came to light.

At sight of these the joy of Jupiter could scarcely be restrained, but the countenance of
his master wore an air of extreme disappointment. He urged us, however, to continue our
exertions, and the words were hardly uttered when I stumbled and fell forward, having
caught the toe of my boot in a large ring of iron that lay half buried in the loose earth.

We now worked in earnest, and never did I pass ten minutes of more intense excitement.
During this interval we had fairly unearthed an oblong chest of wood, which, from its
perfect preservation, and wonderful hardness, had plainly been subjected to some
mineralizing process —perhaps that of the Bi-chloride of Mercury. This box was three
feet and a half long, three feet broad, and two and a half feet deep. It was firmly secured
by bands of wrought iron, riveted, and forming a kind of trellis- work over the whole. On
each side of the chest, near the top, were three rings of iron —six in all —by means of
which a firm hold could be obtained by six persons. Our utmost united endeavors served
only to disturb the coffer very slightly in its bed. We at once saw the impossibility of
removing so great a weight. Luckily, the sole fastenings of the lid consisted of two
sliding bolts. These we drew back -trembling and panting with anxiety. In an instant, a
treasure of incalculable value lay gleaming before us. As the rays of the lanterns fell

within the pit, there flashed upwards, from a confused heap of gold and of jewels, a glow
and a glare that absolutely dazzled our eyes.

I shall not pretend to describe the feelings with which I gazed. Amazement was, of
course, predominant. Legrand appeared exhausted with excitement, and spoke very few
words. Jupiter's countenance wore, for some minutes, as deadly a pallor as it is possible,
in the nature of things, for any negro's visage to assume. He seemed stupefied —thunder-
stricken. Presently he fell upon his knees in the pit, and, burying his naked arms up to the
elbows in gold, let them there remain, as if enjoying the luxury of a bath. At length, with
a deep sigh, he exclaimed, as if in a soliloquy.

"And dis all cum ob de goole-bug! de putty goole-bug! de poor little goole-bug, what I
boosed in dat sabage kind ob style! Ain't you shamed ob yourself, nigger? —answer me
dat!"

It became necessary, at last, that I should arouse both master and valet to the expediency
of removing the treasure. It was growing late, and it behooved us to make exertion, that
we might get every thing housed before daylight. It was difficult to say what should be
done; and much time was spent in deliberation —so confused were the ideas of all. We,
finally, lightened the box by removing two thirds of its contents, when we were enabled,
with some trouble, to raise it from the hole. The articles taken out were deposited among
the brambles, and the dog left to guard them, with strict orders from Jupiter neither, upon
any pretence, to stir from the spot, nor to open his mouth until our return. We then
hurriedly made for home with the chest; reaching the hut in safety, but after excessive
toil, at one o'clock in the morning. Worn out as we were, it was not in human nature to do
more just then. We rested until two, and had supper; starting for the hills immediately
afterwards, armed with three stout sacks, which, by good luck, were upon the premises. A
little before four we arrived at the pit, divided the remainder of the booty, as equally as
might be, among us, and, leaving the holes unfilled, again set out for the hut, at which,
for the second time, we deposited our golden burthens, just as the first streaks of the
dawn gleamed from over the tree-tops in the East.

We were now thoroughly broken down; but the intense excitement of the time denied us
repose. After an unquiet slumber of some three or four hours' duration, we arose, as if by
preconcert, to make examination of our treasure.

The chest had been full to the brim, and we spent the whole day, and the greater part of
the next night, in a scrutiny of its contents. There had been nothing like order or
arrangement. Every thing had been heaped in promiscuously. Having assorted all with
care, we found ourselves possessed of even vaster wealth than we had at first supposed.
In coin there was rather more than four hundred and fifty thousand dollars —estimating
the value of the pieces, as accurately as we could, by the tables of the period. There was
not a particle of silver. All was gold of antique date and of great variety -French,
Spanish, and German money, with a few English guineas, and some counters, of which
we had never seen specimens before. There were several very large and heavy coins, so
worn that we could make nothing of their inscriptions. There was no American money.

The value of the jewels we found more difficulty in estimating. There were diamonds —
some of them exceedingly large and fine —a hundred and ten in all, and not one of them
small; eighteen rubies of remarkable brilliancy; —three hundred and ten emeralds, all very
beautiful; and twenty-one sapphires, with an opal. These stones had all been broken from
their settings and thrown loose in the chest. The settings themselves, which we picked out
from among the other gold, appeared to have been beaten up with hammers, as if to
prevent identification. Besides all this, there was a vast quantity of solid gold ornaments;
—nearly two hundred massive finger and ear rings; —rich chains —thirty of these, if I
remember; —eighty-three very large and heavy crucifixes; —five gold censers of great
value; —a prodigious golden punch-bowl, ornamented with richly chased vine-leaves and
Bacchanalian figures; with two sword-handles exquisitely embossed, and many other
smaller articles which I cannot recollect. The weight of these valuables exceeded three
hundred and fifty pounds avoirdupois; and in this estimate I have not included one
hundred and ninety-seven superb gold watches; three of the number being worth each
five hundred dollars, if one. Many of them were very old, and as time keepers valueless;
the works having suffered, more or less, from corrosion —but all were richly jewelled and
in cases of great worth. We estimated the entire contents of the chest, that night, at a
million and a half of dollars; and, upon the subsequent disposal of the trinkets and jewels
(a few being retained for our own use), it was found that we had greatly undervalued the
treasure.

When, at length, we had concluded our examination, and the intense excitement of the
time had, in some measure, subsided, Legrand, who saw that I was dying with impatience
for a solution of this most extraordinary riddle, entered into a full detail of all the
circumstances connected with it.

"You remember," said he, "the night when I handed you the rough sketch I had made of
the scarabaeus. You recollect also, that I became quite vexed at you for insisting that my
drawing resembled a death's-head. When you first made this assertion I thought you were
jesting; but afterwards I called to mind the peculiar spots on the back of the insect, and
admitted to myself that your remark had some little foundation in fact. Still, the sneer at
my graphic powers irritated me -for I am considered a good artist —and, therefore, when
you handed me the scrap of parchment, I was about to crumple it up and throw it angrily
into the fire."

"The scrap of paper, you mean," said I.

"No; it had much of the appearance of paper, and at first I supposed it to be such, but
when I came to draw upon it, I discovered it, at once, to be a piece of very thin
parchment. It was quite dirty, you remember. Well, as I was in the very act of crumpling
it up, my glance fell upon the sketch at which you had been looking, and you may
imagine my astonishment when I perceived, in fact, the figure of a death's-head just
where, it seemed to me, I had made the drawing of the beetle. For a moment I was too
much amazed to think with accuracy. I knew that my design was very different in detail
from this —although there was a certain similarity in general outline. Presently I took a
candle, and seating myself at the other end of the room, proceeded to scrutinize the

parchment more closely. Upon turning it over, I saw my own sketch upon the reverse,
just as I had made it. My first idea, now, was mere surprise at the really remarkable
similarity of outline —at the singular coincidence involved in the fact, that unknown to
me, there should have been a skull upon the other side of the parchment, immediately
beneath my figure of the scarabaeus and that this skull, not only in outline, but in size,
should so closely resemble my drawing. I say the singularity of this coincidence
absolutely stupefied me for a time. This is the usual effect of such coincidences. The
mind struggles to establish a connection -a sequence of cause and effect -and, being
unable to do so, suffers a species of temporary paralysis. But, when I recovered from this
stupor, there dawned upon me gradually a conviction which startled me even far more
than the coincidence. I began distinctly, positively, to remember that there had been no
drawing on the parchment when I made my sketch of the scarabaeus. I became perfectly
certain of this; for I recollected turning up first one side and then the other, in search of
the cleanest spot. Had the skull been then there, of course I could not have failed to notice
it. Here was indeed a mystery which I felt it impossible to explain; but, even at that early
moment, there it seemed to glimmer, faintly, within the most remote and secret chambers
of my intellect, a glow-worm-like conception of that truth which last night's adventure
brought to so magnificent a demonstration. I arose at once, and putting the parchment
securely away, dismissed all farther reflection until I should be alone.

"When you had gone, and when Jupiter was fast asleep, I betook myself to a more
methodical investigation of the affair. In the first place I considered the manner in which
the parchment had come into my possession. The spot where we discovered the
scarabaeus was on the coast of the main land, about a mile eastward of the island, and but
a short distance above high water mark. Upon my taking hold of it, it gave me a sharp
bite, which caused me to let it drop. Jupiter, with his accustomed caution, before seizing
the insect, which had flown towards him, looked about him for a leaf, or something of
that nature, by which to take hold of it. It was at this moment that his eyes, and mine also,
fell upon the scrap of parchment, which I then supposed to be paper. It was lying half
buried in the sand, a corner sticking up. Near the spot where we found it, I observed the
remnants of the hull of what appeared to have been a ship's long boat. The wreck seemed
to have been there for a very great while; for the resemblance to boat timbers could
scarcely be traced.

"Well, Jupiter picked up the parchment, wrapped the beetle in it, and gave it to me. Soon
afterwards we turned to go home, and on the way met Lieutenant G-. I showed him the
insect, and he begged me to let him take it to the fort. On my consenting, he thrust it
forthwith into his waistcoat pocket, without the parchment in which it had been wrapped,
and which I had continued to hold in my hand during his inspection. Perhaps he dreaded
my changing my mind, and thought it best to make sure of the prize at once —you know
how enthusiastic he is on all subjects connected with Natural History. At the same time
without being conscious of it, I must have deposited the parchment in my own pocket.

"You remember that when I went to the table, for the purpose of making a sketch of the
beetle, I found no paper where it was usually kept. I looked in the drawer, and found none
there. I searched my pockets, hoping to find an old letter —and then my hand fell upon the

parchment. I thus detail the precise mode in which it came into my possession; for the
circumstances impressed me with peculiar force.

"No doubt you will think me fanciful -but I had already established a kind of connexion.
I had put together two links of a great chain. There was a boat lying on a sea-coast, and
not far from the boat was a parchment —not a paper —with a skull depicted on it. You
will, of course, ask 'where is the connexion?' I reply that the skull, or death's-head, is the
well-known emblem of the pirate. The flag of the death's-head is hoisted in all
engagements.

"I have said that the scrap was parchment, and not paper. Parchment is durable —almost
imperishable. Matters of little moment are rarely consigned to parchment; since, for the
mere ordinary purposes of drawing or writing, it is not nearly so well adapted as paper.
This reflection suggested some meaning —some relevancy —in the death's-head. I did not
fail to observe, also, the form of the parchment. Although one of its corners had been, by
some accident, destroyed, it could be seen that the original form was oblong. It was just
such a slip, indeed, as might have been chosen for a memorandum —for a record of
something to be long remembered and carefully preserved."

"But," I interposed, "you say that the skull was not upon the parchment when you made
the drawing of the beetle. How then do you trace any connexion between the boat and the
skull —since this latter, according to your own admission, must have been designed (God
only knows how or by whom) at some period subsequent to your sketching the
scarabaeus?"

"Ah, hereupon turns the whole mystery; although the secret, at this point, I had
comparatively little difficulty in solving. My steps were sure, and could afford but a
single result. I reasoned, for example, thus: When I drew the scarabaeus, there was no
skull apparent on the parchment. When I had completed the drawing, I gave it to you, and
observed you narrowly until you returned it. You, therefore, did not design the skull, and
no one else was present to do it. Then it was not done by human agency. And
nevertheless it was done.

"At this stage of my reflections I endeavored to remember, and did remember, with entire
distinctness, every incident which occurred about the period in question. The weather was
chilly (oh rare and happy accident!), and a fire was blazing on the hearth. I was heated
with exercise and sat near the table. You, however, had drawn a chair close to the
chimney. Just as I placed the parchment in your hand, and as you were in the act of
inspecting it. Wolf, the Newfoundland, entered, and leaped upon your shoulders. With
your left hand you caressed him and kept him off, while your right, holding the
parchment, was permitted to fall listlessly between your knees, and in close proximity to
the fire. At one moment I thought the blaze had caught it, and was about to caution you,
but, before I could speak, you had withdrawn it, and were engaged in its examination.
When I considered all these particulars, I doubted not for a moment that heat had been
the agent in bringing to light, on the parchment, the skull which I saw designed on it. You
are well aware that chemical preparations exist, and have existed time out of mind, by

means of which it is possible to write on either paper or vellum, so that the characters
shall become visible only when subjected to the action of fire. Zaire, digested in aqua
regia, and diluted with four times its weight of water, is sometimes employed; a green tint
results. The regulus of cobalt, dissolved in spirit of nitre, gives a red. These colors
disappear at longer or shorter intervals after the material written on cools, but again
become apparent upon the re-application of heat.

"I now scrutinized the death's-head with care. Its outer edges —the edges of the drawing
nearest the edge of the vellum —were far more distinct than the others. It was clear that
the action of the caloric had been imperfect or unequal. I immediately kindled a fire, and
subjected every portion of the parchment to a glowing heat. At first, the only effect was
the strengthening of the faint lines in the skull; but, on persevering in the experiment,
there became visible, at the corner of the slip, diagonally opposite to the spot in which the
death's-head was delineated, the figure of what I at first supposed to be a goat. A closer
scrutiny, however, satisfied me that it was intended for a kid."

"Ha! ha!" said I, "to be sure I have no right to laugh at you -a million and a half of
money is too serious a matter for mirth -but you are not about to establish a third link in
your chain -you will not find any especial connexion between your pirates and goat —
pirates, you know, have nothing to do with goats; they appertain to the farming interest."

"But I have just said that the figure was not that of a goat."

"Well, a kid then —pretty much the same thing."

"Pretty much, but not altogether," said Legrand. "You may have heard of one Captain
Kidd. I at once looked on the figure of the animal as a kind of punning or hieroglyphical
signature. I say signature; because its position on the vellum suggested this idea. The
death's-head at the corner diagonally opposite, had, in the same manner, the air of a
stamp, or seal. But I was sorely put out by the absence of all else —of the body to my
imagined instrument —of the text for my context."

"I presume you expected to find a letter between the stamp and the signature."

"Something of that kind. The fact is, I felt irresistibly impressed with a presentiment of
some vast good fortune impending. I can scarcely say why. Perhaps, after all, it was
rather a desire than an actual belief; -but do you know that Jupiter's silly words, about
the bug being of solid gold, had a remarkable effect on my fancy? And then the series of
accidents and coincidences —these were so very extraordinary. Do you observe how mere
an accident it was that these events should have occurred on the sole day of all the year in
which it has been, or may be, sufficiently cool for fire, and that without the fire, or
without the intervention of the dog at the precise moment in which he appeared, I should
never have become aware of the death's-head, and so never the possessor of the
treasure?"

"But proceed —I am all impatience."

"Well; you have heard, of course, the many stories current —the thousand vague rumors
afloat about money buried, somewhere on the Atlantic coast, by Kidd and his associates.
These rumors must have had some foundation in fact. And that the rumors have existed
so long and so continuously could have resulted, it appeared to me, only from the
circumstance of the buried treasure still remaining entombed. Had Kidd concealed his
plunder for a time, and afterwards reclaimed it, the rumors would scarcely have reached
us in their present unvarying form. You will observe that the stories told are all about
money-seekers, not about money-finders. Had the pirate recovered his money, there the
affair would have dropped. It seemed to me that some accident -say the loss of a
memorandum indicating its locality —had deprived him of the means of recovering it, and
that this accident had become known to is followers, who otherwise might never have
heard that treasure had been concealed at all, and who, busying themselves in vain,
because unguided attempts, to regain it, had given first birth, and then universal currency,
to the reports which are now so common. Have you ever heard of any important treasure
being unearthed along the coast?"

"Never."

"But that Kidd's accumulations were immense, is well known. I took it for granted,
therefore, that the earth still held them; and you will scarcely be surprised when I tell you
that I felt a hope, nearly amounting to certainty, that the parchment so strangely found,
involved a lost record of the place of deposit."

"But how did you proceed?"

"I held the vellum again to the fire, after increasing the heat; but nothing appeared. I now
thought it possible that the coating of dirt might have something to do with the failure; so
I carefully rinsed the parchment by pouring warm water over it, and, having done this, I
placed it in a tin pan, with the skull downwards, and put the pan upon a furnace of lighted
charcoal. In a few minutes, the pan having become thoroughly heated, I removed the slip,
and, to my inexpressible joy, found it spotted, in several places, with what appeared to be
figures arranged in lines. Again I placed it in the pan, and suffered it to remain another
minute. On taking it off, the whole was just as you see it now."

Here Legrand, having re-heated the parchment, submitted It my inspection. The
following characters were rudely traced, in a red tint, between the death's-head and the
goat:

53++!305))6*;4826)4+.)4+);806*;48!8^60))85;]8*:+*8!83(88)5*!;

46(;88*96*?;8)*+(;485);5* !2:*+(;4956*2(5*-4)8^8*; 4069285);)6

!8)4++;l(+9;48081;8:8+l;48!85;4)485!528806*81(+9;48;(88;4(+?3

4;48)4+;161;:188;+?;

"But," said I, returning him the slip, "I am as much in the dark as ever. Were all the
jewels of Golconda awaiting me on my solution of this enigma, I am quite sure that I
should be unable to earn them."

"And yet," said Legrand, "the solution is by no means so difficult as you might be led to
imagine from the first hasty inspection of the characters. These characters, as any one
might readily guess, form a cipher —that is to say, they convey a meaning; but then, from
what is known of Kidd, I could not suppose him capable of constructing any of the more
abstruse cryptographs. I made up my mind, at once, that this was of a simple species —
such, however, as would appear, to the crude intellect of the sailor, absolutely insoluble
without the key."

"And you really solved it?"

"Readily; I have solved others of an abstruseness ten thousand times greater.
Circumstances, and a certain bias of mind, have led me to take interest in such riddles,
and it may well be doubted whether human ingenuity can construct an enigma of the kind
which human ingenuity may not, by proper application, resolve. In fact, having once
established connected and legible characters, I scarcely gave a thought to the mere
difficulty of developing their import.

"In the present case —indeed in all cases of secret writing -the first question regards the
language of the cipher; for the principles of solution, so far, especially, as the more
simple ciphers are concerned, depend on, and are varied by, the genius of the particular
idiom. In general, there is no alternative but experiment (directed by probabilities) of
every tongue known to him who attempts the solution, until the true one be attained. But,
with the cipher now before us, all difficulty is removed by the signature. The pun on the
word 'Kidd' is appreciable in no other language than the English. But for this
consideration I should have begun my attempts with the Spanish and French, as the
tongues in which a secret of this kind would most naturally have been written by a pirate
of the Spanish main. As it was, I assumed the cryptograph to be English.

"You observe there are no divisions between the words. Had there been divisions, the
task would have been comparatively easy. In such case I should have commenced with a
collation and analysis of the shorter words, and, had a word of a single letter occurred, as
is most likely, (a or I, for example,) I should have considered the solution as assured. But,
there being no division, my first step was to ascertain the predominant letters, as well as
the least frequent. Counting all, I constructed a table, thus:

Of the character 8 there are 33.

; " 26.

4" 19.

+ )" 16.

* " 13.
5 " 12.
6" 11.
! 1 " 8.
0"6.
92 "5.
: 3 " 4.
?"3.

-. " 1.

"Now, in English, the letter which most frequently occurs is e. Afterwards, the succession
runs thus: aoidhnrstuycfglmwbkpqxz. E however predominates so
remarkably that an individual sentence of any length is rarely seen, in which it is not the
prevailing character.

"Here, then, we have, in the very beginning, the groundwork for something more than a
mere guess. The general use which may be made of the table is obvious —but, in this
particular cipher, we shall only very partially require its aid. As our predominant
character is 8, we will commence by assuming it as the e of the natural alphabet. To
verify the supposition, let us observe if the 8 be seen often in couples —for e is doubled
with great frequency in English —in such words, for example, as 'meet,' 'fleet,' 'speed,
'seen,' 'been,' 'agree,' &c. In the present instance we see it doubled less than five times,
although the cryptograph is brief.

"Let us assume 8, then, as e. Now, of all words in the language, 'the' is the most usual; let
us see, therefore, whether they are not repetitions of any three characters in the same
order of collocation, the last of them being 8. If we discover repetitions of such letters, so
arranged, they will most probably represent the word 'the.' On inspection, we find no less
than seven such arrangements, the characters being ;48. We may, therefore, assume that
the semicolon represents t, that 4 represents h, and that 8 represents e —the last being now
well confirmed. Thus a great step has been taken.

"But, having established a single word, we are enabled to establish a vastly important
point; that is to say, several commencements and terminations of other words. Let us
refer, for example, to the last instance but one, in which the combination ;48 occurs —not
far from the end of the cipher. We know that the semicolon immediately ensuing is the

commencement of a word, and, of the six characters succeeding this 'the,' we are
cognizant of no less than five. Let us set these characters down, thus, by the letters we
know them to represent, leaving a space for the unknown—

t eeth.

"Here we are enabled, at once, to discard the 'th,' as forming no portion of the word
commencing with the first t; since, by experiment of the entire alphabet for a letter
adapted to the vacancy we perceive that no word can be formed of which this th can be a
part. We are thus narrowed into

tee,

and, going through the alphabet, if necessary, as before, we arrive at the word 'tree,' as the
sole possible reading. We thus gain another letter, r, represented by (, with the words 'the
tree' in juxtaposition.

"Looking beyond these words, for a short distance, we again see the combination ;48, and
employ it by way of termination to what immediately precedes. We have thus this
arrangement:

the tree ;4(+?34 the,

or substituting the natural letters, where known, it reads thus:

the tree thr+?3h the.

"Now, if, in place of the unknown characters, we leave blank spaces, or substitute dots,
we read thus:

the tree thr...h the,

when the word 'through' makes itself evident at once. But this discovery gives us three
new letters, o, u and g, represented by + ? and 3.

"Looking now, narrowly, through the cipher for combinations of known characters, we
find, not very far from the beginning, this arrangement,

83(88, or egree,

which, plainly, is the conclusion of the word 'degree,' and gives us another letter, d,
represented by !.

"Four letters beyond the word 'degree,' we perceive the combination

;46(;88*.

"Translating the known characters, and representing the unknown by dots, as before, we
read thus:

th.rtee.

an arrangement immediately suggestive of the word 'thirteen,' and again furnishing us
with two new characters, i and n, represented by 6 and *.

"Referring, now, to the beginning of the cryptograph, we find the combination,

53++!.

"Translating, as before, we obtain

.good,

which assures us that the first letter is A, and that the first two words are 'A good.'

"To avoid confusion, it is now time that we arrange our key, as far as discovered, in a
tabular form. It will stand thus:

5 represents a

!"d

8"e

3"g
4"h
6"i

+ "0

("r

;"t

"We have, therefore, no less than ten of the most important letters represented, and it will
be unnecessary to proceed with the details of the solution. I have said enough to convince
you that ciphers of this nature are readily soluble, and to give you some insight into the
rationale of their development. But be assured that the specimen before us appertains to

the very simplest species of cryptograph. It now only remains to give you the full
translation of the characters upon the parchment, as unriddled. Here it is:

'A good glass in the bishop's hostel in the devil's seat twenty-one degrees and thirteen
minutes northeast and by north main branch seventh limb east side shoot from the left eye
of the death's-head a bee line from the tree through the shot fifty feet out.'"

"But," said I, "the enigma seems still in as bad a condition as ever. How is it possible to
extort a meaning from all this jargon about 'devil's seats,' 'death's-heads,' and 'bishop's
hostel'?"

"I confess," replied Legrand, "that the matter still wears a serious aspect, when regarded
with a casual glance. My first endeavor was to divide the sentence into the natural
division intended by the cryptographist."

"You mean, to punctuate it?"

"Something of that kind."

"But how was it possible to effect this?"

"I reflected that it had been a point with the writer to run his words together without
division, so as to increase the difficulty of solution. Now, a not overacute man, in
pursuing such an object, would be nearly certain to overdo the matter. When, in the
course of his composition, he arrived at a break in his subject which would naturally
require a pause, or a point, he would be exceedingly apt to run his characters, at this
place, more than usually close together. If you will observe the MS., in the present
instance, you will easily detect five such cases of unusual crowding. Acting on this hint, I
made the division thus:

'A good glass in the bishop's hostel in the devil's —twenty-one degrees and thirteen
minutes —northeast and by north —main branch seventh limb east side —shoot from the
left eye of the death's-head —a bee-line from the tree through the shot fifty feet out.'"

"Even this division," said I, "leaves me still in the dark."

"It left me also in the dark," replied Legrand, "for a few days; during which I made
diligent inquiry, in the neighborhood of Sullivan's Island, for any building which went by
the name of the 'Bishop's Hotel'; for, of course, I dropped the obsolete word 'hostel.'
Gaining no information on the subject, I was on the point of extending my sphere of
search, and proceeding in a more systematic manner, when, one morning, it entered into
my head, quite suddenly, that this 'Bishop's Hostel' might have some reference to an old
family, of the name of Bessop, which, time out of mind, had held possession of an
ancient manor-house, about four miles to the northward of the Island. I accordingly went
over to the plantation, and reinstituted my inquiries among the older negroes of the place.
At length one of the most aged of the women said that she had heard of such a place as

Bessop's Castle, and thought that she could guide me to it, but that it was not a castle, nor
a tavern, but a high rock.

"I offered to pay her well for her trouble, and, after some demur, she consented to
accompany me to the spot. We found it without much difficulty, when, dismissing her, I
proceeded to examine the place. The 'castle' consisted of an irregular assemblage of cliffs
and rocks —one of the latter being quite remarkable for its height as well as for its
insulated and artificial appearance. I clambered to its apex, and then felt much at a loss as
to what should be next done.

"While I was busied in reflection, my eyes fell upon a narrow ledge in the eastern face of
the rock, perhaps a yard below the summit on which I stood. This ledge projected about
eighteen inches, and was not more than a foot wide, while a niche in the cliff just above
it, gave it a rude resemblance to one of the hollow -backed chairs used by our ancestors. I
made no doubt that here was the 'devil's-seat' alluded to in the MS., and now I seemed to
grasp the full secret of the riddle.

"The 'good glass,' I knew, could have reference to nothing but a telescope; for the word
'glass' is rarely employed in any other sense by seamen. Now here, I at once saw, was a
telescope to be used, and a definite point of view, admitting no variation, from which to
use it. Nor did I hesitate to believe that the phrases, 'twenty-one degrees and thirteen
minutes,' and northeast and by north,' were intended as directions for the levelling of the
glass. Greatly excited by these discoveries, I hurried home, procured a telescope, and
returned to the rock.

"I let myself down to the ledge, and found that it was impossible to retain a seat on it
unless in one particular position. This fact confirmed my preconceived idea. I proceeded
to use the glass. Of course, the 'twenty-one degrees and thirteen minutes' could allude to
nothing but elevation above the visible horizon, since the horizontal direction was clearly
indicated by the words, 'northeast and by north.' This latter direction I at once established
by means of a pocket-compass; then, pointing the glass as nearly at an angle of twenty-
one degrees of elevation as I could do it by guess, I moved it cautiously up or down, until
my attention was arrested by a circular rift or opening in the foliage of a large tree that
overtopped its fellows in the distance. In the centre of this rift I perceived a white spot,
but could not, at first, distinguish what it was. Adjusting the focus of the telescope, I
again looked, and now made it out to be a human skull.

"On this discovery I was so sanguine as to consider the enigma solved; for the phrase
'main branch, seventh limb, east side,' could refer only to the position of the skull on the
tree, while shoot from the left eye of the death's-head' admitted, also, of but one
interpretation, in regard to a search for buried treasure. I perceived that the design was to
drop a bullet from the left eye of the skull, and that a bee-line, or, in other words, a
straight line, drawn from the nearest point of the trunk through 'the shot,' (or the spot
where the bullet fell,) and thence extended to a distance of fifty feet, would indicate a
definite point —and beneath this point I thought it at least possible that a deposit of value
lay concealed."

"All this," I said, "is exceedingly clear, and, although ingenious, still simple and explicit.
When you left the Bishop's Hotel, what then?"

"Why, having carefully taken the bearings of the tree, I turned homewards. The instant
that I left 'the devil's seat,' however, the circular rift vanished; nor could I get a glimpse of
it afterwards, turn as I would. What seems to me the chief ingenuity in this whole
business, is the fact (for repeated experiment has convinced me it is a fact) that the
circular opening in question is visible from no other attainable point of view than that
afforded by the narrow ledge on the face of the rock.

"In this expedition to the 'Bishop's Hotel' I had been attended by Jupiter, who had, no
doubt, observed, for some weeks past, the abstraction of my demeanor, and took especial
care not to leave me alone. But, on the next day, getting up very early, I contrived to give
him the slip, and went into the hills in search of the tree. After much toil I found it. When
I came home at night my valet proposed to give me a flogging. With the rest of the
adventure I believe you are as well acquainted as myself."

"I suppose," said I, "you missed the spot, in the first attempt at digging through Jupiter's
stupidity in letting the bug fall through the right instead of the left of the skull."

"Precisely. This mistake made a difference of about two inches and a half in the 'shot' —
that is to say, in the position of the peg nearest the tree; and had the treasure been beneath
the 'shot,' the error would have been of little moment; but the 'shot,' together with the
nearest point of the tree, were merely two points for the establishment of a line of
direction; of course the error, however trivial in the beginning, increased as we proceeded
with the line, and by the time we had gone fifty feet, threw us quite off the scent. But for
my deep-seated convictions that treasure was here somewhere actually buried, we might
have had all our labor in vain."

"I presume the fancy of the skull, of letting fall a bullet through the skull's eye —was
suggested to Kidd by the piratical flag. No doubt he felt a kind of poetical consistency in
recovering his money through this ominous insignium."

"Perhaps so; still I cannot help thinking that common-sense had quite as much to do with
the matter as poetical consistency. To be visible from the devil's-seat, it was necessary
that the object, if small, should be white; and there is nothing like your human skull for
retaining and even increasing its whiteness under exposure to all vicissitudes of weather."

"But your grandiloquence, and your conduct in swinging the beetle —how excessively
odd! I was sure you were mad. And why did you insist on letting fall the bug, instead of a
bullet, from the skull?"

"Why, to be frank, I felt somewhat annoyed by your evident suspicions touching my
sanity, and so resolved to punish you quietly, in my own way, by a little bit of sober
mystification. For this reason I swung the beetle, and for this reason I let it fall from the
tree. An observation of yours about its great weight suggested the latter idea."

"Yes, I perceive; and now there is only one point which puzzles me. What are we to make
of the skeletons found in the hole?"

"That is a question I am no more able to answer than yourself. There seems, however,
only one plausible way of accounting for them -and yet it is dreadful to believe in such
atrocity as my suggestion would imply. It is clear that Kidd —if Kidd indeed secreted this
treasure, which I doubt not -it is clear that he must have had assistance in the labor. But,
the worst of this labor concluded, he may have thought it expedient to remove all
participants in his secret. Perhaps a couple of blows with a mattock were sufficient, while
his coadjutors were busy in the pit; perhaps it required a dozen —who shall tell?"

THE END

THE HAPPIEST DAY, THE HAPPIEST HOUR

by Edgar Allan Poe

1827

The happiest day-the happiest hour
My sear'd and blighted heart hath known,
The highest hope of pride and power,
I feel hath flown.

Of power! said I? yes! such I ween;
But they have vanish'd long, alas!
The visions of my youth have been-
But let them pass.

And, pride, what have I now with thee?
Another brow may even inherit
The venom thou hast pour'd on me
Be still, my spirit!

The happiest day-the happiest hour
Mine eyes shall see-have ever seen.
The brightest glance of pride and power,
I feel-have been:

But were that hope of pride and power
Now offer'd with the pain
Even then I felt-that brightest hour
I would not live again:

For on its wing was dark alloy.
And, as it flutter'd-fell
An essence-powerful to destroy
A soul that knew it well.

THE END

THE HAUNTED PALACE

by Edgar Allan Poe

1839

In the greenest of our valleys
By good angels tenanted,
Once a fair and stately palace-
Radiant palace-reared its head.
In the monarch Thought's dominion-
It stood there!

Never seraph spread a pinion
Over fabric half so fair!

Banners yellow, glorious, golden.

On its roof did float and flow,

(This-all this-was in the olden

Time long ago,)

And every gentle air that dallied.

In that sweet day.

Along the ramparts plumed and pallid,

A winged odor went away.

Wanderers in that happy valley.

Through two luminous windows, saw

Spirits moving musically.

To a lute's well- tuned law.

Round about a throne where, sitting

(Porphyrogene!)

In state his glory well-befitting.

The ruler of the realm was seen.

And all with pearl and ruby glowing

Was the fair palace door.

Through which came flowing, flowing, flowing.

And sparkling evermore,

A troop of Echoes, whose sweet duty

Was but to sing.

In voices of surpassing beauty.

The wit and wisdom of their king.

But evil things, in robes of sorrow.
Assailed the monarch's high estate.

(Ah, let us mourn !-for never morrow
Shall dawn upon him desolate!)
And round about his home the glory
That blushed and bloomed,
Is but a dim-remembered story
Of the old time entombed.

And travellers, now, within that valley.
Through the red-litten windows see
Vast forms, that move fantastically
To a discordant melody.
While, like a ghastly rapid river.
Through the pale door
A hideous throng rush out forever
And laugh-but smile no more.

THE END

THE IMP OF THE PERVERSE

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

IN THE consideration of the faculties and impulses-of the prima mobilia of the human
soul, the phrenologists have failed to make room for a propensity which, although
obviously existing as a radical, primitive, irreducible sentiment, has been equally
overlooked by all the moralists who have preceded them. In the pure arrogance of the
reason, we have all overlooked it. We have suffered its existence to escape our senses,
solely through want of belief-of faith ;-whether it be faith in Revelation, or faith in the
Kabbala. The idea of it has never occurred to us, simply because of its supererogation.
We saw no need of the impulse-for the propensity. We could not perceive its necessity.
We could not understand, that is to say, we could not have understood, had the notion of
this primum mobile ever obtruded itself;-we could not have understood in what manner it
might be made to further the objects of humanity, either temporal or eternal. It cannot be
denied that phrenology and, in great measure, all metaphysicianism have been concocted
a priori. The intellectual or logical man, rather than the understanding or observant man,
set himself to imagine designs-to dictate purposes to God. Having thus fathomed, to his
satisfaction, the intentions of Jehovah, out of these intentions he built his innumerable
systems of mind. In the matter of phrenology, for example, we first determined, naturally
enough, that it was the design of the Deity that man should eat. We then assigned to man
an organ of alimentiveness, and this organ is the scourge with which the Deity compels
man, will-I nill-I, into eating. Secondly, having settled it to be God's will that man should
continue his species, we discovered an organ of amativeness, forthwith. And so with
combativeness, with ideality, with causality, with constructiveness,-so, in short, with
every organ, whether representing a propensity, a moral sentiment, or a faculty of the
pure intellect. And in these arrangements of the Principia of human action, the
Spurzheimites, whether right or wrong, in part, or upon the whole, have but followed, in
principle, the footsteps of their predecessors: deducing and establishing every thing from
the preconceived destiny of man, and upon the ground of the objects of his Creator.

It would have been wiser, it would have been safer, to classify (if classify we must) upon
the basis of what man usually or occasionally did, and was always occasionally doing,
rather than upon the basis of what we took it for granted the Deity intended him to do. If
we cannot comprehend God in his visible works, how then in his inconceivable thoughts,
that call the works into being? If we cannot understand him in his objective creatures,
how then in his substantive moods and phases of creation?

Induction, a posteriori, would have brought phrenology to admit, as an innate and
primitive principle of human action, a paradoxical something, which we may call
perverseness, for want of a more characteristic term. In the sense I intend, it is, in fact, a
mobile without motive, a motive not motivirt. Through its promptings we act without

comprehensible object; or, if this shall be understood as a contradiction in terms, we may
so far modify the proposition as to say, that through its promptings we act, for the reason
that we should not. In theory, no reason can be more unreasonable, but, in fact, there is
none more strong. With certain minds, under certain conditions, it becomes absolutely
irresistible. I am not more certain that I breathe, than that the assurance of the wrong or
error of any action is often the one unconquerable force which impels us, and alone
impels us to its prosecution. Nor will this overwhelming tendency to do wrong for the
wrong's sake, admit of analysis, or resolution into ulterior elements. It is a radical, a
primitive impulse-elementary. It will be said, I am aware, that when we persist in acts
because we feel we should not persist in them, our conduct is but a modification of that
which ordinarily springs from the combativeness of phrenology. But a glance will show
the fallacy of this idea. The phrenological combativeness has for its essence, the necessity
of self-defence. It is our safeguard against injury. Its principle regards our well-being;
and thus the desire to be well is excited simultaneously with its development. It follows,
that the desire to be well must be excited simultaneously with any principle which shall
be merely a modification of combativeness, but in the case of that something which I
term perverseness, the desire to be well is not only not aroused, but a strongly
antagonistical sentiment exists.

An appeal to one's own heart is, after all, the best reply to the sophistry just noticed. No
one who trustingly consults and thoroughly questions his own soul, will be disposed to
deny the entire radicalness of the propensity in question. It is not more incomprehensible
than distinctive. There lives no man who at some period has not been tormented, for
example, by an earnest desire to tantalize a listener by circumlocution. The speaker is
aware that he displeases; he has every intention to please, he is usually curt, precise, and
clear, the most laconic and luminous language is struggling for utterance upon his tongue,
it is only with difficulty that he restrains himself from giving it flow; he dreads and
deprecates the anger of him whom he addresses; yet, the thought strikes him, that by
certain involutions and parentheses this anger may be engendered. That single thought is
enough. The impulse increases to a wish, the wish to a desire, the desire to an
uncontrollable longing, and the longing (to the deep regret and mortification of the
speaker, and in defiance of all consequences) is indulged.

We have a task before us which must be speedily performed. We know that it will be
ruinous to make delay. The most important crisis of our life calls, trumpet-tongued, for
immediate energy and action. We glow, we are consumed with eagerness to commence
the work, with the anticipation of whose glorious result our whole souls are on fire. It
must, it shall be undertaken to-day, and yet we put it off until to-morrow, and why? There
is no answer, except that we feel perverse, using the word with no comprehension of the
principle. To-morrow arrives, and with it a more impatient anxiety to do our duty, but
with this very increase of anxiety arrives, also, a nameless, a positively fearful, because
unfathomable, craving for delay. This craving gathers strength as the moments fly. The
last hour for action is at hand. We tremble with the violence of the conflict within us,-of
the definite with the indefinite-of the substance with the shadow. But, if the contest have
proceeded thus far, it is the shadow which prevails,-we struggle in vain. The clock
strikes, and is the knell of our welfare. At the same time, it is the chanticleer- note to the

ghost that has so long overawed us. It flies-it disappears-we are free. The old energy
returns. We will labor now. Alas, it is too late!

We stand upon the brink of a precipice. We peer into the abyss-we grow sick and dizzy.
Our first impulse is to shrink from the danger. Unaccountably we remain. By slow
degrees our sickness and dizziness and horror become merged in a cloud of unnamable
feeling. By gradations, still more imperceptible, this cloud assumes shape, as did the
vapor from the bottle out of which arose the genius in the Arabian Nights. But out of this
our cloud upon the precipice's edge, there grows into palpability, a shape, far more
terrible than any genius or any demon of a tale, and yet it is but a thought, although a
fearful one, and one which chills the very marrow of our bones with the fierceness of the
delight of its horror. It is merely the idea of what would be our sensations during the
sweeping precipitancy of a fall from such a height. And this fall-this rushing
annihilation- for the very reason that it involves that one most ghastly and loathsome of
all the most ghastly and loathsome images of death and suffering which have ever
presented themselves to our imagination-for this very cause do we now the most vividly
desire it. And because our reason violently deters us from the brink, therefore do we the
most impetuously approach it. There is no passion in nature so demoniacally impatient,
as that of him who, shuddering upon the edge of a precipice, thus meditates a Plunge. To
indulge, for a moment, in any attempt at thought, is to be inevitably lost; for reflection
but urges us to forbear, and therefore it is, I say, that we cannot. If there be no friendly
arm to check us, or if we fail in a sudden effort to prostrate ourselves backward from the
abyss, we plunge, and are destroyed.

Examine these similar actions as we will, we shall find them resulting solely from the
spirit of the Perverse. We perpetrate them because we feel that we should not. Beyond or
behind this there is no intelligible principle; and we might, indeed, deem this
perverseness a direct instigation of the Arch-Fiend, were it not occasionally known to
operate in furtherance of good.

I have said thus much, that in some measure I may answer your question, that I may
explain to you why I am here, that I may assign to you something that shall have at least
the faint aspect of a cause for my wearing these fetters, and for my tenanting this cell of
the condemned. Had I not been thus prolix, you might either have misunderstood me
altogether, or, with the rabble, have fancied me mad. As it is, you will easily perceive that
I am one of the many uncounted victims of the Imp of the Perverse.

It is impossible that any deed could have been wrought with a more thorough
deliberation. For weeks, for months, I pondered upon the means of the murder. I rejected
a thousand schemes, because their accomplishment involved a chance of detection. At
length, in reading some French Memoirs, I found an account of a nearly fatal illness that
occurred to Madame Pilau, through the agency of a candle accidentally poisoned. The
idea struck my fancy at once. I knew my victim's habit of reading in bed. I knew, too, that
his apartment was narrow and ill-ventilated. But I need not vex you with impertinent
details. I need not describe the easy artifices by which I substituted, in his bed-room
candle-stand, a wax-light of my own making for the one which I there found. The next

morning he was discovered dead in his bed, and the Coroner's verdict was-"Death by the
visitation of God."

Having inherited his estate, all went well with me for years. The idea of detection never
once entered my brain. Of the remains of the fatal taper I had myself carefully disposed. I
had left no shadow of a clew by which it would be possible to convict, or even to suspect
me of the crime. It is inconceivable how rich a sentiment of satisfaction arose in my
bosom as I reflected upon my absolute security. For a very long period of time I was
accustomed to revel in this sentiment. It afforded me more real delight than all the mere
worldly advantages accruing from my sin. But there arrived at length an epoch, from
which the pleasurable feeling grew, by scarcely perceptible gradations, into a haunting
and harassing thought. It harassed because it haunted. I could scarcely get rid of it for an
instant. It is quite a common thing to be thus annoyed with the ringing in our ears, or
rather in our memories, of the burthen of some ordinary song, or some unimpressive
snatches from an opera. Nor will we be the less tormented if the song in itself be good, or
the opera air meritorious. In this manner, at last, I would perpetually catch myself
pondering upon my security, and repeating, in a low undertone, the phrase, "I am safe."

One day, whilst sauntering along the streets, I arrested myself in the act of murmuring,
half aloud, these customary syllables. In a fit of petulance, I remodelled them thus; "I am
safe-I am safe- yes-if I be not fool enough to make open confession!"

No sooner had I spoken these words, than I felt an icy chill creep to my heart. I had had
some experience in these fits of perversity, (whose nature I have been at some trouble to
explain), and I remembered well that in no instance I had successfully resisted their
attacks. And now my own casual self-suggestion that I might possibly be fool enough to
confess the murder of which I had been guilty, confronted me, as if the very ghost of him
whom I had murdered-and beckoned me on to death.

At first, I made an effort to shake off this nightmare of the soul. I walked vigorously-
faster-still faster-at length I ran. I felt a maddening desire to shriek aloud. Every
succeeding wave of thought overwhelmed me with new terror, for, alas! I well, too well
understood that to think, in my situation, was to be lost. I still quickened my pace. I
bounded like a madman through the crowded thoroughfares. At length, the populace took
the alarm, and pursued me. I felt then the consummation of my fate. Could I have torn out
my tongue, I would have done it, but a rough voice resounded in my ears-a rougher grasp
seized me by the shoulder. I turned-I gasped for breath. For a moment I experienced all
the pangs of suffocation; I became blind, and deaf, and giddy; and then some invisible
fiend, I thought, struck me with his broad palm upon the back. The long imprisoned
secret burst forth from my soul.

They say that I spoke with a distinct enunciation, but with marked emphasis and
passionate hurry, as if in dread of interruption before concluding the brief, but pregnant
sentences that consigned me to the hangman and to hell.

Having related all that was necessary for the fullest judicial conviction, I fell prostrate in
a swoon.

But why shall I say more? To-day I wear these chains, and am here! To-morrow I shall be
fetterless !-but where?

THE END

THE ISLAND OF THE FAY

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

Nullus enim locus sine genio est.
SERVIUS

"LA MUSIQUE," says Marmontel, in those "Contes Moraux"* which in all our
translations, we have insisted upon calling "Moral Tales," as if in mockery of their spirit-
"la musique est le seul des talents qui jouissent de lui-meme; tous les autres veulent des
temoins." He here confounds the pleasure derivable from sweet sounds with the capacity
for creating them. No more than any other talent, is that for music susceptible of
complete enjoyment, where there is no second party to appreciate its exercise. And it is
only in common with other talents that it produces effects which may be fully enjoyed in
solitude. The idea which the raconteur has either failed to entertain clearly, or has
sacrificed in its expression to his national love of point, is, doubtless, the very tenable one
that the higher order of music is the most thoroughly estimated when we are exclusively
alone. The proposition, in this form, will be admitted at once by those who love the lyre
for its own sake, and for its spiritual uses. But there is one pleasure still within the reach
of f Allan mortality and perhaps only one-which owes even more than does music to the
accessory sentiment of seclusion. I mean the happiness experienced in the contemplation
of natural scenery. In truth, the man who would behold aright the glory of God upon earth
must in solitude behold that glory. To me, at least, the presence-not of human life only,
but of life in any other form than that of the green things which grow upon the soil and
are voiceless-is a stain upon the landscape-is at war with the genius of the scene. I love,
indeed, to regard the dark valleys, and the gray rocks, and the waters that silently smile,
and the forests that sigh in uneasy slumbers, and the proud watchful mountains that look
down upon all,-I love to regard these as themselves but the colossal members of one vast
animate and sentient whole-a whole whose form (that of the sphere) is the most perfect
and most inclusive of all; whose path is among associate planets; whose meek
handmaiden is the moon, whose mediate sovereign is the sun; whose life is eternity,
whose thought is that of a God; whose enjoyment is knowledge; whose destinies are lost
in immensity, whose cognizance of ourselves is akin with our own cognizance of the
animalculae which infest the brain-a being which we, in consequence, regard as purely
inanimate and material much in the same manner as these animalculae must thus regard
us.

* Moraux is here derived from moeurs, and its meaning is "fashionable" or more strictly
"of manners."

Our telescopes and our mathematical investigations assure us on every hand-
notwithstanding the cant of the more ignorant of the priesthood-that space, and therefore

that bulk, is an important consideration in the eyes of the Almighty. The cycles in which
the stars move are those best adapted for the evolution, without collision, of the greatest
possible number of bodies. The forms of those bodies are accurately such as, within a
given surface, to include the greatest possible amount of matter;-while the surfaces
themselves are so disposed as to accommodate a denser population than could be
accommodated on the same surfaces otherwise arranged. Nor is it any argument against
bulk being an object with God, that space itself is infinite; for there may be an infinity of
matter to fill it. And since we see clearly that the endowment of matter with vitality is a
principle-indeed, as far as our judgments extend, the leading principle in the operations
of Deity ,-it is scarcely logical to imagine it confined to the regions of the minute, where
we daily trace it, and not extending to those of the august. As we find cycle within cycle
without end,-yet all revolving around one far-distant centre which is the God-head, may
we not analogically suppose in the same manner, life within life, the less within the
greater, and all within the Spirit Divine? In short, we are madly erring, through self-
esteem, in believing man, in either his temporal or future destinies, to be of more moment
in the universe than that vast "clod of the valley" which he tills and contemns, and to
which he denies a soul for no more profound reason than that he does not behold it in
operation.*

* Speaking of the tides, Pomponius Mela, in his treatise "De Situ Orbis," says "either the
world is a great animal, or" etc.

These fancies, and such as these, have always given to my meditations among the
mountains and the forests, by the rivers and the ocean, a tinge of what the everyday world
would not fail to term fantastic. My wanderings amid such scenes have been many, and
far- searching, and often solitary; and the interest with which I have strayed through many
a dim, deep valley, or gazed into the reflected Heaven of many a bright lake, has been an
interest greatly deepened by the thought that I have strayed and gazed alone. What
flippant Frenchman was it who said in allusion to the well-known work of Zimmerman,
that, "la solitude est une belle chose; mais il faut quelqu'un pour vous dire que la solitude
est une belle chose?" The epigram cannot be gainsayed; but the necessity is a thing that
does not exist.

It was during one of my lonely joumeyings, amid a far distant region of mountain locked
within mountain, and sad rivers and melancholy tarn writhing or sleeping within ail-that I
chanced upon a certain rivulet and island. I came upon them suddenly in the leafy June,
and threw myself upon the turf, beneath the branches of an unknown odorous shrub, that
I might doze as I contemplated the scene. I felt that thus only should I look upon it-such
was the character of phantasm which it wore.

On all sides-save to the west, where the sun was about sinking- arose the verdant walls of
the forest. The little river which turned sharply in its course, and was thus immediately
lost to sight, seemed to have no exit from its prison, but to be absorbed by the deep green
foliage of the trees to the east-while in the opposite quarter (so it appeared to me as I lay
at length and glanced upward) there poured down noiselessly and continuously into the
valley, a rich golden and crimson waterfall from the sunset fountains of the sky.

About midway in the short vista which my dreamy vision took in, one small circular
island, profusely verdured, reposed upon the bosom of the stream.

So blended bank and shadow there
That each seemed pendulous in air-
so mirror-like was the glassy water, that it was scarcely possible to say at what point
upon the slope of the emerald turf its crystal dominion began.

My position enabled me to include in a single view both the eastern and western
extremities of the islet; and I observed a singularly-marked difference in their aspects.
The latter was all one radiant harem of garden beauties. It glowed and blushed beneath
the eyes of the slant sunlight, and fairly laughed with flowers. The grass was short,
springy, sweet-scented, and Asphodel-interspersed. The trees were lithe, mirthful, erect-
bright, slender, and graceful,- of eastern figure and foliage, with bark smooth, glossy, and
parti-colored. There seemed a deep sense of life and joy about all; and although no airs
blew from out the heavens, yet every thing had motion through the gentle sweepings to
and fro of innumerable butterflies, that might have been mistaken for tulips with wings.*

* Florem putares nare per liquidum aethera.-P. Commire.

The other or eastern end of the isle was whelmed in the blackest shade. A sombre, yet
beautiful and peaceful gloom here pervaded all things. The trees were dark in color, and
mournful in form and attitude, wreathing themselves into sad, solemn, and spectral
shapes that conveyed ideas of mortal sorrow and untimely death. The grass wore the deep
tint of the cypress, and the heads of its blades hung droopingly, and hither and thither
among it were many small unsightly hillocks, low and narrow, and not very long, that had
the aspect of graves, but were not; although over and all about them the rue and the
rosemary clambered. The shade of the trees fell heavily upon the water, and seemed to
bury itself therein, impregnating the depths of the element with darkness. I fancied that
each shadow, as the sun descended lower and lower, separated itself sullenly from the
trunk that gave it birth, and thus became absorbed by the stream; while other shadows
issued momently from the trees, taking the place of their predecessors thus entombed.

This idea, having once seized upon my fancy, greatly excited it, and I lost myself
forthwith in revery. "If ever island were enchanted," said I to myself, "this is it. This is
the haunt of the few gentle Fays who remain from the wreck of the race. Are these green
tombs theirs?-or do they yield up their sweet lives as mankind yield up their own? In
dying, do they not rather waste away mournfully, rendering unto God, little by little, their
existence, as these trees render up shadow after shadow, exhausting their substance unto
dissolution? What the wasting tree is to the water that imbibes its shade, growing thus
blacker by what it preys upon, may not the life of the Fay be to the death which engulfs
it?"

As I thus mused, with half-shut eyes, while the sun sank rapidly to rest, and eddying
currents careered round and round the island, bearing upon their bosom large, dazzling.

white flakes of the bark of the sycamore-flakes which, in their multiform positions upon
the water, a quick imagination might have converted into any thing it pleased, while I
thus mused, it appeared to me that the form of one of those very Fays about whom I had
been pondering made its way slowly into the darkness from out the light at the western
end of the island. She stood erect in a singularly fragile canoe, and urged it with the mere
phantom of an oar. While within the influence of the lingering sunbeams, her attitude
seemed indicative of joy-but sorrow deformed it as she passed within the shade. Slowly
she glided along, and at length rounded the islet and re-entered the region of light. "The
revolution which has just been made by the Fay," continued I, musingly, "is the cycle of
the brief year of her life. She has floated through her winter and through her summer. She
is a year nearer unto Death; for I did not fail to see that, as she came into the shade, her
shadow fell from her, and was swallowed up in the dark water, making its blackness
more black."

And again the boat appeared and the Fay, but about the attitude of the latter there was
more of care and uncertainty and less of elastic joy. She floated again from out the light
and into the gloom (which deepened momently) and again her shadow fell from her into
the ebony water, and became absorbed into its blackness. And again and again she made
the circuit of the island, (while the sun rushed down to his slumbers), and at each issuing
into the light there was more sorrow about her person, while it grew feebler and far
fainter and more indistinct, and at each passage into the gloom there fell from her a
darker shade, which became whelmed in a shadow more black. But at length when the
sun had utterly departed, the Fay, now the mere ghost of her former self, went
disconsolately with her boat into the region of the ebony flood, and that she issued thence
at all I cannot say, for darkness fell over an things and I beheld her magical figure no
more.

THE END

THE LAKE. TO

by Edgar Allan Poe

1827

In spring of youth it was my lot
To haunt of the wide world a spot
The which I could not love the less-
So lovely was the loneliness
Of a wild lake, with black rock bound,
And the tall pines that towered around.

But when the Night had thrown her pall
Upon that spot, as upon all.
And the mystic wind went by
Murmuring in melody-
Then-ah then I would awake
To the terror of the lone lake.

Yet that terror was not fright.

But a tremulous deUght-

A feeling not the jewelled mine

Could teach or bribe me to define-

Nor Love-although the Love were thine.

Death was in that poisonous wave.

And in its gulf a fitting grave

For him who thence could solace bring

To his lone imagining-

Whose solitary soul could make

An Eden of that dim lake.

THE END

THE LANDSCAPE GARDEN

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

The garden like a lady fair was cut

That lay as if she slumbered in delight,

And to the open skies her eyes did shut;

The azure fields of heaven were 'sembled right

In a large round set withflow'rs of light:

The flowers de luce and the round sparks of dew

That hung upon their azure leaves, did show

Like twinkling stars that sparkle in the ev'ning blue.

GILES FLETCHER

NO MORE remarkable man ever lived than my friend, the young Ellison. He was
remarkable in the entire and continuous profusion of good gifts ever lavished upon him
by fortune. From his cradle to his grave, a gale of the blandest prosperity bore him along.
Nor do I use the word Prosperity in its mere wordly or external sense. I mean it as
synonymous with happiness. The person of whom I speak, seemed bom for the purpose
of foreshadowing the wild doctrines of Turgot, Price, Priestley, and Condorcet-of
exemplifying, by individual instance, what has been deemed the mere chimera of the
perfectionists. In the brief existence of Ellison, I fancy, that I have seen refuted the
dogma-that in man's physical and spiritual nature, lies some hidden principle, the
antagonist of Bliss. An intimate and anxious examination of his career, has taught me to
understand that, in general, from the violation of a few simple laws of Humanity, arises
the Wretchedness of mankind; that, as a species, we have in our possession the as yet
unwrought elements of Content,-and that even now, in the present blindness and
darkness of all idea on the great question of the Social Condition, it is not impossible that
Man, the individual, under certain unusual and highly fortuitous conditions, may be
happy.

With opinions such as these was my young friend fully imbued; and thus is it especially
worthy of observation that the uninterrupted enjoyment which distinguished his life was
in great part the result of preconcert. It is, indeed evident, that with less of the instinctive
philosophy which, now and then, stands so well in the stead of experience, Mr. Ellison
would have found himself precipitated, by the very extraordinary successes of his life,
into the common vortex of Unhappiness which yawns for those of preeminent
endowments. But it is by no means my present object to pen an essay on Happiness. The
ideas of my friend may be summed up in a few words. He admitted but four unvarying
laws, or rather elementary principles, of Bliss. That which he considered chief, was
(strange to say!) the simple and purely physical one of free exercise in the open air. "The
health," he said, "attainable by other means than this is scarcely worth the name." He

pointed to the tillers of the earth-the only people who, as a class, are proverbially more
happy than others-and then he instanced the high ecstasies of the fox-hunter. His second
principle was the love of woman. His third was the contempt of ambition. His fourth was
an object of unceasing pursuit; and he held that, other things being equal, the extent of
happiness was proportioned to the spirituality of this object.

I have said that Ellison was remarkable in the continuous profusion of good gifts lavished
upon him by Fortune. In personal grace and beauty he exceeded all men. His intellect was
of that order to which the attainment of knowledge is less a labor than a necessity and an
intuition. His family was one of the most illustrious of the empire. His bride was the
loveliest and most devoted of women. His possessions had been always ample; but, upon
the attainment of his one and twentieth year, it was discovered that one of those
extraordinary freaks of Fate had been played in his behalf which startle the whole social
world amid which they occur, and seldom fail radically to alter the entire moral
constitution of those who are their objects. It appears that about one hundred years prior
to Mr. Ellison's attainment of his majority, there had died, in a remote province, one Mr.
Seabright Ellison. This gentlemen had amassed a princely fortune, and, having no very
immediate connexions, conceived the whim of suffering his wealth to accumulate for a
century after his decease. Minutely and sagaciously directing the various modes of
investment, he bequeathed the aggregate amount to the nearest of blood, bearing the
name Ellison, who should be alive at the end of the hundred years. Many futile attempts
had been made to set aside this singular bequest; their ex post facto character rendered
them abortive; but the attention of a jealous government was aroused, and a decree finally
obtained, forbidding all similar accumulations. This act did not prevent young Ellison,
upon his twenty-first birth-day, from entering into possession, as the heir of his ancestor,
Seabright, of a fortune of four hundred and fifty millions of dollars.*

* An incident similar in outline to the one here imagined, occurred, not very long ago, in
England. The name of the fortunate heir (who still lives,) is Thelluson. I first saw an
account of this matter in the "Tour" of Prince Puckler Muskau. He makes the sum
received ninety millions of pounds, and observes, with much force, that, "in the
contemplation of so vast a sum, and of the services, to which it might be applied, there is
something even of the sublime." To suit the views of this article, I have followed the
Prince's statement-a grossly exaggerated one, no doubt.

When it had become definitely known that such was the enormous wealth inherited, there
were, of course, many speculations as to the mode of its disposal. The gigantic magnitude
and the immediately available nature of the sum, dazzled and bewildered all who thought
upon the topic. The possessor of any appreciable amount of money might have been
imagined to perform any one of a thousand things. With riches merely surpassing those
of any citizen, it would have been easy to suppose him engaging to supreme excess in the
fashionable extravagances of his time; or busying himself with political intrigues; or
aiming at ministerial power, or purchasing increase of nobility, or devising gorgeous
architectural piles; or collecting large specimens of Virtu; or playing the munificent
patron of Letters and Art; or endowing and bestowing his name upon extensive
institutions of charity. But, for the inconceivable wealth in the actual possession of the

young heir, these objects and all ordinary objects were felt to be inadequate. Recourse
was had to figures; and figures but sufficed to confound. It was seen, that even at three
per cent, the annual income of the inheritance amounted to no less than thirteen millions
and five hundred thousand dollars; which was one million and one hundred and twenty-
five thousand per month; or thirty-six thousand, nine hundred and eighty-six per day, or
one thousand five hundred and forty-one per hour, or six and twenty dollars for every
minute that flew. Thus the usual track of supposition was thoroughly broken up. Men
knew not what to imagine. There were some who even conceived that Mr. Ellison would
divest himself forthwith of at least two-thirds of his fortune as of utterly superfluous
opulence; enriching whole troops of his relatives by division of his superabundance.

I was not surprised, however, to perceive that he had long made up his mind upon a topic
which had occasioned so much of discussion to his friends. Nor was I greatly astonished
at the nature of his decision. In the widest and noblest sense, he was a poet. He
comprehended, moreover, the true character, the august aims, the supreme majesty and
dignity of the poetic sentiment. The proper gratification of the sentiment he instinctively
felt to lie in the creation of novel forms of Beauty. Some peculiarities, either in his early
education, or in the nature of his intellect, had tinged with what is termed materialism the
whole cast of his ethical speculations; and it was this bias, perhaps, which imperceptibly
led him to perceive that the most advantageous, if not the sole legitimate field for the
exercise of the poetic sentiment, was to be found in the creation of novel moods of purely
physical loveliness. Thus it happened that he became neither musician nor poet; if we use
this latter term in its every-day acceptation. Or it might have been that he became neither
the one nor the other, in pursuance of an idea of his which I have already mentioned-the
idea, that in the contempt of ambition lay one of the essential principles of happiness on
earth. Is it not, indeed, possible that while a high order of genius is necessarily ambitious,
the highest is invariably above that which is termed ambition? And may it not thus
happen that many far greater than Milton, have contentedly remained "mute and
inglorious?" I believe the world has never yet seen, and that, unless through some series
of accidents goading the noblest order of mind into distasteful exertion, the world will
never behold, that full extent of triumphant execution, in the richer productions of Art, of
which the human nature is absolutely capable.

Mr. Ellison became neither musician nor poet; although no man lived more profoundly
enamored both of Music and the Muse. Under other circumstances than those which
invested him, it is not impossible that he would have become a painter. The field of
sculpture, although in its nature rigidly poetical, was too limited in its extent and in its
consequences, to have occupied, at any time, much of his attention. And I have now
mentioned all the provinces in which even the most liberal understanding of the poetic
sentiment has declared this sentiment capable of expatiating. I mean the most liberal
public or recognized conception of the idea involved in the phrase "poetic sentiment."
But Mr. Ellison imagined that the richest, and altogether the most natural and most
suitable province, had been blindly neglected. No definition had spoken of the
Landscape-Gardener, as of the poet; yet my friend could not fail to perceive that the
creation of the Landscape-Garden offered to the true muse the most magnificent of
opportunities. Here was, indeed, the fairest field for the display of invention, or

imagination, in the endless combining of forms of novel Beauty; the elements which
should enter into combination being, at all times, and by a vast superiority, the most
glorious which the earth could afford. In the multiform of the tree, and in the multicolor
of the flower, he recognized the most direct and the most energetic efforts of Nature at
physical loveliness. And in the direction or concentration of this effort, or, still more
properly, in its adaption to the eyes which were to behold it upon earth, he perceived that
he should be employing the best means- laboring to the greatest advantage-in the
fulfilment of his destiny as Poet.

"Its adaptation to the eyes which were to behold it upon earth." In his explanation of this
phraseology, Mr. Ellison did much towards solving what has always seemed to me an
enigma. I mean the fact (which none but the ignorant dispute,) that no such combinations
of scenery exist in Nature as the painter of genius has in his power to produce. No such
Paradises are to be found in reality as have glowed upon the canvass of Claude. In the
most enchanting of natural landscapes, there will always be found a defect or an excess-
many excesses and defects. While the component parts may exceed, individually, the
highest skill of the artist, the arrangement of the parts will always be susceptible of
improvement. In short, no position can be attained, from which an artistical eye, looking
steadily, will not find matter of offence, in what is technically termed the composition of
a natural landscape. And yet how unintelligible is this! In all other matters we are justly
instructed to regard Nature as supreme. With her details we shrink from competition.
Who shall presume to imitate the colors of the tulip, or to improve the proportions of the
lily of the valley? The criticism which says, of sculpture or of portraiture, that "Nature is
to be exalted rather than imitated," is in error. No pictorial or sculptural combinations of
points of human loveliness, do more than approach the living and breathing human
beauty as it gladdens our daily path. Byron, who often erred, erred not in saying,

I've seen more living beauty, ripe and real.

Than all the nonsense of their stone ideal.

In landscape alone is the principle of the critic true; and, having felt its truth here, it is but
the headlong spirit of generalization which has induced him to pronounce it true
throughout all the domains of Art. Having, I say, felt its truth here. For the feeling is no
affectation or chimera. The mathematics afford no more absolute demonstrations, than
the sentiment of his Art yields to the artist. He not only believes, but positively knows,
that such and such apparently arbitrary arrangements of matter, or form, constitute, and
alone constitute, the true Beauty. Yet his reasons have not yet been matured into
expression. It remains for a more profound analysis than the world has yet seen, fully to
investigate and express them. Nevertheless is he confirmed in his instinctive opinions, by
the concurrence of all his compeers. Let a composition be defective, let an emendation be
wrought in its mere arrangement of form; let this emendation be submitted to every artist
in the world; by each will its necessity be admitted. And even far more than this, in
remedy of the defective composition, each insulated member of the fraternity will suggest
the identical emendation.

I repeat that in landscape arrangements, or collocations alone, is the physical Nature
susceptible of "exaltation" and that, therefore, her susceptibility of improvement at this
one point, was a mystery which, hitherto I had been unable to solve. It was Mr. Ellison
who first suggested the idea that what we regarded as improvement or exaltation of the
natural beauty, was really such, as respected only the mortal or human point of view; that
each alteration or disturbance of the primitive scenery might possibly effect a blemish in
the picture, if we could suppose this picture viewed at large from some remote point in
the heavens. "It is easily understood," says Mr. Ellison, "that what might improve a
closely scrutinized detail, might, at the same time, injure a general and more distantly-
observed effect." He spoke upon this topic with warmth: regarding not so much its
immediate or obvious importance, (which is little,) as the character of the conclusions to
which it might lead, or of the collateral propositions which it might serve to corroborate
or sustain. There might be a class of beings, human once, but now to humanity invisible,
for whose scrutiny and for whose refined appreciation of the beautiful, more especially
than for our own, had been set in order by God the great landscape-garden of the whole
earth.

In the course of our discussion, my young friend took occasion to quote some passages
from a writer who has been supposed to have well treated this theme.

"There are, properly," he writes, "but two styles of landscape-gardening, the natural and
the artificial. One seeks to recall the original beauty of the country, by adapting its means
to the surrounding scenery; cultivating trees in harmony with the hills or plain of the
neighboring land; detecting and bringing into practice those nice relations of size,
proportion and color which, hid from the common observer, are revealed everywhere to
the experienced student of nature. The result of the natural style of gardening, is seen
rather in the absence of all defects and incongruities-in the prevalence of a beautiful
harmony and order, than in the creation of any special wonders or miracles. The artificial
style has as many varieties as there are different tastes to gratify. It has a certain general
relation to the various styles of building. There are the stately avenues and retirements of
Versailles; Italian terraces; and a various mixed old English style, which bears some
relation to the domestic Gothic or English Elizabethan architecture. Whatever may be
said against the abuses of the artificial landscape-gardening, a mixture of pure art in a
garden scene, adds to it a great beauty. This is partly pleasing to the eye, by the show of
order and design, and partly moral. A terrace, with an old moss-covered balustrade, calls
up at once to the eye, the fair forms that have passed there in other days. The slightest
exhibition of art is an evidence of care and human interest."

"From what I have already observed," said Mr. Ellison, "you will understand that I reject
the idea, here expressed, of 'recalling the original beauty of the country.' The original
beauty is never so great as that which may be introduced. Of course, much depends upon
the selection of a spot with capabilities. What is said in respect to the 'detecting and
bringing into practice those nice relations of size, proportion and color,' is a mere
vagueness of speech, which may mean much, or little, or nothing, and which guides in no
degree. That the true 'result of the natural style of gardening is seen rather in the absence
of all defects and incongruities, than in the creation of any special wonders or miracles,'

is a proposition better suited to the grovelling apprehension of the herd, than to the fervid
dreams of the man of genius. The merit suggested is, at best, negative, and appertains to
that hobbling criticism which, in letters, would elevate Addison into apotheosis. In truth,
while that merit which consists in the mere avoiding demerit, appeals directly to the
understanding, and can thus be foreshadowed in Rule, the loftier merit, which breathes
and flames in invention or creation, can be apprehended solely in its results. Rule applies
but to the excellences of avoidance-to the virtues which deny or refrain. Beyond these
the critical art can but suggest. We may be instructed to build an Odyssey, but it is in vain
that we are told how to conceive a 'Tempest,' an 'Inferno,' a 'Prometheus Bound,' a
'Nightingale,' such as that of Keats, or the 'Sensitive Plant' of Shelley. But, the thing done,
the wonder accomplished, and the capacity for apprehension becomes universal. The
sophists of the negative school, who, through inability to create, have scoffed at creation,
are now found the loudest in applause. What, in its chrysalis condition of principle,
affronted their demure reason, never fails, in its maturity of accomplishment, to extort
admiration from their instinct of the beautiful or of the sublime.

"Our author's observations on the artificial style of gardening," continued Mr. Ellison,
"are less objectionable. 'A mixture of pure art in a garden scene, adds to it a great beauty.'
This is just; and the reference to the sense of human interest is equally so. I repeat that the
principle here expressed, is incontrovertible; but there may be something even beyond it.
There may be an object in full keeping with the principle suggested-an object
unattainable by the means ordinarily in possession of mankind, yet which, if attained,
would lend a charm to the landscape-garden immeasurably surpassing that which a
merely human interest could bestow. The true poet possessed of very unusual pecuniary
resources, might possibly, while retaining the necessary idea of art or interest or culture,
so imbue his designs at once with extent and novelty of Beauty, as to convey the
sentiment of spiritual interference. It will be seen that, in bringing about such result, he
secures all the advantages of interest or design, while relieving his work of all the
harshness and technicality of Art. In the most rugged of wildemesses-in the most savage
of the scenes of pure Nature-there is apparent the art of a Creator; yet is this art apparent
only to reflection; in no respect has it the obvious force of a feeling. Now, if we imagine
this sense of the Almighty Design to be harmonized in a measurable degree, if we
suppose a landscape whose combined strangeness, vastness, definitiveness, and
magnificence, shall inspire the idea of culture, or care, or superintendence, on the part of
intelligences superior yet akin to humanity-then the sentiment of interest is preserved,
while the Art is made to assume the air of an intermediate or secondary Nature-a Nature
which is not God, nor an emanation of God, but which still is Nature, in the sense that it
is the handiwork of the angels that hover between man and God."

It was in devoting his gigantic wealth to the practical embodiment of a vision such as
this-in the free exercise in the open air, which resulted from personal direction of his
plans-in the continuous and unceasing object which these plans afford-in the contempt of
ambition which it enabled him more to feel than to affect-and, lastly, it was in the
companionship and sympathy of a devoted wife, that Ellison thought to find, and found,
an exemption from the ordinary cares of Humanity, with a far greater amount of positive
happiness than ever glowed in the rapt day-dreams of De Stael.

THE MAN OF THE CROWD

by Edgar Allan Poe

1840

Ce grand malheur, de ne pouvoir etre seul.
LA BRUYERE.

IT WAS well said of a certain German book that "er lasst sich nicht lesen"-it does not
permit itself to be read. There are some secrets which do not permit themselves to be told.
Men die nightly in their beds, wringing the hands of ghostly confessors, and looking them
piteously in the eyes-die with despair of heart and convulsion of throat, on account of the
hideousness of mysteries which will not suffer themselves to be revealed. Now and then,
alas, the conscience of man takes up a burden so heavy in horror that it can be thrown
down only into the grave. And thus the essence of all crime is undivulged.

Not long ago, about the closing in of an evening in autumn, I sat at the large bow-
window of the D — Coffee-House in London. For some months I had been ill in health,
but was now convalescent, and, with returning strength, found myself in one of those
happy moods which are so precisely the converse of ennui-moods of the keenest
appetency, when the film from the mental vision departs-achlus os prin epeen- and the
intellect, electrified, surpasses as greatly its everyday condition, as does the vivid yet
candid reason of Leibnitz, the mad and flimsy rhetoric of Gorgias. Merely to breathe was
enjoyment; and I derived positive pleasure even from many of the legitimate sources of
pain. I felt a calm but inquisitive interest in every thing. With a cigar in my mouth and a
newspaper in my lap, I had been amusing myself for the greater part of the afternoon,
now in poring over advertisements, now in observing the promiscuous company in the
room, and now in peering through the smoky panes into the street.

This latter is one of the principal thoroughfares of the city, and had been very much
crowded during the whole day. But, as the darkness came on, the throng momently
increased; and, by the time the lamps were well lighted, two dense and continuous tides
of population were rushing past the door. At this particular period of the evening I had
never before been in a similar situation, and the tumultuous sea of human heads filled me,
therefore, with a delicious novelty of emotion. I gave up, at length, all care of things
within the hotel, and became absorbed in contemplation of the scene without.

At first my observations took an abstract and generalizing turn. I looked at the passengers
in masses, and thought of them in their aggregate relations. Soon, however, I descended
to details, and regarded with minute interest the innumerable varieties of figure, dress,
air, gait, visage, and expression of countenance.

By far the greater number of those who went by had a satisfied, business-like demeanor,
and seemed to be thinking only of making their way through the press. Their brows were
knit, and their eyes rolled quickly; when pushed against by fellow- wayfarers they evinced
no symptom of impatience, but adjusted their clothes and hurried on. Others, still a
numerous class, were restless in their movements, had flushed faces, and talked and
gesticulated to themselves, as if feeling in solitude on account of the very denseness of
the company around. When impeded in their progress, these people suddenly ceased
muttering; but redoubled their gesticulations, and awaited, with an absent and overdone
smile upon their lips, the course of the persons impeding them. If jostled, they bowed
profusely to the jostlers, and appeared overwhelmed with confusion. There was nothing
very distinctive about these two large classes beyond what I have noted. Their
habiliments belonged to that order which is pointedly termed the decent. They were
undoubtedly noblemen, merchants, attorneys, tradesmen, stock-jobbers-the Eupatrids and
the common-places of society-men of leisure and men actively engaged in affairs of their
own-conducting business upon their own responsibility. They did not greatly excite my
attention.

The tribe of clerks was an obvious one; and here I discerned two remarkable divisions.
There were the junior clerks of flash houses- young gentlemen with tight coats, bright
boots, well-oiled hair, and supercilious lips. Setting aside a certain dapperness of
carriage, which may be termed deskism for want of a better word, the manner of these
persons seemed to be an exact facsimile of what had been the perfection of bon ton about
twelve or eighteen months before. They wore the castoff graces of the gentry;-and this, I
believe, involves the best definition of the class.

The division of the upper clerks of staunch firms, or of the "steady old fellows," it was
not possible to mistake. These were known by their coats and pantaloons of black or
brown, made to sit comfortably, with white cravats and waistcoats, broad solid-looking
shoes, and thick hose or gaiters. They had all slightly bald heads, from which the right
ears, long used to pen-holding, had an odd habit of standing off on end. I observed that
they always removed or settled their hats with both bands, and wore watches, with short
gold chains of a substantial and ancient pattern. Theirs was the affectation of
respectability-if indeed there be an affectation so honorable.

There were many individuals of dashing appearance, whom I easily understood as
belonging to the race of swell pick-pockets, with which all great cities are infested. I
watched these gentry with much inquisitiveness, and found it difficult to imagine how
they should ever be mistaken for gentlemen by gentlemen themselves. Their
voluminousness of wristband, with an air of excessive frankness, should betray them at
once.

The gamblers, of whom I descried not a few, were still more easily recognizable. They
wore every variety of dress, from that of the desperate thimble-rig bully, with velvet
waistcoat, fancy neckerchief, gilt chains, and filagreed buttons, to that of the scrupulously
inornate clergyman, than which nothing could be less liable to suspicion. Still all were
distinguished by a certain sodden swarthiness of complexion, a filmy dimness of eye, and

pallor and compression of lip. There were two other traits, moreover, by which I could
always detect them: a guarded lowness of tone in conversation, and a more than ordinary
extension of the thumb in a direction at right angles with the fingers. Very often, in
company with these sharpers, I observed an order of men somewhat different in habits,
but still birds of a kindred feather. They may be defined as the gentlemen who live by
their wits. They seem to prey upon the public in two battalions-that of the dandies and
that of the military men. Of the first grade the leading features are long locks and smiles;
of the second, frogged coats and frowns.

Descending in the scale of what is termed gentility, I found darker and deeper themes for
speculation. I saw Jew pedlars, with hawk eyes flashing from countenances whose every
other feature wore only an expression of abject humility; sturdy professional street
beggars scowling upon mendicants of a better stamp, whom despair alone had driven
forth into the night for charity; feeble and ghastly invalids, upon whom death had placed
a sure hand, and who sidled and tottered through the mob, looking every one
beseechingly in the face, as if in search of some chance consolation, some lost hope;
modest young girls returning from long and late labor to a cheerless home, and shrinking
more tearfully than indignantly from the glances of ruffians, whose direct contact, even,
could not be avoided; women of the town of all kinds and of all ages-the unequivocal
beauty in the prime of her womanhood, putting one in mind of the statue in Lucian, with
the surface of Parian marble, and the interior filled with filth-the loathsome and utterly
lost leper in rags-the wrinkled, bejewelled, and paint-begrimed beldame, making a last
effort at youth-the mere child of immature form, yet, from long association, an adept in
the dreadful coquetries of her trade, and burning with a rabid ambition to be ranked the
equal of her elders in vice; drunkards innumerable and indescribable-some in shreds and
patches, reeling, inarticulate, with bruised visage and lack-lustre eyes-some in whole
although filthy garments, with a slightly unsteady swagger, thick sensual lips, and hearty-
looking rubicund faces-others clothed in materials which had once been good, and which
even now were scrupulously well brushed-men who walked with a more than naturally
firm and springy step, but whose countenances were fearfully pale, and whose eyes were
hideously wild and red; and who clutched with quivering fingers, as they strode through
the crowd, at every object which came within their reach; beside these, pic-men, porters,
coal-heavers, sweeps; organ-grinders, monkey-exhibitors, and ballad-mongers, those who
vended with those who sang; ragged artizans and exhausted laborers of every description,
and all full of a noisy and inordinate vivacity which jarred discordantly upon the ear, and
gave an aching sensation to the eye.

As the night deepened, so deepened to me the interest of the scene; for not only did the
general character of the crowd materially alter (its gentler features retiring in the gradual
withdrawal of the more orderly portion of the people, and its harsher ones coming out
into bolder relief, as the late hour brought forth every species of infamy from its den), but
the rays of the gas-lamps, feeble at first in their struggle with the dying day, had now at
length gained ascendancy, and threw over every thing a fitful and garish lustre. All was
dark yet splendid-as that ebony to which has been likened the style of TertuUian.

The wild effects of the hght enchained me to an examination of individual faces; and
although the rapidity with which the world of light flitted before the window prevented
me from casting more than a glance upon each visage, still it seemed that, in my then
peculiar mental state, I could frequently read, even in that brief interval of a glance, the
history of long years.

With my brow to the glass, I was thus occupied in scrutinizing the mob, when suddenly
there came into view a countenance (that of a decrepid old man, some sixty-five or
seventy years of age)-a countenance which at once arrested and absorbed my whole
attention, on account of the absolute idiosyncrasy of its expression. Any thing even
remotely resembling that expression I had never seen before. I well remember that my
first thought, upon beholding it, was that Retszch, had he viewed it, would have greatly
preferred it to his own pictural incarnations of the fiend. As I endeavored, during the brief
minute of my original survey, to form some analysis of the meaning conveyed, there
arose confusedly and paradoxically within my mind, the ideas of vast mental power, of
caution, of penuriousness, of avarice, of coolness, of malice, of blood-thirstiness, of
triumph, of merriment, of excessive terror, of intense-of supreme despair. I felt singularly
aroused, startled, fascinated. "How wild a history," I said to myself, "is written within
that bosom!" Then came a craving desire to keep the man in view-to know more of him.
Hurriedly putting on all overcoat, and seizing my hat and cane, I made my way into the
street, and pushed through the crowd in the direction which I had seen him take; for he
had already disappeared. With some little difficulty I at length came within sight of him,
approached, and followed him closely, yet cautiously, so as not to attract his attention.

I had now a good opportunity of examining his person. He was short in stature, very thin,
and apparently very feeble. His clothes, generally, were filthy and ragged; but as he
came, now and then, within the strong glare of a lamp, I perceived that his linen, although
dirty, was of beautiful texture; and my vision deceived me, or, through a rent in a closely
buttoned and evidently second-handed roquelaire which enveloped him, I caught a
glimpse both of a diamond and of a dagger. These observations heightened my curiosity,
and I resolved to follow the stranger whithersoever he should go.

It was now fully night-fall, and a thick humid fog hung over the city, soon ending in a
settled and heavy rain. This change of weather had an odd effect upon the crowd, the
whole of which was at once put into new commotion, and overshadowed by a world of
umbrellas. The waver, the jostle, and the hum increased in a tenfold degree. For my own
part I did not much regard the rain-the lurking of an old fever in my system rendering the
moisture somewhat too dangerously pleasant. Tying a handkerchief about my mouth, I
kept on. For half an hour the old man held his way with difficulty along the great
thoroughfare; and I here walked close at his elbow through fear of losing sight of him.
Never once turning his head to look back, he did not observe me. By and by he passed
into a cross street, which, although densely filled with people, was not quite so much
thronged as the main one he had quitted. Here a change in his demeanor became evident.
He walked more slowly and with less object than before- more hesitatingly. He crossed
and re-crossed the way repeatedly, without apparent aim; and the press was still so thick,
that, at every such movement, I was obliged to follow him closely. The street was a

narrow and long one, and his course lay within it for nearly an hour, during which the
passengers had gradually diminished to about that number which is ordinarily seen at
noon in Broadway near the park-so vast a difference is there between a London populace
and that of the most frequented American city. A second turn brought us into a square,
brilliantly lighted, and overflowing with life. The old manner of the stranger reappeared.
His chin fell upon his breast, while his eyes rolled wildly from under his knit brows, in
every direction, upon those who hemmed him in. He urged his way steadily and
perseveringly. I was surprised, however, to find, upon his having made the circuit of the
square, that he turned and retraced his steps. Still more was I astonished to see him repeat
the same walk several times-once nearly detecting me as he came around with a sudden
movement.

In this exercise he spent another hour, at the end of which we met with far less
interruption from passengers than at first. The rain fell fast, the air grew cool; and the
people were retiring to their homes. With a gesture of impatience, the wanderer passed
into a by-street comparatively deserted. Down this, some quarter of a mile long, he
rushed with an activity I could not have dreamed of seeing in one so aged, and which put
me to much trouble in pursuit. A few minutes brought us to a large and busy bazaar, with
the localities of which the stranger appeared well acquainted, and where his original
demeanor again became apparent, as he forced his way to and fro, without aim, among
the host of buyers and sellers.

During the hour and a half, or thereabouts, which we passed in this place, it required
much caution on my part to keep him within reach without attracting his observation.
Luckily I wore a pair of caoutchouc overshoes, and could move about in perfect silence.
At no moment did he see that I watched him. He entered shop after shop, priced nothing,
spoke no word, and looked at all objects with a wild and vacant stare. I was now utterly
amazed at his behavior, and firmly resolved that we should not part until I had satisfied
myself in some measure respecting him.

A loud-toned clock struck eleven, and the company were fast deserting the bazaar. A
shop-keeper, in putting up a shutter, jostled the old man, and at the instant I saw a strong
shudder come over his frame. He hurried into the street, looked anxiously around him for
an instant, and then ran with incredible swiftness through many crooked and peopleless
lanes, until we emerged once more upon the great thoroughfare whence we had started-
the street of the D— Hotel. It no longer wore, however, the same aspect. It was still
brilliant with gas; but the rain fell fiercely, and there were few persons to be seen. The
stranger grew pale. He walked moodily some paces up the once populous avenue, then,
with a heavy sigh, turned in the direction of the river, and, plunging through a great
variety of devious ways, came out, at length, in view of one of the principal theatres. It
was about being closed, and the audience were thronging from the doors. I saw the old
man gasp as if for breath while he threw himself amid the crowd; but I thought that the
intense agony of his countenance had, in some measure, abated. His head again fell upon
his breast; he appeared as I had seen him at first. I observed that he now took the course
in which had gone the greater number of the audience but, upon the whole, I was at a loss
to comprehend the waywardness of his actions.

As he proceeded, the company grew more scattered, and his old uneasiness and
vacillation were resumed. For some time he followed closely a party of some ten or
twelve roisterers; but from this number one by one dropped off, until three only remained
together, in a narrow and gloomy lane, little frequented. The stranger paused, and, for a
moment, seemed lost in thought; then, with every mark of agitation, pursued rapidly a
route which brought us to the verge of the city, amid regions very different from those we
had hitherto traversed. It was the most noisome quarter of London, where every thing
wore the worst impress of the most deplorable poverty, and of the most desperate crime.
By the dim light of an accidental lamp, tall, antique, worm-eaten, wooden tenements
were seen tottering to their fall, in directions so many and capricious, that scarce the
semblance of a passage was discernible between them. The paving-stones lay at random,
displaced from their beds by the rankly-growing grass. Horrible filth festered in the
dammed-up gutters. The whole atmosphere teemed with desolation. Yet, as we
proceeded, the sounds of human life revived by sure degrees, and at length large bands of
the most abandoned of a London populace were seen reeling to and fro. The spirits of the
old man again flickered up, as a lamp which is near its death-hour. Once more he strode
onward with elastic tread. Suddenly a corner was turned, a blaze of light burst upon our
sight, and we stood before one of the huge suburban temples of Intemperance-one of the
palaces of the fiend. Gin.

It was now nearly daybreak; but a number of wretched inebriates still pressed in and out
of the flaunting entrance. With a half shriek of joy the old man forced a passage within,
resumed at once his original bearing, and stalked backward and forward, without
apparent object, among the throng. He had not been thus long occupied, however, before
a rush to the doors gave token that the host was closing them for the night. It was
something even more intense than despair that I then observed upon the countenance of
the singular being whom I had watched so pertinaciously. Yet he did not hesitate in his
career, but, with a mad energy, retraced his steps at once, to the heart of the mighty
London. Long and swiftly he fled, while I followed him in the wildest amazement,
resolute not to abandon a scrutiny in which I now felt an interest all-absorbing. The sun
arose while we proceeded, and, when we had once again reached that most thronged mart
of the populous town, the street of the D— Hotel, it presented an appearance of human
bustle and activity scarcely inferior to what I had seen on the evening before. And here,
long, amid the momently increasing confusion, did I persist in my pursuit of the stranger.
But, as usual, he walked to and fro, and during the day did not pass from out the turmoil
of that street. And, as the shades of the second evening came on, I grew wearied unto
death, and, stopping fully in front of the wanderer, gazed at him steadfastly in the face.
He noticed me not, but resumed his solemn walk, while I, ceasing to follow, remained
absorbed in contemplation. "The old man," I said at length, "is the type and the genius of
deep crime. He refuses to be alone. He is the man of the crowd. It will be in vain to
follow, for I shall learn no more of him, nor of his deeds. The worst heart of the world is
a grosser book than the 'Hortulus Animae,'* and perhaps it is but one of the great mercies
of God that "er lasst sich nicht lesen."

* The "Hortulus Animae cum Oratiunculis Aliquibus Superadditis" of Grunninger.

THE MAN THAT WAS USED UP

A Tale of the Late Bugaboo and Kickapoo Campaign
by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

Pleurez, pleurez, mes yeux, etfondez vous en eau!
La moitie de ma vie a mis V autre au tomb eau.
CORNEILLE

I CANNOT just now remember when or where I first made the acquaintance of that truly
fine-looking fellow, Brevet Brigadier General John A. B. C. Smith. Some one did
introduce me to the gentleman, I am sure-at some public meeting, I know very well-held
about something of great importance, no doubt-at some place or other, I feel convinced,
whose name I have unaccountably forgotten. The truth is-that the introduction was
attended, upon my part, with a degree of anxious embarrassment which operated to
prevent any definite impressions of either time or place. I am constitutionally nervous-
this, with me, is a family failing, and I can't help it. In especial, the slightest appearance
of mystery-of any point I cannot exactly comprehend-puts me at once into a pitiable
state of agitation.

There was something, as it were, remarkable-yes, remarkable, although this is but a
feeble term to express my full meaning-about the entire individuality of the personage in
question. He was, perhaps, six feet in height, and of a presence singularly commanding.
There was an air distingue pervading the whole man, which spoke of high breeding, and
hinted at high birth. Upon this topic-the topic of Smith's personal appearance-I have a
kind of melancholy satisfaction in being minute. His head of hair would have done honor
to a Brutus,-nothing could be more richly flowing, or possess a brighter gloss. It was of a
jetty black,-which was also the color, or more properly the no-color of his unimaginable
whiskers. You perceive I cannot speak of these latter without enthusiasm; it is not too
much to say that they were the handsomest pair of whiskers under the sun. At all events,
they encircled, and at times partially overshadowed, a mouth utterly unequalled. Here
were the most entirely even, and the most brilliantly white of all conceivable teeth. From
between them, upon every proper occasion, issued a voice of surpassing clearness,
melody, and strength. In the matter of eyes, also, my acquaintance was pre-eminently
endowed. Either one of such a pair was worth a couple of the ordinary ocular organs.
They were of a deep hazel exceedingly large and lustrous; and there was perceptible
about them, ever and anon, just that amount of interesting obliquity which gives
pregnancy to expression.

The bust of the General was unquestionably the finest bust I ever saw. For your life you
could not have found a fault with its wonderful proportion. This rare pecuharity set off to

great advantage a pair of shoulders which would have called up a blush of conscious
inferiority into the countenance of the marble Apollo. I have a passion for fine shoulders,
and may say that I never beheld them in perfection before. The arms altogether were
admirably modelled. Nor were the lower limbs less superb. These were, indeed, the ne
plus ultra of good legs. Every connoisseur in such matters admitted the legs to be good.
There was neither too much flesh nor too little,- neither rudeness nor fragility. I could not
imagine a more graceful curve than that of the os femoris, and there was just that due
gentle prominence in the rear of the fibula which goes to the conformation of a properly
proportioned calf. I wish to God my young and talented friend Chiponchipino, the
sculptor, had but seen the legs of Brevet Brigadier General John A. B. C. Smith.

But although men so absolutely fine-looking are neither as plenty as reasons or
blackberries, still I could not bring myself to believe that the remarkable something to
which I alluded just now,-that the odd air of je ne sais quoi which hung about my new
acquaintance,- lay altogether, or indeed at all, in the supreme excellence of his bodily
endowments. Perhaps it might be traced to the manner,-yet here again I could not pretend
to be positive. There was a primness, not to say stiffness, in his carriage-a degree of
measured and, if I may so express it, of rectangular precision attending his every
movement, which, observed in a more diminutive figure, would have had the least little
savor in the world of affectation, pomposity, or constraint, but which, noticed in a
gentleman of his undoubted dimensions, was readily placed to the account of reserve,
hauteur- of a commendable sense, in short, of what is due to the dignity of colossal
proportion.

The kind friend who presented me to General Smith whispered in my ear some few
words of comment upon the man. He was a remarkable man-a very remarkable man-
indeed one of the most remarkable men of the age. He was an especial favorite, too, with
the ladies-chiefly on account of his high reputation for courage.

"In that point he is unrivalled-indeed he is a perfect desperado-a downright fire-eater,
and no mistake," said my friend, here dropping his voice excessively low, and thrilling
me with the mystery of his tone.

"A downright fire-eater, and no mistake. Showed that, I should say, to some purpose, in
the late tremendous swamp-fight, away down South, with the Bugaboo and Kickapoo
Indians." [Here my friend opened his eyes to some extent.] "Bless my soul!-blood and
thunder, and all that!-prodigies of valor!-heard of him of course?-you know he's the
man-"

"Man alive, how do you do? why, how are ye? very glad to see ye, indeed!" here
interrupted the General himself, seizing my companion by the hand as he drew near, and
bowing stiffly but profoundly, as I was presented. I then thought (and I think so still) that
I never heard a clearer nor a stronger voice, nor beheld a finer set of teeth: but I must say
that I was sorry for the interruption just at that moment, as, owing to the whispers and
insinuations aforesaid, my interest had been greatly excited in the hero of the Bugaboo
and Kickapoo campaign.

However, the delightfully luminous conversation of Brevet Brigadier General John A. B.
C. Smith soon completely dissipated this chagrin. My friend leaving us immediately, we
had quite a long tete-a-tete, and I was not only pleased but really-instructed. I never heard
a more fluent talker, or a man of greater general information. With becoming modesty, he
forebore, nevertheless, to touch upon the theme I had just then most at heart-I mean the
mysterious circumstances attending the Bugaboo war-and, on my own part, what I
conceive to be a proper sense of delicacy forbade me to broach the subject; although, in
truth, I was exceedingly tempted to do so. I perceived, too, that the gallant soldier
preferred topics of philosophical interest, and that he delighted, especially, in
commenting upon the rapid march of mechanical invention. Indeed, lead him where I
would, this was a point to which he invariably came back.

"There is nothing at all like it," he would say, "we are a wonderful people, and live in a
wonderful age. Parachutes and rail-roads-mantraps and spring-guns! Our steam-boats are
upon every sea, and the Nassau balloon packet is about to run regular trips (fare either
way only twenty pounds sterling) between London and Timbuctoo. And who shall
calculate the immense influence upon social life-upon arts-upon commerce-upon
literature-which will be the immediate result of the great principles of electro-magnetics!
Nor, is this all, let me assure you! There is really no end to the march of invention. The
most wonderful-the most ingenious-and let me add, Mr.-Mr.-Thompson, I believe, is
your name-let me add, I say the most useful-the most truly useful-mechanical
contrivances are daily springing up like mushrooms, if I may so express myself, or, more
figuratively, like-ah-grasshoppers-like grasshoppers, Mr. Thompson-about us and ah-
ah-ah-aroundus!"

Thompson, to be sure, is not my name; but it is needless to say that I left General Smith
with a heightened interest in the man, with an exalted opinion of his conversational
powers, and a deep sense of the valuable privileges we enjoy in living in this age of
mechanical invention. My curiosity, however, had not been altogether satisfied, and I
resolved to prosecute immediate inquiry among my acquaintances, touching the Brevet
Brigadier General himself, and particularly respecting the tremendous events quorum
pars magna fuit, during the Bugaboo and Kickapoo campaign.

The first opportunity which presented opportunity which presented itself, and which
(horresco referens) I did not in the least scruple to seize, occurred at the Church of the
Reverend Doctor Drummummupp, where I found myself established, one Sunday, just at
sermon time, not only in the pew, but by the side of that worthy and communicative little
friend of mine. Miss Tabitha T. Thus seated, I congratulated myself, and with much
reason, upon the very flattering state of affairs. If any person knew any thing about
Brevet Brigadier General John A. B. C. Smith, that person it was clear to me, was Miss
Tabitha T. We telegraphed a few signals and then commenced, soto voce, a brisk tete-a-
tete.

"Smith!" said she in reply to my very earnest inquiry: "Smith!-why, not General John A.
B. C.? Bless me, I thought you knew all about him! This is a wonderfully inventive age!
Horrid affair that!-a bloody set of wretches, those Kickapoos!-fought like a hero-

prodigies of valor- immortal renown. Smith!-Brevet Brigadier General John A. B. C!
Why, you know he's the man-

"Man," here broke in Doctor Drummummupp, at the top of his voice, and with a thump
that came near knocking the pulpit about our ears; "man that is born of a woman hath but
a short time to live; he cometh up and is cut down like a flower!" I started to the
extremity of the pew, and perceived by the animated looks of the divine, that the wrath
which had nearly proved fatal to the pulpit had been excited by the whispers of the lady
and myself. There was no help for it; so I submitted with a good grace, and listened, in all
the martyrdom of dignified silence, to the balance of that very capital discourse.

Next evening found me a somewhat late visitor at the Rantipole Theatre, where I felt sure
of satisfying my curiosity at once, by merely stepping into the box of those exquisite
specimens of affability and omniscience, the Misses Arabella and Miranda Cognoscenti.
That fine tragedian. Climax, was doing lago to a very crowded house, and I experienced
some little difficulty in making my wishes understood; especially as our box was next the
slips, and completely overlooked the stage.

"Smith!" said Miss Arabella, as she at comprehended the purport of my query; "Smith?-
why, not General John A. B. C?"

"Smith!" inquired Miranda, musingly. "God bless me, did you ever behold a finer
figure?"

"Never, madam, but do tell me-"

"Or so inimitable grace?"

"Never, upon my word!-But pray, inform me-"

"Or so just an appreciation of stage effect?"

"Madam!"

"Or a more delicate sense of the true beauties of Shakespeare? Be so good as to look at
that leg!"

"The devil!" and I turned again to her sister.

"Smith!" said she, "why, not General John A. B. C? Horrid affair that, wasn't it?-great
wretches, those Bugaboos-savage and so on- but we live in a wonderfully inventive
age!-Smith!-0 yes! great man!-perfect desperado-immortal renown-prodigies of valor!
Never heard!" [This was given in a scream.] "Bless my soul! why, he's the man-"

"-mandragora

Nor all the drowsy syrups of the world

Shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep

Which thou ow'dst yesterday!"

here roared our Climax just in my ear, and shaking his fist in my face all the time, in a
way that I couldn't stand, and I wouldn't. I left the Misses Cognoscenti immediately, went
behind the scenes forthwith, and gave the beggarly scoundrel such a thrashing as I trust
he will remember till the day of his death.

At the soiree of the lovely widow, Mrs. Kathleen O'Trump, I was confident that I should
meet with no similar disappointment. Accordingly, I was no sooner seated at the card-
table, with my pretty hostess for a vis-a-vis, than I propounded those questions the
solution of which had become a matter so essential to my peace.

"Smith!" said my partner, "why, not General John A. B. C? Horrid affair that, wasn't it?-
diamonds did you say?-terrible wretches those Kickapoos!-we are playing whist, if you
please, Mr. Tattle- however, this is the age of invention, most certainly the age, one may
say-the age par excellence-speak French?-oh, quite a hero- perfect desperado !-no
hearts, Mr. Tattle? I don't believe it!- Immortal renown and all that!-prodigies of valor!
Never heard! !-why, bless me, he's the man-"

"Mann ?-Cap tain Mann!" here screamed some little feminine interloper from the farthest
comer of the room. "Are you talking about Captain Mann and the duel?-oh, I must hear-
do tell-go on, Mrs. O'Trump !-do now go on!" And go on Mrs. O'Trump did-all about a
certain Captain Mann, who was either shot or hung, or should have been both shot and
hung. Yes! Mrs. O'Trump, she went on, and I-I went off. There was no chance of hearing
any thing farther that evening in regard to Brevet Brigadier General John A. B. C. Smith.

Still I consoled myself with the reflection that the tide of ill-luck would not run against
me forever, and so determined to make a bold push for information at the rout of that
bewitching little angel, the graceful Mrs. Pirouette.

"Smith!" said Mrs. P., as we twirled about together in a pas de zephyr, "Smith ?-why, not
General John A. B. C? Dreadful business that of the Bugaboos, wasn't it?-dreadful
creatures, those Indians !-do turn out your toes! I really am ashamed of you-man of great
courage, poor fellow !-but this is a wonderful age for invention-0 dear me, I'm out of
breath-quite a desperado- prodigies of valor-never heard! !-can't believe it-I shall have to
sit down and enlighten you-Smith! why, he's the man-"

"Man-Fred, I tell you!" here bawled out Miss Bas-Bleu, as I led Mrs. Pirouette to a seat.
"Did ever anybody hear the like? It's Man-Fred, I say, and not at all by any means Man-
Friday." Here Miss Bas-Bleu beckoned to me in a very peremptory manner; and I was
obliged, will I nill I, to leave Mrs. P. for the purpose of deciding a dispute touching the
title of a certain poetical drama of Lord Byron's. Although I pronounced, with great

promptness, that the trae title was Man-Friday, and not by any means Man-Fred yet when
I returned to seek Mrs. Pirouette she was not to be discovered, and I made my retreat
from the house in a very bitter spirit of animosity against the whole race of the Bas-
Bleus.

Matters had now assumed a really serious aspect, and I resolved to call at once upon my
particular friend, Mr. Theodore Sinivate; for I knew that here at least I should get
something like definite information.

"Smith!" said he, in his well known peculiar way of drawling out his syllables; "Smith!-
why, not General John A. B. C? Savage affair that with the Kickapo-o-o-os, wasn't it?
Say, don't you think so?- perfect despera-a-ado-great pity, 'pon my honor! -wonderfully
inventive age!-pro-o-digies of valor! By the by, did you ever hear about Captain Ma-a-a-
a-n?"

"Captain Mann be d-d!" said I; "please to go on with your story."

"Hem!-oh well!-quite la meme cho-o-ose, as we say in France. Smith, eh? Brigadier-
General John A. B. C? I say"-[here Mr. S. thought proper to put his finger to the side of
his nose]-"I say, you don't mean to insinuate now, really and truly, and conscientiously,
that you don't know all about that affair of Smith's, as well as I do, eh? Smith? John A-B-
C? Why, bless me, he's the ma-a-an-"

"Mr. Sinivate," said I, imploringly, "is he the man in the mask?"

"No-o-o!" said he, looking wise, "nor the man in the mo-o-on."

This reply I considered a pointed and positive insult, and so left the house at once in high
dudgeon, with a firm resolve to call my friend, Mr. Sinivate, to a speedy account for his
ungentlemanly conduct and ill breeding.

In the meantime, however, I had no notion of being thwarted touching the information I
desired. There was one resource left me yet. I would go to the fountain head. I would call
forthwith upon the General himself, and demand, in explicit terms, a solution of this
abominable piece of mystery. Here, at least, there should be no chance for equivocation. I
would be plain, positive, peremptory-as short as pie-crust-as concise as Tacitus or
Montesquieu.

It was early when I called, and the General was dressing, but I pleaded urgent business,
and was shown at once into his bedroom by an old negro valet, who remained in
attendance during my visit. As I entered the chamber, I looked about, of course, for the
occupant, but did not immediately perceive him. There was a large and exceedingly odd
looking bundle of something which lay close by my feet on the floor, and, as I was not in
the best humor in the world, I gave it a kick out of the way.

"Hem! ahem! rather civil that, I should say!" said the bundle, in one of the smallest, and
altogether the funniest little voices, between a squeak and a whistle, that I ever heard in
all the days of my existence.

"Ahem! rather civil that I should observe."

I fairly shouted with terror, and made off, at a tangent, into the farthest extremity of the
room.

"God bless me, my dear fellow!" here again whistled the bundle, "what-what-what-why,
what is the matter? I really believe you don't know me at all."

What could I say to all this-what could I? I staggered into an armchair, and, with staring
eyes and open mouth, awaited the solution of the wonder.

"Strange you shouldn't know me though, isn't it?" presently resqueaked the nondescript,
which I now perceived was performing upon the floor some inexplicable evolution, very
analogous to the drawing on of a stocking. There was only a single leg, however,
apparent.

"Strange you shouldn't know me though, isn't it? Pompey, bring me that leg!" Here
Pompey handed the bundle a very capital cork leg, already dressed, which it screwed on
in a trice; and then it stood upright before my eyes.

"And a bloody action it was," continued the thing, as if in a soliloquy; "but then one
mustn't fight with the Bugaboos and Kickapoos, and think of coming off with a mere
scratch. Pompey, I'll thank you now for that arm. Thomas" [turning to me] "is decidedly
the best hand at a cork leg; but if you should ever want an arm, my dear fellow, you must
really let me recommend you to Bishop." Here Pompey screwed on an arm.

"We had rather hot work of it, that you may say. Now, you dog, slip on my shoulders and
bosom. Pettit makes the best shoulders, but for a bosom you will have to go to Ducrow."

"Bosom!" said I.

"Pompey, will you never be ready with that wig? Scalping is a rough process, after all;
but then you can procure such a capital scratch at De L'Orme's."

"Scratch!"

"Now, you nigger, my teeth! For a good set of these you had better go to Parmly's at
once; high prices, but excellent work. I swallowed some very capital articles, though,
when the big Bugaboo rammed me down with the butt end of his rifle."

"Butt end! ram down! ! my eye! !"

"O yes, by the way, my eye-here, Pompey, you scamp, screw it in! Those Kickapoos are
not so very slow at a gouge; but he's a belied man, that Dr. Williams, after all; you can't
imagine how well I see with the eyes of his make."

I now began very clearly to perceive that the object before me was nothing more nor less
than my new acquaintance. Brevet Brigadier General John A. B. C. Smith. The
manipulations of Pompey had made, I must confess, a very striking difference in the
appearance of the personal man. The voice, however, still puzzled me no little; but even
this apparent mystery was speedily cleared up.

"Pompey, you black rascal," squeaked the General, "I really do believe you would let me
go out without my palate."

Hereupon, the negro, grumbling out an apology, went up to his master, opened his mouth
with the knowing air of a horse-jockey, and adjusted therein a somewhat singular- looking
machine, in a very dexterous manner, that I could not altogether comprehend. The
alteration, however, in the entire expression of the General's countenance was
instantaneous and surprising. When he again spoke, his voice had resumed all that rich
melody and strength which I had noticed upon our original introduction.

"D-n the vagabonds!" said he, in so clear a tone that I positively started at the change, "D-
n the vagabonds! they not only knocked in the roof of my mouth, but took the trouble to
cut off at least seven-eighths of my tongue. There isn't Bonfanti's equal, however, in
America, for really good articles of this description. I can recommend you to him with
confidence," [here the General bowed,] "and assure you that I have the greatest pleasure
in so doing."

I acknowledged his kindness in my best manner, and took leave of him at once, with a
perfect understanding of the true state of affairs- with a full comprehension of the
mystery which had troubled me so long. It was evident. It was a clear case. Brevet
Brigadier General John A. B. C. Smith was the man-the man that was used up.

THE END

THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH

by Edgar Allan Poe

1842

THE "Red Death" had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal,
or so hideous. Blood was its Avatar and its seal —the redness and the horror of blood.
There were sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores,
with dissolution. The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the
victim, were the pest ban which shut him out from the aid and from the sympathy of his
fellow-men. And the whole seizure, progress and termination of the disease, were the
incidents of half an hour.

But the Prince Prospero was happy and dauntless and sagacious. When his dominions
were half depopulated, he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light-hearted
friends from among the knights and dames of his court, and with these retired to the deep
seclusion of one of his castellated abbeys. This was an extensive and magnificent
structure, the creation of the prince's own eccentric yet august taste. A strong and lofty
wall girdled it in. This wall had gates of iron. The courtiers, having entered, brought
furnaces and massy hammers and welded the bolts. They resolved to leave means neither
of ingress or egress to the sudden impulses of despair or of frenzy from within. The
abbey was amply provisioned. With such precautions the courtiers might bid defiance to
contagion. The external world could take care of itself. In the meantime it was folly to
grieve, or to think. The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure. There were
buffoons, there were improvisatori, there were ballet-dancers, there were musicians, there
was Beauty, there was wine. All these and security were within. Without was the "Red
Death."

It was toward the close of the fifth or sixth month of his seclusion, and while the
pestilence raged most furiously abroad, that the Prince Prospero entertained his thousand
friends at a masked ball of the most unusual magnificence.

It was a voluptuous scene, that masquerade. But first let me tell of the rooms in which it
was held. There were seven —an imperial suite. In many palaces, however, such suites
form a long and straight vista, while the folding doors slide back nearly to the walls on
either hand, so that the view of the whole extent is scarcely impeded. Here the case was
very different; as might have been expected from the duke's love of the bizarre. The
apartments were so irregularly disposed that the vision embraced but little more than one
at a time. There was a sharp turn at every twenty or thirty yards, and at each turn a novel
effect. To the right and left, in the middle of each wall, a tall and narrow Gothic window
looked out upon a closed corridor which pursued the windings of the suite. These
windows were of stained glass whose color varied in accordance with the prevailing hue
of the decorations of the chamber into which it opened. That at the eastern extremity was

hung, for example, in blue -and vividly blue were its windows. The second chamber was
purple in its ornaments and tapestries, and here the panes were purple. The third was
green throughout, and so were the casements. The fourth was furnished and lighted with
orange —the fifth with white —the sixth with violet. The seventh apartment was closely
shrouded in black velvet tapestries that hung all over the ceiling and down the walls,
falling in heavy folds upon a carpet of the same material and hue. But in this chamber
only, the color of the windows failed to correspond with the decorations. The panes here
were scarlet —a deep blood color. Now in no one of the seven apartments was there any
lamp or candelabrum, amid the profusion of golden ornaments that lay scattered to and
fro or depended from the roof. There was no light of any kind emanating from lamp or
candle within the suite of chambers. But in the corridors that followed the suite, there
stood, opposite to each window, a heavy tripod, bearing a brazier of fire that protected its
rays through the tinted glass and so glaringly illumined the room. And thus were
produced a multitude of gaudy and fantastic appearances. But in the western or black
chamber the effect of the fire-light that streamed upon the dark hangings through the
blood-tinted panes, was ghastly in the extreme, and produced so wild a look upon the
countenances of those who entered, that there were few of the company bold enough to
set foot within its precincts at all.

It was in this apartment, also, that there stood against the western wall, a gigantic clock of
ebony. Its pendulum swung to and fro with a dull, heavy, monotonous clang; and when
the minute-hand made the circuit of the face, and the hour was to be stricken, there came
from the brazen lungs of the clock a sound which was clear and loud and deep and
exceedingly musical, but of so peculiar a note and emphasis that, at each lapse of an hour,
the musicians of the orchestra were constrained to pause, momentarily, in their
performance, to hearken to the sound; and thus the waltzers perforce ceased their
evolutions; and there was a brief disconcert of the whole gay company; and, while the
chimes of the clock yet rang, it was observed that the giddiest grew pale, and the more
aged and sedate passed their hands over their brows as if in confused reverie or
meditation. But when the echoes had fully ceased, a light laughter at once pervaded the
assembly; the musicians looked at each other and smiled as if at their own nervousness
and folly, and made whispering vows, each to the other, that the next chiming of the
clock should produce in them no similar emotion; and then, after the lapse of sixty
minutes, (which embrace three thousand and six hundred seconds of the Time that flies,)
there came yet another chiming of the clock, and then were the same disconcert and
tremulousness and meditation as before.

But, in spite of these things, it was a gay and magnificent revel. The tastes of the duke
were peculiar. He had a fine eye for colors and effects. He disregarded the decora of mere
fashion. His plans were bold and fiery, and his conceptions glowed with barbaric lustre.
There are some who would have thought him mad. His followers felt that he was not. It
was necessary to hear and see and touch him to be sure that he was not.

He had directed, in great part, the moveable embellishments of the seven chambers, upon
occasion of this great fete; and it was his own guiding taste which had given character to
the masqueraders. Be sure they were grotesque. There were much glare and glitter and

piquancy and phantasm —much of what has been since seen in "Hemani." There were
arabesque figures with unsuited limbs and appointments. There were delirious fancies
such as the madman fashions. There was much of the beautiful, much of the wanton,
much of the bizarre, something of the terrible, and not a little of that which might have
excited disgust. To and fro in the seven chambers there stalked, in fact, a multitude of
dreams. And these -the dreams —writhed in and about, taking hue from the rooms, and
causing the wild music of the orchestra to seem as the echo of their steps. And, anon,
there strikes the ebony clock which stands in the hall of the velvet. And then, for a
moment, all is still, and all is silent save the voice of the clock. The dreams are stiff-
frozen as they stand. But the echoes of the chime die away -they have endured but an
instant —and a light, half-subdued laughter floats after them as they depart. And now
again the music swells, and the dreams live, and writhe to and fro more merrily than ever,
taking hue from the many-tinted windows through which stream the rays from the
tripods. But to the chamber which lies most westwardly of the seven, there are now none
of the maskers who venture; for the night is waning away; and there flows a ruddier light
through the blood-colored panes; and the blackness of the sable drapery appals; and to
him whose foot falls upon the sable carpet, there comes from the near clock of ebony a
muffled peal more solemnly emphatic than any which reaches their ears who indulge in
the more remote gaieties of the other apartments.

But these other apartments were densely crowded, and in them beat feverishly the heart
of life. And the revel went whirlingly on, until at length there commenced the sounding
of midnight upon the clock. And then the music ceased, as I have told; and the evolutions
of the waltzers were quieted; and there was an uneasy cessation of all things as before.
But now there were twelve strokes to be sounded by the bell of the clock; and thus it
happened, perhaps, that more of thought crept, with more of time, into the meditations of
the thoughtful among those who revelled. And thus, too, it happened, perhaps, that before
the last echoes of the last chime had utterly sunk into silence, there were many
individuals in the crowd who had found leisure to become aware of the presence of a
masked figure which had arrested the attention of no single individual before. And the
rumor of this new presence having spread itself whisperingly around, there arose at
length from the whole company a buzz, or murmur, expressive of disapprobation and
surprise —then, finally, of terror, of horror, and of disgust.

In an assembly of phantasms such as I have painted, it may well be supposed that no
ordinary appearance could have excited such sensation. In truth the masquerade license
of the night was nearly unlimited; but the figure in question had out-Heroded Herod, and
gone beyond the bounds of even the prince's indefinite decorum. There are chords in the
hearts of the most reckless which cannot be touched without emotion. Even with the
utterly lost, to whom life and death are equally jests, there are matters of which no jest
can be made. The whole company, indeed, seemed now deeply to feel that in the costume
and bearing of the stranger neither wit nor propriety existed. The figure was tall and
gaunt, and shrouded from head to foot in the habiliments of the grave. The mask which
concealed the visage was made so nearly to resemble the countenance of a stiffened
corpse that the closest scrutiny must have had difficulty in detecting the cheat. And yet all
this might have been endured, if not approved, by the mad revellers around. But the

mummer had gone so far as to assume the type of the Red Death. His vesture was
dabbled in blood —and his broad brow, with all the features of the face, was besprinkled
with the scarlet horror.

When the eyes of Prince Prospero fell upon this spectral image (which with a slow and
solemn movement, as if more fully to sustain its role, stalked to and fro among the
waltzers) he was seen to be convulsed, in the first moment with a strong shudder either of
terror or distaste; but, in the next, his brow reddened with rage.

"Who dares?" he demanded hoarsely of the courtiers who stood near him —"who dares
insult us with this blasphemous mockery? Seize him and unmask him —that we may
know whom we have to hang at sunrise, from the battlements!"

It was in the eastern or blue chamber in which stood the Prince Prospero as he uttered
these words. They rang throughout the seven rooms loudly and clearly —for the prince
was a bold and robust man, and the music had become hushed at the waving of his hand.

It was in the blue room where stood the prince, with a group of pale courtiers by his side.
At first, as he spoke, there was a slight rushing movement of this group in the direction of
the intruder, who at the moment was also near at hand, and now, with deliberate and
stately step, made closer approach to the speaker. But from a certain nameless awe with
which the mad assumptions of the mummer had inspired the whole party, there were
found none who put forth hand to seize him; so that, unimpeded, he passed within a yard
of the prince's person; and, while the vast assembly, as if with one impulse, shrank from
the centres of the rooms to the walls, he made his way uninterruptedly, but with the same
solemn and measured step which had distinguished him from the first, through the blue
chamber to the purple —through the purple to the green —through the green to the orange
—through this again to the white —and even thence to the violet, ere a decided movement
had been made to arrest him. It was then, however, that the Prince Prospero, maddening
with rage and the shame of his own momentary cowardice, rushed hurriedly through the
six chambers, while none followed him on account of a deadly terror that had seized upon
all. He bore aloft a drawn dagger, and had approached, in rapid impetuosity, to within
three or four feet of the retreating figure, when the latter, having attained the extremity of
the velvet apartment, turned suddenly and confronted his pursuer. There was a sharp cry -
-and the dagger dropped gleaming upon the sable carpet, upon which, instantly
afterwards, fell prostrate in death the Prince Prospero. Then, summoning the wild
courage of despair, a throng of the revellers at once threw themselves into the black
apartment, and, seizing the mummer, whose tall figure stood erect and motionless within
the shadow of the ebony clock, gasped in unutterable horror at finding the grave-
cerements and corpse-like mask which they handled with so violent a rudeness,
untenanted by any tangible form.

And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death. He had come like a thief in
the night. And one by one dropped the revellers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel,
and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. And the life of the ebony clock went

out with that of the last of the gay. And the flames of the tripods expired. And Darkness
and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all.

THE END

THE MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE

by Edgar Allan Poe

1841

What song the Syrens sang, or what name Achilles assumed when he hid himself among
women, although puzzling questions are not beyond all conjecture. -SIR THOMAS
BROWNE, Urn-Burial.

THE mental features discoursed of as the analytical, are, in themselves, but little
susceptible of analysis. We appreciate them only in their effects. We know of them,
among other things, that they are always to their possessor, when inordinately possessed,
a source of the liveliest enjoyment. As the strong man exults in his physical ability,
delighting in such exercises as call his muscles into action, so glories the analyst in that
moral activity which disentangles. He derives pleasure from even the most trivial
occupations bringing his talents into play. He is fond of enigmas, of conundrums, of
hieroglyphics; exhibiting in his solutions of each a degree of acumen which appears to
the ordinary apprehension preternatural. His results, brought about by the very soul and
essence of method, have, in truth, the whole air of intuition. The faculty of re-solution is
possibly much invigorated by mathematical study, and especially by that highest branch
of it which, unjustly, and merely on account of its retrograde operations, has been called,
as if par excellence, analysis. Yet to calculate is not in itself to analyze. A chess-player,
for example, does the one without effort at the other. It follows that the game of chess, in
its effects upon mental character, is greatly misunderstood. I am not now writing a
treatise, but simply prefacing a somewhat peculiar narrative by observations very much at
random; I will, therefore, take occasion to assert that the higher powers of the reflective
intellect are more decidedly and more usefully tasked by the unostentatious game of
draughts than by all the elaborate frivolity of chess. In this latter, where the pieces have
different and bizarre motions, with various and variable values, what is only complex is
mistaken (a not unusual error) for what is profound. The attention is here called
powerfully into play. If it flag for an instant, an oversight is committed, resulting in injury
or defeat. The possible moves being not only manifold but involute, the chances of such
oversights are multiplied; and in nine cases out of ten it is the more concentrative rather
than the more acute player who conquers. In draughts, on the contrary, where the moves
are unique and have but little variation, the probabilities of inadvertence are diminished,
and the mere attention being left comparatively what advantages are obtained by either
party are obtained by superior acumen. To be less abstract -Let us suppose a game of
draughts where the pieces are reduced to four kings, and where, of course, no oversight is
to be expected. It is obvious that here the victory can be decided (the players being at all
equal) only by some recherche movement, the result of some strong exertion of the
intellect. Deprived of ordinary resources, the analyst throws himself into the spirit of his
opponent, identifies himself therewith, and not unfrequently sees thus, at a glance, the

sole methods (sometimes indeed absurdly simple ones) by which he may seduce into
error or hurry into miscalculation.

Whist has long been noted for its influence upon what is termed the calculating power;
and men of the highest order of intellect have been known to take an apparently
unaccountable delight in it, while eschewing chess as frivolous. Beyond doubt there is
nothing of a similar nature so greatly tasking the faculty of analysis. The best chess-
player in Christendom may be little more than the best player of chess; but proficiency in
whist implies capacity for success in all these more important undertakings where mind
struggles with mind. When I say proficiency, I mean that perfection in the game which
includes a comprehension of all the sources whence legitimate advantage may be derived.
These are not only manifold but multiform, and lie frequently among recesses of thought
altogether inaccessible to the ordinary understanding. To observe attentively is to
remember distinctly; and, so far, the concentrative chess-player will do very well at
whist; while the rules of Hoyle (themselves based upon the mere mechanism of the game)
are sufficiently and generally comprehensible. Thus to have a retentive memory, and to
proceed by "the book," are points commonly regarded as the sum total of good playing.
But it is in matters beyond the limits of mere rule that the skill of the analyst is evinced.
He makes, in silence, a host of observations and inferences. So, perhaps, do his
companions; and the difference in the extent of the information obtained, lies not so
much in the validity of the inference as in the quality of the observation. The necessary
knowledge is that of what to observe. Our player confines himself not at all; nor, because
the game is the object, does he reject deductions from things external to the game. He
examines the countenance of his partner, comparing it carefully with that of each of his
opponents. He considers the mode of assorting the cards in each hand; often counting
trump by trump, and honor by honor, through the glances bestowed by their holders upon
each. He notes every variation of face as the play progresses, gathering a fund of thought
from the differences in the expression of certainty, of surprise, of triumph, or chagrin.
From the manner of gathering up a trick he judges whether the person taking it can make
another in the suit. He recognizes what is played through feint, by the air with which it is
thrown upon the table. A casual or inadvertent word; the accidental dropping or turning
of a card, with the accompanying anxiety or carelessness in regard to its concealment; the
counting of the tricks, with the order of their arrangement; embarrassment, hesitation,
eagerness or trepidation -all afford, to his apparently intuitive perception, indications of
the true state of affairs. The first two or three rounds having been played, he is in full
possession of the contents of each hand, and thenceforward puts down his cards with as
absolute a precision of purpose as if the rest of the party had turned outward the faces of
their own.

The analytical power should not be confounded with simple ingenuity; for while the
analyst is necessarily ingenious, the ingenious man often remarkably incapable of
analysis. The constructive or combining power, by which ingenuity is usually manifested,
and which the phrenologists (I believe erroneously) have assigned a separate organ,
supposing it a primitive faculty, has been so frequently seen in those whose intellect
bordered otherwise upon idiocy, as to have attracted general observation among writers
on morals. Between ingenuity and the analytic ability there exists a difference far greater.

indeed, than that between the fancy and the imagination, but of a character very strictly
analogous. It will found, in fact, that the ingenious are always fanciful, and the truly
imaginative never otherwise than analytic.

The narrative which follows will appear to the reader somewhat in the light of a
commentary upon the propositions just advanced.

Residing in Paris during the spring and part of the summer of 18—, I there became
acquainted with a Monsieur C. Auguste Dupin. This young gentleman was of an
excellent -indeed of an illustrious family, but, by a variety of untoward events, had been
reduced to such poverty that the energy of his character succumbed beneath it, and he
ceased to bestir himself in the world, or to care for the retrieval of his fortunes. By
courtesy of his creditors, there still remained in his possession a small remnant of his
patrimony; and, upon the income arising from this, he managed, by means of a rigorous
economy, to procure the necessaries of life, without troubling himself about its
superfluities. Books, indeed, were his sole luxuries, and in Paris these are easily obtained.

Our first meeting was at an obscure library in the Rue Montmartre, where the accident of
our both being in search of the same very rare and very remarkable volume, brought us
into closer communion. We saw each other again and again. I was deeply interested in
the little family history which he detailed to me with all that candor which a Frenchman
indulges whenever mere self is the theme. I was astonished, too, at the vast extent of his
reading; and, above all, I felt my soul enkindled within me by the wild fervor, and the
vivid freshness of his imagination. Seeking in Paris the objects I then sought, I felt that
the society of such a man would be to me a treasure beyond price; and this feeling I
frankly confided to him. It was at length arranged that we should live together during my
stay in the city; and as my worldly circumstances were somewhat less embarrassed than
his own, I was permitted to be at the expense of renting, and furnishing in a style which
suited the rather fantastic gloom of our common temper, a time-eaten and grotesque
mansion, long deserted through superstitions into which we did not inquire, and tottering
to its fall in a retired and desolate portion of the Faubourg St. Germain.

Had the routine of our life at this place been known to the world, we should have been
regarded as madmen —although, perhaps, as madmen of a harmless nature. Our seclusion
was perfect. We admitted no visitors. Indeed the locality of our retirement had been
carefully kept a secret from my own former associates; and it had been many years since
Dupin had ceased to know or be known in Paris. We existed within ourselves alone.

It was a freak of fancy in my friend (for what else shall I call it?) to be enamored of the
Night for her own sake; and into this bizarrerie, as into all his others, I quietly fell; giving
myself up to his wild whims with a perfect abandon. The sable divinity would not herself
dwell with us always; but we could counterfeit her presence. At the first dawn of the
morning we closed all the massy shutters of our old building; lighted a couple of tapers
which, strongly perfumed, threw out only the ghastliest and feeblest of rays. By the aid of
these we then busied our souls in dreams -reading, writing, or conversing, until warned
by the clock of the advent of the true Darkness. Then we sallied forth into the streets, arm

and arm, continuing the topics of the day, or roaming far and wide until a late hour,
seeking, amid the wild lights and shadows of the populous city, that infinity of mental
excitement which quiet observation can afford.

At such times I could not help remarking and admiring (although from his rich ideality I
had been prepared to expect it) a peculiar analytic ability in Dupin. He seemed, too, to
take an eager delight in its exercise -if not exactly in its display —and did not hesitate to
confess the pleasure thus derived. He boasted to me, with a low chuckling laugh, that
most men, in respect to himself, wore windows in their bosoms, and was wont to follow
up such assertions by direct and very startling proofs of his intimate knowledge of my
own. His manner at these moments was frigid and abstract; his eyes were vacant in
expression; while his voice, usually a rich tenor, rose into a treble which would have
sounded petulantly but for the deliberateness and entire distinctness of the enunciation.
Observing him in these moods, I often dwelt meditatively upon the old philosophy of the
Bi-Part Soul, and amused myself with the fancy of a double Dupin —the creative and the
resolvent.

Let it not be supposed, from what I have just said, that I am detailing any mystery, or
penning any romance. What I have described in the Frenchman, was merely the result of
an excited, or perhaps of a diseased intelligence. But of the character of his remarks at the
periods in question an example will best convey the idea.

We were strolling one night down a long dirty street, in the vicinity of the Palais Royal.
Being both, apparently, occupied with thought, neither of us had spoken a syllable for
fifteen minutes at least. All at once Dupin broke forth with these words:-

"He is a very little fellow, that's true, and would do better for the Theatre des Varietes."

"There can be no doubt of that," I replied unwittingly, and not at first observing (so much
had I been absorbed in reflection) the extraordinary manner in which the speaker had
chimed in with my meditations. In an instant afterward I recollected myself, and my
astonishment was profound.

"Dupin," said I, gravely, "this is beyond my comprehension. I do not hesitate to say that I
am amazed, and can scarcely credit my senses. How was it possible you should know I
was thinking of — ?" Here I paused, to ascertain beyond a doubt whether he really knew of
whom I thought.

-"of Chantilly," said he, "why do you pause? You were remarking to yourself that his
diminutive figure unfitted him for tragedy."

This was precisely what had formed the subject of my reflections. Chantilly was a
quondam cobbler of the Rue St. Denis, who, becoming stage-mad, had attempted the role
of Xerxes, in Crebillon's tragedy so called, and been notoriously Pasquinaded for his
pains.

"Tell me, for Heaven's sake," I exclaimed, "the method —if method there is —by which
you have been enabled to fathom my soul in this matter." In fact I was even more startled
than I would have been willing to express.

"It was the fruiterer," replied my friend, "who brought you to the conclusion that the
mender of soles was not of sufficient height for Xerxes et id genus omne."

"The fruiterer! —you astonish me —I know no fruiterer whomsoever."

"The man who ran up against you as we entered the street -it may have been fifteen
minutes ago."

I now remembered that, in fact, a fruiterer, carrying upon his head a large basket of
apples, had nearly thrown me down, by accident, as we passed from the Rue C— into the
thoroughfare where we stood; but what this had to do with Chantilly I could not possibly
understand.

There was not a particle of charlatanerie about Dupin. "I will explain," he said, "and that
you may comprehend all clearly, we will explain," he said, "and that you may
comprehend all clearly, we will first retrace the course of your meditations, from the
moment in which I spoke to you until that of the rencontre with the fruiterer in question.
The larger links of the chain run thus —Chantilly, Orion, Dr. Nichols, Epicurus,
Stereo tomy, the street stones, the fruiterer."

There are few persons who have not, at some period of their lives, amused themselves in
retracing the steps by which particular conclusions of their own minds have been
attained. The occupation is often full of interest; and he who attempts it for the first time
is astonished by the apparently illimitable distance and incoherence between the starting-
point and the goal. What, then, must have been my amazement when I heard the
Frenchman speak what he had just spoken, and when I could not help acknowledging that
he had spoken the truth. He continued:

"We had been talking of horses, if I remember aright, just before leaving the Rue C— .
This was the last subject we discussed. As we crossed into this street, a fruiterer, with a
large basket upon his head, brushing quickly past us, thrust you upon a pile of paving-
stones collected at a spot where the causeway is undergoing repair. You stepped upon
one of the loose fragments) slipped, slightly strained your ankle, appeared vexed or sulky,
muttered a few words, turned to look at the pile, and then proceeded in silence. I was not
particularly attentive to what you did; but observation has become with me, of late, a
species of necessity.

"You kept your eyes upon the ground —glancing, with a petulant expression, at the holes
and ruts in the pavement, (so that I saw you were still thinking of the stones,) until we
reached the little alley called Lamartine, which has been paved, by way of experiment,
with the overlapping and riveted blocks. Here your countenance brightened up, and,
perceiving your lips move, I could not doubt that you murmured the word 'stereotomy,' a

term very affectedly applied to this species of pavement. I knew that you could not say to
yourself 'stereotomy' without being brought to think of atomies, and thus of the theories
of Epicurus; and since, when we discussed this subject not very long ago, I mentioned to
you how singularly, yet with how little notice, the vague guesses of that noble Greek had
met with confirmation in the late nebular cosmogony, I felt that you could not avoid
casting your eyes upward to the great nebula in Orion, and I certainly expected that you
would do so. You did look up; and I was now assured that I had correctly followed your
steps. But in that bitter tirade upon Chantilly, which appeared in yesterday's 'Musee,' the
satirist, making some disgraceful allusions to the cobbler's change of name upon
assuming the buskin, quoted a Latin line about which we have often conversed. I mean
the line

Perdidit antiquum litera prima sonum.

I had told you that this was in reference to Orion, formerly written Urion; and, from
certain pungencies connected with this explanation, I was aware that you could not have
forgotten it. It was clear, therefore, that you would not fall to combine the ideas of Orion
and Chantilly. That you did combine them I say by the character of the smile which
passed over your lips. You thought of the poor cobbler's immolation. So far, you had
been stooping in your gait; but now I saw you draw yourself up to your full height. I was
then sure that you reflected upon the diminutive figure of Chantilly. At this point I
interrupted your meditations to remark that as, in fact, he was a very little fellow —that
Chantilly -he would do better at the Theatre des Varietes."

Not long after this, we were looking over an evening edition of the "Gazette des
Tribunaux," when the following paragraphs arrested our attention.

"Extraordinary Murders. —This morning, about three o'clock, the inhabitants of the
Quartier St. Roch were aroused from sleep by a succession of terrific shrieks, issuing,
apparently, from the fourth story of a house in the Rue Morgue, known to be in the sole
occupancy of one Madame L'Espanaye, and her daughter. Mademoiselle Camille
L'Espanaye. After some delay, occasioned by a fruitless attempt to procure admission in
the usual manner, the gateway was broken in with a crowbar, and eight or ten of the
neighbors entered, accompanied by two gendarmes. By this time the cries had ceased;
but, as the party rushed up the first flight of stairs, two or more rough voices, in angry
contention, were distinguished, and seemed to proceed from the upper part of the house.
As the second landing was reached, these sounds, also, had ceased, and everything
remained perfectly quiet. The party spread themselves, and hurried from room to room.
Upon arriving at a large back chamber in the fourth story, (the door of which, being
found locked, with the key inside, was forced open,) a spectacle presented itself which
struck every one present not less with horror than with astonishment.

"The apartment was in the wildest disorder —the furniture broken and thrown about in all
directions. There was only one bedstead; and from this the bed had been removed, and
thrown into the middle of the floor. On a chair lay a razor, besmeared with blood. On the
hearth were two or three long and thick tresses of grey human hair, also dabbled in blood.

and seeming to have been pulled out by the roots. Upon the floor were found four
Napoleons, an ear-ring of topaz, three large silver spoons, three smaller of metal d' Alger,
and two bags, containing nearly four thousand francs in gold. The drawers of a bureau,
which stood in one corner, were open, and had been, apparently, rifled, although many
articles still remained in them. A small iron safe was discovered under the bed (not under
the bedstead). It was open, with the key still in the door. It had no contents beyond a few
old letters, and other papers of little consequence.

"Of Madame L'Espanaye no traces were here seen; but an unusual quantity of soot being
observed in the fire-place, a search was made in the chimney, and (horrible to relate!) the
corpse of the daughter, head downward, was dragged therefrom; it having been thus
forced up the narrow aperture for a considerable distance. The body was quite warm.
Upon examining it, many excoriations were perceived, no doubt occasioned by the
violence with which it had been thrust up and disengaged. Upon the face were many
severe scratches, and, upon the throat, dark bruises, and deep indentations of finger nails,
as if the deceased had been throttled to death.

"After a thorough investigation of every portion of the house, without farther discovery,
the party made its way into a small paved yard in the rear of the building, where lay the
corpse of the old lady, with her throat so entirely cut that, upon an attempt to raise her,
the head fell off. The body, as well as the head, was fearfully mutilated —the former so
much so as scarcely to retain any semblance of humanity.

"To this horrible mystery there is not as yet, we believe, the slightest clew."

The next day's paper had these additional particulars.

"The Tragedy in the Rue Morgue. Many individuals have been examined in relation to
this most extraordinary and frightful affair," [The word 'affaire' has not yet, in France,
that levity of import which it conveys with us] "but nothing whatever has transpired to
throw light upon We give below all the material testimony elicited.

"Pauline Dubourg, laundress, deposes that she has known both the deceased for three
years, having washed for them during that period. The old lady and her daughter seemed
on good terms- very affectionate towards each other. They were excellent pay. Could not
speak in regard to their mode or means of living. Believed that Madame L. told fortunes
for a living. Was reputed to have money put by. Never met any persons in the house
when she called for the clothes or took them home. Was sure that they had no servant in
employ. There appeared to be no furniture in any part of the building except in the fourth
story.

"Pierre Moreau, tobacconist, deposes that he has been in the habit of selling small
quantities of tobacco and snuff to Madame L'Espanaye for nearly four years. Was born in
the neighborhood, and has always resided there. The deceased and her daughter had
occupied the house in which the corpses were found, for more than six years. It was
formerly occupied by a jeweller, who under- let the upper rooms to various persons. The

house was the property of Madame L. She became dissatisfied with the abuse of the
premises by her tenant, and moved into them herself, refusing to let any portion. The old
lady was childish. Witness had seen the daughter some five or six times during the six
years. The two lived an exceedingly retired life —were reputed to have money. Had heard
it said among the neighbors that Madame L. told fortunes -did not believe it. Had never
seen any person enter the door except the old lady and her daughter, a porter once or
twice, and a physician some eight or ten times.

"Many other persons, neighbors, gave evidence to the same effect. No one was spoken of
as frequenting the house. It was not known whether there were any living connexions of
Madame L. and her daughter. The shutters of the front windows were seldom opened.
Those in the rear were always closed, with the exception of the large back room, fourth
story. The house was a good house -not very old.

"Isidore Muset, gendarme, deposes that he was called to the house about three o'clock in
the morning, and found some twenty or thirty persons at the gateway, endeavoring to gain
admittance. Forced it open, at length, with a bayonet —not with a crowbar. Had but little
difficulty in getting it open, on account of its being a double or folding gate, and bolted
neither at bottom nor top. The shrieks were continued until the gate was forced —and then
suddenly ceased. They seemed to be screams of some person (or persons) in great agony -
-were loud and drawn out, not short and quick. Witness led the way up stairs. Upon
reaching the first landing, heard two voices in loud and angry contention-the one a gruff
voice, the other much shriller -a very strange voice. Could distinguish some words of the
former, which was that of a Frenchman. Was positive that it was not a woman's voice.
Could distinguish the words 'sacre' and 'diable.' The shrill voice was that of a foreigner.
Could not be sure whether it was the voice of a man or of a woman. Could not make out
what was said, but believed the language to be Spanish. The state of the room and of the
bodies was described by this witness as we described them yesterday.

"Henri Duval, a neighbor, and by trade a silversmith, deposes that he was one of the party
who first entered the house. Corroborates the testimony of Muset in general. As soon as
they forced an entrance, they reclosed the door, to keep out the crowd, which collected
very fast, notwithstanding the lateness of the hour. The shrill voice, the witness thinks,
was that of an Italian. Was certain it was not French. Could not be sure that it was a man's
voice. It might have been a woman's. Was not acquainted with the Italian language.
Could not distinguish the words, but was convinced by the intonation that the speaker
was an Italian. Knew Madame L. and her daughter. Had conversed with both frequently.
Was sure that the shrill voice was not that of either of the deceased.

"— Odenheimer, restaurateur. This witness volunteered his testimony. Not speaking
French, was examined through an interpreter. Is a native of Amsterdam. Was passing the
house at the time of the shrieks. They lasted for several minutes —probably ten. They
were long and loud -very awful and distressing. Was one of those who entered the
building. Corroborated the previous evidence in every respect but one. Was sure that the
shrill voice was that of a man -of a Frenchman. Could not distinguish the words uttered.
They were loud and quick —unequal —spoken apparently in fear as well as in anger. The

voice was harsh -not so much shrill as harsh. Could not call it a shrill voice. The gruff
voice said repeatedly 'sacre,' 'diable' and once 'mon Dieu.'

"Jules Mignaud, banker, of the firm of Mignaud et Fils, Rue Deloraine. Is the elder
Mignaud. Madame L'Espanaye had some property. Had opened an account with his
baking house in the spring of the year —(eight years previously). Made frequent deposits
in small sums. Had checked for nothing until the third day before her death, when she
took out in person the sum of 4000 francs. This sum was paid in gold, and a clerk sent
home with the money.

"Adolphe Le Bon, clerk to Mignaud et Fils, deposes that on the day in question, about
noon, he accompanied Madame L'Espanaye to her residence with the 4000 francs, put up
in two bags. Upon the door being opened. Mademoiselle L. appeared and took from his
hands one of the bags, while the old lady relieved him of the other. He then bowed and
departed. Did not see any person in the street at the time. It is a bye-street —very lonely.

William Bird, tailor, deposes that he was one of the party who entered the house. Is an
Englishman. Has lived in Paris two years. Was one of the first to ascend the stairs. Heard
the voices in contention. The gruff voice was that of a Frenchman. Could make out
several words, but cannot now remember all. Heard distinctly 'sacre' and 'mon Dieu.'
There was a sound at the moment as if of several persons struggling —a scraping and
scuffling sound. The shrill voice was very loud -louder than the gruff one. Is sure that it
was not the voice of an Englishman. Appeared to be that of a German. Might have been a
woman's voice. Does not understand German.

"Four of the above-named witnesses, being recalled, deposed that the door of the
chamber in which was found the body of Mademoiselle L. was locked on the inside when
the party reached it. Every thing was perfectly silent —no groans or noises of any kind.
Upon forcing the door no person was seen. The windows, both of the back and front
room, were down and firmly fastened from within. A door between the two rooms was
closed, but not locked. The door leading from the front room into the passage was locked,
with the key on the inside. A small room in the front of the house, on the fourth story, at
the head of the passage, was open, the door being ajar. This room was crowded with old
beds, boxes, and so forth. These were carefully removed and searched. There was not an
inch of any portion of the house which was not carefully searched. Sweeps were sent up
and down the chimneys. The house was a four story one, with garrets (mansardes). A
trap-door on the roof was nailed down very securely —did not appear to have been
opened for years. The time elapsing between the hearing of the voices in contention and
the breaking open of the room door, was variously stated by the witnesses. Some made it
as short as three minutes -some as long as five. The door was opened with difficulty.

"Alfonzo Garcio, undertaker, deposes that he resides in the Rue Morgue. Is a native of
Spain. Was one of the party who entered the house. Did not proceed up stairs. Is nervous,
and was apprehensive of the consequences of agitation. Heard the voices in contention.
The gruff voice was that of a Frenchman. Could not distinguish what was said. The shrill

voice was that of an Englishman —is sure of this. Does not understand the English
language, but judges by the intonation.

"Alberto Montani, confectioner, deposes that he was among the first to ascend the stairs.
Heard the voices in question. The gruff voice was that of a Frenchman. Distinguished
several words. The speaker appeared to be expostulating. Could not make out the words
of the shrill voice. Spoke quick and unevenly. Thinks it the voice of a Russian.
Corroborates the general testimony. Is an Italian. Never conversed with a native of
Russia.

"Several witnesses, recalled, here testified that the chimneys of all the rooms on the
fourth story were too narrow to admit the passage of a human being. By 'sweeps' were
meant cylindrical sweeping-brushes, such as are employed by those who clean chimneys.
These brushes were passed up and down every flue in the house. There is no back
passage by which any one could have descended while the party proceeded up stairs. The
body of Mademoiselle L'Espanaye was so firmly wedged in the chimney that it could not
be got down until four or five of the party united their strength.

"Paul Dumas, physician, deposes that he was called to view the bodies about day-break.
They were both then lying on the sacking of the bedstead in the chamber where
Mademoiselle L. was found. The corpse of the young lady was much bruised and
excoriated. The fact that it had been thrust up the chimney would sufficiently account for
these appearances. The throat was greatly chafed. There were several deep scratches just
below the chin, together with a series of livid spots which were evidently the impression
of fingers. The face was fearfully discolored, and the eye-balls protruded. The tongue had
been partially bitten through. A large bruise was discovered upon the pit of the stomach,
produced, apparently, by the pressure of a knee. In the opinion of M. Dumas,
Mademoiselle L'Espanaye had been throttled to death by some person or persons
unknown. The corpse of the mother was horribly mutilated. All the bones of the right leg
and arm were more or less shattered. The left tibia much splintered, as well as all the ribs
of the left side. Whole body dreadfully bruised and discolored. It was not possible to say
how the injuries had been inflicted. A heavy club of wood, or a broad bar of iron —a chair
-any large, heavy, and obtuse weapon have produced such results, if wielded by the
hands of a very powerful man. No woman could have inflicted the blows with any
weapon. The head of the deceased, when seen by witness, was entirely separated from the
body, and was also greatly shattered. The throat had evidently been cut with some very
sharp instrument -probably with a razor.

"Alexandre Etienne, surgeon, was called with M. Dumas to view the bodies.
Corroborated the testimony, and the opinions of M. Dumas.

"Nothing farther of importance was elicited, although several other persons were
examined. A murder so mysterious, and so perplexing in all its particulars, was never
before committed in Paris —if indeed a murder has been committed at all. The police are
entirely at fault -an unusual occurrence in affairs of this nature. There is not, however,
the shadow of a clew apparent."

The evening edition of the paper stated that the greatest excitement continued in the
Quartier St. Roch -that the premises in question had been carefully re- searched, and
fresh examinations of witnesses instituted, but all to no purpose. A postscript, however
mentioned that Adolphe Le Bon had been arrested and imprisoned —although nothing
appeared to criminate him, beyond the facts already detailed.

Dupin seemed singularly interested in the progress of this affair -at least so I judged
from his manner, for he made no comments. It was only after the announcement that Le
Bon had been imprisoned, that he asked me my opinion respecting the murders.

I could merely agree with all Paris in considering them an insoluble mystery. I saw no
means by which it would be possible to trace the murderer.

"We must not judge of the means," said Dupin, "by this shell of an examination. The
Parisian police, so much extolled for acumen, are cunning, but no more. There is no
method in their proceedings, beyond the method of the moment. They make a vast parade
of measures; but, not unfrequently, these are so ill adapted to the objects proposed, as to
put us in mind of Monsieur Jourdain's calling for his robe-de-chambre —pour mieux
entendre la musique. The results attained by them are not unfrequently surprising, but, for
the most part, are brought about by simple diligence and activity. When these qualities
are unavailing, their schemes fall. Vidocq, for example, was a good guesser, and a
persevering man. But, without educated thought, he erred continually by the very
intensity of his investigations. He impaired his vision by holding the object too close. He
might see, perhaps, one or two points with unusual clearness, but in so doing he,
necessarily, lost sight of the matter as a whole. Thus there is such a thing as being too
profound. Truth is not always in a well. In fact, as regards the more important knowledge,
I do believe that she is invariably superficial. The depth lies in the valleys where we seek
her, and not upon the mountain-tops where she is found. The modes and sources of this
kind of error are well typified in the contemplation of the heavenly bodies. To look at a
star by glances —to view it in a side-long way, by turning toward it the exterior portions
of the retina (more susceptible of feeble impressions of light than the interior), is to
behold the star distinctly —is to have the best appreciation of its lustre —a lustre which
grows dim just in proportion as we turn our vision fully upon it. A greater number of rays
actually fall upon the eye in the latter case, but, in the former, there is the more refined
capacity for comprehension. By undue profundity we perplex and enfeeble thought; and
it is possible to make even Venus herself vanish from the firmament by a scrutiny too
sustained, too concentrated, or too direct.

"As for these murders, let us enter into some examinations for ourselves, before we make
up an opinion respecting them. An inquiry will afford us amusement," (I thought this an
odd term, so applied, but said nothing) "and, besides, Le Bon once rendered me a service
for which I am not ungrateful. We will go and see the premises with our own eyes. I
know G— , the Prefect of Police, and shall have no difficulty in obtaining the necessary
permission."

The permission was obtained, and we proceeded at once to the Rue Morgue. This is one
of those miserable thoroughfares which intervene between the Rue Richelieu and the Rue
St. Roch. It was late in the afternoon when we reached it; as this quarter is at a great
distance from that in which we resided. The house was readily found; for there were still
many persons gazing up at the closed shutters, with an objectless curiosity, from the
opposite side of the way. It was an ordinary Parisian house, with a gateway, on one side
of which was a glazed watch-box, with a sliding way, on one si panel in the window,
indicating a loge de concierge. Before going in we walked up the street, turned down an
alley, and then, again turning, passed in the rear of the building-Dupin, meanwhile,
examining the whole neighborhood, as well as the house, with a minuteness of attention
for which I could see no possible object.

Retracing our steps, we came again to the front of the dwelling, rang, and, having shown
our credentials, were admitted by the agents in charge. We went up stairs —into the
chamber where the body of Mademoiselle L'Espanaye had been found, and where both
the deceased still lay. The disorders of the room had, as usual, been suffered to exist. I
saw nothing beyond what had been stated in the "Gazette des Tribunaux." Dupin
scrutinized every thing-not excepting the bodies of the victims. We then went into the
other rooms, and into the yard; a gendarme accompanying us throughout. The
examination occupied us until dark, when we took our departure. On our way home my
companion stopped in for a moment at the office of one of the dally papers.

I have said that the whims of my friend were manifold, and that Fe les menageais: -for
this phrase there is no English equivalent. It was his humor, now, to decline all
conversation on the subject of the murder, until about noon the next day. He then asked
me, suddenly, if I had observed any thing peculiar at the scene of the atrocity.

There was something in his manner of emphasizing the word "peculiar," which caused
me to shudder, without knowing why.

"No, nothing peculiar," I said; "nothing more, at least, than we both saw stated in the
paper."

"The 'Gazette,'" he replied, "has not entered, I fear, into the unusual horror of the thing.
But dismiss the idle opinions of this print. It appears to me that this mystery is considered
insoluble, for the very reason which should cause it to be regarded as easy of solution —I
mean for the outre character of its features. The police are confounded by the seeming
absence of motive —not for the murder itself —but for the atrocity of the murder. They are
puzzled, too, by the seeming impossibility of reconciling the voices heard in contention,
with the facts that no one was discovered up stairs but the assassinated Mademoiselle
L'Espanaye, and that there were no means of egress without the notice of the party
ascending. The wild disorder of the room; the corpse thrust, with the head downward, up
the chimney; the frightful mutilation of the body of the old lady; these considerations
with those just mentioned, and others which I need not mention, have sufficed to paralyze
the powers, by putting completely at fault the boasted acumen, of the government agents.
They have fAUan into the gross but common error of confounding the unusual with the

abstruse. But it is by these deviations from the plane of the ordinary, that reason feels its
way, if at all, in its search for the true. In investigations such as we are now pursuing, it
should not be so much asked 'what has occurred,' as 'what has occurred that has never
occurred before.' In fact, the facility with which I shall arrive, or have arrived, at the
solution of this mystery, is in the direct ratio of its apparent insolubility in the eyes of the
police."

I stared at the speaker in mute astonishment.

"I am now awaiting," continued he, looking toward the door of our apartment -"I am
now awaiting a person who, although perhaps not the perpetrator of these butcheries,
must have been in some measure implicated in their perpetration. Of the worst portion of
the crimes committed, it is probable that he is innocent. I hope that I am right in this
supposition; for upon it I build my expectation of reading the entire riddle. I look for the
man here —in this room —every moment. It is true that he may not arrive; but the
probability is that he will. Should he come, it will be necessary to detain him. Here are
pistols; and we both know how to use them when occasion demands their use."

I took the pistols, scarcely knowing what I did, or believing what I heard, while Dupin
went on, very much as if in a soliloquy. I have already spoken of his abstract manner at
such times. His discourse was addressed to myself; but his voice, although by no means
loud, had that intonation which is commonly employed in speaking to some one at a great
distance. His eyes, vacant in expression, regarded only the wall.

"That the voices heard in contention," he said, "by the party upon the stairs, were not the
voices of the women themselves, was fully proved by the evidence. This relieves us of all
doubt upon the question whether the old lady could have first destroyed the daughter, and
afterward have committed suicide. I speak of this point chiefly for the sake of method; for
the strength of Madame L'Espanaye would have been utterly unequal to the task of
thrusting her daughter's corpse up the chimney as it was found; and the nature of the
wounds upon her own person entirely preclude the idea of self-destruction. Murder, then,
has been committed by some third party; and the voices of this third party were those
heard in contention. Let me now advert —not to the whole testimony respecting these
voices -but to what was peculiar in that testimony. Did you observe anything peculiar
about it?"

I remarked that, while all the witnesses agreed in supposing the gruff voice to be that of a
Frenchman, there was much disagreement in regard to the shrill, or, as one individual
termed it, the harsh voice.

"That was the evidence itself," said Dupin, "but it was not the peculiarity of the evidence.
You have observed nothing distinctive. Yet there was something to be observed. The
witnesses, as you remark, agreed about the gruff voice; they were here unanimous. But in
regard to the shrill voice, the peculiarity is not that they disagreed —but that, while an
Italian, an Englishman, a Spaniard, a Hollander, and a Frenchman attempted to describe
it, each one spoke of it as that of a foreigner. Each is sure that it was not the voice of one

of his own countrymen. Each hkens it —not to the voice of an individual of any nation
with whose language he is conversant -but the converse. The Frenchman supposes it the
voice of a Spaniard, and 'might have distinguished some words had he been acquainted
with the Spanish.' The Dutchman maintains it to have been that of a Frenchman; but we
find it stated that 'not understanding French this witness was examined through an
interpreter.' The Englishman thinks it the voice of a German, and 'does not understand
German.' The Spaniard 'is sure' that it was that of an Englishman, but 'judges by the
intonation' altogether, 'as he has no knowledge of the English.' The Italian believes it the
voice of a Russian, but 'has never conversed with a native of Russia.' A second
Frenchman differs, moreover, with the first, and is positive that the voice was that of an
Italian; but, not being cognizant of that tongue, is, like the Spaniard, 'convinced by the
intonation.' Now, how strangely unusual must that voice have really been, about which
such testimony as this could have been elicited! —in whose tones, even, denizens of the
five great divisions of Europe could recognise nothing familiar! You will say that it might
have been the voice of an Asiatic —of an African. Neither Asiatics nor Africans abound in
Paris; but, without denying the inference, I will now merely call your attention to three
points. The voice is termed by one witness 'harsh rather than shrill.' It is represented by
two others to have been 'quick and unequal' No words —no sounds resembling words —
were by any witness mentioned as distinguishable.

"I know not," continued Dupin, "what impression I may have made, so far, upon your
own understanding; but I do not hesitate to say that legitimate deductions even from this
portion of the testimony —the portion respecting the gruff and shrill voices —are in
themselves sufficient to engender a suspicion which should give direction to all farther
progress in the investigation of the mystery. I said 'legitimate deductions;' but my
meaning is not thus fully expressed. I designed to imply that the deductions are the sole
proper ones, and that the suspicion arises inevitably from them as the single result. What
the suspicion is, however, I will not say just yet. I merely wish you to bear in mind that,
with myself, it was sufficiently forcible to give a definite form —a certain tendency —to
my inquiries in the chamber.

"Let us now transport ourselves, in fancy, to this chamber. What shall we first seek here?
The means of egress employed by the murderers. It is not too much to say that neither of
us believe in praeternatural events. Madame and Mademoiselle L'Espanaye were not
destroyed by spirits. The doers of the deed were material, and escaped materially. Then
how? Fortunately, there is but one mode of reasoning upon the point, and that mode must
lead us to a definite decision. —Let us examine, each by each, the possible means of
egress. It is clear that the assassins were in the room where Mademoiselle L'Espanaye
was found, or at least in the room adjoining, when the party ascended the stairs. It is then
only from these two apartments that we have to seek issues. The police have laid bare the
floors, the ceilings, and the masonry of the walls, in every direction. No secret issues
could have escaped their vigilance. But, not trusting to their eyes, I examined with my
own. There were, then, no secret issues. Both doors leading from the rooms into the
passage were securely locked, with the keys inside. Let us turn to the chimneys. These,
although of ordinary width for some eight or ten feet above the hearths, will not admit,
throughout their extent, the body of a large cat. The impossibility of egress, by means

already stated, being thus absolute, we are reduced to the windows. Through those of the
front room no one could have escaped without notice from the crowd in the street. The
murderers must have passed, then, through those of the back room. Now, brought to this
conclusion in so unequivocal a manner as we are, it is not our part, as reasoners, to reject
it on account of apparent impossibilities. It is only left for us to prove that these apparent
'impossibilities' are, in reality, not such.

"There are two windows in the chamber. One of them is unobstructed by furniture, and is
wholly visible. The lower portion of the other is hidden from view by the head of the
unwieldy bedstead which is thrust close up against it. The former was found securely
fastened from within. It resisted the utmost force of those who endeavored to raise it. A
large gimlet-hole had been pierced in its frame to the left, and a very stout nail was found
fitted therein, nearly to the head. Upon examining the other window, a similar nail was
seen similarly fitted in it; and a vigorous attempt to raise this sash, failed also. The police
were now entirely satisfied that egress had not been in these directions. And, therefore, it
was thought a matter of supererogation to withdraw the nails and open the windows.

"My own examination was somewhat more particular, and was so for the reason I have
just given -because here it was, I knew, that all apparent impossibilities must be proved
to be not such in reality.

"I proceeded to think thus —a posteriori. The murderers did escape from one of these
windows. This being so, they could not have re-fastened the sashes from the inside, as
they were found fastened; —the consideration which put a stop, through its obviousness,
to the scrutiny of the police in this quarter. Yet the sashes were fastened. They must, then,
have the power of fastening themselves. There was no escape from this conclusion. I
stepped to the unobstructed casement, withdrew the nail with some difficulty, and
attempted to raise the sash. It resisted all my efforts, as I had anticipated. A concealed
spring must, I now knew, exist; and this corroboration of my idea convinced me that my
premises, at least, were correct, however mysterious still appeared the circumstances
attending the nails. A careful search soon brought to light the hidden spring. I pressed it,
and, satisfied with the discovery, forebore to upraise the sash.

"I now replaced the nail and regarded it attentively. A person passing out through this
window might have reclosed it, and the spring would have caught —but the nail could not
have been replaced. The conclusion was plain, and again narrowed in the field of my
investigations. The assassins must have escaped through the other window. Supposing,
then, the springs upon each sash to be the same, as was probable, there must be found a
difference between the nails, or at least between the modes of their fixture. Getting upon
the sacking of the bedstead, I looked over the headboard minutely at the second
casement. Passing my hand down behind the board, I readily discovered and pressed the
spring, which was, as I had supposed, identical in character with its neighbor. I now
looked at the nail. It was as stout as the other, and apparently fitted in the same manner —
driven in nearly up to the head.

"You will say that I was puzzled; but, if you think so, you must have misunderstood the
nature of the inductions. To use a sporting phrase, I had not been once 'at fault.' The scent
had never for an instant been lost. There was no flaw in any link of the chain. I had traced
the secret to its ultimate result, -and that result was the nail. It had, I say, in every
respect, the appearance of its fellow in the other window; but this fact was an absolute
nullity (conclusive as it might seem to be) when compared with the consideration that
here, at this point, terminated the clew. 'There must be something wrong,' I said, 'about
the nail.' I touched it; and the head, with about a quarter of an inch of the shank, came off
in my fingers. The rest of the shank was in the gimlet-hole, where it had been broken off.
The fracture was an old one (for its edges were incrusted with rust), and had apparently
been accomplished by the blow of a hammer, which had partially imbedded, in the top of
the bottom sash, the head portion of the nail, now carefully replaced this head portion in
the indentation whence I had taken it, and the resemblance to a perfect nail was complete-
the fissure was invisible. Pressing the spring, I gently raised the sash for a few inches; the
head went up with it, remaining firm in its bed. I closed the window, and the semblance
of the whole nail was again perfect.

"The riddle, so far, was now unriddled. The assassin had escaped through the window
which looked upon the bed. Dropping of its own accord upon his exit (or perhaps
purposely closed) it had become fastened by the spring; and it was the retention of this
spring which had been mistaken by the police for that of the nail, —farther inquiry being
thus considered unnecessary.

"The next question is that of the mode of descent. Upon this point I had been satisfied in
my walk with you around the building. About five feet and a half from the casement in
question there runs a lightning-rod. From this rod it would have been impossible for any
one to reach the window itself, to say nothing of entering it. I observed, however, that
shutters of the fourth story were of the peculiar kind called by Parisian carpenters
ferrades —a kind rarely employed at the present day, but frequently seen upon very old
mansions at Lyons and Bordeaux. They are in the form of an ordinary door, (a single, not
a folding door) except that the upper half is latticed or worked in open trellis —thus
affording an excellent hold for the hands. In the present instance these shutters are fully
three feet and a half broad. When we saw them from the rear of the house, they were both
about half open —that is to say, they stood off at right angles from the wall. It is probable
that the police, as well as myself, examined the back of the tenement; but, if so, in
looking at these ferrades in the line of their breadth (as they must have done), they did not
perceive this great breadth itself, or, at all events, failed to take it into due consideration.
In fact, having once satisfied themselves that no egress could have been made in this
quarter, they would naturally bestow here a very cursory examination. It was clear to me,
however, that the shutter belonging to the window at the head of the bed, would, if swung
fully back to the wall, reach to within two feet of the lightning-rod. It was also evident
that, by exertion of a very unusual degree of activity and courage, an entrance into the
window, from the rod, might have been thus effected. —By reaching to the distance of
two feet and a half (we now suppose the shutter open to its whole extent) a robber might
have taken a firm grasp upon the trellis-work. Letting go, then, his hold upon the rod,
placing his feet securely against the wall, and springing boldly from it, he might have

swung the shutter so as to close it, and, if we imagine the window open at the time, might
have swung himself into the room.

"I wish you to bear especially in mind that I have spoken of a very unusual degree of
activity as requisite to success in so hazardous and so difficult a feat. It is my design to
show you, first, that the thing might possibly have been accomplished: —but, secondly
and chiefly, I wish to impress upon your understanding the very extraordinary —the
almost praetematural character of that agility which could have accomplished it.

"You will say, no doubt, using the language of the law, that 'to make out my case' I
should rather undervalue, than insist upon a full estimation of the activity required in this
matter. This may be the practice in law, but it is not the usage of reason. My ultimate
object is only the truth. My immediate purpose is to lead you to place in juxta-position
that very unusual activity of which I have just spoken, with that very peculiar shrill (or
harsh) and unequal voice, about whose nationality no two persons could be found to
agree, and in whose utterance no syllabification could be detected."

At these words a vague and half- formed conception of the meaning of Dupin flitted over
my mind. I seemed to be upon the verge of comprehension, without power to
comprehend —as men, at times, find themselves upon the brink of remembrance, without
being able, in the end, to remember. My friend went on with his discourse.

"You will see," he said, "that I have shifted the question from the mode of egress to that
of ingress. It was my design to suggest that both were effected in the same manner, at the
same point. Let us now revert to the interior of the room. Let us survey the appearances
here. The drawers of the bureau, it is said, had been rifled, although many articles of
apparel still remained within them. The conclusion here is absurd. It is a mere guess —a
very silly one —and no more. How are we to know that the articles found in the drawers
were not all these drawers had originally contained? Madame L'Espanaye and her
daughter lived an exceedingly retired life -saw no company —seldom went out —had
little use for numerous changes of habiliment. Those found were at least of as good
quality as any likely to be possessed by these ladies. If a thief had taken any, why did he
not take the best -why did he not take all? In a word, why did he abandon four thousand
francs in gold to encumber himself with a bundle of linen? The gold was abandoned.
Nearly the whole sum mentioned by Monsieur Mignaud, the banker, was discovered, in
bags, upon the floor. I wish you, therefore, to discard from your thoughts the blundering
idea of motive, engendered in the brains of the police by that portion of the evidence
which speaks of money delivered at the door of the house. Coincidences ten times as
remarkable as this (the delivery of the money, and murder committed within three days
upon the party receiving it), happen to all of us every hour of our lives, without attracting
even momentary notice. Coincidences, in general, are great stumbling-blocks in the way
of that class of thinkers who have been educated to know nothing of the theory of
probabilities —that theory to which the most glorious objects of human research are
indebted for the most glorious of illustration. In the present instance, had the gold been
gone, the fact of its delivery three days before would have formed something more than a
coincidence. It would have been corroborative of this idea of motive. But, under the real

circumstances of the case, if we are to suppose gold the motive of this outrage, we must
also imagine the perpetrator so vacillating an idiot as to have abandoned his gold and his
motive together.

"Keeping now steadily in mind the points to which I have drawn your attention -that
peculiar voice, that unusual agility, and that startling absence of motive in a murder so
singularly atrocious as this —let us glance at the butchery itself. Here is a woman
strangled to death by manual strength, and thrust up a chimney, head downward.
Ordinary assassins employ no such modes of murder as this. Least of all, do they thus
dispose of the murdered. In the manner of thrusting the corpse up the chimney, you will
that there was something excessively outre —something altogether irreconcilable with our
common notions of human action, even when we suppose the actors the most depraved of
men. Think, too, how great must have been that strength which could have thrust the
body up such an aperture so forcibly that the united vigor of several persons was found
barely sufficient to drag it down!

"Turn, now, to other indications of the employment of a vigor most marvellous. On the
hearth were thick tresses —very thick tresses —of grey human hair. These had been torn
out by the roots. You are aware of the great force necessary in tearing thus from the head
even twenty or thirty hairs together. You saw the locks in question as well as myself.
Their roots (a hideous sight!) were clotted with fragments of the flesh of the scalp —sure
token of the prodigious power which had been exerted in uprooting perhaps half a million
of hairs at a time. The throat of the old lady was not merely cut, but the head absolutely
severed from the body: the instrument was a mere razor. I wish you also to look at the
brutal ferocity of these deeds. Of the bruises upon the body of Madame L'Espanaye I do
not speak. Monsieur Dumas, and his worthy coadjutor Monsieur Etienne, have
pronounced that they were inflicted by some obtuse instrument; and so far these
gentlemen are very correct. The obtuse instrument was clearly the stone pavement in the
yard, upon which the victim had fAllan from the window which looked in upon the bed.
This idea, however simple it may now seem, escaped the police for the same reason that
the breadth of the shutters escaped them —because, by the affair of the nails, their
perceptions had been hermetically sealed against the possibility of the windows have ever
been opened at all.

If now, in addition to all these things, you have properly reflected upon the odd disorder
of the chamber, we have gone so far as to combine the ideas of an agility astounding, a
strength superhuman, a ferocity brutal, a butchery without motive, a grotesquerie in
horror absolutely alien from humanity, and a voice foreign in tone to the ears of men of
many nations, and devoid of all distinct or intelligible syllabification. What result, then,
has ensued? What impression have I made upon your fancy?"

I felt a creeping of the flesh as Dupin asked me the question. "A madman," I said, "has
done this deed —some raving maniac, escaped from a neighboring Maison de Sante."

"In some respects," he replied, "your idea is not irrelevant. But the voices of madmen,
even in their wildest paroxysms, are never found to tally with that peculiar voice heard

upon the stairs. Madmen are of some nation, and their language, however incoherent in
its words, has always the coherence of syllabification. Besides, the hair of a madman is
not such as I now hold in my hand. I disentangled this little tuft from the rigidly clutched
fingers of Madame L'Espanaye. Tell me what you can make of it."

"Dupin!" I said, completely unnerved; "this hair is most unusual —this is no human hair."

"I have not asserted that it is," said he; "but, before we decide this point, I wish you to
glance at the little sketch I have here traced upon this paper. It is a fac- simile drawing of
what has been described in one portion of the testimony as 'dark bruises, and deep
indentations of finger nails,' upon the throat of Mademoiselle L'Espanaye, and in another,
(by Messrs. Dumas and Etienne,) as a 'series of livid spots, evidently the impression of
fingers.'

"You will perceive," continued my friend, spreading out the paper upon the table before
us, "that this drawing gives the idea of a firm and fixed hold. There is no slipping
apparent. Each finger has retained -possibly until the death of the victim —the fearful
grasp by which it originally imbedded itself. Attempt, now, to place all your fingers, at
the same time, in the respective impressions as you see them."

I made the attempt in vain.

"We are possibly not giving this matter a fair trial," he said. "The paper is spread out
upon a plane surface; but the human throat is cylindrical. Here is a billet of wood, the
circumference of which is about that of the throat. Wrap the drawing around it, and try
the experiment again."

I did so; but the difficulty was even more obvious than before.

"This," I said, "is the mark of no human hand."

"Read now," replied Dupin, "this passage from Cuvier." It was a minute anatomical and
generally descriptive account of the large fulvous Ourang-Outang of the East Indian
Islands. The gigantic stature, the prodigious strength and activity, the wild ferocity, and
the imitative propensities of these mammalia are sufficiently well known to all. I
understood the full horrors of the murder at once.

"The description of the digits," said I, as I made an end of reading, "is in exact
accordance with this drawing, I see that no animal but an Ourang-Outang, of the species
here mentioned, could have impressed the indentations as you have traced them. This tuft
of tawny hair, too, is identical in character with that of the beast of Cuvier. But I cannot
possibly comprehend the particulars of this frightful mystery. Besides, there were two
voices heard in contention, and one of them was unquestionably the voice of a
Frenchman."

True; and you will remember an expression attributed almost unanimously, by the
evidence, to this voice, —the expression, 'mon Dieu!' This, under the circumstances, has
been justly characterized by one of the witnesses (Montani, the confectioner,) as an
expression of remonstrance or expostulation. Upon these two words, therefore, I have
mainly built my hopes of a full solution of the riddle. A Frenchman was cognizant of the
murder. It is possible —indeed it is far more than probable -that he was innocent of all
participation in the bloody transactions which took place. The Ourang-Outang may have
escaped from him. He may have traced it to the chamber; but, under the agitating
circumstances which ensued, he could never have re-captured it. It is still at large. I will
not pursue these guesses-for I have no right to call them more —since the shades of
reflection upon which they are based are scarcely of sufficient depth to be appreciable by
my own intellect, and since I could not pretend to make them intelligible to the
understanding of another. We will call them guesses then, and speak of them as such. If
the Frenchman in question is indeed, as I suppose, innocent of this atrocity, this
advertisement, which I left last night, upon our return home, at the office of 'Le Monde,'
(a paper devoted to the shipping interest, and much sought by sailors,) will bring him to
our residence."

He handed me a paper, and I read thus:

Caught —In the Bois de Boulogne, early in the morning of the — inst., (the morning of the
murder,) a very large, tawny Ourang-Outang of the Bomese species. The owner, (who is
ascertained to be a sailor, belonging to a Maltese vessel,) may have the animal again,
upon identifying it satisfactorily, and paying a few charges arising from its capture and
keeping. Call at No.—, Rue — , Faubourg St. Germain -au troisieme.

"How was it possible," I asked, "that you should know the man to be a sailor, and
belonging to a Maltese vessel?"

"I do not know it," said Dupin. "I am not sure of it. Here, however, is a small piece of
ribbon, which from its form, and from its greasy appearance, has evidently been used in
tying the hair in one of those long queues of which sailors are so fond. Moreover, this
knot is one which few besides sailors can tie, and is peculiar to the Maltese. I picked the
ribbon up at the foot of the lightning-rod. It could not have belonged to either of the
deceased. Now if, after all, I am wrong in my induction from this ribbon, that the
Frenchman was a sailor belonging to a Maltese vessel, still I can have done no harm in
saying what I did in the advertisement. If I am in error, he will merely suppose that I have
been misled by some circumstance into which he will not take the trouble to inquire. But
if I am right, a great point is gained. Cognizant although innocent of the murder, the
Frenchman will naturally hesitate about replying to the advertisement -about demanding
the Ourang-Outang. He will reason thus: -'I am innocent; I am poor; my Ourang-Outang
is of great value —to one in my circumstances a fortune of itself -why should I lose it
through idle apprehensions of danger? Here it is, within my grasp. It was found in the
Bois de Boulogne -at a vast distance from the scene of that butchery. How can it ever be
suspected that a brute beast should have done the deed? The police are at fault -they
have failed to procure the slightest clew. Should they even trace the animal, it would be

impossible to prove me cognizant of the murder, or to implicate me in guilt on account of
that cognizance. Above all, I am known. The advertiser designates me as the possessor of
the beast. I am not sure to what limit his knowledge may extend. Should I avoid claiming
a property of so great value, which it is known that I possess, I will render the animal, at
least, liable to suspicion. It is not my policy to attract attention either to myself or to the
beast. I will answer the advertisement, get the Ourang-Outang, and keep it close until this
matter has blown over.

At this moment we heard a step upon the stairs.

"Be ready," said Dupin, "with your pistols, but neither use them nor show them until at a
signal from myself."

The front door of the house had been left open, and the visitor had entered, without
ringing, and advanced several steps upon the staircase. Now, however, he seemed to
hesitate. Presently we heard him descending. Dupin was moving quickly to the door,
when we again heard him coming up. He did not turn back a second time, but stepped up
with decision and rapped at the door of our chamber.

"Come in," said Dupin, in a cheerful and hearty tone.

A man entered. He was a sailor, evidently, —a tall, stout, and muscular-looking person,
with a certain dare-devil expression of countenance, not altogether unprepossessing. His
face, greatly sunburnt, was more than half hidden by whisker and mustachio. He had with
him a huge oaken cudgel, but appeared to be otherwise unarmed. He bowed awkwardly,
and bade us "good evening," in French accents, which, although somewhat
Neufchatelish, were still sufficiently indicative of a Parisian origin.

Sit down, my friend," said Dupin. "I suppose you have called about the Ourang-Outang.
Upon my word, I almost envy you the possession of him; a remarkably fine, and no doubt
a very valuable animal. How old do you suppose him to be?"

The sailor drew a long breath, with the air of a man relieved of some intolerable burden,
and then replied, in an assured tone:

"I have no way of telling —but he can't be more than four or five years old. Have you got
him here?"

"Oh no; we had no conveniences for keeping him here. He is at a livery stable in the Rue
Dubourg, just by. You can get him in the morning. Of course you are prepared to identify
the property?"

"To be sure I am, sir."

"I shall be sorry to part with him," said Dupin.

"I don't mean that you should be at all this trouble for nothing, sir," said the man.
"Couldn't expect it. Am very willing to pay a reward for the finding of the animal —that is
to say, any thing in reason."

"Well," replied my friend, "that is all very fair, to be sure. Let me think! —what should I
have? Oh! I will tell you. My reward shall be this. You shall give me all the information
in your power about these murders in the Rue Morgue."

Dupin said the last words in a very low tone, and very quietly. Just as quietly, too, he
walked toward the door, locked it, and put the key in his pocket. He then drew a pistol
from his bosom and placed it, without the least flurry, upon the table.

The sailor's face flushed up as if he were struggling with suffocation. He started to his
feet and grasped his cudgel; but the next moment he fell back into his seat, trembling
violently, and with the countenance of death itself. He spoke not a word. I pitied him
from the bottom of my heart.

"My friend," said Dupin, in a kind tone, "you are alarming yourself unnecessarily —you
are indeed. We mean you no harm whatever. I pledge you the honor of a gentleman, and
of a Frenchman, that we intend you no injury. I perfectly well know that you are innocent
of the atrocities in the Rue Morgue. It will not do, however, to deny that you are in some
measure implicated in them. From what I have already said, you must know that I have
had means of information about this matter -means of which you could never have
dreamed. Now the thing stands thus. You have done nothing which you could have
avoided —nothing, certainly, which renders you culpable. You were not even guilty of
robbery, when you might have robbed with impunity. You have nothing to conceal. You
have no reason for concealment. On the other hand, you are bound by every principle of
honor to confess all you know. An innocent man is now imprisoned, charged with that
crime of which you can point out the perpetrator."

The sailor had recovered his presence of mind, in a great measure, while Dupin uttered
these words; but his original boldness of bearing was all gone.

"So help me God," said he, after a brief pause, "I will tell you all I know about this affair;
-but I do not expect you to believe one half I say -I would be a fool indeed if I did. Still,
I am innocent, and I will make a clean breast if I die for it."

What he stated was, in substance, this. He had lately made a voyage to the Indian
Archipelago. A party, of which he formed one, landed at Borneo, and passed into the
interior on an excursion of pleasure. Himself and a companion had captured the Ourang-
Outang. This companion dying, the animal fell into his own exclusive possession. After
great trouble, occasioned by the intractable ferocity of his captive during the home
voyage, he at length succeeded in lodging it safely at his own residence in Paris, where,
not to attract toward himself the unpleasant curiosity of his neighbors, he kept it carefully
secluded, until such time as it should recover from a wound in the foot, received from a
splinter on board ship. His ultimate design was to sell it.

Returning home from some sailors' frolic on the night, or rather in the morning of the
murder, he found the beast occupying his own bed-room, into which it had broken from a
closet adjoining, where it had been, as was thought, securely confined. Razor in hand,
and fully lathered, it was sitting before a looking-glass, attempting the operation of
shaving, in which it had no doubt previously watched its master through the key-hole of
the closet. Terrified at the sight of so dangerous a weapon in the possession of an animal
so ferocious, and so well able to use it, the man, for some moments, was at a loss what to
do. He had been accustomed, however, to quiet the creature, even in its fiercest moods,
by the use of a whip, and to this he now resorted. Upon sight of it, the Ourang-Outang
sprang at once through the door of the chamber, down the stairs, and thence, through a
window, unfortunately open, into the street.

The Frenchman followed in despair; the ape, razor still in hand, occasionally stopping to
look back and gesticulate at its pursuer, until the latter had nearly come up with it. It then
again made off. In this manner the chase continued for a long time. The streets were
profoundly quiet, as it was nearly three o'clock in the morning. In passing down an alley
in the rear of the Rue Morgue, the fugitive's attention was arrested by a light gleaming
from the open window of Madame L'Espanaye's chamber, in the fourth story of her
house. Rushing to the building, it perceived the lightning-rod, clambered up with
inconceivable agility, grasped the shutter, which was thrown fully back against the wall,
and, by its means, swung itself directly upon the headboard of the bed. The whole feat
did not occupy a minute. The shutter was kicked open again by the Ourang-Outang as it
entered the room.

The sailor, in the meantime, was both rejoiced and perplexed. He had strong hopes of
now recapturing the brute, as it could scarcely escape from the trap into which it had
ventured, except by the rod, where it might be intercepted as it came down. On the other
hand, there was much cause for anxiety as to what it might do in the house. This latter
reflection urged the man still to follow the fugitive. A lightning-rod is ascended without
difficulty, especially by a sailor; but, when he had arrived as high as the window, which
lay far to his left, his career was stopped; the most that he could accomplish was to reach
over so as to obtain a glimpse of the interior of the room. At this glimpse he nearly fell
from his hold through excess of horror. Now it was that those hideous shrieks arose upon
the night, which had startled from slumber the inmates of the Rue Morgue. Madame
L'Espanaye and her daughter, habited in their night clothes, had apparently been
arranging some papers in the iron chest already mentioned, which had been wheeled into
the middle of the room. It was open, and its contents lay beside it on the floor. The
victims must have been sitting with their backs toward the window; and, from the time
elapsing between the ingress of the beast and the screams, it seems probable that it was
not immediately perceived. The flapping-to of the shutter would naturally have been
attributed to the wind.

As the sailor looked in, the gigantic animal had seized Madame L'Espanaye by the hair,
(which was loose, as she had been combing it,) and was flourishing the razor about her
face, in imitation of the motions of a barber. The daughter lay prostrate and motionless;
she had swooned. The screams and struggles of the old lady (during which the hair was

torn from her head) had the effect of changing the probably pacific purposes of the
Ourang-Outang into those of wrath. With one determined sweep of its muscular arm it
nearly severed her head from her body. The sight of blood inflamed its anger into
phrenzy. Gnashing its teeth, and flashing fire from its eves, it flew upon the body of the
girl, and imbedded its fearful talons in her throat, retaining its grasp until she expired. Its
wandering and wild glances fell at this moment upon the head of the bed, over which the
face of its master, rigid with horror, was just discernible. The fury of the beast, who no
doubt bore still in mind the dreaded whip, was instantly converted into fear. Conscious of
having deserved punishment, it seemed desirous of concealing its bloody deeds, and
skipped about the chamber in an agony of nervous agitation; throwing down and breaking
the furniture as it moved, and dragging the bed from the bedstead. In conclusion, it seized
first the corpse of the daughter, and thrust it up the chimney, as it was found; then that of
the old lady, which it immediately hurled through the window headlong.

As the ape approached the casement with its mutilated burden, the sailor shrank aghast to
the rod, and, rather gliding than clambering down it, hurried at once home -dreading the
consequences of the butchery, and gladly abandoning, in his terror, all solicitude about
the fate of the Ourang-Outang. The words heard by the party upon the staircase were the
Frenchman's exclamations of horror and affright, commingled with the fiendish
jabbering s of the brute.

I have scarcely anything to add. The Ourang-Outang must have escaped from the
chamber, by the rod, just before the breaking of the door. It must have closed the window
as it passed through it. It was subsequently caught by the owner himself, who obtained
for it a very large sum at the Jardin des Plantes. Le Bon was instantly released, upon our
narration of the circumstances (with some comments from Dupin) at the bureau of the
Prefect of Police. This functionary, however well disposed to my friend, could not
altogether conceal his chagrin at the turn which affairs had taken, and was fain to indulge
in a sarcasm or two, about the propriety of every person minding his own business.

"Let them talk," said Dupin, who had not thought it necessary to reply. "Let him
discourse; it will ease his conscience. I am satisfied with having defeated him in his own
castle. Nevertheless, that he failed in the solution of this mystery, is by no means that
matter for wonder which he supposes it; for, in truth, our friend the Prefect is somewhat
too cunning to be profound. In his wisdom is no stamen. It is all head and no body, like
the pictures of the Goddess Laverna, —or, at best, all head and shoulders, like a codfish.
But he is a good creature after all. I like him especially for one master stroke of cant, by
which he has attained his reputation for ingenuity. I mean the way he has 'de nier ce qui
est, et d'expliquer ce qui n'est pas.'"*

* Rousseau, Nouvelle Heloise.

THE END

THE MYSTERY OF MARIE ROGET

A Sequel to "The Murder in the Rue Morgue"

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

INTRODUCTION

There are ideal series of events which run parallel with the real ones. They rarely
coincide. Men and circumstances generally modify the ideal train of events, so that it
seems imperfect, and its consequences are equally imperfect. Thus with the Reformation;
instead of Protestantism came Lutheranism.

Novalis. Moral Ansichten.

Upon the original publication of "Marie Roget," the footnotes now appended were
considered unnecessary; but the lapse of several years since the tragedy upon which the
tale is based, renders it expedient to give them, and also to say a few words in
explanation of the general design. A young girl, Mary Cecilia Rogers, was murdered in
the vicinity of New York; and although her death occasioned an intense and long-
enduring excitement, the mystery attending it had remained unsolved at the period when
the present paper was written and published (November, 1842). Herein, under pretence of
relating the fate of a Parisian grisette, the author has followed, in minute detail, the
essential, while merely paralleling the inessential, facts of the real murder of Mary
Rogers. Thus all argument founded upon the fiction is applicable to the truth: and the
investigation of the truth was the object.

The "Mystery of Marie Roget" was composed at a distance from the scene of the atrocity,
and with no other means of investigation than the newspapers afforded. Thus much
escaped the writer of which he could have availed himself had he been upon the spot and
visited the localities. It may not be improper to record, nevertheless, that the confessions
of two persons (one of them the Madame Deluc of the narrative), made, at different
periods, long subsequent to the publication, confirmed, in full, not only the general
conclusion, but absolutely all the chief hypothetical details by which that conclusion was
attained.

THERE ARE few persons, even among the calmest thinkers, who have not occasionally
been startled into a vague yet thrilling half-credence in the supernatural, by coincidences
of so seemingly marvellous a character that, as mere coincidences, the intellect has been
unable to receive them. Such sentiments-for the half-credences of which I speak have
never the full force of thought-such sentiments are seldom thoroughly stifled unless by

reference to the doctrine of chance, or, as it is technically termed, the Calculus of
Probabilities. Now this Calculus is, in its essence, purely mathematical; and thus we have
the anomaly of the most rigidly exact in science applied to the shadow and spirituality of
the most intangible in speculation.

The extraordinary details which I am now called upon to make public, will be found to
form, as regards sequence of time, the primary branch of a series of scarcely intelligible
coincidences, whose secondary or concluding branch will be recognized by all readers in
the late murder of MARY CECILIA ROGERS, at New York.

When, in an article entitled "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," I endeavored, about a year
ago, to depict some very remarkable features in the mental character of my friend, the
Chevalier C. Auguste Dupin, it did not occur to me that I should ever resume the subject.
This depicting of character constituted my design; and this design was thoroughly
fulfilled in the wild train of circumstances brought to instance Dupin's idiosyncrasy. I
might have adduced other examples, but I should have proven no more. Late events,
however, in their surprising development, have startled me into some farther details,
which will carry with them the air of extorted confession. Hearing what I have lately
heard, it would be indeed strange should I remain silent in regard to what I both heard
and saw so long ago.

Upon the winding up of the tragedy involved in the deaths of Madame L'Espanaye and
her daughter, the Chevalier dismissed the affair at once from his attention, and relapsed
into his old habits of moody revery. Prone, at all times, to abstraction, I readily fell in
with his humor; and continuing to occupy our chambers in the Faubourg Saint Germain,
we gave the Future to the winds, and slumbered tranquilly in the Present, weaving the
dull world around us into dreams.

But these dreams were not altogether uninterrupted. It may readily be supposed that the
part played by my friend, in the drama at the Rue Morgue had not failed of its impression
upon the fancies of the Parisian police. With its emissaries, the name of Dupin had grown
into a household word. The simple character of those inductions by which he had
disentangled the mystery never having been explained even to the Prefect, or to any other
individual than myself, of course it is not surprising that the affair was regarded as little
less than miraculous, or that the Chevalier's analytical abilities acquired for him the credit
of intuition. His frankness would have led him to disabuse every inquirer of such
prejudice; but his indolent humor forbade all further agitation of a topic whose interest to
himself had long ceased. It thus happened that he found himself the cynosure of the
political eyes; and the cases were not few in which attempt was made to engage his
services at the Prefecture. One of the most remarkable instances was that of the murder of
a young girl named Marie Roget.

This event occurred about two years after the atrocity in the Rue Morgue. Marie, whose
Christian and family name will at once arrest attention from their resemblance to those of
the unfortunate "cigar-girl" was the only daughter of the widow Estelle Roget. The father
had died during the child's infancy, and from the period of his death, until within eighteen

months before the assassination which forms the subject of our narrative, the mother and
daughter had dwelt together in the Rue Pavee Saint Andree;* Madame there keeping a
pension, assisted by Marie. Affairs went on thus until the latter had attained her twenty-
second year, when her great beauty attracted the notice of a perfumer, who occupied one
of the shops in the basement of the Palais Royal, and whose custom lay, chiefly among
the desperate adventurers infesting that neighborhood. Monsieur Le Blanc*(2) was not
unaware of the advantages to be derived from the attendance of the fair Marie in his
perfumery; and his liberal proposals were accepted eagerly by the girl, although with
somewhat more of hesitation by Madame.

* Nassau Street

*(2) Anderson

The anticipations of the shopkeeper were realized, and his rooms soon became notorious
through the charms of the sprightly grisette. She had been in his employ about a year,
when her admirers were thrown into confusion by her sudden disappearance from the
shop. Monsieur Le Blanc was unable to account for her absence, and Madame Roget was
distracted with anxiety and terror. The public papers immediately took up the theme, and
the police were upon the point of making serious investigations, when, one fine morning,
after the lapse of a week, Marie, in good health, but with a somewhat saddened air, made
her re-appearance at her usual counter in the perfumery. All inquiry, except that of a
private character, was of course, immediately hushed. Monsieur Le Blanc professed total
ignorance, as before. Marie, with Madame, replied to all questions, that the last week had
been spent at the house of a relation in the country. Thus the affair died away, and was
generally forgotten; for the girl, ostensibly to relieve herself from the impertinence of
curiosity soon bade a final adieu to the perfumer, and sought the shelter of her mother's
residence in the Rue Pavee Saint Andree.

It was about five months after this return home, that her friends were alarmed by her
sudden disappearance for the second time. Three days elapsed, and nothing was heard of
her. On the fourth her corpse was found floating in the Seine* near the shore which is
opposite the Quartier of the Rue Saint Andre, and at a point not very far distant from the
secluded neighborhood of the Barriere du Roule.*(2)

* The Hudson

*(2) Weehawken

The atrocity of this murder (for it was at once evident that murder had been committed),
the youth and beauty of the victim, and, above all her previous notoriety, conspired to
produce intense excitement in the minds of the sensitive Parisians. I can call to mind no
similar occurrence producing so general and so intense an effect. For several weeks, in
the discussion of this one absorbing theme, even the momentous political topics of the
day were forgotten. The Prefect made unusual exertions; and the powers of the whole
Parisian police were, of course, tasked to the utmost extent.

Upon the first discovery of the corpse, it was not supposed that the murderer would be
able to elude, for more than a very brief period, the inquisition which was immediately
set on foot. It was not until the expiration of a week that it was deemed necessary to offer
a reward; and even then this reward was limited to a thousand francs. In the meantime the
investigation proceeded with vigor, if not always with judgment, and numerous
individuals were examined to no purpose; while, owing to the continual absence of all
clew to the mystery, the popular excitement greatly increased. At the end of the tenth day
it was thought advisable to double the sum originally proposed; and, at length, the second
week having elapsed without leading to any discoveries, and the prejudice which always
exists in Paris against the Police having given vent to itself in several serious emeutes, the
Prefect took it upon himself to offer the sum of twenty thousand francs "for the
conviction of the assassin," or, if more than one should prove to have been implicated,
"for the conviction of any one of the assassins." In the proclamation setting forth this
reward, a full pardon was promised to any accomplice who should come forward in
evidence against his fellow; and to the whole was appended, wherever it appeared, the
private placard of a committee of citizens, offering ten thousand francs, in addition to the
amount proposed by the Prefecture. The entire reward thus stood at no less than thirty
thousand francs, which will be regarded as an extraordinary sum when we consider the
humble condition of the girl, and the great frequency, in large cities, of such atrocities as
the one described.

No one doubted now that the mystery of this murder would be immediately brought to
light. But although, in one or two instances, arrests were made which promised
elucidation, yet nothing was elicited which could implicate the parties suspected; and
they were discharged forthwith. Strange as it may appear, the third week from the
discovery of the body had passed, and passed without any light being thrown upon the
subject, before even a rumor of the events which had so agitated the public mind reached
the ears of Dupin and myself. Engaged in researches which had absorbed our whole
attention, it had been nearly a month since either of us had gone abroad, or received a
visitor, or more than glanced at the leading political articles in one of the daily papers.
The first intelligence of the murder was brought us by G— , in person. He called upon us
early in the afternoon of the thirteenth of July, 18-, and remained with us until late in the
night. He had been piqued by the failure of all his endeavors to ferret out the assassins.
His reputation-so he said with a peculiarly Parisian air-was at stake. Even his honor was
concerned. The eyes of the public were upon him; and there was really no sacrifice which
he would not be willing to make for the development of the mystery. He concluded a
somewhat droll speech with a compliment upon what he was pleased to term the tact of
Dupin, and made him a direct and certainly a liberal proposition, the precise nature of
which I do not feel myself at liberty to disclose, but which has no bearing upon the proper
subject of my narrative.

The compliment my friend rebutted as best he could, but the proposition he accepted at
once, although its advantages were altogether provisional. This point being settled, the
Prefect broke forth at once into explanations of his own views, interspersing them with
long comments upon the evidence; of which latter we were not yet in possession. He
discoursed much and, beyond doubt, learnedly; while I hazarded an occasional

suggestion as the night wore drowsily away. Dupin, sitting steadily in his accustomed
armchair, was the embodiment of respectful attention. He wore spectacles, during the
whole interview; and an occasional glance beneath their green glasses sufficed to
convince me that he slept not the less soundly, because silently, throughout the seven or
eight leaden- footed hours which immediately preceded the departure of the Prefect.

In the morning, I procured, at the Prefecture, a full report of all the evidence elicited, and,
at the various newspaper offices, a copy of every paper in which, from first to last, had
been published any decisive information in regard to this sad affair. Freed from all that
was positively disproved, this mass of information stood thus:

Marie Roget left the residence of her mother, in the Rue Pavee St. Andree, about nine
o'clock in the morning of Sunday, June the twenty second, 18-. In going out, she gave
notice to a Monsieur Jacques St. Eustache,* and to him only, of her intention to spend the
day with an aunt, who resided in the Rue des Dromes. The Rue des Dromes is a short and
narrow but populous thoroughfare, not far from the banks of the river, and at a distance of
some two miles, in the most direct course possible, from the pension of Madame Roget.
St. Eustache was the accepted suitor of Marie, and lodged, as well as took his meals, at
the pension. He was to have gone for his betrothed at dusk, and to have escorted her
home. In the afternoon, however, it came on to rain heavily; and, supposing that she
would remain all night at her aunt's (as she had done under similar circumstances before),
he did not think it necessary to keep his promise. As night drew on, Madame Roget (who
was an infirm old lady, seventy years of age) was heard to express a fear "that she should
never see Marie again;" but this observation attracted little attention at the time.

* Payne

On Monday it was ascertained that the girl had not been to the Rue des Dromes; and
when the day elapsed without tidings of her, a tardy search was instituted at several
points in the city and its environs. It was not, however, until the fourth day from the
period of her disappearance that any thing satisfactory was ascertained respecting her. On
this day (Wednesday, the twenty-fifth of June) a Monsieur Beauvais,* who, with a friend,
had been making inquiries for Marie near the Barriere du Roule, on the shore of the Seine
which is opposite the Rue Pavee St. Andree, was informed that a corpse had just been
towed ashore by some fishermen, who had found it floating in the river. Upon seeing the
body, Beauvais, after some hesitation, identified it as that of the perfumery-girl. His
friend recognized it more promptly.

* Crommelin

The face was suffused with dark blood, some of which issued from the mouth. No foam
was seen, as in the case of the merely drowned. There was no discoloration in the cellular
tissue. About the throat were bruises and impressions of fingers. The arms were bent over
on the chest, and were rigid. The right hand was clenched; the left partially open. On the
left wrist were two circular excoriations, apparently the effect of ropes, or of a rope in
more than one volution. A part of the right wrist, also, was much chafed, as well as the

back throughout its extent, but more especially at the shoulder-blades. In bringing the
body to the shore the fishermen had attached to it a rope, but none of the excorations had
been effected by this. The flesh of the neck was much swollen. There were no cuts
apparent, or bruises which appeared the effect of blows. A piece of lace was found tied so
tightly around the neck as to be hidden from sight; it was completely buried in the flesh,
and was fastened by a knot which lay just under the left ear. This alone would have
sufficed to produce death. The medical testimony spoke confidently of the virtuous
character of the deceased. She had been subjected, it said, to brutal violence. The corpse
was in such condition when found, that there could have been no difficulty in its
recognition by friends.

The dress was much torn and otherwise disordered. In the outer garment, a slip, about a
foot wide, had been torn upward from the bottom hem to the waist, but not torn off. It
was wound three times around the waist, and secured by a sort of hitch in the back. The
dress immediately beneath the frock was of fine muslin; and from this a slip eighteen
inches wide had been torn entirely out-torn very evenly and with great care. It was found
around her neck, fitting loosely, and secured with a hard knot. Over this muslin slip and
the slip of lace the strings of a bonnet were attached, the bonnet being appended. The
knot by which the strings of the bonnet were fastened was not a lady's, but a slip or
sailors knot.

After the recognition of the corpse, it was not, as usual, taken to the Morgue (this
formality being superfluous), but hastily interred not far from the spot at which it was
brought ashore. Through the exertions of Beauvais, the matter was industriously hushed
up, as far as possible; and several days had elapsed before any public emotion resulted. A
weekly paper,* however, at length took up the theme; the corpse was disinterred, and a
re-examination instituted; but nothing was elicited beyond what has been already noted.
The clothes, however, were now submitted to the mother and friends of the deceased, and
fully identified as those worn by the girl upon leaving home.

* The New York Mercury.

Meantime, the excitement increased hourly. Several individuals were arrested and
discharged. St. Eustache fell especially under suspicion; and he failed, at first, to give an
intelligible account of his whereabouts during the Sunday on which Marie left home.
Subsequently, however, he submitted to Monsieur G— , affidavits, accounting
satisfactorily for every hour of the day in question. As time passed and no discovery
ensued, a thousand contradictory rumors were circulated and journalists busied
themselves in suggestions. Among these, the one which attracted the most notice, was the
idea that Marie Roget still lived-that the corpse found in the Seine was that of some other
unfortunate. It will be proper that I submit to the reader some passages which embody the
suggestion alluded to. These passages are literal translations from L'Etoile,* a paper
conducted, in general, with much ability.

* The New York Brother Jonathon, edited by H. Hastings Weld, Esq.

"Mademoiselle Roget left her mother's house on Sunday morning, June the twenty-
second, 18-, with the ostensible purpose of going to see her aunt, or some other
connection, in the Rue des Dromes. From that hour, nobody is proved to have seen her.
There is no trace or tidings of her at all.... There has no person, whatever, come forward,
so far, who saw her at all in that day, after she left her mother's door.... Now, though we
have no evidence that Marie Roget was in the land of the living after nine o'clock on
Sunday, June the twenty- second, we have proof that, up to that hour, she was alive. On
Wednesday noon, at twelve, a female body was discovered afloat on the shore of the
Barriere du Roule. This was, even if we presume that Marie Roget was thrown into the
river within three hours after she left her mother's house, only three days from the time
she left her home-three days to an hour. But it is folly to suppose that the murder, if
murder was committed on her body, could have been consummated soon enough to have
enabled her murderers to throw the body into the river before midnight. Those who are
guilty of such horrid crimes choose darkness rather than light... Thus we see that if the
body found in the river was that of Marie Roget it could only have been in the water two
and a half days, or three at the outside. All experience has shown that drowned bodies, or
bodies thrown into the water immediately after death by violence, require from six to ten
days for sufficient decomposition to take place to bring them to the top of the water. Even
where a cannon is fired over a corpse, and it rises before at least five or six days'
immersion, it sinks again, if left alone. Now, we ask, what was there in this case to cause
a departure from the ordinary course of nature?... If the body had been kept in its
mangled state on shore until Tuesday night some trace would be found in shore of the
murderers. It is a doubtful point, also, whether the body would be so soon afloat, even
were it thrown in after having been dead two days. And, furthermore, it is exceedingly
improbable that any villains who had committed such a murder as is here supposed,
would have thrown the body in without weight to sink it, when such a precaution could
have so easily been taken."

The editor here proceeds to argue that the body must have been in the water "not three
days merely, but, at least, five times three days," because it was so far decomposed that
Beauvais had great difficulty in recognizing it. This latter point, however, was fully
disproved. I continue the translation:

"What, then, are the facts on which M. Beauvais says that he had no doubt the body was
that of Marie Roget? He ripped up the gown sleeve, and says he found marks which
satisfied him of the identity. The public generally supposed those marks to have consisted
of some description of scars. He rubbed the arm and found hair upon it- something as
indefinite, we think, as can readily be imagined-as little conclusive as finding an arm in
the sleeve. M. Beauvais did not return that night, but sent word to Madame Roget, at
seven o'clock, on Wednesday evening, that an investigation was still in progress
respecting her daughter. If we allow that Madame Roget, from her age and grief, could
not go over (which is allowing a great deal), there certainly must have been some one
who would have thought it worth while to go over and attend the investigation, if they
thought the body was that of Marie. Nobody went over. There was nothing said or heard
about the matter in the Rue Pavee St. Andree, that reached even the occupants of the
same building. M. St. Eustache, the lover and intended husband of Marie, who boarded in

her mother's house, deposes that he did not hear of the discovery of the body of his
intended until the next morning, when M. Beauvais came into his chamber and told him
of it. For an item of news like this, it strikes us it was very coolly received."

In this way the journal endeavored to create the impression of an apathy on the part of the
relatives of Marie, inconsistent with the supposition that these relatives believed the
corpse to be hers. Its insinuations amount to this:-that Marie, with the connivance of her
friends, had absented herself from the city for reasons involving a charge against her
chastity; and that these friends upon the discovery of a corpse in the Seine, somewhat
resembling that of the girl, had availed themselves of the opportunity to impress the
public with the belief of her death. But L'Etoile was again overhasty. It was distinctly
proved that no apathy, such as was imagined, existed; that the old lady was exceedingly
feeble, and so agitated as to be unable to attend to any duty; that St. Eustache, so far from
receiving the news coolly, was distracted with grief, and bore himself so frantically, that
M. Beauvais prevailed upon a friend and relative to take charge of him, and prevent his
attending the examination at the disinterment. Moreover, although it was stated by
L'Etoile, that the corpse was re-interred at the public expense,-that an advantageous offer
of private sepulture was absolutely declined by the family ,-and that no member of the
family attended the ceremonial:- although, I say, all this was asserted by L'Etoile in
furtherance of the impression it designed to convey-yet all this was satisfactorily
disproved. In a subsequent number of the paper, an attempt was made to throw suspicion
upon Beauvais himself. The editor says:

"Now, then, a change comes over the matter. We are told that, on one occasion, while a
Madame B-was at Madame Roget's house, M. Beauvais, who was going out, told her that
a gendarme was expected there, and that she, Madame B., must not say any thing to the
gendarme until he returned, but let the matter be for him.... In the present posture of
affairs, M. Beauvais appears to have the whole matter locked up in his head. A single
step cannot be taken without M. Beauvais, for, go which way you will you run against
him.... For some reason he determined that nobody shall have anything to do with the
proceedings but himself, and he has elbowed the male relatives out of the way, according
to their representations, in a very singular manner. He seems to have been very much
averse to permitting the relatives to see the body."

By the following fact, some color was given to the suspicion thus thrown upon Beauvais.
A visitor at his office, a few days prior to the girl's disappearance, and during the absence
of its occupant, had observed a rose in the key-hole of the door, and the name "Marie"
inscribed upon a slate which hung near at hand.

The general impression, so far as we were enabled to glean it from the newspapers,
seemed to be, that Marie had been the victim of a gang of desperadoes-that by these she
had been borne across the river, maltreated, and murdered. Le Commerciel,* however, a
print of extensive influence, was earnest in combatting this popular idea. I quote a
passage or two from its columns:

* New York Journal of Commerce

"We are persuaded that pursuit has hitherto been on a false scent, so far as it has been
directed to the Barriere du Roule. It is impossible that a person so well known to
thousands as this young woman was, should have passed three blocks without some one
having seen her; and any one who saw her would have remembered it, for she interested
all who knew her. It was when the streets were full of people, when she went out.... It is
impossible that she could have gone to the Barriere du Roule, or to the Rue des Dromes,
without being recognized by a dozen persons; yet no one has come forward who saw her
outside of her mother's door, and there is no evidence, except the testimony concerning
her expressed intentions, that she did go out at all. Her gown was torn, bound round her,
and tied; and by that the body was carried as a bundle. If the murder had been committed
at the Barriere du Roule, there would have been no necessity for any such arrangement.
The fact that the body was found floating near the Barriere, is no proof as to where it was
thrown into the water.... A piece of one of the unfortunate girl's petticoats, two feet long
and one foot wide, was torn out and tied under her chin around the back of her head,
probably to prevent screams. This was done by fellows who had no pocket-
handkerchief."

A day or two before the Prefect called upon us, however, some important information
reached the police, which seemed to overthrow, at least, the chief portion of Le
Commerciel's argument. Two small boys, sons of a Madame Deluc, while roaming
among the woods near the Barriere du Roule, chanced to penetrate a close thicket, within
which were three or four large stones, forming a kind of seat with a back and footstool.
On the upper stone lay a white petticoat; on the second, a silk scarf. A parasol, gloves,
and a pocket-handkerchief were also here found. The handkerchief bore the name "Marie
Roget." Fragments of dress were discovered on the brambles around. The earth was
trampled, the bushes were broken, and there was every evidence of a struggle. Between
the thicket and the river, the fences were found taken down, and the ground bore
evidence of some heavy burthen having been dragged along it.

A weekly paper, Le Soleil,* had the following comments upon this discovery-comments
which merely echoed the sentiment of the whole Parisian press:

* Philadelphia Saturday Evening Post, edited by C. I. Peterson, Esq.

"The things had all evidently been there at least three or four weeks; they were all
mildewed down hard with the action of the rain, and stuck together from mildew. The
grass had grown around and over some of them. The silk on the parasol was strong, but
the threads of it were run together within. The upper part, where it had been doubled and
folded, was all mildewed and rotten, and tore on its being opened.... The pieces of her
frock torn out by the bushes were about three inches wide and six inches long. One part
was the hem of the frock, and it had been mended; the other piece was part of the skirt,
not the hem. They looked like strips torn off, and were on the thorn bush, about a foot
from the ground.... There can be no doubt, therefore, that the spot of this appalling
outrage has been discovered."

Consequent upon this discovery, new evidence appeared. Madame Deluc testified that
she keeps a roadside inn not far from the bank of the river, opposite the Barriere du
Roule. The neighborhood is secluded-particularly so. It is the usual Sunday resort of
blackguards from the city, who cross the river in boats. About three o'clock, in the
afternoon of the Sunday in question, a young girl arrived at the inn, accompanied by a
young man of dark complexion. The two remained here for some time. On their
departure, they took the road to some thick woods in the vicinity. Madame Deluc's
attention was called to the dress worn by the girl, on account of its resemblance to one
worn by a deceased relative. A scarf was particularly noticed. Soon after the departure of
the couple, a gang of miscreants made their appearance, behaved boisterously, ate and
drank without making payment, followed in the route of the young man and girl, returned
to the inn about dusk, and re-crossed the river as if in great haste.

It was soon after dark, upon this same evening, that Madame Deluc, as well as her eldest
son, heard the screams of a female in the vicinity of the inn. The screams were violent but
brief. Madame D. recognized not only the scarf which was found in the thicket, but the
dress which was discovered upon the corpse. An omnibus-driver. Valence,* now also
testified that he saw Marie Roget cross a ferry on the Seine, on the Sunday in question, in
company with a young man of dark complexion. He, Valence, knew Marie, and could not
be mistaken in her identity. The articles found in the thicket were fully identified by the
relatives of Marie.

* Adam

The items of evidence and information thus collected by myself, from the newspapers, at
the suggestion of Dupin, embraced only one more point-but this was a point of
seemingly vast consequence. It appears that, immediately after the discovery of the
clothes as above described, the lifeless or nearly lifeless body of St. Eustache, Marie's
betrothed, was found in the vicinity of what all now supposed the scene of the outrage. A
phial labelled "laudanum," and emptied, was found near him. His breath gave evidence of
the poison. He died without speaking. Upon his person was found a letter, briefly stating
his love for Marie, with his design of self-destruction.

"I need scarcely tell you," said Dupin, as he finished the perusal of my notes, "that this is
a far more intricate case than that of the Rue Morgue; from which it differs in one
important respect. This is an ordinary, although an atrocious, instance of crime. There is
nothing peculiarly outre about it. You will observe that, for this reason, the mystery has
been considered easy, when, for this reason, it should have been considered difficult, of
solution. Thus, at first, it was thought unnecessary to offer a reward. The myrmidons of
G-were able at once to comprehend how and why such an atrocity might have been
committed. They could picture to their imaginations a mode- many modes-and a motive-
many motives; and because it was not impossible that either of these numerous modes or
motives could have been the actual one, they have taken it for granted that one of them
must. But the ease with which these variable fancies were entertained, and the very
plausibility which each assumed, should have been understood as indicative rather of the
difficulties than of the facilities which must attend elucidation. I have before observed

that it is by prominences above the plane of the ordinary, that reason feels her way, if at
all, in her search for the true, and that the proper question in cases such as this, is not so
much 'what has occurred?' as 'what has occurred that has never occurred before?' In the
investigations at the house of Madame L'Espanaye,* the agents of G-were discouraged
and confounded by that very unusualness which, to a properly regulated intellect, would
have afforded the surest omen of success; while this same intellect might have been
plunged in despair at the ordinary character of all that met the eye in the case of the
perfumery girl, and yet told of nothing but easy triumph to the functionaries of the
Prefecture.

* See "Murder's in the Rue Morgue."

"In the case of Madame L'Espanaye and her daughter, there was, even at the begining of
our investigation, no doubt that murder had been committed. The idea of suicide was
excluded at once. Here, too, we are freed, at the commencement, from all supposition of
self-murder. The body found at the Barriere du Roule was found under such
circumstances as to leave us no room for embarrassment upon this important point. But it
has been suggested that the corpse discovered is not that of the Marie Roget for the
conviction of whose assassin, or assassins, the reward is offered, and respecting whom,
solely, our agreement has been arranged with the Prefect. We both know this gentleman
well. It will not do to trust him too far. If, dating our inquiries from the body found, and
then tracing a murderer, we yet discover this body to be that of some other individual
than Marie; or if, starting from the living Marie, we find her, yet find her unassassinated-
in either case we lose our labor; since it is Monsieur G-with whom we have to deal. For
our own purpose, therefore, if not for the purpose of justice, it is indispensable that our
first step should be the determination of the identity of the corpse with the Marie Roget
who is missing.

"With the public the arguments of L'Etoile have had weight; and that the journal itself is
convinced of their importance would appear from the manner in which it commences one
of its essays upon the subject-'Several of the morning papers of the day,' it says, 'speak of
the conclusive article in Monday's Etoile.' To me, this article appears conclusive of little
beyond the zeal of its inditer. We should bear in mind that, in general, it is the object of
our newspapers rather to create a sensation-to make a point-than to further the cause of
truth. The latter end is only pursued when it seems coincident with the former. The print
which merely falls in with ordinary opinion (however well founded this opinion may be)
earns for itself no credit with the mob. The mass of the people regard as profound only
him who suggests pungent contradictions of the general idea. In ratiocination, not less
than in literature, it is the epigram which is the most immediately and the most
universally appreciated. In both, it is of the lowest order of merit.

"What I mean to say is, that it is the mingled epigram and melodrame of the idea, that
Marie Roget still lives, rather than any true plausibility in this idea, which have suggested
it to L'Etoile, and secured it a favorable reception with the public. Let us examine the
heads of this journal's argument, endeavoring to avoid the incoherence with which it is
originally set forth.

"The first aim of the writer is to show, from the brevity of the interval between Marie's
disappearance and the finding of the floating corpse, that this corpse cannot be that of
Marie. The reduction of this interval to its smallest possible dimension, becomes thus, at
once, an object with the reasoner. In the rash pursuit of this object, he rushes into mere
assumption at the outset. It is folly to suppose,' he says, 'that the murder, if murder was
committed on her body, could have been consummated soon enough to have enabled her
murderers to throw the body into the river before midnight.' We demand at once, and
very naturally, why? Why is it folly to suppose that the murder was committed within
five minutes after the girl's quitting her mother's house? Why is it folly to suppose that
the murder was committed at any given period of the day? There have been
assassinations at all hours. But, had the murder taken place at any moment between nine
o'clock in the morning of Sunday and a quarter before midnight, there would still have
been time enough 'to throw the body into the river before midnight.' This assumption,
then, amounts precisely to this-that the murder was not committed on Sunday at all- and,
if we allow L'Etoile to assume this, we may permit it any liberties whatever. The
paragraph beginning 'It is folly to suppose that the murder, etc.,' however it appears as
printed in L'Etoile, may be imagined to have existed actually thus in the brain of its
inditer: 'It is folly to suppose that the murder, if murder was committed on the body,
could have been committed soon enough to have enabled her murderers to throw the
body into the river before midnight; it is folly, we say, to suppose all this, and to suppose
at the same time, (as we are resolved to suppose), that the body was not thrown in until
after midnight'-a sentence sufficiently inconsequential in itself, but not so utterly
preposterous as the one printed.

"Were it my purpose," continued Dupin, "merely to make out a case against this passage
of L'Etoile's argument, I might safely leave it where it is. It is not, however, with L'Etoile
that we have to do, but with truth. The sentence in question has but one meaning, as it
stands; and this meaning I have fairly stated, but it is material that we go behind the mere
words, for an idea which these words have obviously intended, and failed to convey. It
was the design of the journalists to say that at whatever period of the day or night of
Sunday this murder was committed, it was improbable that the assassins would have
ventured to bear the corpse to the river before midnight. And herein lies, really, the
assumption of which I complain. It is assumed that the murder was committed at such a
position, and under such circumstances, that the bearing it to the river became necessary.
Now, the assassination might have taken place upon the river's brink, or on the river
itself; and, thus, the throwing the corpse in the water might have been resorted to at any
period of the day or night, as the most obvious and most immediate mode of disposal.
You will understand that I suggest nothing here as probable, or as coincident with my
own opinion. My design, so far, has no reference to the facts of the case. I wish merely to
caution you against the whole tone of L'Etoile's suggestion, by calling your attention to
its ex-parte character at the outset.

"Having prescribed thus a limit to suit its own preconceived notions; having assumed
that, if this were the body of Marie, it could have been in the water but a very brief time,
the journal goes on to say:

All experience has shown that drowned bodies, or bodies thrown into the water
immediately after death by violence, require from six to ten days for sufficient
decomposition to take place to bring them to the top of the water. Even when a cannon is
fired over a corpse, and it rises before at least five or six days' immersion, it sinks again if
let alone.

"These assertions have been tacitly received by every paper in Paris, with the exception
of Le Moniteur.* This latter print endeavors to combat that portion of the paragraph
which has reference to 'drowned bodies' only, by citing some five or six instances in
which the bodies of individuals known to be drowned were found floating after the lapse
of less time than is insisted upon by L'Etoile. But there is something excessively
unphilosophical in the attempt, on the part of Le Moniteur, to rebut the general assertion
of L'Etoile, by a citation of particular instances militating against that assertion. Had it
been possible to adduce fifty instead of five examples of bodies found floating at the end
of two or three days, these fifty examples could still have been properly regarded only as
exceptions to L'Etoile's rule, until such time as the rule itself should be confuted.
Admitting the rule, (and this Le Moniteur does not deny, insisting merely upon its
exceptions,) the argument of L'Etoile is suffered to remain in full force; for this argument
does not pretend to involve more than a question of the probability of the body having
risen to the surface in less than three days; and this probability will be in favor of
L'Etoile's position until the instances so childishly adduced shall be sufficient in number
to establish an antagonistical rule.

* The New York Commercial Advertiser, Edited by Col. Stone.

"You will see at once that all argument upon this head should be urged, if at all, against
the rule itself; and for this end we must examine the rationale of the rule. Now the human
body, in general is neither much lighter nor much heavier than the water of the Seine; that
is to say, the specific gravity of the human body, in its natural condition, is about equal to
the bulk of fresh water which it displaces. The bodies of fat and fleshy persons, with
small bones, and of women generally, are lighter than those of the lean and large-boned,
and of men; and the specific gravity of the water of a river is somewhat influenced by the
presence of the tide from the sea. But, leaving this tide out of the question, it may be said
that very few human bodies will sink at all, even in fresh water, of their own accord.
Almost any one, falling into a river, will be enabled to float, if he suffer the specific
gravity of the water fairly to be adduced in comparison with his own-that is to say, if he
suffer his whole person to be immersed, with as little exception as possible. The proper
position for one who cannot swim, is the upright position of the walker on land, with the
head thrown fully back, and immersed; the mouth and nostrils alone remaining above the
surface. Thus circumstanced; we shall find that we float without difficulty and without
exertion. It is evident, however, that the gravities of the body, and of the bulk of water
displaced, are very nicely balanced, and that a trifle will cause either to preponderate. An
arm, for instance, uplifted from the water, and thus deprived of its support, is an
additional weight sufficient to immerse the whole head, while the accidental aid of the
smallest piece of timber will enable us to elevate the head so as to look about. Now, in
the struggles of one unused to swimming, the arms are invariably thrown upward, while

an attempt is made to keep the head in its usual perpendicular position. The result is the
immersion of the mouth and nostrils, and the inception, during efforts to breathe while
beneath the surface, of water into the lungs. Much is also received into the stomach, and
the whole body becomes heavier by the difference between the weight of the air
originally distending these cavities, and that of the fluid which now fills them. This
difference is sufficient to cause the body to sink, as a general rule; but is insufficient in
the case of individuals with small bones and an abnormal quantity of flaccid or fatty
matter. Such individuals float even after drowning.

"The corpse, being supposed at the bottom of the river, will there remain until, by some
means, its specific gravity again becomes less than that of the bulk of water which it
displaces. This effect is brought about by decomposition, or otherwise. The result of
decomposition is the generation of gas, distending the cellular tissues and all the cavities,
and giving the puffed appearance which is so horrible. When this distension has so far
progressed that the bulk of the corpse is materially increased without a corresponding
increase of mass or weight, its specific gravity becomes less than that of the water
displaced, and it forthwith makes its appearance at the surface. But decomposition is
modified by innumerable circumstances-is hastened or retarded by innumerable
agencies; for example, by the heat or cold of the season, by the mineral impregnation or
purity of the water, by its depth or shallowness, by its currency or stagnation, by the
temperament of the body, by its infection or freedom from disease before death. Thus it is
evident that we can assign no period, with anything like accuracy, at which the corpse
shall rise through decomposition. Under certain conditions this result would be brought
about within an hour, under others it might not take place at all. There are chemical
infusions by which the animal frame can be preserved forever from corruption; the Bi-
chloride of Mercury is one. But, apart from decomposition, there may be, and very
usually is, a generation of gas within the stomach, from the acetous fermentation of
vegetable matter (or within other cavities from other causes), sufficient to induce a
distension which will bring the body to the surface. The effect produced by the firing of a
cannon is that of simple vibration. This may either loosen the corpse from the soft mud or
ooze in which it is imbedded, thus permitting it to rise when other agencies have already
prepared it for so doing, or it may overcome the tenacity of some putrescent portions of
the cellular tissue, allowing the cavities to distend under the influence of the gas.

"Having thus before us the whole philosophy of this subject, we can easily test by it the
assertions of L'Etoile. 'AH experience shows,' says this paper, 'that drowned bodies, or
bodies thrown into the water immediately after death by violence, require from six to ten
days for sufficient decomposition to take place to bring them to the top of the water. Even
when a cannon is fired over a corpse, and it rises before at least five or six days'
immersion, it sinks again if let alone.'

"The whole of this paragraph must now appear a tissue of inconsequence and
incoherence. All experience does not show that 'drowned bodies' require from six to ten
days for sufficient decomposition to take place to bring them to the surface. Both science
and experience show that the period of their rising is, and necessarily must be,
indeterminate. If, moreover, a body has risen to the surface through firing of cannon, it

will not 'sink again if let alone,' until decomposition has so far progressed as to permit the
escape of the generated gas. But I wish to call your attention to the distinction which is
made between 'drowned bodies,' and 'bodies thrown into the water immediately after
death by violence: Although the writer admits the distinction, he yet includes them all in
the same category. I have shown how it is that the body of a drowning man becomes
specifically heavier than its bulk of water, and that he would not sink at all, except for the
struggle by which he elevates his arms above the surface, and his gasps for breath while
beneath the surface-gasps which supply by water the place of the original air in the lungs.
But these struggles and these gasps would not occur in the body 'thrown into the water
immediately after death by violence.' Thus, in the latter instance, the body, as a general
rule, would not sink at all-a fact of which L'Etoile is evidently ignorant. When
decomposition had proceeded to a very great extent- when the flesh had in a great
measure left the bones-then, indeed, but not till then, should we lose sight of the corpse.

"And now what are we to make of the argument, that the body found could not be that of
Marie Roget, because, three days only having elapsed, this body was found floating? If
drowned, being a woman, she might never have sunk; or, having sunk, might have
reappeared in twenty-four hours or less. But no one supposes her to have been drowned;
and, dying before being thrown into the river, she might have been found floating at any
period afterwards whatever.

"'But,' says L'Etoile, 'if the body had been kept in its mangled state on shore until
Tuesday night, some trace would be found on shore of the murderers.' Here it is at first
difficult to perceive the intention of the reasoner. He means to anticipate what he
imagines would be an objection to his theory-viz.: that the body was kept on shore two
days, suffering rapid decomposition-more rapid than if immersed in water. He supposes
that, had this been the case, it might have appeared at the surface on the Wednesday, and
thinks that only under such circumstances it could so have appeared. He is accordingly in
haste to show that it was not kept on shore; for, if so, 'some trace would be found on
shore of the murderers.' I presume you smile at the sequitur. You cannot be made to see
how the mere duration of the corpse on the shore could operate to multiply traces of the
assassins. Nor can I.

'"And furthermore it is exceedingly improbable,' continues our journal, 'that any villains
who had committed such a murder as is here supposed, would have thrown the body in
without weight to sink it, when such a precaution could have so easily been taken.'
Observe, here, the laughable confusion of thought! No one-not even L'Etoile- disputes
the murder committed on the body found. The marks of violence are too obvious. It is our
reasoner's object merely to show that this body is not Marie's. He wishes to prove that
Marie is not assassinated-not that the corpse was not. Yet his observation proves only the
latter point. Here is a corpse without weight attached. Murderers, casting it in, would not
have failed to attach a weight. Therefore it was not thrown in by murderers. This is all
which is proved, if any thing is. The question of identity is not even approached, and
L'Etoile has been at great pains merely to gainsay now what it has admitted only a
moment before. 'We are perfectly convinced,' it says, 'that the body found was that of a
murdered female.'

"Nor is this the sole instance, even in this division of the subject, where our reasoner
unwittingly reasons against himself. His evident object I have already said, is to reduce,
as much as possible, the interval between Marie's disappearance and the finding of the
corpse. Yet we find him urging the point that no person saw the girl from the moment of
her leaving her mother's house. 'We have no evidence,' he says, 'that Marie Roget was in
the land of the living after nine o'clock on Sunday, June the twenty- second.' As his
argument is obviously an ex-parte one, he should, at least, have left this matter out of
sight; for had any one been known to see Marie, say on Monday, or on Tuesday, the
interval in question would have been much reduced, and, by his own ratiocination, the
probability much diminished of the corpse being that of the grisette. It is, nevertheless,
amusing to observe that L'Etoile insists upon its point in the full belief of its furthering its
general argument.

"Reperuse now that portion of this argument which has reference to the identification of
the corpse by Beauvais. In regard to the hair upon the arm, L'Etoile has been obviously
disingenuous. M. Beauvais, not being an idiot, could never have urged in identification of
the corpse, simply hair upon its arm. No arm is without hair. The generality of the
expression of L'Etoile is a mere perversion of the witness' phraseology. He must have
spoken of some peculiarity in this hair. It must have been a peculiarity of color, of
quantity, of length, or of situation.

'"Her foot,' says the journal, 'was small-so are thousands of feet. Her garter is no proof
whatever-nor is her shoe-for shoes and garters are sold in packages. The same may be
said of the flowers in her hat. One thing upon which M. Beauvais strongly insists is, that
the clasp on the garter found had been set back to take it in. This amounts to nothing; for
most women find it proper to take a pair of garters home and, fit them to the size of the
limbs they are to encircle, rather than to try them in the store where they purchase.' Here
it is difficult to suppose the reasoner in earnest. Had M. Beauvais, in his search for the
body of Marie, discovered a corpse corresponding in general size and appearance to the
missing girl, he would have been warranted (without reference to the question of
habiliment at all) in forming an opinion that his search had been successful. If, in addition
to the point of general size and contour, he had found upon the arm a peculiar hairy
appearance which he had observed upon the living Marie, his opinion might have been
justly strengthened; and the increase of positiveness might well have been in the ratio of
the peculiarity, or unusualness, of the hairy mark. If, the feet of Marie being small, those
of the corpse were also small, the increase of probability that the body was that of Marie
would not be an increase in a ratio merely arithmetical, but in one highly geometrical, or
accumulative. Add to all this shoes such as she had been known to wear upon the day of
her disappearance, and, although these shoes may be 'sold in packages,' you so far
augment the probability as to verge upon the certain. What, of itself, would be no
evidence of identity, becomes through its corroborative position, proof most sure. Give
us, then, flowers in the hat corresponding to those worn by the missing girl, and we seek
for nothing farther. If only one flower, we seek for nothing farther-what then if two or
three, or more? Each successive one is multiple evidence-proof not added to proof, but
multiplied by hundreds or thousands. Let us now discover, upon the deceased, garters
such as the living used, and it is almost folly to proceed. But these garters are found to be

tightened, by the setting back of a clasp, in just such a manner as her own had been
tightened by Marie shortly previous to her leaving home. It is now madness or hypocrisy
to doubt. What L'Etoile says in respect to this abbreviation of the garter's being an
unusual occurrence, shows nothing beyond its own pertinacity in error. The elastic nature
of the clasp-garter is self-demonstration of the unusualness of the abbreviation. What is
made to adjust itself, must of necessity require foreign adjustment but rarely. It must have
been by an accident, in its strictest sense, that these garters of Marie needed the
tightening described. They alone would have amply established her identity. But it is not
that the corpse was found to have the garters of the missing girl, or found to have her
shoes, or her bonnet, or the flowers of her bonnet, or her feet, or a peculiar mark upon the
arm, or her general size and appearance-it is that the corpse had each and all collectively.
Could it be proved that the editor of L'Etoile really entertained a doubt, under the
circumstances, there would be no need, in his case, of a commission de lunatico
inquirendo. He has thought it sagacious to echo the small talk of the lawyers, who, for the
most part, content themselves with echoing the rectangular precepts of the courts. I would
here observe that very much of what is rejected as evidence by a court, is the best of
evidence to the intellect. For the court, guiding itself by the general principles of
evidence-the recognized and booked principles-is averse from swerving at particular
instances. And this steadfast adherence to principle, with rigorous disregard of the
conflicting exception, is a sure mode of attaining the maximum of attainable truth, in any
long sequence of time. The practice, in mass, is therefore philosophical; but it is not the
less certain that it engenders vast individual error.*

* "A theory based on the qualities of an object, will prevent its being unfolded according
to its objects; and he who arranges topics in reference to their causes, will cease to value
them according to their results. Thus the jurisprudence of every nation will show that,
when law becomes a science and a system, it ceases to be justice. The errors into which a
blind devotion to principles of classification has led the common law, will be seen by
observing how often the legislature has been obliged to come forward to restore the
equity its scheme had lost."-Landor.

"In respect to the insinuations levelled at Beauvais, you will be willing to dismiss them in
a breath. You have already fathomed the true character of this good gentleman. He is a
busy-body, with much of romance and little of wit. Any one so constituted will readily so
conduct himself, upon occasion of real excitement, as to render himself liable to
suspicion on the part of the over-acute, or the ill-disposed. M. Beauvais (as it appears
from your notes) had some personal interviews with the editor of L'Etoile, and offended
him by venturing an opinion that the corpse, notwithstanding the theory of the editor,
was, in sober fact, that of Marie. 'He persists,' says the paper, 'in asserting the corpse to be
that of Marie, but cannot give a circumstance, in addition to those which we have
commented upon, to make others believe.' Now, without readverting to the fact that
stronger evidence 'to make others believe,' could never have been adduced, it may be
remarked that a man may very well be understood to believe, in a case of this kind,
without the ability to advance a single reason for the belief of a second party. Nothing is
more vague than impressions of individual identity. Each man recognizes his neighbor,
yet there are few instances in which any one is prepared to give a reason for his

recognition. The editor of L'Etoile had no right to be offended at M. Beauvais'
unreasoning belief.

"The suspicious circumstances which invest him, will be found to tally much better with
my hypothesis of romantic busy-bodyism, than with the reasoner's suggestion of guilt.
Once adopting the more charitable interpretation, we shall find no difficulty in
comprehending the rose in the key-hole; the 'Marie' upon the slate; the 'elbowing the male
relatives out of the way'; the 'aversion to permitting them to see the body'; the caution
given to Madame B-, that she must hold no conversation with the gendarme until his
return (Beauvais); and, lastly, his apparent determination 'that nobody should have any
thing to do with the proceedings except himself.' It seems to be unquestionable that
Beauvais was a suitor of Marie's; that she coquetted with him; and that he was ambitious
of being thought to enjoy her fullest intimacy and confidence. I shall say nothing more
upon this point; and, as the evidence fully rebuts the assertion of L'Etoile, touching the
matter of apathy on the part of the mother and other relatives-an apathy inconsistent with
the supposition of their believing the corpse to be that of the perfumery-girl- we shall
now proceed as if the question of identity were settled to our perfect satisfaction."

"And what," I here demanded, "do you think of the opinions of Le Commerciel?"

"That in spirit, they are far more worthy of attention than any which have been
promulgated upon the subject. The deductions from the premises are philosophical and
acute; but the premises, in two instances, at least, are founded in imperfect observation.
Le Commerciel wishes to intimate that Marie was seized by some gang of low ruffians
not far from her mother's door. 'It is impossible,' it urges, 'that a person so well known to
thousands as this young woman was, should have passed three blocks without some one
having seen her." This is the idea of a man long resident in Paris-a public man-and one
whose walks to and fro in the city have been mostly limited to the vicinity of the public
offices. He is aware that he seldom passes so far as a dozen blocks from his own bureau,
without being recognized and accosted. And, knowing the extent of his personal
acquaintance with others, and of others with him, he compares his notoriety with that of
the perfumery-girl, finds no great difference between them, and reaches at once the
conclusion that she, in her walks, would be equally liable to recognition with himself in
his. This could only be the case were her walks of the same unvarying, methodical
character, and within the same species of limited region as are his own. He passes to and
fro, at regular intervals, within a confined periphery, abounding in individuals who are
led to observation of his person through interest in the kindred nature of his occupation
with their own. But the walks of Marie may, in general, be supposed discursive. In this
particular instance, it will be understood as most probable, that she proceeded upon a
route of more than average diversity from her accustomed ones. The parallel which we
imagine to have existed in the mind of Le Commerciel would only be sustained in the
event of the two individuals traversing the whole city. In this case, granting the personal
acquaintances to be equal, the chances would be also equal that an equal number of
personal encounters would be made. For my own part, I should hold it not only as
possible, but as very far more probable, that Marie might have proceeded, at any given
period, by any one of the many routes between her own residence and that of her aunt.

without meeting a single individual whom she knew, or by whom she was known. In
viewing this question in its full and proper light, we must hold steadily in mind the great
disproportion between the personal acquaintances of even the most noted individual in
Paris, and the entire population of Paris itself.

"But whatever force there may still appear to be in the suggestion of Le Commerciel, will
be much diminished when we take into consideration the hour at which the girl went
abroad. It was when the streets were full of people,' says Le Commerciel, 'that she went
out.' But not so. It was at nine o'clock in the morning. Now at nine o'clock of every
morning in the week, with the exception of Sunday, the streets of the city are, it is true,
thronged with people. At nine on Sunday, the populace are chiefly within doors preparing
for church. No observing person can have failed to notice the peculiarly deserted air of
the town, from about eight until ten on the morning of every Sabbath. Between ten and
eleven the streets are thronged, but not at so early a period as that designated.

"There is another point at which there seems a deficiency of observation on the part of Le
Commerciel. 'A piece,' it says, 'of one of the unfortunate girl's petticoats, two feet long,
and one foot wide, was torn out and tied under her chin, and around the back of her head,
probably to prevent screams. This was done by fellows who had no pocket-
handkerchiefs.' Whether this idea is or is not well founded, we will endeavor to see
hereafter, but by 'fellows who have no pocket-handkerchiefs,' the editor intends the
lowest class of ruffians. These, however, are the very description of people who will
always be found to have handkerchiefs even when destitute of shirts. You must have had
occasion to observe how absolutely indispensable, of late years, to the thorough
blackguard, has become the pocket-handkerchief."

"And what are we to think," I asked, "of the article in Le Soleil?"

"That it is a vast pity its inditer was not bom a parrot-in which case he would have been
the most illustrious parrot of his race. He has merely repeated the individual items of the
already published opinion; collecting them, with a laudable industry, from this paper and
from that. 'The things had all evidently been there,' he says, 'at least three or four weeks,
and there can be no doubt that the spot of this appalling outrage has been discovered.' The
facts here re- stated by Le Soleil, are very far indeed from removing my own doubts upon
this subject, and we will examine them more particularly hereafter in connection with
another division of the theme.

"At present we must occupy ourselves with other investigations. You cannot fail to have
remarked the extreme laxity of the examination of the corpse. To be sure, the question of
identity was readily determined, or should have been; but there were other points to be
ascertained. Had the body been in any respect despoiled? Had the deceased any articles
of jewelry about her person upon leaving home? If so, had she any when found? These
are important questions utterly untouched by the evidence; and there are others of equal
moment, which have met with no attention. We must endeavor to satisfy ourselves by
personal inquiry. The case of St. Eustache must be re-examined. I have no suspicion of
this person; but let us proceed methodically. We will ascertain beyond a doubt the

validity of the affidavits in regard to his whereabouts on the Sunday. Affidavits of this
character are readily made matter of mystification. Should there be nothing wrong here,
however, we will dismiss St. Eustache from our investigations. His suicide, however,
corroborative of suspicion, were there found to be deceit in the affidavits, is, without such
deceit, in no respect an unaccountable circumstance, or one which need cause us to
deflect from the line of ordinary analysis.

"In that which I now propose, we will discard the interior points of this tragedy, and
concentrate our attention upon its outskirts. Not the least usual error in investigations
such as this is the limiting of inquiry to the immediate, with total disregard of the
collateral or circumstantial events. It is the malpractice of the courts to confine evidence
and discussion to the bounds of apparent relevancy. Yet experience has shown, and a true
philosophy will always show, that a vast, perhaps the larger, portion of truth arises from
the seemingly irrelevant. It is through the spirit of this principle, if not precisely through
its letter, that modem science has resolved to calculate upon the unforeseen. But perhaps
you do not comprehend me. The history of human knowledge has so uninterruptedly
shown that to collateral, or incidental, or accidental events we are indebted for the most
numerous and most valuable discoveries, that it has at length become necessary, in any
prospective view of improvement, to make not only large, but the largest, allowances for
inventions that shall arise by chance, and quite out of the range of ordinary expectation. It
is no longer philosophical to base upon what has been a vision of what is to be. Accident
is admitted as a portion of the substructure. We make chance a matter of absolute
calculation. We subject the unlooked for and unimagined to the mathematical formulae of
the schools.

"I repeat that it is no more than fact that the larger portion of all truth has sprung from the
collateral; and it is but in accordance with the spirit of the principle involved in this fact
that I would divert inquiry, in the present case, from the trodden and hitherto unfruitful
ground of the event itself to the contemporary circumstances which surround it. While
you ascertain the validity of the affidavits, I will examine the newspapers more generally
than you have as yet done. So far, we have only reconnoitred the field of investigation;
but it will be strange, indeed, if a comprehensive survey, such as I propose, of the public
prints will not afford us some minute points which shall establish a direction for inquiry."

In pursuance of Dupin's suggestion, I made scrupulous examination of the affair of the
affidavits. The result was a firm conviction of their validity, and of the consequent
innocence of St. Eustache. In the meantime my friend occupied himself, with what
seemed to me a minuteness altogether objectless, in a scrutiny of the various newspaper
files. At the end of a week he placed before me the following extracts:

"About three years and a half ago, a disturbance very similar to the present was caused by
the disappearance of this same Marie Roget from the parfumerie of Monsieur Le Blanc,
in the Palais Royal. At the end of a week, however, she re-appeared at her customary
comptoir, as well as ever, with the exception of a slight paleness not altogether usual. It
was given out by Monsieur Le Blanc and her mother that she had merely been on a visit
to some friend in the country; and the affair was speedily hushed up. We presume that the

present absence is a freak of the same nature, and that, at the expiration of a week or,
perhaps, of a month, we shall have her among us again. "-Evening Paper, Monday, June

23.*

* New York Express

"An evening journal of yesterday refers to a former mysterious disappearance of
Mademoiselle Roget. It is well known that, during the week of her absence from Le
Blanc's parfumerie, she was in the company of a young naval officer much noted for his
debaucheries. A quarrel, it is supposed, providentially, led to her return home. We have
the name of the Lothario in question, who is at present stationed in Paris, but for obvious
reasons forbear to make it public. "-Le Mercure, Tuesday Morning, June 24.*

* New York Herald

"An outrage of the most atrocious character was perpetrated near this city the day before
yesterday. A gentleman, with his wife and daughter, engaged, about dusk, the services of
six young men, who were idly rowing a boat to and fro near the banks of the Seine, to
convey him across the river. Upon reaching the opposite shore the three passengers
stepped out, and had proceeded so far as to be beyond the view of the boat, when the
daughter discovered that she had left in it her parasol. She returned for it, was seized by
the gang, carried out into the stream, gagged, brutally treated, and finally taken to the
shore at a point not far from that at which she had originally entered the boat with her
parents. The villains have escaped for the time, but the police are upon their trail, and
some of them will soon be taken. "-Morning Paper, June 25-*

* New York Courier and Inquirer

"We have received one or two communications, the object of which is to fasten the crime
of the late atrocity upon Mennais*; but as this gentleman has been fully exonerated by a
legal inquiry, and as the arguments of our several correspondents appear to be more
zealous than profound, we do not think it advisable to make them public."- Morning
Paper, June 28. *(2)

* Mennais was one of the parties originally arrested, but discharged through total lack of
evidence.

*(2) New York Courier and Inquirer

"We have received several forcibly written communications, apparently from various
sources, and which go far to render it a matter of certainty that the unfortunate Marie
Roget has become a victim of one of the numerous bands of blackguards which infest the
vicinity of the city upon Sunday. Our own opinion is decidedly in favor of this
supposition. We shall endeavor to make room for some of these arguments hereafter. "-
Evening Paper, Tuesday, June 31.*

* New York Evening Post

"On Monday, one of the bargemen connected with the revenue service saw an empty boat
floating down the Seine. Sails were lying in the bottom of the boat. The bargeman towed
it under the barge office. The next morning it was taken from thence without the
knowledge of any of the officers. The rudder is now at the barge office. "-Le Diligence,
Thursday, June 26.*

* New York Standard

Upon reading these various extracts, they not only seemed to me irrelevant, but I could
perceive no mode in which any one of them could be brought to bear upon the matter in
hand. I waited for some explanation from Dupin.

"It is not my present design," he said, "to dwell upon the first and second of these
extracts. I have copied them chiefly to show you the extreme remissness of the police,
who, as far as I can understand from the Prefect, have not troubled themselves, in any
respect, with an examination of the naval officer alluded to. Yet it is mere folly to say
that between the first and second disappearance of Marie there is no supposable
connection. Let us admit the first elopement to have resulted in a quarrel between the
lovers, and the return home of the betrayed. We are now prepared to view a second
elopement (if we know that an elopement has again taken place) as indicating a renewal
of the betrayer's advances, rather than as the result of new proposals by a second
individual-we are prepared to regard it as a 'making up' of the old amour, rather than as
the commencement of a new one. The chances are ten to one, that he who had once
eloped with Marie would again propose an elopement, rather than that she to whom
proposals of an elopement had been made by one individual, should have them made to
her by another. And here let me call your attention to the fact, that the time elapsing
between the first ascertained and the second supposed elopement is a few months more
than the general period of the cruises of our men-of-war. Had the lover been interrupted
in his first villainy by the necessity of departure to sea, and had he seized the first
moment of his return to renew the base designs not yet altogether accomplished-or not
yet altogether accomplished by him? Of all these things we know nothing.

"You will say, however, that, in the second instance, there was no elopement as
imagined. Certainly not-but are we prepared to say that there was not the frustrated
design? Beyond St. Eustache, and perhaps Beauvais, we find no recognized, no open, no
honorable suitors of Marie. Of none other is there any thing said. Who, then, is the secret
lover, of whom the relatives (at least most of them) know nothing, but whom Marie
meets upon the morning of Sunday, and who is so deeply in her confidence, that she
hesitates not to remain with him until the shades of the evening descend, amid the solitary
groves of the Barriere du Roule? Who is that secret lover, I ask, of whom, at least, most
of the relatives know nothing? And what means the singular prophecy of Madam Roget
on the morning of Marie's departure?-'! fear that I shall never see Marie again.'

"But if we cannot imagine Madame Roget privy to the design of elopement, may we not
at least suppose this design entertained by the giri? Upon quitting home, she gave it to be
understood that she was about to visit her aunt in the Rue des Dromes, and St. Eustache
was requested to call for her at dark. Now, at first glance, this fact strongly militates
against my suggestion;-but let us reflect. That she did meet some companion, and
proceed with him across the river, reaching the Barriere du Roule at so late an hour as
three o'clock in the afternoon, is known. But in consenting so to accompany this
individual, (for whatever purpose-to her mother known or unknown,) she must have
thought of her expressed intention when leaving home, and of the surprise and suspicion
aroused in the bosom of her affianced suitor, St. Eustache, when, calling for her, at the
hour appointed, in the Rue des Dromes, he should find that she had not been there, and
when, moreover, upon returning to the pension with this alarming intelligence, he should
become aware of her continued absence from home. She must have thought of these
things, I say. She must have foreseen the chagrin of St. Eustache, the suspicion of all. She
could not have thought of returning to brave this suspicion; but the suspicion becomes a
point of trivial importance to her, if we suppose her not intending to return.

"We may imagine her thinking thus-'I am to meet a certain person for the purpose of
elopement, or for certain other purposes known only to myself. It is necessary that there
be no chance of interruption- there must be sufficient time given us to elude pursuit-I
will give it to be understood that I shall visit and spend the day with my aunt at the Rue
des Dromes-I will tell St. Eustache not to call for me until dark-in this way, my absence
from home for the longest possible period, without causing suspicion or anxiety, will be
accounted for, and I shall gain more time than in any other manner. If I bid St. Eustache
call for me at dark, he will be sure not to call before; but if I wholly neglect to bid him
call, my time for escape will be diminished, since it will be expected that I return the
earlier, and my absence will the sooner excite anxiety. Now, if it were my design to
return at all-if I had in contemplation merely a stroll with the individual in question-it
would not be my policy to bid St. Eustache call; for, calling, he will be sure to ascertain
that I have played him false-a fact of which I might keep him forever in ignorance, by
leaving home without notifying him of my intention, by returning before dark, and by
then stating that I had been to visit my aunt in the Rue des Dromes. But, as it is my
design never to return- or not for some weeks-or not until certain concealments are
effected- the gaining of time is the only point about which I need give myself any
concern.'

"You have observed, in your notes, that the most general opinion in relation to this sad
affair is, and was from the first, that the girl had been the victim of a gang of blackguards.
Now, the popular opinion, under certain conditions, is not to be disregarded. When
arising of itself-when manifesting itself in a strictly spontaneous manner-we should look
upon it as analogous with that intuition which is the idiosyncrasy of the individual man of
genius. In ninety-nine cases from the hundred I would abide by its decision. But it is
important that we find no palpable traces of suggestion. The opinion must be rigorously
the public's own, and the distinction is often exceedingly difficult to perceive and to
maintain. In the present instance, it appears to me that this 'public opinion,' in respect to a
gang, has been superinduced by the collateral event which is detailed in the third of my

extracts. All Paris is excited by the discovered corpse of Marie, a girl young, beautiful,
and notorious. This corpse is found, bearing marks of violence, and floating in the river.
But it is now made known that, at the very period, or about the very period, in which it is
supposed that the girl was assassinated, an outrage similar in nature to that endured by the
deceased, although less in extent, was perpetrated by a gang of young ruffians, upon the
person of a second young female. Is it wonderful that the one known atrocity should
influence the popular judgment in regard to the other unknown? This judgment awaited
direction, and the known outrage seemed so opportunely to afford it! Marie, too, was
found in the river; and upon this very river was this known outrage committed. The
connection of the two events had about it so much of the palpable, that the true wonder
would have been a failure of the populace to appreciate and to seize it. But, in fact, the
one atrocity, known to be so committed, is, if any thing, evidence that the other,
committed at a time nearly coincident, was not so committed. It would have been a
miracle indeed, if, while a gang of ruffians were perpetrating, at a given locality, a most
unheard-of wrong, there should have been another similar gang, in a similar locality, in
the same city, under the same circumstances, with the same means and appliances,
engaged in a wrong of precisely the same aspect, at precisely the same period of time!
Yet in what, if not in this marvellous train of coincidence, does the accidentally suggested
opinion of the populace call upon us to believe?

"Before proceeding farther, let us consider the supposed scene of the assassination, in the
thicket at the Barriere du Roule. This thicket, although dense, was in the close vicinity of
a public road. Within were three or four large stones, forming a kind of seat with a back
and a footstool. On the upper stone was discovered a white petticoat; on the second, a silk
scarf. A parasol, gloves, and a pocket-handkerchief were also here found. The
handkerchief bore the name 'Marie Roget'. Fragments of dress were seen on the branches
around. The earth was trampled, the bushes were broken, and there was every evidence of
a violent struggle.

"Notwithstanding the acclamation with which the discovery of this thicket was received
by the press, and the unanimity with which it was supposed to indicate the precise scene
of the outrage, it must be admitted that there was some very good reason for doubt. That
it was the scene, I may or I may not believe-but there was excellent reason for doubt.
Had the true scene been, as Le Commerciel suggested, in the neighborhood of the Rue
Pavee St. Andree, the perpetrators of the crime, supposing them still resident in Paris,
would naturally have been stricken with terror at the public attention thus acutely directed
into the proper channel; and, in certain classes of minds, there would have arisen, at once,
a sense of the necessity of some exertion to re-divert this attention. And thus, the thicket
of the Barriere du Roule having been already suspected, the idea of placing the articles
where they were found, might have been naturally entertained. There is no real evidence,
although Le Soleil so supposes, that the articles discovered had been more than a very
few days in the thicket; while there is much circumstantial proof that they could not have
remained there, without attracting attention, during the twenty days elapsing between the
fatal Sunday and the afternoon upon which they were found by the boys. 'They were all
mildewed down hard,' says Le Soleil, adopting the opinions of its predecessors, 'with the
action of the rain and stuck together from mildew. The grass had grown around and over

some of them. The silk of the parasol was strong, but the threads of it were run together
within. The upper part, where it had been doubled and folded, was all mildewed and
rotten, and tore on being opened.' In respect to the grass having 'grown around and over
some of them,' it is obvious that the fact could only have been ascertained from the
words, and thus from the recollections, of two small boys; for these boys removed the
articles and took them home before they had been seen by a third party. But the grass will
grow, especially in warm and damp weather (such as was that of the period of the
murder), as much as two or three inches in a single day. A parasol lying upon a newly
turfed ground, might, in a single week, be entirely concealed from sight by the
upspringing grass. And touching that mildew upon which the editor of Le Soleil so
pertinaciously insists, that he employs the word no less than three times in the brief
paragraph just quoted, is he really unaware of the nature of this mildew? Is he to be told
that it is one of the many classes of fungus, of which the most ordinary feature is its
upspringing and decadence within twenty-four hours?

"Thus we see, at a glance, that what has been most triumphantly adduced in support of
the idea that the articles had been 'for at least three or four weeks' in the thicket, is most
absurdly null as regards any evidence of that fact. On the other hand, it is exceedingly
difficult to believe that these articles could have remained in the thicket specified for a
longer period than a single week-for a longer period than from one Sunday to the next.
Those who know any thing of the vicinity of Paris, know the extreme difficulty of finding
seclusion, unless at a great distance from its suburbs. Such a thing as an unexplored or
even an unfrequently visited recess, amid its woods or groves, is not for a moment to be
imagined. Let any one who, being at heart a lover of nature, is yet chained by duty to the
dust and heat of this great metropolis-let any such one attempt, even during the week-
days, to slake his thirst for solitude amid the scenes of natural loveliness which
immediately surround us. At every second step, he will find the growing charm dispelled
by the voice and personal intrusion of some ruffian or party of carousing blackguards. He
will seek privacy amid the densest foliage, all in vain. Here are the very nooks where the
unwashed most abound-here are the temples most desecrate. With sickness of the heart
the wanderer will flee back to the polluted Paris as to a less odious because less
incongruous sink of pollution. But if the vicinity of the city is so beset during the working
days of the week, how much more so on the Sabbath! It is now especially that, released
from the claims of labor, or deprived of the customary opportunities of crime, the town
blackguard seeks the precincts of the town, not through love of the rural, which in his
heart he despises, but by way of escape from the restraints and conventionalities of
society. He desires less the fresh air and the green trees, than the utter license of the
country. Here, at the road-side inn, or beneath the foliage of the woods, he indulges
unchecked by any eye except those of his boon companions, in all the mad excess of a
counterfeit hilarity- the joint offspring of liberty and of rum. I say nothing more than
what must be obvious to every dispassionate observer, when I repeat that the
circumstance of the articles in question having remained undiscovered, for a longer
period than from one Sunday to another, in any thicket in the immediate neighborhood of
Paris, is to be looked upon as little less than miraculous.

"But there are not wanting other grounds for the suspicion that the articles were placed in
the thicket with the view of diverting attention from the real scene of the outrage. And
first, let me direct your notice to the date of the discovery of the articles. Collate this with
the date of the fifth extract made by myself from the newspapers. You will find that the
discovery followed, almost immediately, the urgent communications sent to the evening
paper. These communications, although various, and apparently from various sources,
tended all to the same point- viz., the directing of attention to a gang as the perpetrators of
the outrage, and to the neighborhood of the Barriere du Roule as its scene. Now, here, of
course, the suspicion is not that, in consequence of these communications, or of the
public attention by them directed, the articles were found by the boys; but the suspicion
might and may well have been, that the articles were not before found by the boys, for the
reason that the articles had not before been in the thicket; having been deposited there
only at so late a period as at the date, or shortly prior to the date of the communications,
by the guilty authors of these communications themselves.

"This thicket was a singular-an exceedingly singular one. It was unusually dense. Within
its naturally walled enclosure were three extraordinary stones, forming a seat with a back
and a footstool. And this thicket, so full of art, was in the immediate vicinity, within a
few rods, of the dwelling of Madame Deluc, whose boys were in the habit of closely
examining the shrubberies about them in search of the bark of the sassafras. Would it be a
rash wager-a wager of one thousand to one-that a day never passed over the heads of
these boys without finding at least one of them ensconced in the umbrageous hall, and
enthroned upon its natural throne? Those who would hesitate at such a wager, have either
never been boys themselves, or have forgotten the boyish nature. I repeat-it is
exceedingly hard to comprehend how the articles could have remained in this thicket
undiscovered, for a longer period than one or two days; and that thus there is good
ground for suspicion, in spite of the dogmatic ignorance of Le Soleil, that they were, at a
comparatively late date, deposited where found.

"But there are still other and stronger reasons for believing them so deposited, than any
which I have as yet urged. And, now, let me beg your notice to the highly artificial
arrangement of the articles. On the upper stone lay a white petticoat; on the second, a silk
scarf; scattered around, were a parasol, gloves, and a pocket-handkerchief bearing the
name 'Marie Roget.' Here is just such an arrangement as would naturally be made by a
not over-acute person wishing to dispose the articles naturally. But it is by no means a
really natural arrangement. I should rather have looked to see the things all lying on the
ground and trampled under foot. In the narrow limits of that bower, it would have been
scarcely possible that the petticoat and scarf should have retained a position upon the
stones, when subjected to the brushing to and fro of many struggling persons. 'There was
evidence,' it is said, 'of a struggle; and the earth was trampled, the bushes were broken,'-
but the petticoat and the scarf are found deposited as if upon shelves. 'The pieces of the
frock torn out by the bushes were about three inches wide and six inches long. One part
was the hem of the frock and it had been mended. They looked like strips torn off.' Here,
inadvertently, Le Soleil has employed an exceedingly suspicious phrase. The pieces, as
described, do indeed look like strips torn off; but purposely and by hand. It is one of the
rarest of accidents that a piece is 'torn off,' from any garment such as is now in question.

by the agency of a thorn. From the very nature of such fabrics, a thorn or nail becoming
tangled in them, tears them rectangularly-divides them into two longitudinal rents, at
right angles with each other, and meeting at an apex where the thorn enters-but it is
scarcely possible to conceive the piece 'torn off.' I never so knew it, nor did you. To tear a
piece off from such fabric, two distinct forces, in different directions, will be, in almost
every case, required. If there be two edges to the fabric- if, for example, it be a pocket-
handkerchief, and it is desired to tear from it a slip, then, and then only, will the one force
serve the purpose. But in the present case the question is of a dress, presenting but one
edge. To tear a piece from the interior, where no edge is presented, could only be effected
by a miracle through the agency of thorns, and no one thorn could accomplish it. But,
even where an edge is presented, two thorns will be necessary, operating, the one in two
distinct directions, and the other in one. And this in the supposition that the edge is
unhemmed. If hemmed, the matter is nearly out of the question. We thus see the
numerous and great obstacles in the way of pieces being 'torn off through the simple
agency of 'thorns'; yet we are required to believe not only that one piece but that many
have been so torn. 'And one part,' too, 'was the hem of the frock'! Another piece was 'part
of the skirt, not the hem,'-that is to say, was torn completely out, through the agency of
thorns, from the unedged interior of the dress! These, I say, are things which one may
well be pardoned for disbelieving; yet, taken collectedly, they form, perhaps, less of
reasonable ground for suspicion, than the one startling circumstance of the articles having
been left in this thicket at all, by any murderers who had enough precaution to think of
removing the corpse. You will not have apprehended me rightly, however, if you suppose
it my design to deny this thicket as the scene of the outrage. There might have been a
wrong here, or more possibly, an accident at Madame Deluc's. But, in fact, this is a point
of minor importance. We are not engaged in an attempt to discover the scene, but to
produce the perpetrators of the murder. What I have adduced, notwithstanding the
minuteness with which I have adduced it, has been with the view, first, to show the folly
of the positive and headlong assertions of Le Soleil, but secondly and chiefly, to bring
you, by the most natural route, to a further contemplation of the doubt whether this
assassination has, or has not, been the work of a gang.

"We will resume this question by mere allusion to the revolting details of the surgeon
examined at the inquest. It is only necessary to say that his published inferences, in
regard to the number of the ruffians, have been properly ridiculed as unjust and totally
baseless, by all the reputable anatomists of Paris. Not that the matter might not have been
as inferred, but that there was no ground for the inference:-was there not much for
another?

THE END

THE NARRATIVE OF ARTHUR GORDON PYM OF

NANTUCKET

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

PREFACE

UPON my return to the United States a few months ago, after the extraordinary series of
adventure in the South Seas and elsewhere, of which an account is given in the following
pages, accident threw me into the society of several gentlemen in Richmond, Va., who
felt deep interest in all matters relating to the regions I had visited, and who were
constantly urging it upon me, as a duty, to give my narrative to the public. I had several
reasons, however, for declining to do so, some of which were of a nature altogether
private, and concern no person but myself, others not so much so. One consideration
which deterred me was, that, having kept no journal during a greater portion of the time
in which I was absent, I feared I should not be able to write, from mere memory, a
statement so minute and connected as to have the appearance of that truth it would really
possess, barring only the natural and unavoidable exaggeration to which all of us are
prone when detailing events which have had powerful influence in exciting the
imaginative faculties. Another reason was, that the incidents to be narrated were of a
nature so positively marvellous, that, unsupported as my assertions must necessarily be
(except by the evidence of a single individual, and he a half-breed Indian), I could only
hope for belief among my family, and those of my friends who have had reason, through
life, to put faith in my veracity-the probability being that the public at large would regard
what I should put forth as merely an impudent and ingenious fiction. A distrust in my
own abilities as a writer was, nevertheless, one of the principal causes which prevented
me from complying with the suggestion of my advisers.

Among those gentlemen in Virginia who expressed the greatest interest in my statement,
more particularly in regard to that portion of it which related to the Antarctic Ocean, was
Mr. Poe, lately editor of the Southern Literary Messenger, a monthly magazine, published
by Mr. Thomas W. White, in the city of Richmond. He strongly advised me, among
others, to prepare at once a full account of what I had seen and undergone, and trust to the
shrewdness and common sense of the public-insisting, with great plausibility, that
however roughly, as regards mere authorship, my book should be got up, its very
uncouthness, if there were any, would give it all the better chance of being received as
truth.

Notwithstanding this representation, I did not make up my mind to do as he suggested.
He afterward proposed (finding that I would not stir in the matter) that I should allow him
to draw up, in his own words, a narrative of the earlier portion of my adventures, from

facts afforded by myself, publishing it in the Southern Messenger under the garb of
fiction. To this, perceiving no objection, I consented, stipulating only that my real name
should be retained. Two numbers of the pretended fiction appeared, consequently, in the
Messenger for January and February, (1837), and, in order that it might certainly be
regarded as fiction, the name of Mr. Poe was affixed to the articles in the table of
contents of the magazine.

The manner in which this ruse was received has induced me at length to undertake a
regular compilation and publication of the adventures in question; for I found that, in
spite of the air of fable which had been so ingeniously thrown around that portion of my
statement which appeared in the Messenger (without altering or distorting a single fact),
the public were still not at all disposed to receive it as fable, and several letters were sent
to Mr. P.'s address, distinctly expressing a conviction to the contrary. I thence concluded
that the facts of my narrative would prove of such a nature as to carry with them
sufficient evidence of their own authenticity, and that I had consequently little to fear on
the score of popular incredulity.

This expose being made, it will be seen at once how much of what follows I claim to be
my own writing; and it will also be understood that no fact is misrepresented in the first
few pages which were written by Mr. Poe. Even to those readers who have not seen the
Messenger, it will be unnecessary to point out where his portion ends and my own
commences; the difference in point of style will be readily perceived.

A. G. PYM. New- York, July, 1838.
CHAPTER I

MY name is Arthur Gordon Pym. My father was a respectable trader in sea-stores at
Nantucket, where I was born. My maternal grandfather was an attorney in good practice.
He was fortunate in every thing, and had speculated very successfully in stocks of the
Edgarton New Bank, as it was formerly called. By these and other means he had
managed to lay by a tolerable sum of money. He was more attached to myself, I believe,
than to any other person in the world, and I expected to inherit the most of his property at
his death. He sent me, at six years of age, to the school of old Mr. Ricketts, a gentleman
with only one arm and of eccentric manners-he is well known to almost every person
who has visited New Bedford. I stayed at his school until I was sixteen, when I left him
for Mr. E. Ronald's academy on the hill. Here I became intimate with the son of Mr.
Barnard, a sea-captain, who generally sailed in the employ of Lloyd and Vredenburgh-
Mr. Barnard is also very well known in New Bedford, and has many relations, I am
certain, in Edgarton. His son was named Augustus, and he was nearly two years older
than myself. He had been on a whaling voyage with his father in the John Donaldson, and
was always talking to me of his adventures in the South Pacific Ocean. I used frequently
to go home with him, and remain all day, and sometimes all night. We occupied the same
bed, and he would be sure to keep me awake until almost light, telling me stories of the
natives of the Island of Tinian, and other places he had visited in his travels. At last I
could not help being interested in what he said, and by degrees I felt the greatest desire to

go to sea. I owned a sailboat called the Ariel, and worth about seventy-five dollars. She
had a half-deck or cuddy, and was rigged sloop-fashion-I forget her tonnage, but she
would hold ten persons without much crowding. In this boat we were in the habit of
going on some of the maddest freaks in the world; and, when I now think of them, it
appears to me a thousand wonders that I am alive to-day.

I will relate one of these adventures by way of introduction to a longer and more
momentous narrative. One night there was a party at Mr. Barnard's, and both Augustus
and myself were not a little intoxicated toward the close of it. As usual, in such cases, I
took part of his bed in preference to going home. He went to sleep, as I thought, very
quietly (it being near one when the party broke up), and without saying a word on his
favorite topic. It might have been half an hour from the time of our getting in bed, and I
was just about falling into a doze, when he suddenly started up, and swore with a terrible
oath that he would not go to sleep for any Arthur Pym in Christendom, when there was so
glorious a breeze from the southwest. I never was so astonished in my life, not knowing
what he intended, and thinking that the wines and liquors he had drunk had set him
entirely beside himself. He proceeded to talk very coolly, however, saying he knew that I
supposed him intoxicated, but that he was never more sober in his life. He was only tired,
he added, of lying in bed on such a fine night like a dog, and was determined to get up
and dress, and go out on a frolic with the boat. I can hardly tell what possessed me, but
the words were no sooner out of his mouth than I felt a thrill of the greatest excitement
and pleasure, and thought his mad idea one of the most delightful and most reasonable
things in the world. It was blowing almost a gale, and the weather was very cold-it being
late in October. I sprang out of bed, nevertheless, in a kind of ecstasy, and told him I was
quite as brave as himself, and quite as tired as he was of lying in bed like a dog, and quite
as ready for any fun or frolic as any Augustus Barnard in Nantucket.

We lost no time in getting on our clothes and hurrying down to the boat. She was lying at
the old decayed wharf by the lumber-yard of Pankey & Co., and almost thumping her
side out against the rough logs. Augustus got into her and bailed her, for she was nearly
half full of water. This being done, we hoisted jib and mainsail, kept full, and started
boldly out to sea.

The wind, as I before said, blew freshly from the southwest. The night was very clear and
cold. Augustus had taken the helm, and I stationed myself by the mast, on the deck of the
cuddy. We flew along at a great rate-neither of us having said a word since casting loose
from the wharf. I now asked my companion what course he intended to steer, and what
time he thought it probable we should get back. He whistled for a few minutes, and then
said crustily: "I am going to sea-you may go home if you think proper." Turning my eyes
upon him, I perceived at once that, in spite of his assumed nonchalance, he was greatly
agitated. I could see him distinctly by the light of the moon-his face was paler than any
marble, and his hand shook so excessively that he could scarcely retain hold of the tiller. I
found that something had gone wrong, and became seriously alarmed. At this period I
knew little about the management of a boat, and was now depending entirely upon the
nautical skill of my friend. The wind, too, had suddenly increased, as we were fast getting
out of the lee of the land-still I was ashamed to betray any trepidation, and for almost

half an hour maintained a resolute silence. I could stand it no longer, however, and spoke
to Augustus about the propriety of turning back. As before, it was nearly a minute before
he made answer, or took any notice of my suggestion. "By-and-by," said he at length-
"time enough-home by-and-by." I had expected a similar reply, but there was something
in the tone of these words which filled me with an indescribable feeling of dread. I again
looked at the speaker attentively. His lips were perfectly livid, and his knees shook so
violently together that he seemed scarcely able to stand. "For God's sake, Augustus," I
screamed, now heartily frightened, "what ails you?-what is the matter?-what are you
going to do?" "Matter!" he stammered, in the greatest apparent surprise, letting go the
tiller at the same moment, and falling forward into the bottom of the boat-"matter-why,
nothing is the-matter-going home-d-d-don't you see?" The whole truth now flashed upon
me. I flew to him and raised him up. He was drunk-beastly drunk-he could no longer
either stand, speak or see. His eyes were perfectly glazed; and as I let him go in the
extremity of my despair, he rolled like a mere log into the bilge- water, from which I had
lifted him. It was evident that, during the evening, he had drunk far more than I
suspected, and that his conduct in bed had been the result of a highly-concentrated state
of intoxication-a state which, like madness, frequently enables the victim to imitate the
outward demeanour of one in perfect possession of his senses. The coolness of the night
air, however, had had its usual effect-the mental energy began to yield before its
influence-and the confused perception which he no doubt then had of his perilous
situation had assisted in hastening the catastrophe. He was now thoroughly insensible,
and there was no probability that he would be otherwise for many hours.

It is hardly possible to conceive the extremity of my terror. The fumes of the wine lately
taken had evaporated, leaving me doubly timid and irresolute. I knew that I was
altogether incapable of managing the boat, and that a fierce wind and strong ebb tide
were hurrying us to destruction. A storm was evidently gathering behind us; we had
neither compass nor provisions; and it was clear that, if we held our present course, we
should be out of sight of land before daybreak. These thoughts, with a crowd of others
equally fearful, flashed through my mind with a bewildering rapidity, and for some
moments paralyzed me beyond the possibility of making any exertion. The boat was
going through the water at a terrible rate-full before the wind- no reef in either jib or
mainsail-running her bows completely under the foam. It was a thousand wonders she
did not broach to-Augustus having let go the tiller, as I said before, and I being too much
agitated to think of taking it myself. By good luck, however, she kept steady, and
gradually I recovered some degree of presence of mind. Still the wind was increasing
fearfully, and whenever we rose from a plunge forward, the sea behind fell combing over
our counter, and deluged us with water. I was so utterly benumbed, too, in every limb, as
to be nearly unconscious of sensation. At length I summoned up the resolution of despair,
and rushing to the mainsail let it go by the run. As might have been expected, it flew over
the bows, and, getting drenched with water, carried away the mast short off by the board.
This latter accident alone saved me from instant destruction. Under the jib only, I now
boomed along before the wind, shipping heavy seas occasionally over the counter, but
relieved from the terror of immediate death. I took the helm, and breathed with greater
freedom as I found that there yet remained to us a chance of ultimate escape. Augustus
still lay senseless in the bottom of the boat; and as there was imminent danger of his

drowning (the water being nearly a foot deep just where he fell), I contrived to raise him
partially up, and keep him in a sitting position, by passing a rope round his waist, and
lashing it to a ringbolt in the deck of the cuddy. Having thus arranged every thing as well
as I could in my chilled and agitated condition, I recommended myself to God, and made
up my mind to bear whatever might happen with all the fortitude in my power.

Hardly had I come to this resolution, when, suddenly, a loud and long scream or yell, as
if from the throats of a thousand demons, seemed to pervade the whole atmosphere
around and above the boat. Never while I live shall I forget the intense agony of terror I
experienced at that moment. My hair stood erect on my head-I felt the blood congealing
in my veins-my heart ceased utterly to beat, and without having once raised my eyes to
learn the source of my alarm, I tumbled headlong and insensible upon the body of my
fAUan companion.

I found myself, upon reviving, in the cabin of a large whaling-ship (the Penguin) bound
to Nantucket. Several persons were standing over me, and Augustus, paler than death,
was busily occupied in chafing my hands. Upon seeing me open my eyes, his
exclamations of gratitude and joy excited alternate laughter and tears from the rough-
looking personages who were present. The mystery of our being in existence was now
soon explained. We had been run down by the whaling-ship, which was close-hauled,
beating up to Nantucket with every sail she could venture to set, and consequently
running almost at right angles to our own course. Several men were on the look-out
forward, but did not perceive our boat until it was an impossibility to avoid coming in
contact-their shouts of warning upon seeing us were what so terribly alarmed me. The
huge ship, I was told, rode immediately over us with as much ease as our own little vessel
would have passed over a feather, and without the least perceptible impediment to her
progress. Not a scream arose from the deck of the victim-there was a slight grating sound
to be heard mingling with the roar of wind and water, as the frail bark which was
swallowed up rubbed for a moment along the keel of her destroyer-but this was all.
Thinking our boat (which it will be remembered was dismasted) some mere shell cut
adrift as useless, the captain (Captain E. T. V. Block, of New London) was for
proceeding on his course without troubling himself further about the matter. Luckily,
there were two of the look-out who swore positively to having seen some person at our
helm, and represented the possibility of yet saving him. A discussion ensued, when Block
grew angry, and, after a while, said that "it was no business of his to be eternally
watching for egg-shells; that the ship should not put about for any such nonsense; and if
there was a man run down, it was nobody's fault but Henderson, the first mate, now took
the matter up, being justly indignant, as well as the whole ship's crew, at a speech
evincing so base a degree of heartless atrocity. He spoke plainly, seeing himself upheld
by the men, told the captain he considered him a fit subject for the gallows, and that he
would disobey his orders if he were hanged for it the moment he set his foot on shore. He
strode aft, jostling Block (who turned pale and made no answer) on one side, and seizing
the helm, gave the word, in a firm voice, Hard-a-lee! The men flew to their posts, and the
ship went cleverly about. All this had occupied nearly five minutes, and it was supposed
to be hardly within the bounds of possibility that any individual could be saved-allowing
any to have been on board the boat. Yet, as the reader has seen, both Augustus and

myself were rescued; and our deliverance seemed to have been brought about by two of
those almost inconceivable pieces of good fortune which are attributed by the wise and
pious to the special interference of Providence.

While the ship was yet in stays, the mate lowered the jolly-boat and jumped into her with
the very two men, I believe, who spoke up as having seen me at the helm. They had just
left the lee of the vessel (the moon still shining brightly) when she made a long and heavy
roll to windward, and Henderson, at the same moment, starting up in his seat bawled out
to his crew to back water. He would say nothing else-repeating his cry impatiently, back
water! black water! The men put back as speedily as possible, but by this time the ship
had gone round, and gotten fully under headway, although all hands on board were
making great exertions to take in sail. In despite of the danger of the attempt, the mate
clung to the main-chains as soon as they came within his reach. Another huge lurch now
brought the starboard side of the vessel out of water nearly as far as her keel, when the
cause of his anxiety was rendered obvious enough. The body of a man was seen to be
affixed in the most singular manner to the smooth and shining bottom (the Penguin was
coppered and copper- fastened), and beating violently against it with every movement of
the hull. After several ineffectual efforts, made during the lurches of the ship, and at the
imminent risk of swamping the boat I was finally disengaged from my perilous situation
and taken on board-for the body proved to be my own. It appeared that one of the timber-
bolts having started and broken a passage through the copper, it had arrested my progress
as I passed under the ship, and fastened me in so extraordinary a manner to her bottom.
The head of the bolt had made its way through the collar of the green baize jacket I had
on, and through the back part of my neck, forcing itself out between two sinews and just
below the right ear. I was immediately put to bed-although life seemed to be totally
extinct. There was no surgeon on board. The captain, however, treated me with every
attention-to make amends, I presume, in the eyes of his crew, for his atrocious behaviour
in the previous portion of the adventure.

In the meantime, Henderson had again put off from the ship, although the wind was now
blowing almost a hurricane. He had not been gone many minutes when he fell in with
some fragments of our boat, and shortly afterward one of the men with him asserted that
he could distinguish a cry for help at intervals amid the roaring of the tempest. This
induced the hardy seamen to persevere in their search for more than half an hour,
although repeated signals to return were made them by Captain Block, and although
every moment on the water in so frail a boat was fraught to them with the most imminent
and deadly peril. Indeed, it is nearly impossible to conceive how the small jolly they were
in could have escaped destruction for a single instant. She was built, however, for the
whaling service, and was fitted, as I have since had reason to believe, with air-boxes, in
the manner of some life-boats used on the coast of Wales.

After searching in vain for about the period of time just mentioned, it was determined to
get back to the ship. They had scarcely made this resolve when a feeble cry arose from a
dark object that floated rapidly by. They pursued and soon overtook it. It proved to be the
entire deck of the Ariel's cuddy. Augustus was struggling near it, apparently in the last
agonies. Upon getting hold of him it was found that he was attached by a rope to the

floating timber. This rope, it will be remembered, I had myself tied around his waist, and
made fast to a ringbolt, for the purpose of keeping him in an upright position, and my so
doing, it appeared, had been ultimately the means of preserving his life. The Ariel was
slightly put together, and in going down her frame naturally went to pieces; the deck of
the cuddy, as might have been expected, was lifted, by the force of the water rushing in,
entirely from the main timbers, and floated (with other fragments, no doubt) to the
surface-Augustus was buoyed up with it, and thus escaped a terrible death.

It was more than an hour after being taken on board the Penguin before he could give any
account of himself, or be made to comprehend the nature of the accident which had
bef Allan our boat. At length he became thoroughly aroused, and spoke much of his
sensations while in the water. Upon his first attaining any degree of consciousness, he
found himself beneath the surface, whirling round and round with inconceivable rapidity,
and with a rope wrapped in three or four folds tightly about his neck. In an instant
afterward he felt himself going rapidly upward, when, his head striking violently against
a hard substance, he again relapsed into insensibility. Upon once more reviving he was in
fuller possession of his reason-this was still, however, in the greatest degree clouded and
confused. He now knew that some accident had occurred, and that he was in the water,
although his mouth was above the surface, and he could breathe with some freedom.
Possibly, at this period the deck was drifting rapidly before the wind, and drawing him
after it, as he floated upon his back. Of course, as long as he could have retained this
position, it would have been nearly impossible that he should be drowned. Presently a
surge threw him directly athwart the deck, and this post he endeavored to maintain,
screaming at intervals for help, just before he was discovered by Mr. Henderson, he had
been obliged to relax his hold through exhaustion, and, falling into the sea, had given
himself up for lost. During the whole period of his struggles he had not the faintest
recollection of the Ariel, nor of the matters in connexion with the source of his disaster. A
vague feeling of terror and despair had taken entire possession of his faculties. When he
was finally picked up, every power of his mind had failed him; and, as before said, it was
nearly an hour after getting on board the Penguin before he became fully aware of his
condition. In regard to myself-I was resuscitated from a state bordering very nearly upon
death (and after every other means had been tried in vain for three hours and a half) by
vigorous friction with flannels bathed in hot oil-a proceeding suggested by Augustus.
The wound in my neck, although of an ugly appearance, proved of little real
consequence, and I soon recovered from its effects.

The Penguin got into port about nine o'clock in the morning, after encountering one of
the severest gales ever experienced off Nantucket. Both Augustus and myself managed to
appear at Mr. Barnard's in time for breakfast-which, luckily, was somewhat late, owing
to the party over night. I suppose all at the table were too much fatigued themselves to
notice our jaded appearance-of course, it would not have borne a very rigid scrutiny.
Schoolboys, however, can accomplish wonders in the way of deception, and I verily
believe not one of our friends in Nantucket had the slightest suspicion that the terrible
story told by some sailors in town of their having run down a vessel at sea and drowned
some thirty or forty poor devils, had reference either to the Ariel, my companion, or
myself. We two have since very frequently talked the matter over-but never without a

shudder. In one of our conversations Augustus frankly confessed to me, that in his whole
life he had at no time experienced so excruciating a sense of dismay, as when on board
our little boat he first discovered the extent of his intoxication, and felt himself sinking
beneath its influence.

CHAPTER II

In no affairs of mere prejudice, pro or con, do we deduce inferences with entire certainty,
even from the most simple data. It might be supposed that a catastrophe such as I have
just related would have effectually cooled my incipient passion for the sea. On the
contrary, I never experienced a more ardent longing for the wild adventures incident to
the life of a navigator than within a week after our miraculous deliverance. This short
period proved amply long enough to erase from my memory the shadows, and bring out
in vivid light all the pleasurably exciting points of color, all the picturesqueness, of the
late perilous accident. My conversations with Augustus grew daily more frequent and
more intensely full of interest. He had a manner of relating his stories of the ocean (more
than one half of which I now suspect to have been sheer fabrications) well adapted to
have weight with one of my enthusiastic temperament and somewhat gloomy although
glowing imagination. It is strange, too, that he most strongly enlisted my feelings in
behalf of the life of a seaman, when he depicted his more terrible moments of suffering
and despair. For the bright side of the painting I had a limited sympathy. My visions were
of shipwreck and famine; of death or captivity among barbarian hordes; of a lifetime
dragged out in sorrow and tears, upon some gray and desolate rock, in an ocean
unapproachable and unknown. Such visions or desires-for they amounted to desires-are
common, I have since been assured, to the whole numerous race of the melancholy
among men-at the time of which I speak I regarded them only as prophetic glimpses of a
destiny which I felt myself in a measure bound to fulfil. Augustus thoroughly entered into
my state of mind. It is probable, indeed, that our intimate communion had resulted in a
partial interchange of character.

About eighteen months after the period of the Ariel's disaster, the firm of Lloyd and
Vredenburgh (a house connected in some manner with the Messieurs Enderby, I believe,
of Liverpool) were engaged in repairing and fitting out the brig Grampus for a whaling
voyage. She was an old hulk, and scarcely seaworthy when all was done to her that could
be done. I hardly know why she was chosen in preference to other good vessels
belonging to the same owners-but so it was. Mr. Barnard was appointed to command her,
and Augustus was going with him. While the brig was getting ready, he frequently urged
upon me the excellency of the opportunity now offered for indulging my desire of travel.
He found me by no means an unwilling listener-yet the matter could not be so easily
arranged. My father made no direct opposition; but my mother went into hysterics at the
bare mention of the design; and, more than all, my grandfather, from whom I expected
much, vowed to cut me off with a shilling if I should ever broach the subject to him
again. These difficulties, however, so far from abating my desire, only added fuel to the
flame. I determined to go at all hazards; and, having made known my intentions to
Augustus, we set about arranging a plan by which it might be accomplished. In the
meantime I forbore speaking to any of my relations in regard to the voyage, and, as I

busied myself ostensibly with my usual studies, it was supposed that I had abandoned the
design. I have since frequently examined my conduct on this occasion with sentiments of
displeasure as well as of surprise. The intense hypocrisy I made use of for the furtherance
of my project-an hypocrisy pervading every word and action of my life for so long a
period of time-could only have been rendered tolerable to myself by the wild and burning
expectation with which I looked forward to the fulfilment of my long-cherished visions
of travel.

In pursuance of my scheme of deception, I was necessarily obliged to leave much to the
management of Augustus, who was employed for the greater part of every day on board
the Grampus, attending to some arrangements for his father in the cabin and cabin hold.
At night, however, we were sure to have a conference and talk over our hopes. After
nearly a month passed in this manner, without our hitting upon any plan we thought
likely to succeed, he told me at last that he had determined upon everything necessary. I
had a relation living in New Bedford, a Mr. Ross, at whose house I was in the habit of
spending occasionally two or three weeks at a time. The brig was to sail about the middle
of June (June, 1827), and it was agreed that, a day or two before her putting to sea, my
father was to receive a note, as usual, from Mr. Ross, asking me to come over and spend
a fortnight with Robert and Emmet (his sons). Augustus charged himself with the inditing
of this note and getting it delivered. Having set out as supposed, for New Bedford, I was
then to report myself to my companion, who would contrive a hiding-place for me in the
Grampus. This hiding-place, he assured me, would be rendered sufficiently comfortable
for a residence of many days, during which I was not to make my appearance. When the
brig had proceeded so far on her course as to make any turning back a matter out of
question, I should then, he said, be formally installed in all the comforts of the cabin; and
as to his father, he would only laugh heartily at the joke. Vessels enough would be met
with by which a letter might be sent home explaining the adventure to my parents.

The middle of June at length arrived, and every thing had been matured. The note was
written and delivered, and on a Monday morning I left the house for the New Bedford
packet, as supposed. I went, however, straight to Augustus, who was waiting for me at
the corner of a street. It had been our original plan that I should keep out of the way until
dark, and then slip on board the brig; but, as there was now a thick fog in our favor, it
was agreed to lose no time in secreting me. Augustus led the way to the wharf, and I
followed at a little distance, enveloped in a thick seaman's cloak, which he had brought
with him, so that my person might not be easily recognized, just as we turned the second
comer, after passing Mr. Edmund's well, who should appear, standing right in front of
me, and looking me full in the face, but old Mr. Peterson, my grandfather. "Why, bless
my soul, Gordon," said he, after a long pause, "why, why,-whose dirty cloak is that you
have on?" "Sir!" I replied, assuming, as well as I could, in the exigency of the moment,
an air of offended surprise, and talking in the gruffest of all imaginable tones-"sir! you
are a sum'mat mistaken-my name, in the first place, bee'nt nothing at all like Goddin, and
I'd want you for to know better, you blackguard, than to call my new obercoat a darty
one." For my life I could hardly refrain from screaming with laughter at the odd manner
in which the old gentleman received this handsome rebuke. He started back two or three
steps, turned first pale and then excessively red, threw up his spectacles, then, putting

them down, ran full tilt at me, with his umbrella uplifted. He stopped short, however, in
his career, as if struck with a sudden recollection; and presently, turning round, hobbled
off down the street, shaking all the while with rage, and muttering between his teeth:
"Won't do-new glasses-thought it was

After this narrow escape we proceeded with greater caution, and arrived at our point of
destination in safety. There were only one or two of the hands on board, and these were
busy forward, doing something to the forecastle combings. Captain Barnard, we knew
very well, was engaged at Lloyd and Vredenburgh's, and would remain there until late in
the evening, so we had little to apprehend on his account. Augustus went first up the
vessel's side, and in a short while I followed him, without being noticed by the men at
work. We proceeded at once into the cabin, and found no person there. It was fitted up in
the most comfortable style-a thing somewhat unusual in a whaling-vessel. There were
four very excellent staterooms, with wide and convenient berths. There was also a large
stove, I took notice, and a remarkably thick and valuable carpet covering the floor of both
the cabin and staterooms. The ceiling was full seven feet high, and, in short, every thing
appeared of a more roomy and agreeable nature than I had anticipated. Augustus,
however, would allow me but little time for observation, insisting upon the necessity of
my concealing myself as soon as possible. He led the way into his own stateroom, which
was on the starboard side of the brig, and next to the bulkheads. Upon entering, he closed
the door and bolted it. I thought I had never seen a nicer little room than the one in which
I now found myself. It was about ten feet long, and had only one berth, which, as I said
before, was wide and convenient. In that portion of the closet nearest the bulkheads there
was a space of four feet square, containing a table, a chair, and a set of hanging shelves
full of books, chiefly books of voyages and travels. There were many other little comforts
in the room, among which I ought not to forget a kind of safe or refrigerator, in which
Augustus pointed out to me a host of delicacies, both in the eating and drinking
department.

He now pressed with his knuckles upon a certain spot of the carpet in one corner of the
space just mentioned, letting me know that a portion of the flooring, about sixteen inches
square, had been neatly cut out and again adjusted. As he pressed, this portion rose up at
one end sufficiently to allow the passage of his finger beneath. In this manner he raised
the mouth of the trap (to which the carpet was still fastened by tacks), and I found that it
led into the after hold. He next lit a small taper by means of a phosphorous match, and,
placing the light in a dark lantern, descended with it through the opening, bidding me
follow. I did so, and be then pulled the cover upon the hole, by means of a nail driven
into the under side-the carpet, of course, resuming its original position on the floor of the
stateroom, and all traces of the aperture being concealed.

The taper gave out so feeble a ray that it was with the greatest difficulty I could grope my
way through the confused mass of lumber among which I now found myself. By degrees,
however, my eyes became accustomed to the gloom, and I proceeded with less trouble,
holding on to the skirts of my friend's coat. He brought me, at length, after creeping and
winding through innumerable narrow passages, to an iron-bound box, such as is used
sometimes for packing fine earthenware. It was nearly four feet high, and full six long.

but very narrow. Two large empty oil-casks lay on the top of it, and above these, again, a
vast quantity of straw matting, piled up as high as the floor of the cabin. In every other
direction around was wedged as closely as possible, even up to the ceiling, a complete
chaos of almost every species of ship-furniture, together with a heterogeneous medley of
crates, hampers, barrels, and bales, so that it seemed a matter no less than miraculous that
we had discovered any passage at all to the box. I afterward found that Augustus had
purposely arranged the stowage in this hold with a view to affording me a thorough
concealment, having had only one assistant in the labour, a man not going out in the brig.

My companion now showed me that one of the ends of the box could be removed at
pleasure. He slipped it aside and displayed the interior, at which I was excessively
amused. A mattress from one of the cabin berths covered the whole of its bottom, and it
contained almost every article of mere comfort which could be crowded into so small a
space, allowing me, at the same time, sufficient room for my accommodation, either in a
sitting position or lying at full length. Among other things, there were some books, pen,
ink, and paper, three blankets, a large jug full of water, a keg of sea-biscuit, three or four
immense Bologna sausages, an enormous ham, a cold leg of roast mutton, and half a
dozen bottles of cordials and liqueurs. I proceeded immediately to take possession of my
little apartment, and this with feelings of higher satisfaction, I am sure, than any monarch
ever experienced upon entering a new palace. Augustus now pointed out to me the
method of fastening the open end of the box, and then, holding the taper close to the
deck, showed me a piece of dark whipcord lying along it. This, he said, extended from
my hiding-place throughout an the necessary windings among the lumber, to a nail which
was driven into the deck of the hold, immediately beneath the trap-door leading into his
stateroom. By means of this cord I should be enabled readily to trace my way out without
his guidance, provided any unlooked-for accident should render such a step necessary. He
now took his departure, leaving with me the lantern, together with a copious supply of
tapers and phosphorous, and promising to pay me a visit as often as he could contrive to
do so without observation. This was on the seventeenth of June.

I remained three days and nights (as nearly as I could guess) in my hiding-place without
getting out of it at all, except twice for the purpose of stretching my hmbs by standing
erect between two crates just opposite the opening. During the whole period I saw
nothing of Augustus; but this occasioned me little uneasiness, as I knew the brig was
expected to put to sea every hour, and in the bustle he would not easily find opportunities
of coming down to me. At length I heard the trap open and shut, and presently he called
in a low voice, asking if all was well, and if there was any thing I wanted. "Nothing," I
replied; "I am as comfortable as can be; when will the brig sail?" "She will be under
weigh in less than half an hour," he answered. "I came to let you know, and for fear you
should be uneasy at my absence. I shall not have a chance of coming down again for
some time-perhaps for three or four days more. All is going on right aboveboard. After I
go up and close the trap, do you creep along by the whipcord to where the nail is driven
in. You will find my watch there-it may be useful to you, as you have no daylight to keep
time by. I suppose you can't tell how long you have been buried-only three days-this is
the twentieth. I would bring the watch to your box, but am afraid of being missed." With
this he went up.

In about an hour after he had gone I distinctly felt the brig in motion, and congratulated
myself upon having at length fairly commenced a voyage. Satisfied with this idea, I
determined to make my mind as easy as possible, and await the course of events until I
should be permitted to exchange the box for the more roomy, although hardly more
comfortable, accommodations of the cabin. My first care was to get the watch. Leaving
the taper burning, I groped along in the dark, following the cord through windings
innumerable, in some of which I discovered that, after toiling a long distance, I was
brought back within a foot or two of a former position. At length I reached the nail, and
securing the object of my journey, returned with it in safety. I now looked over the books
which had been so thoughtfully provided, and selected the expedition of Lewis and
Clarke to the mouth of the Columbia. With this I amused myself for some time, when,
growing sleepy, I extinguished the light with great care, and soon fell into a sound
slumber.

Upon awakening I felt strangely confused in mind, and some time elapsed before I could
bring to recollection all the various circumstances of my situation. By degrees, however, I
remembered all. Striking a light, I looked at the watch; but it was run down, and there
were, consequently, no means of determining how long I slept. My limbs were greatly
cramped, and I was forced to relieve them by standing between the crates. Presently
feeling an almost ravenous appetite, I bethought myself of the cold mutton, some of
which I had eaten just before going to sleep, and found excellent. What was my
astonishment in discovering it to be in a state of absolute putrefaction! This circumstance
occasioned me great disquietude; for, connecting it with the disorder of mind I
experienced upon awakening, I began to suppose that I must have slept for an
inordinately long period of time. The close atmosphere of the hold might have had
something to do with this, and might, in the end, be productive of the most serious
results. My head ached excessively; I fancied that I drew every breath with difficulty;
and, in short, I was oppressed with a multitude of gloomy feelings. Still I could not
venture to make any disturbance by opening the trap or otherwise, and, having wound up
the watch, contented myself as well as possible.

Throughout the whole of the next tedious twenty-four hours no person came to my relief,
and I could not help accusing Augustus of the grossest inattention. What alarmed me
chiefly was, that the water in my jug was reduced to about half a pint, and I was suffering
much from thirst, having eaten freely of the Bologna sausages after the loss of my
mutton. I became very uneasy, and could no longer take any interest in my books. I was
overpowered, too, with a desire to sleep, yet trembled at the thought of indulging it, lest
there might exist some pernicious influence, like that of burning charcoal, in the confined
air of the hold. In the meantime the roll of the brig told me that we were far in the main
ocean, and a dull humming sound, which reached my ears as if from an immense
distance, convinced me no ordinary gale was blowing. I could not imagine a reason for
the absence of Augustus. We were surely far enough advanced on our voyage to allow of
my going up. Some accident might have happened to him-but I could think of none
which would account for his suffering me to remain so long a prisoner, except, indeed,
his having suddenly died or f Allan overboard, and upon this idea I could not dwell with
any degree of patience. It was possible that we had been baffled by head winds, and were

still in the near vicinity of Nantucket. This notion, however, I was forced to abandon; for
such being the case, the brig must have frequently gone about; and I was entirely
satisfied, from her continual inclination to the larboard, that she had been sailing all along
with a steady breeze on her starboard quarter. Besides, granting that we were still in the
neighborhood of the island, why should not Augustus have visited me and informed me
of the circumstance? Pondering in this manner upon the difficulties of my solitary and
cheerless condition, I resolved to wait yet another twenty-four hours, when, if no relief
were obtained, I would make my way to the trap, and endeavour either to hold a parley
with my friend, or get at least a little fresh air through the opening, and a further supply
of water from the stateroom. While occupied with this thought, however, I fell in spite of
every exertion to the contrary, into a state of profound sleep, or rather stupor. My dreams
were of the most terrific description. Every species of calamity and horror befell me.
Among other miseries I was smothered to death between huge pillows, by demons of the
most ghastly and ferocious aspect. Immense serpents held me in their embrace, and
looked earnestly in my face with their fearfully shining eyes. Then deserts, limitless, and
of the most forlorn and awe-inspiring character, spread themselves out before me.
Immensely tall trunks of trees, gray and leafless, rose up in endless succession as far as
the eye could reach. Their roots were concealed in wide- spreading morasses, whose
dreary water lay intensely black, still, and altogether terrible, beneath. And the strange
trees seemed endowed with a human vitality, and waving to and fro their skeleton arms,
were crying to the silent waters for mercy, in the shrill and piercing accents of the most
acute agony and despair. The scene changed; and I stood, naked and alone, amidst the
burning sand-plains of Sahara. At my feet lay crouched a fierce lion of the tropics.
Suddenly his wild eyes opened and fell upon me. With a conculsive bound he sprang to
his feet, and laid bare his horrible teeth. In another instant there burst from his red throat
a roar like the thunder of the firmament, and I fell impetuously to the earth. Stifling in a
paroxysm of terror, I at last found myself partially awake. My dream, then, was not all a
dream. Now, at least, I was in possession of my senses. The paws of some huge and real
monster were pressing heavily upon my bosom-his hot breath was in my ear-and his
white and ghastly fangs were gleaming upon me through the gloom.

Had a thousand lives hung upon the movement of a limb or the utterance of a syllable, I
could have neither stirred nor spoken. The beast, whatever it was, retained his position
without attempting any immediate violence, while I lay in an utterly helpless, and, I
fancied, a dying condition beneath him. I felt that my powers of body and mind were fast
leaving me-in a word, that I was perishing, and perishing of sheer fright. My brain
swam-I grew deadly sick-my vision failed-even the glaring eyeballs above me grew
dim. Making a last strong effort, I at length breathed a faint ejaculation to God, and
resigned myself to die. The sound of my voice seemed to arouse all the latent fury of the
animal. He precipitated himself at full length upon my body; but what was my
astonishment, when, with a long and low whine, he commenced licking my face and
hands with the greatest eagerness, and with the most extravagant demonstration of
affection and joy! I was bewildered, utterly lost in amazement-but I could not forget the
peculiar whine of my Newfoundland dog Tiger, and the odd manner of his caresses I well
knew. It was he. I experienced a sudden rush of blood to my temples-a giddy and
overpowering sense of deliverance and reanimation. I rose hurriedly from the mattress

upon which I had been lying, and, throwing myself upon the neck of my faithful follower
and friend, relieved the long oppression of my bosom in a flood of the most passionate
tears.

As upon a former occasion my conceptions were in a state of the greatest indistinctness
and confusion after leaving the mattress. For a long time I found it nearly impossible to
connect any ideas; but, by very slow degrees, my thinking faculties returned, and I again
called to memory the several incidents of my condition. For the presence of Tiger I tried
in vain to account; and after busying myself with a thousand different conjectures
respecting him, was forced to content myself with rejoicing that he was with me to share
my dreary solitude, and render me comfort by his caresses. Most people love their dogs,
but for Tiger I had an affection far more ardent than common; and never, certainly, did
any creature more truly deserve it. For seven years he had been my inseparable
companion, and in a multitude of instances had given evidence of all the noble qualities
for which we value the animal. I had rescued him, when a puppy, from the clutches of a
malignant little villain in Nantucket who was leading him, with a rope around his neck, to
the water; and the grown dog repaid the obligation, about three years afterward, by saving
me from the bludgeon of a street robber.

Getting now hold of the watch, I found, upon applying it to my ear, that it had again run
down; but at this I was not at all surprised, being convinced, from the peculiar state of my
feelings, that I had slept, as before, for a very long period of time, how long, it was of
course impossible to say. I was burning up with fever, and my thirst was almost
intolerable. I felt about the box for my little remaining supply of water, for I had no light,
the taper having burnt to the socket of the lantern, and the phosphorus-box not coming
readily to hand. Upon finding the jug, however, I discovered it to be empty-Tiger, no
doubt, having been tempted to drink it, as well as to devour the remnant of mutton, the
bone of which lay, well picked, by the opening of the box. The spoiled meat I could well
spare, but my heart sank as I thought of the water. I was feeble in the extreme-so much
so that I shook all over, as with an ague, at the slightest movement or exertion. To add to
my troubles, the brig was pitching and rolling with great violence, and the oil-casks
which lay upon my box were in momentary danger of falling down, so as to block up the
only way of ingress or egress. I felt, also, terrible sufferings from sea-sickness. These
considerations determined me to make my way, at all hazards, to the trap, and obtain
immediate relief, before I should be incapacitated from doing so altogether. Having come
to this resolve, I again felt about for the phosphorus-box and tapers. The former I found
after some little trouble; but, not discovering the tapers as soon as I had expected (for I
remembered very nearly the spot in which I had placed them), I gave up the search for the
present, and bidding Tiger lie quiet, began at once my journey toward the trap.

In this attempt my great feebleness became more than ever apparent. It was with the
utmost difficulty I could crawl along at all, and very frequently my limbs sank suddenly
from beneath me; when, falling prostrate on my face, I would remain for some minutes in
a state bordering on insensibility. Still I struggled forward by slow degrees, dreading
every moment that I should swoon amid the narrow and intricate windings of the lumber,
in which event I had nothing but death to expect as the result. At length, upon making a

push forward with all the energy I could command, I struck my forehead violently against
the sharp corner of an iron-bound crate. The accident only stunned me for a few
moments; but I found, to my inexpressible grief, that the quick and violent roll of the
vessel had thrown the crate entirely across my path, so as effectually to block up the
passage. With my utmost exertions I could not move it a single inch from its position, it
being closely wedged in among the surrounding boxes and ship-furniture. It became
necessary, therefore, enfeebled as I was, either to leave the guidance of the whipcord and
seek out a new passage, or to climb over the obstacle, and resume the path on the other
side. The former alternative presented too many difficulties and dangers to be thought of
without a shudder. In my present weak state of both mind and body, I should infallibly
lose my way if I attempted it, and perish miserably amid the dismal and disgusting
labyrinths of the hold. I proceeded, therefore, without hesitation, to summon up all my
remaining strength and fortitude, and endeavour, as I best might, to clamber over the
crate.

Upon standing erect, with this end in view, I found the undertaking even a more serious
task than my fears had led me to imagine. On each side of the narrow passage arose a
complete wall of various heavy lumber, which the least blunder on my part might be the
means of bringing down upon my head; or, if this accident did not occur, the path might
be effectually blocked up against my return by the descending mass, as it was in front by
the obstacle there. The crate itself was a long and unwieldy box, upon which no foothold
could be obtained. In vain I attempted, by every means in my power, to reach the top,
with the hope of being thus enabled to draw myself up. Had I succeeded in reaching it, it
is certain that my strength would have proved utterly inadequate to the task of getting
over, and it was better in every respect that I failed. At length, in a desperate effort to
force the crate from its ground, I felt a strong vibration in the side next me. I thrust my
hand eagerly to the edge of the planks, and found that a very large one was loose. With
my pocket-knife, which, luckily, I had with me, I succeeded, after great labour, in prying
it entirely off; and getting it through the aperture, discovered, to my exceeding joy, that
there were no boards on the opposite side-in other words, that the top was wanting, it
being the bottom through which I had forced my way. I now met with no important
difficulty in proceeding along the line until I finally reached the nail. With a beating heart
I stood erect, and with a gentle touch pressed against the cover of the trap. It did not rise
as soon as I had expected, and I pressed it with somewhat more determination, still
dreading lest some other person than Augustus might be in his state-room. The door,
however, to my astonishment, remained steady, and I became somewhat uneasy, for I
knew that it had formerly required but little or no effort to remove it. I pushed it strongly-
it was nevertheless firm: with all my strength-it still did not give way: with rage, with
fury, with despair-it set at defiance my utmost efforts; and it was evident, from the
unyielding nature of the resistance, that the hole had either been discovered and
effectually nailed up, or that some immense weight had been placed upon it, which it was
useless to think of removing.

My sensations were those of extreme horror and dismay. In vain I attempted to reason on
the probable cause of my being thus entombed. I could summon up no connected chain of
reflection, and, sinking on the floor, gave way, unresistingly, to the most gloomy

imaginings, in which the dreadful deaths of thirst, famine, suffocation, and premature
interment crowded upon me as the prominent disasters to be encountered. At length there
returned to me some portion of presence of mind. I arose, and felt with my fingers for the
seams or cracks of the aperture. Having found them, I examined them closely to ascertain
if they emitted any light from the state-room; but none was visible. I then forced the
blade of my pen-knife through them, until I met with some hard obstacle. Scraping
against it, I discovered it to be a solid mass of iron, which, from its peculiar wavy feel as
I passed the blade along it, I concluded to be a chain-cable. The only course now left me
was to retrace my way to the box, and there either yield to my sad fate, or try so to
tranquilize my mind as to admit of my arranging some plan of escape. I immediately set
about the attempt, and succeeded, after innumerable difficulties, in getting back. As I
sank, utterly exhausted, upon the mattress. Tiger threw himself at full length by my side,
and seemed as if desirous, by his caresses, of consoling me in my troubles, and urging me
to bear them with fortitude.

The singularity of his behavior at length forcibly arrested my attention. After licking my
face and hands for some minutes, he would suddenly cease doing so, and utter a low
whine. Upon reaching out my hand toward him, I then invariably found him lying on his
back, with his paws uplifted. This conduct, so frequently repeated, appeared strange, and
I could in no manner account for it. As the dog seemed distressed, I concluded that he
had received some injury; and, taking his paws in my hands, I examined them one by
one, but found no sign of any hurt. I then supposed him hungry, and gave him a large
piece of ham, which he devoured with avidity-afterward, however, resuming his
extraordinary manoeuvres. I now imagined that he was suffering, like myself, the
torments of thirst, and was about adopting this conclusion as the true one, when the idea
occurred to me that I had as yet only examined his paws, and that there might possibly be
a wound upon some portion of his body or head. The latter I felt carefully over, but found
nothing. On passing my hand, however, along his back, I perceived a slight erection of
the hair extending completely across it. Probing this with my finger, I discovered a string,
and tracing it up, found that it encircled the whole body. Upon a closer scrutiny, I came
across a small slip of what had the feeling of letter paper, through which the string had
been fastened in such a manner as to bring it immediately beneath the left shoulder of the
animal.

CHAPTER III

The thought instantly occurred to me that the paper was a note from Augustus, and that
some unaccountable accident having happened to prevent his relieving me from my
dungeon, he had devised this method of acquainting me with the true state of affairs.
Trembling with eagerness, I now commenced another search for my phosphorus matches
and tapers. I had a confused recollection of having put them carefully away just before
falling asleep; and, indeed, previously to my last journey to the trap, I had been able to
remember the exact spot where I had deposited them. But now I endeavored in vain to
call it to mind, and busied myself for a full hour in a fruitless and vexatious search for the
missing articles; never, surely, was there a more tantalizing state of anxiety and suspense.
At length, while groping about, with my head close to the ballast, near the opening of the

box, and outside of it, I perceived a faint glimmering of light in the direction of the
steerage. Greatly surprised, I endeavored to make my way toward it, as it appeared to be
but a few feet from my position. Scarcely had I moved with this intention, when I lost
sight of the glimmer entirely, and, before I could bring it into view again, was obliged to
feel along by the box until I had exactly resumed my original situation. Now, moving my
head with caution to and fro, I found that, by proceeding slowly, with great care, in an
opposite direction to that in which I had at first started, I was enabled to draw near the
light, still keeping it in view. Presently I came directly upon it (having squeezed my way
through innumerable narrow windings), and found that it proceeded from some fragments
of my matches lying in an empty barrel turned upon its side. I was wondering how they
came in such a place, when my hand fell upon two or three pieces of taper wax, which
had been evidently mumbled by the dog. I concluded at once that he had devoured the
whole of my supply of candles, and I felt hopeless of being ever able to read the note of
Augustus. The small remnants of the wax were so mashed up among other rubbish in the
barrel, that I despaired of deriving any service from them, and left them as they were. The
phosphorus, of which there was only a speck or two, I gathered up as well as I could, and
returned with it, after much difficulty, to my box, where Tiger had all the while remained.

What to do next I could not tell. The hold was so intensely dark that I could not see my
hand, however close I would hold it to my face. The white slip of paper could barely be
discerned, and not even that when I looked at it directly; by turning the exterior portions
of the retina toward it-that is to say, by surveying it slightly askance, I found that it
became in some measure perceptible. Thus the gloom of my prison may be imagined, and
the note of my friend, if indeed it were a note from him, seemed only likely to throw me
into further trouble, by disquieting to no purpose my already enfeebled and agitated
mind. In vain I revolved in my brain a multitude of absurd expedients for procuring light-
such expedients precisely as a man in the perturbed sleep occasioned by opium would be
apt to fall upon for a similar purpose-each and all of which appear by turns to the
dreamer the most reasonable and the most preposterous of conceptions, just as the
reasoning or imaginative faculties flicker, alternately, one above the other. At last an idea
occurred to me which seemed rational, and which gave me cause to wonder, very justly,
that I had not entertained it before. I placed the slip of paper on the back of a book, and,
collecting the fragments of the phosphorus matches which I had brought from the barrel,
laid them together upon the paper. I then, with the palm of my hand, rubbed the whole
over quickly, yet steadily. A clear light diffused itself immediately throughout the whole
surface; and had there been any writing upon it, I should not have experienced the least
difficulty, I am sure, in reading it. Not a syllable was there, however-nothing but a dreary
and unsatisfactory blank; the illumination died away in a few seconds, and my heart died
away within me as it went.

I have before stated more than once that my intellect, for some period prior to this, had
been in a condition nearly bordering on idiocy. There were, to be sure, momentary
intervals of perfect sanity, and, now and then, even of energy; but these were few. It must
be remembered that I had been, for many days certainly, inhaling the almost pestilential
atmosphere of a close hold in a whaling vessel, and for a long portion of that time but
scantily supplied with water. For the last fourteen or fifteen hours I had none-nor had I

slept during that time. Salt provisions of the most exciting kind had been my chief, and,
indeed, since the loss of the mutton, my only supply of food, with the exception of the
sea-biscuit; and these latter were utterly useless to me, as they were too dry and hard to
be swallowed in the swollen and parched condition of my throat. I was now in a high
state of fever, and in every respect exceedingly ill. This will account for the fact that
many miserable hours of despondency elapsed after my last adventure with the
phosphorus, before the thought suggested itself that I had examined only one side of the
paper. I shall not attempt to describe my feelings of rage (for I believe I was more angry
than any thing else) when the egregious oversight I had committed flashed suddenly upon
my perception. The blunder itself would have been unimportant, had not my own folly
and impetuosity rendered it otherwise-in my disappointment at not finding some words
upon the slip, I had childishly torn it in pieces and thrown it away, it was impossible to
say where.

From the worst part of this dilemma I was relieved by the sagacity of Tiger. Having got,
after a long search, a small piece of the note, I put it to the dog's nose, and endeavored to
make him understand that he must bring me the rest of it. To my astonishment, (for I had
taught him none of the usual tricks for which his breed are famous,) he seemed to enter at
once into my meaning, and, rummaging about for a few moments, soon found another
considerable portion. Bringing me this, he paused awhile, and, rubbing his nose against
my hand, appeared to be waiting for my approval of what he had done. I patted him on
the head, when he immediately made off again. It was now some minutes before he came
back-but when he did come, he brought with him a large slip, which proved to be all the
paper missing-it having been torn, it seems, only into three pieces. Luckily, I had no
trouble in finding what few fragments of the phosphorus were left- being guided by the
indistinct glow one or two of the particles still emitted. My difficulties had taught me the
necessity of caution, and I now took time to reflect upon what I was about to do. It was
very probable, I considered, that some words were written upon that side of the paper
which had not been examined-but which side was that? Fitting the pieces together gave
me no clew in this respect, although it assured me that the words (if there were any)
would be found all on one side, and connected in a proper manner, as written. There was
the greater necessity of ascertaining the point in question beyond a doubt, as the
phosphorus remaining would be altogether insufficient for a third attempt, should I fail in
the one I was now about to make. I placed the paper on a book as before, and sat for some
minutes thoughtfully revolving the matter over in my mind. At last I thought it barely
possible that the written side might have some unevenness on its surface, which a delicate
sense of feeling might enable me to detect. I determined to make the experiment and
passed my finger very carefully over the side which first presented itself. Nothing,
however, was perceptible, and I turned the paper, adjusting it on the book. I now again
carried my forefinger cautiously along, when I was aware of an exceedingly slight, but
still discernable glow, which followed as it proceeded. This, I knew, must arise from
some very minute remaining particles of the phosphorus with which I had covered the
paper in my previous attempt. The other, or under side, then, was that on which lay the
writing, if writing there should finally prove to be. Again I turned the note, and went to
work as I had previously done. Having rubbed in the phosphorus, a brilliancy ensued as
before-but this time several lines of MS. in a large hand, and apparently in red ink.

became distinctly visible. The glimmer, although sufficiently bright, was but momentary.
Still, had I not been too greatly excited, there would have been ample time enough for me
to peruse the whole three sentences before me-for I saw there were three. In my anxiety,
however, to read all at once, I succeeded only in reading the seven concluding words,
which thus appeared-"blood- your life depends upon lying close."

Had I been able to ascertain the entire contents of the note-the full meaning of the
admonition which my friend had thus attempted to convey, that admonition, even
although it should have revealed a story of disaster the most unspeakable, could not, I am
firmly convinced, have imbued my mind with one tithe of the harrowing and yet
indefinable horror with which I was inspired by the fragmentary warning thus received.
And "blood," too, that word of all words-so rife at all times with mystery, and suffering,
and terror-how trebly full of import did it now appear-how chilly and heavily (disjointed,
as it thus was, from any foregoing words to qualify or render it distinct) did its vague
syllables fall, amid the deep gloom of my prison, into the innermost recesses of my soul!

Augustus had, undoubtedly, good reasons for wishing me to remain concealed, and I
formed a thousand surmises as to what they could be-but I could think of nothing
affording a satisfactory solution of the mystery, just after returning from my last journey
to the trap, and before my attention had been otherwise directed by the singular conduct
of Tiger, I had come to the resolution of making myself heard at all events by those on
board, or, if I could not succeed in this directly, of trying to cut my way through the orlop
deck. The half certainty which I felt of being able to accomplish one of these two
purposes in the last emergency, had given me courage (which I should not otherwise have
had) to endure the evils of my situation. The few words I had been able to read, however,
had cut me off from these final resources, and I now, for the first time, felt all the misery
of my fate. In a paroxysm of despair I threw myself again upon the mattress, where, for
about the period of a day and night, I lay in a kind of stupor, relieved only by momentary
intervals of reason and recollection.

At length I once more arose, and busied myself in reflection upon the horrors which
encompassed me. For another twenty-four hours it was barely possible that I might exist
without water-for a longer time I could not do so. During the first portion of my
imprisonment I had made free use of the cordials with which Augustus had supplied me,
but they only served to excite fever, without in the least degree assuaging thirst. I had
now only about a gill left, and this was of a species of strong peach liqueur at which my
stomach revolted. The sausages were entirely consumed; of the ham nothing remained
but a small piece of the skin; and all the biscuit, except a few fragments of one, had been
eaten by Tiger. To add to my troubles, I found that my headache was increasing
momentarily, and with it the species of delirium which had distressed me more or less
since my first falling asleep. For some hours past it had been with the greatest difficulty I
could breathe at all, and now each attempt at so doing was attended with the most
depressing spasmodic action of the chest. But there was still another and very different
source of disquietude, and one, indeed, whose harassing terrors had been the chief means
of arousing me to exertion from my stupor on the mattress. It arose from the demeanor of
the dog.

I first observed an alteration in his conduct while rubbing in the phosphorus on the paper
in my last attempt. As I rubbed, he ran his nose against my hand with a slight snarl; but I
was too greatly excited at the time to pay much attention to the circumstance. Soon
afterward, it will be remembered, I threw myself on the mattress, and fell into a species
of lethargy. Presently I became aware of a singular hissing sound close at my ears, and
discovered it to proceed from Tiger, who was panting and wheezing in a state of the
greatest apparent excitement, his eyeballs flashing fiercely through the gloom. I spoke to
him, when he replied with a low growl, and then remained quiet. Presently I relapsed into
my stupor, from which I was again awakened in a similar manner. This was repeated
three or four times, until finally his behaviour inspired me with so great a degree of fear,
that I became fully aroused. He was now lying close by the door of the box, snarling
fearfully, although in a kind of undertone, and grinding his teeth as if strongly convulsed.
I had no doubt whatever that the want of water or the confined atmosphere of the hold
had driven him mad, and I was at a loss what course to pursue. I could not endure the
thought of killing him, yet it seemed absolutely necessary for my own safety. I could
distinctly perceive his eyes fastened upon me with an expression of the most deadly
animosity, and I expected every instant that he would attack me. At last I could endure
my terrible situation no longer, and determined to make my way from the box at all
hazards, and dispatch him, if his opposition should render it necessary for me to do so. To
get out, I had to pass directly over his body, and he already seemed to anticipate my
design-missing himself upon his fore, legs (as I perceived by the altered position of his
eyes), and displayed the whole of his white fangs, which were easily discernible. I took
the remains of the ham- skin, and the bottle containing the liqueur, and secured them
about my person, together with a large carving-knife which Augustus had left me-then,
folding my cloak around me as closely as possible, I made a movement toward the mouth
of the box. No sooner did I do this, than the dog sprang with a loud growl toward my
throat. The whole weight of his body struck me on the right shoulder, and I fell violently
to the left, while the enraged animal passed entirely over me. I had f Allan upon my
knees, with my head buried among the blankets, and these protected me from a second
furious assault, during which I felt the sharp teeth pressing vigorously upon the woollen
which enveloped my neck-yet, luckily, without being able to penetrate all the folds. I was
now beneath the dog, and a few moments would place me completely in his power.
Despair gave me strength, and I rose boldly up, shaking him from me by main force, and
dragging with me the blankets from the mattress. These I now threw over him, and before
he could extricate himself, I had got through the door and closed it effectually against his
pursuit. In this struggle, however, I had been forced to drop the morsel of ham- skin, and I
now found my whole stock of provisions reduced to a single gill of liqueur. As this
reflection crossed my mind, I felt myself actuated by one of those fits of perverseness
which might be supposed to influence a spoiled child in similar circumstances, and,
raising the bottle to my lips, I drained it to the last drop, and dashed it furiously upon the
floor.

Scarcely had the echo of the crash died away, when I heard my name pronounced in an
eager but subdued voice, issuing from the direction of the steerage. So unexpected was
anything of the kind, and so intense was the emotion excited within me by the sound, that
I endeavoured in vain to reply. My powers of speech totally failed, and in an agony of

terror lest my friend should conclude me dead, and return without attempting to reach me,
I stood up between the crates near the door of the box, trembling convulsively, and
gasping and struggling for utterance. Had a thousand words depended upon a syllable, I
could not have spoken it. There was a slight movement now audible among the lumber
somewhere forward of my station. The sound presently grew less distinct, then again less
so, and still less. Shall I ever forget my feelings at this moment? He was going- my
friend, my companion, from whom I had a right to expect so much- he was going-he
would abandon me-he was gone! He would leave me to perish miserably, to expire in the
most horrible and loathesome of dungeons-and one word, one little syllable, would save
me-yet that single syllable I could not utter! I felt, I am sure, more than ten thousand
times the agonies of death itself. My brain reeled, and I fell, deadly sick, against the end
of the box.

As I fell the carving-knife was shaken out from the waist-band of my pantaloons, and
dropped with a rattling sound to the floor. Never did any strain of the richest melody
come so sweetly to my ears! With the intensest anxiety I listened to ascertain the effect of
the noise upon Augustus-for I knew that the person who called my name could be no one
but himself. All was silent for some moments. At length I again heard the word "Arthur!"
repeated in a low tone, and one full of hesitation. Reviving hope loosened at once my
powers of speech, and I now screamed at the top of my voice, "Augustus! oh, Augustus!"
"Hush! for God's sake be silent!" he replied, in a voice trembling with agitation; "I will be
with you immediately-as soon as I can make my way through the hold." For a long time I
heard him moving among the lumber, and every moment seemed to me an age. At length
I felt his hand upon my shoulder, and he placed, at the same moment, a bottle of water to
my lips. Those only who have been suddenly redeemed from the jaws of the tomb, or
who have known the insufferable torments of thirst under circumstances as aggravated as
those which encompassed me in my dreary prison, can form any idea of the unutterable
transports which that one long draught of the richest of all physical luxuries afforded.

When I had in some degree satisfied my thirst, Augustus produced from his pocket three
or four boiled potatoes, which I devoured with the greatest avidity. He had brought with
him a light in a dark lantern, and the grateful rays afforded me scarcely less comfort than
the food and drink. But I was impatient to learn the cause of his protracted absence, and
he proceeded to recount what had happened on board during my incarceration.

CHAPTER IV

The brig put to sea, as I had supposed, in about an hour after he had left the watch. This
was on the twentieth of June. It will be remembered that I had then been in the hold for
three days; and, during this period, there was so constant a bustle on board, and so much
running to and fro, especially in the cabin and staterooms, that he had had no chance of
visiting me without the risk of having the secret of the trap discovered. When at length he
did come, I had assured him that I was doing as well as possible; and, therefore, for the
two next days be felt but little uneasiness on my account-still, however, watching an
opportunity of going down. It was not until the fourth day that he found one. Several
times during this interval he had made up his mind to let his father know of the

adventure, and have me come up at once; but we were still within reaching distance of
Nantucket, and it was doubtful, from some expressions which had escaped Captain
Barnard, whether he would not immediately put back if he discovered me to be on board.
Besides, upon thinking the matter over, Augustus, so he told me, could not imagine that I
was in immediate want, or that I would hesitate, in such case, to make myself heard at the
trap. When, therefore, he considered everything he concluded to let me stay until he
could meet with an opportunity of visiting me unobserved. This, as I said before, did not
occur until the fourth day after his bringing me the watch, and the seventh since I had
first entered the hold. He then went down without taking with him any water or
provisions, intending in the first place merely to call my attention, and get me to come
from the box to the trap, -when he would go up to the stateroom and thence hand me
down a sup. ply. When he descended for this purpose he found that I was asleep, for it
seems that I was snoring very loudly. From all the calculations I can make on the subject,
this must have been the slumber into which I fell just after my return from the trap with
the watch, and which, consequently, must have lasted for more than three entire days and
nights at the very least. Latterly, I have had reason both from my own experience and the
assurance of others, to be acquainted with the strong soporific effects of the stench
arising from old fish-oil when closely confined; and when I think of the condition of the
hold in which I was imprisoned, and the long period during which the brig had been used
as a whaling vessel, I am more inclined to wonder that I awoke at all, after once falling
asleep, than that I should have slept uninterruptedly for the period specified above.

Augustus called to me at first in a low voice and without closing the trap-but I made him
no reply. He then shut the trap, and spoke to me in a louder, and finally in a very loud
tone-still I continued to snore. He was now at a loss what to do. It would take him some
time to make his way through the lumber to my box, and in the meanwhile his absence
would be noticed by Captain Barnard, who had occasion for his services every minute, in
arranging and copying papers connected with the business of the voyage. He determined,
therefore, upon reflection, to ascend, and await another opportunity of visiting me. He
was the more easily induced to this resolve, as my slumber appeared to be of the most
tranquil nature, and he could not suppose that I had undergone any inconvenience from
my incarceration. He had just made up his mind on these points when his attention was
arrested by an unusual bustle, the sound of which proceeded apparently from the cabin.
He sprang through the trap as quickly as possible, closed it, and threw open the door of
his stateroom. No sooner had he put his foot over the threshold than a pistol flashed in his
face, and he was knocked down, at the same moment, by a blow from a handspike.

A strong hand held him on the cabin floor, with a tight grasp upon his throat; still he was
able to see what was going on around him. His father was tied hand and foot, and lying
along the steps of the companion-way, with his head down, and a deep wound in the
forehead, from which the blood was flowing in a continued stream. He spoke not a word,
and was apparently dying. Over him stood the first mate, eyeing him with an expression
of fiendish derision, and deliberately searching his pockets, from which he presently drew
forth a large wallet and a chronometer. Seven of the crew (among whom was the cook, a
negro) were rummaging the staterooms on the larboard for arms, where they soon
equipped themselves with muskets and ammunition. Besides Augustus and Captain

Barnard, there were nine men altogether in the cabin, and these among the most ruffianly
of the brig's company. The villains now went upon deck, taking my friend with them after
having secured his arms behind his back. They proceeded straight to the forecastle, which
was fastened down-two of the mutineers standing by it with axes-two also at the main
hatch. The mate called out in a loud voice: "Do you hear there below? tumble up with
you, one by one-now, mark that-and no grumbling!" It was some minutes before any one
appeared:-at last an Englishman, who had shipped as a raw hand, came up, weeping
piteously, and entreating the mate, in the most humble manner, to spare his life. The only
reply was a blow on the forehead from an axe. The poor fellow fell to the deck without a
groan, and the black cook lifted him up in his arms as he would a child, and tossed him
deliberately into the sea. Hearing the blow and the plunge of the body, the men below
could now be induced to venture on deck neither by threats nor promises, until a
proposition was made to smoke them out. A general rush then ensued, and for a moment
it seemed possible that the brig might be retaken. The mutineers, however, succeeded at
last in closing the forecastle effectually before more than six of their opponents could get
up. These six, finding themselves so greatly outnumbered and without arms, submitted
after a brief struggle. The mate gave them fair words-no doubt with a view of inducing
those below to yield, for they had no difficulty in hearing all that was said on deck. The
result proved his sagacity, no less than his diabolical villainy. All in the forecastle
presently signified their intention of submitting, and, ascending one by one, were
pinioned and then thrown on their backs, together with the first six-there being in all, of
the crew who were not concerned in the mutiny, twenty-seven.

A scene of the most horrible butchery ensued. The bound seamen were dragged to the
gangway. Here the cook stood with an axe, striking each victim on the head as he was
forced over the side of the vessel by the other mutineers. In this manner twenty-two
perished, and Augustus had given himself up for lost, expecting every moment his own
turn to come next. But it seemed that the villains were now either weary, or in some
measure disgusted with their bloody labour; for the four remaining prisoners, together
with my friend, who had been thrown on the deck with the rest, were respited while the
mate sent below for rum, and the whole murderous party held a drunken carouse, which
lasted until sunset. They now fell to disputing in regard to the fate of the survivors, who
lay not more than four paces off, and could distinguish every word said. Upon some of
the mutineers the liquor appeared to have a softening effect, for several voices were heard
in favor of releasing the captives altogether, on condition of joining the mutiny and
sharing the profits. The black cook, however (who in all respects was a perfect demon,
and who seemed to exert as much influence, if not more, than the mate himself), would
listen to no proposition of the kind, and rose repeatedly for the purpose of resuming his
work at the gangway. Fortunately he was so far overcome by intoxication as to be easily
restrained by the less bloodthirsty of the party, among whom was a line-manager, who
went by the name of Dirk Peters. This man was the son of an Indian squaw of the tribe of
Upsarokas, who live among the fastnesses of the Black Hills, near the source of the
Missouri. His father was a fur-trader, I believe, or at least connected in some manner with
the Indian trading-posts on Lewis river. Peter himself was one of the most ferocious-
looking men I ever beheld. He was short in stature, not more than four feet eight inches
high, but his limbs were of Herculean mould. His hands, especially, were so enormously

thick and broad as hardly to retain a human shape. His arms, as well as legs, were bowed
in the most singular manner, and appeared to possess no flexibility whatever. His head
was equally deformed, being of immense size, with an indentation on the crown (like that
on the head of most negroes), and entirely bald. To conceal this latter deficiency, which
did not proceed from old age, he usually wore a wig formed of any hair-like material
which presented itself-occasionally the skin of a Spanish dog or American grizzly bear.
At the time spoken of, he had on a portion of one of these bearskins; and it added no little
to the natural ferocity of his countenance, which betook of the Upsaroka character. The
mouth extended nearly from ear to ear, the lips were thin, and seemed, like some other
portions of his frame, to be devoid of natural pliancy, so that the ruling expression never
varied under the influence of any emotion whatever. This ruling expression may be
conceived when it is considered that the teeth were exceedingly long and protruding, and
never even partially covered, in any instance, by the lips. To pass this man with a casual
glance, one might imagine him to be convulsed with laughter, but a second look would
induce a shuddering acknowledgment, that if such an expression were indicative of
merriment, the merriment must be that of a demon. Of this singular being many
anecdotes were prevalent among the seafaring men of Nantucket. These anecdotes went
to prove his prodigious strength when under excitement, and some of them had given rise
to a doubt of his sanity. But on board the Grampus, it seems, he was regarded, at the time
of the mutiny, with feelings more of derision than of anything else. I have been thus
particular in speaking of Dirk Peters, because, ferocious as he appeared, he proved the
main instrument in preserving the life of Augustus, and because I shall have frequent
occasion to mention him hereafter in the course of my narrative-a narrative, let me here
say, which, in its latter portions, will be found to include incidents of a nature so entirely
out of the range of human experience, and for this reason so far beyond the limits of
human credulity, that I proceed in utter hopelessness of obtaining credence for all that I
shall tell, yet confidently trusting in time and progressing science to verify some of the
most important and most improbable of my statements.

After much indecision and two or three violent quarrels, it was determined at last that all
the prisoners (with the exception of Augustus, whom Peters insisted in a jocular manner
upon keeping as his clerk) should be set adrift in one of the smallest whaleboats. The
mate went down into the cabin to see if Captain Barnard was still living-for, it will be
remembered, he was left below when the mutineers came up. Presently the two made
their appearance, the captain pale as death, but somewhat recovered from the effects of
his wound. He spoke to the men in a voice hardly articulate, entreated them not to set him
adrift, but to return to their duty, and promising to land them wherever they chose, and to
take no steps for bringing them to justice. He might as well have spoken to the winds.
Two of the ruffians seized him by the arms and hurled him over the brig's side into the
boat, which had been lowered while the mate went below. The four men who were lying
on the deck were then untied and ordered to follow, which they did without attempting
any resistance-Augustus being still left in his painful position, although he struggled and
prayed only for the poor satisfaction of being permitted to bid his father farewell. A
handful of sea-biscuit and a jug of water were now handed down; but neither mast, sail,
oar, nor compass. The boat was towed astern for a few minutes, during which the
mutineers held another consultation-it was then finally cut adrift. By this time night had

come on-there were neither moon nor stars visible-and a short and ugly sea was running,
although there was no great deal of wind. The boat was instantly out of sight, and little
hope could be entertained for the unfortunate sufferers who were in it. This event
happened, however, in latitude 35 degrees 30' north, longitude 61 degrees 20' west, and
consequently at no very great distance from the Bermuda Islands. Augustus therefore
endeavored to console himself with the idea that the boat might either succeed in
reaching the land, or come sufficiently near to be fAUan in with by vessels off the coast.

All sail was now put upon the brig, and she continued her original course to the
southwest-the mutineers being bent upon some piratical expedition, in which, from all
that could be understood, a ship was to be intercepted on her way from the Cape Verd
Islands to Porto Rico. No attention was paid to Augustus, who was untied and suffered to
go about anywhere forward of the cabin companion-way. Dirk Peters treated him with
some degree of kindness, and on one occasion saved him from the brutality of the cook.
His situation was still one of the most precarious, as the men were continually
intoxicated, and there was no relying upon their continued good-humor or carelessness in
regard to himself. His anxiety on my account be represented, however, as the most
distressing result of his condition; and, indeed, I had never reason to doubt the sincerity
of his friendship. More than once he had resolved to acquaint the mutineers with the
secret of my being on board, but was restrained from so doing, partly through recollection
of the atrocities he had already beheld, and partly through a hope of being able soon to
bring me relief. For the latter purpose he was constantly on the watch; but, in spite of the
most constant vigilance, three days elapsed after the boat was cut adrift before any
chance occurred. At length, on the night of the third day, there came on a heavy blow
from the eastward, and all hands were called up to take in sail. During the confusion
which ensued, he made his way below unobserved, and into the stateroom. What was his
grief and horror in discovering that the latter had been rendered a place of deposit for a
variety of sea-stores and ship-furniture, and that several fathoms of old chain-cable,
which had been stowed away beneath the companion-ladder, had been dragged thence to
make room for a chest, and were now lying immediately upon the trap! To remove it
without discovery was impossible, and he returned on deck as quickly as he could. As be
came up, the mate seized him by the throat, and demanding what he had been doing in
the cabin, was about flinging him over the larboard bulwark, when his life was again
preserved through the interference of Dirk Peters. Augustus was now put in handcuffs (of
which there were several pairs on board), and his feet lashed tightly together. He was
then taken into the steerage, and thrown into a lower berth next to the forecastle
bulkheads, with the assurance that he should never put his foot on deck again "until the
brig was no longer a brig." This was the expression of the cook, who threw him into the
berth-it is hardly possible to say what precise meaning intended by the phrase. The whole
affair, however, proved the ultimate means of my relief, as will presently appear.

CHAPTER V

For some minutes after the cook had left the forecastle, Augustus abandoned himself to
despair, never hoping to leave the berth alive. He now came to the resolution of
acquainting the first of the men who should come down with my situation, thinking it

better to let me take my chance with the mutineers than perish of thirst in the hold,-for it
had been ten days since I was first imprisoned, and my jug of water was not a plentiful
supply even for four. As he was thinking on this subject, the idea came all at once into his
head that it might be possible to communicate with me by the way of the main hold. In
any other circumstances, the difficulty and hazard of the undertaking would have pre.
vented him from attempting it; but now he had, at all events, little prospect of life, and
consequently little to lose, he bent his whole mind, therefore, upon the task.

His handcuffs were the first consideration. At first he saw no method of removing them,
and feared that he should thus be baffled in the very outset; but upon a closer scrutiny he
discovered that the irons could be slipped off and on at pleasure, with very little effort or
inconvenience, merely by squeezing his hands through them,-this species of manacle
being altogether ineffectual in confining young persons, in whom the smaller bones
readily yield to pressure. He now untied his feet, and, leaving the cord in such a manner
that it could easily be readjusted in the event of any person's coming down, proceeded to
examine the bulkhead where it joined the berth. The partition here was of soft pine board,
an inch thick, and he saw that he should have little trouble in cutting his way through. A
voice was now heard at the forecastle companion-way, and he had just time to put his
right hand into its handcuff (the left had not been removed) and to draw the rope in a
slipknot around his ankle, when Dirk Peters came below, followed by Tiger, who
immediately leaped into the berth and lay down. The dog had been brought on board by
Augustus, who knew my attachment to the animal, and thought it would give me pleasure
to have him with me during the voyage. He went up to our house for him immediately
after first taking me into the hold, but did not think of mentioning the circumstance upon
his bringing the watch. Since the mutiny, Augustus had not seen him before his
appearance with Dirk Peters, and had given him up for lost, supposing him to have been
thrown overboard by some of the malignant villains belonging to the mate's gang. It
appeared afterward that he had crawled into a hole beneath a whale-boat, from which, not
having room to turn round, he could not extricate himself. Peters at last let him out, and,
with a species of good feeling which my friend knew well how to appreciate, had now
brought him to him in the forecastle as a companion, leaving at the same time some salt
junk and potatoes, with a can of water, he then went on deck, promising to come down
with something more to eat on the next day.

When he had gone, Augustus freed both hands from the manacles and unfastened his feet.
He then turned down the head of the mattress on which he had been lying, and with his
penknife (for the ruffians had not thought it worth while to search him) commenced
cutting vigorously across one of the partition planks, as closely as possible to the floor of
the berth. He chose to cut here, because, if suddenly interrupted, he would be able to
conceal what had been done by letting the head of the mattress fall into its proper
position. For the remainder of the day, however, no disturbance occurred, and by night he
had completely divided the plank. It should here be observed that none of the crew
occupied the forecastle as a sleeping-place, living altogether in the cabin since the
mutiny, drinking the wines and feasting on the sea-stores of Captain Barnard, and giving
no more heed than was absolutely necessary to the navigation of the brig. These
circumstances proved fortunate both for myself and Augustus; for, had matters been

otherwise, he would have found it impossible to reach me. As it was, he proceeded with
confidence in his design. It was near daybreak, however, before he completed the second
division of the board (which was about a foot above the first cut), thus making an
aperture quite large enough to admit his passage through with facility to the main orlop
deck. Having got here, he made his way with but little trouble to the lower main hatch,
although in so doing he had to scramble over tiers of oil-casks piled nearly as high as the
upper deck, there being barely room enough left for his body. Upon reaching the hatch he
found that Tiger had followed him below, squeezing between two rows of the casks. It
was now too late, however, to attempt getting to me before dawn, as the chief difficulty
lay in passing through the close stowage in the lower hold. He therefore resolved to
return, and wait till the next night. With this design, he proceeded to loosen the hatch, so
that he might have as little detention as possible when he should come again. No sooner
had he loosened it than Tiger sprang eagerly to the small opening produced, snuffed for a
moment, and then uttered a long whine, scratching at the same time, as if anxious to
remove the covering with his paws. There could be no doubt, from his behaviour, that he
was aware of my being in the hold, and Augustus thought it possible that he would be
able to get to me if he put him down. He now hit upon the expedient of sending the note,
as it was especially desirable that I should make no attempt at forcing my way out at least
under existing circumstances, and there could be no certainty of his getting to me himself
on the morrow as he intended. After-events proved how fortunate it was that the idea
occurred to him as it did; for, had it not been for the receipt of the note, I should
undoubtedly have f Allan upon some plan, however desperate, of alarming the crew, and
both our lives would most probably have been sacrificed in consequence.

Having concluded to write, the difficulty was now to procure the mate, rials for so doing.
An old toothpick was soon made into a pen; and this by means of feeling altogether, for
the between-decks was as dark as pitch. Paper enough was obtained from the back of a
letter-a duplicate of the forged letter from Mr. Ross. This had been the original draught;
but the handwriting not being sufficiently well imitated, Augustus had written another,
thrusting the first, by good fortune, into his coat-pocket, where it was now most
opportunely discovered. Ink alone was thus wanting, and a substitute was immediately
found for this by means of a slight incision with the pen-knife on the back of a finger just
above the nail-a copious flow of blood ensuing, as usual, from wounds in that vicinity.
The note was now written, as well as it could be in the dark and under the circumstances.
It briefly explained that a mutiny had taken place; that Captain Barnard was set adrift;
and that I might expect immediate relief as far as provisions were concerned, but must
not venture upon making any disturbance. It concluded with these words: "I have
scrawled this with blood-your life depends upon lying close."

This slip of paper being tied upon the dog, he was now put down the hatchway, and
Augustus made the best of his way back to the forecastle, where be found no reason to
believe that any of the crew had been in his absence. To conceal the hole in the partition,
he drove his knife in just above it, and hung up a pea-jacket which he found in the berth.
His handcuffs were then replaced, and also the rope around his ankles.

These arrangements were scarcely completed when Dirk Peters came below, very drunk,
but in excellent humour, and bringing with him my friend's allowance of provision for the
day. This consisted of a dozen large Irish potatoes roasted, and a pitcher of water. He sat
for some time on a chest by the berth, and talked freely about the mate and the general
concerns of the brig. His demeanour was exceedingly capricious, and even grotesque. At
one time Augustus was much alarmed by odd conduct. At last, however, he went on
deck, muttering a promise to bring his prisoner a good dinner on the morrow. During the
day two of the crew (harpooners) came down, accompanied by the cook, all three in
nearly the last stage of intoxication. Like Peters, they made no scruple of talking
unreservedly about their plans. It appeared that they were much divided among
themselves as to their ultimate course, agreeing in no point, except the attack on the ship
from the Cape Verd Islands, with which they were in hourly expectation of meeting. As
far as could be ascertained, the mutiny had not been brought about altogether for the sake
of booty; a private pique of the chief mate's against Captain Barnard having been the
main instigation. There now seemed to be two principal factions among the crew-one
headed by the mate, the other by the cook. The former party were for seizing the first
suitable vessel which should present itself, and equipping it at some of the West India
Islands for a piratical cruise. The latter division, however, which was the stronger, and
included Dirk Peters among its partisans, were bent upon pursuing the course originally
laid out for the brig into the South Pacific; there either to take whale, or act otherwise, as
circumstances should suggest. The representations of Peters, who had frequently visited
these regions, had great weight, apparently, with the mutineers, wavering, as they were,
between half-engendered notions of profit and pleasure. He dwelt on the world of novelty
and amusement to be found among the innumerable islands of the Pacific, on the perfect
security and freedom from all restraint to be enjoyed, but, more particularly, on the
deliciousness of the climate, on the abundant means of good living, and on the
voluptuous beauty of the women. As yet, nothing had been absolutely determined upon;
but the pictures of the hybrid line-manager were taking strong hold upon the ardent
imaginations of the seamen, and there was every possibility that his intentions would be
finally carried into effect.

The three men went away in about an hour, and no one else entered the forecastle all day.
Augustus lay quiet until nearly night. He then freed himself from the rope and irons, and
prepared for his attempt. A bottle was found in one of the berths, and this he filled with
water from the pitcher left by Peters, storing his pockets at the same time with cold
potatoes. To his great joy he also came across a lantern, with a small piece of tallow
candle in it. This he could light at any moment, as be had in his possession a box of
phosphorus matches. When it was quite dark, he got through the hole in the bulkhead,
having taken the precaution to arrange the bedclothes in the berth so as to convey the idea
of a person covered up. When through, he hung up the pea-jacket on his knife, as before,
to conceal the aperture-this manoeuvre being easily effected, as he did not readjust the
piece of plank taken out until afterward. He was now on the main orlop deck, and
proceeded to make his way, as before, between the upper deck and the oil-casks to the
main hatchway. Having reached this, he lit the piece of candle, and descended, groping
with extreme difficulty among the compact stowage of the hold. In a few moments he
became alarmed at the insufferable stench and the closeness of the atmosphere. He could

not think it possible that I had survived my confinement for so long a period breathing so
oppressive an air. He called my name repeatedly, but I made him no reply, and his
apprehensions seemed thus to be confirmed. The brig was rolling violently, and there was
so much noise in consequence, that it was useless to listen for any weak sound, such as
those of my breathing or snoring. He threw open the lantern, and held it as high as
possible, whenever an opportunity occurred, in order that, by observing the light, I might,
if alive, be aware that succor was approaching. Still nothing was heard from me, and the
supposition of my death began to assume the character of certainty. He determined,
nevertheless, to force a passage, if possible, to the box, and at least ascertain beyond a
doubt the truth of his surmises. He pushed on for some time in a most pitiable state of
anxiety, until, at length, he found the pathway utterly blocked up, and that there was no
possibility of making any farther way by the course in which he had set out. Overcome
now by his feelings, he threw himself among the lumber in despair, and wept like a child.
It was at this period that he heard the crash occasioned by the bottle which I had thrown
down. Fortunate, indeed, was it that the incident occurred-for, upon this incident, trivial
as it appears, the thread of my destiny depended. Many years elapsed, however, before I
was aware of this fact. A natural shame and regret for his weakness and indecision
prevented Augustus from confiding to me at once what a more intimate and unreserved
communion afterward induced him to reveal. Upon finding his further progress in the
hold impeded by obstacles which he could not overcome, he had resolved to abandon his
attempt at reaching me, and return at once to the forecastle. Before condemning him
entirely on this head, the harassing circumstances which embarrassed him should be
taken into consideration. The night was fast wearing away, and his absence from the
forecastle might be discovered; and indeed would necessarily be so, if be should fail to
get back to the berth by daybreak. His candle was expiring in the socket, and there would
be the greatest difficulty in retracing his way to the hatchway in the dark. It must be
allowed, too, that he had every good reason to believe me dead; in which event no benefit
could result to me from his reaching the box, and a world of danger would be
encountered to no purpose by himself. He had repeatedly called, and I had made him no
answer. I had been now eleven days and nights with no more water than that contained in
the jug which he had left with me-a supply which it was not at all probable I had boarded
in the beginning of my confinement, as I had every cause to expect a speedy release. The
atmosphere of the hold, too, must have appeared to him, coming from the comparatively
open air of the steerage, of a nature absolutely poisonous, and by far more intolerable
than it had seemed to me upon my first taking up my quarters in the box-the hatchways
at that time having been constantly open for many months previous. Add to these
considerations that of the scene of bloodshed and terror so lately witnessed by my friend;
his confinement, privations, and narrow escapes from death, together with the frail and
equivocal tenure by which he still existed-circumstances all so well calculated to
prostrate every energy of mind-and the reader will be easily brought, as I have been, to
regard his apparent falling off in friendship and in faith with sentiments rather of sorrow
than of anger.

The crash of the bottle was distinctly heard, yet Augustus was not sure that it proceeded
from the hold. The doubt, however, was sufficient inducement to persevere. He
clambered up nearly to the orlop deck by means of the stowage, and then, watching for a

lull in the pitchings of the vessel, he called out to me in as loud a tone as he could
command, regardless, for the moment, of being overheard by the crew. It will be
remembered that on this occasion the voice reached me, but I was so entirely overcome
by violent agitation as to be incapable of reply. Confident, now, that his worst
apprehensions were well founded, be descended, with a view of getting back to the
forecastle without loss of time. In his haste some small boxes were thrown down, the
noise occasioned by which I heard, as will be recollected. He had made considerable
progress on his return when the fall of the knife again caused him to hesitate. He retraced
his steps immediately, and, clambering up the stowage a second time, called out my
name, loudly as before, having watched for a lull. This time I found voice to answer.
Overjoyed at discovering me to be still alive, he now resolved to brave every difficulty
and danger in reaching me. Having extricated himself as quickly as possible from the
labyrinth of lumber by which he was hemmed in, he at length struck into an opening
which promised better, and finally, after a series of struggles, arrived at the box in a state
of utter exhaustion.

CHAPTER VI

The leading particulars of this narration were all that Augustus communicated to me
while we remained near the box. It was not until afterward that he entered fully into all
the details. He was apprehensive of being missed, and I was wild with impatience to
leave my detested place of confinement. We resolved to make our way at once to the hole
in the bulkhead, near which I was to remain for the present, while he went through to
reconnoiter. To leave Tiger in the box was what neither of us could endure to think of,
yet, how to act otherwise was the question. He now seemed to be perfectly quiet, and we
could not even distinguish the sound of his breathing upon applying our ears closely to
the box. I was convinced that he was dead, and determined to open the door. We found
him lying at full length, apparently in a deep stupor, yet still alive. No time was to be lost,
yet I could not bring myself to abandon an animal who had now been twice instrumental
in saving my life, without some attempt at preserving him. We therefore dragged him
along with us as well as we could, although with the greatest difficulty and fatigue;
Augustus, during part of the time, being forced to clamber over the impediments in our
way with the huge dog in his arms-a feat to which the feebleness of my frame rendered
me totally inadequate. At length we succeeded in reaching the hole, when Augustus got
through, and Tiger was pushed in afterward. All was found to be safe, and we did not fail
to return sincere thanks to God for our deliverance from the imminent danger we had
escaped. For the present, it was agreed that I should remain near the opening, through
which my companion could readily supply me with a part of his daily provision, and
where I could have the advantages of breathing an atmosphere comparatively pure.

In explanation of some portions of this narrative, wherein I have spoken of the stowage of
the brig, and which may appear ambiguous to some of my readers who may have seen a
proper or regular stowage, I must here state that the manner in which this most important
duty had been per formed on board the Grampus was a most shameful piece of neglect on
the part of Captain Barnard, who was by no means as careful or as experienced a seaman
as the hazardous nature of the service on which he was employed would seem necessarily

to demand. A proper stowage cannot be accomplished in a careless manner, and many
most disastrous accidents, even within the limits of my own experience, have arisen from
neglect or ignorance in this particular. Coasting vessels, in the frequent hurry and bustle
attendant upon taking in or discharging cargo, are the most liable to mishap from the
want of a proper attention to stowage. The great point is to allow no possibility of the
cargo or ballast shifting position even in the most violent rollings of the vessel. With this
end, great attention must be paid, not only to the bulk taken in, but to the nature of the
bulk, and whether there be a full or only a partial cargo. In most kinds of freight the
stowage is accomplished by means of a screw. Thus, in a load of tobacco or flour, the
whole is screwed so tightly into the hold of the vessel that the barrels or hogsheads, upon
discharging, are found to be completely flattened, and take some time to regain their
original shape. This screwing, however, is resorted to principally with a view of obtaining
more room in the hold; for in a full load of any such commodities as flour or tobacco,
there can be no danger of any shifting whatever, at least none from which inconvenience
can result. There have been instances, indeed, where this method of screwing has resulted
in the most lamentable consequences, arising from a cause altogether distinct from the
danger attendant upon a shifting of cargo. A load of cotton, for example, tightly screwed
while in certain conditions, has been known, through the expansion of its bulk, to rend a
vessel asunder at sea. There can be no doubt either that the same result would ensue in
the case of tobacco, while undergoing its usual course of fermentation, were it not for the
interstices consequent upon the rotundity of the hogsheads.

It is when a partial cargo is received that danger is chiefly to be apprehended from
shifting, and that precautions should be always taken to guard against such misfortune.
Only those who have encountered a violent gale of wind, or rather who have experienced
the rolling of a vessel in a sudden calm after the gale, can form an idea of the tremendous
force of the plunges, and of the consequent terrible impetus given to all loose articles in
the vessel. It is then that the necessity of a cautious stowage, when there is a partial cargo,
becomes obvious. When lying-to (especially with a small bead sail), a vessel which is not
properly modelled in the bows is frequently thrown upon her beam-ends; this occurring
even every fifteen or twenty minutes upon an average, yet without any serious
consequences resulting, provided there be a proper stowage. If this, however, has not
been strictly attended to, in the first of these heavy lurches the whole of the cargo tumbles
over to the side of the vessel which lies upon the water, and, being thus prevented from
regaining her equilibrium, as she would otherwise necessarily do, she is certain to fill in a
few seconds and go down. It is not too much to say that at least one-half of the instances
in which vessels have foundered in heavy gales at sea may be attributed to a shifting of
cargo or of ballast.

When a partial cargo of any kind is taken on board, the whole, after being first stowed as
compactly as may be, should be covered with a layer of stout shifting-boards, extending
completely across the vessel. Upon these boards strong temporary stanchions should be
erected, reaching to the timbers above, and thus securing every thing in its place. In
cargoes consisting of grain, or any similar matter, additional precautions are requisite. A
hold filled entirely with grain upon leaving port will be found not more than three fourths
full upon reaching its destination-this, too, although the freight, when measured bushel

by bushel by the consignee, will overrun by a vast deal (on account of the swelling of the
grain) the quantity consigned. This result is occasioned by settling during the voyage, and
is the more perceptible in proportion to the roughness of the weather experienced. If grain
loosely thrown in a vessel, then, is ever so well secured by shifting-boards and
stanchions, it will be liable to shift in a long passage so greatly as to bring about the most
distressing calamities. To prevent these, every method should be employed before
leaving port to settle the cargo as much as possible; and for this there are many
contrivances, among which may be mentioned the driving of wedges into the grain. Even
after all this is done, and unusual pains taken to secure the shifting-boards, no seaman
who knows what he is about will feel altogether secure in a gale of any violence with a
cargo of grain on board, and, least of all, with a partial cargo. Yet there are hundreds of
our coasting vessels, and, it is likely, many more from the ports of Europe, which sail
daily with partial cargoes, even of the most dangerous species, and without any
precaution whatever. The wonder is that no more accidents occur than do actually
happen. A lamentable instance of this heedlessness occurred to my knowledge in the case
of Captain Joel Rice of the schooner Firefly, which sailed from Richmond, Virginia, to
Madeira, with a cargo of corn, in the year 1825. The captain had gone many voyages
without serious accident, although he was in the habit of paying no attention whatever to
his stowage, more than to secure it in the ordinary manner. He had never before sailed
with a cargo of grain, and on this occasion had the com thrown on board loosely, when it
did not much more than half fill the vessel. For the first portion of the voyage he met with
nothing more than light breezes; but when within a day's sail of Madeira there came on a
strong gale from the N. N. E. which forced him to lie-to. He brought the schooner to the
wind under a double-reefed foresail alone, when she rode as well as any vessel could be
expected to do, and shipped not a drop of water. Toward night the gale somewhat abated,
and she rolled with more unsteadiness than before, but still did very well, until a heavy
lurch threw her upon her beam-ends to starboard. The corn was then heard to shift bodily,
the force of the movement bursting open the main hatchway. The vessel went down like a
shot. This happened within hail of a small sloop from Madeira, which picked up one of
the crew (the only person saved), and which rode out the gale in perfect security, as
indeed a jolly boat might have done under proper management.

The stowage on board the Grampus was most clumsily done, if stowage that could be
called which was little better than a promiscuous huddling together of oil-casks* and ship
furniture. I have already spoken of the condition of articles in the hold. On the orlop deck
there was space enough for my body (as I have stated) between the oil-casks and the
upper deck; a space was left open around the main hatchway; and several other large
spaces were left in the stowage. Near the hole cut through the bulkhead by Augustus
there was room enough for an entire cask, and in this space I found myself comfortably
situated for the present.

* Whaling vessels are usually fitted with iron oil-tanks-why the Grampus was not I have
never been able to ascertain.

By the time my friend had got safely into the berth, and readjusted his handcuffs and the
rope, it was broad daylight. We had made a narrow escape indeed; for scarcely had he

arranged all matters, when the mate came below, with Dirk Peters and the cook. They
talked for some time about the vessel from the Cape Verds, and seemed to be excessively
anxious for her appearance. At length the cook came to the berth in which Augustus was
lying, and seated himself in it near the head. I could see and hear every thing from my
hiding-place, for the piece cut out had not been put back, and I was in momentary
expectation that the negro would fall against the pea-jacket, which was hung up to
conceal the aperture, in which case all would have been discovered, and our lives would,
no doubt, have been instantly sacrificed. Our good fortune prevailed, however; and
although he frequently touched it as the vessel rolled, he never pressed against it
sufficiently to bring about a discovery. The bottom of the jacket had been carefully
fastened to the bulkhead, so that the hole might not be seen by its swinging to one side.
All this time Tiger was lying in the foot of the berth, and appeared to have recovered in
some measure his faculties, for I could see him occasionally open his eyes and draw a
long breath.

After a few minutes the mate and cook went above, leaving Dirk Peters behind, who, as
soon as they were gone, came and sat himself down in the place just occupied by the
mate. He began to talk very sociably with Augustus, and we could now see that the
greater part of his apparent intoxication, while the two others were with him, was a feint.
He answered all my companion's questions with perfect freedom; told him that he had no
doubt of his father's having been picked up, as there were no less than five sail in sight
just before sundown on the day he was cut adrift; and used other language of a
consolatory nature, which occasioned me no less surprise than pleasure. Indeed, I began
to entertain hopes, that through the instrumentality of Peters we might be finally enabled
to regain possession of the brig, and this idea I mentioned to Augustus as soon as I found
an opportunity. He thought the matter possible, but urged the necessity of the greatest
caution in making the attempt, as the conduct of the hybrid appeared to be instigated by
the most arbitrary caprice alone; and, indeed, it was difficult to say if be was at any
moment of sound mind. Peters went upon deck in about an hour, and did not return again
until noon, when he brought Augustus a plentiful supply of junk beef and pudding. Of
this, when we were left alone, I partook heartily, without returning through the hole. No
one else came down into the forecastle during the day, and at night, I got into Augustus'
berth, where I slept soundly and sweetly until nearly daybreak, when he awakened me
upon hearing a stir upon deck, and I regained my hiding-place as quickly as possible.
When the day was fully broke, we found that Tiger had recovered his strength almost
entirely, and gave no indications of hydrophobia, drinking a little water that was offered
him with great apparent eagerness. During the day he regained all his former vigour and
appetite. His strange conduct had been brought on, no doubt, by the deleterious quality of
the air of the hold, and had no connexion with canine madness. I could not sufficiently
rejoice that I had persisted in bringing him with me from the box. This day was the
thirtieth of June, and the thirteenth since the Grampus made sad from Nantucket.

On the second of July the mate came below drunk as usual, and in an excessively good-
humor. He came to Augustus's berth, and, giving him a slap on the back, asked him if he
thought he could behave himself if he let him loose, and whether he would promise not to
be going into the cabin again. To this, of course, my friend answered in the affirmative.

when the ruffian set him at liberty, after making him drink from a flask of rum which he
drew from his coat-pocket. Both now went on deck, and I did not see Augustus for about
three hours. He then came below with the good news that he had obtained permission to
go about the brig as be pleased anywhere forward of the mainmast, and that he had been
ordered to sleep, as usual, in the forecastle. He brought me, too, a good dinner, and a
plentiful supply of water. The brig was still cruising for the vessel from the Cape Verds,
and a sail was now in sight, which was thought to be the one in question. As the events of
the ensuing eight days were of little importance, and had no direct bearing upon the main
incidents of my narrative, I will here throw them into the form of a journal, as I do not
wish to omit them altogether.

July 3. -Augustus furnished me with three blankets, with which I contrived a comfortable
bed in my hiding-place. No one came below, except my companion, during the day. Tiger
took his station in the berth just by the aperture, and slept heavily, as if not yet entirely
recovered from the effects of his sickness. Toward night a flaw of wind struck the brig
before sail could be taken in, and very nearly capsized her. The puff died away
immediately, however, and no damage was done beyond the sphtting of the foretopsail.
Dirk Peters treated Augustus all this day with great kindness and entered into a long
conversation with him respecting the Pacific Ocean, and the islands he had visited in that
region. He asked him whether be would not like to go with the mutineers on a kind of
exploring and pleasure voyage in those quarters, and said that the men were gradually
coming over to the mate's views. To this Augustus thought it best to reply that he would
be glad to go on such an adventure, since nothing better could be done, and that any thing
was preferable to a piratical life.

July 4.-The vessel in sight proved to be a small brig from Liverpool, and was allowed to
pass unmolested. Augustus spent most of his time on deck, with a view of obtaining all
the information in his power respecting the intentions of the mutineers. They had frequent
and violent quarrels among themselves, in one of which a harpooner, Jim Bonner, was
thrown overboard. The party of the mate was gaining ground. Jim Bonner belonged to the
cook's gang, of which Peters was a partisan.

July 5. -About daybreak there came on a stiff breeze from the west, which at noon
freshened into a gale, so that the brig could carry nothing more than her trysail and
foresail. In taking in the foretopsail, Simms, one of the common hands, and belonging
also to the cook's gang, fell overboard, being very much in liquor, and was drowned-no
attempt being made to save him. The whole number of persons on board was now
thirteen, to wit: Dirk Peters; Seymour, the of the cook's party; the mate, whose name I
never learned; Absalom party;-besides Augustus and myself.

July 6.-The gale lasted all this day, blowing in heavy squalls, accompanied with rain. The
brig took in a good deal of water through her seams, and one of the pumps was kept
continually going, Augustus being forced to take his turn, just at twilight a large ship
passed close by us, without having been discovered until within hail. The ship was
supposed to be the one for which the mutineers were on the lookout. The mate hailed her,
but the reply was drowned in the roaring of the gale. At eleven, a sea was shipped

amidships, which tore away a great portion of the larboard bulwarks, and did some other
slight damage. Toward morning the weather moderated, and at sunrise there was very
little wind.

July 7. -There was a heavy swell running all this day, during which the brig, being light,
rolled excessively, and many articles broke loose in the hold, as I could hear distinctly
from my hiding-place. I suffered a great deal from sea-sickness. Peters had a long
conversation this day with Augustus, and told him that two of his gang, Greely and Allan,
had gone over to the mate, and were resolved to turn pirates. He put several questions to
Augustus which he did not then exactly understand. During a part of this evening the leak
gained upon the vessel; and little could be done to remedy it, as it was occasioned by the
brigs straining, and taking in the water through her seams. A sail was thrummed, and got
under the bows, which aided us in some measure, so that we began to gain upon the leak.

July 8. -A light breeze sprang up at sunrise from the eastward, when the mate headed the
brig to the southwest, with the intention of making some of the West India islands in
pursuance of his piratical designs. No opposition was made by Peters or the cook-at least
none in the hearing of Augustus. All idea of taking the vessel from the Cape Verds was
abandoned. The leak was now easily kept under by one pump going every three quarters
of an hour. The sail was drawn from beneath the bows. Spoke two small schooners
during the day.

July 9.-Fine weather. All hands employed in repairing bulwarks. Peters had again a long
conversation with Augustus, and spoke more plainly than he had done heretofore. He said
nothing should induce him to come into the mate's views, and even hinted his intention of
taking the brig out of his hands. He asked my friend if he could depend upon his aid in
such case, to which Augustus said, "Yes," without hesitation. Peters then said he would
sound the others of his party upon the subject, and went away. During the remainder of
the day Augustus had no opportunity of speaking with him privately.

CHAPTER VII

July lO.-Spoke a brig from Rio, bound to Norfolk. Weather hazy, with a light baffling
wind from the eastward. To-day Hartman Rogers died, having been attacked on the
eighth with spasms after drinking a glass of grog. This man was of the cook's party, and
one upon whom Peters placed his main reliance. He told Augustus that he believed the
mate had poisoned him, and that he expected, if he did not be on the look-out, his own
turn would come shortly. There were now only himself, Jones, and the cook belonging to
his own gang-on the other side there were five. He had spoken to Jones about taking the
command from the mate; but the project having been coolly received, he had been
deterred from pressing the matter any further, or from saying any thing to the cook. It was
well, as it happened, that he was so prudent, for in the afternoon the cook expressed his
determination of siding with the mate, and went over formally to that party; while Jones
took an opportunity of quarrelling with Peters, and hinted that he would let the mate
know of the plan in agitation. There was now, evidently, no time to be lost, and Peters
expressed his determination of attempting to take the vessel at all hazards, provided

Augustus would lend him his aid. My friend at once assured him of his willingness to
enter into any plan for that purpose, and, thinking the opportunity a favourable one, made
known the fact of my being on board. At this the hybrid was not more astonished than
delighted, as he had no reliance whatever upon Jones, whom he already considered as
belonging to the party of the mate. They went below immediately, when Augustus called
to me by name, and Peters and myself were soon made acquainted. It was agreed that we
should attempt to retake the vessel upon the first good opportunity, leaving Jones
altogether out of our councils. In the event of success, we were to run the brig into the
first port that offered, and deliver her up. The desertion of his party had frustrated Peters'
design of going into the Pacific-an adventure which could not be accomplished without a
crew, and he depended upon either getting acquitted upon trial, on the score of insanity
(which he solemnly avowed had actuated him in lending his aid to the mutiny), or upon
obtaining a pardon, if found guilty, through the representations of Augustus and myself.
Our deliberations were interrupted for the present by the cry of, "All hands take in sail,"
and Peters and Augustus ran up on deck.

As usual, the crew were nearly all drunk; and, before sail could be properly taken in, a
violent squall laid the brig on her beam-ends. By keeping her away, however, she righted,
having shipped a good deal of water. Scarcely was everything secure, when another
squall took the vessel, and immediately afterward another-no damage being done. There
was every appearance of a gale of wind, which, indeed, shortly came on, with great fury,
from the northward and westward. All was made as snug as possible, and we laid-to, as
usual, under a close-reefed foresail. As night drew on, the wind increased in violence,
with a remarkably heavy sea. Peters now came into the forecastle with Augustus, and we
resumed our deliberations.

We agreed that no opportunity could be more favourable than the present for carrying our
designs into effect, as an attempt at such a moment would never be anticipated. As the
brig was snugly laid-to, there would be no necessity of manoeuvring her until good
weather, when, if we succeeded in our attempt, we might liberate one, or perhaps two of
the men, to aid us in taking her into port. The main difficulty was the great disproportion
in our forces. There were only three of us, and in the cabin there were nine. All the arms
on board, too, were in their possession, with the exception of a pair of small pistols which
Peters had concealed about his person, and the large seaman's knife which he always
wore in the waistband of his pantaloons. From certain indications, too-such, for example,
as there being no such thing as an axe or a handspike lying in their customary places-we
began to fear that the mate had his suspicions, at least in regard to Peters, and that he
would let slip no opportunity of getting rid of him. It was clear, indeed, that what we
should determine to do could not be done too soon. Still the odds were too much against
us to allow of our proceeding without the greatest caution.

Peters proposed that he should go up on deck, and enter into conversation with the watch
(Allan), when he would be able to throw him into the sea without trouble, and without
making any disturbance, by seizing a good opportunity, that Augustus and myself should
then come up, and endeavour to provide ourselves with some kind of weapons from the
deck, and that we should then make a rush together, and secure the companion-way

before any opposition could be offered. I objected to this, because I could not believe that
the mate (who was a cunning fellow in all matters which did not affect his superstitious
prejudices) would suffer himself to be so easily entrapped. The very fact of there being a
watch on deck at all was sufficient proof that he was upon the alert,-it not being usual
except in vessels where discipline is most rigidly enforced, to station a watch on deck
when a vessel is lying-to in a gale of wind. As I address myself principally, if not
altogether, to persons who have never been to sea, it may be as well to state the exact
condition of a vessel under such circumstances. Lying-to, or, in sea-parlance, "laying-to,"
is a measure resorted to for various purposes, and effected in various manners. In
moderate weather it is frequently done with a view of merely bringing the vessel to a
stand-still, to wait for another vessel or any similar object. If the vessel which lies-to is
under full sail, the manoeuvre is usually accomplished by throwing round some portion
of her sails, so as to let the wind take them aback, when she becomes stationary. But we
are now speaking of lying-to in a gale of wind. This is done when the wind is ahead, and
too violent to admit of carrying sail without danger of capsizing; and sometimes even
when the wind is fair, but the sea too heavy for the vessel to be put before it. If a vessel
be suffered to scud before the wind in a very heavy sea, much damage is usually done her
by the shipping of water over her stern, and sometimes by the violent plunges she makes
forward. This manoeuvre, then, is seldom resorted to in such case, unless through
necessity. When the vessel is in a leaky condition she is often put before the wind even in
the heaviest seas; for, when lying-to, her seams are sure to be greatly opened by her
violent straining, and it is not so much the case when scudding. Often, too, it becomes
necessary to scud a vessel, either when the blast is so exceedingly furious as to tear in
pieces the sail which is employed with a view of bringing her head to the wind, or when,
through the false modelling of the frame or other causes, this main object cannot be
effected.

Vessels in a gale of wind are laid-to in different manners, according to their peculiar
construction. Some lie-to best under a foresail, and this, I believe, is the sail most usually
employed. Large square-rigged vessels have sails for the express purpose, called storm-
staysails. But the jib is occasionally employed by itself,- sometimes the jib and foresail,
or a double-reefed foresail, and not unfrequently the after-sails, are made use of.
Foretopsails are very often found to answer the purpose better than any other species of
sail. The Grampus was generally laid-to under a close -reefed foresail.

When a vessel is to be laid-to, her head is brought up to the wind just so nearly as to fill
the sail under which she lies when hauled flat aft, that is, when brought diagonally across
the vessel. This being done, the bows point within a few degrees of the direction from
which the wind issues, and the windward bow of course receives the shock of the waves.
In this situation a good vessel will ride out a very heavy gale of wind without shipping a
drop of water, and without any further attention being requisite on the part of the crew.
The helm is usually lashed down, but this is altogether unnecessary (except on account of
the noise it makes when loose), for the rudder has no effect upon the vessel when lying-
to. Indeed, the helm had far better be left loose than lashed very fast, for the rudder is apt
to be torn off by heavy seas if there be no room for the helm to play. As long as the sail
holds, a well modelled vessel will maintain her situation, and ride every sea, as if instinct

with life and reason. If the violence of the wind, however, should tear the sail into pieces
(a feat which it requires a perfect hurricane to accomplish under ordinary circumstances),
there is then imminent danger. The vessel falls off from the wind, and, coming broadside
to the sea, is completely at its mercy: the only resource in this case is to put her quietly
before the wind, letting her scud until some other sail can be set. Some vessels will lie-to
under no sail whatever, but such are not to be trusted at sea.

But to return from this digression. It had never been customary with the mate to have any
watch on deck when lying-to in a gale of wind, and the fact that he had now one, coupled
with the circumstance of the missing axes and handspikes, fully convinced us that the
crew were too well on the watch to be taken by surprise in the manner Peters had
suggested. Something, however, was to be done, and that with as little delay as
practicable, for there could be no doubt that a suspicion having been once entertained
against Peters, he would be sacrificed upon the earliest occasion, and one would certainly
be either found or made upon the breaking of the gale.

Augustus now suggested that if Peters could contrive to remove, under any pretext, the
piece of chain-cable which lay over the trap in the stateroom, we might possibly be able
to come upon them unawares by means of the hold; but a little reflection convinced us
that the vessel rolled and pitched too violently for any attempt of that nature.

By good fortune I at length hit upon the idea of working upon the superstitious terrors
and guilty conscience of the mate. It will be remembered that one of the crew, Hartman
Rogers, had died during the morning, having been attacked two days before with spasms
after drinking some spirits and water. Peters had expressed to us his opinion that this man
had been poisoned by the mate, and for this belief he had reasons, so he said, which were
incontrovertible, but which he could not be pre. vailed upon to explain to us-this
wayward refusal being only in keeping with other points of his singular character. But
whether or not he had any better grounds for suspecting the mate than we had ourselves,
we were easily led to fall in with his suspicion, and determined to act accordingly.

Rogers had died about eleven in the forenoon, in violent convulsions; and the corpse
presented in a few minutes after death one of the most horrid and loathsome spectacles I
ever remember to have seen. The stomach was swollen immensely, like that of a man
who has been drowned and lain under water for many weeks. The hands were in the same
condition, while the face was shrunken, shrivelled, and of a chalky whiteness, except
where relieved by two or three glaring red blotches like those occasioned by the
erysipelas: one of these blotches extended diagonally across the face, completely
covering up an eye as if with a band of red velvet. In this disgusting condition the body
had been brought up from the cabin at noon to be thrown overboard, when the mate
getting a glimpse of it (for he now saw it for the first time), and being either touched with
remorse for his crime or struck with terror at so horrible a sight, ordered the men to sew
the body up in its hammock, and allow it the usual rites of sea-burial. Having given these
directions, he went below, as if to avoid any further sight of his victim. While
preparations were making to obey his orders, the gale came on with great fury, and the
design was abandoned for the present. The corpse, left to itself, was washed into the

larboard scuppers, where it still lay at the time of which I speak, floundering about with
the furious lurches of the brig.

Having arranged our plan, we set about putting it in execution as speedily as possible.
Peters went upon deck, and, as he had anticipated, was immediately accosted by Allan,
who appeared to be stationed more as a watch upon the forecastle than for any other
purpose. The fate of this villain, however, was speedily and silently decided; for Peters,
approaching him in a careless manner, as if about to address him, seized him by the
throat, and, before he could utter a single cry, tossed him over the bulwarks. He then
called to us, and we came up. Our first precaution was to look about for something with
which to arm ourselves, and in doing this we had to proceed with great care, for it was
impossible to stand on deck an instant without holding fast, and violent seas broke over
the vessel at every plunge forward. It was indispensable, too, that we should be quick in
our operations, for every minute we expected the mate to be up to set the pumps going, as
it was evident the brig must be taking in water very fast. After searching about for some
time, we could find nothing more fit for our purpose than the two pump-handles, one of
which Augustus took, and I the other. Having secured these, we stripped off the shirt of
the corpse and dropped the body overboard. Peters and myself then went below, leaving
Augustus to watch upon deck, where he took his station just where Allan had been
placed, and with his back to the cabin companionway, so that, if any of the mates gang
should come up, he might suppose it was the watch.

As soon as I got below I commenced disguising myself so as to represent the corpse of
Rogers. The shirt which we had taken from the body aided us very much, for it was of
singular form and character, and easily recognizable-a kind of smock, which the
deceased wore over his other clothing. It was a blue stockinett, with large white stripes
running across. Having put this on, I proceeded to equip myself with a false stomach, in
imitation of the horrible deformity of the swollen corpse. This was soon effected by
means of stuffing with some bedclothes. I then gave the same appearance to my hands by
drawing on a pair of white woollen mittens, and filling them in with any kind of rags that
offered themselves. Peters then arranged my face, first rubbing it well over with white
chalk, and afterward blotching it with blood, which he took from a cut in his finger. The
streak across the eye was not forgotten and presented a most shocking appearance.

CHAPTER VIII

As I viewed myself in a fragment of looking-glass which hung up in the cabin, and by the
dim light of a kind of battle-lantern, I was so impressed with a sense of vague awe at my
appearance, and at the recollection of the terrific reality which I was thus representing,
that I was seized with a violent tremour, and could scarcely summon resolution to go on
with my part. It was necessary, however, to act with decision, and Peters and myself went
upon deck.

We there found everything safe, and, keeping close to the bulwarks, the three of us crept
to the cabin companion-way. It was only partially closed, precautions having been taken
to prevent its being suddenly pushed to from without, by means of placing billets of wood

on the upper step so as to interfere with the shutting. We found no difficulty in getting a
full view of the interior of the cabin through the cracks where the hinges were placed. It
now proved to have been very fortunate for us that we had not attempted to take them by
surprise, for they were evidently on the alert. Only one was asleep, and he lying just at
the foot of the companion-ladder, with a musket by his side. The rest were seated on
several mattresses, which had been taken from the berths and thrown on the floor. They
were engaged in earnest conversation; and although they had been carousing, as appeared
from two empty jugs, with some tin tumblers which lay about, they were not as much
intoxicated as usual. All had knives, one or two of them pistols, and a great many
muskets were lying in a berth close at hand.

We listened to their conversation for some time before we could make up our minds how
to act, having as yet resolved on nothing determinate, except that we would attempt to
paralyze their exertions, when we should attack them, by means of the apparition of
Rogers. They were discussing their piratical plans, in which all we could hear distinctly
was, that they would unite with the crew of a schooner Hornet, and, if possible, get the
schooner herself into their possession preparatory to some attempt on a large scale, the
particulars of which could not be made out by either of us.

One of the men spoke of Peters, when the mate replied to him in a low voice which could
not be distinguished, and afterward added more loudly, that "he could not understand his
being so much forward with the captain's brat in the forecastle, and he thought the sooner
both of them were overboard the better." To this no answer was made, but we could
easily perceive that the hint was well received by the whole party, and more particularly
by Jones. At this period I was excessively agitated, the more so as I could see that neither
Augustus nor Peters could determine how to act. I made up my mind, however, to sell my
life as dearly as possible, and not to suffer myself to be overcome by any feelings of
trepidation.

The tremendous noise made by the roaring of the wind in the rigging, and the washing of
the sea over the deck, prevented us from hearing what was said, except during
momentary lulls. In one of these, we all distinctly heard the mate tell one of the men to
"go forward, have an eye upon them, for he wanted no such secret doings on board the
brig." It was well for us that the pitching of the vessel at this moment was so violent as to
prevent this order from being carried into instant execution. The cook got up from his
mattress to go for us, when a tremendous lurch, which I thought would carry away the
masts, threw him headlong against one of the larboard stateroom doors, bursting it open,
and creating a good deal of other confusion. Luckily, neither of our party was thrown
from his position, and we had time to make a precipitate retreat to the forecastle, and
arrange a hurried plan of action before the messenger made his appearance, or rather
before he put his head out of the companion-hatch, for he did not come on deck. From
this station he could not notice the absence of Allan, and he accordingly bawled out, as if
to him, repeating the orders of the mate. Peters cried out, "Ay, ay," in a disguised voice,
and the cook immediately went below, without entertaining a suspicion that all was not
right.

My two companions now proceeded boldly aft and down into the cabin, Peters closing
the door after him in the same manner he had found it. The mate received them with
feigned cordiality, and told Augustus that, since he had behaved himself so well of late,
he might take up his quarters in the cabin and be one of them for the future. He then
poured him out a tumbler half full of rum, and made him drink it. All this I saw and
heard, for I followed my friends to the cabin as soon as the door was shut, and took up
my old point of observation. I had brought with me the two pump-handles, one of which I
secured near the companion-way, to be ready for use when required.

I now steadied myself as well as possible so as to have a good view of all that was
passing within, and endeavoured to nerve myself to the task of descending among the
mutineers when Peters should make a signal to me, as agreed upon. Presently he
contrived to turn the conversation upon the bloody deeds of the mutiny, and by degrees
led the men to talk of the thousand superstitions which are so universally current among
seamen. I could not make out all that was said, but I could plainly see the effects of the
conversation in the countenances of those present. The mate was evidently much agitated,
and presently, when some one mentioned the terrific appearance of Rogers' corpse, I
thought he was upon the point of swooning. Peters now asked him if he did not think it
would be better to have the body thrown overboard at once as it was too horrible a sight
to see it floundering about in the scuppers. At this the villain absolutely gasped for
breath, and turned his head slowly round upon his companions, as if imploring some one
to go up and perform the task. No one, however, stirred, and it was quite evident that the
whole party were wound up to the highest pitch of nervous excitement. Peters now made
me the signal. I immediately threw open the door of the companion-way, and,
descending, without uttering a syllable, stood erect in the midst of the party.

The intense effect produced by this sudden apparition is not at all to be wondered at when
the various circumstances are taken into consideration. Usually, in cases of a similar
nature, there is left in the mind of the spectator some glimmering of doubt as to the reality
of the vision before his eyes; a degree of hope, however feeble, that he is the victim of
chicanery, and that the apparition is not actually a visitant from the old world of shadows.
It is not too much to say that such remnants of doubt have been at the bottom of almost
every such visitation, and that the appalling horror which has sometimes been brought
about, is to be attributed, even in the cases most in point, and where most suffering has
been experienced, more to a kind of anticipative horror, lest the apparition might possibly
be real, than to an unwavering belief in its reality. But, in the present instance, it will be
seen immediately, that in the minds of the mutineers there was not even the shadow of a
basis upon which to rest a doubt that the apparition of Rogers was indeed a revivification
of his disgusting corpse, or at least its spiritual image. The isolated situation of the brig,
with its entire inaccessibility on account of the gale, confined the apparently possible
means of deception within such narrow and definite limits, that they must have thought
themselves enabled to survey them all at a glance. They had now been at sea twenty-four
days, without holding more than a speaking communication with any vessel whatever.
The whole of the crew, too-at least all whom they had the most remote reason for
suspecting to be on board-were assembled in the cabin, with the exception of Allan, the
watch; and his gigantic stature (be was six feet six inches high) was too familiar in their

eyes to permit the notion that he was the apparition before them to enter their minds even
for an instant. Add to these considerations the awe-inspiring nature of the tempest, and
that of the conversation brought about by Peters; the deep impression which the
loathsomeness of the actual corpse had made in the morning upon the imaginations of the
men; the excellence of the imitation in my person, and the uncertain and wavering light in
which they beheld me, as the glare of the cabin lantern, swinging violently to and fro, fell
dubiously and fitfully upon my figure, and there will be no reason to wonder that the
deception had even more than the entire effect which we had anticipated. The mate
sprang up from the mattress on which he was lying, and, without uttering a syllable, fell
back, stone dead, upon the cabin floor, and was hurled to the leeward like a log by a
heavy roll of the brig. Of the remaining seven, there were but three who had at first any
degree of presence of mind. The four others sat for some time rooted apparently to the
floor, the most pitiable objects of horror and utter despair my eyes ever encountered. The
only opposition we experienced at all was from the cook, John Hunt, and Richard Parker;
but they made but a feeble and irresolute defence. The two former were shot instantly by
Peters, and I felled Parker with a blow on the head from the pump-handle which I had
brought with me. In the meantime, Augustus seized one of the muskets lying on the floor
now but three remaining; but by this time they had become aroused from their lethargy,
and perhaps began to see that a deception had been practised upon them, for they fought
with great resolution and fury, and, but for the immense muscular strength of Peters,
might have the floor, stabbed him in several places along the right arm, and would no
doubt have soon dispatched him (as neither Peters nor myself could immediately get rid
of our own antagonists) had it not been for the timely aid of a friend, upon whose
assistance we, surely, had never depended. This friend was no other than Tiger. With a
low growl, he bounded into the cabin, at a most critical moment for Augustus, and
throwing himself upon Jones, pinned him to the floor in an instant. My friend, however,
was now too much injured to render us any aid whatever, and I was so encumbered with
my disguise that I could do but little. The dog would not leave his hold upon the throat of
Jones-Peters, nevertheless, was far more than a match for the two men who remained,
and would, no doubt, have dispatched them sooner, had it not been for the narrow space
in which he had to act, and the tremendous lurches of the vessel. Presently he was
enabled to get hold of a heavy stool, several of which lay about the floor. With this he
beat out the brains of Greely as he was in the act of discharging a musket at me, and
immediately afterward a roll of the brig throwing him in contact with Hicks, he seized
him by the throat, and, by dint of sheer strength, strangled him instantaneously. Thus, in
far less time than I have taken to tell it, we found ourselves masters of the brig.

The only person of our opponents who was left alive was Richard Parker. This man, it
will be remembered, I had knocked down with a blow from the pump-handle at the
commencement of the attack. He now lay motionless by the door of the shattered
stateroom; but, upon Peters touching him with his foot, he spoke, and entreated for
mercy. His head was only slightly cut, and otherwise he had received no injury, having
been merely stunned by the blow. He now got up, and, for the present, we secured his
hands behind his back. The dog was still growling over Jones; but, upon examination, we
found him completely dead, the blood issuing in a stream from a deep wound in the
throat, inflicted, no doubt, by the sharp teeth of the animal.

It was now about one o'clock in the morning, and the wind was still blowing
tremendously. The brig evidently laboured much more than usual, and it became
absolutely necessary that something should be done with a view of easing her in some
measure. At almost every roll to leeward she shipped a sea, several of which came
partially down into the cabin during our scuffle, the hatchway having been left open by
myself when I descended. The entire range of bulwarks to larboard had been swept away,
as well as the caboose, together with the joUyboat from the counter. The creaking and
working of the mainmast, too, gave indication that it was nearly sprung. To make room
for more stowage in the afterhold, the heel of this mast had been stepped between decks
(a very reprehensible practice, occasionally resorted to by ignorant ship-builders), so that
it was in imminent danger of working from its step. But, to crown all our difficulties, we
plummed the well, and found no less than seven feet of water.

Leaving the bodies of the crew lying in the cabin, we got to work immediately at the
pumps-Parker, of course, being set at liberty to assist us in the labour. Augustus's arm
was bound up as well as we could effect it, and he did what he could, but that was not
much. However, we found that we could just manage to keep the leak from gaining upon
us by having one pump constantly going. As there were only four of us, this was severe
labour; but we endeavoured to keep up our spirits, and looked anxiously for daybreak,
when we hoped to lighten the brig by cutting away the mainmast.

In this manner we passed a night of terrible anxiety and fatigue, and, when the day at
length broke, the gale had neither abated in the least, nor were there any signs of its
abating. We now dragged the bodies on deck and threw them overboard. Our next care
was to get rid of the mainmast. The necessary preparations having been made, Peters cut
away at the mast (having found axes in the cabin), while the rest of us stood by the stays
and lanyards. As the brig gave a tremendous lee-lurch, the word was given to cut away
the weather-lanyards, which being done, the whole mass of wood and rigging plunged
into the sea, clear of the brig, and without doing any material injury. We now found that
the vessel did not labour quite as much as before, but our situation was still exceedingly
precarious, and in spite of the utmost exertions, we could not gain upon the leak without
the aid of both pumps. The little assistance which Augustus could render us was not
really of any importance. To add to our distress, a heavy sea, striking the brig to the
windward, threw her off several points from the wind, and, before she could regain her
position, another broke completely over her, and hurled her full upon her beam-ends. The
ballast now shifted in a mass to leeward (the stowage had been knocking about perfectly
at random for some time), and for a few moments we thought nothing could save us from
capsizing. Presently, however, we partially righted; but the ballast still retaining its place
to larboard, we lay so much along that it was useless to think of working the pumps,
which indeed we could not have done much longer in any case, as our hands were
entirely raw with the excessive labour we had undergone, and were bleeding in the most
horrible manner.

Contrary to Parker's advice, we now proceeded to cut away the foremast, and at length
accomplished it after much difficulty, owing to the position in which we lay. In going
overboard the wreck took with it the bowsprit, and left us a complete hulk.

So far we had had reason to rejoice in the escape of our longboat, which had received no
damage from any of the huge seas which had come on board. But we had not long to
congratulate ourselves; for the foremast having gone, and, of course, the foresail with it,
by which the brig had been steadied, every sea now made a complete breach over us, and
in five minutes our deck was swept from stem to stem, the longboat and starboard
bulwarks torn off, and even the windlass shattered into fragments. It was, indeed, hardly
possible for us to be in a more pitiable condition.

At noon there seemed to be some slight appearance of the gale's abating, but in this we
were sadly disappointed, for it only lulled for a few minutes to blow with redoubled fury.
About four in the afternoon it was utterly impossible to stand up against the violence of
the blast; and, as the night closed in upon us, I had not a shadow of hope that the vessel
would hold together until moming.

By midnight we had settled very deep in the water, which was now up to the orlop deck.
The rudder went soon afterward, the sea which tore it away lifting the after portion of the
brig entirely from the water, against which she thumped in her descent with such a
concussion as would be occasioned by going ashore. We had all calculated that the
rudder would hold its own to the last, as it was unusually strong, being rigged as I have
never seen one rigged either before or since. Down its main timber there ran a succession
of stout iron hooks, and others in the same manner down the stem-post. Through these
hooks there extended a very thick wrought- iron rod, the rudder being thus held to the
stern-post and swinging freely on the rod. The tremendous force of the sea which tore it
off may be estimated by the fact, that the hooks in the stem-post, which ran entirely
through it, being clinched on the inside, were drawn every one of them completely out of
the solid wood.

We had scarcely time to draw breath after the violence of this shock, when one of the
most tremendous waves I had then ever known broke right on board of us, sweeping the
companion-way clear off, bursting in the hatchways, and firing every inch of the vessel
with water.

CHAPTER IX

Luckily, just before night, all four of us had lashed ourselves firmly to the fragments of
the windlass, lying in this manner as flat upon the deck as possible. This precaution alone
saved us from destruction. As it was, we were all more or less stunned by the immense
weight of water which tumbled upon us, and which did not roll from above us until we
were nearly exhausted. As soon as I could recover breath, I called aloud to my
companions. Augustus alone replied, saying: "It is all over with us, and may God have
mercy upon our souls!" By-and-by both the others were enabled to speak, when they
exhorted us to take courage, as there was still hope; it being impossible, from the nature
of the cargo, that the brig could go down, and there being every chance that the gale
would blow over by the morning. These words inspired me with new life; for, strange as
it may seem, although it was obvious that a vessel with a cargo of empty oil-casks would
not sink, I had been hitherto so confused in mind as to have overlooked this consideration

altogether; and the danger which I had for some time regarded as the most imminent was
that of foundering. As hope revived within me, I made use of every opportunity to
strengthen the lashings which held me to the remains of the windlass, and in this
occupation I soon discovered that my companions were also busy. The night was as dark
as it could possibly be, and the horrible shrieking din and confusion which surrounded us
it is useless to attempt describing. Our deck lay level with the sea, or rather we were
encircled with a towering ridge of foam, a portion of which swept over us even instant. It
is not too much to say that our heads were not fairly out of the water more than one
second in three. Although we lay close together, no one of us could see the other, or,
indeed, any portion of the brig itself, upon which we were so tempestuously hurled about.
At intervals we called one to the other, thus endeavouring to keep alive hope, and render
consolation and encouragement to such of us as stood most in need of it. The feeble
condition of Augustus made him an object of solicitude with us all; and as, from the
lacerated condition of his right arm, it must have been impossible for him to secure his
lashings with any degree of firmness, we were in momentary expectation of finding that
he had gone overboard-yet to render him aid was a thing altogether out of the question.
Fortunately, his station was more secure than that of any of the rest of us; for the upper
part of his body lying just beneath a portion of the shattered windlass, the seas, as they
tumbled in upon him, were greatly broken in their violence. In any other situation than
this (into which he had been accidentally thrown after having lashed himself in a very
exposed spot) he must inevitably have perished before morning. Owing to the brig's lying
so much along, we were all less liable to be washed off than otherwise would have been
the case. The heel, as I have before stated, was to larboard, about one half of the deck
being constantly under water. The seas, therefore, which struck us to starboard were
much broken, by the vessel's side, only reaching us in fragments as we lay flat on our
faces; while those which came from larboard being what are called back-water seas, and
obtaining little hold upon us on account of our posture, had not sufficient force to drag us
from our fastenings.

In this frightful situation we lay until the day broke so as to show us more fully the
horrors which surrounded us. The brig was a mere log, rolling about at the mercy of
every wave; the gale was upon the increase, if any thing, blowing indeed a complete
hurricane, and there appeared to us no earthly prospect of deliverance. For several hours
we held on in silence, expecting every moment that our lashings would either give way,
that the remains of the windlass would go by the board, or that some of the huge seas,
which roared in every direction around us and above us, would drive the hulk so far
beneath the water that we should be drowned before it could regain the surface. By the
mercy of God, however, we were preserved from these imminent dangers, and about
midday were cheered by the light of the blessed sun. Shortly afterward we could perceive
a sensible diminution in the force of the wind, when, now for the first time since the latter
part of the evening before, Augustus spoke, asking Peters, who lay closest to him, if he
thought there was any possibility of our being saved. As no reply was at first made to this
question, we all concluded that the hybrid had been drowned where he lay; but presently,
to our great joy, he spoke, although very feebly, saying that he was in great pain, being so
cut by the tightness of his lashings across the stomach, that he must either find means of
loosening them or perish, as it was impossible that he could endure his misery much

longer. This occasioned us great distress, as it was altogether useless to think of aiding
him in any manner while the sea continued washing over us as it did. We exhorted him to
bear his sufferings with fortitude, and promised to seize the first opportunity which
should offer itself to relieve him. He replied that it would soon be too late; that it would
be all over with him before we could help him; and then, after moaning for some minutes,
lay silent, when we concluded that he had perished.

As the evening drew on, the sea had f Allan so much that scarcely more than one wave
broke over the hulk from windward in the course of five minutes, and the wind had
abated a great deal, although still blowing a severe gale. I had not heard any of my
companions speak for hours, and now called to Augustus. He replied, although very
feebly, so that I could not distinguish what he said. I then spoke to Peters and to Parker,
neither of whom returned any answer.

Shortly after this period I fell into a state of partial insensibility, during which the most
pleasing images floated in my imagination; such as green trees, waving meadows of ripe
grain, processions of dancing girls, troops of cavalry, and other phantasies. I now
remember that, in all which passed before my mind's eye, motion was a predominant
idea. Thus, I never fancied any stationary object, such as a house, a mountain, or any
thing of that kind; but windmills, ships, large birds, balloons, people on horseback,
carriages driving furiously, and similar moving objects, presented themselves in endless
succession. When I recovered from this state, the sun was, as near as I could guess, an
hour high. I had the greatest difficulty in bringing to recollection the various
circumstances connected with my situation, and for some time remained firmly
convinced that I was still in the hold of the brig, near the box, and that the body of Parker
was that of Tiger.

When I at length completely came to my senses, I found that the wind blew no more than
a moderate breeze, and that the sea was comparatively calm; so much so that it only
washed over the brig amidships. My left arm had broken loose from its lashings, and was
much cut about the elbow; my right was entirely benumbed, and the hand and wrist
swollen prodigiously by the pressure of the rope, which had worked from the shoulder
downward. I was also in great pain from another rope which went about my waist, and
had been drawn to an insufferable degree of tightness. Looking round upon my
companions, I saw that Peters still lived, although a thick line was pulled so forcibly
around his loins as to give him the appearance of being cut nearly in two; as I stiffed, he
made a feeble motion to me with his hand, pointing to the rope. Augustus gave no
indication of life whatever, and was bent nearly double across a splinter of the windlass.
Parker spoke to me when he saw me moving, and asked me if I had not sufficient strength
to release him from his situation, saying that if I would summon up what spirits I could,
and contrive to untie him, we might yet save our lives; but that otherwise we must all
perish. I told him to take courage, and I would endeavor to free him. Feeling in my
pantaloons' pocket, I got hold of my penknife, and, after several ineffectual attempts, at
length succeeded in opening it. I then, with my left hand, managed to free my right from
its fastenings, and afterward cut the other ropes which held me. Upon attempting,
however, to move from my position, I found that my legs failed me altogether, and that I

could not get up; neither could I move my right arm in any direction. Upon mentioning
this to Parker, he advised me to lie quiet for a few minutes, holding on to the windlass
with my left hand, so as to allow time for the blood to circulate. Doing this, the numbness
presently began to die away so that I could move first one of my legs, and then the other,
and, shortly afterward I regained the partial use of my right arm. I now crawled with great
caution toward Parker, without getting on my legs, and soon cut loose all the lashings
about him, when, after a short delay, he also recovered the partial use of his limbs. We
now lost no time in getting loose the rope from Peters. It had cut a deep gash through the
waistband of his woollen pantaloons, and through two shirts, and made its way into his
groin, from which the blood flowed out copiously as we removed the cordage. No sooner
had we removed it, however, than he spoke, and seemed to experience instant relief-
being able to move with much greater ease than either Parker or myself-this was no
doubt owing to the discharge of blood.

We had little hopes that Augustus would recover, as he evinced no signs of life; but, upon
getting to him, we discovered that he had merely swooned from the loss of blood, the
bandages we had placed around his wounded arm having been torn off by the water; none
of the ropes which held him to the windlass were drawn sufficiently tight to occasion his
death. Having relieved him from the fastenings, and got him clear of the broken wood
about the windlass, we secured him in a dry place to windward, with his head somewhat
lower than his body, and all three of us busied ourselves in chafing his limbs. In about
half an hour he came to himself, although it was not until the next morning that he gave
signs of recognizing any of us, or had sufficient strength to speak. By the time we had
thus got clear of our lashings it was quite dark, and it began to cloud up, so that we were
again in the greatest agony lest it should come on to blow hard, in which event nothing
could have saved us from perishing, exhausted as we were. By good fortune it continued
very moderate during the night, the sea subsiding every minute, which gave us great
hopes of ultimate preservation. A gentle breeze still blew from the N. W., but the weather
was not at all cold. Augustus was lashed carefully to windward in such a manner as to
prevent him from slipping overboard with the rolls of the vessel, as he was still too weak
to hold on at all. For ourselves there was no such necessity. We sat close together,
supporting each other with the aid of the broken ropes about the windlass, and devising
methods of escape from our frightful situation. We derived much comfort from taking off
our clothes and wringing the water from them. When we put them on after this, they felt
remarkably warm and pleasant, and served to invigorate us in no little degree. We helped
Augustus off with his, and wrung them for him, when he experienced the same comfort.

Our chief sufferings were now those of hunger and thirst, and when we looked forward to
the means of relief in this respect, our hearts sunk within us, and we were induced to
regret that we had escaped the less dreadful perils of the sea. We endeavoured, however,
to console ourselves with the hope of being speedily picked up by some vessel and
encouraged each other to bear with fortitude the evils that might happen.

The morning of the fourteenth at length dawned, and the weather still continued clear and
pleasant, with a steady but very light breeze from the N. W. The sea was now quite
smooth, and as, from some cause which we could not determine, the brig did not he so

much along as she had done before, the deck was comparatively dry, and we could move
about with freedom. We had now been better than three entire days and nights without
either food or drink, and it became absolutely necessary that we should make an attempt
to get up something from below. As the brig was completely full of water, we went to
this work despondently, and with but little expectation of being able to obtain anything.
We made a kind of drag by driving some nails which we broke out from the remains of
the companion-hatch into two pieces of wood. Tying these across each other, and
fastening them to the end of a rope, we threw them into the cabin, and dragged them to
and fro, in the faint hope of being thus able to entangle some article which might be of
use to us for food, or which might at least render us assistance in getting it. We spent the
greater part of the morning in this labour without effect, fishing up nothing more than a
few bedclothes, which were readily caught by the nails. Indeed, our contrivance was so
very clumsy that any greater success was hardly to be anticipated.

We now tried the forecastle, but equally in vain, and were upon the brink of despair,
when Peters proposed that we should fasten a rope to his body, and let him make an
attempt to get up something by diving into the cabin. This proposition we hailed with all
the delight which reviving hope could inspire. He proceeded immediately to strip off his
clothes with the exception of his pantaloons; and a strong rope was then carefully
fastened around his middle, being brought up over his shoulders in such a manner that
there was no possibility of its slipping. The undertaking was one of great difficulty and
danger; for, as we could hardly expect to find much, if any, provision in the cabin itself, it
was necessary that the diver, after letting himself down, should make a turn to the right,
and proceed under water a distance of ten or twelve feet, in a narrow passage, to the
storeroom, and return, without drawing breath.

Everything being ready, Peters now descended in the cabin, going down the companion-
ladder until the water reached his chin. He then plunged in, head first, turning to the right
as he plunged, and endeavouring to make his way to the storeroom. In this first attempt,
however, he was altogether unsuccessful. In less than half a minute after his going down
we felt the rope jerked violently (the signal we had agreed upon when he desired to be
drawn up). We accordingly drew him up instantly, but so incautiously as to bruise him
badly against the ladder. He had brought nothing with him, and had been unable to
penetrate more than a very little way into the passage, owing to the constant exertions he
found it necessary to make in order to keep himself from floating up against the deck.
Upon getting out he was very much exhausted, and had to rest full fifteen minutes before
he could again venture to descend.

The second attempt met with even worse success; for he remained so long under water
without giving the signal, that, becoming alarmed for his safety, we drew him out without
it, and found that he was almost at the last gasp, having, as he said, repeatedly jerked at
the rope without our feeling it. This was probably owing to a portion of it having become
entangled in the balustrade at the foot of the ladder. This balustrade was, indeed, so much
in the way, that we determined to remove it, if possible, before proceeding with our
design. As we had no means of getting it away except by main force, we all descended

into the water as far as we could on the ladder, and giving a pull against it with our united
strength, succeeded in breaking it down.

The third attempt was equally unsuccessful with the two first, and it now became evident
that nothing could be done in this manner without the aid of some weight with which the
diver might steady himself, and keep to the floor of the cabin while making his search.
For a long time we looked about in vain for something which might answer this purpose;
but at length, to our great joy, we discovered one of the weather- forechains so loose that
we had not the least difficulty in wrenching it off. Having fastened this securely to one of
his ankles, Peters now made his fourth descent into the cabin, and this time succeeded in
making his way to the door of the steward's room. To his inexpressible grief, however, he
found it locked, and was obliged to return without effecting an entrance, as, with the
greatest exertion, he could remain under water not more, at the utmost extent, than a
single minute. Our affairs now looked gloomy indeed, and neither Augustus nor myself
could refrain from bursting into tears, as we thought of the host of difficulties which
encompassed us, and the slight probability which existed of our finally making an escape.
But this weakness was not of long duration. Throwing ourselves on our knees to God, we
implored His aid in the many dangers which beset us; and arose with renewed hope and
vigor to think what could yet be done by mortal means toward accomplishing our
deliverance.

CHAPTER X

Shortly afterward an incident occurred which I am induced to look upon as more
intensely productive of emotion, as far more replete with the extremes first of delight and
then of horror, than even any of the thousand chances which afterward befell me in nine
long years, crowded with events of the most startling and, in many cases, of the most
unconceived and unconceivable character. We were lying on the deck near the
companion-way, and debating the possibility of yet making our way into the storeroom,
when, looking toward Augustus, who lay fronting myself, I perceived that he had become
all at once deadly pale, and that his lips were quivering in the most singular and
unaccountable manner. Greatly alarmed, I spoke to him, but he made me no reply, and I
was beginning to think that he was suddenly taken ill, when I took notice of his eyes,
which were glaring apparently at some object behind me. I turned my head, and shall
never forget the ecstatic joy which thrilled through every particle of my frame, when I
perceived a large brig bearing down upon us, and not more than a couple of miles off. I
sprung to my feet as if a musket bullet had suddenly struck me to the heart; and,
stretching out my arms in the direction of the vessel, stood in this manner, motionless,
and unable to articulate a syllable. Peters and Parker were equally affected, although in
different ways. The former danced about the deck like a madman, uttering the most
extravagant rhodomontades, intermingled with howls and imprecations, while the latter
burst into tears, and continued for many minutes weeping like a child.

The vessel in sight was a large hermaphrodite brig, of a Dutch build, and painted black,
with a tawdry gilt figure-head. She had evidently seen a good deal of rough weather, and,
we supposed, had suffered much in the gale which had proved so disastrous to ourselves;

for her foretopmast was gone, and some of her starboard bulwarks. When we first saw
her, she was, as I have already said, about two miles off and to windward, bearing down
upon us. The breeze was very gentle, and what astonished us chiefly was, that she had no
other sails set than her foremast and mainsail, with a flying jib-of course she came down
but slowly, and our impatience amounted nearly to phrensy. The awkward manner in
which she steered, too, was remarked by all of us, even excited as we were. She yawed
about so considerably, that once or twice we thought it impossible she could see us, or
imagined that, having seen us, and discovered no person on board, she was about to tack
and make off in another direction. Upon each of these occasions we screamed and
shouted at the top of our voices, when the stranger would appear to change for a moment
her intention, and again hold on toward us-this singular conduct being repeated two or
three times, so that at last we could think of no other manner of accounting for it than by
supposing the helmsman to be in liquor.

No person was seen upon her decks until she arrived within about a quarter of a mile of
us. We then saw three seamen, whom by their dress we took to be Hollanders. Two of
these were lying on some old sails near the forecastle, and the third, who appeared to be
looking at us with great curiosity, was leaning over the starboard bow near the bowsprit.
This last was a stout and tall man, with a very dark skin. He seemed by his manner to be
encouraging us to have patience, nodding to us in a cheerful although rather odd way, and
smiling constantly, so as to display a set of the most brilliantly white teeth. As his vessel
drew nearer, we saw a red flannel cap which he had on fall from his head into the water;
but of this he took little or no notice, continuing his odd smiles and gesticulations. I relate
these things and circumstances minutely, and I relate them, it must be understood,
precisely as they appeared to us.

The brig came on slowly, and now more steadily than before, and-I cannot speak calmly
of this event-our hearts leaped up wildly within us, and we poured out our whole souls in
shouts and thanksgiving to God for the complete, unexpected, and glorious deliverance
that was so palpably at hand. Of a sudden, and all at once, there came wafted over the
ocean from the strange vessel (which was now close upon us) a smell, a stench, such as
the whole world has no name for-no conception of-hellish-utterly suffocating-
insufferable, inconceivable. I gasped for breath, and turning to my companions, perceived
that they were paler than marble. But we had now no time left for question or surmise-
the brig was within fifty feet of us, and it seemed to be her intention to run under our
counter, that we might board her without putting out a boat. We rushed aft, when,
suddenly, a wide yaw threw her off full five or six points from the course she had been
running, and, as she passed under our stem at the distance of about twenty feet, we had a
full view of her decks. Shall I ever forget the triple horror of that spectacle? Twenty-five
or thirty human bodies, among whom were several females, lay scattered about between
the counter and the galley in the last and most loathsome state of putrefaction. We plainly
saw that not a soul lived in that fated vessel! Yet we could not help shouting to the dead
for help! Yes, long and loudly did we beg, in the agony of the moment, that those silent
and disgusting images would stay for us, would not abandon us to become like them,
would receive us among their goodly company! We were raving with horror and despair-
thoroughly mad through the anguish of our grievous disappointment.

As our first loud yell of terror broke forth, it was replied to by something, from near the
bowsprit of the stranger, so closely resembling the scream of a human voice that the
nicest ear might have been startled and deceived. At this instant another sudden yaw
brought the region of the forecastle for a moment into view, and we beheld at once the
origin of the sound. We saw the tall stout figure still leaning on the bulwark, and still
nodding his head to and fro, but his face was now turned from us so that we could not
behold it. His arms were extended over the rail, and the palms of his hands fell outward.
His knees were lodged upon a stout rope, tightly stretched, and reaching from the heel of
the bowsprit to a cathead. On his back, from which a portion of the shirt had been torn,
leaving it bare, there sat a huge sea-gull, busily gorging itself with the horrible flesh, its
bill and talons deep buried, and its white plumage spattered all over with blood. As the
brig moved farther round so as to bring us close in view, the bird, with much apparent
difficulty, drew out its crimsoned head, and, after eyeing us for a moment as if stupefied,
arose lazily from the body upon which it had been feasting, and, flying directly above our
deck, hovered there a while with a portion of clotted and liver-like substance in its beak.
The horrid morsel dropped at length with a sullen splash immediately at the feet of
Parker. May God forgive me, but now, for the first time, there flashed through my mind a
thought, a thought which I will not mention, and I felt myself making a step toward the
ensanguined spot. I looked upward, and the eyes of Augustus met my own with a degree
of intense and eager meaning which immediately brought me to my senses. I sprang
forward quickly, and, with a deep shudder, threw the frightful thing into the sea.

The body from which it had been taken, resting as it did upon the rope, had been easily
swayed to and fro by the exertions of the carnivorous bird, and it was this motion which
had at first impressed us with the belief of its being alive. As the gull relieved it of its
weight, it swung round and fell partially over, so that the face was fully discovered.
Never, surely, was any object so terribly full of awe! The eyes were gone, and the whole
flesh around the mouth, leaving the teeth utterly naked. This, then, was the smile which
had cheered us on to hope! this the-but I forbear. The brig, as I have already told, passed
under our stem, and made its way slowly but steadily to leeward. With her and with her
terrible crew went all our gay visions of deliverance and joy. Deliberately as she went by,
we might possibly have found means of boarding her, had not our sudden disappointment
and the appalling nature of the discovery which accompanied it laid entirely prostrate
every active faculty of mind and body. We had seen and felt, but we could neither think
nor act, until, alas! too late. How much our intellects had been weakened by this incident
may be estimated by the fact, that when the vessel had proceeded so far that we could
perceive no more than the half of her hull, the proposition was seriously entertained of
attempting to overtake her by swimming!

I have, since this period, vainly endeavoured to obtain some clew to the hideous
uncertainty which enveloped the fate of the stranger. Her build and general appearance,
as I have before stated, led us to the belief that she was a Dutch trader, and the dresses of
the crew also sustained this opinion. We might have easily seen the name upon her stern,
and, indeed, taken other observations, which would have guided us in making out her
character; but the intense excitement of the moment blinded us to every thing of that
nature. From the saffron-like hue of such of the corpses as were not entirely decayed, we

concluded that the whole of her company had perished by the yellow fever, or some other
virulent disease of the same fearful kind. If such were the case (and I know not what else
to imagine), death, to judge from the positions of the bodies, must have come upon them
in a manner awfully sudden and overwhelming, in a way totally distinct from that which
generally characterizes even the most deadly pestilences with which mankind are
acquainted. It is possible, indeed, that poison, accidentally introduced into some of their
sea-stores, may have brought about the disaster, or that the eating of some unknown
venomous species of fish, or other marine animal, or oceanic bird, might have induced
it,-but it is utterly useless to form conjectures where all is involved, and will, no doubt,
remain for ever involved, in the most appalling and unfathomable mystery.

CHAPTER XI

We spent the remainder of the day in a condition of stupid lethargy, gazing after the
retreating vessel until the darkness, hiding her from our sight, recalled us in some
measure to our senses. The pangs of hunger and thirst then returned, absorbing all other
cares and considerations. Nothing, however, could be done until the morning, and,
securing ourselves as well as possible, we endeavoured to snatch a little repose. In this I
succeeded beyond my expectations, sleeping until my companions, who had not been so
fortunate, aroused me at daybreak to renew our attempts at getting up provisions from the
hull.

It was now a dead calm, with the sea as smooth as I have ever known it,-the weather
warm and pleasant. The brig was out of sight. We commenced our operations by
wrenching off, with some trouble, another of the forechains; and having fastened both to
Peters' feet, he again made an endeavour to reach the door of the storeroom, thinking it
possible that he might be able to force it open, provided he could get at it in sufficient
time; and this he hoped to do, as the hulk lay much more steadily than before.

He succeeded very quickly in reaching the door, when, loosening one of the chains from
his ankle, be made every exertion to force the passage with it, but in vain, the framework
of the room being far stronger than was anticipated. He was quite exhausted with his long
stay under water, and it became absolutely necessary that some other one of us should
take his place. For this service Parker immediately volunteered; but, after making three
ineffectual efforts, found that he could never even succeed in getting near the door. The
condition of Augustus's wounded arm rendered it useless for him to attempt going down,
as he would be unable to force the room open should be reach it, and it accordingly now
devolved upon me to exert myself for our common deliverance.

Peters had left one of the chains in the passage, and I found, upon plunging in, that I had
not sufficient balance to keep me firmly down. I determined, therefore, to attempt no
more, in my first effort, than merely to recover the other chain. In groping along the floor
of the passage for this, I felt a hard substance, which I immediately grasped, not having
time to ascertain what it was, but returning and ascending instantly to the surface. The
prize proved to be a bottle, and our joy may be conceived when I say that it was found to
be full of port wine. Giving thanks to God for this timely and cheering assistance, we

immediately drew the cork with my penknife, and, each taking a moderate sup, felt the
most indescribable comfort from the warmth, strength, and spirits with which it inspired
us. We then carefully recorked the bottle, and, by means of a handkerchief, swung it in
such a manner that there was no possibility of its getting broken.

Having rested a while after this fortunate discovery, I again descended, and now
recovered the chain, with which I instantly came up. I then fastened it on and went down
for the third time, when I became fully satisfied that no exertions whatever, in that
situation, would enable me to force open the door of the storeroom. I therefore returned
in despair.

There seemed now to be no longer any room for hope, and I could perceive in the
countenances of my companions that they had made up their minds to perish. The wine
had evidently produced in them a species of delirium, which, perhaps, I had been
prevented from feeling by the immersion I had undergone since drinking it. They talked
incoherently, and about matters unconnected with our condition, Peters repeatedly asking
me questions about Nantucket. Augustus, too, I remember, approached me with a serious
air, and requested me to lend him a pocket-comb, as his hair was full of fish-scales, and
he wished to get them out before going on shore. Parker appeared somewhat less
affected, and urged me to dive at random into the cabin, and bring up any article which
might come to hand. To this I consented, and, in the first attempt, after staying under a
full minute, brought up a small leather trunk belonging to Captain Barnard. This was
immediately opened in the faint hope that it might contain something to eat or drink. We
found nothing, however, except a box of razors and two linen shirts. I now went down
again, and returned without any success. As my head came above water I heard a crash
on deck, and, upon getting up, saw that my companions had ungratefully taken advantage
of my absence to drink the remainder of the wine, having let the bottle fall in the
endeavour to replace it before I saw them. I remonstrated with them on the heartlessness
of their conduct, when Augustus burst into tears. The other two endeavoured to laugh the
matter off as a joke, but I hope never again to behold laughter of such a species: the
distortion of countenance was absolutely frightful. Indeed, it was apparent that the
stimulus, in the empty state of their stomachs, had taken instant and violent effect, and
that they were all exceedingly intoxicated. With great difficulty I prevailed upon them to
lie down, when they fell very soon into a heavy slumber, accompanied with loud
stertorous breathing. I now found myself, as it were, alone in the brig, and my reflections,
to be sure, were of the most fearful and gloomy nature. No prospect offered itself to my
view but a lingering death by famine, or, at the best, by being overwhelmed in the first
gale which should spring up, for in our present exhausted condition we could have no
hope of living through another.

The gnawing hunger which I now experienced was nearly insupportable, and I felt myself
capable of going to any lengths in order to appease it. With my knife I cut off a small
portion of the leather trunk, and endeavoured to eat it, but found it utterly impossible to
swallow a single morsel, although I fancied that some little alleviation of my suffering
was obtained by chewing small pieces of it and spitting them out. Toward night my
companions awoke, one by one, each in an indescribable state of weakness and horror.

brought on by the wine, whose fumes had now evaporated. They shook as if with a
violent ague, and uttered the most lamentable cries for water. Their condition affected me
in the most lively degree, at the same time causing me to rejoice in the fortunate train of
circumstances which had prevented me from indulging in the wine, and consequently
from sharing their melancholy and most distressing sensations. Their conduct, however,
gave me great uneasiness and alarm; for it was evident that, unless some favourable
change took place, they could afford me no assistance in providing for our common
safety. I had not yet abandoned all idea being able to get up something from below; but
the attempt could not possibly be resumed until some one of them was sufficiently master
of himself to aid me by holding the end of the rope while I went down. Parker appeared
to be somewhat more in possession of his senses than the others, and I endeavoured, by
every means in my power, to rouse him. Thinking that a plunge in the sea-water might
have a beneficial effect, I contrived to fasten the end of a rope around his body, and then,
leading him to the companion-way (he remaining quite passive all the while), pushed him
in, and immediately drew him out. I had good reason to congratulate myself upon having
made this experiment; for he appeared much revived and invigorated, and, upon getting
out, asked me, in a rational manner, why I had so served him. Having explained my
object, he expressed himself indebted to me, and said that he felt greatly better from the
immersion, afterward conversing sensibly upon our situation. We then resolved to treat
Augustus and Peters in the same way, which we immediately did, when they both
experienced much benefit from the shock. This idea of sudden immersion had been
suggested to me by reading in some medical work the good effect of the shower-bath in a
case where the patient was suffering from mania a potu.

Finding that I could now trust my companions to hold the end of the rope, I again made
three or four plunges into the cabin, although it was now quite dark, and a gentle but long
swell from the northward rendered the hulk somewhat unsteady. In the course of these
attempts I succeeded in bringing up two case-knives, a three-gallon jug, empty, and a
blanket, but nothing which could serve us for food. I continued my efforts, after getting
these articles, until I was completely exhausted, but brought up nothing else. During the
night Parker and Peters occupied themselves by turns in the same manner; but nothing
coming to hand, we now gave up this attempt in despair, concluding that we were
exhausting ourselves in vain.

We passed the remainder of this night in a state of the most intense mental and bodily
anguish that can possibly be imagined. The morning of the sixteenth at length dawned,
and we looked eagerly around the horizon for relief, but to no purpose. The sea was still
smooth, with only a long swell from the northward, as on yesterday. This was the sixth
day since we had tasted either food or drink, with the exception of the bottle of port wine,
and it was clear that we could hold out but a very little while longer unless something
could be obtained. I never saw before, nor wish to see again, human beings so utterly
emaciated as Peters and Augustus. Had I met them on shore in their present condition I
should not have had the slightest suspicion that I had ever beheld them. Their
countenances were totally changed in character, so that I could not bring myself to
believe them really the same individuals with whom I had been in company but a few
days before. Parker, although sadly reduced, and so feeble that he could not raise his head

from his bosom, was not so far gone as the other two. He suffered with great patience,
making no complaint, and endeavouring to inspire us with hope in every manner he could
devise. For myself, although at the commencement of the voyage I had been in bad
health, and was at all times of a delicate constitution, I suffered less than any of us, being
much less reduced in frame, and retaining my powers of mind in a surprising degree,
while the rest were completely prostrated in intellect, and seemed to be brought to a
species of second childhood, generally simpering in their expressions, with idiotic smiles,
and uttering the most absurd platitudes. At intervals, however, they would appear to
revive suddenly, as if inspired all at once with a consciousness of their condition, when
they would spring upon their feet in a momentary flash of vigour, and speak, for a short
period, of their prospects, in a manner altogether rational, although full of the most
intense despair. It is possible, however, that my companions may have entertained the
same opinion of their own condition as I did of mine, and that I may have unwittingly
been guilty of the same extravagances and imbecilities as themselves-this is a matter
which cannot be determined.

About noon Parker declared that he saw land off the larboard quarter, and it was with the
utmost difficulty I could restrain him from plunging into the sea with the view of
swimming toward it. Peters and Augustus took little notice of what he said, being
apparently wrapped up in moody contemplation. Upon looking in the direction pointed
out, I could not perceive the faintest appearance of the shore-indeed, I was too well
aware that we were far from any land to indulge in a hope of that nature. It was a long
time, nevertheless, before I could convince Parker of his mistake. He then burst into a
flood of tears, weeping like a child, with loud cries and sobs, for two or three hours, when
becoming exhausted, he fell asleep.

Peters and Augustus now made several ineffectual efforts to swallow portions of the
leather. I advised them to chew it and spit it out; but they were too excessively debilitated
to be able to follow my advice. I continued to chew pieces of it at intervals, and found
some relief from so doing; my chief distress was for water, and I was only prevented
from taking a draught from the sea by remembering the horrible consequences which thus
have resulted to others who were similarly situated with ourselves.

The day wore on in this manner, when I suddenly discovered a sail to the eastward, and
on our larboard bow. She appeared to be a large ship, and was coming nearly athwart us,
being probably twelve or fifteen miles distant. None of my companions had as yet
discovered her, and I forbore to tell them of her for the present, lest we might again be
disappointed of relief. At length upon her getting nearer, I saw distinctly that she was
heading immediately for us, with her light sails filled. I could now contain myself no
longer, and pointed her out to my fellow- sufferers. They immediately sprang to their feet,
again indulging in the most extravagant demonstrations of joy, weeping, laughing in an
idiotic manner, jumping, stamping upon the deck, tearing their hair, and praying and
cursing by turns. I was so affected by their conduct, as well as by what I considered a
sure prospect of deliverance, that I could not refrain from joining in with their madness,
and gave way to the impulses of my gratitude and ecstasy by lying and rolling on the
deck, clapping my hands, shouting, and other similar acts, until I was suddenly called to

my recollection, and once more to the extreme human misery and despair, by perceiving
the ship all at once with her stern fully presented toward us, and steering in a direction
nearly opposite to that in which I had at first perceived her.

It was some time before I could induce my poor companions to believe that this sad
reverse in our prospects had actually taken place. They replied to all my assertions with a
stare and a gesture implying that they were not to be deceived by such
misrepresentations. The conduct of Augustus most sensibly affected me. In spite of all I
could say or do to the contrary, he persisted in saying that the ship was rapidly nearing
us, and in making preparations to go on board of her. Some seaweed floating by the brig,
he maintained that it was the ship's boat, and endeavoured to throw himself upon it,
howling and shrieking in the most heartrending manner, when I forcibly restrained him
from thus casting himself into the sea.

Having become in some degree pacified, we continued to watch the ship until we finally
lost sight of her, the weather becoming hazy, with a light breeze springing up. As soon as
she was entirely gone, Parker turned suddenly toward me with an expression of
countenance which made me shudder. There was about him an air of self-possession
which I had not noticed in him until now, and before he opened his lips my heart told me
what he would say. He proposed, in a few words, that one of us should die to preserve the
existence of the others.

CHAPTER XII

I had for some time past, dwelt upon the prospect of our being reduced to this last
horrible extremity, and had secretly made up my mind to suffer death in any shape or
under any circumstances rather than resort to such a course. Nor was this resolution in
any degree weakened by the present intensity of hunger under which I laboured. The
proposition had not been heard by either Peters or Augustus. I therefore took Parker
aside; and mentally praying to God for power to dissuade him from the horrible purpose
he entertained, I expostulated with him for a long time, and in the most supplicating
manner, begging him in the name of every thing which he held sacred, and urging him by
every species of argument which the extremity of the case suggested, to abandon the idea,
and not to mention it to either of the other two.

He heard all I said without attempting to controvert any of my arguments, and I had
begun to hope that he would be prevailed upon to do as I desired. But when I had ceased
speaking, he said that he knew very well all I had said was true, and that to resort to such
a course was the most horrible alternative which could enter into the mind of man; but
that he had now held out as long as human nature could be sustained; that it was
unnecessary for all to perish, when, by the death of one, it was possible, and even
probable, that the rest might be finally preserved; adding that I might save myself the
trouble of trying to turn him from his purpose, his mind having been thoroughly made up
on the subject even before the appearance of the ship, and that only her heaving in sight
had prevented him from mentioning his intention at an earlier period.

I now begged him, if he would not be prevailed upon to abandon his design, at least to
defer it for another day, when some vessel might come to our relief; again reiterating
every argument I could devise, and which I thought likely to have influence with one of
his rough nature. He said, in reply, that he had not spoken until the very last possible
moment, that he could exist no longer without sustenance of some kind, and that
therefore in another day his suggestion would be too late, as regarded himself at least.

Finding that he was not to be moved by anything I could say in a mild tone, I now
assumed a different demeanor, and told him that he must be aware I had suffered less
than any of us from our calamities; that my health and strength, consequently, were at
that moment far better than his own, or than that either of Peters or Augustus; in short,
that I was in a condition to have my own way by force if I found it necessary; and that if
he attempted in any manner to acquaint the others with his bloody and cannibal designs, I
would not hesitate to throw him into the sea. Upon this he immediately seized me by the
throat, and drawing a knife, made several ineffectual efforts to stab me in the stomach; an
atrocity which his excessive debility alone prevented him from accomplishing. In the
meantime, being roused to a high pitch of anger, I forced him to the vessel's side, with the
full intention of throwing him overboard. He was saved from his fate, however, by the
interference of Peters, who now approached and separated us, asking the cause of the
disturbance. This Parker told before I could find means in any manner to prevent him.

The effect of his words was even more terrible than what I had anticipated. Both
Augustus and Peters, who, it seems, had long secretly entertained the same fearful idea
which Parker had been merely the first to broach, joined with him in his design and
insisted upon its immediately being carried into effect. I had calculated that one at least of
the two former would be found still possessed of sufficient strength of mind to side with
myself in resisting any attempt to execute so dreadful a purpose, and, with the aid of
either one of them, I had no fear of being able to prevent its accomplishment. Being
disappointed in this expectation, it became absolutely necessary that I should attend to
my own safety, as a further resistance on my part might possibly be considered by men in
their frightful condition a sufficient excuse for refusing me fair play in the tragedy that I
knew would speedily be enacted.

I now told them I was willing to submit to the proposal, merely requesting a delay of
about one hour, in order that the fog which had gathered around us might have an
opportunity of lifting, when it was possible that the ship we had seen might be again in
sight. After great difficulty I obtained from them a promise to wait thus long; and, as I
had anticipated (a breeze rapidly coming in), the fog lifted before the hour had expired,
when, no vessel appearing in sight, we prepared to draw lots.

It is with extreme reluctance that I dwell upon the appalling scene which ensued; a scene
which, with its minutest details, no after events have been able to efface in the slightest
degree from my memory, and whose stern recollection will embitter every future moment
of my existence. Let me run over this portion of my narrative with as much haste as the
nature of the events to be spoken of will permit. The only method we could devise for the
terrific lottery, in which we were to take each a chance, was that of drawing straws. Small

splinters of wood were made to answer our purpose, and it was agreed that I should be
the holder. I retired to one end of the hulk, while my poor companions silently took up
their station in the other with their backs turned toward me. The bitterest anxiety which I
endured at any period of this fearful drama was while I occupied myself in the
arrangement of the lots. There are few conditions into which man can possibly fall where
he will not feel a deep interest in the preservation of his existence; an interest
momentarily increasing with the frailness of the tenure by which that existence may be
held. But now that the silent, definite, and stem nature of the business in which I was
engaged (so different from the tumultuous dangers of the storm or the gradually
approaching horrors of famine) allowed me to reflect on the few chances I had of
escaping the most appalling of deaths-a death for the most appalling of purposes-every
particle of that energy which had so long buoyed me up departed like feathers before the
wind, leaving me a helpless prey to the most abject and pitiable terror. I could not, at
first, even summon up sufficient strength to tear and fit together the small splinters of
wood, my fingers absolutely refusing their office, and my knees knocking violently
against each other. My mind ran over rapidly a thousand absurd projects by which to
avoid becoming a partner in the awful speculation. I thought of falling on my knees to my
companions, and entreating them to let me escape this necessity; of suddenly rushing
upon them, and, by putting one of them to death, of rendering the decision by lot useless-
in short, of every thing but of going through with the matter I had in hand. At last, after
wasting a long time in this imbecile conduct, I was recalled to my senses by the voice of
Parker, who urged me to relieve them at once from the terrible anxiety they were
enduring. Even then I could not bring myself to arrange the splinters upon the spot, but
thought over every species of finesse by which I could trick some one of my fellow-
sufferers to draw the short straw, as it had been agreed that whoever drew the shortest of
four splinters from my hand was to die for the preservation of the rest. Before any one
condemn me for this apparent heartlessness, let him be placed in a situation precisely
similar to my own.

At length delay was no longer possible, and, with a heart almost bursting from my
bosom, I advanced to the region of the forecastle, where my companions were awaiting
me. I held out my hand with the splinters, and Peters immediately drew. He was free-his,
at least, was not the shortest; and there was now another chance against my escape. I
summoned up all my strength, and passed the lots to Augustus. He also drew
immediately, and he also was free; and now, whether I should live or die, the chances
were no more than precisely even. At this moment all the fierceness of the tiger possessed
my bosom, and I felt toward my poor fellow-creature, Parker, the most intense, the most
diabolical hatred. But the feeling did not last; and, at length, with a convulsive shudder
and closed eyes, I held out the two remaining splinters toward him. It was fully five
minutes before he could summon resolution to draw, during which period of heartrending
suspense I never once opened my eyes. Presently one of the two lots was quickly drawn
from my hand. The decision was then over, yet I knew not whether it was for me or
against me. No one spoke, and still I dared not satisfy myself by looking at the splinter I
held. Peters at length took me by the hand, and I forced myself to look up, when I
immediately saw by the countenance of Parker that I was safe, and that he it was who had
been doomed to suffer. Gasping for breath, I fell senseless to the deck.

I recovered from my swoon in time to behold the consummation of the tragedy in the
death of him who had been chiefly instrumental in bringing it about. He made no
resistance whatever, and was stabbed in the back by Peters, when he fell instantly dead. I
must not dwell upon the fearful repast which immediately ensued. Such things may be
imagined, but words have no power to impress the mind with the exquisite horror of their
reality. Let it suffice to say that, having in some measure appeased the raging thirst which
consumed us by the blood of the victim, and having by common consent taken off the
hands, feet, and head, throwing them together with the entrails, into the sea, we devoured
the rest of the body, piecemeal, during the four ever memorable days of the seventeenth,
eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth of the month.

On the nineteenth, there coming on a smart shower which lasted fifteen or twenty
minutes, we contrived to catch some water by means of a sheet which had been fished up
from the cabin by our drag just after the gale. The quantity we took in all did not amount
to more than half a gallon; but even this scanty allowance supplied us with comparative
strength and hope.

On the twenty-first we were again reduced to the last necessity. The weather still
remained warm and pleasant, with occasional fogs and light breezes, most usually from
N. to W.

On the twenty- second, as we were sitting close huddled together, gloomily revolving over
our lamentable condition, there flashed through my mind all at once an idea which
inspired me with a bright gleam of hope. I remembered that, when the foremast had been
cut away, Peters, being in the windward chains, passed one of the axes into my hand,
requesting me to put it, if possible, in a place of security, and that a few minutes before
the last heavy sea struck the brig and filled her I had taken this axe into the forecastle and
laid it in one of the larboard berths. I now thought it possible that, by getting at this axe,
we might cut through the deck over the storeroom, and thus readily supply ourselves with
provisions.

When I communicated this object to my companions, they uttered a feeble shout of joy,
and we all proceeded forthwith to the forecastle. The difficulty of descending here was
greater than that of going down in the cabin, the opening being much smaller, for it will
be remembered that the whole framework about the cabin companion-hatch had been
carried away, whereas the forecastle- way, being a simple hatch of only about three feet
square, had remained uninjured. I did not hesitate, however, to attempt the descent; and a
rope being fastened round my body as before, I plunged boldly in, feet foremost, made
my way quickly to the berth, and at the first attempt brought up the axe. It was hailed
with the most ecstatic joy and triumph, and the ease with which it had been obtained was
regarded as an omen of our ultimate preservation.

We now commenced cutting at the deck with all the energy of rekindled hope, Peters and
myself taking the axe by turns, Augustus's wounded arm not permitting him to aid us in
any degree. As we were still so feeble as to be scarcely able to stand unsupported, and
could consequently work but a minute or two without resting, it soon became evident that

many long hours would be necessary to accomplish our task-that is, to cut an opening
sufficiently large to admit of a free access to the storeroom. This consideration, however,
did not discourage us; and, working all night by the light of the moon, we succeeded in
effecting our purpose by daybreak on the morning of the twenty-third.

Peters now volunteered to go down; and, having made all arrangements as before, he
descended, and soon returned bringing up with him a small jar, which, to our great joy,
proved to be full of olives. Having shared these among us, and devoured them with the
greatest avidity, we proceeded to let him down again. This time he succeeded beyond our
utmost expectations, returning instantly with a large ham and a bottle of Madeira wine.
Of the latter we each took a moderate sup, having learned by experience the pernicious
consequences of indulging too freely. The ham, except about two pounds near the bone,
was not in a condition to be eaten, having been entirely spoiled by the salt water. The
sound part was divided among us. Peters and Augustus, not being able to restrain their
appetite, swallowed theirs upon the instant; but I was more cautious, and ate but a small
portion of mine, dreading the thirst which I knew would ensue. We now rested a while
from our labors, which had been intolerably severe.

By noon, feeling somewhat strengthened and refreshed, we again renewed our attempt at
getting up provisions, Peters and myself going down alternately, and always with more or
less success, until sundown. During this interval we had the good fortune to bring up,
altogether, four more small jars of olives, another ham, a carboy containing nearly three
gallons of excellent Cape Madeira wine, and, what gave us still more delight, a small
tortoise of the Gallipago breed, several of which had been taken on board by Captain
Barnard, as the Grampus was leaving port, from the schooner Mary Pitts, just returned
from a sealing voyage in the Pacific.

In a subsequent portion of this narrative I shall have frequent occasion to mention this
species of tortoise. It is found principally, as most of my readers may know, in the group
of islands called the Gallipagos, which, indeed, derive their name from the animal-the
Spanish word Gallipago meaning a fresh- water terrapin. From the peculiarity of their
shape and action they have been sometimes called the elephant tortoise. They are
frequently found of an enormous size. I have myself seen several which would weigh
from twelve to fifteen hundred pounds, although I do not remember that any navigator
speaks of having seen them weighing more than eight hundred. Their appearance is
singular, and even disgusting. Their steps are very slow, measured, and heavy, their
bodies being carried about a foot from the ground. Their neck is long, and exceedingly
slender, from eighteen inches to two feet is a very common length, and I killed one,
where the distance from the shoulder to the extremity of the head was no less than three
feet ten inches. The head has a striking resemblance to that of a serpent. They can exist
without food for an almost incredible length of time, instances having been known where
they have been thrown into the hold of a vessel and lain two years without nourishment
of any kind-being as fat, and, in every respect, in as good order at the expiration of the
time as when they were first put in. In one particular these extraordinary animals bear a
resemblance to the dromedary, or camel of the desert. In a bag at the root of the neck they
carry with them a constant supply of water. In some instances, upon killing them after a

full year's deprivation of all nourishment, as much as three gallons of perfectly sweet and
fresh water have been found in their bags. Their food is chiefly wild parsley and celery,
with purslain, sea-kelp, and prickly pears, upon which latter vegetable they thrive
wonderfully, a great quantity of it being usually found on the hillsides near the shore
wherever the animal itself is discovered. They are excellent and highly nutritious food,
and have, no doubt, been the means of preserving the lives of thousands of seamen
employed in the whale-fishery and other pursuits in the Pacific.

The one which we had the good fortune to bring up from the storeroom was not of a large
size, weighing probably sixty-five or seventy pounds. It was a female, and in excellent
condition, being exceedingly fat, and having more than a quart of limpid and sweet water
in its bag. This was indeed a treasure; and, falling on our knees with one accord, we
returned fervent thanks to God for so seasonable a relief.

We had great difficulty in getting the animal up through the opening, as its struggles were
fierce and its strength prodigious. It was upon the point of making its escape from Peter's
grasp, and slipping back into the water, when Augustus, throwing a rope with a slipknot
around its throat, held it up in this manner until I jumped into the hole by the side of
Peters, and assisted him in lifting it out.

The water we drew carefully from the bag into the jug; which, it will be remembered, had
been brought up before from the cabin. Having done this, we broke off the neck of a
bottle so as to form, with the cork, a kind of glass, holding not quite half a gill. We then
each drank one of these measures full, and resolved to limit ourselves to this quantity per
day as long as it should hold out.

During the last two or three days, the weather having been dry and pleasant, the bedding
we had obtained from the cabin, as well as our clothing, had become thoroughly dry, so
that we passed this night (that of the twenty-third) in comparative comfort, enjoying a
tranquil repose, after having supped plentifully on olives and ham, with a small
allowance of the wine. Being afraid of losing some of our stores overboard during the
night, in the event of a breeze springing up, we secured them as well as possible with
cordage to the fragments of the windlass. Our tortoise, which we were anxious to
preserve alive as long as we could, we threw on its back, and otherwise carefully
fastened.

CHAPTER XIII

July 24.-This morning saw us wonderfully recruited in spirits and strength.
Notwithstanding the perilous situation in which we were still placed, ignorant of our
position, although certainly at a great distance from land, without more food than would
last us for a fortnight even with great care, almost entirely without water, and floating
about at the mercy of every wind and wave on the merest wreck in the world, still the
infinitely more terrible distresses and dangers from which we had so lately and so
providentially been delivered caused us to regard what we now endured as but little more
than an ordinary evil-so strictly comparative is either good or ill.

At sunrise we were preparing to renew our attempts at getting up something from the
storeroom, when, a smart shower coming on, with some lightning, we turn our attention
to the catching of water by means of the sheet we had used before for this purpose. We
had no other means of collecting the rain than by holding the sheet spread out with one of
the forechain-plates in the middle of it. The water, thus conducted to the centre, was
drained through into our jug. We had nearly filled it in this manner, when, a heavy squall
coming on from the northward, obliged us to desist, as the hulk began once more to roll
so violently that we could no longer keep our feet. We now went forward, and, lashing
ourselves securely to the remnant of the windlass as before, awaited the event with far
more calmness than could have been anticipated or would have been imagined possible
under the circumstances. At noon the wind had freshened into a two-reef breeze, and by
night into a stiff gale, accompanied with a tremendously heavy swell. Experience having
taught us, however, the best method of arranging our lashings, we weathered this dreary
night in tolerable security, although thoroughly drenched at almost every instant by the
sea, and in momentary dread of being washed off. Fortunately, the weather was so warm
as to render the water rather grateful than otherwise.

July 25. -This morning the gale had diminished to a mere ten-knot breeze, and the sea had
gone down with it so considerably that we were able to keep ourselves dry upon the deck.
To our great grief, however, we found that two jars of our olives, as well as the whole of
our ham, had been washed overboard, in spite of the careful manner in which they had
been fastened. We determined not to kill the tortoise as yet, and contented ourselves for
the present with a breakfast on a few of the olives, and a measure of water each, which
latter we mixed half and half, with wine, finding great relief and strength from the
mixture, without the distressing intoxication which had ensued upon drinking the port.
The sea was still far too rough for the renewal of our efforts at getting up provision from
the storeroom. Several articles, of no importance to us in our present situation, floated up
through the opening during the day, and were immediately washed overboard. We also
now observed that the hulk lay more along than ever, so that we could not stand an
instant without lashing ourselves. On this account we passed a gloomy and
uncomfortable day. At noon the sun appeared to be nearly vertical, and we had no doubt
that we had been driven down by the long succession of northward and northwesterly
winds into the near vicinity of the equator. Toward evening saw several sharks, and were
somewhat alarmed by the audacious manner in which an enormously large one
approached us. At one time, a lurch throwing the deck very far beneath the water, the
monster actually swam in upon us, floundering for some moments just over the
companion-hatch, and striking Peters violently with his tail. A heavy sea at length hurled
him overboard, much to our relief. In moderate weather we might have easily captured
him.

July 26.-This morning, the wind having greatly abated, and the sea not being very rough,
we determined to renew our exertions in the storeroom. After a great deal of hard labor
during the whole day, we found that nothing further was to be expected from this quarter,
the partitions of the room having been stove during the night, and its contents swept into
the hold. This discovery, as may be supposed, filled us with despair.

July 27.-The sea nearly smooth, with a light wind, and still from the northward and
westward. The sun coming out hotly in the afternoon, we occupied ourselves in drying
our clothes. Found great relief from thirst, and much comfort otherwise, by bathing in the
sea; in this, however, we were forced to use great caution, being afraid of sharks, several
of which were seen swimming around the brig during the day.

July 28.-Good weather still. The brig now began to lie along so alarmingly that we feared
she would eventually roll bottom up. Prepared ourselves as well as we could for this
emergency, lashing our tortoise, waterjug, and two remaining jars of olives as far as
possible over to the windward, placing them outside the hull below the main-chains. The
sea very smooth all day, with little or no wind.

July 29.-A continuance of the same weather. Augustus's wounded arm began to evince
symptoms of mortification. He complained of drowsiness and excessive thirst, but no
acute pain. Nothing could be done for his relief beyond rubbing his wounds with a little
of the vinegar from the olives, and from this no benefit seemed to be experienced. We did
every thing in our power for his comfort, and trebled his allowance of water.

July 30.-An excessively hot day, with no wind. An enormous shark kept close by the
hulk during the whole of the forenoon. We made several unsuccessful attempts to capture
him by means of a noose. Augustus much worse, and evidently sinking as much from
want of proper nourishment as from the effect of his wounds. He constantly prayed to be
relieved from his sufferings, wishing for nothing but death. This evening we ate the last
of our olives, and found the water in our jug so putrid that we could not swallow it at all
without the addition of wine. Determined to kill our tortoise in the morning.

July 31. -After a night of excessive anxiety and fatigue, owing to the position of the hulk,
we set about killing and cutting up our tortoise. He proved to be much smaller than we
had supposed, although in good condition,-the whole meat about him not amounting to
more than ten pounds. With a view of preserving a portion of this as long as possible, we
cut it into fine pieces, and filled with them our three remaining olive jars and the wine-
bottle (all of which had been kept), pouring in afterward the vinegar from the olives. In
this manner we put away about three pounds of the tortoise, intending not to touch it until
we had consumed the rest. We concluded to restrict ourselves to about four ounces of the
meat per day; the whole would thus last us thirteen days. A brisk shower, with severe
thunder and lightning, came on about dusk, but lasted so short a time that we only
succeeded in catching about half a pint of water. The whole of this, by common consent,
was given to Augustus, who now appeared to be in the last extremity. He drank the water
from the sheet as we caught it (we holding it above him as he lay so as to let it run into
his mouth), for we had now nothing left capable of holding water, unless we had chosen
to empty out our wine from the carboy, or the stale water from the jug. Either of these
expedients would have been resorted to had the shower lasted.

The sufferer seemed to derive but little benefit from the draught. His arm was completely
black from the wrist to the shoulder, and his feet were like ice. We expected every
moment to see him breathe his last. He was frightfully emaciated; so much so that.

although he weighed a hundred and twenty-seven pounds upon his leaving Nantucket, he
now did not weigh more than forty or fifty at the farthest. His eyes were sunk far in his
head, being scarcely perceptible, and the skin of his cheeks hung so loosely as to prevent
his masticating any food, or even swallowing any liquid, without great difficulty.

August l.-A continuance of the same calm weather, with an oppressively hot sun.
Suffered exceedingly from thirst, the water in the jug being absolutely putrid and
swarming with vermin. We contrived, nevertheless, to swallow a portion of it by mixing
it with wine; our thirst, however, was but little abated. We found more relief by bathing
in the sea, but could not avail ourselves of this expedient except at long intervals, on
account of the continual presence of sharks. We now saw clearly that Augustus could not
be saved; that he was evidently dying. We could do nothing to relieve his sufferings,
which appeared to be great. About twelve o'clock he expired in strong convulsions, and
without having spoken for several days. His death filled us with the most gloomy
forebodings, and had so great an effect upon our spirits that we sat motionless by the
corpse during the whole day, and never addressed each other except in a whisper. It was
not until some time after dark that we took courage to get up and throw the body
overboard. It was then loathsome beyond expression, and so far decayed that, as Peters
attempted to lift it, an entire leg came off in his grasp. As the mass of putrefaction slipped
over the vessel's side into the water, the glare of phosphoric light with which it was
surrounded plainly discovered to us seven or eight large sharks, the clashing of whose
horrible teeth, as their prey was torn to pieces among them, might have been heard at the
distance of a mile. We shrunk within ourselves in the extremity of horror at the sound.

August 2. -The same fearfully calm and hot weather. The dawn found us in a state of
pitiable dejection as well as bodily exhaustion. The water in the jug was now absolutely
useless, being a thick gelatinous mass; nothing but frightful-looking worms mingled with
slime. We threw it out, and washed the jug well in the sea, afterward pouring a little
vinegar in it from our bottles of pickled tortoise. Our thirst could now scarcely be
endured, and we tried in vain to relieve it by wine, which seemed only to add fuel to the
flame, and excited us to a high degree of intoxication. We afterward endeavoured to
relieve our sufferings by mixing the wine with seawater; but this instantly brought about
the most violent retchings, so that we never again attempted it. During the whole day we
anxiously sought an opportunity of bathing, but to no purpose; for the hulk was now
entirely besieged on all sides with sharks-no doubt the identical monsters who had
devoured our poor companion on the evening before, and who were in momentary
expectation of another similar feast. This circumstance occasioned us the most bitter
regret and filled us with the most depressing and melancholy forebodings. We had
experienced indescribable relief in bathing, and to have this resource cut off in so
frightful a manner was more than we could bear. Nor, indeed, were we altogether free
from the apprehension of immediate danger, for the least slip or false movement would
have thrown us at once within reach of those voracious fish, who frequently thrust
themselves directly upon us, swimming up to leeward. No shouts or exertions on our part
seemed to alarm them. Even when one of the largest was struck with an axe by Peters and
much wounded, he persisted in his attempts to push in where we were. A cloud came up
at dusk, but, to our extreme anguish, passed over without discharging itself. It is quite

impossible to conceive our sufferings from thirst at this period. We passed a sleepless
night, both on this account and through dread of the sharks.

August 3.-N0 prospect of relief, and the brig lying still more and more along, so that now
we could not maintain a footing upon deck at all. Busied ourselves in securing our wine
and tortoise-meat, so that we might not lose them in the event of our rolling over. Got out
two stout spikes from the forechains, and, by means of the axe, drove them into the hull
to windward within a couple of feet of the water, this not being very far from the keel, as
we were nearly upon our beam-ends. To these spikes we now lashed our provisions, as
being more secure than their former position beneath the chains. Suffered great agony
from thirst during the whole day-no chance of bathing on account of the sharks, which
never left us for a moment. Found it impossible to sleep.

August 4.-A little before daybreak we perceived that the hulk was heeling over, and
aroused ourselves to prevent being thrown off by the movement. At first the roll was slow
and gradual, and we contrived to clamber over to windward very well, having taken the
precaution to leave ropes hanging from the spikes we had driven in for the provision. But
we had not calculated sufficiently upon the acceleration of the impetus; for, presently the
heel became too violent to allow of our keeping pace with it; and, before either of us
knew what was to happen, we found ourselves hurled furiously into the sea, and
struggling several fathoms beneath the surface, with the huge hull immediately above us.

In going under the water I had been obliged to let go my hold upon the rope; and finding
that I was completely beneath the vessel, and my strength nearly exhausted, I scarcely
made a struggle for life, and resigned myself, in a few seconds, to die. But here again I
was deceived, not having taken into consideration the natural rebound of the hull to
windward. The whirl of the water upward, which the vessel occasioned in Tolling
partially back, brought me to the surface still more violently than I had been plunged
beneath. Upon coming up I found myself about twenty yards from the hulk, as near as I
could judge. She was lying keel up, rocking furiously from side to side, and the sea in all
directions around was much agitated, and full of strong whirlpools. I could see nothing of
Peters. An oil-cask was floating within a few feet of me, and various other articles from
the brig were scattered about.

My principal terror was now on account of the sharks, which I knew to be in my vicinity.
In order to deter these, if possible, from approaching me, I splashed the water vigorously
with both hands and feet as I swam towards the hulk, creating a body of foam. I have no
doubt that to this expedient, simple as it was, I was indebted for my preservation; for the
sea all round the brig, just before her rolling over, was so crowded with these monsters,
that I must have been, and really was, in actual contact with some of them during my
progress. By great good fortune, however, I reached the side of the vessel in safety,
although so utterly weakened by the violent exertion I had used that I should never have
been able to get upon it but for the timely assistance of Peters, who, now, to my great joy,
made his appearance (having scrambled up to the keel from the opposite side of the hull),
and threw me the end of a rope-one of those which had been attached to the spikes.

Having barely escaped this danger, our attention was now directed to the dreadful
imminency of another-that of absolute starvation. Our whole stock of provision had been
swept overboard in spite of all our care in securing it; and seeing no longer the remotest
possibility of obtaining more, we gave way both of us to despair, weeping aloud like
children, and neither of us attempting to offer consolation to the other. Such weakness
can scarcely be conceived, and to those who have never been similarly situated will, no
doubt, appear unnatural; but it must be remembered that our intellects were so entirely
disordered by the long course of privation and terror to which we had been subjected, that
we could not justly be considered, at that period, in the light of rational beings. In
subsequent perils, nearly as great, if not greater, I bore up with fortitude against all the
evils of my situation, and Peters, it will be seen, evinced a stoical philosophy nearly as
incredible as his present childlike supineness and imbecility-the mental condition made
the difference.

The overturning of the brig, even with the consequent loss of the wine and turtle, would
not, in fact, have rendered our situation more deplorable than before, except for the
disappearance of the bedclothes by which we had been hitherto enabled to catch
rainwater, and of the jug in which we had kept it when caught; for we found the whole
bottom, from within two or three feet of the bends as far as the keel, together with the
keel itself, thickly covered with large barnacles, which proved to be excellent and highly
nutritious food. Thus, in two important respects, the accident we had so greatly dreaded
proved to be a benefit rather than an injury; it had opened to us a supply of provisions
which we could not have exhausted, using it moderately, in a month; and it had greatly
contributed to our comfort as regards position, we being much more at ease, and in
infinitely less danger, than before.

The difficulty, however, of now obtaining water blinded us to all the benefits of the
change in our condition. That we might be ready to avail ourselves, as far as possible, of
any shower which might fall we took off our shirts, to make use of them as we had of the
sheets-not hoping, of course, to get more in this way, even under the most favorable
circumstances, than half a gill at a time. No signs of a cloud appeared during the day, and
the agonies of our thirst were nearly intolerable. At night, Peters obtained about an hour's
disturbed sleep, but my intense sufferings would not permit me to close my eyes for a
single moment.

August 5. -To-day, a gentle breeze springing up carried us through a vast quantity of
seaweed, among which we were so fortunate as to find eleven small crabs, which
afforded us several delicious meals. Their shells being quite soft, we ate them entire, and
found that they irritated our thirst far less than the barnacles. Seeing no trace of sharks
among the seaweed, we also ventured to bathe, and remained in the water for four or five
hours, during which we experienced a very sensible diminution of our thirst. Were
greatly refreshed, and spent the night somewhat more comfortably than before, both of us
snatching a little sleep.

August 6.-This day we were blessed by a brisk and continual rain, lasting from about
noon until after dark. Bitterly did we now regret the loss of our jug and carboy; for, in

spite of the little means we had of catching the water, we might have filled one, if not
both of them. As it was, we contrived to satisfy the cravings of thirst by suffering the
shirts to become saturated, and then wringing them so as to let the grateful fluid trickle
into our mouths. In this occupation we passed the entire day.

August 7.-Just at daybreak we both at the same instant descried a sail to the eastward,
and evidently coming towards us! We hailed the glorious sight with a long, although
feeble shout of rapture; and began instantly to make every signal in our power, by flaring
the shirts in the air, leaping as high as our weak condition would permit, and even by
hallooing with all the strength of our lungs, although the vessel could not have been less
than fifteen miles distant. However, she still continued to near our hulk, and we felt that,
if she but held her present course, she must eventually come so close as to perceive us. In
about an hour after we first discovered her, we could clearly see the people on her decks.
She was a long, low, and rakish-looking topsail schooner, with a black ball in her
foretopsail, and had, apparently, a full crew. We now became alarmed, for we could
hardly imagine it possible that she did not observe us, and were apprehensive that she
meant to leave us to perish as we were-an act of fiendish barbarity, which, however
incredible it may appear, has been repeatedly perpetuated at sea, under circumstances
very nearly similar, and by beings who were regarded as belonging to the human
species.* In this instance, however, by the mercy of God, we were destined to be most
happily deceived; for, presently we were aware of a sudden commotion on the deck of the
stranger, who immediately afterward ran up a British flag, and, hauling her wind, bore up
directly upon us. In half an hour more we found ourselves in her cabin. She proved to be
the Jane Guy, of Liverpool, Captain Guy, bound on a sealing and trading voyage to the
South Seas and Pacific.

* The case of the brig Polly, of Boston, is one so much in point, and her fate, in many
respects, so remarkably similar to our own, that I cannot forbear alluding to it here. This
vessel, of one hundred and thirty tons burden, sailed from Boston, with a cargo of lumber
and provisions, for Santa Croix, on the twelfth of December, 1811, under the command
of Captain Casneau. There were eight souls on board besides the captain-the mate, four
seamen, and the cook, together with a Mr. Hunt, and a negro girl belonging to him. On
the fifteenth, having cleared the shoal of Georges, she sprung a leak in a gale of wind
from the southeast, and was finally capsized; but, the masts going by the board, she
afterward righted. They remained in this situation, without fire, and with very little
provision, for the period of one hundred and ninety-one days (from December the
fifteenth to June the twentieth), when Captain Casneau and Samuel Badger, the only
survivors, were taken off the wreck by the Fame, of Hull, Captain Featherstone, bound
home from Rio Janeiro. When picked up, they were in latitude 28 degrees N., longitude
13 degrees W., having drifted above two thousand miles! On the ninth of July the Fame
fell in with the brig Dromero, Captain Perkins, who landed the two sufferers in
Kennebeck. The narrative from which we gather these details ends in the following
words:

"It is natural to inquire how they could float such a vast distance, upon the most
frequented part of the Atlantic, and not be discovered all this time. They were passed by

more than a dozen sail, one of which came so nigh them that they could distinctly see the
people on deck and on the rigging looking at them; but, to the inexpressible
disappointment of the starving and freezing men, they stifled the dictates of compassion,
hoisted sail, and cruelly abandoned them to their fate."

CHAPTER XIV

The Jane Guy was a fine-looking topsail schooner of a hundred and eighty tons burden.
She was unusually sharp in the bows, and on a wind, in moderate weather, the fastest
sailer I have ever seen. Her qualities, however, as a rough sea-boat, were not so good, and
her draught of water was by far too great for the trade to which she was destined. For this
peculiar service, a larger vessel, and one of a light proportionate draught, is desirable-say
a vessel of from three hundred to three hundred and fifty tons. She should be bark-rigged,
and in other respects of a different construction from the usual South Sea ships. It is
absolutely necessary that she should be well armed. She should have, say ten or twelve
twelve-pound carronades, and two or three long twelves, with brass blunderbusses, and
water-tight arm-chests for each top. Her anchors and cables should be of far greater
strength than is required for any other species of trade, and, above all, her crew should be
numerous and efficient-not less, for such a vessel as I have described, than fifty or sixty
able-bodied men. The Jane Guy had a crew of thirty-five, all able seamen, besides the
captain and mate, but she was not altogether as well armed or otherwise equipped, as a
navigator acquainted with the difficulties and dangers of the trade could have desired.

Captain Guy was a gentleman of great urbanity of manner, and of considerable
experience in the southern traffic, to which he had devoted a great portion of his life. He
was deficient, however, in energy, and, consequently, in that spirit of enterprise which is
here so absolutely requisite. He was part owner of the vessel in which he sailed, and was
invested with discretionary powers to cruise in the South Seas for any cargo which might
come most readily to hand. He had on board, as usual in such voyages, beads, looking-
glasses, tinder-works, axes, hatchets, saws, adzes, planes, chisels, gouges, gimlets, files,
spokeshaves, rasps, hammers, nails, knives, scissors, razors, needles, thread, crockery-
ware, calico, trinkets, and other similar articles.

The schooner sailed from Liverpool on the tenth of July, crossed the Tropic of Cancer on
the twenty-fifth, in longitude twenty degrees west, and reached Sal, one of the Cape Verd
islands, on the twenty-ninth, where she took in salt and other necessaries for the voyage.
On the third of August, she left the Cape Verds and steered southwest, stretching over
toward the coast of Brazil, so as to cross the equator between the meridians of twenty-
eight and thirty degrees west longitude. This is the course usually taken by vessels bound
from Europe to the Cape of Good Hope, or by that route to the East Indies. By
proceeding thus they avoid the calms and strong contrary currents which continually
prevail on the coast of Guinea, while, in the end, it is found to be the shortest track, as
westerly winds are never wanting afterward by which to reach the Cape. It was Captain
Guy's intention to make his first stoppage at Kerguelen's Land-I hardly know for what
reason. On the day we were picked up the schooner was off Cape St. Roque, in longitude

thirty-one degrees west; so that, when found, we had drifted probably, from north to
south, not less than five-and-twenty degrees!

On board the Jane Guy we were treated with all the kindness our distressed situation
demanded. In about a fortnight, during which time we continued steering to the southeast,
with gentle breezes and fine weather, both Peters and myself recovered entirely from the
effects of our late privation and dreadful sufferings, and we began to remember what had
passed rather as a frightful dream from which we had been happily awakened, than as
events which had taken place in sober and naked reality. I have since found that this
species of partial oblivion is usually brought about by sudden transition, whether from
joy to sorrow or from sorrow to joy-the degree of forgetfulness being proportioned to the
degree of difference in the exchange. Thus, in my own case, I now feel it impossible to
realize the full extent of the misery which I endured during the days spent upon the hulk.
The incidents are remembered, but not the feelings which the incidents elicited at the
time of their occurrence. I only know, that when they did occur, I then thought human
nature could sustain nothing more of agony.

We continued our voyage for some weeks without any incidents of greater moment than
the occasional meeting with whaling-ships, and more frequently with the black or right
whale, so called in contradistinction to the spermaceti. These, however, were chiefly
found south of the twenty-fifth parallel. On the sixteenth of September, being in the
vicinity of the Cape of Good Hope, the schooner encountered her first gale of any
violence since leaving Liverpool. In this neighborhood, but more frequently to the south
and east of the promontory (we were to the westward), navigators have often to contend
with storms from the northward, which rage with great fury. They always bring with
them a heavy sea, and one of their most dangerous features is the instantaneous chopping
round of the wind, an occurrence almost certain to take place during the greatest force of
the gale. A perfect hurricane will be blowing at one moment from the northward or
northeast, and in the next not a breath of wind will be felt in that direction, while from the
southwest it will come out all at once with a violence almost inconceivable. A bright spot
to the southward is the sure forerunner of the change, and vessels are thus enabled to take
the proper precautions.

It was about six in the morning when the blow came on with a white squall, and, as usual,
from the northward. By eight it had increased very much, and brought down upon us one
of the most tremendous seas I had then ever beheld. Every thing had been made as snug
as possible, but the schooner laboured excessively, and gave evidence of her bad qualities
as a seaboat, pitching her forecastle under at every plunge and with the greatest difficulty
struggling up from one wave before she was buried in another, just before sunset the
bright spot for which we had been on the look-out made its appearance in the southwest,
and in an hour afterward we perceived the little headsail we carried flapping listlessly
against the mast. In two minutes more, in spite of every preparation, we were hurled on
our beam-ends, as if by magic, and a perfect wilderness of foam made a clear breach over
us as we lay. The blow from the southwest, however, luckily proved to be nothing more
than a squall, and we had the good fortune to right the vessel without the loss of a spar. A
heavy cross sea gave us great trouble for a few hours after this, but toward morning we

found ourselves in nearly as good condition as before the gale. Captain Guy considered
that he had made an escape little less than miraculous.

On the thirteenth of October we came in sight of Prince Edward's Island, in latitude 46
degrees 53' S., longitude 37 degrees 46' E. Two days afterward we found ourselves near
Possession Island, and presently passed the islands of Crozet, in latitude 42 degrees 59'
S., longitude 48 degrees E. On the eighteenth we made Kerguelen's or Desolation Island,
in the Southern Indian Ocean, and came to anchor in Christmas Harbour, having four
fathoms of water.

This island, or rather group of islands, bears southeast from the Cape of Good Hope, and
is distant therefrom nearly eight hundred leagues. It was first discovered in 1772, by the
Baron de Kergulen, or Kerguelen, a Frenchman, who, thinking the land to form a portion
of an extensive southern continent carried home information to that effect, which
produced much excitement at the time. The government, taking the matter up, sent the
baron back in the following year for the purpose of giving his new discovery a critical
examination, when the mistake was discovered. In 1777, Captain Cook fell in with the
same group, and gave to the principal one the name of Desolation Island, a title which it
certainly well deserves. Upon approaching the land, however, the navigator might be
induced to suppose otherwise, as the sides of most of the hills, from September to March,
are clothed with very brilliant verdure. This deceitful appearance is caused by a small
plant resembling saxifrage, which is abundant, growing in large patches on a species of
crumbling moss. Besides this plant there is scarcely a sign of vegetation on the island, if
we except some coarse rank grass near the harbor, some lichen, and a shrub which bears
resemblance to a cabbage shooting into seed, and which has a bitter and acrid taste.

The face of the country is hilly, although none of the hills can be called lofty. Their tops
are perpetually covered with snow. There are several harbors, of which Christmas
Harbour is the most convenient. It is the first to be met with on the northeast side of the
island after passing Cape Francois, which forms the northern shore, and, by its peculiar
shape, serves to distinguish the harbour. Its projecting point terminates in a high rock,
through which is a large hole, forming a natural arch. The entrance is in latitude 48
degrees 40' S., longitude 69 degrees 6' E. Passing in here, good anchorage may be found
under the shelter of several small islands, which form a sufficient protection from all
easterly winds. Proceeding on eastwardly from this anchorage you come to Wasp Bay, at
the head of the harbour. This is a small basin, completely landlocked, into which you can
go with four fathoms, and find anchorage in from ten to three, hard clay bottom. A ship
might lie here with her best bower ahead all the year round without risk. To the
westward, at the head of Wasp Bay, is a small stream of excellent water, easily procured.

Some seal of the fur and hair species are still to be found on Kerguelen's Island, and sea
elephants abound. The feathered tribes are discovered in great numbers. Penguins are
very plenty, and of these there are four different kinds. The royal penguin, so called from
its size and beautiful plumage, is the largest. The upper part of the body is usually gray,
sometimes of a lilac tint; the under portion of the purest white imaginable. The head is of
a glossy and most brilliant black, the feet also. The chief beauty of plumage, however.

consists in two broad stripes of a gold color, which pass along from the head to the
breast. The bill is long, and either pink or bright scarlet. These birds walk erect; with a
stately carriage. They carry their heads high with their wings drooping like two arms,
and, as their tails project from their body in a line with the legs, the resemblance to a
human figure is very striking, and would be apt to deceive the spectator at a casual glance
or in the gloom of the evening. The royal penguins which we met with on Kerguelen's
Land were rather larger than a goose. The other kinds are the macaroni, the jackass, and
the rookery penguin. These are much smaller, less beautiful in plumage, and different in
other respects.

Besides the penguin many other birds are here to be found, among which may be
mentioned sea-hens, blue peterels, teal, ducks. Port Egmont hens, shags. Cape pigeons,
the nelly, sea swallows, terns, sea gulls. Mother Carey's chickens. Mother Carey's geese,
or the great peterel, and, lastly, the albatross.

The great peterel is as large as the common albatross, and is carnivorous. It is frequently
called the break-bones, or osprey peterel. They are not at all shy, and, when properly
cooked, are palatable food. In flying they sometimes sail very close to the surface of the
water, with the wings expanded, without appearing to move them in the least degree, or
make any exertion with them whatever.

The albatross is one of the largest and fiercest of the South Sea birds. It is of the gull
species, and takes its prey on the wing, never coming on land except for the purpose of
breeding. Between this bird and the penguin the most singular friendship exists. Their
nests are constructed with great uniformity upon a plan concerted between the two
species-that of the albatross being placed in the centre of a little square formed by the
nests of four penguins. Navigators have agreed in calling an assemblage of such
encampments a rookery. These rookeries have been often described, but as my readers
may not all have seen these descriptions, and as I shall have occasion hereafter to speak
of the penguin and albatross, it will not be amiss to say something here of their mode of
building and living.

When the season for incubation arrives, the birds assemble in vast numbers, and for some
days appear to be deliberating upon the proper course to be pursued. At length they
proceed to action. A level piece of ground is selected, of suitable extent, usually
comprising three or four acres, and situated as near the sea as possible, being still beyond
its reach. The spot is chosen with reference to its evenness of surface, and that is
preferred which is the least encumbered with stones. This matter being arranged, the
birds proceed, with one accord, and actuated apparently by one mind, to trace out, with
mathematical accuracy, either a square or other parallelogram, as may best suit the nature
of the ground, and of just sufficient size to accommodate easily all the birds assembled,
and no more-in this particular seeming determined upon preventing the access of future
stragglers who have not participated in the labor of the encampment. One side of the
place thus marked out runs parallel with the water's edge, and is left open for ingress or
egress.

Having defined the limits of the rookery, the colony now begin to clear it of every species
of rubbish, picking up stone by stone, and carrying them outside of the lines, and close by
them, so as to form a wall on the three inland sides. Just within this wall a perfectly level
and smooth walk is formed, from six to eight feet wide, and extending around the
encampment-thus serving the purpose of a general promenade.

The next process is to partition out the whole area into small squares exactly equal in
size. This is done by forming narrow paths, very smooth, and crossing each other at right
angles throughout the entire extent of the rookery. At each intersection of these paths the
nest of an albatross is constructed, and a penguin's nest in the centre of each square-thus
every penguin is surrounded by four albatrosses, and each albatross by a like number of
penguins. The penguin's nest consists of a hole in the earth, very shallow, being only just
of sufficient depth to keep her single egg from rolling. The albatross is somewhat less
simple in her arrangements, erecting a hillock about a foot high and two in diameter. This
is made of earth, seaweed, and shells. On its summit she builds her nest.

The birds take especial care never to leave their nests unoccupied for an instant during
the period of incubation, or, indeed, until the young progeny are sufficiently strong to
take care of themselves. While the male is absent at sea in search of food, the female
remains on duty, and it is only upon the return of her partner that she ventures abroad.
The eggs are never left uncovered at all-while one bird leaves the nest the other nestling
in by its side. This precaution is rendered necessary by the thieving propensities prevalent
in the rookery, the inhabitants making no scruple to purloin each other's eggs at every
good opportunity.

Although there are some rookeries in which the penguin and albatross are the sole
population, yet in most of them a variety of oceanic birds are to be met with, enjoying all
the privileges of citizenship, and scattering their nests here and there, wherever they can
find room, never interfering, however, with the stations of the larger species. The
appearance of such encampments, when seen from a distance, is exceedingly singular.
The whole atmosphere just above the settlement is darkened with the immense number of
the albatross (mingled with the smaller tribes) which are continually hovering over it,
either going to the ocean or returning home. At the same time a crowd of penguins are to
be observed, some passing to and fro in the narrow alleys, and some marching with the
military strut so peculiar to them, around the general promenade ground which encircles
the rookery. In short, survey it as we will, nothing can be more astonishing than the spirit
of reflection evinced by these feathered beings, and nothing surely can be better
calculated to elicit reflection in every well-regulated human intellect.

On the morning after our arrival in Christmas Harbour the chief mate, Mr. Patterson, took
the boats, and (although it was somewhat early in the season) went in search of seal,
leaving the captain and a young relation of his on a point of barren land to the westward,
they having some business, whose nature I could not ascertain, to transact in the interior
of the island. Captain Guy took with him a bottle, in which was a sealed letter, and made
his way from the point on which he was set on shore toward one of the highest peaks in
the place. It is probable that his design was to leave the letter on that height for some

vessel which he expected to come after him. As soon as we lost sight of him we
proceeded (Peters and myself being in the mate's boat) on our cruise around the coast,
looking for seal. In this business we were occupied about three weeks, examining with
great care every nook and comer, not only of Kerguelen's Land, but of the several small
islands in the vicinity. Our labours, however, were not crowned with any important
success. We saw a great many fur seal, but they were exceedingly shy, and with the
greatest exertions, we could only procure three hundred and fifty skins in all. Sea
elephants were abundant, especially on the westem coast of the mainland, but of these we
killed only twenty, and this with great difficulty. On the smaller islands we discovered a
good many of the hair seal, but did not molest them. We retumed to the schooner: on the
eleventh, where we found Captain Guy and his nephew, who gave a very bad account of
the interior, representing it as one of the most dreary and utterly barren countries in the
world. They had remained two nights on the island, owing to some misunderstanding, on
the part of the second mate, in regard to the sending a joUyboat from the schooner to take
them off.

CHAPTER XV

On the twelfth we made sail from Christmas Harbour retracing our way to the westward,
and leaving Marion's Island, one of Crozet's group, on the larboard. We afterward passed
Prince Edward's Island, leaving it also on our left, then, steering more to the northward,
made, in fifteen days, the islands of Tristan d'Acunha, in latitude 37 degrees 8' S,
longitude 12 degrees 8' W.

This group, now so well known, and which consists of three circular islands, was first
discovered by the Portuguese, and was visited afterward by the Dutch in 1643, and by the
French in 1767. The three islands together form a triangle, and are distant from each
other about ten miles, there being fine open passages between. The land in all of them is
very high, especially in Tristan d'Acunha, properly so called. This is the largest of the
group, being fifteen miles in circumference, and so elevated that it can be seen in clear
weather at the distance of eighty or ninety miles. A part of the land toward the north rises
more than a thousand feet perpendicularly from the sea. A tableland at this height extends
back nearly to the centre of the island, and from this tableland arises a lofty cone like that
of Teneriffe. The lower half of this cone is clothed with trees of good size, but the upper
region is barren rock, usually hidden among the clouds, and covered with snow during
the greater part of the year. There are no shoals or other dangers about the island, the
shores being remarkably bold and the water deep. On the northwestern coast is a bay,
with a beach of black sand where a landing with boats can be easily effected, provided
there be a southerly wind. Plenty of excellent water may here be readily procured; also
cod and other fish may be taken with hook and line.

The next island in point of size, and the most westwardly of the group, is that called the
Inaccessible. Its precise situation is 37 degrees 17' S. latitude, longitude 12 degrees 24'
W. It is seven or eight miles in circumference, and on all sides presents a forbidding and
precipitous aspect. Its top is perfectly flat, and the whole region is sterile, nothing
growing upon it except a few stunted shrubs.

Nightingale Island, the smallest and most southerly, is in latitude 37 degrees 26' S.,
longitude 12 degrees 12' W. Off its southern extremity is a high ledge of rocky islets; a
few also of a similar appearance are seen to the northeast. The ground is irregular and
sterile, and a deep valley partially separates it.

The shores of these islands abound, in the proper season, with sea lions, sea elephants,
the hair and fur seal, together with a great variety of oceanic birds. Whales are also plenty
in their vicinity. Owing to the ease with which these various animals were here formerly
taken, the group has been much visited since its discovery. The Dutch and French
frequented it at a very early period. In 1790, Captain Patten, of the ship Industry, of
Philadelphia, made Tristan d'Acunha, where he remained seven months (from August,
1790, to April, 1791) for the purpose of collecting sealskins. In this time he gathered no
less than five thousand six hundred, and says that he would have had no difficulty in
loading a large ship with oil in three weeks. Upon his arrival he found no quadrupeds,
with the exception of a few wild goats; the island now abounds with all our most valuable
domestic animals, which have been introduced by subsequent navigators.

I believe it was not long after Captain Patten's visit that Captain Colquhoun, of the
American brig Betsey, touched at the largest of the islands for the purpose of
refreshment. He planted onions, potatoes, cabbages, and a great many other vegetables,
an abundance of all which is now to be met with.

In 181 1, a Captain Haywood, in the Nereus, visited Tristan. He found there three
Americans, who were residing upon the island to prepare sealskins and oil. One of these
men was named Jonathan Lambert, and he called himself the sovereign of the country.
He had cleared and cultivated about sixty acres of land, and turned his attention to raising
the coffee-plant and sugar-cane, with which he had been furnished by the American
Minister at Rio Janeiro. This settlement, however, was finally abandoned, and in 1817 the
islands were taken possession of by the British Government, who sent a detachment for
that purpose from the Cape of Good Hope. They did not, however, retain them long; but,
upon the evacuation of the country as a British possession, two or three English families
took up their residence there independently of the Government. On the twenty-fifth of
March, 1824, the Berwick, Captain Jeffrey, from London to Van Diemen's Land, arrived
at the place, where they found an Englishman of the name of Glass, formerly a corporal
in the British artillery. He claimed to be supreme governor of the islands, and had under
his control twenty-one men and three women. He gave a very favourable account of the
salubrity of the climate and of the productiveness of the soil. The population occupied
themselves chiefly in collecting sealskins and sea elephant oil, with which they traded to
the Cape of Good Hope, Glass owning a small schooner. At the period of our arrival the
governor was still a resident, but his little community had multiplied, there being fifty- six
persons upon Tristan, besides a smaller settlement of seven on Nightingale Island. We
had no difficulty in procuring almost every kind of refreshment which we required-
sheep, hogs, bullocks, rabbits, poultry, goats, fish in great variety, and vegetables were
abundant. Having come to anchor close in with the large island, in eighteen fathoms, we
took all we wanted on board very conveniently. Captain Guy also purchased of Glass five
hundred sealskins and some ivory. We remained here a week, during which the

prevailing winds were from the northward and westward, and the weather somewhat
hazy. On the fifth of November we made sail to the southward and westward, with the
intention of having a thorough search for a group of islands called the Auroras, respecting
whose existence a great diversity of opinion has existed.

These islands are said to have been discovered as early as 1762, by the commander of the
ship Aurora. In 1790, Captain Manuel de Oyarvido,, in the ship Princess, belonging to the
Royal Philippine Company, sailed, as he asserts, directly among them. In 1794, the
Spanish corvette Atrevida went with the determination of ascertaining their precise
situation, and, in a paper published by the Royal Hydrographical Society of Madrid in the
year 1809, the following language is used respecting this expedition: "The corvette
Atrevida practised, in their immediate vicinity, from the twenty-first to the twenty-
seventh of January, all the necessary observations, and measured by chronometers the
difference of longitude between these islands and the port of Soledad in the Manillas. The
islands are three, they are very nearly in the same meridian; the centre one is rather low,
and the other two may be seen at nine leagues' distance." The observations made on
board the Atrevida give the following results as the precise situation of each island. The
most northern is in latitude 52 degrees 37' 24" S., longitude 47 degrees, 43' 15" W.; the
middle one in latitude 53 degrees 2' 40" S., longitude 47 degrees 55' 15" W.; and the most
southern in latitude 53 degrees 15' 22" S., longitude 47 degrees 57' 15" W.

On the twenty- seventh of January, 1820, Captain James Weddel, of the British navy,
sailed from Staten Land also in search of the Auroras. He reports that, having made the
most diligent search and passed not only immediately over the spots indicated by the
commander of the Atrevida, but in every direction throughout the vicinity of these spots,
he could discover no indication of land. These conflicting statements have induced other
navigators to look out for the islands; and, strange to say, while some have sailed through
every inch of sea where they are supposed to lie without finding them, there have been
not a few who declare positively that they have seen them; and even been close in with
their shores. It was Captain Guy's intention to make every exertion within his power to
settle the question so oddly in dispute.*

* Among the vessels which at various times have professed to meet with the Auroras may
be mentioned the ship San Miguel, in 1769; the ship Aurora, in 1774; the brig Pearl, in
1779; and the ship Dolores, in 1790. They all agree in giving the mean latitude fifty-three
degrees south.

We kept on our course, between the south and west, with variable weather, until the
twentieth of the month, when we found ourselves on the debated ground, being in latitude
53 degrees 15' S., longitude 47 degrees 58' W.-that is to say, very nearly upon the spot
indicated as the situation of the most southern of the group. Not perceiving any sip of
land, we continued to the westward of the parallel of fifty-three degrees south, as far as
the meridian of fifty degrees west. We then stood to the north as far as the parallel of
fifty-two degrees south, when we turned to the eastward, and kept our parallel by double
altitudes, morning and evening, and meridian altitudes of the planets and moon. Having
thus gone eastwardly to the meridian of the western coast of Georgia, we kept that

meridian until we were in the latitude from which we set out. We then took diagonal
courses throughout the entire extent of sea circumscribed, keeping a lookout constantly at
the masthead, and repeating our examination with the greatest care for a period of three
weeks, during which the weather was remarkably pleasant and fair, with no haze
whatsoever. Of course we were thoroughly satisfied that, whatever islands might have
existed in this vicinity at any former period, no vestige of them remained at the present
day. Since my return home I find that the same ground was traced over, with equal care,
in 1822, by Captain Johnson, of the American schooner Henry, and by Captain Morrell in
the American schooner Wasp-in both cases with the same result as in our own.

CHAPTER XVI

It had been Captain Guy's original intention, after satisfying himself about the Auroras, to
proceed through the Strait of Magellan, and up along the western coast of Patagonia; but
information received at Tristan d'Acunha induced him to steer to the southward, in the
hope of falling in with some small islands said to lie about the parallel of 60 degrees S.,
longitude 41 degrees 20' W. In the event of his not discovering these lands, he designed,
should the season prove favourable, to push on toward the pole. Accordingly, on the
twelfth of December, we made sail in that direction. On the eighteenth we found
ourselves about the station indicated by Glass, and cruised for three days in that
neighborhood without finding any traces of the islands he had mentioned. On the twenty-
first, the weather being unusually pleasant, we again made sail to the southward, with the
resolution of penetrating in that course as far as possible. Before entering upon this
portion of my narrative, it may be as well, for the information of those readers who have
paid little attention to the progress of discovery in these regions, to give some brief
account of the very few attempts at reaching the southern pole which have hitherto been
made.

That of Captain Cook was the first of which we have any distinct account. In 1772 he
sailed to the south in the Resolution, accompanied by Lieutenant Furneaux in the
Adventure. In December he found himself as far as the fifty-eighth parallel of south
latitude, and in longitude 26 degrees 57' E. Here he met with narrow fields of ice, about
eight or ten inches thick, and running northwest and southeast. This ice was in large
cakes, and usually it was packed so closely that the vessel had great difficulty in forcing a
passage. At this period Captain Cook supposed, from the vast number of birds to be seen,
and from other indications, that he was in the near vicinity of land. He kept on to the
southward, the weather being exceedingly cold, until he reached the sixty-fourth parallel,
in longitude 38 degrees 14' W.. Here he had mild weather, with gentle breezes, for five
days, the thermometer being at thirty-six. In January, 1773, the vessels crossed the
Antarctic circle, but did not succeed in penetrating much farther; for upon reaching
latitude 67 degrees 15' they found all farther progress impeded by an immense body of
ice, extending all along the southern horizon as far as the eye could reach. This ice was of
every variety-and some large floes of it, miles in extent, formed a compact mass, rising
eighteen or twenty feet above the water. It being late in the season, and no hope
entertained of rounding these obstructions. Captain Cook now reluctantly turned to the
northward.

In the November following he renewed his search in the Antarctic. In latitude 59 degrees
40' he met with a strong current setting to the southward. In December, when the vessels
were in latitude 67 degrees 31', longitude 142 degrees 54' W., the cold was excessive,
with heavy gales and fog. Here also birds were abundant; the albatross, the penguin, and
the peterel especially. In latitude 70 degrees 23' some large islands of ice were
encountered, and shortly afterward the clouds to the southward were observed to be of a
snowy whiteness, indicating the vicinity of field ice. In latitude 71 degrees 10', longitude
106 degrees 54' W., the navigators were stopped, as before, by an immense frozen
expanse, which filled the whole area of the southern horizon. The northern edge of this
expanse was ragged and broken, so firmly wedged together as to be utterly impassible,
and extending about a mile to the southward. Behind it the frozen surface was
comparatively smooth for some distance, until terminated in the extreme background by
gigantic ranges of ice mountains, the one towering above the other. Captain Cook
concluded that this vast field reached the southern pole or was joined to a continent. Mr.
J. N. Reynolds, whose great exertions and perseverance have at length succeeded in
getting set on foot a national expedition, partly for the purpose of exploring these regions,
thus speaks of the attempt of the Resolution. "We are not surprised that Captain Cook
was unable to go beyond 71 degrees 10', but we are astonished that he did attain that
point on the meridian of 106 degrees 54' west longitude. Palmer's Land lies south of the
Shetland, latitude sixty-four degrees, and tends to the southward and westward farther
than any navigator has yet penetrated. Cook was standing for this land when his progress
was arrested by the ice; which, we apprehend, must always be the case in that point, and
so early in the season as the sixth of January-and we should not be surprised if a portion
of the icy mountains described was attached to the main body of Palmer's Land, or to
some other portions of land lying farther to the southward and westward."

In 1803, Captains Kreutzenstern and Lisiausky were dispatched by Alexander of Russia
for the purpose of circumnavigating the globe. In endeavouring to get south, they made
no farther than 59 degrees 58', in longitude 70 degrees 15' W. They here met with strong
currents setting eastwardly. Whales were abundant, but they saw no ice. In regard to this
voyage, Mr. Reynolds observes that, if Kreutzenstern had arrived where he did earlier in
the season, he must have encountered ice-it was March when he reached the latitude
specified. The winds, prevailing, as they do, from the southward and westward, had
carried the floes, aided by currents, into that icy region bounded on the north by Georgia,
east by Sandwich Land and the South Orkneys, and west by the South Shetland islands.

In 1822, Captain James Weddell, of the British navy, with two very small vessels,
penetrated farther to the south than any previous navigator, and this, too, without
encountering extraordinary difficulties. He states that although he was frequently
hemmed in by ice before reaching the seventy- second parallel, yet, upon attaining it, not
a particle was to be discovered, and that, upon arriving at the latitude of 74 degrees 15',
no fields, and only three islands of ice were visible. It is somewhat remarkable that,
although vast flocks of birds were seen, and other usual indications of land, and although,
south of the Shetlands, unknown coasts were observed from the masthead tending
southwardly, Weddell discourages the idea of land existing in the polar regions of the
south.

On the 11th of January, 1823, Captain Benjamin Morrell, of the American schooner
Wasp, sailed from Kerguelen's Land with a view of penetrating as far south as possible.
On the first of February he found himself in latitude 64 degrees 52' S., longitude 118
degrees 27' E. The following passage is extracted from his journal of that date. "The wind
soon freshened to an eleven-knot breeze, and we embraced this opportunity of making to
the west,; being however convinced that the farther we went south beyond latitude sixty-
four degrees, the less ice was to be apprehended, we steered a little to the southward,
until we crossed the Antarctic circle, and were in latitude 69 degrees 15' E. In this latitude
there was no field ice, and very few ice islands in sight.

Under the date of March fourteenth I find also this entry. The sea was now entirely free
of field ice, and there were not more than a dozen ice islands in sight. At the same time
the temperature of the air and water was at least thirteen degrees higher (more mild) than
we had ever found it between the parallels of sixty and sixty-two south. We were now in
latitude 70 degrees 14' S., and the temperature of the air was forty-seven, and that of the
water forty-four. In this situation I found the variation to be 14 degrees 27' easterly, per
azimuth.... I have several times passed within the Antarctic circle, on different meridians,
and have uniformly found the temperature, both of the air and the water, to become more
and more mild the farther I advanced beyond the sixty-fifth degree of south latitude, and
that the variation decreases in the same proportion. While north of this latitude, say
between sixty and sixty-five south, we frequently had great difficulty in finding a passage
for the vessel between the immense and almost innumerable ice islands, some of which
were from one to two miles in circumference, and more than five hundred feet above the
surface of the water."

Being nearly destitute of fuel and water, and without proper instruments, it being also late
in the season. Captain Morrell was now obliged to put back, without attempting any
further progress to the westward, although an entirely open, sea lay before him. He
expresses the opinion that, had not these overruling considerations obliged him to retreat,
he could have penetrated, if not to the pole itself, at least to the eighty-fifth parallel. I
have given his ideas respecting these matters somewhat at length, that the reader may
have an opportunity of seeing how far they were borne out by my own subsequent
experience.

In 1831, Captain Briscoe, in the employ of the Messieurs Enderby, whale-ship owners of
London, sailed in the brig Lively for the South Seas, accompanied by the cutter Tula. On
the twenty-eighth of February, being in latitude 66 degrees 30' S., longitude 47 degrees
31' E., he descried land, and "clearly discovered through the snow the black peaks of a
range of mountains running E. S. E." He remained in this neighbourhood during the
whole of the following month, but was unable to approach the coast nearer than within
ten leagues, owing to the boisterous state of the weather. Finding it impossible to make
further discovery during this season, he returned northward to winter in Van Diemen's
Land.

In the beginning of 1832 he again proceeded southwardly, and on the fourth of February
was seen to the southeast in latitude 67 degrees 15' longitude 69 degrees 29' W. This was

soon found to be an island near the headland of the country he had first discovered. On
the twenty-first of the month he succeeded in landing on the latter, and took possession of
it in the name of William IV, calling it Adelaide's Island, in honour of the English queen.
These particulars being made known to the Royal Geographical Society of London, the
conclusion was drawn by that body "that there is a continuous tract of land extending
from 47 degrees 30' E. to 69 degrees 29' W. longitude, running the parallel of from sixty-
six to sixty-seven degrees south latitude." In respect to this conclusion Mr. Reynolds
observes: "In the correctness of it we by no means concur; nor do the discoveries of
Briscoe warrant any such indifference. It was within these limits that Weddel proceeded
south on a meridian to the east of Georgia, Sandwich Land, and the South Orkney and
Shetland islands." My own experience will be found to testify most directly to the falsity
of the conclusion arrived at by the society.

These are the principal attempts which have been made at penetrating to a high southern
latitude, and it will now be seen that there remained, previous to the voyage of the Jane,
nearly three hundred degrees of longitude in which the Antarctic circle had not been
crossed at all. Of course a wide field lay before us for discovery, and it was with feelings
of most intense interest that I heard Captain Guy express his resolution of pushing boldly
to the southward.

CHAPTER XVII

We kept our course southwardly for four days after giving up the search for Glass's
islands, without meeting with any ice at all. On the twenty-sixth, at noon, we were in
latitude 63 degrees 23' S., longitude 41 degrees 25' W. We now saw several large ice
islands, and a floe of field ice, not, however, of any great extent. The winds generally
blew from the southeast, or the northeast, but were very light. Whenever we had a
westerly wind, which was seldom, it was invariably attended with a rain squall. Every
day we had more or less snow. The thermometer, on the twenty- seventh stood at thirty-
five.

January 1, 1828.-This day we found ourselves completely hemmed in by the ice, and our
prospects looked cheerless indeed. A strong gale blew, during the whole forenoon, from
the northeast, and drove large cakes of the drift against the rudder and counter with such
violence that we all trembled for the consequences. Toward evening, the gale still
blowing with fury, a large field in front separated, and we were enabled, by carrying a
press of sail to force a passage through the smaller flakes into some open water beyond.
As we approached this space we took in sail by degrees, and having at length got clear,
lay-to under a single, reefed foresail.

January 2.-We had now tolerably pleasant weather. At noon we found ourselves in
latitude 69 degrees 10' S, longitude 42 degrees 20' W, having crossed the Antarctic circle.
Very little ice was to be seen to the southward, although large fields of it lay behind us.
This day we rigged some sounding gear, using a large iron pot capable of holding twenty
gallons, and a line of two hundred fathoms. We found the current setting to the north.

about a quarter of a mile per hour. The temperature of the air was now about thirty-three.
Here we found the variation to be 14 degrees 28' easterly, per azimuth.

January 5.-We had still held on to the southward without any very great impediments. On
this morning, however, being in latitude 73 degrees 15' E., longitude 42 degrees 10' W,
we were again brought to a stand by an immense expanse of firm ice. We saw,
nevertheless, much open water to the southward, and felt no doubt of being able to reach
it eventually. Standing to the eastward along the edge of the floe, we at length came to a
passage of about a mile in width, through which we warped our way by sundown. The
sea in which we now were was thickly covered with ice islands, but had no field ice, and
we pushed on boldly as before. The cold did not seem to increase, although we had snow
very frequently, and now and then hail squalls of great violence. Immense flocks of the
albatross flew over the schooner this day, going from southeast to northwest.

January 7. -The sea still remained pretty well open, so that we had no difficulty in holding
on our course. To the westward we saw some icebergs of incredible size, and in the
afternoon passed very near one whose summit could not have been less than four hundred
fathoms from the surface of the ocean. Its girth was probably, at the base, three-quarters
of a league, and several streams of water were running from crevices in its sides. We
remained in sight of this island two days, and then only lost it in a fog.

January lO.-Early this morning we had the misfortune to lose a man overboard. He was
an American named Peter Vredenburgh, a native of New York, and was one of the most
valuable hands on board the schooner. In going over the bows his foot slipped, and he fell
between two cakes of ice, never rising again. At noon of this day we were in latitude 78
degrees 30', longitude 40 degrees 15' W. The cold was now excessive, and we had hail
squalls continually from the northward and eastward. In this direction also we saw
several more immense icebergs, and the whole horizon to the eastward appeared to be
blocked up with field ice, rising in tiers, one mass above the other. Some driftwood
floated by during the evening, and a great quantity of birds flew over, among which were
nellies, peterels, albatrosses, and a large bird of a brilliant blue plumage. The variation
here, per azimuth, was less than it had been previously to our passing the Antarctic circle.

January 12. -Our passage to the south again looked doubtful, as nothing was to be seen in
the direction of the pole but one apparently limitless floe, backed by absolute mountains
of ragged ice, one precipice of which arose frowningly above the other. We stood to the
westward until the fourteenth, in the hope of finding an entrance.

January 14. -This morning we reached the western extremity of the field which had
impeded us, and, weathering it, came to an open sea, without a particle of ice. Upon
sounding with two hundred fathoms, we here found a current setting southwardly at the
rate of half a mile per hour. The temperature of the air was forty- seven, that of the water
thirtyfour. We now sailed to the southward without meeting any interruption of moment
until the sixteenth, when, at noon, we were in latitude 81 degrees 21', longitude 42
degrees W. We here again sounded, and found a current setting still southwardly, and at
the rate of three quarters of a mile per hour. The variation per azimuth had diminished.

and the temperature of the air was mild and pleasant, the thermometer being as high as
fifty-one. At this period not a particle of ice was to be discovered. All hands on board
now felt certain of attaining the pole.

January 17. -This day was full of incident. Innumerable flights of birds flew over us from
the southward, and several were shot from the deck, one of them, a species of pelican,
proved to be excellent eating. About midday a small floe of ice was seen from the
masthead off the larboard bow, and upon it there appeared to be some large animal. As
the weather was good and nearly calm. Captain Guy ordered out two of the boats to see
what it was. Dirk Peters and myself accompanied the mate in the larger boat. Upon
coming up with the floe, we perceived that it was in the possession of a gigantic creature
of the race of the Arctic bear, but far exceeding in size the largest of these animals. Being
well armed, we made no scruple of attacking it at once. Several shots were fired in quick
succession, the most of which took effect, apparently, in the head and body. Nothing
discouraged, however, the monster threw himself from the ice, and swam with open jaws,
to the boat in which were Peters and myself. Owing to the confusion which ensued
among us at this unexpected turn of the adventure, no person was ready immediately with
a second shot, and the bear had actually succeeded in getting half his vast bulk across our
gunwale, and seizing one of the men by the small of his back, before any efficient means
were taken to repel him. In this extremity nothing but the promptness and agility of Peters
saved us from destruction. Leaping upon the back of the huge beast, he plunged the blade
of a knife behind the neck, reaching the spinal marrow at a blow. The brute tumbled into
the sea lifeless, and without a struggle, rolling over Peters as he fell. The latter soon
recovered himself, and a rope being thrown him, returned in triumph to the schooner,
towing our trophy behind us. This bear, upon admeasurement, proved to be full fifteen
feet in his greatest length. His wool was perfectly white, and very coarse, curling tightly.
The eyes were of a blood red, and larger than those of the Arctic bear, the snout also
more rounded, rather resembling the snout of the bulldog. The meat was tender, but
excessively rank and fishy, although the men devoured it with avidity, and declared it
excellent eating.

Scarcely had we got our prize alongside, when the man at the masthead gave the joyful
shout of "land on the starboard bow!" All hands were now upon the alert, and, a breeze
springing up very opportunely from the northward and eastward, we were soon close in
with the coast. It proved to be a low rocky islet, of about a league in circumference, and
altogether destitute of vegetation, if we except a species of prickly pear. In approaching it
from the northward, a singular ledge of rock is seen projecting into the sea, and bearing a
strong resemblance to corded bales of cotton. Around this ledge to the westward is a
small bay, at the bottom of which our boats effected a convenient landing.

It did not take us long to explore every portion of the island, but, with one exception, we
found nothing worthy of our observation. In the southern extremity, we picked up near
the shore, half buried in a pile of loose stones, a piece of wood, which seemed to have
formed the prow of a canoe. There had been evidently some attempt at carving upon it,
and Captain Guy fancied that he made out the figure of a tortoise, but the resemblance
did not strike me very forcibly. Besides this prow, if such it were, we found no other

token that any living creature had ever been here before. Around the coast we discovered
occasional small floes of ice-but these were very few. The exact situation of the islet (to
which Captain Guy gave the name of Bennet's Islet, in honour of his partner in the
ownership of the schooner) is 82 degrees 50' S. latitude, 42 degrees 20' W. longitude.

We had now advanced to the southward more than eight degrees farther than any
previous navigators, and the sea still lay perfectly open before us. We found, too, that the
variation uniformly decreased as we proceeded, and, what was still more surprising, that
the temperature of the air, and latterly of the water, became milder. The weather might
even be called pleasant, and we had a steady but very gentle breeze always from some
northern point of the compass. The sky was usually clear, with now and then a slight
appearance of thin vapour in the southern horizon-this, however, was invariably of brief
duration. Two difficulties alone presented themselves to our view; we were getting short
of fuel, and symptoms of scurvy had occurred among several of the crew. These
considerations began to impress upon Captain Guy the necessity of returning, and he
spoke of it frequently. For my own part, confident as I was of soon arriving at land of
some description upon the course we were pursuing, and having every reason to believe,
from present appearances, that we should not find it the sterile soil met with in the higher
Arctic latitudes, I warmly pressed upon him the expediency of persevering, at least for a
few days longer, in the direction we were now holding. So tempting an opportunity of
solving the great problem in regard to an Antarctic continent had never yet been afforded
to man, and I confess that I felt myself bursting with indignation at the timid and ill-timed
suggestions of our commander. I believe, indeed, that what I could not refrain from
saying to him on this head had the effect of inducing him to push on. While, therefore, I
cannot but lament the most unfortunate and bloody events which immediately arose from
my advice, I must still be allowed to feel some degree of gratification at having been
instrumental, however remotely, in opening to the eye of science one of the most
intensely exciting secrets which has ever engrossed its attention.

CHAPTER XVIII

January 18. -This morning* we continued to the southward, with the same pleasant
weather as before. The sea was entirely smooth, the air tolerably warm and from the
northeast, the temperature of the water fifty-three. We now again got our sounding-gear
in order, and, with a hundred and fifty fathoms of line, found the current setting toward
the pole at the rate of a mile an hour. This constant tendency to the southward, both in the
wind and current, caused some degree of speculation, and even of alarm, in different
quarters of the schooner, and I saw distinctly that no little impression had been made
upon the mind of Captain Guy. He was exceedingly sensitive to ridicule, however, and I
finally succeeded in laughing him out of his apprehensions. The variation was now very
trivial. In the course of the day we saw several large whales of the right species, and
innumerable flights of the albatross passed over the vessel. We also picked up a bush, full
of red berries, like those of the hawthorn, and the carcass of a singular- looking land-
animal. It was three feet in length, and but six inches in height, with four very short legs,
the feet armed with long claws of a brilliant scarlet, and resembling coral in substance.
The body was covered with a straight silky hair, perfectly white. The tail was peaked like

that of a rat, and about a foot and a half long. The head resembled a cat's, with the
exception of the ears-these were flopped like the ears of a dog. The teeth were of the
same brilliant scarlet as the claws.

* The terms morning and evening, which I have made use of to avoid confusion in my
narrative, as far as possible, must not, of course, be taken in their ordinary sense. For a
long time past we had had no night at all, the daylight being continual. The dates
throughout are according to nautical time, and the bearing must be understood as per
compass. I would also remark, in this place, that I cannot, in the first portion of what is
here written, pretend to strict accuracy in respect to dates, or latitudes and longitudes,
having kept no regular journal until after the period of which this first portion treats. In
many instances I have relied altogether upon memory.

January 19.-To-day, being in latitude 83 degrees 20', longitude 43 degrees 5' W. (the sea
being of an extraordinarily dark colour), we again saw land from the masthead, and, upon
a closer scrutiny, found it to be one of a group of very large islands. The shore was
precipitous, and the interior seemed to be well wooded, a circumstance which occasioned
us great joy. In about four hours from our first discovering the land we came to anchor in
ten fathoms, sandy bottom, a league from the coast, as a high surf, with strong ripples
here and there, rendered a nearer approach of doubtful expediency. The two largest boats
were now ordered out, and a party, well armed (among whom were Peters and myself),
proceeded to look for an opening in the reef which appeared to encircle the island. After
searching about for some time, we discovered an inlet, which we were entering, when we
saw four large canoes put off from the shore, filled with men who seemed to be well
armed. We waited for them to come up, and, as they moved with great rapidity, they were
soon within hail. Captain Guy now held up a white handkerchief on the blade of an oar,
when the strangers made a full stop, and commenced a loud jabbering all at once,
intermingled with occasional shouts, in which we could distinguish the words Anamoo-
moo! and Lama-Lama! They continued this for at least half an hour, during which we had
a good opportunity of observing their appearance.

In the four canoes, which might have been fifty feet long and five broad, there were a
hundred and ten savages in all. They were about the ordinary stature of Europeans, but of
a more muscular and brawny frame. Their complexion a jet black, with thick and long
woolly hair. They were clothed in skins of an unknown black animal, shaggy and silky,
and made to fit the body with some degree of skill, the hair being inside, except where
turned out about the neck, wrists, and ankles. Their arms consisted principally of clubs, of
a dark, and apparently very heavy wood. Some spears, however, were observed among
them, headed with flint, and a few slings. The bottoms of the canoes were full of black
stones about the size of a large egg.

When they had concluded their harangue (for it was clear they intended their jabbering
for such), one of them who seemed to be the chief stood up in the prow of his canoe, and
made signs for us to bring our boats alongside of him. This hint we pretended not to
understand, thinking it the wiser plan to maintain, if possible, the interval between us, as
their number more than quadrupled our own. Finding this to be the case, the chief ordered

the three other canoes to hold back, while he advanced toward us with his own. As soon
as he came up with us he leaped on board the largest of our boats, and seated himself by
the side of Captain Guy, pointing at the same time to the schooner, and repeating the
word Anamoo-moo! and Lama-Lama! We now put back to the vessel, the four canoes
following at a little distance.

Upon getting alongside, the chief evinced symptoms of extreme surprise and delight,
clapping his hands, slapping his thighs and breast, and laughing obstreperously. His
followers behind joined in his merriment, and for some minutes the din was so excessive
as to be absolutely deafening. Quiet being at length restored. Captain Guy ordered the
boats to be hoisted up, as a necessary precaution, and gave the chief (whose name we
soon found to be Too-wit) to understand that we could admit no more than twenty of his
men on deck at one time. With this arrangement he appeared perfectly satisfied, and gave
some directions to the canoes, when one of them approached, the rest remaining about
fifty yards off. Twenty of the savages now got on board, and proceeded to ramble over
every part of the deck, and scramble about among the rigging, making themselves much
at home, and examining every article with great inquisitiveness.

It was quite evident that they had never before seen any of the white race-from whose
complexion, indeed, they appeared to recoil. They believed the Jane to be a living
creature, and seemed to be afraid of hurting it with the points of their spears, carefully
turning them up. Our crew were much amused with the conduct of Too-wit in one
instance. The cook was splitting some wood near the galley, and, by accident, struck his
axe into the deck, making a gash of considerable depth. The chief immediately ran up,
and pushing the cook on one side rather roughly, commenced a half whine, half howl,
strongly indicative of sympathy in what he considered the sufferings of the schooner,
patting and smoothing the gash with his hand, and washing it from a bucket of seawater
which stood by. This was a degree of ignorance for which we were not prepared, and for
my part I could not help thinking some of it affected.

When the visitors had satisfied, as well as they could, their curiosity in regard to our
upper works, they were admitted below, when their amazement exceeded all bounds.
Their astonishment now appeared to be far too deep for words, for they roamed about in
silence, broken only by low ejaculations. The arms afforded them much food for
speculation, and they were suffered to handle and examine them at leisure. I do not
believe that they had the least suspicion of their actual use, but rather took them for idols,
seeing the care we had of them, and the attention with which we watched their
movements while handling them. At the great guns their wonder was redoubled. They
approached them with every mark of the profoundest reverence and awe, but forbore to
examine them minutely. There were two large mirrors in the cabin, and here was the
acme of their amazement. Too-wit was the first to approach them, and he had got in the
middle of the cabin, with his face to one and his back to the other, before he fairly
perceived them. Upon raising his eyes and seeing his reflected self in the glass, I thought
the savage would go mad; but, upon turning short round to make a retreat, and beholding
himself a second time in the opposite direction, I was afraid he would expire upon the
spot. No persuasion could prevail upon him to take another look; throwing himself upon

the floor, with his face buried in his hands, he remained thus until we were obliged to
drag him upon deck.

The whole of the savages were admitted on board in this manner, twenty at a time, Too-
wit being suffered to remain during the entire period. We saw no disposition to thievery
among them, nor did we miss a single article after their departure. Throughout the whole
of their visit they evinced the most friendly manner. There were, however, some points in
their demeanour which we found it impossible to understand; for example, we could not
get them to approach several very harmless objects-such as the schooner's sails, an egg,
an open book, or a pan of flour. We endeavoured to ascertain if they had among them any
articles which might be turned to account in the way of traffic, but found great difficulty
in being comprehended. We made out, nevertheless, what greatly astonished us, that the
islands abounded in the large tortoise of the Gallipagos, one of which we saw in the
canoe of Too-wit. We saw also some biche de mer in the hands of one of the savages,
who was greedily devouring it in its natural state. These anomalies-for they were such
when considered in regard to the latitude-induced Captain Guy to wish for a thorough
investigation of the country, in the hope of making a profitable speculation in his
discovery. For my own part, anxious as I was to know something more of these islands, I
was still more earnestly bent on prosecuting the voyage to the southward without delay.
We had now fine weather, but there was no telling how long it would last; and being
already in the eighty-fourth parallel, with an open sea before us, a current setting strongly
to the southward, and the wind fair, I could not listen with any patience to a proposition
of stopping longer than was absolutely necessary for the health of the crew and the taking
on board a proper supply of fuel and fresh provisions. I represented to the captain that we
might easily make this group on our return, and winter here in the event of being blocked
up by the ice. He at length came into my views (for in some way, hardly known to
myself, I had acquired much influence over him), and it was finally resolved that, even in
the event of our finding biche de mer, we should only stay here a week to recruit, and
then push on to the southward while we might. Accordingly we made every necessary
preparation, and, under the guidance of Too-wit, got the Jane through the reef in safety,
coming to anchor about a mile from the shore, in an excellent bay, completely
landlocked, on the southeastern coast of the main island, and in ten fathoms of water,
black sandy bottom. At the head of this bay there were three fine springs (we were told)
of good water, and we saw abundance of wood in the vicinity. The four canoes followed
us in, keeping, however, at a respectful distance. Too-wit himself remained on board,
and, upon our dropping anchor, invited us to accompany him on shore, and visit his
village in the interior. To this Captain Guy consented; and ten savages being left on board
as hostages, a party of us, twelve in all, got in readiness to attend the chief. We took care
to be well armed, yet without evincing any distrust. The schooner had her guns run out,
her boarding-nettings up, and every other proper precaution was taken to guard against
surprise. Directions were left with the chief mate to admit no person on board during our
absence, and, in the event of our not appearing in twelve hours, to send the cutter, with a
swivel, around the island in search of us.

At every step we took inland the conviction forced itself upon us that we were in a
country differing essentially from any hitherto visited by civilized men. We saw nothing

with which we had been formerly conversant. The trees resembled no growth of either
the torrid, the temperate, of the northern frigid zones, and were altogether unlike those of
the lower southern latitudes we had already traversed. The very rocks were novel in their
mass, their color, and their stratification; and the streams themselves, utterly incredible as
it may appear, had so little in common with those of other climates, that we were
scrupulous of tasting them, and, indeed, had difficulty in bringing ourselves to believe
that their qualities were purely those of nature. At a small brook which crossed our path
(the first we had reached) Too-wit and his attendants halted to drink. On account of the
singular character of the water, we refused to taste it, supposing it to be polluted; and it
was not until some time afterward we came to understand that such was the appearance
of the streams throughout the whole group. I am at a loss to give a distinct idea of the
nature of this liquid, and cannot do so without many words. Although it flowed with
rapidity in all declivities where common water would do so, yet never, except when
falling in a cascade, had it the customary appearance of limpidity. It was, nevertheless, in
point of fact, as perfectly limpid as any limestone water in existence, the difference being
only in appearance. At first sight, and especially in cases where little declivity was found,
it bore re. semblance, as regards consistency, to a thick infusion of gum arable in
common water. But this was only the least remarkable of its extraordinary qualities. It
was not colourless, nor was it of any one uniform colour-presenting to the eye, as it
flowed, every possible shade of purple; like the hues of a changeable silk. This variation
in shade was produced in a manner which excited as profound astonishment in the minds
of our party as the mirror had done in the case of Too-wit. Upon collecting a basinful,
and allowing it to settle thoroughly, we perceived that the whole mass of liquid was made
up of a number of distinct veins, each of a distinct hue; that these veins did not
commingle; and that their cohesion was perfect in regard to their own particles among
themselves, and imperfect in regard to neighbouring veins. Upon passing the blade of a
knife athwart the veins, the water closed over it immediately, as with us, and also, in
withdrawing it, all traces of the passage of the knife were instantly obliterated. If,
however, the blade was passed down accurately between the two veins, a perfect
separation was effected, which the power of cohesion did not immediately rectify. The
phenomena of this water formed the first definite link in that vast chain of apparent
miracles with which I was destined to be at length encircled.

CHAPTER XIX

We were nearly three hours in reaching the village, it being more than nine miles in the
interior, and the path lying through a rugged country. As we passed along, the party of
Too-wit (the whole hundred and ten savages of the canoes) was momentarily
strengthened by smaller detachments, of from two to six or seven, which joined us, as if
by accident, at different turns of the road. There appeared so much of system in this that I
could not help feeling distrust, and I spoke to Captain Guy of my apprehensions. It was
now too late, however, to recede, and we concluded that our best security lay in evincing
a perfect confidence in the good faith of Too-wit. We accordingly went on, keeping a
wary eye upon the manoeuvres of the savages, and not permitting them to divide our
numbers by pushing in between. In this way, passing through a precipitous ravine, we at
length reached what we were told was the only collection of habitations upon the island.

As we came in sight of them, the chief set up a shout, and frequently repeated the word
Klock-klock, which we sup. posed to be the name of the village, or perhaps the generic
name for villages.

The dwellings were of the most miserable description imaginable, and, unlike those of
even the lowest of the savage races with which mankind are acquainted, were of no
uniform plan. Some of them (and these we found belonged to the Wampoos or Yampoos,
the great men of the land) consisted of a tree cut down at about four feet from the root,
with a large black skin thrown over it, and hanging in loose folds upon the ground. Under
this the savage nestled. Others were formed by means of rough limbs of trees, with the
withered foliage upon them, made to recline, at an angle of forty-five degrees, against a
bank of clay, heaped up, without regular form, to the height of five or six feet. Others,
again, were mere holes dug in the earth perpendicularly, and covered over with similar
branches, these being removed when the tenant was about to enter, and pulled on again
when he had entered. A few were built among the forked limbs of trees as they stood, the
upper limbs being partially cut through, so as to bend over upon the lower, thus forming
thicker shelter from the weather. The greater number, however, consisted of small
shallow caverns, apparently scratched in the face of a precipitous ledge of dark stone,
resembling fuller's earth, with which three sides of the village were bounded. At the door
of each of these primitive caverns was a small rock, which the tenant carefully placed
before the entrance upon leaving his residence, for what purpose I could not ascertain, as
the stone itself was never of sufficient size to close up more than a third of the opening.

This village, if it were worthy of the name, lay in a valley of some depth, and could only
be approached from the southward, the precipitous ledge of which I have already spoken
cutting off all access in other directions. Through the middle of the valley ran a brawling
stream of the same magical-looking water which has been described. We saw several
strange animals about the dwellings, all appearing to be thoroughly domesticated. The
largest of these creatures resembled our common hog in the structure of the body and
snout; the tail, however, was bushy, and the legs slender as those of the antelope. Its
motion was exceedingly awkward and indecisive, and we never saw it attempt to run. We
noticed also several animals very similar in appearance, but of a greater length of body,
and covered with a black wool. There were a great variety of tame fowls running about,
and these seemed to constitute the chief food of the natives. To our astonishment we saw
black albatross among these birds in a state of entire domestication, going to sea
periodically for food, but always returning to the village as a home, and using the
southern shore in the vicinity as a place of incubation. There they were joined by their
friends the pelicans as usual, but these latter never followed them to the dwellings of the
savages. Among the other kinds of tame fowls were ducks, differing very little from the
canvass-back of our own country, black gannets, and a large bird not unlike the buzzard
in appearance, but not carnivorous. Of fish there seemed to be a great abundance. We
saw, during our visit, a quantity of dried salmon, rock cod, blue dolphins, mackerel,
blackfish, skate, conger eels, elephantfish, mullets, soles, parrotfish, leather-jackets,
gurnards, hake, flounders, paracutas, and innumerable other varieties. We noticed, too,
that most of them were similar to the fish about the group of Lord Auckland Islands, in a
latitude as low as fifty-one degrees south. The Gallipago tortoise was also very plentiful.

We saw but few wild animals, and none of a large size, or of a species with which we
were familiar. One or two serpents of a formidable aspect crossed our path, but the
natives paid them little attention, and we concluded that they were not venomous.

As we approached the village with Too-wit and his party, a vast crowd of the people
rushed out to meet us, with loud shouts, among which we could only distinguish the
everlasting Anamoo-moo! and Lama-Lama! We were much surprised at perceiving that,
with one or two exceptions, these new comers were entirely naked, and skins being used
only by the men of the canoes. All the weapons of the country seemed also to be in the
possession of the latter, for there was no appearance of any among the villagers. There
were a great many women and children, the former not altogether wanting in what might
be termed personal beauty. They were straight, tall, and well formed, with a grace and
freedom of carriage not to be found in civilized society. Their lips, however, like those of
the men, were thick and clumsy, so that, even when laughing, the teeth were never
disclosed. Their hair was of a finer texture than that of the males. Among these naked
villagers there might have been ten or twelve who were clothed, like the party of Too-wit,
in dresses of black skin, and armed with lances and heavy clubs. These appeared to have
great influence among the rest, and were always addressed by the title Wampoo. These,
too, were the tenants of the black skin palaces. That of Too-wit was situated in the centre
of the village, and was much larger and somewhat better constructed than others of its
kind. The tree which formed its support was cut off at a distance of twelve feet or
thereabouts from the root, and there were several branches left just below the cut, these
serving to extend the covering, and in this way prevent its flapping about the trunk. The
covering, too, which consisted of four very large skins fastened together with wooden
skewers, was secured at the bottom with pegs driven through it and into the ground. The
floor was strewed with a quantity of dry leaves by way of carpet.

To this hut we were conducted with great solemnity, and as many of the natives crowded
in after us as possible. Too-wit seated himself on the leaves, and made signs that we
should follow his example. This we did, and presently found ourselves in a situation
peculiarly uncomfortable, if not indeed critical. We were on the ground, twelve in
number, with the savages, as many as forty, sitting on their hams so closely around us
that, if any disturbance had arisen, we should have found it impossible to make use of our
arms, or indeed to have risen to our feet. The pressure was not only inside the tent, but
outside, where probably was every individual on the whole island, the crowd being
prevented from trampling us to death only by the incessant exertions and vociferations of
Too-wit. Our chief security lay, however, in the presence of Too-wit himself among us,
and we resolved to stick by him closely, as the best chance of extricating ourselves from
the dilemma, sacrificing him immediately upon the first appearance of hostile design.

After some trouble a certain degree of quiet was restored, when the chief addressed us in
a speech of great length, and very nearly resembling the one delivered in the canoes, with
the exception that the Anamoo-moos! were now somewhat more strenuously insisted
upon than the Lama- Lamas! We listened in profound silence until the conclusion of this
harangue, when Captain Guy replied by assuring the chief of his eternal friendship and
goodwill, concluding what he had to say be a present of several strings of blue beads and

a knife. At the former the monarch, much to our surprise, turned up his nose with some
expression of contempt, but the knife gave him the most unlimited satisfaction, and he
immediately ordered dinner. This was handed into the tent over the heads of the
attendants, and consisted of the palpitating entrails of a specials of unknown animal,
probably one of the slim-legged hogs which we had observed in our approach to the
village. Seeing us at a loss how to proceed, he began, by way of setting us an example, to
devour yard after yard of the enticing food, until we could positively stand it no longer,
and evinced such manifest symptoms of rebellion of stomach as inspired his majesty with
a degree of astonishment only inferior to that brought about by the looking-glasses. We
declined, however, partaking of the delicacies before us, and endeavoured to make him
understand that we had no appetite whatever, having just finished a hearty dejeuner.

When the monarch had made an end of his meal, we commenced a series of cross-
questioning in every ingenious manner we could devise, with a view of discovering what
were the chief productions of the country, and whether any of them might be turned to
profit. At length he seemed to have some idea of our meaning, and offered to accompany
us to a part of coast where he assured us the biche de mer (pointing to a specimen of that
animal) was to be found in great abundance. We were glad of this early opportunity of
escaping from the oppression of the crowd, and signified our eagerness to proceed. We
now left the tent, and, accompanied by the whole population of the village, followed the
chief to the southeastern extremity of the island, nor far from the bay where our vessel
lay at anchor. We waited here for about an hour, until the four canoes were brought
around by some of the savages to our station, the whole of our party then getting into one
of them, we were paddled along the edge of the reef before mentioned, and of another
still farther out, where we saw a far greater quantity of biche de mer than the oldest
seamen among us had ever seen in those groups of the lower latitudes most celebrated for
this article of commerce. We stayed near these reefs only long enough to satisfy
ourselves that we could easily load a dozen vessels with the animal if necessary, when we
were taken alongside the schooner, and parted with Too-wit, after obtaining from him a
promise that he would bring us, in the course of twenty-four hours, as many of the
canvass-back ducks and Gallipago tortoises as his canoes would hold. In the whole of this
adventure we saw nothing in the demeanour of the natives calculated to create suspicion,
with the single exception of the systematic manner in which their party was strengthened
during our route from the schooner to the village.

CHAPTER XX

The chief was as good as his word, and we were soon plentifully sup. plied with fresh
provisions. We found the tortoises as fine as we had ever seen, and the ducks surpassed
our best species of wild fowl, being exceedingly tender, juicy, and well-flavoured.
Besides these, the savages brought us, upon our making them comprehend our wishes, a
vast quantity of brown celery and scurvy grass, with a canoe-load of fresh fish and some
dried. The celery was a treat indeed, and the scurvy grass proved of incalculable benefit
in restoring those of our men who had shown symptoms of disease. In a very short time
we had not a single person on the sick-list. We had also plenty of other kinds of fresh
provisions, among which may be mentioned a species of shellfish resembling the mussel

in shape, but with the taste of an oyster. Shrimps, too, and prawns were abundant, and
albatross and other birds' eggs with dark shells. We took in, too, a plentiful stock of the
flesh of the hog which I have mentioned before. Most of the men found it a palpatable
food, but I thought it fishy and otherwise disagreeable. In return for these good things we
presented the natives with blue beads, brass trinkets, nails, knives, and pieces of red
cloth, they being fully delighted in the exchange. We established a regular market on
shore, just under the guns of the schooner, where our barterings were carried on with
every appearance of good faith, and a degree of order which their conduct at the village
of Klock-klock had not led us to expect from the savages.

Matters went on thus very amicably for several days, during which parties of the natives
were frequently on board the schooner, and parties of our men frequently on shore,
making long excursions into the interior, and receiving no molestation whatever. Finding
the ease with which the vessel might be loaded with biche de mer, owing to the friendly
disposition of the islanders, and the readiness with which they would render us assistance
in collecting it. Captain Guy resolved to enter into negotiations with Too-wit for the
erection of suitable houses in which to cure the article, and for the services of himself and
tribe in gathering as much as possible, while he himself took advantage of the fine
weather to prosecute his voyage to the southward. Upon mentioning this project to the
chief he seemed very willing to enter into an agreement. A bargain was accordingly
struck, perfectly satisfactory to both parties, by which it was arranged that, after making
the necessary preparations, such as laying off the proper grounds, erecting a portion of
the buildings, and doing some other work in which the whole of our crew would be
required, the schooner should proceed on her route, leaving three of her men on the island
to superintend the fulfilment of the project, and instruct the natives in drying the biche de
mer. In regard to terms, these were made to depend upon the exertions of the savages in
our absence. They were to receive a stipulated quantity of blue beads, knives, red cloth,
and so forth, for every certain number of piculs of the biche de mer which should be
ready on our return.

A description of the nature of this important article of commerce, and the method of
preparing it, may prove of some interest to my readers, and I can find no more suitable
place than this for introducing an account of it. The following comprehensive notice of
the substance is taken from a modern history of a voyage to the South Seas.

"It is that moUusca from the Indian Seas which is known to commerce by the French
name bouche de mer (a nice morsel from the sea). If I am not much mistaken, the
celebrated Cuvier calls it gasteropeda pulmonifera. It is abundantly gathered in the coasts
of the Pacific islands, and gathered especially for the Chinese market, where it commands
a great price, perhaps as much as their much-talked-of edible birds' nests, which are
properly made up of the gelatinous matter picked up by a species of swallow from the
body of these moUuscae. They have no shell, no legs, nor any prominent part, except an
absorbing and an excretory, opposite organs; but, by their elastic wings, hke caterpillars
or worms, they creep in shallow waters, in which, when low, they can be seen by a kind
of swallow, the sharp bill of which, inserted in the soft animal, draws a gummy and

filamentous substance, which, by drying, can be wrought into the solid walls of their nest.
Hence the name of gasteropeda pulmonifera.

"This moUusca is oblong, and of different sizes, from three to eighteen inches in length;
and I have seen a few that were not less than two feet long. They were nearly round, a
little flattish on one side, which lies next to the bottom of the sea; and they are from one
to eight inches thick. They crawl up into shallow water at particular seasons of the year,
probably for the purpose of gendering, as we often find them in pairs. It is when the sun
has the most power on the water, rendering it tepid, that they approach the shore; and
they often go up into places so shallow that, on the tide's receding, they are left dry,
exposed to the beat of the sun. But they do not bring forth their young in shallow water,
as we never see any of their progeny, and full-grown ones are always observed coming in
from deep water. They feed principally on that class of zoophytes which produce the
coral.

"The biche de mer is generally taken in three or four feet of water; after which they are
brought on shore, and split at one end with a knife, the incision being one inch or more,
according to the size of the moUusca. Through this opening the entrails are forced out by
pressure, and they are much like those of any other small tenant of the deep. The article is
then washed, and afterward boiled to a certain degree, which must not be too much or too
little. They are then buried in the ground for four hours, then boiled again for a short
time, after which they are dried, either by the fire or the sun. Those cured by the sun are
worth the most; but where one picul (133 1/3 lbs.) can be cured that way, I can cure thirty
piculs by the fire. When once properly cured, they can be kept in a dry place for two or
three years without any risk; but they should be examined once in every few months, say
four times a year, to see if any dampness is likely to affect them.

"The Chinese, as before stated, consider biche de mer a very great luxury, believing that
it wonderfully strengthens and nourishes the system, and renews the exhausted system of
the immoderate voluptuary. The first quality commands a high price in Canton, being
worth ninety dollars a picul; the second quality, seventy-five dollars; the third, fifty
dollars; the fourth, thirty dollars; the fifth, twenty dollars; the sixth, twelve dollars; the
seventh, eight dollars; and the eighth, four dollars; small cargoes, however, will often
bring more in Manilla, Singapore, and Batavia."

An agreement having been thus entered into, we proceeded immediately to land
everything necessary for preparing the buildings and clearing the ground. A large flat
space near the eastern shore of the bay was selected, where there was plenty of both
wood and water, and within a convenient distance of the principal reefs on which the
biche de mer was to be procured. We now all set to work in good earnest, and soon, to the
great astonishment of the savages, had felled a sufficient number of trees for our purpose,
getting them quickly in order for the framework of the houses, which in two or three days
were so far under way that we could safely trust the rest of the work to the three men
whom we intended to leave behind. These I believe), who volunteered their services in
this respect.

By the last of the month we had everything in readiness for departure. We had agreed,
however, to pay a formal visit of leave-taking to the village, and Too-wit insisted so
pertinaciously upon our keeping the promise that we did not think it advisable to run the
risk of offending him by a final refusal. I believe that not one of us had at this time the
slightest suspicion of the good faith of the savages. They had uniformly behaved with the
greatest decorum, aiding us with alacrity in our work, offering us their commodities,
frequently without price, and never, in any instance, pilfering a single article, although
the high value they set upon the goods we had with us was evident by the extravagant
demonstrations of joy always manifested upon our making them a present. The women
especially were most obliging in every respect, and, upon the whole, we should have
been the most suspicious of human beings had we entertained a single thought of perfidy
on the part of a people who treated us so well. A very short while sufficed to prove that
this apparent kindness of disposition was only the result of a deeply laid plan for our
destruction, and that the islanders for whom we entertained such inordinate feelings of
esteem, were among the most barbarous, subtle, and bloodthirsty wretches that ever
contaminated the face of the globe.

It was on the first of February that we went on shore for the purpose of visiting the
village. Although, as said before, we entertained not the slightest suspicion, still no
proper precaution was neglected. Six men were left in the schooner, with instructions to
permit none of the savages to approach the vessel during our absence, under any pretence
whatever, and to remain constantly on deck. The boarding-nettings were up, the guns
double-shotted with grape and canister, and the swivels loaded with canisters of musket-
balls. She lay, with her anchor apeak, about a mile from the shore, and no canoe could
approach her in any direction without being distinctly seen and exposed to the full fire of
our swivels immediately.

The six men being left on board, our shore-party consisted of thirty, two persons in all.
We were armed to the teeth, having with us muskets, pistols, and cutlasses; besides, each
had a long kind of seaman's knife, somewhat resembling the bowie knife now so much
used throughout our western and southern country. A hundred of the black skin warriors
met us at the landing for the purpose of accompanying us on our way. We noticed,
however, with some surprise, that they were now entirely without arms; and, upon
questioning Too-wit in relation to this circumstance, he merely answered that Mattee non
we pa pa si-meaning that there was no need of arms where all were brothers. We took
this in good part, and proceeded.

We had passed the spring and rivulet of which I before spoke, and were now entering
upon a narrow gorge leading through the chain of soapstone hills among which the
village was situated. This gorge was very rocky and uneven, so much so that it was with
no little difficulty we scrambled through it on our first visit to Klock-klock. The whole
length of the ravine might have been a mile and a half, or probably two miles. It wound in
every possible direction through the hills (having apparently formed, at some remote
period, the bed of a torrent), in no instance proceeding more than twenty yards without an
abrupt turn. The sides of this dell would have averaged, I am sure, seventy or eighty feet
in perpendicular altitude throughout the whole of their extent, and in some portions they

arose to an astonishing height, overshadowing the pass so completely that but little of the
light of day could penetrate. The general width was about forty feet, and occasionally it
diminished so as not to allow the passage of more than five or six persons abreast. In
short, there could be no place in the world better adapted for the consummation of an
ambuscade, and it was no more than natural that we should look carefully to our arms as
we entered upon it. When I now think of our egregious folly, the chief subject of
astonishment seems to be, that we should have ever ventured, under any circumstances,
so completely into the power of unknown savages as to permit them to march both before
and behind us in our progress through this ravine. Yet such was the order we blindly took
up, trusting foolishly to the force of our party, the unarmed condition of Too-wit and his
men, the certain efficacy of our firearms (whose effect was yet a secret to the natives),
and, more than all, to the long- sustained pretension of friendship kept up by these
infamous wretches. Five or six of them went on before, as if to lead the way,
ostentatiously busying themselves in removing the larger stones and rubbish from the
path. Next came our own party. We walked closely together, taking care only to prevent
separation. Behind followed the main body of the savages, observing unusual order and
decorum.

Dirk Peters, a man named Wilson Allan, and myself were on the right of our companions,
examining, as we went along, the singular stratification of the precipice which overhung
us. A fissure in the soft rock attracted our attention. It was about wide enough for one
person to enter without squeezing, and extended back into the hill some eighteen or
twenty feet in a straight course, sloping afterward to the left. The height of the opening, is
far as we could see into it from the main gorge, was perhaps sixty or seventy feet. There
were one or two stunted shrubs growing from the crevices, bearing a species of filbert
which I felt some curiosity to examine, and pushed in briskly for that purpose, gathering
five or six of the nuts at a grasp, and then hastily retreating. As I turned, I found that
Peters and Allan had followed me. I desired them to go back, as there was not room for
two persons to pass, saying they should have some of my nuts. They accordingly turned,
and were scrambling back, Allan being close to the mouth of the fissure, when I was
suddenly aware of a concussion resembling nothing I had ever before experienced, and
which impressed me with a vague conception, if indeed I then thought of anything, that
the whole foundations of the solid globe were suddenly rent asunder, and that the day of
universal dissolution was at hand.

CHAPTER XXI

As soon as I could collect my scattered senses, I found myself nearly suffocated, and
grovelling in utter darkness among a quantity of loose earth, which was also falling upon
me heavily in every direction, threatening to bury me entirely. Horribly alarmed at this
idea, I struggled to gain my feet, and at last succeeded. I then remained motionless for
some moments, endeavouring to conceive what had happened to me, and where I was.
Presently I heard a deep groan just at my ear, and afterward the smothered voice of Peters
calling to me for aid in the name of God. I scrambled one or two paces forward, when I
fell directly over the head and shoulders of my companion, who, I soon discovered, was
buried in a loose mass of earth as far as his middle, and struggling desperately to free

himself from the pressure. I tore the dirt from around him with all the energy I could
command, and at length succeeded in getting him out.

As soon as we sufficiently recovered from our fright and surprise to be capable of
conversing rationally, we both came to the conclusion that the walls of the fissure in
which we had ventured had, by some convulsion of nature, or probably from their own
weight, caved in overhead, and that we were consequently lost for ever, being thus
entombed alive. For a long time we gave up supinely to the most intense agony and
despair, such as cannot be adequately imagined by those who have never been in a
similar position. I firmly believed that no incident ever occurring in the course of human
events is more adapted to inspire the supremeness of mental and bodily distress than a
case like our own, of living inhumation. The blackness of darkness which envelops the
victim, the terrific oppression of lungs, the stifling fumes from the damp earth, unite with
the ghastly considerations that we are beyond the remotest confines of hope, and that
such is the allotted portion of the dead, to carry into the human heart a degree of
appalling awe and horror not to be tolerated-never to be conceived.

At length Peters proposed that we should endeavour to ascertain precisely the extent of
our calamity, and grope about our prison; it being barely possible, he observed, that some
opening might yet be left us for escape. I caught eagerly at this hope, and, arousing
myself to exertion, attempted to force my way through the loose earth. Hardly had I
advanced a single step before a glimmer of light became perceptible, enough to convince
me that, at all events, we should not immediately perish for want of air. We now took
some degree of heart, and encouraged each other to hope for the best. Having scrambled
over a bank of rubbish which impeded our farther progress in the direction of the light,
we found less difficulty in advancing and also experienced some relief from the excessive
oppression of lungs which had tormented us. Presently we were enabled to obtain a
glimpse of the objects around, and discovered that we were near the extremity of the
straight portion of the fissure, where it made a turn to the left. A few struggles more, and
we reached the bend, when to our inexpressible joy, there appeared a long seam or crack
extending upward a vast distance, generally at an angle of about forty-five degrees,
although sometimes much more precipitous. We could not see through the whole extent
of this opening; but, as a good deal of light came down it, we had little doubt of finding at
the top of it (if we could by any means reach the top) a clear passage into the open air.

I now called to mind that three of us had entered the fissure from the main gorge, and that
our companion, Allan, was still missing; we determined at once to retrace our steps and
look for him. After a long search, and much danger from the farther caving in of the earth
above us, Peters at length cried out to me that he had hold of our companion's foot, and
that his whole body was deeply buried beneath the rubbish beyond the possibility of
extricating him. I soon found that what he said was too true, and that, of course, life had
been long extinct. With sorrowful hearts, therefore, we left the corpse to its fate, and
again made our way to the bend.

The breadth of the seam was barely sufficient to admit us, and, after one or two
ineffectual efforts at getting up, we began once more to despair. I have before said that

the chain of hills through which ran the main gorge was composed of a species of soft
rock resembling soap, stone. The sides of the cleft we were now attempting to ascend
were of the same material, and so excessively slippery, being wet, that we could get but
little foothold upon them even in their least precipitous parts; in some places, where the
ascent was nearly perpendicular, the difficulty was, of course, much aggravated; and,
indeed, for some time we thought insurmountable. We took courage, however, from
despair, and what, by dint of cutting steps in the soft stone with our bowie knives, and
swinging at the risk of our lives, to small projecting points of a harder species of slaty
rock which now and then protruded from the general mass, we at length reached a natural
platform, from which was perceptible a patch of blue sky, at the extremity of a thickly-
wooded ravine. Looking back now, with somewhat more leisure, at the passage through
which we had thus far proceeded, we clearly saw from the appearance of its sides, that it
was of late formation, and we concluded that the concussion, whatever it was, which had
so unexpectedly overwhelmed us, had also, at the same moment, laid open this path for
escape. Being quite exhausted with exertion, and indeed, so weak that we were scarcely
able to stand or articulate, Peters now proposed that we should endeavour to bring our
companions to the rescue by firing the pistols which still remained in our girdles-the
muskets as well as cutlasses had been lost among the loose earth at the bottom of the
chasm. Subsequent events proved that, had we fired, we should have sorely repented it,
but luckily a half suspicion of foul play had by this time arisen in my mind, and we
forbore to let the savages know of our whereabouts.

After having reposed for about an hour, we pushed on slowly up the ravine, and had gone
no great way before we heard a succession of tremendous yells. At length we reached
what might be called the surface of the ground; for our path hitherto, since leaving the
platform, had lain beneath an archway of high rock and foliage, at a vast distance
overhead. With great caution we stole to a narrow opening, through which we had a clear
sight of the surrounding country, when the whole dreadful secret of the concussion broke
upon us in one moment and at one view.

The spot from which we looked was not far from the summit of the highest peak in the
range of the soapstone hills. The gorge in which our party of thirty-two had entered ran
within fifty feet to the left of us. But, for at least one hundred yards, the channel or bed of
this gorge was entirely filled up with the chaotic ruins of more than a million tons of
earth and stone that had been artificially tumbled within it. The means by which the vast
mass had been precipitated were not more simple than evident, for sure traces of the
murderous work were yet remaining. In several spots along the top of the eastern side of
the gorge (we were now on the western) might be seen stakes of wood driven into the
earth. In these spots the earth had not given way, but throughout the whole extent of the
face of the precipice from which the mass had f Allan, it was clear, from marks left in the
soil resembling those made by the drill of the rock blaster, that stakes similar to those we
saw standing had been inserted, at not more than a yard apart, for the length of perhaps
three hundred feet, and ranging at about ten feet back from the edge of the gulf. Strong
cords of grape vine were attached to the stakes still remaining on the hill, and it was
evident that such cords had also been attached to each of the other stakes. I have already
spoken of the singular stratification of these soapstone hills; and the description just

given of the narrow and deep fissure through which we effected our escape from
inhumation will afford a further conception of its nature. This was such that almost every
natural convulsion would be sure to split the soil into perpendicular layers or ridges
running parallel with one another, and a very moderate exertion of art would be sufficient
for effecting the same purpose. Of this stratification the savages had availed themselves
to accomplish their treacherous ends. There can be no doubt that, by the continuous line
of stakes, a partial rupture of the soil had been brought about probably to the depth of one
or two feet, when by means of a savage pulling at the end of each of the cords (these
cords being attached to the tops of the stakes, and extending back from the edge of the
cliff), a vast leverage power was obtained, capable of hurling the whole face of the hill,
upon a given signal, into the bosom of the abyss below. The fate of our poor companions
was no longer a matter of uncertainty. We alone had escaped from the tempest of that
overwhelming destruction. We were the only living white men upon the island.

CHAPTER XXII

Our situation, as it now appeared, was scarcely less dreadful than when we had conceived
ourselves entombed forever. We saw before us no prospect but that of being put to death
by the savages, or of dragging out a miserable existence in captivity among them. We
might, to be sure, conceal ourselves for a time from their observation among the
fastnesses of the hills, and, as a final resort, in the chasm from which we had just issued;
but we must either perish in the long polar winter through cold and famine, or be
ultimately discovered in our efforts to obtain relief.

The whole country around us seemed to be swarming with savages, crowds of whom, we
now perceived, had come over from the islands to the southward on flat rafts, doubtless
with a view of lending their aid in the capture and plunder of the Jane. The vessel still lay
calmly at anchor in the bay, those on board being apparently quite unconscious of any
danger awaiting them. How we longed at that moment to be with them! either to aid in
effecting their escape, or to perish with them in attempting a defence. We saw no chance
even of warning them of their danger without bringing immediate destruction upon our
own heads, with but a remote hope of benefit to them. A pistol fired might suffice to
apprise them that something wrong had occurred; but the report could not possibly
inform them that their only prospect of safety lay in getting out of the harbour forthwith-
nor tell them no principles of honour now bound them to remain, that their companions
were no longer among the living. Upon hearing the discharge they could not be more
thoroughly prepared to meet the foe, who were now getting ready to attack, than they
already were, and always had been. No good, therefore, and infinite harm, would result
from our firing, and after mature deliberation, we forbore.

Our next thought was to attempt to rush toward the vessel, to seize one of the four canoes
which lay at the head of the bay, and endeavour to force a passage on board. But the utter
impossibility of succeeding in this desperate task soon became evident. The country, as I
said before, was literally swarming with the natives, skulking among the bushes and
recesses of the hills, so as not to be observed from the schooner. In our immediate
vicinity especially, and blockading the sole path by which we could hope to attain the

shore at the proper point were stationed the whole party of the black skin warriors, with
Too-wit at their head, and apparently only waiting for some re-enforcement to commence
his onset upon the Jane. The canoes, too, which lay at the head of the bay, were manned
with savages, unarmed, it is true, but who undoubtedly had arms within reach. We were
forced, therefore, however unwillingly, to remain in our place of concealment, mere
spectators of the conflict which presently ensued.

In about half an hour we saw some sixty or seventy rafts, or flatboats, with outriggers,
filled with savages, and coming round the southern bight of the harbor. They appeared to
have no arms except short clubs, and stones which lay in the bottom of the rafts.
Immediately afterward another detachment, still larger, appeared in an opposite direction,
and with similar weapons. The four canoes, too, were now quickly filled with natives,
starting up from the bushes at the head of the bay, and put off swiftly to join the other
parties. Thus, in less time than I have taken to tell it, and as if by magic, the Jane saw
herself surrounded by an immense multitude of desperadoes evidently bent upon
capturing her at all hazards.

That they would succeed in so doing could not be doubted for an instant. The six men left
in the vessel, however resolutely they might engage in her defence, were altogether
unequal to the proper management of the guns, or in any manner to sustain a contest at
such odds. I could hardly imagine that they would make resistance at all, but in this was
deceived; for presently I saw them get springs upon the cable, and bring the vessel's
starboard broadside to bear upon the canoes, which by this time were within pistol range,
the rafts being nearly a quarter of a mile to windward. Owing to some cause unknown,
but most probably to the agitation of our poor friends at seeing themselves in so hopeless
a situation, the discharge was an entire failure. Not a canoe was hit or a single savage
injured, the shots striking short and ricocheting over their heads. The only effect
produced upon them was astonishment at the unexpected report and smoke, which was so
excessive that for some moments I almost thought they would abandon their design
entirely, and return to the shore. And this they would most likely have done had our men
followed up their broadside by a discharge of small arms, in which, as the canoes were
now so near at hand, they could not have failed in doing some execution, sufficient, at
least, to deter this party from a farther advance, until they could have given the rafts also
a broadside. But, in place of this, they left the canoe party to recover from their panic,
and, by looking about them, to see that no injury had been sustained, while they flew to
the larboard to get ready for the rafts.

The discharge to larboard produced the most terrible effect. The star and double-headed
shot of the large guns cut seven or eight of the rafts completely asunder, and killed,
perhaps, thirty or forty of the savages outright, while a hundred of them, at least, were
thrown into the water, the most of them dreadfully wounded. The remainder, frightened
out of their senses, commenced at once a precipitate retreat, not even waiting to pick up
their maimed companions, who were swimming about in every direction, screaming and
yelling for aid. This great success, however, came too late for the salvation of our
devoted people. The canoe party were already on board the schooner to the number of
more than a hundred and fifty, the most of them having succeeded in scrambling up the

chains and over the boarding-netting even before the matches had been applied to the
larboard guns. Nothing now could withstand their brute rage. Our men were borne down
at once, overwhelmed, trodden under foot, and absolutely torn to pieces in an instant.

Seeing this, the savages on the rafts got the better of their fears, and came up in shoals to
the plunder. In five minutes the Jane was a pitiable scene indeed of havoc and tumultuous
outrage. The decks were split open and ripped up; the cordage, sails, and everything
movable on deck demolished as if by magic, while, by dint of pushing at the stern,
towing with the canoes, and hauling at the sides, as they swam in thousands around the
vessel, the wretches finally forced her on shore (the cable having been slipped), and
delivered her over to the good offices of Too-wit, who, during the whole of the
engagement, had maintained, like a skilful general, his post of security and
reconnaissance among the hills, but, now that the victory was completed to his
satisfaction, condescended to scamper down with his warriors of the black skin, and
become a partaker in the spoils.

Too-wit's descent left us at liberty to quit our hiding place and reconnoitre the hill in the
vicinity of the chasm. At about fifty yards from the mouth of it we saw a small spring of
water, at which we slaked the burning thirst that now consumed us. Not far from the
spring we discovered several of the filbert-bushes which I mentioned before. Upon
tasting the nuts we found them palatable, and very nearly resembling in flavour the
common English filbert. We collected our hats full immediately, deposited them within
the ravine, and returned for more. While we were busily employed in gathering these, a
rustling in the bushes alarmed us, and we were upon the point of stealing back to our
covert, when a large black bird of the bittern species strugglingly and slowly arose above
the shrubs. I was so much startled that I could do nothing, but Peters had sufficient
presence of mind to run up to it before it could make its escape, and seize it by the neck.
Its struggles and screams were tremendous, and we had thoughts of letting it go, lest the
noise should alarm some of the savages who might be still lurking in the neighbourhood.
A stab with a bowie knife, however, at length brought it to the ground, and we dragged it
into the ravine, congratulating ourselves that, at all events, we had thus obtained a supply
of food enough to last us for a week.

We now went out again to look about us, and ventured a considerable distance down the
southern declivity of the hill, but met with nothing else which could serve us for food.
We therefore collected a quantity of dry wood and returned, seeing one or two large
parties of the natives on their way to the village, laden with the plunder of the vessel, and
who, we were apprehensive, might discover us in passing beneath the hill.

Our next care was to render our place of concealment as secure as possible, and with this
object, we arranged some brushwood over the aperture which I have before spoken of as
the one through which we saw the patch of blue sky, on reaching the platform from the
interior of the chasm. We left only a very small opening just wide enough to admit of our
seeing the, bay, without the risk of being discovered from below. Having done this, we
congratulated ourselves upon the security of the position; for we were now completely
excluded from observation, as long as we chose to remain within the ravine itself, and not

venture out upon the hill, We could perceive no traces of the savages having ever been
within this hollow; but, indeed, when we came to reflect upon the probability that the
fissure through which we attained it had been only just now created by the fall of the cliff
opposite, and that no other way of attaining it could be perceived, we were not so much
rejoiced at the thought of being secure from molestation as fearful lest there should be
absolutely no means left us for descent. We resolved to explore the summit of the hill
thoroughly, when a good opportunity should offer. In the meantime we watched the
motions of the savages through our loophole.

They had already made a complete wreck of the vessel, and were now preparing to set
her on fire. In a little while we saw the smoke ascending in huge volumes from her main
hatchway, and, shortly afterward, a dense mass of flame burst up from the forecastle. The
rigging, masts and what remained of the sails caught immediately, and the fire spread
rapidly along the decks. Still a great many of the savages retained their stations about her,
hammering with large stones, axes, and cannon balls at the bolts and other iron and
copper work. On the beach, and in canoes and rafts, there were not less, altogether, in the
immediate vicinity of the schooner, than ten thousand natives, besides the shoals of them
who, laden with booty, were making their way inland and over to the neighbouring
islands. We now anticipated a catastrophe, and were not disappointed. First of all there
came a smart shock (which we felt as distinctly where we were as if we had been slightly
galvanized), but unattended with any visible signs of an explosion. The savages were
evidently startled, and paused for an instant from their labours and yellings. They were
upon the point of recommencing, when suddenly a mass of smoke puffed up from the
decks, resembling a black and heavy thundercloud-then, as if from its bowels, arose a tall
stream of vivid fire to the height, apparently, of a quarter of a mile-then there came a
sudden circular expansion of the flame-then the whole atmosphere was magically
crowded, in a single instant, with a wild chaos of wood, and metal, and human limbs-and,
lastly, came the concussion in its fullest fury, which hurled us impetuously from our feet,
while the hills echoed and re-echoed the tumult, and a dense shower of the minutest
fragments of the ruins tumbled headlong in every direction around us.

The havoc among the savages far exceeded our utmost expectation, and they had now,
indeed, reaped the full and perfect fruits of their treachery. Perhaps a thousand perished
by the explosion, while at least an equal number were desperately mangled. The whole
surface of the bay was literally strewn with the struggling and drowning wretches, and on
shore matters were even worse. They seemed utterly appalled by the suddenness and
completeness of their discomfiture, and made no efforts at assisting one another. At
length we observed a total change in their demeanour. From absolute stupor, they
appeared to be, all at once, aroused to the highest pitch of excitement, and rushed wildly
about, going to and from a certain point on the beach, with the strangest expressions of
mingled horror, rage, and intense curiosity depicted on their countenances, and shouting,
at the top of their voices, "Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!"

Presently we saw a large body go off into the hills, whence they returned in a short time,
carrying stakes of wood. These they brought to the station where the crowd was the
thickest, which now separated so as to afford us a view of the object of all this

excitement. We perceived something white lying upon the ground, but could not
immediately make out what it was. At length we saw that it was the carcass of the strange
animal with the scarlet teeth and claws which the schooner had picked up at sea on the
eighteenth of January. Captain Guy had had the body preserved for the purpose of
stuffing the skin and taking it to England. I remember he had given some directions about
it just before our making the island, and it had been brought into the cabin and stowed
away in one of the lockers. It had now been thrown on shore by the explosion; but why it
had occasioned so much concern among the savages was more than we could
comprehend. Although they crowded around the carcass at a little distance, none of them
seemed willing to approach it closely. By-and-by the men with the stakes drove them in a
circle around it, and no sooner was this arrangement completed, than the whole of the
vast assemblage rushed into the interior of the island, with loud screams of "Tekeli-li!
Tekeli-li!"

CHAPTER XXIII

During the six or seven days immediately following we remained in our hiding-place
upon the hill, going out only occasionally, and then with the greatest precaution, for
water and filberts. We had made a kind of penthouse on the platform, furnishing it with a
bed of dry leaves, and placing in it three large flat stones, which served us for both
fireplace and table. We kindled a fire without difficulty by rubbing two pieces of dry
wood together, the one soft, the other hard. The bird we had taken in such good season
proved excellent eating, although somewhat tough. It was not an oceanic fowl, but a
species of bittern, with jet black and grizzly plumage, and diminutive wings in proportion
to its bulk. We afterward saw three of the same kind in the vicinity of the ravine,
apparently seeking for the one we had captured; but, as they never alighted, we had no
opportunity of catching them.

As long as this fowl lasted we suffered nothing from our situation, but it was now entirely
consumed, and it became absolutely necessary that we should look out for provision. The
filberts would not satisfy the cravings of hunger, afflicting us, too, with severe gripings of
the bowels, and, if freely indulged in, with violent headache. We had seen several large
tortoises near the seashore to the eastward of the hill, and perceived they might be easily
taken, if we could get at them without the observation of the natives. It was resolved,
therefore, to make an attempt at descending.

We commenced by going down the southern declivity, which seemed to offer the fewest
difficulties, but had not proceeded a hundred yards before (as we had anticipated from
appearances on the hilltop) our progress was entirely arrested by a branch of the gorge in
which our companions had perished. We now passed along the edge of this for about a
quarter of a mile, when we were again stopped by a precipice of immense depth, and, not
being able to make our way along the brink of it, we were forced to retrace our steps by
the main ravine.

We now pushed over to the eastward, but with precisely similar fortune. After an hour's
scramble, at the risk of breaking our necks, we discovered that we had merely descended

into a vast pit of black granite, with fine dust at the bottom, and whence the only egress
was by the rugged path in which we had come down. Toiling again up this path, we now
tried the northern edge of the hill. Here we were obliged to use the greatest possible
caution in our manoeuvres, as the least indiscretion would expose us to the full view of
the savages in the village. We crawled along, therefore, on our hands and knees, and,
occasionally, were even forced to throw ourselves at full length, dragging our bodies
along by means of the shrubbery. In this careful manner we had proceeded but a little
way, when we arrived at a chasm far deeper than any we had yet seen, and leading
directly into the main gorge. Thus our fears were fully confirmed, and we found
ourselves cut off entirely from access to the world below. Thoroughly exhausted by our
exertions, we made the best of our way back to the platform, and throwing ourselves
upon the bed of leaves, slept sweetly and soundly for some hours.

For several days after this fruitless search we were occupied in exploring every part of
the summit of the hill, in order to inform ourselves of its actual resources. We found that
it would afford us no food, with the exception of the unwholesome filberts, and a rank
species of scurvy grass, which grew in a little patch of not more than four rods square,
and would be soon exhausted. On the fifteenth of February, as near as I can remember,
there was not a blade of this left, and the nuts were growing scarce; our situation,
therefore, could hardly be more lamentable.* On the sixteenth we again went round the
walls of our prison, in hope of finding some avenue of escape; but to no purpose. We also
descended the chasm in which we had been overwhelmed, with the faint expectation of
discovering, through this channel, some opening to the main ravine. Here, too, we were
disappointed, although we found and brought up with us a musket.

* This day was rendered remarkable by our observing in the south several huge wreaths
of the grayish vapour I have spoken of.

On the seventeenth we set out with the determination of examining more thoroughly the
chasm of black granite into which we had made our way in the first search. We
remembered that one of the fissures in the sides of this pit had been but partially looked
into, and we were anxious to explore it, although with no expectation of discovering here
any opening.

We found no great difficulty in reaching the bottom of the hollow as before, and were
now sufficiently calm to survey it with some attention. It was, indeed, one of the most
singular-looking places imaginable, and we could scarcely bring ourselves to believe it
altogether the work of nature. The pit, from its eastern to its western extremity, was about
five hundred yards in length, when all its windings were threaded; the distance from east
to west in a straight line not being more (I should suppose, having no means of accurate
examination) than forty or fifty yards. Upon first descending into the chasm, that is to
say, for a hundred feet downward from the summit of the hill, the sides of the abyss bore
little resemblance to each other, and, apparently, had at no time been connected, the one
surface being of the soapstone, and the other of marl, granulated with some metallic
matter. The average breadth or interval between the two cliffs was probably here sixty
feet, but there seemed to be no regularity of formation. Passing down, however, beyond

the limit spoken of, the interval rapidly contracted, and the sides began to run parallel,
although, for some distance farther, they were still dissimilar in their material and form of
surface. Upon arriving within fifty feet of the bottom, a perfect regularity commenced.
The sides were now entirely uniform in substance, in colour, and in lateral direction, the
material being a very black and shining granite, and the distance between the two sides,
at all points facing each other, exactly twenty yards. The precise formation of the chasm
will be best understood by means of a delineation taken upon the spot; for I had luckily
with me a pocketbook and pencil, which I preserved with great care through a long series
of subsequent adventure, and to which I am indebted for memoranda of many subjects
which would otherwise have been crowded from my remembrance.

This figure (see fig. 1) gives the general outlines of the chasm, without the minor cavities
in the sides, of which there were several, each cavity having a corresponding
protuberance opposite. The bottom of the gulf was covered to the depth of three or four
inches with a powder almost impalpable, beneath which we found a continuation of the
black granite. To the right, at the lower extremity, will be noticed the appearance of a
small opening; this is the fissure alluded to above, and to examine which more minutely
than before was the object of our second visit. We now pushed into it with vigor, cutting
away a quantity of brambles which impeded us, and removing a vast heap of sharp flints
somewhat resembling arrowheads in shape. We were encouraged to persevere, however,
by perceiving some little light proceeding from the farther end. We at length squeezed
our way for about thirty feet, and found that the aperture was a low and regularly formed
arch, having a bottom of the same impalpable powder as that in the main chasm. A strong
light now broke upon us, and, turning a short bend, we found ourselves in another lofty
chamber, similar to the one we had left in every respect but longitudinal form. Its general
figure is here given. (See fig. 2.)

The total length of this chasm, commencing at the opening a and proceeding round the
curve b to the extremity d, is five hundred and fifty yards. At c we discovered a small
aperture similar to the one through which we had issued from the other chasm, and this
was choked up in the same manner with brambles and a quantity of the white arrowhead
flints. We forced our way through it, finding it about forty feet long, and emerged into a
third chasm. This, too, was precisely like the first, except in its longitudinal shape, which
was thus. (See fig. 3.)

We found the entire length of the third chasm three hundred and twenty yards. At the
point a was an opening about six feet wide, and extending fifteen feet into the rock,
where it terminated in a bed of marl, there being no other chasm beyond, as we had
expected. We were about leaving this fissure, into which very little light was admitted,
when Peters called my attention to a range of singular-looking indentures in the surface
of the marl forming the termination of the cul-de-sac. With a very slight exertion of the
imagination, the left, or most northern of these indentures might have been taken for the
intentional, although rude, representation of a human figure standing erect, with
outstretched arm. The rest of them bore also some little resemblance to alphabetical
characters, and Peters was willing, at all events, to adopt the idle opinion that they were
really such. I convinced him of his error, finally, by directing his attention to the floor of

the fissure, where, among the powder, we picked up, piece by piece, several large flakes
of the marl, which had evidently been broken off by some convulsion from the surface
where the indentures were found, and which had projecting points exactly fitting the
indentures; thus proving them to have been the work of nature. Fig. 4 presents an
accurate copy of the whole.

After satisfying ourselves that these singular caverns afforded us no means of escape
from our prison, we made our way back, dejected and dispirited, to the summit of the hill.
Nothing worth mentioning occurred during the next twenty-four hours, except that, in
examining the ground to the eastward of the third chasm, we found two triangular holes
of great depth, and also with black granite sides. Into these holes we did not think it
worth while to attempt descending, as they had the appearance of mere natural wells,
without outlet. They were each about twenty yards in circumference, and their shape, as
well as relative position in regard to the third chasm, is shown in figure 5.

CHAPTER XXIV

On the twentieth of the month, finding it altogether impossible to subsist any longer upon
the filberts, the use of which occasioned us the most excruciating torment, we resolved to
make a desperate attempt at descending the southern declivity of the hill. The face of the
precipice was here of the softest species of soapstone, although nearly perpendicular
throughout its whole extent (a depth of a hundred and fifty feet at the least), and in many
places even overarching. After long search we discovered a narrow ledge about twenty
feet below the brink of the gulf; upon this Peters contrived to leap, with what assistance I
could render him by means of our pocket-handkerchiefs tied together. With somewhat
more difficulty I also got down; and we then saw the possibility of descending the whole
way by the process in which we had clambered up from the chasm when we had been
buried by the fall of the hill-that is, by cutting steps in the face of the soapstone with our
knives. The extreme hazard of the attempt can scarcely be conceived; but, as there was no
other resource, we determined to undertake it.

Upon the ledge where we stood there grew some filbert bushes; and to one of these we
made fast an end of our rope of handkerchiefs. The other end being tied round Peters'
waist, I lowered him down over the edge of the precipice until the handkerchiefs were
stretched tight. He now proceeded to dig a deep hole in the soapstone (as far in as eight or
ten inches), sloping away the rock above to the height of a foot, or thereabout, so as to
allow of his driving, with the butt of a pistol, a tolerably strong peg into the levelled
surface. I then drew him up for about four feet when he made a hole similar to the one
below, driving in a peg as before and having thus a resting place for both feet and hands.
I now unfastened the handkerchiefs from the bush, throwing him the end, which he tied
to the peg in the uppermost hole, letting himself down gently to a station about three feet
lower than he had yet been-that is, to the full extent of the handkerchiefs. Here he dug
another hole, and drove another peg. He then drew himself up, so as to rest his feet in the
hole just cut, taking hold with his hands upon the peg in the one above. It was now
necessary to untie the handkerchiefs from the topmost peg, with the view of fastening
them to the second; and here he found that an error had been committed in cutting the

holes at so great a distance apart. However, after one or two unsuccessful and dangerous
attempts at reaching the knot (having to hold on with his left hand while he laboured to
undo the fastening with his right), he at length cut the string, leaving six inches of it
affixed to the peg. Tying the handkerchiefs now to the second peg, he descended to a
station below the third, taking care not to go too far down. By these means (means which
I should never have conceived of myself, and for which we were indebted altogether to
Peters' ingenuity and resolution) my companion finally succeeded, with the occasional
aid of projections in the cliff, in reaching the bottom without accident.

It was some time before I could summon sufficient resolution to follow him; but I did at
length attempt it. Peters had taken off his shirt before descending, and this, with my own,
formed the rope necessary for the adventure. After throwing down the musket found in
the chasm, I fastened this rope to the bushes, and let myself down rapidly, striving, by the
vigour of my movements, to banish the trepidation which I could overcome in no other
manner. This answered sufficiently well for the first four or five steps; but presently I
found my imagination growing terribly excited by thoughts of the vast depths yet to be
descended, and the precarious nature of the pegs and soapstone holes which were my
only support. It was in vain I endeavoured to banish these reflections, and to keep my
eyes steadily bent upon the flat surface of the cliff before me. The more earnestly I
struggled not to think, the more intensely vivid became my conceptions, and the more
horribly distinct. At length arrived that crisis of fancy, so fearful in all similar cases, the
crisis in which we begin to anticipate the feelings with which we shall fall- to picture to
ourselves the sickness, and dizziness, and the last struggle, and the half swoon, and the
final bitterness of the rushing and headlong descent. And now I found these fancies
creating their own realities, and all imagined horrors crowding upon me in fact. I felt my
knees strike violently together, while my fingers were gradually but certainly relaxing
their grasp. There was a ringing in my ears, and I said, "This is my knell of death!" And
now I was consumed with the irrepressible desire of looking below. I could not, I would
not, confine my glances to the cliff; and, with a wild, indefinable emotion, half of horror,
half of a relieved oppression, I threw my vision far down into the abyss. For one moment
my fingers clutched convulsively upon their hold, while, with the movement, the faintest
possible idea of ultimate escape wandered, hke a shadow, through my mind-in the next
my whole soul was pervaded with a longing to fall; a desire, a yearning, a passion utterly
uncontrollable. I let go at once my grasp upon the and, turning half round from the
precipice, remained tottering for an instant against its naked face. But now there came a
spinning of the brain; a shrill- sounding and phantom voice screamed within my ears; a
dusky, fiendish, and filmy figure stood immediately beneath me; and, sighing, I sunk
down with a bursting heart, and plunged within its arms.

I had swooned, and Peters had caught me as I fell. He had observed my proceedings from
his station at the bottom of the cliff; and perceiving my imminent danger, had
endeavoured to inspire me with courage by every suggestion he could devise; although
my confusion of mind had been so great as to prevent my hearing what he said, or being
conscious that he had even spoken to me at all. At length, seeing me totter, he hastened to
ascend to my rescue, and arrived just in time for my preservation. Had I f Allan with my
full weight, the rope of linen would inevitably have snapped, and I should have been

precipitated into the abyss; as it was, he contrived to let me down gently, so as to remain
suspended without danger until animation returned. This was in about fifteen minutes. On
recovery, my trepidation had entirely vanished; I felt a new being, and, with some little
further aid from my companion, reached the bottom also in safety.

We now found ourselves not far from the ravine which had proved the tomb of our
friends, and to the southward of the spot where the hill had f Allan. The place was one of
singular wildness, and its aspect brought to my mind the descriptions given by travellers
of those dreary regions marking the site of degraded Babylon. Not to speak of the ruins of
the disrupted cliff, which formed a chaotic barrier in the vista to the northward, the
surface of the ground in every other direction was strewn with huge tumuli, apparently
the wreck of some gigantic structures of art; although, in detail, no semblance of art could
be detected. Scoria were abundant, and large shapeless blocks of the black granite,
intermingled with others of marl,* and both granulated with metal. Of vegetation there
were no traces whatsoever throughout the whole of the desolate area within sight. Several
immense scorpions were seen, and various reptiles not elsewhere to be found in the high
latitudes.

* The marl was also black; indeed, we noticed no light-coloured substances of any kind
upon the island.

As food was our most immediate object, we resolved to make our way to the seacoast,
distant not more than half a mile, with a view of catching turtle, several of which we had
observed from our place of concealment on the hill. We had proceeded some hundred
yards, threading our route cautiously between the huge rocks and tumuli, when, upon
turning a corner, five savages sprung upon us from a small cavern, felling Peters to the
ground with a blow from a club. As he fell the whole party rushed upon him to secure
their victim, leaving me time to recover from my astonishment. I still had the musket, but
the barrel had received so much injury in being thrown from the precipice that I cast it
aside as useless, preferring to trust my pistols, which had been carefully preserved in
order. With these I advanced upon the assailants, firing one after the other in quick
succession. Two savages fell, and one, who was in the act of thrusting a spear into Peters,
sprung to his feet without accomplishing his purpose. My companion being thus released,
we had no further difficulty. He had his pistols also, but prudently declined using them,
confiding in his great personal strength, which far exceeded that of any person I have
ever known. Seizing a club from one of the savages who had fAUan, he dashed out the
brains of the three who remained, killing each instantaneously with a single blow of the
weapon, and leaving us completely masters of the field.

So rapidly had these events passed, that we could scarcely believe in their reality, and
were standing over the bodies of the dead in a species of stupid contemplation, when we
were brought to recollection by the sound of shouts in the distance. It was clear that the
savages had been alarmed by the firing, and that we had little chance of avoiding
discovery. To regain the cliff, it would be necessary to proceed in the direction of the
shouts; and even should we succeed in arriving at its base, we should never be able to
ascend it without being seen. Our situation was one of the greatest peril, and we were

hesitating in which path to commence a flight, when one of the savages whom I had shot,
and supposed dead, sprang briskly to his feet, and attempted to make his escape. We
overtook him, however, before he had advanced many paces, and were about to put him
to death, when Peters suggested that we might derive some benefit from forcing him to
accompany us in our attempt to escape. We therefore dragged him with us, making him
understand that we would shoot him if he offered resistance. In a few minutes he was
perfectly submissive, and ran by our sides as we pushed in among the rocks, making for
the seashore.

So far, the irregularities of the ground we had been traversing hid the sea, except at
intervals, from our sight, and, when we first had it fairly in view, it was perhaps, two
hundred yards distant. As we emerged into the open beach we saw, to our great dismay,
an immense crowd of the natives pouring from the village, and from all visible quarters
of the island, making toward us with gesticulations of extreme fury, and howling like
wild beasts. We were upon the point of turning upon our steps, and trying to secure a
retreat among the fastnesses of the rougher ground, when I discovered the bows of two
canoes projecting from behind a large rock which ran out into the water. Toward these we
now ran with all speed, and, reaching them, found them unguarded, and without any other
freight than three of the large Gallipago turtles and the usual supply of paddles for sixty
rowers. We instantly took possession of one of them, and, forcing our captive on board,
pushed out to sea with an the strength we could command.

We had not made, however, more than fifty yards from the shore before we became
sufficiently calm to perceive the great oversight of which we had been guilty in leaving
the other canoe in the power of the savages, who, by this time, were not more than twice
as far from the beach as ourselves, and were rapidly advancing to the pursuit. No time
was now to be lost. Our hope was, at best, a forlorn one, but we had none other. It was
very doubtful whether, with the utmost exertion, we could get back in time to anticipate
them in taking possession of the canoe; but yet there was a chance that we could. We
might save ourselves if we succeeded, while not to make the attempt was to resign
ourselves to inevitable butchery.

The canoe was modelled with the bow and stern alike, and, in place of turning it round,
we merely changed our position in paddling. As soon as the savages perceived this they
redoubled their yells, as well as their speed, and approached with inconceivable rapidity.
We pulled, however, with all the energy of desperation, and arrived at the contested point
before more than one of the natives had attained it. This man paid dearly for his superior
agility, Peters shooting him through the head with a pistol as he approached the shore.
The foremost among the rest of his party were probably some twenty or thirty paces
distant as we seized upon the canoe. We at first endeavoured to pull her into the deep
water, beyond the reach of the savages, but, finding her too firmly aground, and there
being no time to spare, Peters, with one or two heavy strokes from the butt of the musket,
succeeded in dashing out a large portion of the bow and of one side. We then pushed off.
Two of the natives by this time had got hold of our boat, obstinately refusing to let go,
until we were forced to despatch them with our knives. We were now clear off, and
making great way out to sea. The main body of the savages, upon reaching the broken

canoe, set up the most tremendous yell of rage and disappointment conceivable. In truth,
from every thing I could see of these wretches, they appeared to be the most wicked,
hypocritical, vindictive, bloodthirsty, and altogether fiendish race of men upon the face of
the globe. It is clear we should have had no mercy had we fAUan into their hands. They
made a mad attempt at following us in the fractured canoe, but, finding it useless, again
vented their rage in a series of hideous vociferations, and rushed up into the hills.

We were thus relieved from immediate danger, but our situation was still sufficiently
gloomy. We knew that four canoes of the kind we had were at one time in the possession
of the savages, and were not aware of the fact (afterward ascertained from our captive)
that two of these had been blown to pieces in the explosion of the Jane Guy. We
calculated, therefore, upon being yet pursued, as soon as our enemies could get round to
the bay (distant about three miles) where the boats were usually laid up. Fearing this, we
made every exertion to leave the island behind us, and went rapidly through the water,
forcing the prisoner to take a paddle. In about half an hour, when we had gained,
probably, five or six miles to the southward, a large fleet of the flat-bottomed canoes or
rafts were seen to emerge from the bay evidently with the design of pursuit. Presently
they put back, despairing to overtake us.

CHAPTER XXV

We now found ourselves in the wide and desolate Antarctic Ocean, in a latitude
exceeding eighty-four degrees, in a frail canoe, and with no provision but the three
turtles. The long polar winter, too, could not be considered as far distant, and it became
necessary that we should deliberate well upon the course to be pursued. There were six or
seven islands in sight belonging to the same group, and distant from each other about five
or six leagues; but upon neither of these had we any intention to venture. In coming from
the northward in the Jane Guy we had been gradually leaving behind us the severest
regions of ice-this, however little it may be in accordance with the generally received
notions respecting the Antarctic, was a fact experience would not permit us to deny. To
attempt, therefore, getting back would be foUy-especially at so late a period of the
season. Only one course seemed to be left open for hope. We resolved to steer boldly to
the southward, where there was at least a probability of discovering lands, and more than
a probability of finding a still milder climate.

So far we had found the Antarctic, like the Arctic Ocean, peculiarly free from violent
storms or immoderately rough water, but our canoe was, at best, of frail structure,
although large, and we set busily to work with a view of rendering her as safe as the
limited means in our possession would admit. The body of the boat was of no better
material than bark-the bark of a tree unknown. The ribs were of a tough osier, well
adapted to the purpose for which it was used. We had fifty feet room from stem to stem,
from four to six in breadth, and in depth throughout four feet and a half-the boats thus
differing vastly in shape from those of any other inhabitants of the Southem Ocean with
whom civilized nations are acquainted. We never did believe them the workmanship of
the ignorant islanders who owned them; and some days after this period discovered, by
questioning our captive, that they were in fact made by the natives of a group to the

southwest of the country where we found them, having f Allan accidentally into the hands
of our barbarians. What we could do for the security of our boat was very little indeed.
Several wide rents were discovered near both ends, and these we contrived to patch up
with pieces of woollen jacket. With the help of the superfluous paddles, of which there
were a great many, we erected a kind of framework about the bow, so as to break the
force of any seas which might threaten to fill us in that quarter. We also set up two paddle
blades for masts, placing them opposite each other, one by each gunwale, thus saving the
necessity of a yard. To these masts we attached a sail made of our shirts-doing this with
some difficulty, as here we could get no assistance from our prisoner whatever, although
he had been willing enough to labour in all the other operations. The sight of the linen
seemed to affect him in a very singular manner. He could not be prevailed upon to touch
it or go near it, shuddering when we attempted to force him, and shrieking out, "Tekeli-
li!"

Having completed our arrangements in regard to the security of the canoe, we now set
sail to the south southeast for the present, with the view of weathering the most southerly
of the group in sight. This being done, we turned the bow full to the southward. The
weather could by no means be considered disagreeable. We had a prevailing and very
gentle wind from the northward, a smooth sea, and continual daylight. No ice whatever
was to be seen; nor did I ever see one particle of this after leaving the parallel of Rennet's
Islet. Indeed, the temperature of the water was here far too warm for its existence in any
quantity. Having killed the largest of our tortoises, and obtained from him not only food
but a copious supply of water, we continued on our course, without any incident of
moment, for perhaps seven or eight days, during which period we must have proceeded a
vast distance to the southward, as the wind blew constantly with us, and a very strong
current set continually in the direction we were pursuing.

March l.*-Many unusual phenomena now indicated that we were entering upon a region
of novelty and wonder. A high range of light gray vapour appeared constantly in the
southern horizon, flaring up occasionally in lofty streaks, now darting from east to west,
now from west to east, and again presenting a level and uniform summit-in short, having
all the wild variations of the Aurora Borealis. The average height of this vapour, as
apparent from our station, was about twenty-five degrees. The temperature of the sea
seemed to be increasing momentarily, and there was a very perceptible alteration in its
colour.

* For obvious reasons I cannot pretend to strict accuracy in these dates. They are given
principally with a view to perspicuity of narration, and as set down in my pencil
memorandum.

March 2.-To-day by repeated questioning of our captive, we came to the knowledge of
many particulars in regard to the island of the massacre, its inhabitants, and customs-but
with these how can I now detain the reader? I may say, however, that we learned there
were eight islands in the group-that they were governed by a common king, named
Tsalemon or Psalemoun, who resided in one of the smallest of the islands; that the black
skins forming the dress of the warriors came from an animal of huge size to be found

only in a valley near the court of the king-that the inhabitants of the group fabricated no
other boats than the flat-bottomed rafts; the four canoes being all of the kind in their
possession, and these having been obtained, by mere accident, from some large island in
the south we st-that his own name was Nu-Nu-that he had no knowledge of Rennet's
Islet-and that the appellation of the island he had left was Tsalal. The commencement of
the words Tsalemon and Tsalal was given with a prolonged hissing sound, which we
found it impossible to imitate, even after repeated endeavours, and which was precisely
the same with the note of the black bittern we had eaten up on the summit of the hill.

March 3. -The heat of the water was now truly remarkable, and in colour was undergoing
a rapid change, being no longer transparent, but of a milky consistency and hue. In our
immediate vicinity it was usually smooth, never so rough as to endanger the canoe-but
we were frequently surprised at perceiving, to our right and left, at different distances,
sudden and extensive agitations of the surface-these, we at length noticed, were always
preceded by wild flickerings in the region of vapour to the southward.

March 4.-To-day, with the view of widening our sail, the breeze from the northward
dying away perceptibly, I took from my coat-pocket a white handkerchief. Nu-Nu was
seated at my elbow, and the linen accidentally flaring in his face, he became violently
affected with convulsions. These were succeeded by drowsiness and stupor, and low
murmurings of "Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!"

March 5. -The wind had entirely ceased, but it was evident that we were still hurrying on
to the southward, under the influence of a powerful current. And now, indeed, it would
seem reasonable that we should experience some alarm at the turn events were taking-but
we felt none. The countenance of Peters indicated nothing of this nature, although it wore
at times an expression I could not fathom. The polar winter appeared to be coming on-
but coming without its terrors. I felt a numbness of body and mind-a dreaminess of
sensation-but this was all.

March 6.-The gray vapour had now arisen many more degrees above the horizon, and
was gradually losing its grayness of tint. The heat of the water was extreme, even
unpleasant to the touch, and its milky hue was more evident than ever. To-day a violent
agitation of the water occurred very close to the canoe. It was attended, as usual, with a
wild flaring up of the vapour at its summit, and a momentary division at its base. A fine
white powder, resembling ashes-but certainly not such-fell over the canoe and over a
large surface of the water, as the flickering died away among the vapour and the
commotion subsided in the sea. Nu-Nu now threw himself on his face in the bottom of
the boat, and no persuasions could induce him to arise.

March 7. -This day we questioned Nu-Nu concerning the motives of his countrymen in
destroying our companions; but he appeared to be too utterly overcome by terror to afford
us any rational reply. He still obstinately lay in the bottom of the boat; and, upon
reiterating the questions as to the motive, made use only of idiotic gesticulations, such as
raising with his forefinger the upper lip, and displaying the teeth which lay beneath it.
These were black. We had never before seen the teeth of an inhabitant of Tsalal.

March 8.-To-day there floated by us one of the white animals whose appearance upon
the beach at Tsalal had occasioned so wild a commotion among the savages. I would
have picked it up, but there came over me a sudden listlessness, and I forbore. The heat of
the water still increased, and the hand could no longer be endured within it. Peters spoke
little, and I knew not what to think of his apathy. Nu-Nu breathed, and no more.

March 9.-The whole ashy material fell now continually around us, and in vast quantities.
The range of vapour to the southward had arisen prodigiously in the horizon, and began
to assume more distinctness of form. I can liken it to nothing but a limitless cataract,
rolling silently into the sea from some immense and far-distant rampart in the heaven.
The gigantic curtain ranged along the whole extent of the southern horizon. It emitted no
sound.

March 21. -A sullen darkness now hovered above us-but from out the milky depths of the
ocean a luminous glare arose, and stole up along the bulwarks of the boat. We were
nearly overwhelmed by the white ashy shower which settled upon us and upon the canoe,
but melted into the water as it fell. The summit of the cataract was utterly lost in the
dimness and the distance. Yet we were evidently approaching it with a hideous velocity.
At intervals there were visible in it wide, yawning, but momentary rents, and from out
these rents, within which was a chaos of flitting and indistinct images, there came rushing
and mighty, but soundless winds, tearing up the enkindled ocean in their course.

March 22.-The darkness had materially increased, relieved only by the glare of the water
thrown back from the white curtain before us. Many gigantic and pallidly white birds
flew continuously now from beyond the veil, and their scream was the eternal Tekeli-li!
as they retreated from our vision. Hereupon Nu-Nu stirred in the bottom of the boat; but
upon touching him, we found his spirit departed. And now we rushed into the embraces
of the cataract, where a chasm threw itself open to receive us. But there arose in our
pathway a shrouded human figure, very far larger in its proportions than any dweller
among men. And the hue of the skin of the figure was of the perfect whiteness of the
snow. NOTE

NOTE

The circumstances connected with the late sudden and distressing death of Mr. Pym are
already well known to the public through the medium of the daily press. It is feared that
the few remaining chapters which were to have completed his narrative, and which were
retained by him, while the above were in type, for the purpose of revision, have been
irrecoverably lost through the accident by which he perished himself. This, however, may
prove not to be the case, and the papers, if ultimately found, will be given to the public.

No means have been left untried to remedy the deficiency. The gentleman whose name is
mentioned in the preface, and who, from the statement there made, might be supposed
able to fill the vacuum, has declined the task-this for satisfactory reasons connected with
the general inaccuracy of the details afforded him, and his disbelief in the entire truth of
the latter portions of the narration. Peters, from whom some information might be

expected, is still alive, and a resident of Illinois, but cannot be met with at present. He
may hereafter be found, and will, no doubt, afford material for a conclusion of Mr. Pym's
account.

The loss of the two or three final chapters (for there were but two or three) is the more
deeply to be regretted, as, it cannot be doubted, they contained matter relative to the Pole
itself, or at least to regions in its very near proximity; and as, too, the statements of the
author in relation to these regions may shortly be verified or contradicted by means of the
governmental expedition now preparing for the Southern Ocean.

On one point in the Narrative some remarks may be well offered; and it would afford the
writer of this appendix much pleasure if what he may here observe should have a
tendency to throw credit, in any degree, upon the very singular pages now published. We
allude to the chasms found in the island of Tsalal, and to the whole of the figures
presented in Chapter XXIII.

Mr. Pym has given the figures of the chasm without comment, and speaks decidedly of
the indentures found at the extremity of the most easterly of these chasms as having but a
fanciful resemblance to alphabetical characters, and, in short, as being positively not
such. This assertion is made in a manner so simple, and sustained by a species of
demonstration so conclusive (viz., the fitting of the projections of the fragments found
among the dust into the indentures upon the wall), that we are forced to believe the writer
in earnest; and no reasonable reader should suppose otherwise. But as the facts in relation
to all the figures are most singular (especially when taken in connexion with statements
made in the body of the narrative), it may be as well to say a word or two concerning
them all-this, too, the more especially as the facts in question have, beyond doubt,
escaped the attention of Mr. Foe.

Figure 1, then figure 2, figure 3, and figure 5, when conjoined with one another in the
precise order which the chasms themselves presented, and when deprived of the small
lateral branches or arches (which, it will be remembered, served only as means of
communication between the main chambers, and were of totally distinct character),
constitute an Ethiopian verbal root-the root (SEE ILLUSTRATION) "To be shady"-
whence all the inflections of shadow or darkness.

In regard to the "left or most northwardly" of the indentures in figure 4, it is more than
probable that the opinion of Peters was correct, and that the hieroglyphical appearance
was really the work of art, and intended as the representation of a human form. The
delineation is before the reader, and he may, or may not, perceive the resemblance
suggested; but the rest of the indentures afford strong confirmation of Peters' idea. The
upper range is evidently the Arabic verbal root (SEE ILLUSTRATION) "To be white,"
whence all the inflections of brilliancy and whiteness. The lower range is not so
immediately perspicuous. The characters are somewhat broken and disjointed;
nevertheless, it cannot be doubted that, in their perfect state, they formed the full
Egyptian word (SEE ILLUSTRATION), "The region of the south." It should be observed

that these interpretations confirm the opinion of Peters in regard to the "most
northwardly" of the figures. The arm is outstretched towards the south.

Conclusions such as these open a wide field for speculation and exciting conjecture. They
should be regarded, perhaps, in connexion with some of the most faintly-detailed
incidents of the narrative; although in no visible manner is this chain of connexion
complete. Tekeli-li! was the cry of the affrighted natives of Tsalal upon discovering the
carcass of the white animal picked up at sea. This also was the shuddering exclamation of
the captive Tsalalian upon encountering the white materials in possession of Mr. Pym.
This also was the shriek of the swift-flying, white, and gigantic birds which issued from
the vapoury white curtain of the South. Nothing white was to be found at Tsalal, and
nothing otherwise in the subsequent voyage to the region beyond. It is not impossible that
"Tsalal," the appellation of the island of the chasms, may be found, upon minute
philological scrutiny, to betray either some alliance with the chasms themselves, or some
reference to the Ethiopian characters so mysteriously written in their windings.

"I have graven it within the hills, and my vengeance upon the dust within the rock."

THE END

THE OBLONG BOX

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

SOME YEARS ago, I engaged passage from Charleston, S. C, to the city of New York,
in the fine packet-ship "Independence," Captain Hardy. We were to sail on the fifteenth
of the month (June), weather permitting; and on the fourteenth, I went on board to
arrange some matters in my state-room.

I found that we were to have a great many passengers, including a more than usual
number of ladies. On the list were several of my acquaintances, and among other names, I
was rejoiced to see that of Mr. Cornelius Wyatt, a young artist, for whom I entertained
feelings of warm friendship. He had been with me a fellow- student at C- University,
where we were very much together. He had the ordinary temperament of genius, and was
a compound of misanthropy, sensibility, and enthusiasm. To these qualities he united the
warmest and truest heart which ever beat in a human bosom.

I observed that his name was carded upon three state-rooms; and, upon again referring to
the list of passengers, I found that he had engaged passage for himself, wife, and two
sisters-his own. The state-rooms were sufficiently roomy, and each had two berths, one
above the other. These berths, to be sure, were so exceedingly narrow as to be insufficient
for more than one person; still, I could not comprehend why there were three state-rooms
for these four persons. I was, just at that epoch, in one of those moody frames of mind
which make a man abnormally inquisitive about trifles: and I confess, with shame, that I
busied myself in a variety of ill-bred and preposterous conjectures about this matter of the
supernumerary state-room. It was no business of mine, to be sure, but with none the less
pertinacity did I occupy myself in attempts to resolve the enigma. At last I reached a
conclusion which wrought in me great wonder why I had not arrived at it before. "It is a
servant of course," I said; "what a fool I am, not sooner to have thought of so obvious a
solution!" And then I again repaired to the list-but here I saw distinctly that no servant
was to come with the party, although, in fact, it had been the original design to bring one-
for the words "and servant" had been first written and then overscored. "Oh, extra
baggage, to be sure," I now said to myself-" something he wishes not to be put in the
hold-something to be kept under his own eye-ah, I have it-a painting or so-and this is
what he has been bargaining about with Nicolino, the Italian Jew." This idea satisfied me,
and I dismissed my curiosity for the nonce.

Wyatt's two sisters I knew very well, and most amiable and clever girls they were. His
wife he had newly married, and I had never yet seen her. He had often talked about her in
my presence, however, and in his usual style of enthusiasm. He described her as of
surpassing beauty, wit, and accomplishment. I was, therefore, quite anxious to make her
acquaintance.

On the day in which I visited the ship (the fourteenth), Wyatt and party were also to visit
it-so the captain informed me-and I waited on board an hour longer than I had designed,
in hope of being presented to the bride, but then an apology came. "Mrs. W. was a little
indisposed, and would decline coming on board until to-morrow, at the hour of sailing."

The morrow having arrived, I was going from my hotel to the wharf, when Captain
Hardy met me and said that, "owing to circumstances" (a stupid but convenient phrase),
"he rather thought the Independence' would not sail for a day or two, and that when all
was ready, he would send up and let me know." This I thought strange, for there was a
stiff southerly breeze; but as "the circumstances" were not forthcoming, although I
pumped for them with much perseverance, I had nothing to do but to return home and
digest my impatience at leisure.

I did not receive the expected message from the captain for nearly a week. It came at
length, however, and I immediately went on board. The ship was crowded with
passengers, and every thing was in the bustle attendant upon making sail. Wyatt's party
arrived in about ten minutes after myself. There were the two sisters, the bride, and the
artist- the latter in one of his customary fits of moody misanthropy. I was too well used to
these, however, to pay them any special attention. He did not even introduce me to his
wife-this courtesy devolving, per force, upon his sister Marian-a very sweet and
intelligent girl, who, in a few hurried words, made us acquainted.

Mrs. Wyatt had been closely veiled; and when she raised her veil, in acknowledging my
bow, I confess that I was very profoundly astonished. I should have been much more so,
however, had not long experience advised me not to trust, with too implicit a reliance, the
enthusiastic descriptions of my friend, the artist, when indulging in comments upon the
loveliness of woman. When beauty was the theme, I well knew with what facility he
soared into the regions of the purely ideal.

The truth is, I could not help regarding Mrs. Wyatt as a decidedly plain-looking woman.
If not positively ugly, she was not, I think, very far from it. She was dressed, however, in
exquisite taste-and then I had no doubt that she had captivated my friend's heart by the
more enduring graces of the intellect and soul. She said very few words, and passed at
once into her state-room with Mr. W.

My old inquisitiveness now returned. There was no servant-that was a settled point. I
looked, therefore, for the extra baggage. After some delay, a cart arrived at the wharf,
with an oblong pine box, which was every thing that seemed to be expected. Immediately
upon its arrival we made sail, and in a short time were safely over the bar and standing
out to sea.

The box in question was, as I say, oblong. It was about six feet in length by two and a
half in breadth; I observed it attentively, and like to be precise. Now this shape was
peculiar; and no sooner had I seen it, than I took credit to myself for the accuracy of my
guessing. I had reached the conclusion, it will be remembered, that the extra baggage of
my friend, the artist, would prove to be pictures, or at least a picture; for I knew he had

been for several weeks in conference with Nicolino:-and now here was a box, which,
from its shape, could possibly contain nothing in the world but a copy of Leonardo's
"Last Supper;" and a copy of this very "Last Supper," done by Rubini the younger, at
Florence, I had known, for some time, to be in the possession of Nicolino. This point,
therefore, I considered as sufficiently settled. I chuckled excessively when I thought of
my acumen. It was the first time I had ever known Wyatt to keep from me any of his
artistical secrets; but here he evidently intended to steal a march upon me, and smuggle a
fine picture to New York, under my very nose; expecting me to know nothing of the
matter. I resolved to quiz him well, now and hereafter.

One thing, however, annoyed me not a little. The box did not go into the extra state-room.
It was deposited in Wyatt's own; and there, too, it remained, occupying very nearly the
whole of the floor-no doubt to the exceeding discomfort of the artist and his wife;-this
the more especially as the tar or paint with which it was lettered in sprawling capitals,
emitted a strong, disagreeable, and, to my fancy, a peculiarly disgusting odor. On the lid
were painted the words-"Mrs. Adelaide Curtis, Albany, New York. Charge of Cornelius
Wyatt, Esq. This side up. To be handled with care."

Now, I was aware that Mrs. Adelaide Curtis, of Albany, was the artist's wife's mother,-
but then I looked upon the whole address as a mystification, intended especially for
myself. I made up my mind, of course, that the box and contents would never get farther
north than the studio of my misanthropic friend, in Chambers Street, New York.

For the first three or four days we had fine weather, although the wind was dead ahead;
having chopped round to the northward, immediately upon our losing sight of the coast.
The passengers were, consequently, in high spirits and disposed to be social. I must
except, however, Wyatt and his sisters, who behaved stiffly, and, I could not help
thinking, uncourteously to the rest of the party. Wyatt's conduct I did not so much regard.
He was gloomy, even beyond his usual habit-in fact he was morose-but in him I was
prepared for eccentricity. For the sisters, however, I could make no excuse. They
secluded themselves in their staterooms during the greater part of the passage, and
absolutely refused, although I repeatedly urged them, to hold communication with any
person on board.

Mrs. Wyatt herself was far more agreeable. That is to say, she was chatty; and to be
chatty is no slight recommendation at sea. She became excessively intimate with most of
the ladies; and, to my profound astonishment, evinced no equivocal disposition to coquet
with the men. She amused us all very much. I say "amused"-and scarcely know how to
explain myself. The truth is, I soon found that Mrs. W. was far oftener laughed at than
with. The gentlemen said little about her; but the ladies, in a little while, pronounced her
"a good-hearted thing, rather indifferent looking, totally uneducated, and decidedly
vulgar." The great wonder was, how Wyatt had been entrapped into such a match. Wealth
was the general solution-but this I knew to be no solution at all; for Wyatt had told me
that she neither brought him a dollar nor had any expectations from any source whatever.
"He had married," he said, "for love, and for love only; and his bride was far more than
worthy of his love." When I thought of these expressions, on the part of my friend, I

confess that I felt indescribably puzzled. Could it be possible that he was taking leave of
his senses? What else could I think? He, so refined, so intellectual, so fastidious, with so
exquisite a perception of the faulty, and so keen an appreciation of the beautiful! To be
sure, the lady seemed especially fond of him-particularly so in his absence-when she
made herself ridiculous by frequent quotations of what had been said by her "beloved
husband, Mr. Wyatt." The word "husband" seemed forever-to use one of her own
delicate expressions-forever "on the tip of her tongue." In the meantime, it was observed
by all on board, that he avoided her in the most pointed manner, and, for the most part,
shut himself up alone in his state-room, where, in fact, he might have been said to live
altogether, leaving his wife at full liberty to amuse herself as she thought best, in the
public society of the main cabin.

My conclusion, from what I saw and heard, was, that, the artist, by some unaccountable
freak of fate, or perhaps in some fit of enthusiastic and fanciful passion, had been induced
to unite himself with a person altogether beneath him, and that the natural result, entire
and speedy disgust, had ensued. I pitied him from the bottom of my heart-but could not,
for that reason, quite forgive his incommunicativeness in the matter of the "Last Supper."
For this I resolved to have my revenge.

One day he came upon deck, and, taking his arm as had been my wont, I sauntered with
him backward and forward. His gloom, however (which I considered quite natural under
the circumstances), seemed entirely unabated. He said little, and that moodily, and with
evident effort. I ventured a jest or two, and he made a sickening attempt at a smile. Poor
fellow !-as I thought of his wife, I wondered that he could have heart to put on even the
semblance of mirth. I determined to commence a series of covert insinuations, or
innuendoes, about the oblong box-just to let him perceive, gradually, that I was not
altogether the butt, or victim, of his little bit of pleasant mystification. My first
observation was by way of opening a masked battery. I said something about the
"peculiar shape of that box-," and, as I spoke the words, I smiled knowingly, winked, and
touched him gently with my forefinger in the ribs.

The manner in which Wyatt received this harmless pleasantry convinced me, at once, that
he was mad. At first he stared at me as if he found it impossible to comprehend the
witticism of my remark; but as its point seemed slowly to make its way into his brain, his
eyes, in the same proportion, seemed protruding from their sockets. Then he grew very
red-then hideously pale-then, as if highly amused with what I had insinuated, he began a
loud and boisterous laugh, which, to my astonishment, he kept up, with gradually
increasing vigor, for ten minutes or more. In conclusion, he fell flat and heavily upon the
deck. When I ran to uplift him, to all appearance he was dead.

I called assistance, and, with much difficulty, we brought him to himself. Upon reviving
he spoke incoherently for some time. At length we bled him and put him to bed. The next
morning he was quite recovered, so far as regarded his mere bodily health. Of his mind I
say nothing, of course. I avoided him during the rest of the passage, by advice of the
captain, who seemed to coincide with me altogether in my views of his insanity, but
cautioned me to say nothing on this head to any person on board.

Several circumstances occurred immediately after this fit of Wyatt which contributed to
heighten the curiosity with which I was already possessed. Among other things, this: I
had been nervous-drank too much strong green tea, and slept ill at night-in fact, for two
nights I could not be properly said to sleep at all. Now, my state-room opened into the
main cabin, or dining-room, as did those of all the single men on board. Wyatt's three
rooms were in the after-cabin, which was separated from the main one by a slight sliding
door, never locked even at night. As we were almost constantly on a wind, and the breeze
was not a little stiff, the ship heeled to leeward very considerably; and whenever her
starboard side was to leeward, the sliding door between the cabins slid open, and so
remained, nobody taking the trouble to get up and shut it. But my berth was in such a
position, that when my own state-room door was open, as well as the sliding door in
question (and my own door was always open on account of the heat,) I could see into the
after-cabin quite distinctly, and just at that portion of it, too, where were situated the
state-rooms of Mr. Wyatt. Well, during two nights (not consecutive) while I lay awake, I
clearly saw Mrs. W., about eleven o'clock upon each night, steal cautiously from the
state-room of Mr. W., and enter the extra room, where she remained until daybreak, when
she was called by her husband and went back. That they were virtually separated was
clear. They had separate apartments-no doubt in contemplation of a more permanent
divorce; and here, after all I thought was the mystery of the extra state-room.

There was another circumstance, too, which interested me much. During the two wakeful
nights in question, and immediately after the disappearance of Mrs. Wyatt into the extra
state-room, I was attracted by certain singular cautious, subdued noises in that of her
husband. After listening to them for some time, with thoughtful attention, I at length
succeeded perfectly in translating their import. They were sounds occasioned by the artist
in prying open the oblong box, by means of a chisel and mallet-the latter being
apparently muffled, or deadened, by some soft woollen or cotton substance in which its
head was enveloped.

In this manner I fancied I could distinguish the precise moment when he fairly
disengaged the lid-also, that I could determine when he removed it altogether, and when
he deposited it upon the lower berth in his room; this latter point I knew, for example, by
certain slight taps which the lid made in striking against the wooden edges of the berth, as
he endeavored to lay it down very gently-there being no room for it on the floor. After
this there was a dead stillness, and I heard nothing more, upon either occasion, until
nearly daybreak; unless, perhaps, I may mention a low sobbing, or murmuring sound, so
very much suppressed as to be nearly inaudible-if, indeed, the whole of this latter noise
were not rather produced by my own imagination. I say it seemed to resemble sobbing or
sighing-but, of course, it could not have been either. I rather think it was a ringing in my
own ears. Mr. Wyatt, no doubt, according to custom, was merely giving the rein to one of
his hobbies-indulging in one of his fits of artistic enthusiasm. He had opened his oblong
box, in order to feast his eyes on the pictorial treasure within. There was nothing in this,
however, to make him sob. I repeat, therefore, that it must have been simply a freak of
my own fancy, distempered by good Captain Hardy's green tea. just before dawn, on each
of the two nights of which I speak, I distinctly heard Mr. Wyatt replace the lid upon the
oblong box, and force the nails into their old places by means of the muffled mallet.

Having done this, he issued from his state-room, fully dressed, and proceeded to call Mrs.
W. from hers.

We had been at sea seven days, and were now off Cape Hatteras, when there came a
tremendously heavy blow from the southwest. We were, in a measure, prepared for it,
however, as the weather had been holding out threats for some time. Every thing was
made snug, alow and aloft; and as the wind steadily freshened, we lay to, at length, under
spanker and foretopsail, both double-reefed.

In this trim we rode safely enough for forty-eight hours-the ship proving herself an
excellent sea-boat in many respects, and shipping no water of any consequence. At the
end of this period, however, the gale had freshened into a hurricane, and our after-sail
split into ribbons, bringing us so much in the trough of the water that we shipped several
prodigious seas, one immediately after the other. By this accident we lost three men
overboard with the caboose, and nearly the whole of the larboard bulwarks. Scarcely had
we recovered our senses, before the foretopsail went into shreds, when we got up a storm
stay-sail and with this did pretty well for some hours, the ship heading the sea much
more steadily than before.

The gale still held on, however, and we saw no signs of its abating. The rigging was
found to be ill-fitted, and greatly strained; and on the third day of the blow, about five in
the afternoon, our mizzen-mast, in a heavy lurch to windward, went by the board. For an
hour or more, we tried in vain to get rid of it, on account of the prodigious rolling of the
ship; and, before we had succeeded, the carpenter came aft and announced four feet of
water in the hold. To add to our dilemma, we found the pumps choked and nearly useless.

All was now confusion and despair-but an effort was made to lighten the ship by
throwing overboard as much of her cargo as could be reached, and by cutting away the
two masts that remained. This we at last accomplished-but we were still unable to do any
thing at the pumps; and, in the meantime, the leak gained on us very fast.

At sundown, the gale had sensibly diminished in violence, and as the sea went down with
it, we still entertained faint hopes of saving ourselves in the boats. At eight P. M., the
clouds broke away to windward, and we had the advantage of a full moon-a piece of
good fortune which served wonderfully to cheer our drooping spirits.

After incredible labor we succeeded, at length, in getting the longboat over the side
without material accident, and into this we crowded the whole of the crew and most of
the passengers. This party made off immediately, and, after undergoing much suffering,
finally arrived, in safety, at Ocracoke Inlet, on the third day after the wreck.

Fourteen passengers, with the captain, remained on board, resolving to trust their fortunes
to the jolly-boat at the stern. We lowered it without difficulty, although it was only by a
miracle that we prevented it from swamping as it touched the water. It contained, when
afloat, the captain and his wife, Mr. Wyatt and party, a Mexican officer, wife, four
children, and myself, with a negro valet.

We had no room, of course, for any thing except a few positively necessary instruments,
some provisions, and the clothes upon our backs. No one had thought of even attempting
to save any thing more. What must have been the astonishment of all, then, when having
proceeded a few fathoms from the ship, Mr. Wyatt stood up in the stern- sheets, and
coolly demanded of Captain Hardy that the boat should be put back for the purpose of
taking in his oblong box!

"Sit down, Mr. Wyatt," replied the captain, somewhat sternly, "you will capsize us if you
do not sit quite still. Our gun whale is almost in the water now."

"The box!" vociferated Mr. Wyatt, still standing-"the box, I say! Captain Hardy, you
cannot, you will not refuse me. Its weight will be but a trifle-it is nothing-mere nothing.
By the mother who bore you-for the love of Heaven-by your hope of salvation, I implore
you to put back for the box!"

The captain, for a moment, seemed touched by the earnest appeal of the artist, but he
regained his stern composure, and merely said:

"Mr. Wyatt, you are mad. I cannot listen to you. Sit down, I say, or you will swamp the
boat. Stay-hold him-seize him!-he is about to spring overboard! There-I knew it-he is
over!"

As the captain said this, Mr. Wyatt, in fact, sprang from the boat, and, as we were yet in
the lee of the wreck, succeeded, by almost superhuman exertion, in getting hold of a rope
which hung from the fore-chains. In another moment he was on board, and rushing
frantically down into the cabin.

In the meantime, we had been swept astern of the ship, and being quite out of her lee,
were at the mercy of the tremendous sea which was still running. We made a determined
effort to put back, but our little boat was like a feather in the breath of the tempest. We
saw at a glance that the doom of the unfortunate artist was sealed.

As our distance from the wreck rapidly increased, the madman (for as such only could we
regard him) was seen to emerge from the companion-way, up which by dint of strength
that appeared gigantic, he dragged, bodily, the oblong box. While we gazed in the
extremity of astonishment, he passed, rapidly, several turns of a three-inch rope, first
around the box and then around his body. In another instant both body and box were in
the sea-disappearing suddenly, at once and forever.

We lingered awhile sadly upon our oars, with our eyes riveted upon the spot. At length
we pulled away. The silence remained unbroken for an hour. Finally, I hazarded a
remark.

"Did you observe, captain, how suddenly they sank? Was not that an exceedingly
singular thing? I confess that I entertained some feeble hope of his final deliverance,
when I saw him lash himself to the box, and commit himself to the sea."

"They sank as a matter of course," replied the captain, "and that like a shot. They will
soon rise again, however-but not till the salt melts."

"The salt!" I ejaculated.

"Hush!" said the captain, pointing to the wife and sisters of the deceased. "We must talk
of these things at some more appropriate time."

We suffered much, and made a narrow escape, but fortune befriended us, as well as our
mates in the long-boat. We landed, in fine, more dead than alive, after four days of
intense distress, upon the beach opposite Roanoke Island. We remained here a week,
were not ill-treated by the wreckers, and at length obtained a passage to New York.

About a month after the loss of the "Independence," I happened to meet Captain Hardy in
Broadway. Our conversation turned, naturally, upon the disaster, and especially upon the
sad fate of poor Wyatt. I thus learned the following particulars.

The artist had engaged passage for himself, wife, two sisters and a servant. His wife was,
indeed, as she had been represented, a most lovely, and most accomplished woman. On
the morning of the fourteenth of June (the day in which I first visited the ship), the lady
suddenly sickened and died. The young husband was frantic with grief-but circumstances
imperatively forbade the deferring his voyage to New York. It was necessary to take to
her mother the corpse of his adored wife, and, on the other hand, the universal prejudice
which would prevent his doing so openly was well known. Nine-tenths of the passengers
would have abandoned the ship rather than take passage with a dead body.

In this dilemma. Captain Hardy arranged that the corpse, being first partially embalmed,
and packed, with a large quantity of salt, in a box of suitable dimensions, should be
conveyed on board as merchandise. Nothing was to be said of the lady's decease; and, as
it was well understood that Mr. Wyatt had engaged passage for his wife, it became
necessary that some person should personate her during the voyage. This the deceased
lady's-maid was easily prevailed on to do. The extra state-room, originally engaged for
this girl during her mistress' life, was now merely retained. In this state-room the pseudo-
wife, slept, of course, every night. In the daytime she performed, to the best of her ability,
the part of her mistress-whose person, it had been carefully ascertained, was unknown to
any of the passengers on board.

My own mistake arose, naturally enough, through too careless, too inquisitive, and too
impulsive a temperament. But of late, it is a rare thing that I sleep soundly at night. There
is a countenance which haunts me, turn as I will. There is an hysterical laugh which will
forever ring within my ears.

THE END

THE OVAL PORTRAIT

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

THE CHATEAU into which my valet had ventured to make forcible entrance, rather than
permit me, in my desperately wounded condition, to pass a night in the open air, was one
of those piles of commingled gloom and grandeur which have so long frowned among the
Appennines, not less in fact than in the fancy of Mrs. Radcliffe. To all appearance it had
been temporarily and very lately abandoned. We established ourselves in one of the
smallest and least sumptuously furnished apartments. It lay in a remote turret of the
building. Its decorations were rich, yet tattered and antique. Its walls were hung with
tapestry and bedecked with manifold and multiform armorial trophies, together with an
unusually great number of very spirited modern paintings in frames of rich golden
arabesque. In these paintings, which depended from the walls not only in their main
surfaces, but in very many nooks which the bizarre architecture of the chateau rendered
necessary-in these paintings my incipient delirium, perhaps, had caused me to take deep
interest; so that I bade Pedro to close the heavy shutters of the room-since it was already
night-to light the tongues of a tall candelabrum which stood by the head of my bed-and
to throw open far and wide the fringed curtains of black velvet which enveloped the bed
itself. I wished all this done that I might resign myself, if not to sleep, at least alternately
to the contemplation of these pictures, and the perusal of a small volume which had been
found upon the pillow, and which purported to criticise and describe them.

Long-long I read-and devoutly, devotedly I gazed. Rapidly and gloriously the hours flew
by and the deep midnight came. The position of the candelabrum displeased me, and
outreaching my hand with difficulty, rather than disturb my slumbering valet, I placed it
so as to throw its rays more fully upon the book.

But the action produced an effect altogether unanticipated. The rays of the numerous
candles (for there were many) now fell within a niche of the room which had hitherto
been thrown into deep shade by one of the bed-posts. I thus saw in vivid light a picture all
unnoticed before. It was the portrait of a young girl just ripening into womanhood. I
glanced at the painting hurriedly, and then closed my eyes. Why I did this was not at first
apparent even to my own perception. But while my lids remained thus shut, I ran over in
my mind my reason for so shutting them. It was an impulsive movement to gain time for
thought-to make sure that my vision had not deceived me-to calm and subdue my fancy
for a more sober and more certain gaze. In a very few moments I again looked fixedly at
the painting.

That I now saw aright I could not and would not doubt; for the first flashing of the
candles upon that canvas had seemed to dissipate the dreamy stupor which was stealing
over my senses, and to startle me at once into waking life.

The portrait, I have already said, was that of a young girl. It was a mere head and
shoulders, done in what is technically termed a vignette manner; much in the style of the
favorite heads of Sully. The arms, the bosom, and even the ends of the radiant hair melted
imperceptibly into the vague yet deep shadow which formed the back-ground of the
whole. The frame was oval, richly gilded and filigreed in Moresque. As a thing of art
nothing could be more admirable than the painting itself. But it could have been neither
the execution of the work, nor the immortal beauty of the countenance, which had so
suddenly and so vehemently moved me. Least of all, could it have been that my fancy,
shaken from its half slumber, had mistaken the head for that of a living person. I saw at
once that the peculiarities of the design, of the vignetting, and of the frame, must have
instantly dispelled such idea-must have prevented even its momentary entertainment.
Thinking earnestly upon these points, I remained, for an hour perhaps, half sitting, half
reclining, with my vision riveted upon the portrait. At length, satisfied with the true secret
of its effect, I fell back within the bed. I had found the spell of the picture in an absolute
life-likeliness of expression, which, at first startling, finally confounded, subdued, and
appalled me. With deep and reverent awe I replaced the candelabrum in its former
position. The cause of my deep agitation being thus shut from view, I sought eagerly the
volume which discussed the paintings and their histories. Turning to the number which
designated the oval portrait, I there read the vague and quaint words which follow:

"She was a maiden of rarest beauty, and not more lovely than full of glee. And evil was
the hour when she saw, and loved, and wedded the painter. He, passionate, studious,
austere, and having already a bride in his Art; she a maiden of rarest beauty, and not more
lovely than full of glee; all light and smiles, and frolicsome as the young fawn; loving
and cherishing all things; hating only the Art which was her rival; dreading only the
pallet and brushes and other untoward instruments which deprived her of the countenance
of her lover. It was thus a terrible thing for this lady to hear the painter speak of his desire
to pourtray even his young bride. But she was humble and obedient, and sat meekly for
many weeks in the dark, high turret-chamber where the light dripped upon the pale
canvas only from overhead. But he, the painter, took glory in his work, which went on
from hour to hour, and from day to day. And be was a passionate, and wild, and moody
man, who became lost in reveries; so that he would not see that the light which fell so
ghastly in that lone turret withered the health and the spirits of his bride, who pined
visibly to all but him. Yet she smiled on and still on, uncomplainingly, because she saw
that the painter (who had high renown) took a fervid and burning pleasure in his task, and
wrought day and night to depict her who so loved him, yet who grew daily more
dispirited and weak. And in sooth some who beheld the portrait spoke of its resemblance
in low words, as of a mighty marvel, and a proof not less of the power of the painter than
of his deep love for her whom he depicted so surpassingly well. But at length, as the
labor drew nearer to its conclusion, there were admitted none into the turret; for the
painter had grown wild with the ardor of his work, and turned his eyes from canvas
merely, even to regard the countenance of his wife. And he would not see that the tints
which he spread upon the canvas were drawn from the cheeks of her who sate beside
him. And when many weeks bad passed, and but little remained to do, save one brush
upon the mouth and one tint upon the eye, the spirit of the lady again flickered up as the
flame within the socket of the lamp. And then the brush was given, and then the tint was

placed; and, for one moment, the painter stood entranced before the work which he had
wrought; but in the next, while he yet gazed, he grew tremulous and very pallid, and
aghast, and crying with a loud voice, 'This is indeed Life itself!' turned suddenly to regard
his beloved:-She was dead!

THE END

THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM

by Edgar Allan Poe

1842

Impia tortorum longos hie turba furores
Sanguinis innocui, non satiata, aluit.
Sospite nunc patria, fracto nunc funeris antra.
Mors ubi dirafuit vita salusque patent.

(Quatrain composed for the gates of a market to he erected upon
the site of the Jacobin Club House at Paris.)

I WAS sick —sick unto death with that long agony; and when they at length unbound me,
and I was permitted to sit, I felt that my senses were leaving me. The sentence —the dread
sentence of death —was the last of distinct accentuation which reached my ears. After
that, the sound of the inquisitorial voices seemed merged in one dreamy indeterminate
hum. It conveyed to my soul the idea of revolution -perhaps from its association in fancy
with the burr of a mill wheel. This only for a brief period; for presently I heard no more.
Yet, for a while, I saw; but with how terrible an exaggeration! I saw the lips of the black-
robed judges. They appeared to me white —whiter than the sheet upon which I trace these
words —and thin even to grotesqueness; thin with the intensity of their expression of
firmness —of immoveable resolution —of stern contempt of human torture. I saw that the
decrees of what to me was Fate, were still issuing from those lips. I saw them writhe with
a deadly locution. I saw them fashion the syllables of my name; and I shuddered because
no sound succeeded. I saw, too, for a few moments of delirious horror, the soft and nearly
imperceptible waving of the sable draperies which enwrapped the walls of the apartment.
And then my vision fell upon the seven tall candles upon the table. At first they wore the
aspect of charity, and seemed white and slender angels who would save me; but then, all
at once, there came a most deadly nausea over my spirit, and I felt every fibre in my
frame thrill as if I had touched the wire of a galvanic battery, while the angel forms
became meaningless spectres, with heads of flame, and I saw that from them there would
be no help. And then there stole into my fancy, like a rich musical note, the thought of
what sweet rest there must be in the grave. The thought came gently and stealthily, and it
seemed long before it attained full appreciation; but just as my spirit came at length
properly to feel and entertain it, the figures of the judges vanished, as if magically, from
before me; the tall candles sank into nothingness; their flames went out utterly; the
blackness of darkness supervened; all sensations appeared swallowed up in a mad rushing
descent as of the soul into Hades. Then silence, and stillness, night were the universe.

I had swooned; but still will not say that all of consciousness was lost. What of it there
remained I will not attempt to define, or even to describe; yet all was not lost. In the
deepest slumber —no! In delirium —no! In a swoon —no! In death —no! even in the grave

all is not lost. Else there is no immortality for man. Arousing from the most profound of
slumbers, we break the gossamer web of some dream. Yet in a second afterward, (so frail
may that web have been) we remember not that we have dreamed. In the return to life
from the swoon there are two stages; first, that of the sense of mental or spiritual;
secondly, that of the sense of physical, existence. It seems probable that if, upon reaching
the second stage, we could recall the impressions of the first, we should find these
impressions eloquent in memories of the gulf beyond. And that gulf is —what? How at
least shall we distinguish its shadows from those of the tomb? But if the impressions of
what I have termed the first stage, are not, at will, recalled, yet, after long interval, do
they not come unbidden, while we marvel whence they come? He who has never
swooned, is not he who finds strange palaces and wildly familiar faces in coals that glow;
is not he who beholds floating in mid-air the sad visions that the many may not view; is
not he who ponders over the perfume of some novel flower —is not he whose brain grows
bewildered with the meaning of some musical cadence which has never before arrested
his attention.

Amid frequent and thoughtful endeavors to remember; amid earnest struggles to regather
some token of the state of seeming nothingness into which my soul had lapsed, there have
been moments when I have dreamed of success; there have been brief, very brief periods
when I have conjured up remembrances which the lucid reason of a later epoch assures
me could have had reference only to that condition of seeming unconsciousness. These
shadows of memory tell, indistinctly, of tall figures that lifted and bore me in silence
down —down —still down -till a hideous dizziness oppressed me at the mere idea of the
interminableness of the descent. They tell also of a vague horror at my heart, on account
of that heart's unnatural stillness. Then comes a sense of sudden motionlessness
throughout all things; as if those who bore me (a ghastly train!) had outrun, in their
descent, the limits of the limitless, and paused from the wearisomeness of their toil. After
this I call to mind flatness and dampness; and then all is madness -the madness of a
memory which busies itself among forbidden things.

Very suddenly there came back to my soul motion and sound -the tumultuous motion of
the heart, and, in my ears, the sound of its beating. Then a pause in which all is blank.
Then again sound, and motion, and touch -a tingling sensation pervading my frame.
Then the mere consciousness of existence, without thought —a condition which lasted
long. Then, very suddenly, thought, and shuddering terror, and earnest endeavor to
comprehend my true state. Then a strong desire to lapse into insensibility. Then a rushing
revival of soul and a successful effort to move. And now a full memory of the trial, of the
judges, of the sable draperies, of the sentence, of the sickness, of the swoon. Then entire
forgetfulness of all that followed; of all that a later day and much earnestness of endeavor
have enabled me vaguely to recall.

So far, I had not opened my eyes. I felt that I lay upon my back, unbound. I reached out
my hand, and it fell heavily upon something damp and hard. There I suffered it to remain
for many minutes, while I strove to imagine where and what I could be. I longed, yet
dared not to employ my vision. I dreaded the first glance at objects around me. It was not
that I feared to look upon things horrible, but that I grew aghast lest there should be

nothing to see. At length, with a wild desperation at heart, I quickly unclosed my eyes.
My worst thoughts, then, were confirmed. The blackness of eternal night encompassed
me. I struggled for breath. The intensity of the darkness seemed to oppress and stifle me.
The atmosphere was intolerably close. I still lay quietly, and made effort to exercise my
reason. I brought to mind the inquisitorial proceedings, and attempted from that point to
deduce my real condition. The sentence had passed; and it appeared to me that a very
long interval of time had since elapsed. Yet not for a moment did I suppose myself
actually dead. Such a supposition, notwithstanding what we read in fiction, is altogether
inconsistent with real existence; —but where and in what state was I? The condemned to
death, I knew, perished usually at the autos-da-fe, and one of these had been held on the
very night of the day of my trial. Had I been remanded to my dungeon, to await the next
sacrifice, which would not take place for many months? This I at once saw could not be.
Victims had been in immediate demand. Moreover, my dungeon, as well as all the
condemned cells at Toledo, had stone floors, and light was not altogether excluded.

A fearful idea now suddenly drove the blood in torrents upon my heart, and for a brief
period, I once more relapsed into insensibility. Upon recovering, I at once started to my
feet, trembling convulsively in every fibre. I thrust my arms wildly above and around me
in all directions. I felt nothing; yet dreaded to move a step, lest I should be impeded by
the walls of a tomb. Perspiration burst from every pore, and stood in cold big beads upon
my forehead. The agony of suspense grew at length intolerable, and I cautiously moved
forward, with my arms extended, and my eyes straining from their sockets, in the hope of
catching some faint ray of light. I proceeded for many paces; but still all was blackness
and vacancy. I breathed more freely. It seemed evident that mine was not, at least, the
most hideous of fates.

And now, as I still continued to step cautiously onward, there came thronging upon my
recollection a thousand vague rumors of the horrors of Toledo. Of the dungeons there had
been strange things narrated -fables I had always deemed them —but yet strange, and too
ghastly to repeat, save in a whisper. Was I left to perish of starvation in this subterranean
world of darkness; or what fate, perhaps even more fearful, awaited me? That the result
would be death, and a death of more than customary bitterness, I knew too well the
character of my judges to doubt. The mode and the hour were all that occupied or
distracted me.

My outstretched hands at length encountered some solid obstruction. It was a wall,
seemingly of stone masonry —very smooth, slimy, and cold. I followed it up; stepping
with all the careful distrust with which certain antique narratives had inspired me. This
process, however, afforded me no means of ascertaining the dimensions of my dungeon;
as I might make its circuit, and return to the point whence I set out, without being aware
of the fact; so perfectly uniform seemed the wall. I therefore sought the knife which had
been in my pocket, when led into the inquisitorial chamber; but it was gone; my clothes
had been exchanged for a wrapper of coarse serge. I had thought of forcing the blade in
some minute crevice of the masonry, so as to identify my point of departure. The
difficulty, nevertheless, was but trivial; although, in the disorder of my fancy, it seemed
at first insuperable. I tore a part of the hem from the robe and placed the fragment at full

length, and at right angles to the wall. In groping my way around the prison, I could not
fail to encounter this rag upon completing the circuit. So, at least I thought: but I had not
counted upon the extent of the dungeon, or upon my own weakness. The ground was
moist and slippery. I staggered onward for some time, when I stumbled and fell. My
excessive fatigue induced me to remain prostrate; and sleep soon overtook me as I lay.

Upon awaking, and stretching forth an arm, I found beside me a loaf and a pitcher with
water. I was too much exhausted to reflect upon this circumstance, but ate and drank with
avidity. Shortly afterward, I resumed my tour around the prison, and with much toil came
at last upon the fragment of the serge. Up to the period when I fell I had counted fifty-two
paces, and upon resuming my walk, I had counted forty-eight more; —when I arrived at
the rag. There were in all, then, a hundred paces; and, admitting two paces to the yard, I
presumed the dungeon to be fifty yards in circuit. I had met, however, with many angles
in the wall, and thus I could form no guess at the shape of the vault; for vault I could not
help supposing it to be.

I had little object —certainly no hope these researches; but a vague curiosity prompted me
to continue them. Quitting the wall, I resolved to cross the area of the enclosure. At first I
proceeded with extreme caution, for the floor, although seemingly of solid material, was
treacherous with slime. At length, however, I took courage, and did not hesitate to step
firmly; endeavoring to cross in as direct a line as possible. I had advanced some ten or
twelve paces in this manner, when the remnant of the torn hem of my robe became
entangled between my legs. I stepped on it, and fell violently on my face.

In the confusion attending my fall, I did not immediately apprehend a somewhat startling
circumstance, which yet, in a few seconds afterward, and while I still lay prostrate,
arrested my attention. It was this —my chin rested upon the floor of the prison, but my
lips and the upper portion of my head, although seemingly at a less elevation than the
chin, touched nothing. At the same time my forehead seemed bathed in a clammy vapor,
and the peculiar smell of decayed fungus arose to my nostrils. I put forward my arm, and
shuddered to find that I had f Allan at the very brink of a circular pit, whose extent, of
course, I had no means of ascertaining at the moment. Groping about the masonry just
below the margin, I succeeded in dislodging a small fragment, and let it fall into the
abyss. For many seconds I hearkened to its reverberations as it dashed against the sides of
the chasm in its descent; at length there was a sullen plunge into water, succeeded by
loud echoes. At the same moment there came a sound resembling the quick opening, and
as rapid closing of a door overhead, while a faint gleam of light flashed suddenly through
the gloom, and as suddenly faded away.

I saw clearly the doom which had been prepared for me, and congratulated myself upon
the timely accident by which I had escaped. Another step before my fall, and the world
had seen me no more. And the death just avoided, was of that very character which I had
regarded as fabulous and frivolous in the tales respecting the Inquisition. To the victims
of its tyranny, there was the choice of death with its direst physical agonies, or death with
its most hideous moral horrors. I had been reserved for the latter. By long suffering my

nerves had been unstrang, until I trembled at the sound of my own voice, and had become
in every respect a fitting subject for the species of torture which awaited me.

Shaking in every limb, I groped my way back to the wall; resolving there to perish rather
than risk the terrors of the wells, of which my imagination now pictured many in various
positions about the dungeon. In other conditions of mind I might have had courage to end
my misery at once by a plunge into one of these abysses; but now I was the veriest of
cowards. Neither could I forget what I had read of these pits —that the sudden extinction
of life formed no part of their most horrible plan.

Agitation of spirit kept me awake for many long hours; but at length I again slumbered.
Upon arousing, I found by my side, as before, a loaf and a pitcher of water. A burning
thirst consumed me, and I emptied the vessel at a draught. It must have been drugged; for
scarcely had I drunk, before I became irresistibly drowsy. A deep sleep fell upon me —a
sleep like that of death. How long it lasted of course, I know not; but when, once again, I
unclosed my eyes, the objects around me were visible. By a wild sulphurous lustre, the
origin of which I could not at first determine, I was enabled to see the extent and aspect
of the prison.

In its size I had been greatly mistaken. The whole circuit of its walls did not exceed
twenty-five yards. For some minutes this fact occasioned me a world of vain trouble; vain
indeed! for what could be of less importance, under the terrible circumstances which
environed me, then the mere dimensions of my dungeon? But my soul took a wild
interest in trifles, and I busied myself in endeavors to account for the error I had
committed in my measurement. The truth at length flashed upon me. In my first attempt
at exploration I had counted fifty-two paces, up to the period when I fell; I must then
have been within a pace or two of the fragment of serge; in fact, I had nearly performed
the circuit of the vault. I then slept, and upon awaking, I must have returned upon my
steps —thus supposing the circuit nearly double what it actually was. My confusion of
mind prevented me from observing that I began my tour with the wall to the left, and
ended it with the wall to the right.

I had been deceived, too, in respect to the shape of the enclosure. In feeling my way I had
found many angles, and thus deduced an idea of great irregularity; so potent is the effect
of total darkness upon one arousing from lethargy or sleep! The angles were simply those
of a few slight depressions, or niches, at odd intervals. The general shape of the prison
was square. What I had taken for masonry seemed now to be iron, or some other metal, in
huge plates, whose sutures or joints occasioned the depression. The entire surface of this
metallic enclosure was rudely daubed in all the hideous and repulsive devices to which
the chamel superstition of the monks has given rise. The figures of fiends in aspects of
menace, with skeleton forms, and other more really fearful images, overspread and
disfigured the walls. I observed that the outlines of these monstrosities were sufficiently
distinct, but that the colors seemed faded and blurred, as if from the effects of a damp
atmosphere. I now noticed the floor, too, which was of stone. In the centre yawned the
circular pit from whose jaws I had escaped; but it was the only one in the dungeon.

All this I saw indistinctly and by much effort: for my personal condition had been greatly
changed during slumber. I now lay upon my back, and at full length, on a species of low
framework of wood. To this I was securely bound by a long strap resembling a surcingle.
It passed in many convolutions about my limbs and body, leaving at liberty only my
head, and my left arm to such extent that I could, by dint of much exertion, supply myself
with food from an earthen dish which lay by my side on the floor. I saw, to my horror,
that the pitcher had been removed. I say to my horror; for I was consumed with
intolerable thirst. This thirst it appeared to be the design of my persecutors to stimulate:
for the food in the dish was meat pungently seasoned.

Looking upward, I surveyed the ceiling of my prison. It was some thirty or forty feet
overhead, and constructed much as the side walls. In one of its panels a very singular
figure riveted my whole attention. It was the painted figure of Time as he is commonly
represented, save that, in lieu of a scythe, he held what, at a casual glance, I supposed to
be the pictured image of a huge pendulum such as we see on antique clocks. There was
something, however, in the appearance of this machine which caused me to regard it
more attentively. While I gazed directly upward at it (for its position was immediately
over my own) I fancied that I saw it in motion. In an instant afterward the fancy was
confirmed. Its sweep was brief, and of course slow. I watched it for some minutes,
somewhat in fear, but more in wonder. Wearied at length with observing its dull
movement, I turned my eyes upon the other objects in the cell.

A slight noise attracted my notice, and, looking to the floor, I saw several enormous rats
traversing it. They had issued from the well, which lay just within view to my right. Even
then, while I gazed, they came up in troops, hurriedly, with ravenous eyes, allured by the
scent of the meat. From this it required much effort and attention to scare them away.

It might have been half an hour, perhaps even an hour, (for in cast my I could take but
imperfect note of time) before I again cast my eyes upward. What I then saw confounded
and amazed me. The sweep of the pendulum had increased in extent by nearly a yard. As
a natural consequence, its velocity was also much greater. But what mainly disturbed me
was the idea that had perceptibly descended. I now observed -with what horror it is
needless to say —that its nether extremity was formed of a crescent of glittering steel,
about a foot in length from horn to horn; the horns upward, and the under edge evidently
as keen as that of a razor. Like a razor also, it seemed massy and heavy, tapering from the
edge into a solid and broad structure above. It was appended to a weighty rod of brass,
and the whole hissed as it swung through the air.

I could no longer doubt the doom prepared for me by monkish ingenuity in torture. My
cognizance of the pit had become known to the inquisitorial agents —the pit whose
horrors had been destined for so bold a recusant as myself -the pit, typical of hell, and
regarded by rumor as the Ultima Thule of all their punishments. The plunge into this pit I
had avoided by the merest of accidents, I knew that surprise, or entrapment into torment,
formed an important portion of all the grotesquerie of these dungeon deaths. Having
failed to fall, it was no part of the demon plan to hurl me into the abyss; and thus (there

being no alternative) a different and a milder destruction awaited me. Milder! I half
smiled in my agony as I thought of such application of such a term.

What boots it to tell of the long, long hours of horror more than mortal, during which I
counted the rushing vibrations of the steel! Inch by inch —line by line —with a descent
only appreciable at intervals that seemed ages —down and still down it came! Days
passed —it might have been that many days passed —ere it swept so closely over me as to
fan me with its acrid breath. The odor of the sharp steel forced itself into my nostrils. I
prayed —I wearied heaven with my prayer for its more speedy descent. I grew frantically
mad, and struggled to force myself upward against the sweep of the fearful scimitar. And
then I fell suddenly calm, and lay smiling at the glittering death, as a child at some rare
bauble.

There was another interval of utter insensibility; it was brief; for, upon again lapsing into
life there had been no perceptible descent in the pendulum. But it might have been long;
for I knew there were demons who took note of my swoon, and who could have arrested
the vibration at pleasure. Upon my recovery, too, I felt very -oh, inexpressibly sick and
weak, as if through long inanition. Even amid the agonies of that period, the human
nature craved food. With painful effort I outstretched my left arm as far as my bonds
permitted, and took possession of the small remnant which had been spared me by the
rats. As I put a portion of it within my lips, there rushed to my mind a half formed
thought of joy —of hope. Yet what business had I with hope? It was, as I say, a half
formed thought —man has many such which are never completed. I felt that it was of joy -
-of hope; but felt also that it had perished in its formation. In vain I struggled to perfect —
to regain it. Long suffering had nearly annihilated all my ordinary powers of mind. I was
an imbecile —an idiot.

The vibration of the pendulum was at right angles to my length. I saw that the crescent
was designed to cross the region of the heart. It would fray the serge of my robe —it
would return and repeat its operations —again —and again. Notwithstanding terrifically
wide sweep (some thirty feet or more) and the its hissing vigor of its descent, sufficient to
sunder these very walls of iron, still the fraying of my robe would be all that, for several
minutes, it would accomplish. And at this thought I paused. I dared not go farther than
this reflection. I dwelt upon it with a pertinacity of attention —as if, in so dwelling, I
could arrest here the descent of the steel. I forced myself to ponder upon the sound of the
crescent as it should pass across the garment —upon the peculiar thrilling sensation which
the friction of cloth produces on the nerves. I pondered upon all this frivolity until my
teeth were on edge.

Down —steadily down it crept. I took a frenzied pleasure in contrasting its downward
with its lateral velocity. To the right —to the left —far and wide —with the shriek of a
damned spirit; to my heart with the stealthy pace of the tiger! I alternately laughed and
howled as the one or the other idea grew predominant.

Down —certainly, relentlessly down! It vibrated within three inches of my bosom! I
struggled violently, furiously, to free my left arm. This was free only from the elbow to

the hand. I could reach the latter, from the platter beside me, to my mouth, with great
effort, but no farther. Could I have broken the fastenings above the elbow, I would have
seized and attempted to arrest the pendulum. I might as well have attempted to arrest an
avalanche!

Down —still unceasingly —still inevitably down! I gasped and struggled at each vibration.
I shrunk convulsively at its every sweep. My eyes followed its outward or upward whirls
with the eagerness of the most unmeaning despair; they closed themselves spasmodically
at the descent, although death would have been a relief, oh! how unspeakable! Still I
quivered in every nerve to think how slight a sinking of the machinery would precipitate
that keen, glistening axe upon my bosom. It was hope that prompted the nerve to quiver -
-the frame to shrink. It was hope —the hope that triumphs on the rack —that whispers to
the death-condemned even in the dungeons of the Inquisition.

I saw that some ten or twelve vibrations would bring the steel in actual contact with my
robe, and with this observation there suddenly came over my spirit all the keen, collected
calmness of despair. For the first time during many hours —or perhaps days —I thought. It
now occurred to me that the bandage, or surcingle, which enveloped me, was unique. I
was tied by no separate cord. The first stroke of the razorlike crescent athwart any portion
of the band, would so detach it that it might be unwound from my person by means of my
left hand. But how fearful, in that case, the proximity of the steel! The result of the
slightest struggle how deadly! Was it likely, moreover, that the minions of the torturer
had not foreseen and provided for this possibility! Was it probable that the bandage
crossed my bosom in the track of the pendulum? Dreading to find my faint, and, as it
seemed, in last hope frustrated, I so far elevated my head as to obtain a distinct view of
my breast. The surcingle enveloped my limbs and body close in all directions— save in the
path of the destroying crescent.

Scarcely had I dropped my head back into its original position, when there flashed upon
my mind what I cannot better describe than as the unformed half of that idea of
deliverance to which I have previously alluded, and of which a moiety only floated
indeterminately through my brain when I raised food to my burning lips. The whole
thought was now present -feeble, scarcely sane, scarcely definite, —but still entire. I
proceeded at once, with the nervous energy of despair, to attempt its execution.

For many hours the immediate vicinity of the low framework upon which I lay, had been
literally swarming with rats. They were wild, bold, ravenous; their red eyes glaring upon
me as if they waited but for motionlessness on my part to make me their prey. "To what
food," I thought, "have they been accustomed in the well?"

They had devoured, in spite of all my efforts to prevent them, all but a small remnant of
the contents of the dish. I had f Allan into an habitual see-saw, or wave of the hand about
the platter: and, at length, the unconscious uniformity of the movement deprived it of
effect. In their voracity the vermin frequently fastened their sharp fangs in my fingers.
With the particles of the oily and spicy viand which now remained, I thoroughly rubbed

the bandage wherever I could reach it; then, raising my hand from the floor, I lay
breathlessly still.

At first the ravenous animals were startled and terrified at the change —at the cessation of
movement. They shrank alarmedly back; many sought the well. But this was only for a
moment. I had not counted in vain upon their voracity. Observing that I remained without
motion, one or two of the boldest leaped upon the frame-work, and smelt at the surcingle.
This seemed the signal for a general rush. Forth from the well they hurried in fresh
troops. They clung to the wood -they overran it, and leaped in hundreds upon my person.
The measured movement of the pendulum disturbed them not at all. Avoiding its strokes
they busied themselves with the anointed bandage. They pressed —they swarmed upon
me in ever accumulating heaps. They writhed upon my throat; their cold lips sought my
own; I was half stifled by their thronging pressure; disgust, for which the world has no
name, swelled my bosom, and chilled, with a heavy clamminess, my heart. Yet one
minute, and I felt that the struggle would be over. Plainly I perceived the loosening of the
bandage. I knew that in more than one place it must be already severed. With a more than
human resolution I lay still.

Nor had I erred in my calculations —nor had I endured in vain. I at length felt that I was
free. The surcingle hung in ribands from my body. But the stroke of the pendulum
already pressed upon my bosom. It had divided the serge of the robe. It had cut through
the linen beneath. Twice again it swung, and a sharp sense of pain shot through every
nerve. But the moment of escape had arrived. At a wave of my hand my deliverers
hurried tumultuously away. With a steady movement —cautious, sidelong, shrinking, and
slow —I slid from the embrace of the bandage and beyond the reach of the scimitar. For
the moment, at least, I was free.

Free! -and in the grasp of the Inquisition! I had scarcely stepped from my wooden bed of
horror upon the stone floor of the prison, when the motion of the hellish machine ceased
and I beheld it drawn up, by some invisible force, through the ceiling. This was a lesson
which I took desperately to heart. My every motion was undoubtedly watched. Free! —I
had but escaped death in one form of agony, to be delivered unto worse than death in
some other. With that thought I rolled my eves nervously around on the barriers of iron
that hemmed me in. Something unusual -some change which, at first, I could not
appreciate distinctly —it was obvious, had taken place in the apartment. For many
minutes of a dreamy and trembling abstraction, I busied myself in vain, unconnected
conjecture. During this period, I became aware, for the first time, of the origin of the
sulphurous light which illumined the cell. It proceeded from a fissure, about half an inch
in width, extending entirely around the prison at the base of the walls, which thus
appeared, and were, completely separated from the floor. I endeavored, but of course in
vain, to look through the aperture.

As I arose from the attempt, the mystery of the alteration in the chamber broke at once
upon my understanding. I have observed that, although the outlines of the figures upon
the walls were sufficiently distinct, yet the colors seemed blurred and indefinite. These
colors had now assumed, and were momentarily assuming, a startling and most intense

brilliancy, that gave to the spectral and fiendish portraitures an aspect that might have
thrilled even firmer nerves than my own. Demon eyes, of a wild and ghastly vivacity,
glared upon me in a thousand directions, where none had been visible before, and
gleamed with the lurid lustre of a fire that I could not force my imagination to regard as
unreal.

Unreal! —Even while I breathed there came to my nostrils the breath of the vapour of
heated iron! A suffocating odour pervaded the prison! A deeper glow settled each
moment in the eyes that glared at my agonies! A richer tint of crimson diffused itself over
the pictured horrors of blood. I panted! I gasped for breath! There could be no doubt of
the design of my tormentors —oh! most unrelenting! oh! most demoniac of men! I shrank
from the glowing metal to the centre of the cell. Amid the thought of the fiery destruction
that impended, the idea of the coolness of the well came over my soul like balm. I rushed
to its deadly brink. I threw my straining vision below. The glare from the enkindled roof
illumined its inmost recesses. Yet, for a wild moment, did my spirit refuse to comprehend
the meaning of what I saw. At length it forced —it wrestled its way into my soul -it
burned itself in upon my shuddering reason. —Oh! for a voice to speak! —oh! horror! —
oh! any horror but this! With a shriek, I rushed from the margin, and buried my face in
my hands —weeping bitterly.

The heat rapidly increased, and once again I looked up, shuddering as with a fit of the
ague. There had been a second change in the cell -and now the change was obviously in
the form. As before, it was in vain that I, at first, endeavoured to appreciate or understand
what was taking place. But not long was I left in doubt. The Inquisitorial vengeance had
been hurried by my two-fold escape, and there was to be no more dallying with the King
of Terrors. The room had been square. I saw that two of its iron angles were now acute —
two, consequently, obtuse. The fearful difference quickly increased with a low rumbling
or moaning sound. In an instant the apartment had shifted its form into that of a lozenge.
But the alteration stopped not here-I neither hoped nor desired it to stop. I could have
clasped the red walls to my bosom as a garment of eternal peace. "Death," I said, "any
death but that of the pit!" Fool! might I have not known that into the pit it was the object
of the burning iron to urge me? Could I resist its glow? or, if even that, could I withstand
its pressure And now, flatter and flatter grew the lozenge, with a rapidity that left me no
time for contemplation. Its centre, and of course, its greatest width, came just over the
yawning gulf. I shrank back -but the closing walls pressed me resistlessly onward. At
length for my seared and writhing body there was no longer an inch of foothold on the
firm floor of the prison. I struggled no more, but the agony of my soul found vent in one
loud, long, and final scream of despair. I felt that I tottered upon the brink —I averted my
eyes —

There was a discordant hum of human voices! There was a loud blast as of many
trumpets! There was a harsh grating as of a thousand thunders! The fiery walls rushed
back! An outstretched arm caught my own as I fell, fainting, into the abyss. It was that of
General Lasalle. The French army had entered Toledo. The Inquisition was in the hands
of its enemies.

THE POWER OF WORDS

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

OINOS. Pardon, Agathos, the weakness of a spirit new-fledged with immortality!

AGATHOS. You have spoken nothing, my Oinos, for which pardon is to be demanded.
Not even here is knowledge thing of intuition. For wisdom, ask of the angels freely, that
it maybe given!

OINOS. But in this existence, I dreamed that I should be at once cognizant of all things,
and thus at once be happy in being cognizant of all.

AGATHOS. Ah, not in knowledge is happiness, but in the acquisition of knowledge! In
for ever knowing, we are for ever blessed; but to know all were the curse of a fiend.

OINOS. But does not The Most High know all?

AGATHOS. That (since he is The Most Happy) must be still the one thing unknown even
to Him.

OINOS. But, since we grow hourly in knowledge, must not at last all things be known?

AGATHOS. Look down into the abysmal distances !-attempt to force the gaze down the
multitudinous vistas of the stars, as we sweep slowly through them thus-and thus-and
thus! Even the spiritual vision, is it not at all points arrested by the continuous golden
walls of the universe?-the walls of the myriads of the shining bodies that mere number
has appeared to blend into unity?

OINOS. I clearly perceive that the infinity of matter is no dream.

AGATHOS. There are no dreams in Aidenn-but it is here whispered that, of this infinity
of matter, the sole purpose is to afford infinite springs, at which the soul may allay the
thirst to know, which is for ever unquenchable within it-since to quench it, would be to
extinguish the soul's self. Question me then, my Oinos, freely and without fear. Come!
we will leave to the left the loud harmony of the Pleiades, and swoop outward from the
throne into the starry meadows beyond Orion, where, for pansies and violets, and heart's-
ease, are the beds of the triplicate and triple-tinted suns.

OINOS. And now, Agathos, as we proceed, instruct me!-speak to me in the earth's
familiar tones. I understand not what you hinted to me, just now, of the modes or of the

method of what, during mortality, we were accustomed to call Creation. Do you mean to
say that the Creator is not God?

AGATHOS. I mean to say that the Deity does not create.

OINOS. Explain.

AGATHOS. In the beginning only, he created. The seeming creatures which are now,
throughout the universe, so perpetually springing into being, can only be considered as
the mediate or indirect, not as the direct or immediate results of the Divine creative
power.

OINOS. Among men, my Agathos, this idea would be considered heretical in the
extreme.

AGATHOS. Among angels, my Oinos, it is seen to be simply true.

OINOS. I can comprehend you thus far-that certain operations of what we term Nature,
or the natural laws, will, under certain conditions, give rise to that which has all the
appearance of creation. Shortly before the final overthrow of the earth, there were, I well
remember, many very successful experiments in what some philosophers were weak
enough to denominate the creation of animalculae.

AGATHOS. The cases of which you speak were, in fact, instances of the secondary
creation-and of the only species of creation which has ever been, since the first word
spoke into existence the first law.

OINOS. Are not the starry worlds that, from the abyss of nonentity, burst hourly forth
into the heavens-are not these stars, Agathos, the immediate handiwork of the King?

AGATHOS. Let me endeavor, my Oinos, to lead you, step by step, to the conception I
intend. You are well aware that, as no thought can perish, so no act is without infinite
result. We moved our hands, for example, when we were dwellers on the earth, and, in so
doing, gave vibration to the atmosphere which engirdled it. This vibration was
indefinitely extended, till it gave impulse to every particle of the earth's air, which
thenceforward, and for ever, was actuated by the one movement of the hand. This fact the
mathematicians of our globe well knew. They made the special effects, indeed, wrought
in the fluid by special impulses, the subject of exact calculation-so that it became easy to
determine in what precise period an impulse of given extent would engirdle the orb, and
impress (for ever) every atom of the atmosphere circumambient. Retrograding, they
found no difficulty, from a given effect, under given conditions, in determining the value
of the original impulse. Now the mathematicians who saw that the results of any given
impulse were absolutely endless-and who saw that a portion of these results were
accurately traceable through the agency of algebraic analysis-who saw, too, the facility
of the retrogradation-these men saw, at the same time, that this species of analysis itself,
had within itself a capacity for indefinite progress-that there were no bounds conceivable

to its advancement and applicability, except within the intellect of him who advanced or
applied it. But at this point our mathematicians paused.

OINOS. And why, Agathos, should they have proceeded?

AGATHOS. Because there were some considerations of deep interest beyond. It was
deducible from what they knew, that to a being of infinite understanding-one to whom
the perfection of the algebraic analysis lay unfolded-there could be no difficulty in
tracing every impulse given the air-and the ether through the air-to the remotest
consequences at any even infinitely remote epoch of time. It is indeed demonstrable that
every such impulse given the air, must, in the end, impress every individual thing that
exists within the universe;-and the being of infinite understanding-the being whom we
have imagined-might trace the remote undulations of the impulse- trace them upward and
onward in their influences upon all particles of an matter-upward and onward for ever in
their modifications of old forms-or, in other words, in their creation of new-until he
found them reflected-unimpressive at last-back from the throne of the Godhead. And not
only could such a thing do this, but at any epoch, should a given result be afforded him-
should one of these numberless comets, for example, be presented to his inspection-he
could have no difficulty in determining, by the analytic retrogradation, to what original
impulse it was due. This power of retrogradation in its absolute fulness and perfection-
this faculty of referring at all epochs, all effects to all causes-is of course the prerogative
of the Deity alone-but in every variety of degree, short of the absolute perfection, is the
power itself exercised by the whole host of the Angelic intelligences.

OINOS. But you speak merely of impulses upon the air.

AGATHOS. In speaking of the air, I referred only to the earth; but the general
proposition has reference to impulses upon the ether- which, since it pervades, and alone
pervades all space, is thus the great medium of creation.

OINOS. Then all motion, of whatever nature, creates?

AGATHOS. It must: but a true philosophy has long taught that the source of all motion is
thought-and the source of all thought is-

OINOS. God.

AGATHOS. I have spoken to you, Oinos, as to a child of the fair Earth which lately
perished-of impulses upon the atmosphere of the Earth.

OINOS. You did.

AGATHOS. And while I thus spoke, did there not cross your mind some thought of the
physical power of words? Is not every word an impulse on the air?

OINOS. But why, Agathos, do you weep-and why, oh why do your wings droop as we
hover above this fair star-which is the greenest and yet most terrible of all we have
encountered in our flight? Its brilliant flowers look like a fairy dream-but its fierce
volcanoes like the passions of a turbulent heart.

AGATHOS. They are!-they are! This wild star-it is now three centuries since, with
clasped hands, and with streaming eyes, at the feet of my beloved-I spoke it-with a few
passionate sentences- into birth. Its brilliant flowers are the dearest of all unfulfilled
dreams, and its raging volcanoes are the passions of the most turbulent and unhallowed of
hearts.

THE END

THE PREMATURE BURIAL

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

THERE are certain themes of which the interest is all-absorbing, but which are too
entirely horrible for the purposes of legitimate fiction. These the mere romanticist must
eschew, if he do not wish to offend or to disgust. They are with propriety handled only
when the severity and majesty of Truth sanctify and sustain them. We thrill, for example,
with the most intense of "pleasurable pain" over the accounts of the Passage of the
Beresina, of the Earthquake at Lisbon, of the Plague at London, of the Massacre of St.
Bartholomew, or of the stifling of the hundred and twenty-three prisoners in the Black
Hole at Calcutta. But in these accounts it is the fact-it is the reality-it is the history which
excites. As inventions, we should regard them with simple abhorrence.

I have mentioned some few of the more prominent and august calamities on record; but
in these it is the extent, not less than the character of the calamity, which so vividly
impresses the fancy. I need not remind the reader that, from the long and weird catalogue
of human miseries, I might have selected many individual instances more replete with
essential suffering than any of these vast generalities of disaster. The true wretchedness,
indeed-the ultimate woe-is particular, not diffuse. That the ghastly extremes of agony are
endured by man the unit, and never by man the mass-for this let us thank a merciful God!

To be buried while alive is, beyond question, the most terrific of these extremes which
has ever fAUan to the lot of mere mortality. That it has frequently, very frequently, so
f Allan will scarcely be denied by those who think. The boundaries which divide Life
from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where
the other begins? We know that there are diseases in which occur total cessations of all
the apparent functions of vitality, and yet in which these cessations are merely
suspensions, properly so called. They are only temporary pauses in the incomprehensible
mechanism. A certain period elapses, and some unseen mysterious principle again sets in
motion the magic pinions and the wizard wheels. The silver cord was not for ever loosed,
nor the golden bowl irreparably broken. But where, meantime, was the soul?

Apart, however, from the inevitable conclusion, a priori that such causes must produce
such effects-that the well-known occurrence of such cases of suspended animation must
naturally give rise, now and then, to premature interments-apart from this consideration,
we have the direct testimony of medical and ordinary experience to prove that a vast
number of such interments have actually taken place. I might refer at once, if necessary to
a hundred well authenticated instances. One of very remarkable character, and of which
the circumstances may be fresh in the memory of some of my readers, occurred, not very
long ago, in the neighboring city of Baltimore, where it occasioned a painful, intense, and
widely-extended excitement. The wife of one of the most respectable citizens-a lawyer of

eminence and a member of Congress-was seized with a sudden and unaccountable
illness, which completely baffled the skill of her physicians. After much suffering she
died, or was supposed to die. No one suspected, indeed, or had reason to suspect, that she
was not actually dead. She presented all the ordinary appearances of death. The face
assumed the usual pinched and sunken outline. The lips were of the usual marble pallor.
The eyes were lustreless. There was no warmth. Pulsation had ceased. For three days the
body was preserved unburied, during which it had acquired a stony rigidity. The funeral,
in short, was hastened, on account of the rapid advance of what was supposed to be
decomposition.

The lady was deposited in her family vault, which, for three subsequent years, was
undisturbed. At the expiration of this term it was opened for the reception of a
sarcophagus ;-but, alas! how fearful a shock awaited the husband, who, personally, threw
open the door! As its portals swung outwardly back, some white-apparelled object fell
rattling within his arms. It was the skeleton of his wife in her yet unmoulded shroud.

A careful investigation rendered it evident that she had revived within two days after her
entombment; that her struggles within the coffin had caused it to fall from a ledge, or
shelf to the floor, where it was so broken as to permit her escape. A lamp which had been
accidentally left, full of oil, within the tomb, was found empty; it might have been
exhausted, however, by evaporation. On the uttermost of the steps which led down into
the dread chamber was a large fragment of the coffin, with which, it seemed, that she had
endeavored to arrest attention by striking the iron door. While thus occupied, she
probably swooned, or possibly died, through sheer terror; and, in failing, her shroud
became entangled in some iron- work which projected interiorly. Thus she remained, and
thus she rotted, erect.

In the year 1810, a case of living inhumation happened in France, attended with
circumstances which go far to warrant the assertion that truth is, indeed, stranger than
fiction. The heroine of the story was a Mademoiselle Victorine Lafourcade, a young girl
of illustrious family, of wealth, and of great personal beauty. Among her numerous
suitors was Julien Bossuet, a poor litterateur, or journalist of Paris. His talents and
general amiability had recommended him to the notice of the heiress, by whom he seems
to have been truly beloved; but her pride of birth decided her, finally, to reject him, and to
wed a Monsieur Renelle, a banker and a diplomatist of some eminence. After marriage,
however, this gentleman neglected, and, perhaps, even more positively ill-treated her.
Having passed with him some wretched years, she died,-at least her condition so closely
resembled death as to deceive every one who saw her. She was buried-not in a vault, but
in an ordinary grave in the village of her nativity. Filled with despair, and still inflamed
by the memory of a profound attachment, the lover journeys from the capital to the
remote province in which the village lies, with the romantic purpose of disinterring the
corpse, and possessing himself of its luxuriant tresses. He reaches the grave. At midnight
he unearths the coffin, opens it, and is in the act of detaching the hair, when he is arrested
by the unclosing of the beloved eyes. In fact, the lady had been buried alive. Vitality had
not altogether departed, and she was aroused by the caresses of her lover from the
lethargy which had been mistaken for death. He bore her frantically to his lodgings in the

village. He employed certain powerful restoratives suggested by no little medical
learning. In fine, she revived. She recognized her preserver. She remained with him until,
by slow degrees, she fully recovered her original health. Her woman's heart was not
adamant, and this last lesson of love sufficed to soften it. She bestowed it upon Bossuet.
She returned no more to her husband, but, concealing from him her resurrection, fled
with her lover to America. Twenty years afterward, the two returned to France, in the
persuasion that time had so greatly altered the lady's appearance that her friends would be
unable to recognize her. They were mistaken, however, for, at the first meeting. Monsieur
Renelle did actually recognize and make claim to his wife. This claim she resisted, and a
judicial tribunal sustained her in her resistance, deciding that the peculiar circumstances,
with the long lapse of years, had extinguished, not only equitably, but legally, the
authority of the husband.

The "Chirurgical Journal" of Leipsic-a periodical of high authority and merit, which
some American bookseller would do well to translate and republish, records in a late
number a very distressing event of the character in question.

An officer of artillery, a man of gigantic stature and of robust health, being thrown from
an unmanageable horse, received a very severe contusion upon the head, which rendered
him insensible at once; the skull was slightly fractured, but no immediate danger was
apprehended. Trepanning was accomplished successfully. He was bled, and many other
of the ordinary means of relief were adopted. Gradually, however, he fell into a more and
more hopeless state of stupor, and, finally, it was thought that he died.

The weather was warm, and he was buried with indecent haste in one of the public
cemeteries. His funeral took place on Thursday. On the Sunday following, the grounds of
the cemetery were, as usual, much thronged with visiters, and about noon an intense
excitement was created by the declaration of a peasant that, while sitting upon the grave
of the officer, he had distinctly felt a commotion of the earth, as if occasioned by some
one struggling beneath. At first little attention was paid to the man's asseveration; but his
evident terror, and the dogged obstinacy with which he persisted in his story, had at
length their natural effect upon the crowd. Spades were hurriedly procured, and the grave,
which was shamefully shallow, was in a few minutes so far thrown open that the head of
its occupant appeared. He was then seemingly dead; but he sat nearly erect within his
coffin, the lid of which, in his furious struggles, he had partially uplifted.

He was forthwith conveyed to the nearest hospital, and there pronounced to be still living,
although in an asphytic condition. After some hours he revived, recognized individuals of
his acquaintance, and, in broken sentences spoke of his agonies in the grave.

From what he related, it was clear that he must have been conscious of life for more than
an hour, while inhumed, before lapsing into insensibility. The grave was carelessly and
loosely filled with an exceedingly porous soil; and thus some air was necessarily
admitted. He heard the footsteps of the crowd overhead, and endeavored to make himself
heard in turn. It was the tumult within the grounds of the cemetery, he said, which

appeared to awaken him from a deep sleep, but no sooner was he awake than he became
fully aware of the awful horrors of his position.

This patient, it is recorded, was doing well and seemed to be in a fair way of ultimate
recovery, but fell a victim to the quackeries of medical experiment. The galvanic battery
was applied, and he suddenly expired in one of those ecstatic paroxysms which,
occasionally, it superinduces.

The mention of the galvanic battery, nevertheless, recalls to my memory a well known
and very extraordinary case in point, where its action proved the means of restoring to
animation a young attorney of London, who had been interred for two days. This
occurred in

1831, and created, at the time, a very profound sensation wherever it was made the

subject of converse.

The patient, Mr. Edward Stapleton, had died, apparently of typhus fever, accompanied
with some anomalous symptoms which had excited the curiosity of his medical
attendants. Upon his seeming decease, his friends were requested to sanction a post-
mortem examination, but declined to permit it. As often happens, when such refusals are
made, the practitioners resolved to disinter the body and dissect it at leisure, in private.
Arrangements were easily effected with some of the numerous corps of body-snatchers,
with which London abounds; and, upon the third night after the funeral, the supposed
corpse was unearthed from a grave eight feet deep, and deposited in the opening chamber

of one of the private hospitals.

An incision of some extent had been actually made in the abdomen, when the fresh and

undecayed appearance of the subject suggested an application of the battery. One

experiment succeeded another, and the customary effects supervened, with nothing to

characterize them in any respect, except, upon one or two occasions, a more than

ordinary degree of life-likeness in the convulsive action.

It grew late. The day was about to dawn; and it was thought expedient, at length, to
proceed at once to the dissection. A student, however, was especially desirous of testing a
theory of his own, and insisted upon applying the battery to one of the pectoral muscles.
A rough gash was made, and a wire hastily brought in contact, when the patient, with a
hurried but quite unconvulsive movement, arose from the table, stepped into the middle
of the floor, gazed about him uneasily for a few seconds, and then-spoke. What he said
was unintelligible, but words were uttered; the syllabification was distinct. Having

spoken, he fell heavily to the floor.

For some moments all were paralyzed with awe-but the urgency of the case soon restored
them their presence of mind. It was seen that Mr. Stapleton was alive, although in a

swoon. Upon exhibition of ether he revived and was rapidly restored to health, and to the
society of his friends-from whom, however, all knowledge of his resuscitation was

withheld, until a relapse was no longer to be apprehended. Their wonder-their rapturous

astonishment-may be conceived.

The most thrilling peculiarity of this incident, nevertheless, is involved in what Mr. S.
himself asserts. He declares that at no period was he altogether insensible-that, dully and

confusedly, he was aware of everything which happened to him, from the moment in

which he was pronounced dead by his physicians, to that in which he fell swooning to the

floor of the hospital. "I am alive," were the uncomprehended words which, upon

recognizing the locality of the dissecting-room, he had endeavored, in his extremity, to

utter.

It were an easy matter to multiply such histories as these-but I forbear-for, indeed, we

have no need of such to establish the fact that premature interments occur. When we

reflect how very rarely, from the nature of the case, we have it in our power to detect

them, we must admit that they may frequently occur without our cognizance. Scarcely, in

truth, is a graveyard ever encroached upon, for any purpose, to any great extent, that

skeletons are not found in postures which suggest the most fearful of suspicions.

Fearful indeed the suspicion-but more fearful the doom! It may be asserted, without

hesitation, that no event is so terribly well adapted to inspire the supremeness of bodily

and of mental distress, as is burial before death. The unendurable oppression of the lungs-

the stifling fumes from the damp earth-the clinging to the death garments-the rigid

embrace of the narrow house-the blackness of the absolute Night-the silence like a sea

that overwhelms-the unseen but palpable presence of the Conqueror Worm-these things,

with the thoughts of the air and grass above, with memory of dear friends who would fly

to save us if but informed of our fate, and with consciousness that of this fate they can

never be informed-that our hopeless portion is that of the really dead-these

considerations, I say, carry into the heart, which still palpitates, a degree of appalling and

intolerable horror from which the most daring imagination must recoil. We know of

nothing so agonizing upon Earth- we can dream of nothing half so hideous in the realms

of the nethermost Hell. And thus all narratives upon this topic have an interest profound;

an interest, nevertheless, which, through the sacred awe of the topic itself, very properly

and very peculiarly depends upon our conviction of the truth of the matter narrated. What

I have now to tell is of my own actual knowledge-of my own positive and personal

experience.

For several years I had been subject to attacks of the singular disorder which physicians

have agreed to term catalepsy, in default of a more definitive title. Although both the

immediate and the predisposing causes, and even the actual diagnosis, of this disease are

still mysterious, its obvious and apparent character is sufficiently well understood. Its

variations seem to be chiefly of degree. Sometimes the patient lies, for a day only, or

even for a shorter period, in a species of exaggerated lethargy. He is senseless and

externally motionless; but the pulsation of the heart is still faintly perceptible; some

traces of warmth remain; a slight color lingers within the centre of the cheek; and, upon

application of a mirror to the lips, we can detect a torpid, unequal, and vacillating action

of the lungs. Then again the duration of the trance is for weeks-even for months; while

the closest scrutiny, and the most rigorous medical tests, fail to establish any material

distinction between the state of the sufferer and what we conceive of absolute death. Very

usually he is saved from premature interment solely by the knowledge of his friends that

he has been previously subject to catalepsy, by the consequent suspicion excited, and,

above all, by the non-appearance of decay. The advances of the malady are, luckily,

gradual. The first manifestations, although marked, are unequivocal. The fits grow

successively more and more distinctive, and endure each for a longer term than the

preceding. In this lies the principal security from inhumation. The unfortunate whose first

attack should be of the extreme character which is occasionally seen, would almost

inevitably be consigned alive to the tomb.

My own case differed in no important particular from those mentioned in medical books.

Sometimes, without any apparent cause, I sank, little by little, into a condition of hemi-

syncope, or half swoon; and, in this condition, without pain, without ability to stir, or,

strictly speaking, to think, but with a dull lethargic consciousness of life and of the

presence of those who surrounded my bed, I remained, until the crisis of the disease

restored me, suddenly, to perfect sensation. At other times I was quickly and impetuously

smitten. I grew sick, and numb, and chilly, and dizzy, and so fell prostrate at once. Then,

for weeks, all was void, and black, and silent, and Nothing became the universe. Total

annihilation could be no more. From these latter attacks I awoke, however, with a

gradation slow in proportion to the suddenness of the seizure. Just as the day dawns to the

friendless and houseless beggar who roams the streets throughout the long desolate

winter night-just so tardily- just so wearily-just so cheerily came back the light of the

Soul to me.

Apart from the tendency to trance, however, my general health appeared to be good; nor
could I perceive that it was at all affected by the one prevalent malady-unless, indeed, an
idiosyncrasy in my ordinary sleep may be looked upon as superinduced. Upon awaking
from slumber, I could never gain, at once, thorough possession of my senses, and always
remained, for many minutes, in much bewilderment and perplexity ;-the mental faculties
in general, but the memory in especial, being in a condition of absolute abeyance.

In all that I endured there was no physical suffering but of moral distress an infinitude.

My fancy grew charnel, I talked "of worms, of tombs, and epitaphs." I was lost in

reveries of death, and the idea of premature burial held continual possession of my brain.

The ghastly Danger to which I was subjected haunted me day and night. In the former,

the torture of meditation was excessive-in the latter, supreme. When the grim Darkness

overspread the Earth, then, with every horror of thought, I shook-shook as the quivering

plumes upon the hearse. When Nature could endure wakefulness no longer, it was with a

struggle that I consented to sleep-for I shuddered to reflect that, upon awaking, I might

find myself the tenant of a grave. And when, finally, I sank into slumber, it was only to

rush at once into a world of phantasms, above which, with vast, sable, overshadowing

wing, hovered, predominant, the one sepulchral Idea.

From the innumerable images of gloom which thus oppressed me in dreams, I select for
record but a solitary vision. Methought I was immersed in a cataleptic trance of more

than usual duration and profundity. Suddenly there came an icy hand upon my forehead,
and an impatient, gibbering voice whispered the word "Arise!" within my ear.

I sat erect. The darkness was total. I could not see the figure of him who had aroused me.

I could call to mind neither the period at which I had f Allan into the trance, nor the

locality in which I then lay. While I remained motionless, and busied in endeavors to

collect my thought, the cold hand grasped me fiercely by the wrist, shaking it petulantly,

while the gibbering voice said again:

"Arise! did I not bid thee arise?"

"And who," I demanded, "art thou?"

"I have no name in the regions which I inhabit," replied the voice, mournfully; "I was
mortal, but am fiend. I was merciless, but am pitiful. Thou dost feel that I shudder.-My
teeth chatter as I speak, yet it is not with the chilliness of the night-of the night without
end. But this hideousness is insufferable. How canst thou tranquilly sleep? I cannot rest

for the cry of these great agonies. These sights are more than I can bear. Get thee up!

Come with me into the outer Night, and let me unfold to thee the graves. Is not this a

spectacle of woe?-Behold!"

I looked; and the unseen figure, which still grasped me by the wrist, had caused to be

thrown open the graves of all mankind, and from each issued the faint phosphoric

radiance of decay, so that I could see into the innermost recesses, and there view the

shrouded bodies in their sad and solemn slumbers with the worm. But alas! the real

sleepers were fewer, by many millions, than those who slumbered not at all; and there

was a feeble struggling; and there was a general sad unrest; and from out the depths of

the countless pits there came a melancholy rustling from the garments of the buried. And

of those who seemed tranquilly to repose, I saw that a vast number had changed, in a

greater or less degree, the rigid and uneasy position in which they had originally been

entombed. And the voice again said to me as I gazed:

"Is it not-oh! is it not a pitiful sight?"-but, before I could find words to reply, the figure

had ceased to grasp my wrist, the phosphoric lights expired, and the graves were closed

with a sudden violence, while from out them arose a tumult of despairing cries, saying

again: "Is it not-0, God, is it not a very pitiful sight?"

Phantasies such as these, presenting themselves at night, extended their terrific influence

far into my waking hours. My nerves became thoroughly unstrung, and I fell a prey to

perpetual horror. I hesitated to ride, or to walk, or to indulge in any exercise that would

carry me from home. In fact, I no longer dared trust myself out of the immediate presence

of those who were aware of my proneness to catalepsy, lest, falling into one of my usual

fits, I should be buried before my real condition could be ascertained. I doubted the care,

the fidelity of my dearest friends. I dreaded that, in some trance of more than customary

duration, they might be prevailed upon to regard me as irrecoverable. I even went so far

as to fear that, as I occasioned much trouble, they might be glad to consider any very

protracted attack as sufficient excuse for getting rid of me altogether. It was in vain they

endeavored to reassure me by the most solemn promises. I exacted the most sacred oaths,

that under no circumstances they would bury me until decomposition had so materially

advanced as to render farther preservation impossible. And, even then, my mortal terrors

would listen to no reason-would accept no consolation. I entered into a series of

elaborate precautions. Among other things, I had the family vault so remodelled as to

admit of being readily opened from within. The slightest pressure upon a long lever that

extended far into the tomb would cause the iron portal to fly back. There were

arrangements also for the free admission of air and light, and convenient receptacles for

food and water, within immediate reach of the coffin intended for my reception. This

coffin was warmly and softly padded, and was provided with a lid, fashioned upon the

principle of the vault-door, with the addition of springs so contrived that the feeblest

movement of the body would be sufficient to set it at liberty. Besides all this, there was

suspended from the roof of the tomb, a large bell, the rope of which, it was designed,

should extend through a hole in the coffin, and so be fastened to one of the hands of the

corpse. But, alas? what avails the vigilance against the Destiny of man? Not even these

well-contrived securities sufficed to save from the uttermost agonies of living

inhumation, a wretch to these agonies foredoomed!

There arrived an epoch-as often before there had arrived-in which I found myself
emerging from total unconsciousness into the first feeble and indefinite sense of
existence. Slowly- with a tortoise gradation-approached the faint gray dawn of the
psychal day. A torpid uneasiness. An apathetic endurance of dull pain. No care- no hope-
no effort. Then, after a long interval, a ringing in the ears; then, after a lapse still longer, a

prickling or tingling sensation in the extremities; then a seemingly eternal period of
pleasurable quiescence, during which the awakening feelings are struggling into thought;

then a brief re- sinking into non-entity; then a sudden recovery. At length the slight

quivering of an eyelid, and immediately thereupon, an electric shock of a terror, deadly

and indefinite, which sends the blood in torrents from the temples to the heart. And now

the first positive effort to think. And now the first endeavor to remember. And now a

partial and evanescent success. And now the memory has so far regained its dominion,

that, in some measure, I am cognizant of my state. I feel that I am not awaking from

ordinary sleep. I recollect that I have been subject to catalepsy. And now, at last, as if by

the rush of an ocean, my shuddering spirit is overwhelmed by the one grim Danger-by

the one spectral and ever-prevalent idea.

For some minutes after this fancy possessed me, I remained without motion. And why? I

could not summon courage to move. I dared not make the effort which was to satisfy me

of my fate-and yet there was something at my heart which whispered me it was sure.

Despair- such as no other species of wretchedness ever calls into being- despair alone

urged me, after long irresolution, to uplift the heavy lids of my eyes. I uplifted them. It

was dark-all dark. I knew that the fit was over. I knew that the crisis of my disorder had

long passed. I knew that I had now fully recovered the use of my visual faculties-and yet

it was dark-all dark-the intense and utter raylessness of the Night that endureth for

evermore.

I endeavored to shriek-, and my lips and my parched tongue moved convulsively together

in the attempt-but no voice issued from the cavernous lungs, which oppressed as if by the

weight of some incumbent mountain, gasped and palpitated, with the heart, at every

elaborate and struggling inspiration.

The movement of the jaws, in this effort to cry aloud, showed me that they were bound
up, as is usual with the dead. I felt, too, that I lay upon some hard substance, and by

something similar my sides were, also, closely compressed. So far, I had not ventured to
stir any of my limbs-but now I violently threw up my arms, which had been lying at

length, with the wrists crossed. They struck a solid wooden substance, which extended

above my person at an elevation of not more than six inches from my face. I could no
longer doubt that I reposed within a coffin at last.

And now, amid all my infinite miseries, came sweetly the cherub Hope-for I thought of

my precautions. I writhed, and made spasmodic exertions to force open the lid: it would

not move. I felt my wrists for the bell-rope: it was not to be found. And now the

Comforter fled for ever, and a still sterner Despair reigned triumphant; for I could not

help perceiving the absence of the paddings which I had so carefully prepared-and then,

too, there came suddenly to my nostrils the strong peculiar odor of moist earth. The

conclusion was irresistible. I was not within the vault. I had fAUan into a trance while

absent from home- while among strangers-when, or how, I could not remember-and it

was they who had buried me as a dog-nailed up in some common coffin-and thrust deep,

deep, and for ever, into some ordinary and nameless grave.

As this awful conviction forced itself, thus, into the innermost chambers of my soul, I
once again struggled to cry aloud. And in this second endeavor I succeeded. A long, wild,
and continuous shriek, or yell of agony, resounded through the realms of the subterranean

Night.

"Hillo! hillo, there!" said a gruff voice, in reply.

"What the devil's the matter now!" said a second.

"Get out o' that!" said a third.

"What do you mean by yowling in that ere kind of style, like a cattymount?" said a
fourth; and hereupon I was seized and shaken without ceremony, for several minutes, by
a junto of very rough-looking individuals. They did not arouse me from my slumber-for I

was wide awake when I screamed-but they restored me to the full possession of my

memory.

This adventure occurred near Richmond, in Virginia. Accompanied by a friend, I had

proceeded, upon a gunning expedition, some miles down the banks of the James River.

Night approached, and we were overtaken by a storm. The cabin of a small sloop lying at

anchor in the stream, and laden with garden mould, afforded us the only available shelter.

We made the best of it, and passed the night on board. I slept in one of the only two

berths in the vessel-and the berths of a sloop of sixty or twenty tons need scarcely be

described. That which I occupied had no bedding of any kind. Its extreme width was

eighteen inches. The distance of its bottom from the deck overhead was precisely the

same. I found it a matter of exceeding difficulty to squeeze myself in. Nevertheless, I

slept soundly, and the whole of my vision-for it was no dream, and no nightmare-arose

naturally from the circumstances of my position-from my ordinary bias of thought-and

from the difficulty, to which I have alluded, of collecting my senses, and especially of

regaining my memory, for a long time after awaking from slumber. The men who shook

me were the crew of the sloop, and some laborers engaged to unload it. From the load

itself came the earthly smell. The bandage about the jaws was a silk handkerchief in

which I had bound up my head, in default of my customary nightcap.

The tortures endured, however, were indubitably quite equal for the time, to those of
actual sepulture. They were fearfuUy-they were inconceivably hideous; but out of Evil
proceeded Good; for their very excess wrought in my spirit an inevitable revulsion. My
soul acquired tone-acquired temper. I went abroad. I took vigorous exercise. I breathed
the free air of Heaven. I thought upon other subjects than Death. I discarded my medical
books. "Buchan" I burned. I read no "Night Thoughts"-no fustian about churchyards-no
bugaboo tales-such as this. In short, I became a new man, and lived a man's life. From

that memorable night, I dismissed forever my chamel apprehensions, and with them
vanished the cataleptic disorder, of which, perhaps, they had been less the consequence

than the cause.

There are moments when, even to the sober eye of Reason, the world of our sad

Humanity may assume the semblance of a Hell-but the imagination of man is no

Carathis, to explore with impunity its every cavern. Alas! the grim legion of sepulchral

terrors cannot be regarded as altogether fanciful-but, like the Demons in whose company

Afrasiab made his voyage down the Oxus, they must sleep, or they will devour us-they

must be suffered to slumber, or we perish.

THE END

THE PURLOINED LETTER

by Edgar Allan Poe

1845

Nil sapientiae odiosius acumine nimio.
Seneca.

AT Paris, just after dark one gusty evening in the autumn of 18—, I was enjoying the
twofold luxury of meditation and a meerschaum, in company with my friend C. Auguste
Dupin, in his little back library, or book-closet, au troisieme. No. 33, Rue Dunot,
Faubourg St. Germain. For one hour at least we had maintained a profound silence; while
each, to any casual observer, might have seemed intently and exclusively occupied with
the curling eddies of smoke that oppressed the atmosphere of the chamber. For myself,
however, I was mentally discussing certain topics which had formed matter for
conversation between us at an earlier period of the evening; I mean the affair of the Rue
Morgue, and the mystery attending the murder of Marie Roget. I looked upon it,
therefore, as something of a coincidence, when the door of our apartment was thrown
open and admitted our old acquaintance. Monsieur G— , the Prefect of the Parisian police.

We gave him a hearty welcome; for there was nearly half as much of the entertaining as
of the contemptible about the man, and we had not seen him for several years. We had
been sitting in the dark, and Dupin now arose for the purpose of lighting a lamp, but sat
down again, without doing so, upon G.'s saying that he had called to consult us, or rather
to ask the opinion of my friend, about some official business which had occasioned a
great deal of trouble.

"If it is any point requiring reflection," observed Dupin, as he forbore to enkindle the
wick, "we shall examine it to better purpose in the dark."

"That is another of your odd notions," said the Prefect, who had a fashion of calling every
thing "odd" that was beyond his comprehension, and thus lived amid an absolute legion
of "oddities."

"Very true," said Dupin, as he supplied his visitor with a pipe, and rolled towards him a
comfortable chair.

"And what is the difficulty now?" I asked. "Nothing more in the assassination way, I
hope?"

"Oh no; nothing of that nature. The fact is, the business is very simple indeed, and I make
no doubt that we can manage it sufficiently well ourselves; but then I thought Dupin
would like to hear the details of it, because it is so excessively odd."

"Simple and odd," said Dupin.

"Why, yes; and not exactly that, either. The fact is, we have all been a good deal puzzled
because the affair is so simple, and yet baffles us altogether."

"Perhaps it is the very simplicity of the thing which puts you at fault," said my friend.

"What nonsense you do talk!" replied the Prefect, laughing heartily.

"Perhaps the mystery is a little too plain," said Dupin.

"Oh, good heavens! who ever heard of such an idea?"

"A little too self-evident."

"Ha! ha! ha! --ha! ha! ha! -ho! ho! ho!" -roared our visitor, profoundly amused, "oh,
Dupin, you will be the death of me yet!"

"And what, after all, is the matter on hand?" I asked.

"Why, I will tell you," replied the Prefect, as he gave a long, steady, and contemplative
puff, and settled himself in his chair. "I will tell you in a few words; but, before I begin,
let me caution you that this is an affair demanding the greatest secrecy, and that I should
most probably lose the position I now hold, were it known that I confided it to any one.

"Proceed," said I.

"Or not," said Dupin.

"Well, then; I have received personal information, from a very high quarter, that a certain
document of the last importance, has been purloined from the royal apartments. The
individual who purloined it is known; this beyond a doubt; he was seen to take it. It is
known, also, that it still remains in his possession."

"How is this known?" asked Dupin.

"It is clearly inferred," replied the Prefect, "from the nature of the document, and from the
nonappearance of certain results which would at once arise from its passing out of the
robber's possession; —that is to say, from his employing it as he must design in the end to
employ it."

"Be a little more explicit," I said.

"Well, I may venture so far as to say that the paper gives its holder a certain power in a
certain quarter where such power is immensely valuable." The Prefect was fond of the
cant of diplomacy.

"Still I do not quite understand," said Dupin.

"No? Well; the disclosure of the document to a third person, who shall be nameless,
would bring in question the honor of a personage of most exalted station; and this fact
gives the holder of the document an ascendancy over the illustrious personage whose
honor and peace are so jeopardized."

"But this ascendancy," I interposed, "would depend upon the robber's knowledge of the
loser's knowledge of the robber. Who would dare—"

"The thief," said G., is the Minister D— , who dares all things, those unbecoming as well
as those becoming a man. The method of the theft was not less ingenious than bold. The
document in question —a letter, to be frank —had been received by the personage robbed
while alone in the royal boudoir. During its perusal she was suddenly interrupted by the
entrance of the other exalted personage from whom especially it was her wish to conceal
it. After a hurried and vain endeavor to thrust it in a drawer, she was forced to place it,
open as it was, upon a table. The address, however, was uppermost, and, the contents thus
unexposed, the letter escaped notice. At this juncture enters the Minister D— . His lynx
eye immediately perceives the paper, recognises the handwriting of the address, observes
the confusion of the personage addressed, and fathoms her secret. After some business
transactions, hurried through in his ordinary manner, he produces a letter somewhat
similar to the one in question, opens it, pretends to read it, and then places it in close
juxtaposition to the other. Again he converses, for some fifteen minutes, upon the public
affairs. At length, in taking leave, he takes also from the table the letter to which he had
no claim. Its rightful owner saw, but, of course, dared not call attention to the act, in the
presence of the third personage who stood at her elbow. The minister decamped; leaving
his own letter —one of no importance —upon the table."

"Here, then," said Dupin to me, "you have precisely what you demand to make the
ascendancy complete —the robber's knowledge of the loser's knowledge of the robber."

"Yes," replied the Prefect; "and the power thus attained has, for some months past, been
wielded, for political purposes, to a very dangerous extent. The personage robbed is more
thoroughly convinced, every day, of the necessity of reclaiming her letter. But this, of
course, cannot be done openly. In fine, driven to despair, she has committed the matter to
me."

"Than whom," said Dupin, amid a perfect whirlwind of smoke, "no more sagacious agent
could, I suppose, be desired, or even imagined."

"You flatter me," replied the Prefect; "but it is possible that some such opinion may have
been entertained."

"It is clear," said I, "as you observe, that the letter is still in possession of the minister;
since it is this possession, and not any employment of the letter, which bestows the
power. With the employment the power departs."

"True," said G. "and upon this conviction I proceeded. My first care was to make
thorough search of the minister's hotel; and here my chief embarrassment lay in the
necessity of searching without his knowledge. Beyond all things, I have been warned of
the danger which would result from giving him reason to suspect our design."

"But," said I, "you are quite au fait in these investigations. The Parisian police have done
this thing often before."

"Oh yes; and for this reason I did not despair. The habits of the minister gave me, too, a
great advantage. He is frequently absent from home all night. His servants are by no
means numerous. They sleep at a distance from their master's apartment, and, being
chiefly Neapolitans, are readily made drunk. I have keys, as you know, with which I can
open any chamber or cabinet in Paris. For three months a night has not passed, during the
greater part of which I have not been engaged, personally, in ransacking the D — Hotel.
My honor is interested, and, to mention a great secret, the reward is enormous. So I did
not abandon the search until I had become fully satisfied that the thief is a more astute
man than myself. I fancy that I have investigated every nook and corner of the premises
in which it is possible that the paper can be concealed."

"But is it not possible," I suggested, "that although the letter may be in possession of the
minister, as it unquestionably is, he may have concealed it elsewhere than upon his own
premises?"

"This is barely possible," said Dupin. "The present peculiar condition of affairs at court,
and especially of those intrigues in which D— is known to be involved, would render the
instant availability of the document —its susceptibility of being produced at a moment's
notice —a point of nearly equal importance with its possession."

"Its susceptibility of being produced?" said I.

"That is to say, of being destroyed," said Dupin.

"True," I observed; "the paper is clearly then upon the premises. As for its being upon the
person of the minister, we may consider that as out of the question."

"Entirely," said the Prefect. "He has been twice waylaid, as if by footpads, and his person
rigorously searched under my own inspection.

"You might have spared yourself this trouble," said Dupin. "D— , I presume, is not
altogether a fool, and, if not, must have anticipated these waylayings, as a matter of
course."

"Not altogether a fool," said G., "but then he's a poet, which I take to be only one remove
from a fool."

"True," said Dupin, after a long and thoughtful whiff from his meerschaum, "although I
have been guilty of certain doggerel myself."

"Suppose you detail," said I, "the particulars of your search."

"Why the fact is, we took our time, and we searched every where. I have had long
experience in these affairs. I took the entire building, room by room; devoting the nights
of a whole week to each. We examined, first, the furniture of each apartment. We opened
every possible drawer; and I presume you know that, to a properly trained police agent,
such a thing as a secret drawer is impossible. Any man is a dolt who permits a 'secret'
drawer to escape him in a search of this kind. The thing is so plain. There is a certain
amount of bulk —of space —to be accounted for in every cabinet. Then we have accurate
rules. The fiftieth part of a line could not escape us. After the cabinets we took the chairs.
The cushions we probed with the fine long needles you have seen me employ. From the
tables we removed the tops."

"Why so?"

"Sometimes the top of a table, or other similarly arranged piece of furniture, is removed
by the person wishing to conceal an article; then the leg is excavated, the article deposited
within the cavity, and the top replaced. The bottoms and tops of bedposts are employed in
the same way."

"But could not the cavity be detected by sounding?" I asked.

"By no means, if, when the article is deposited, a sufficient wadding of cotton be placed
around it. Besides, in our case, we were obliged to proceed without noise."

"But you could not have removed —you could not have taken to pieces all articles of
furniture in which it would have been possible to make a deposit in the manner you
mention. A letter may be compressed into a thin spiral roll, not differing much in shape or
bulk from a large knitting-needle, and in this form it might be inserted into the rung of a
chair, for example. You did not take to pieces all the chairs?"

"Certainly not; but we did better —we examined the rungs of every chair in the hotel, and,
indeed, the jointings of every description of furniture, by the aid of a most powerful
microscope. Had there been any traces of recent disturbance we should not have failed to
detect it instantly. A single grain of gimlet-dust, for example, would have been as
obvious as an apple. Any disorder in the glueing —any unusual gaping in the joints —
would have sufficed to insure detection."

"I presume you looked to the mirrors, between the boards and the plates, and you probed
the beds and the bed-clothes, as well as the curtains and carpets."

"That of course; and when we had absolutely completed every particle of the furniture in
this way, then we examined the house itself. We divided its entire surface into

compartments, which we numbered, so that none might be missed; then we scrutinized
each individual square inch throughout the premises, including the two houses
immediately adjoining, with the microscope, as before."

"The two houses adjoining!" I exclaimed; "you must have had a great deal of trouble."

"We had; but the reward offered is prodigious.

"You include the grounds about the houses?"

"All the grounds are paved with brick. They gave us comparatively little trouble. We
examined the moss between the bricks, and found it undisturbed."

"You looked among D--'s papers, of course, and into the books of the library?"

"Certainly; we opened every package and parcel; we not only opened every book, but we
turned over every leaf in each volume, not contenting ourselves with a mere shake,
according to the fashion of some of our police officers. We also measured the thickness
of every book-cover, with the most accurate admeasurement, and applied to each the
most jealous scrutiny of the microscope. Had any of the bindings been recently meddled
with, it would have been utterly impossible that the fact should have escaped observation.
Some five or six volumes, just from the hands of the binder, we carefully probed,
longitudinally, with the needles."

"You explored the floors beneath the carpets?"

"Beyond doubt. We removed every carpet, and examined the boards with the
microscope."

"And the paper on the walls?"

"Yes.

"You looked into the cellars?"

"We did."

"Then," I said, "you have been making a miscalculation, and the letter is not upon the
premises, as you suppose.

"I fear you are right there," said the Prefect. "And now, Dupin, what would you advise
me to do?"

"To make a thorough re- search of the premises."

"That is absolutely needless," replied G— . "I am not more sure that I breathe than I am
that the letter is not at the Hotel."

"I have no better advice to give you," said Dupin. "You have, of course, an accurate
description of the letter?"

"Oh yes!" —And here the Prefect, producing a memorandum-book, proceeded to read
aloud a minute account of the internal, and especially of the external appearance of the
missing document. Soon after finishing the perusal of this description, he took his
departure, more entirely depressed in spirits than I had ever known the good gentleman
before.

In about a month afterwards he paid us another visit, and found us occupied very nearly
as before. He took a pipe and a chair and entered into some ordinary conversation. At
length I said,-

"Well, but G— , what of the purloined letter? I presume you have at last made up your
mind that there is no such thing as overreaching the Minister?"

"Confound him, say I -yes; I made the reexamination, however, as Dupin suggested —
but it was all labor lost, as I knew it would be."

"How much was the reward offered, did you say?" asked Dupin.

"Why, a very great deal —a very liberal reward —I don't like to say how much, precisely;
but one thing I will say, that I wouldn't mind giving my individual check for fifty
thousand francs to any one who could obtain me that letter. The fact is, it is becoming of
more and more importance every day; and the reward has been lately doubled. If it were
trebled, however, I could do no more than I have done."

"Why, yes," said Dupin, drawlingly, between the whiffs of his meerschaum, "I really —
think, G— , you have not exerted yourself— to the utmost in this matter. You might -do a
httle more, I think, eh?"

"How? -In what way?"

"Why —puff, puff -you might -puff, puff —employ counsel in the matter, eh? -puff,
puff, puff. Do you remember the story they tell of Abernethy?"

"No; hang Abernethy!"

"To be sure! hang him and welcome. But, once upon a time, a certain rich miser
conceived the design of spunging upon this Abernethy for a medical opinion. Getting up,
for this purpose, an ordinary conversation in a private company, he insinuated his case to
the physician, as that of an imaginary individual.

'"We will suppose,' said the miser, 'that his symptoms are such and such; now, doctor,
what would you have directed him to take?'

"'Take!' said Abernethy, 'why, take advice, to be sure.'"

"But," said the Prefect, a little discomposed, "I am perfectly willing to take advice, and to
pay for it. I would really give fifty thousand francs to any one who would aid me in the
matter."

"In that case," replied Dupin, opening a drawer, and producing a check-book, "you may
as well fill me up a check for the amount mentioned. When you have signed it, I will
hand you the letter."

I was astounded. The Prefect appeared absolutely thunders tricken. For some minutes he
remained speechless and motionless, less, looking incredulously at my friend with open
mouth, and eyes that seemed starting from their sockets; then, apparently in some
measure, he seized a pen, and after several pauses and vacant stares, finally filled up and
signed a check for fifty thousand francs, and handed it across the table to Dupin. The
latter examined it carefully and deposited it in his pocket-book; then, unlocking an
escritoire, took thence a letter and gave it to the Prefect. This functionary grasped it in a
perfect agony of joy, opened it with a trembling hand, cast a rapid glance at its contents,
and then, scrambling and struggling to the door, rushed at length unceremoniously from
the room and from the house, without having uttered a syllable since Dupin had requested
him to fill up the check.

When he had gone, my friend entered into some explanations.

"The Parisian police," he said, "are exceedingly able in their way. They are persevering,
ingenious, cunning, and thoroughly versed in the knowledge which their duties seem
chiefly to demand. Thus, when G— detailed to us his mode of searching the premises at
the Hotel D— , I felt entire confidence in his having made a satisfactory investigation —so
far as his labors extended."

"So far as his labors extended?" said I.

"Yes," said Dupin. "The measures adopted were not only the best of their kind, but
carried out to absolute perfection. Had the letter been deposited within the range of their
search, these fellows would, beyond a question, have found it."

I merely laughed -but he seemed quite serious in all that he said.

"The measures, then," he continued, "were good in their kind, and well executed; their
defect lay in their being inapplicable to the case, and to the man. A certain set of highly
ingenious resources are, with the Prefect, a sort of Procrustean bed, to which he forcibly
adapts his designs. But he perpetually errs by being too deep or too shallow, for the
matter in hand; and many a schoolboy is a better reasoner than he. I knew one about eight

years of age, whose success at guessing in the game of 'even and odd' attracted universal
admiration. This game is simple, and is played with marbles. One player holds in his
hand a number of these toys, and demands of another whether that number is even or odd.
If the guess is right, the guesser wins one; if wrong, he loses one. The boy to whom I
allude won all the marbles of the school. Of course he had some principle of guessing;
and this lay in mere observation and admeasurement of the astuteness of his opponents.
For example, an arrant simpleton is his opponent, and, holding up his closed hand, asks,
'are they even or odd?' Our schoolboy replies, 'odd,' and loses; but upon the second trial
he wins, for he then says to himself, the simpleton had them even upon the first trial, and
his amount of cunning is just sufficient to make him have them odd upon the second; I
will therefore guess odd'; —he guesses odd, and wins. Now, with a simpleton a degree
above the first, he would have reasoned thus: 'This fellow finds that in the first instance I
guessed odd, and, in the second, he will propose to himself upon the first impulse, a
simple variation from even to odd, as did the first simpleton; but then a second thought
will suggest that this is too simple a variation, and finally he will decide upon putting it
even as before. I will therefore guess even' guesses even, and wins. Now this mode of
reasoning in the schoolboy, whom his fellows termed "lucky," —what, in its last analysis,
is it?"

"It is merely," I said, "an identification of the reasoner's intellect with that of his
opponent."

"It is," said Dupin;" and, upon inquiring of the boy by what means he effected the
thorough identification in which his success consisted, I received answer as follows:
'When I wish to find out how wise, or how stupid, or how good, or how wicked is any
one, or what are his thoughts at the moment, I fashion the expression of my face, as
accurately as possible, in accordance with the expression of his, and then wait to see what
thoughts or sentiments arise in my mind or heart, as if to match or correspond with the
expression.' This response of the schoolboy lies at the bottom of all the spurious
profundity which has been attributed to Rochefoucauld, to La Bougive, to Machiavelli,
and to Campanella."

"And the identification," I said, "of the reasoner's intellect with that of his opponent,
depends, if I understand you aright upon the accuracy with which the opponent's intellect
is admeasured."

"For its practical value it depends upon this," replied Dupin; and the Prefect and his
cohort fall so frequently, first, by default of this identification, and, secondly, by ill-
admeasurement, or rather through non-admeasurement, of the intellect with which they
are engaged. They consider only their own ideas of ingenuity; and, in searching for
anything hidden, advert only to the modes in which they would have hidden it. They are
right in this much —that their own ingenuity is a faithful representative of that of the
mass; but when the cunning of the individual felon is diverse in character from their own,
the felon foils them, of course. This always happens when it is above their own, and very
usually when it is below. They have no variation of principle in their investigations; at
best, when urged by some unusual emergency —by some extraordinary reward —they

extend or exaggerate their old modes of practice, without touching their principles. What,
for example, in this case of D— , has been done to vary the principle of action? What is all
this boring, and probing, and sounding, and scrutinizing with the microscope, and
dividing the surface of the building into registered square inches —what is it all but an
exaggeration of the application of the one principle or set of principles of search, which
are based upon the one set of notions regarding human ingenuity, to which the Prefect, in
the long routine of his duty, has been accustomed? Do you not see he has taken it for
granted that all men proceed to conceal a letter, —not exactly in a gimlet-hole bored in a
chair-leg -but, at least, in some hole or corner suggested by the same tenor of thought
which would urge a man to secrete a letter in a gimlet-hole bored in a chair-leg? And do
you not see also, that such recherches nooks for concealment are adapted only for
ordinary occasions, and would be adopted only by ordinary intellects; for, in all cases of
concealment, a disposal of the article concealed —a disposal of it in this recherche
manner, —is, in the very first instance, presumable and presumed; and thus its discovery
depends, not at all upon the acumen, but altogether upon the mere care, patience, and
determination of the seekers; and where the case is of importance —or, what amounts to
the same thing in the policial eyes, when the reward is of magnitude, —the qualities in
question have never been known to fall. You will now understand what I meant in
suggesting that, had the purloined letter been hidden anywhere within the limits of the
Prefect's examination —in other words, had the principle of its concealment been
comprehended within the principles of the Prefect —its discovery would have been a
matter altogether beyond question. This functionary, however, has been thoroughly
mystified; and the remote source of his defeat lies in the supposition that the Minister is a
fool, because he has acquired renown as a poet. All fools are poets; this the Prefect feels;
and he is merely guilty of a non distributio medii in thence inferring that all poets are
fools."

"But is this really the poet?" I asked. "There are two brothers, I know; and both have
attained reputation in letters. The Minister I believe has written learnedly on the
Differential Calculus. He is a mathematician, and no poet."

"You are mistaken; I know him well; he is both. As poet and mathematician, he would
reason well; as mere mathematician, he could not have reasoned at all, and thus would
have been at the mercy of the Prefect."

"You surprise me," I said, "by these opinions, which have been contradicted by the voice
of the world. You do not mean to set at naught the well-digested idea of centuries. The
mathematical reason has long been regarded as the reason par excellence.

"'II y a a parier,'" replied Dupin, quoting from Chamfort, '"que toute idee publique, toute
convention recue, est une sottise, car elle a convenu au plus grand nombre.' The
mathematicians, I grant you, have done their best to promulgate the popular error to
which you allude, and which is none the less an error for its promulgation as truth. With
an art worthy a better cause, for example, they have insinuated the term 'analysis' into
application to algebra. The French are the originators of this particular deception; but if a
term is of any importance —if words derive any value from applicability —then 'analysis'

conveys 'algebra' about as much as, in Latin, 'ambitus' implies 'ambition,' 'religio' religion
or 'homines honesti,' a set of honorable men."

"You have a quarrel on hand, I see," said I, "with some of the algebraists of Paris; but
proceed."

"I dispute the availability, and thus the value, of that reason which is cultivated in any
especial form other than the abstractly logical. I dispute, in particular, the reason educed
by mathematical study. The mathematics are the science of form and quantity;
mathematical reasoning is merely logic applied to observation upon form and quantity.
The great error lies in supposing that even the truths of what is called pure algebra, are
abstract or general truths. And this error is so egregious that I am confounded at the
universality with which it has been received. Mathematical axioms are not axioms of
general truth. What is true of relation —of form and quantity —is often grossly false in
regard to morals, for example. In this latter science it is very usually untrue that the
aggregated parts are equal to the whole. In chemistry also the axiom falls. In the
consideration of motive it falls; for two motives, each of a given value, have not,
necessarily, a value when united, equal to the sum of their values apart. There are
numerous other mathematical truths which are only truths within the limits of relation.
But the mathematician argues, from his finite truths, through habit, as if they were of an
absolutely general applicability —as the world indeed imagines them to be. Bryant, in his
very learned 'Mythology,' mentions an analogous source of error, when he says that
'although the Pagan fables are not believed, yet we forget ourselves continually, and
make inferences from them as existing realities.' With the algebraists, however, who are
Pagans themselves, the 'Pagan fables' are believed, and the inferences are made, not so
much through lapse of memory, as through an unaccountable addling of the brains. In
short, I never yet encountered the mere mathematician who could be trusted out of equal
roots, or one who did not clandestinely hold it as a point of his faith that x squared + px
was absolutely and unconditionally equal to q. Say to one of these gentlemen, by way of
experiment, if you please, that you believe occasions may occur where x squared + px is
not altogether equal to q, and, having made him understand what you mean, get out of his
reach as speedily as convenient, for, beyond doubt, he will endeavor to knock you down.

I mean to say," continued Dupin, while I merely laughed at his last observations, "that if
the Minister had been no more than a mathematician, the Prefect would have been under
no necessity of giving me this check. I knew him, however, as both mathematician and
poet, and my measures were adapted to his capacity, with reference to the circumstances
by which he was surrounded. I knew him as a courtier, too, and as a bold intriguant. Such
a man, I considered, could not fall to be aware of the ordinary policial modes of action.
He could not have failed to anticipate —and events have proved that he did not fail to
anticipate —the waylayings to which he was subjected. He must have foreseen, I
reflected, the secret investigations of his premises. His frequent absences from home at
night, which were hailed by the Prefect as certain aids to his success, I regarded only as
ruses, to afford opportunity for thorough search to the police, and thus the sooner to
impress them with the conviction to which G— , in fact, did finally arrive —the conviction
that the letter was not upon the premises. I felt, also, that the whole train of thought.

which I was at some pains in detailing to you just now, concerning the invariable
principle of policial action in searches for articles concealed —I felt that this whole train
of thought would necessarily pass through the mind of the Minister. It would
imperatively lead him to despise all the ordinary nooks of concealment. He could not, I
reflected, be so weak as not to see that the most intricate and remote recess of his hotel
would be as open as his commonest closets to the eyes, to the probes, to the gimlets, and
to the microscopes of the Prefect. I saw, in fine, that he would be driven, as a matter of
course, to simplicity, if not deliberately induced to it as a matter of choice. You will
remember, perhaps, how desperately the Prefect laughed when I suggested, upon our first
interview, that it was just possible this mystery troubled him so much on account of its
being so very self-evident."

"Yes," said I, "I remember his merriment well. I really thought he would have fAUan into
convulsions."

"The material world," continued Dupin, "abounds with very strict analogies to the
immaterial; and thus some color of truth has been given to the rhetorical dogma, that
metaphor, or simile, may be made to strengthen an argument, as well as to embellish a
description. The principle of the vis inertiae, for example, seems to be identical in physics
and metaphysics. It is not more true in the former, that a large body is with more
difficulty set in motion than a smaller one, and that its subsequent momentum is
commensurate with this difficulty, than it is, in the latter, that intellects of the vaster
capacity, while more forcible, more constant, and more eventful in their movements than
those of inferior grade, are yet the less readily moved, and more embarrassed and full of
hesitation in the first few steps of their progress. Again: have you ever noticed which of
the street signs, over the shop doors, are the most attractive of attention?"

"I have never given the matter a thought," I said.

"There is a game of puzzles," he resumed, "which is played upon a map. One party
playing requires another to find a given word —the name of town, river, state or empire —
any word, in short, upon the motley and perplexed surface of the chart. A novice in the
game generally seeks to embarrass his opponents by giving them the most minutely
lettered names; but the adept selects such words as stretch, in large characters, from one
end of the chart to the other. These, like the over-largely lettered signs and placards of the
street, escape observation by dint of being excessively obvious; and here the physical
oversight is precisely analogous with the moral inapprehension by which the intellect
suffers to pass unnoticed those considerations which are too obtrusively and too palpably
self-evident. But this is a point, it appears, somewhat above or beneath the understanding
of the Prefect. He never once thought it probable, or possible, that the Minister had
deposited the letter immediately beneath the nose of the whole world, by way of best
preventing any portion of that world from perceiving it.

"But the more I reflected upon the daring, dashing, and discriminating ingenuity of D— ;
upon the fact that the document must always have been at hand, if he intended to use it to
good purpose; and upon the decisive evidence, obtained by the Prefect, that it was not

hidden within the limits of that dignitary's ordinary search —the more satisfied I became
that, to conceal this letter, the Minister had resorted to the comprehensive and sagacious
expedient of not attempting to conceal it at all.

"Full of these ideas, I prepared myself with a pair of green spectacles, and called one fine
morning, quite by accident, at the Ministerial hotel. I found D— at home, yawning,
lounging, and dawdling, as usual, and pretending to be in the last extremity of ennui. He
is, perhaps, the most really energetic human being now alive —but that is only when
nobody sees him.

"To be even with him, I complained of my weak eyes, and lamented the necessity of the
spectacles, under cover of which I cautiously and thoroughly surveyed the apartment,
while seemingly intent only upon the conversation of my host.

"I paid special attention to a large writing-table near which he sat, and upon which lay
confusedly, some miscellaneous letters and other papers, with one or two musical
instruments and a few books. Here, however, after a long and very deliberate scrutiny, I
saw nothing to excite particular suspicion.

"At length my eyes, in going the circuit of the room, fell upon a trumpery filigree card-
rack of pasteboard, that hung dangling by a dirty blue ribbon, from a little brass knob just
beneath the middle of the mantelpiece. In this rack, which had three or four
compartments, were five or six visiting cards and a solitary letter. This last was much
soiled and crumpled. It was torn nearly in two, across the middle —as if a design, in the
first instance, to tear it entirely up as worthless, had been altered, or stayed, in the second.
It had a large black seal, bearing the D— cipher very conspicuously, and was addressed, in
a diminutive female hand, to D-, the minister, himself. It was thrust carelessly, and even,
as it seemed, contemptuously, into one of the upper divisions of the rack.

"No sooner had I glanced at this letter, than I concluded it to be that of which I was in
search. To be sure, it was, to all appearance, radically different from the one of which the
Prefect had read us so minute a description. Here the seal was large and black, with the
D— cipher; there it was small and red, with the ducal arms of the S— family. Here, the
address, to the Minister, was diminutive and feminine; there the superscription, to a
certain royal personage, was markedly bold and decided; the size alone formed a point of
correspondence. But, then, the radicalness of these differences, which was excessive; the
dirt; the soiled and torn condition of the paper, so inconsistent with the true methodical
habits of D-, and so suggestive of a design to delude the beholder into an idea of the
worthlessness of the document; these things, together with the hyperobtrusive situation of
this document, full in the view of every visitor, and thus exactly in accordance with the
conclusions to which I had previously arrived; these things, I say, were strongly
corroborative of suspicion, in one who came with the intention to suspect.

"I protracted my visit as long as possible, and, while I maintained a most animated
discussion with the Minister, on a topic which I knew well had never failed to interest
and excite him, I kept my attention really riveted upon the letter. In this examination, I

committed to memory its external appearance and arrangement in the rack; and also fell,
at length, upon a discovery which set at rest whatever trivial doubt I might have
entertained. In scrutinizing the edges of the paper, I observed them to be more chafed
than seemed necessary. They presented the broken appearance which is manifested when
a stiff paper, having been once folded and pressed with a folder, is refolded in a reversed
direction, in the same creases or edges which had formed the original fold. This discovery
was sufficient. It was clear to me that the letter had been turned, as a glove, inside out, re-
directed, and re-sealed. I bade the Minister good morning, and took my departure at once,
leaving a gold snuff-box upon the table.

"The next morning I called for the snuff-box, when we resumed, quite eagerly, the
conversation of the preceding day. While thus engaged, however, a loud report, as if of a
pistol, was heard immediately beneath the windows of the hotel, and was succeeded by a
series of fearful screams, and the shoutings of a mob. D— rushed to a casement, threw it
open, and looked out. In the meantime, I stepped to the card-rack, took the letter, put it in
my pocket, and replaced it by a fac-simile, (so far as regards externals,) which I had
carefully prepared at my lodgings; imitating the D— cipher, very readily, by means of a
seal formed of bread.

"The disturbance in the street had been occasioned by the frantic behavior of a man with
a musket. He had fired it among a crowd of women and children. It proved, however, to
have been without ball, and the fellow was suffered to go his way as a lunatic or a
drunkard. When he had gone, D-came from the window, whither I had followed him
immediately upon securing the object in view. Soon afterwards I bade him farewell. The
pretended lunatic was a man in my own pay.

"But what purpose had you," I asked, in replacing the letter by a fac-simile? Would it not
have been better, at the first visit, to have seized it openly, and departed?"

"D— ," replied Dupin, "is a desperate man, and a man of nerve. His hotel, too, is not
without attendants devoted to his interests. Had I made the wild attempt you suggest, I
might never have left the Ministerial presence alive. The good people of Paris might have
heard of me no more. But I had an object apart from these considerations. You know my
political prepossessions. In this matter, I act as a partisan of the lady concerned. For
eighteen months the Minister has had her in his power. She has now him in hers; since,
being unaware that the letter is not in his possession, he will proceed with his exactions
as if it was. Thus will he inevitably commit himself, at once, to his political destruction.
His downfall, too, will not be more precipitate than awkward. It is all very well to talk
about the facilis descensus Averni; but in all kinds of climbing, as Catalani said of
singing, it is far more easy to get up than to come down. In the present instance I have no
sympathy —at least no pity —for him who descends. He is the monstrum horrendum, an
unprincipled man of genius. I confess, however, that I should like very well to know the
precise character of his thoughts, when, being defied by her whom the Prefect terms 'a
certain personage,' he is reduced to opening the letter which I left for him in the card-
rack."

"How? did you put any thing particular in it?"

"Why —it did not seem altogether right to leave the interior blank —that would have been
insulting. D-, at Vienna once, did me an evil turn, which I told him, quite good-
humoredly, that I should remember. So, as I knew he would feel some curiosity in regard
to the identity of the person who had outwitted him, I thought it a pity not to give him a
clue. He is well acquainted with my MS., and I just copied into the middle of the blank
sheet the words—

— Un dessein si funeste,

S'il n'est digne d'Atree, est digne de Thyeste.

They are to be found in Crebillon's 'Atree.'"

THE END

THE RAVEN

by Edgar Allan Poe

1845

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary.
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore.
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping.
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
'"Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door-
Only this, and nothing more."

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow ;-vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow-sorrow for the lost Lenore-
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore-
Nameless here for evermore.

And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me-filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating,
"'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door-
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;-
This it is, and nothing more."

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
"Sir," said I, "or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping.
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door.
That I scarce was sure I heard you"-here I opened wide the door;-
Darkness there, and nothing more.

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering,

fearing.

Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before;

But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token.

And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, "Lenore!"

This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, "Lenore !"-

Merely this, and nothing more.

Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning.
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.

"Surely," said I, "surely that is something at my window lattice:
Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore-
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore;-
'Tis the wind and nothing more."

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and
flutter.

In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore;
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed
he;

But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door-
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door-
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling.
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore.
"Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou," I said, "art sure no
craven.

Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the Nightly shore-
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!"
Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,
Though its answer little meaning-little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blest with seeing bird above his chamber door-
Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door.
With such name as "Nevermore."

But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only

That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.

Nothing further then he uttered-not a feather then he fluttered-

Till I scarcely more than muttered, "other friends have flown

before-

On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before."

Then the bird said, "Nevermore."

Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,
"Doubtless," said I, "what it utters is its only stock and store.
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster
Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore-
Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore
Of 'Never-nevermore'."

But the Raven still beguiling all my fancy into smiling.
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird, and bust and

door;

Then upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore-
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt and ominous bird of yore
Meant in croaking "Nevermore."

This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing
To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core;
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamplight gloated o'er.
But whose velvet violet lining with the lamplight gloating o'er.
She shall press, ah, nevermore!

Then methought the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer

Swung by Seraphim whose footfalls tinkled on the tufted floor.

"Wretch," I cried, "thy God hath lent thee-by these angels he

hath sent thee

Respite-respite and nepenthe, from thy memories of Lenore!

Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!"

Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil!-prophet still, if bird or

devil !-

Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore.

Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted-

On this home by horror haunted-tell me truly, I implore-

Is there-is there balm in Gilead?-tell me-tell me, I implore!"

Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil-prophet still, if bird or

devil!

By that Heaven that bends above us-by that God we both adore-

Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,

It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore-

Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore."

Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

"Be that word our sign in parting, bird or fiend," I shrieked,

upstarting-

"Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!

Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!

Leave my loneliness unbroken! -quit the bust above my door!

Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my

door!"

Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting

On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;

And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming.

And the lamplight o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the

floor;

And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor

Shall be lifted-nevermore!

THE END

THE SLEEPER

by Edgar Allan Poe

1831

At midnight, in the month of June,
I stand beneath the mystic moon.
An opiate vapor, dewy, dim.
Exhales from out her golden rim.
And, softly dripping, drop by drop.
Upon the quiet mountain top.
Steals drowsily and musically
Into the universal valley.
The rosemary nods upon the grave;
The lily lolls upon the wave;
Wrapping the fog about its breast.
The ruin molders into rest;
Looking like Lethe, see! the lake
A conscious slumber seems to take.
And would not, for the world, awake.
All Beauty sleeps!-and lo! where lies
Irene, with her Destinies!

O, lady bright! can it be right-
This window open to the night?
The wanton airs, from the tree-top.
Laughingly through the lattice drop-
The bodiless airs, a wizard rout.
Flit through thy chamber in and out.
And wave the curtain canopy
So fitfuUy-so fearfully-
Above the closed and fringed lid
'Neath which thy slumb'ring soul lies hid.
That, o'er the floor and down the wall.
Like ghosts the shadows rise and fall!
Oh, lady dear, hast thou no fear?
Why and what art thou dreaming here?
Sure thou art come O'er far-off seas,
A wonder to these garden trees !
Strange is thy pallor! strange thy dress.
Strange, above all, thy length of tress.
And this all solemn silentness!

The lady sleeps! Oh, may her sleep,
Which is enduring, so be deep!
Heaven have her in its sacred keep!
This chamber changed for one more holy.
This bed for one more melancholy,
I pray to God that she may lie
For ever with unopened eye.
While the pale sheeted ghosts go by!

My love, she sleeps! Oh, may her sleep
As it is lasting, so be deep!
Soft may the worms about her creep!
Far in the forest, dim and old.
For her may some tall vault unfold-
Some vault that oft has flung its black
And winged panels fluttering back.
Triumphant, o'er the crested palls.
Of her grand family funerals-
Some sepulchre, remote, alone.
Against whose portal she hath thrown.
In childhood, many an idle stone-
Some tomb from out whose sounding door
She ne'er shall force an echo more.
Thrilling to think, poor child of sin!
It was the dead who groaned within.

THE END

THE SPECTACLES

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

MANY years ago, it was the fashion to ridicule the idea of "love at first sight;" but those
who think, not less than those who feel deeply, have always advocated its existence.
Modern discoveries, indeed, in what may be termed ethical magnetism or
magnetoesthetics, render it probable that the most natural, and, consequently, the truest
and most intense of the human affections are those which arise in the heart as if by
electric sympathy-in a word, that the brightest and most enduring of the psychal fetters
are those which are riveted by a glance. The confession I am about to make will add
another to the already almost innumerable instances of the truth of the position.

My story requires that I should be somewhat minute. I am still a very young man-not yet
twenty-two years of age. My name, at present, is a very usual and rather plebeian one-
Simpson. I say "at present;" for it is only lately that I have been so called-having
legislatively adopted this surname within the last year in order to receive a large
inheritance left me by a distant male relative, Adolphus Simpson, Esq. The bequest was
conditioned upon my taking the name of the testator,-the family, not the Christian name;
my Christian name is Napoleon Bonaparte-or, more properly, these are my first and
middle appellations.

I assumed the name, Simpson, with some reluctance, as in my true patronym, Froissart, I
felt a very pardonable pride-believing that I could trace a descent from the immortal
author of the "Chronicles." While on the subject of names, by the bye, I may mention a
singular coincidence of sound attending the names of some of my immediate
predecessors. My father was a Monsieur Froissart, of Paris. His wife-my mother, whom
he married at fifteen-was a Mademoiselle Croissart, eldest daughter of Croissart the
banker, whose wife, again, being only sixteen when married, was the eldest daughter of
one Victor Voissart. Monsieur Voissart, very singularly, had married a lady of similar
name-a Mademoiselle Moissart. She, too, was quite a child when married; and her
mother, also, Madame Moissart, was only fourteen when led to the altar. These early
marriages are usual in France. Here, however, are Moissart, Voissart, Croissart, and
Froissart, all in the direct line of descent. My own name, though, as I say, became
Simpson, by act of Legislature, and with so much repugnance on my part, that, at one
period, I actually hesitated about accepting the legacy with the useless and annoying
proviso attached.

As to personal endowments, I am by no means deficient. On the contrary, I believe that I
am well made, and possess what nine tenths of the world would call a handsome face. In
height I am five feet eleven. My hair is black and curling. My nose is sufficiently good.
My eyes are large and gray; and although, in fact they are weak a very inconvenient

degree, still no defect in this regard would be suspected from their appearance. The
weakness itself, however, has always much annoyed me, and I have resorted to every
remedy-short of wearing glasses. Being youthful and good-looking, I naturally dislike
these, and have resolutely refused to employ them. I know nothing, indeed, which so
disfigures the countenance of a young person, or so impresses every feature with an air of
demureness, if not altogether of sanctimoniousness and of age. An eyeglass, on the other
hand, has a savor of downright foppery and affectation. I have hitherto managed as well
as I could without either. But something too much of these merely personal details,
which, after all, are of little importance. I will content myself with saying, in addition,
that my temperament is sanguine, rash, ardent, enthusiastic-and that all my life I have
been a devoted admirer of the women.

One night last winter I entered a box at the P— Theatre, in company with a friend, Mr.
Talbot. It was an opera night, and the bills presented a very rare attraction, so that the
house was excessively crowded. We were in time, however, to obtain the front seats
which had been reserved for us, and into which, with some little difficulty, we elbowed
our way.

For two hours my companion, who was a musical fanatico, gave his undivided attention
to the stage; and, in the meantime, I amused myself by observing the audience, which
consisted, in chief part, of the very elite of the city. Having satisfied myself upon this
point, I was about turning my eyes to the prima donna, when they were arrested and
riveted by a figure in one of the private boxes which had escaped my observation.

If I live a thousand years, I can never forget the intense emotion with which I regarded
this figure. It was that of a female, the most exquisite I had ever beheld. The face was so
far turned toward the stage that, for some minutes, I could not obtain a view of it-but the
form was divine; no other word can sufficiently express its magnificent proportion-and
even the term "divine" seems ridiculously feeble as I write it.

The magic of a lovely form in woman-the necromancy of female gracefulness-was
always a power which I had found it impossible to resist, but here was grace personified,
incarnate, the beau ideal of my wildest and most enthusiastic visions. The figure, almost
all of which the construction of the box permitted to be seen, was somewhat above the
medium height, and nearly approached, without positively reaching, the majestic. Its
perfect fullness and toumure were delicious. The head of which only the back was
visible, rivalled in outline that of the Greek Psyche, and was rather displayed than
concealed by an elegant cap of gaze aerienne, which put me in mind of the ventum
textilem of Apuleius. The right arm hung over the balustrade of the box, and thrilled
every nerve of my frame with its exquisite symmetry. Its upper portion was draperied by
one of the loose open sleeves now in fashion. This extended but little below the elbow.
Beneath it was worn an under one of some frail material, close-fitting, and terminated by
a cuff of rich lace, which fell gracefully over the top of the hand, revealing only the
delicate fingers, upon one of which sparkled a diamond ring, which I at once saw was of
extraordinary value. The admirable roundness of the wrist was well set off by a bracelet
which encircled it, and which also was ornamented and clasped by a magnificent aigrette

of jewels-telling, in words that could not be mistaken, at once of the wealth and fastidious
taste of the wearer.

I gazed at this queenly apparition for at least half an hour, as if I had been suddenly
converted to stone; and, during this period, I felt the full force and truth of all that has
been said or sung concerning "love at first sight." My feelings were totally different from
any which I had hitherto experienced, in the presence of even the most celebrated
specimens of female loveliness. An unaccountable, and what I am compelled to consider
a magnetic, sympathy of soul for soul, seemed to rivet, not only my vision, but my whole
powers of thought and feeling, upon the admirable object before me. I saw-I felt-I knew
that I was deeply, madly, irrevocably in love-and this even before seeing the face of the
person beloved. So intense, indeed, was the passion that consumed me, that I really
believe it would have received little if any abatement had the features, yet unseen, proved
of merely ordinary character, so anomalous is the nature of the only true love-of the love
at first sight-and so little really dependent is it upon the external conditions which only
seem to create and control it.

While I was thus wrapped in admiration of this lovely vision, a sudden disturbance
among the audience caused her to turn her head partially toward me, so that I beheld the
entire profile of the face. Its beauty even exceeded my anticipations-and yet there was
something about it which disappointed me without my being able to tell exactly what it
was. I said "disappointed," but this is not altogether the word. My sentiments were at
once quieted and exalted. They partook less of transport and more of calm enthusiasm of
enthusiastic repose. This state of feeling arose, perhaps, from the Madonna-like and
matronly air of the face; and yet I at once understood that it could not have arisen entirely
from this. There was something else- some mystery which I could not develope-some
expression about the countenance which slightly disturbed me while it greatly heightened
my interest. In fact, I was just in that condition of mind which prepares a young and
susceptible man for any act of extravagance. Had the lady been alone, I should
undoubtedly have entered her box and accosted her at all hazards; but, fortunately, she
was attended by two companions-a gentleman, and a strikingly beautiful woman, to all
appearance a few years younger than herself.

I revolved in my mind a thousand schemes by which I might obtain, hereafter, an
introduction to the elder lady, or, for the present, at all events, a more distinct view of her
beauty. I would have removed my position to one nearer her own, but the crowded state
of the theatre rendered this impossible; and the stern decrees of Fashion had, of late,
imperatively prohibited the use of the opera-glass in a case such as this, even had I been
so fortunate as to have one with me-but I had not-and was thus in despair.

At length I bethought me of applying to my companion.

"Talbot," I said, "you have an opera-glass. Let me have it."

"An opera-glass !-no!-what do you suppose I would be doing with an opera-glass?" Here
he turned impatiently toward the stage.

"But, Talbot," I continued, pulling him by the shoulder, "listen to me will you? Do you
see the stage-box?-there!-no, the next.-did you ever behold as lovely a woman?"

"She is very beautiful, no doubt," he said.

"I wonder who she can be?"

"Why, in the name of all that is angelic, don't you know who she is? 'Not to know her
argues yourself unknown.' She is the celebrated Madame Lalande-the beauty of the day
par excellence, and the talk of the whole town. Immensely wealthy too-a widow, and a
great match-has just arrived from Paris."

"Do you know her?"

"Yes; I have the honor."

"Will you introduce me?"

"Assuredly, with the greatest pleasure; when shall it be?"

"To-morrow, at one, I will call upon you at B— 's.

"Very good; and now do hold your tongue, if you can."

In this latter respect I was forced to take Talbot's advice; for he remained obstinately deaf
to every further question or suggestion, and occupied himself exclusively for the rest of
the evening with what was transacting upon the stage.

In the meantime I kept my eyes riveted on Madame Lalande, and at length had the good
fortune to obtain a full front view of her face. It was exquisitely lovely-this, of course,
my heart had told me before, even had not Talbot fully satisfied me upon the point-but
still the unintelligible something disturbed me. I finally concluded that my senses were
impressed by a certain air of gravity, sadness, or, still more properly, of weariness, which
took something from the youth and freshness of the countenance, only to endow it with a
seraphic tenderness and majesty, and thus, of course, to my enthusiastic and romantic
temperment, with an interest tenfold.

While I thus feasted my eyes, I perceived, at last, to my great trepidation, by an almost
imperceptible start on the part of the lady, that she had become suddenly aware of the
intensity of my gaze. Still, I was absolutely fascinated, and could not withdraw it, even
for an instant. She turned aside her face, and again I saw only the chiselled contour of the
back portion of the head. After some minutes, as if urged by curiosity to see if I was still
looking, she gradually brought her face again around and again encountered my burning
gaze. Her large dark eyes fell instantly, and a deep blush mantled her cheek. But what
was my astonishment at perceiving that she not only did not a second time avert her head.

but that she actually took from her girdle a double eyeglass-elevated it-adjusted it-and
then regarded me through it, intently and deliberately, for the space of several minutes.

Had a thunderbolt fAUan at my feet I could not have been more thoroughly astounded-
astounded only-not offended or disgusted in the slightest degree; although an action so
bold in any other woman would have been likely to offend or disgust. But the whole
thing was done with so much quietude-so much nonchalance-so much repose- with so
evident an air of the highest breeding, in short-that nothing of mere effrontery was
perceptible, and my sole sentiments were those of admiration and surprise.

I observed that, upon her first elevation of the glass, she had seemed satisfied with a
momentary inspection of my person, and was withdrawing the instrument, when, as if
struck by a second thought, she resumed it, and so continued to regard me with fixed
attention for the space of several minutes-for five minutes, at the very least, I am sure.

This action, so remarkable in an American theatre, attracted very general observation,
and gave rise to an indefinite movement, or buzz, among the audience, which for a
moment filled me with confusion, but produced no visible effect upon the countenance of
Madame Lalande.

Having satisfied her curiosity-if such it was-she dropped the glass, and quietly gave her
attention again to the stage; her profile now being turned toward myself, as before. I
continued to watch her unremittingly, although I was fully conscious of my rudeness in
so doing. Presently I saw the head slowly and slightly change its position; and soon I
became convinced that the lady, while pretending to look at the stage was, in fact,
attentively regarding myself. It is needless to say what effect this conduct, on the part of
so fascinating a woman, had upon my excitable mind.

Having thus scrutinized me for perhaps a quarter of an hour, the fair object of my passion
addressed the gentleman who attended her, and while she spoke, I saw distinctly, by the
glances of both, that the conversation had reference to myself.

Upon its conclusion, Madame Lalande again turned toward the stage, and, for a few
minutes, seemed absorbed in the performance. At the expiration of this period, however, I
was thrown into an extremity of agitation by seeing her unfold, for the second time, the
eye-glass which hung at her side, fully confront me as before, and, disregarding the
renewed buzz of the audience, survey me, from head to foot, with the same miraculous
composure which had previously so delighted and confounded my soul.

This extraordinary behavior, by throwing me into a perfect fever of excitement-into an
absolute delirium of love-served rather to embolden than to disconcert me. In the mad
intensity of my devotion, I forgot everything but the presence and the majestic loveliness
of the vision which confronted my gaze. Watching my opportunity, when I thought the
audience were fully engaged with the opera, I at length caught the eyes of Madame
Lalande, and, upon the instant, made a slight but unmistakable bow.

She blushed very deeply-then averted her eyes-then slowly and cautiously looked
around, apparently to see if my rash action had been noticed-then leaned over toward the
gentleman who sat by her side.

I now felt a burning sense of the impropriety I had committed, and expected nothing less
than instant exposure; while a vision of pistols upon the morrow floated rapidly and
uncomfortably through my brain. I was greatly and immediately relieved, however, when
I saw the lady merely hand the gentleman a play-bill, without speaking, but the reader
may form some feeble conception of my astonishment-of my profound amazement-my
delirious bewilderment of heart and soul-when, instantly afterward, having again glanced
furtively around, she allowed her bright eyes to set fully and steadily upon my own, and
then, with a faint smile, disclosing a bright line of her pearly teeth, made two distinct,
pointed, and unequivocal affirmative inclinations of the head.

It is useless, of course, to dwell upon my joy-upon my transport- upon my illimitable
ecstasy of heart. If ever man was mad with excess of happiness, it was myself at that
moment. I loved. This was my first love-so I felt it to be. It was love supreme-
indescribable. It was "love at first sight;" and at first sight, too, it had been appreciated
and returned.

Yes, returned. How and why should I doubt it for an instant. What other construction
could I possibly put upon such conduct, on the part of a lady so beautiful-so wealthy-
evidently so accomplished-of so high breeding-of so lofty a position in society-in every
regard so entirely respectable as I felt assured was Madame Lalande? Yes, she loved me-
she returned the enthusiasm of my love, with an enthusiasm as blind-as
uncompromi sing-as uncalculating-as abandoned-and as utterly unbounded as my own!
These delicious fancies and reflections, however, were now interrupted by the falling of
the drop-curtain. The audience arose; and the usual tumult immediately supervened.
Quitting Talbot abruptly, I made every effort to force my way into closer proximity with
Madame Lalande. Having failed in this, on account of the crowd, I at length gave up the
chase, and bent my steps homeward; consoling myself for my disappointment in not
having been able to touch even the hem of her robe, by the reflection that I should be
introduced by Talbot, in due form, upon the morrow.

This morrow at last came, that is to say, a day finally dawned upon a long and weary
night of impatience; and then the hours until "one" were snail-paced, dreary, and
innumerable. But even Stamboul, it is said, shall have an end, and there came an end to
this long delay. The clock struck. As the last echo ceased, I stepped into B— 's and
inquired for Talbot.

"Out," said the footman-Talbot's own.

"Out!" I replied, staggering back half a dozen paces-"let me tell you, my fine fellow, that
this thing is thoroughly impossible and impracticable; Mr. Talbot is not out. What do you
mean?"

"Nothing, sir; only Mr. Talbot is not in, that's all. He rode over to S--, immediately after
breakfast, and left word that he would not be in town again for a week."

I stood petrified with horror and rage. I endeavored to reply, but my tongue refused its
office. At length I turned on my heel, livid with wrath, and inwardly consigning the
whole tribe of the Talbots to the innermost regions of Erebus. It was evident that my
considerate friend, il fanatico, had quite forgotten his appointment with myself-had
forgotten it as soon as it was made. At no time was he a very scrupulous man of his word.
There was no help for it; so smothering my vexation as well as I could, I strolled moodily
up the street, propounding futile inquiries about Madame Lalande to every male
acquaintance I met. By report she was known, I found, to all- to many by sight-but she
had been in town only a few weeks, and there were very few, therefore, who claimed her
personal acquaintance. These few, being still comparatively strangers, could not, or
would not, take the liberty of introducing me through the formality of a morning call.
While I stood thus in despair, conversing with a trio of friends upon the all absorbing
subject of my heart, it so happened that the subject itself passed by.

"As I live, there she is!" cried one.

"Surprisingly beautiful!" exclaimed a second.

"An angel upon earth!" ejaculated a third.

I looked; and in an open carriage which approached us, passing slowly down the street,
sat the enchanting vision of the opera, accompanied by the younger lady who had
occupied a portion of her box.

"Her companion also wears remarkably well," said the one of my trio who had spoken
first.

"Astonishingly," said the second; "still quite a brilliant air, but art will do wonders. Upon
my word, she looks better than she did at Paris five years ago. A beautiful woman still;-
don't you think so, Froissart?-Simpson, I mean."

"Still!" said I, "and why shouldn't she be? But compared with her friend she is as a rush-
light to the evening star-a glow-worm to Antares.

"Ha! ha! ha!-why, Simpson, you have an astonishing tact at making discoveries-original
ones, I mean." And here we separated, while one of the trio began humming a gay
vaudeville, of which I caught only the lines-
Ninon, Ninon, Ninon a bas-
A bas Ninon De L'Enclos!

During this little scene, however, one thing had served greatly to console me, although it
fed the passion by which I was consumed. As the carriage of Madame Lalande rolled by
our group, I had observed that she recognized me; and more than this, she had blessed
me, by the most seraphic of all imaginable smiles, with no equivocal mark of the
recognition.

As for an introduction, I was obliged to abandon all hope of it until such time as Talbot
should think proper to return from the country. In the meantime I perseveringly
frequented every reputable place of public amusement; and, at length, at the theatre,
where I first saw her, I had the supreme bliss of meeting her, and of exchanging glances
with her once again. This did not occur, however, until the lapse of a fortnight. Every
day, in the interim, I had inquired for Talbot at his hotel, and every day had been thrown
into a spasm of wrath by the everlasting "Not come home yet" of his footman.

Upon the evening in question, therefore, I was in a condition little short of madness.
Madame Lalande, I had been told, was a Parisian-had lately arrived from Paris-might
she not suddenly return?-retum before Talbot came back-and might she not be thus lost
to me forever? The thought was too terrible to bear. Since my future happiness was at
issue, I resolved to act with a manly decision. In a word, upon the breaking up of the
play, I traced the lady to her residence, noted the address, and the next morning sent her a
full and elaborate letter, in which I poured out my whole heart.

I spoke boldly, freely-in a word, I spoke with passion. I concealed nothing-nothing even
of my weakness. I alluded to the romantic circumstances of our first meeting-even to the
glances which had passed between us. I went so far as to say that I felt assured of her
love; while I offered this assurance, and my own intensity of devotion, as two excuses for
my otherwise unpardonable conduct. As a third, I spoke of my fear that she might quit the
city before I could have the opportunity of a formal introduction. I concluded the most
wildly enthusiastic epistle ever penned, with a frank declaration of my worldly
circumstances-of my affluence-and with an offer of my heart and of my hand.

In an agony of expectation I awaited the reply. After what seemed the lapse of a century
it came.

Yes, actually came. Romantic as all this may appear, I really received a letter from
Madame Lalande-the beautiful, the wealthy, the idolized Madame Lalande. Her eyes-her
magnificent eyes, had not belied her noble heart. Like a true Frenchwoman as she was
she had obeyed the frank dictates of her reason-the generous impulses of her nature-
despising the conventional pruderies of the world. She had not scorned my proposals. She
had not sheltered herself in silence. She had not returned my letter unopened. She had
even sent me, in reply, one penned by her own exquisite fingers. It ran thus:

"Monsieur Simpson vill pardonne me for not compose de butefuUe tong of his contree so
veil as might. It is only de late dat I am arrive, and not yet ave do opportunite for to-
I'etudier.

"Vid dis apologie for the maniere, I vill now say dat, helas!- Monsieur Simpson ave guess
but de too true. Need I say de more? Helas! am I not ready speak de too moshe?

"EUGENIE LALAND."

This noble-spirited note I kissed a million times, and committed, no doubt, on its
account, a thousand other extravagances that have now escaped my memory. Still Talbot
would not return. Alas! could he have formed even the vaguest idea of the suffering his
absence had occasioned his friend, would not his sympathizing nature have flown
immediately to my relief? Still, however, he came not. I wrote. He replied. He was
detained by urgent business-but would shortly return. He begged me not to be impatient-
to moderate my transports-to read soothing books-to drink nothing stronger than Hock-
and to bring the consolations of philosophy to my aid. The fool! if he could not come
himself, why, in the name of every thing rational, could he not have enclosed me a letter
of presentation? I wrote him again, entreating him to forward one forthwith. My letter
was returned by that footman, with the following endorsement in pencil. The scoundrel
had joined his master in the country:

"Left S— yesterday, for parts unknown-did not say where-or when be back-so thought
best to return letter, knowing your handwriting, and as how you is always, more or less,
in a hurry.

"Yours sincerely,

"STUBBS."

After this, it is needless to say, that I devoted to the infernal deities both master and
valet:-but there was little use in anger, and no consolation at all in complaint.

But I had yet a resource left, in my constitutional audacity. Hitherto it had served me
well, and I now resolved to make it avail me to the end. Besides, after the correspondence
which had passed between us, what act of mere informality could I commit, within
bounds, that ought to be regarded as indecorous by Madame Lalande? Since the affair of
the letter, I had been in the habit of watching her house, and thus discovered that, about
twilight, it was her custom to promenade, attended only by a negro in livery, in a public
square overlooked by her windows. Here, amid the luxuriant and shadowing groves, in
the gray gloom of a sweet midsummer evening, I observed my opportunity and accosted
her.

The better to deceive the servant in attendance, I did this with the assured air of an old
and familiar acquaintance. With a presence of mind truly Parisian, she took the cue at
once, and, to greet me, held out the most bewitchingly little of hands. The valet at once
fell into the rear, and now, with hearts full to overflowing, we discoursed long and
unreservedly of our love.

As Madame Lalande spoke English even less fluently than she wrote it, our conversation
was necessarily in French. In this sweet tongue, so adapted to passion, I gave loose to the
impetuous enthusiasm of my nature, and, with all the eloquence I could command,
besought her to consent to an immediate marriage.

At this impatience she smiled. She urged the old story of decorum- that bug-bear which
deters so many from bliss until the opportunity for bliss has forever gone by. I had most
imprudently made it known among my friends, she observed, that I desired her
acquaintance- thus that I did not possess it-thus, again, there was no possibility of
concealing the date of our first knowledge of each other. And then she adverted, with a
blush, to the extreme recency of this date. To wed immediately would be improper-
would be indecorous-would be outre. All this she said with a charming air of naivete
which enraptured while it grieved and convinced me. She went even so far as to accuse
me, laughingly, of rashness-of imprudence. She bade me remember that I really even
know not who she was-what were her prospects, her connections, her standing in society.
She begged me, but with a sigh, to reconsider my proposal, and termed my love an
infatuation-a will o' the wisp-a fancy or fantasy of the moment-a baseless and unstable
creation rather of the imagination than of the heart. These things she uttered as the
shadows of the sweet twilight gathered darkly and more darkly around us-and then, with
a gentle pressure of her fairy-like hand, overthrew, in a single sweet instant, all the
argumentative fabric she had reared.

I replied as best I could-as only a true lover can. I spoke at length, and perseveringly of
my devotion, of my passion-of her exceeding beauty, and of my own enthusiastic
admiration. In conclusion, I dwelt, with a convincing energy, upon the perils that
encompass the course of love-that course of true love that never did run smooth-and thus
deduced the manifest danger of rendering that course unnecessarily long.

This latter argument seemed finally to soften the rigor of her determination. She relented;
but there was yet an obstacle, she said, which she felt assured I had not properly
considered. This was a delicate point-for a woman to urge, especially so; in mentioning
it, she saw that she must make a sacrifice of her feelings; still, for me, every sacrifice
should be made. She alluded to the topic of age. Was I aware-was I fully aware of the
discrepancy between us? That the age of the husband, should surpass by a few years-
even by fifteen or twenty-the age of the wife, was regarded by the world as admissible,
and, indeed, as even proper, but she had always entertained the belief that the years of the
wife should never exceed in number those of the husband. A discrepancy of this
unnatural kind gave rise, too frequently, alas! to a life of unhappiness. Now she was
aware that my own age did not exceed two and twenty; and I, on the contrary, perhaps,
was not aware that the years of my Eugenie extended very considerably beyond that sum.

About all this there was a nobility of soul-a dignity of candor- which delighted-which
enchanted me-which eternally riveted my chains. I could scarcely restrain the excessive
transport which possessed me.

"My sweetest Eugenie," I cried, "what is all this about which you are discoursing? Your
years surpass in some measure my own. But what then? The customs of the world are so
many conventional follies. To those who love as ourselves, in what respect differs a year
from an hour? I am twenty-two, you say, granted: indeed, you may as well call me, at
once, twenty-three. Now you yourself, my dearest Eugenie, can have numbered no more
than-can have numbered no more than-no more than-than-than-than-"

Here I paused for an instant, in the expectation that Madame Lalande would interrupt me
by supplying her true age. But a Frenchwoman is seldom direct, and has always, by way
of answer to an embarrassing query, some little practical reply of her own. In the present
instance, Eugenie, who for a few moments past had seemed to be searching for something
in her bosom, at length let fall upon the grass a miniature, which I immediately picked up
and presented to her.

"Keep it!" she said, with one of her most ravishing smiles. "Keep it for my sake-for the
sake of her whom it too flatteringly represents. Besides, upon the back of the trinket you
may discover, perhaps, the very information you seem to desire. It is now, to be sure,
growing rather dark-but you can examine it at your leisure in the morning. In the
meantime, you shall be my escort home to-night. My friends are about holding a little
musical levee. I can promise you, too, some good singing. We French are not nearly so
punctilious as you Americans, and I shall have no difficulty in smuggling you in, in the
character of an old acquaintance."

With this, she took my arm, and I attended her home. The mansion was quite a fine one,
and, I believe, furnished in good taste. Of this latter point, however, I am scarcely
qualified to judge; for it was just dark as we arrived; and in American mansions of the
better sort lights seldom, during the heat of summer, make their appearance at this, the
most pleasant period of the day. In about an hour after my arrival, to be sure, a single
shaded solar lamp was lit in the principal drawing-room; and this apartment, I could thus
see, was arranged with unusual good taste and even splendor; but two other rooms of the
suite, and in which the company chiefly assembled, remained, during the whole evening,
in a very agreeable shadow. This is a well-conceived custom, giving the party at least a
choice of light or shade, and one which our friends over the water could not do better
than immediately adopt.

The evening thus spent was unquestionably the most delicious of my life. Madame
Lalande had not overrated the musical abilities of her friends; and the singing I here
heard I had never heard excelled in any private circle out of Vienna. The instrumental
performers were many and of superior talents. The vocalists were chiefly ladies, and no
individual sang less than well. At length, upon a peremptory call for "Madame Lalande,"
she arose at once, without affectation or demur, from the chaise longue upon which she
had sat by my side, and, accompanied by one or two gentlemen and her female friend of
the opera, repaired to the piano in the main drawing-room. I would have escorted her
myself, but felt that, under the circumstances of my introduction to the house, I had better
remain unobserved where I was. I was thus deprived of the pleasure of seeing, although
not of hearing, her sing.

The impression she produced upon the company seemed electrical but the effect upon
myself was something even more. I know not how adequately to describe it. It arose in
part, no doubt, from the sentiment of love with which I was imbued; but chiefly from my
conviction of the extreme sensibility of the singer. It is beyond the reach of art to endow
either air or recitative with more impassioned expression than was hers. Her utterance of
the romance in Otello-the tone with which she gave the words "Sul mio sasso," in the
Capuletti-is ringing in my memory yet. Her lower tones were absolutely miraculous. Her
voice embraced three complete octaves, extending from the contralto D to the D upper
soprano, and, though sufficiently powerful to have filled the San Carlos, executed, with
the minutest precision, every difficulty of vocal composition-ascending and descending
scales, cadences, or fiorituri. In the final of the Somnambula, she brought about a most
remarkable effect at the words:

Ah! non guinge uman pensiero

Al contento ond 'io son plena.

Here, in imitation of Malibran, she modified the original phrase of Bellini, so as to let her
voice descend to the tenor G, when, by a rapid transition, she struck the G above the
treble stave, springing over an interval of two octaves.

Upon rising from the piano after these miracles of vocal execution, she resumed her seat
by my side; when I expressed to her, in terms of the deepest enthusiasm, my delight at
her performance. Of my surprise I said nothing, and yet was I most unfeignedly
surprised; for a certain feebleness, or rather a certain tremulous indecision of voice in
ordinary conversation, had prepared me to anticipate that, in singing, she would not
acquit herself with any remarkable ability.

Our conversation was now long, earnest, uninterrupted, and totally unreserved. She made
me relate many of the earlier passages of my life, and listened with breathless attention to
every word of the narrative. I concealed nothing-felt that I had a right to conceal
nothing-from her confiding affection. Encouraged by her candor upon the delicate point
of her age, I entered, with perfect frankness, not only into a detail of my many minor
vices, but made full confession of those moral and even of those physical infirmities, the
disclosure of which, in demanding so much higher a degree of courage, is so much surer
an evidence of love. I touched upon my college indiscretions-upon my extravagances-
upon my carousals- upon my debts-upon my flirtations. I even went so far as to speak of
a slightly hectic cough with which, at one time, I had been troubled-of a chronic
rheumatism-of a twinge of hereditary gout- and, in conclusion, of the disagreeable and
inconvenient, but hitherto carefully concealed, weakness of my eyes.

"Upon this latter point," said Madame Lalande, laughingly, "you have been surely
injudicious in coming to confession; for, without the confession, I take it for granted that
no one would have accused you of the crime. By the by," she continued, "have you any
recollection-" and here I fancied that a blush, even through the gloom of the apartment.

became distinctly visible upon her cheek-"have you any recollection, mon cher ami of
this little ocular assistant, which now depends from my neck?"

As she spoke she twirled in her fingers the identical double eye-glass which had so
overwhelmed me with confusion at the opera.

"Full well-alas! do I remember it," I exclaimed, pressing passionately the delicate hand
which offered the glasses for my inspection. They formed a complex and magnificent
toy, richly chased and filigreed, and gleaming with jewels, which, even in the deficient
light, I could not help perceiving were of high value.

"Eh bien! mon ami" she resumed with a certain empressment of manner that rather
surprised me-"Eh bien! mon ami, you have earnestly besought of me a favor which you
have been pleased to denominate priceless. You have demanded of me my hand upon the
morrow. Should I yield to your entreaties-and, I may add, to the pleadings of my own
bosom-would I not be entitled to demand of you a very-a very little boon in return?"

"Name it!" I exclaimed with an energy that had nearly drawn upon us the observation of
the company, and restrained by their presence alone from throwing myself impetuously at
her feet. "Name it, my beloved, my Eugenie, my own!-name it!-but, alas! it is already
yielded ere named."

"You shall conquer, then, mon ami," said she, "for the sake of the Eugenie whom you
love, this little weakness which you have at last confessed-this weakness more moral
than physical-and which, let me assure you, is so unbecoming the nobility of your real
nature-so inconsistent with the candor of your usual character-and which, if permitted
further control, will assuredly involve you, sooner or later, in some very disagreeable
scrape. You shall conquer, for my sake, this affectation which leads you, as you yourself
acknowledge, to the tacit or implied denial of your infirmity of vision. For, this infirmity
you virtually deny, in refusing to employ the customary means for its relief. You will
understand me to say, then, that I wish you to wear spectacles;-ah, hush!-you have
already consented to wear them, for my sake. You shall accept the little toy which I now
hold in my hand, and which, though admirable as an aid to vision, is really of no very
immense value as a gem. You perceive that, by a trifling modification thus-or thus-it can
be adapted to the eyes in the form of spectacles, or worn in the waistcoat pocket as an
eye-glass. It is in the former mode, however, and habitually, that you have already
consented to wear it for my sake."

This request-must I confess it?-confused me in no little degree. But the condition with
which it was coupled rendered hesitation, of course, a matter altogether out of the
question.

"It is done!" I cried, with all the enthusiasm that I could muster at the moment. "It is
done-it is most cheerfully agreed. I sacrifice every feeling for your sake. To-night I wear
this dear eye-glass, as an eye-glass, and upon my heart; but with the earliest dawn of that
morning which gives me the pleasure of calling you wife, I will place it upon my-upon

my nose-and there wear it ever afterward, in the less romantic, and less fashionable, but
certainly in the more serviceable, form which you desire."

Our conversation now turned upon the details of our arrangements for the morrow.
Talbot, I learned from my betrothed, had just arrived in town. I was to see him at once,
and procure a carriage. The soiree would scarcely break up before two; and by this hour
the vehicle was to be at the door, when, in the confusion occasioned by the departure of
the company, Madame L. could easily enter it unobserved. We were then to call at the
house of a clergyman who would be in waiting; there be married, drop Talbot, and
proceed on a short tour to the East, leaving the fashionable world at home to make
whatever comments upon the matter it thought best.

Having planned all this, I immediately took leave, and went in search of Talbot, but, on
the way, I could not refrain from stepping into a hotel, for the purpose of inspecting the
miniature; and this I did by the powerful aid of the glasses. The countenance was a
surpassingly beautiful one! Those large luminous eyes!-that proud Grecian nose!-those
dark luxuriant curls!-" Ah!" said I, exultingly to myself, "this is indeed the speaking
image of my beloved!" I turned the reverse, and discovered the words-"Eugenie
Lalande-aged twenty-seven years and seven months."

I found Talbot at home, and proceeded at once to acquaint him with my good fortune. He
professed excessive astonishment, of course, but congratulated me most cordially, and
proffered every assistance in his power. In a word, we carried out our arrangement to the
letter, and, at two in the morning, just ten minutes after the ceremony, I found myself in a
close carriage with Madame Lalande-with Mrs. Simpson, I should say-and driving at a
great rate out of town, in a direction Northeast by North, half- North.

It had been determined for us by Talbot, that, as we were to be up all night, we should
make our first stop at C— , a village about twenty miles from the city, and there get an
early breakfast and some repose, before proceeding upon our route. At four precisely,
therefore, the carriage drew up at the door of the principal inn. I handed my adored wife
out, and ordered breakfast forthwith. In the meantime we were shown into a small parlor,
and sat down.

It was now nearly if not altogether daylight; and, as I gazed, enraptured, at the angel by
my side, the singular idea came, all at once, into my head, that this was really the very
first moment since my acquaintance with the celebrated loveliness of Madame Lalande,
that I had enjoyed a near inspection of that loveliness by daylight at all.

"And now, mon ami," said she, taking my hand, and so interrupting this train of
reflection, "and now, mon cher ami, since we are indissolubly one-since I have yielded to
your passionate entreaties, and performed my portion of our agreement-I presume you
have not forgotten that you also have a little favor to bestow-a little promise which it is
your intention to keep. Ah! let me see! Let me remember! Yes; full easily do I call to
mind the precise words of the dear promise you made to Eugenie last night. Listen! You
spoke thus: It is done!-it is most cheerfully agreed! I sacrifice every feeling for your

sake. To-night I wear this dear eye-glass as an eye-glass, and upon my heart; but with the
earliest dawn of that morning which gives me the privilege of calling you wife, I will
place it upon my-upon my nose,-and there wear it ever afterward, in the less romantic,
and less fashionable, but certainly in the more serviceable, form which you desire.' These
were the exact words, my beloved husband, were they not?"

"They were," I said; "you have an excellent memory; and assuredly, my beautiful
Eugenie, there is no disposition on my part to evade the performance of the trivial
promise they imply. See! Behold! they are becoming-rather-are they not?" And here,
having arranged the glasses in the ordinary form of spectacles, I applied them gingerly in
their proper position; while Madame Simpson, adjusting her cap, and folding her arms,
sat bolt upright in her chair, in a somewhat stiff and prim, and indeed, in a somewhat
undignified position.

"Goodness gracious me!" I exclaimed, almost at the very instant that the rim of the
spectacles had settled upon my nose-"My goodness gracious me!-why, what can be the
matter with these glasses?" and taking them quickly off, I wiped them carefully with a
silk handkerchief, and adjusted them again.

But if, in the first instance, there had occurred something which occasioned me surprise,
in the second, this surprise became elevated into astonishment; and this astonishment was
profound-was extreme- indeed I may say it was horrific. What, in the name of everything
hideous, did this mean? Could I believe my eyes?-could I?-that was the question. Was
that-was that-was that rouge? And were those- and were those-were those wrinkles,
upon the visage of Eugenie Lalande? And oh! Jupiter, and every one of the gods and
goddesses, little and big ! what-what-what-what had become of her teeth? I dashed the
spectacles violently to the ground, and, leaping to my feet, stood erect in the middle of
the floor, confronting Mrs. Simpson, with my arms set a-kimbo, and grinning and
foaming, but, at the same time, utterly speechless with terror and with rage.

Now I have already said that Madame Eugenie Lalande-that is to say, Simpson-spoke
the English language but very little better than she wrote it, and for this reason she very
properly never attempted to speak it upon ordinary occasions. But rage will carry a lady
to any extreme; and in the present care it carried Mrs. Simpson to the very extraordinary
extreme of attempting to hold a conversation in a tongue that she did not altogether
understand.

"Veil, Monsieur," said she, after surveying me, in great apparent astonishment, for some
moments-"Vell, Monsieur?-and vat den?-vat de matter now? Is it de dance of de Saint
itusse dat you ave? If not like me, vat for vy buy de pig in the poke?"

"You wretch!" said I, catching my breath-"you-you-you villainous old hag!"

"Ag?-ole?-me not so ver ole, after all! Me not one single day more dan de eighty-doo."

"Eighty-two!" I ejaculated, staggering to the wall-"eighty-two hundred thousand
baboons! The miniature said twenty-seven years and seven months!"

"To be sure!-dat is so!-ver true! but den de portraite has been take for dese fifty-five
year. Ven I go marry my segonde usbande, Monsieur Lalande, at dat time I had de
portraite take for my daughter by my first usbande, Monsieur Moissart!"

"Moissart!" said I.

"Yes, Moissart," said she, mimicking my pronunciation, which, to speak the truth, was
none of the best,-"and vat den? Vat you know about de Moissart?"

"Nothing, you old fright!-! know nothing about him at all; only I had an ancestor of that
name, once upon a time."

"Dat name! and vat you ave for say to dat name? 'Tis ver goot name; and so is Voissart-
dat is ver goot name too. My daughter. Mademoiselle Moissart, she marry von Monsieur
Voissart,-and de name is bot ver respectaable name."

"Moissart?" I exclaimed, "and Voissart! Why, what is it you mean?"

"Vat I mean?-I mean Moissart and Voissart; and for de matter of dat, I mean Croissart
and Froisart, too, if I only tink proper to mean it. My daughter's daughter. Mademoiselle
Voissart, she marry von Monsieur Croissart, and den again, my daughter's grande
daughter. Mademoiselle Croissart, she marry von Monsieur Froissart; and I suppose you
say dat dat is not von ver respectaable name.-"

"Froissart!" said I, beginning to faint, "why, surely you don't say Moissart, and Voissart,
and Croissart, and Froissart?"

"Yes," she replied, leaning fully back in her chair, and stretching out her lower limbs at
great length; "yes, Moissart, and Voissart, and Croissart, and Froissart. But Monsieur
Froissart, he vas von ver big vat you call fool-he vas von ver great big donee like
yourself-for he lef la belle France for come to dis stupide Amerique- and ven he get here
he went and ave von ver stupide, von ver, ver stupide sonn, so I hear, dough I not yet av
ad de plaisir to meet vid him-neither me nor my companion, de Madame Stephanie
Lalande. He is name de Napoleon Bonaparte Froissart, and I suppose you say dat dat, too,
is not von ver respectable name."

Either the length or the nature of this speech, had the effect of working up Mrs. Simpson
into a very extraordinary passion indeed; and as she made an end of it, with great labor,
she lumped up from her chair like somebody bewitched, dropping upon the floor an
entire universe of bustle as she lumped. Once upon her feet, she gnashed her gums,
brandished her arms, rolled up her sleeves, shook her fist in my face, and concluded the
performance by tearing the cap from her head, and with it an immense wig of the most
valuable and beautiful black hair, the whole of which she dashed upon the ground with a

yell, and there trammpled and danced a fandango upon it, in an absolute ecstasy and
agony of rage.

Meantime I sank aghast into the chair which she had vacated. "Moissart and Voissart!" I
repeated, thoughtfully, as she cut one of her pigeon- wings, and "Croissart and Froissart!"
as she completed another-"Moissart and Voissart and Croissart and Napoleon Bonaparte
Froissart !-why, you ineffable old serpent, that's me-that's me-d'ye hear? that's me"-here
I screamed at the top of my voice-"that's me-e-e! I am Napoleon Bonaparte Froissart!
and if I havn't married my great, great, grandmother, I wish I may be everlastingly
confounded!"

Madame Eugenie Lalande, quasi Simpson-formerly Moissart-was, in sober fact, my
great, great, grandmother. In her youth she had been beautiful, and even at eighty-two,
retained the majestic height, the sculptural contour of head, the fine eyes and the Grecian
nose of her girlhood. By the aid of these, of pearl-powder, of rouge, of false hair, false
teeth, and false tournure, as well as of the most skilful modistes of Paris, she contrived to
hold a respectable footing among the beauties en peu passees of the French metropolis. In
this respect, indeed, she might have been regarded as little less than the equal of the
celebrated Ninon De L'Enclos.

She was immensely wealthy, and being left, for the second time, a widow without
children, she bethought herself of my existence in America, and for the purpose of
making me her heir, paid a visit to the United States, in company with a distant and
exceedingly lovely relative of her second husband's-a Madame Stephanie Lalande.

At the opera, my great, great, grandmother's attention was arrested by my notice; and,
upon surveying me through her eye-glass, she was struck with a certain family
resemblance to herself. Thus interested, and knowing that the heir she sought was
actually in the city, she made inquiries of her party respecting me. The gentleman who
attended her knew my person, and told her who I was. The information thus obtained
induced her to renew her scrutiny; and this scrutiny it was which so emboldened me that I
behaved in the absurd manner already detailed. She returned my bow, however, under the
impression that, by some odd accident, I had discovered her identity. When, deceived by
my weakness of vision, and the arts of the toilet, in respect to the age and charms of the
strange lady, I demanded so enthusiastically of Talbot who she was, he concluded that I
meant the younger beauty, as a matter of course, and so informed me, with perfect truth,
that she was "the celebrated widow, Madame Lalande."

In the street, next morning, my great, great, grandmother encountered Talbot, an old
Parisian acquaintance; and the conversation, very naturally turned upon myself. My
deficiencies of vision were then explained; for these were notorious, although I was
entirely ignorant of their notoriety, and my good old relative discovered, much to her
chagrin, that she had been deceived in supposing me aware of her identity, and that I had
been merely making a fool of myself in making open love, in a theatre, to an old woman
unknown. By way of punishing me for this imprudence, she concocted with Talbot a plot.
He purposely kept out of my way to avoid giving me the introduction. My street inquiries

about "the lovely widow, Madame Lalande," were supposed to refer to the younger lady,
of course, and thus the conversation with the three gentlemen whom I encountered
shortly after leaving Talbot's hotel will be easily explained, as also their allusion to Ninon
De L'Enclos. I had no opportunity of seeing Madame Lalande closely during daylight;
and, at her musical soiree, my silly weakness in refusing the aid of glasses effectually
prevented me from making a discovery of her age. When "Madame Lalande" was called
upon to sing, the younger lady was intended; and it was she who arose to obey the call;
my great, great, grandmother, to further the deception, arising at the same moment and
accompanying her to the piano in the main drawing-room. Had I decided upon escorting
her thither, it had been her design to suggest the propriety of my remaining where I was;
but my own prudential views rendered this unnecessary. The songs which I so much
admired, and which so confirmed my impression of the youth of my mistress, were
executed by Madame Stephanie Lalande. The eyeglass was presented by way of adding a
reproof to the hoax-a sting to the epigram of the deception. Its presentation afforded an
opportunity for the lecture upon affectation with which I was so especially edified. It is
almost superfluous to add that the glasses of the instrument, as worn by the old lady, had
been exchanged by her for a pair better adapted to my years. They suited me, in fact, to a
T.

The clergyman, who merely pretended to tie the fatal knot, was a boon companion of
Talbot's, and no priest. He was an excellent "whip," however; and having doffed his
cassock to put on a great-coat, he drove the hack which conveyed the "happy couple" out
of town. Talbot took a seat at his side. The two scoundrels were thus "in at the death,"
and through a half-open window of the back parlor of the inn, amused themselves in
grinning at the denouement of the drama. I believe I shall be forced to call them both out.

Nevertheless, I am not the husband of my great, great, grandmother; and this is a
reflection which affords me infinite relief,-but I am the husband of Madame Lalande-of
Madame Stephanie Lalande-with whom my good old relative, besides making me her
sole heir when she dies-if she ever does-has been at the trouble of concocting me a
match. In conclusion: I am done forever with billets doux and am never to be met without
SPECTACLES.

THE END

THE SPHINX

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

DURING the dread reign of the Cholera in New York, I had accepted the invitation of a
relative to spend a fortnight with him in the retirement of his cottage ornee on the banks
of the Hudson. We had here around us all the ordinary means of summer amusement; and
what with rambling in the woods, sketching, boating, fishing, bathing, music, and books,
we should have passed the time pleasantly enough, but for the fearful intelligence which
reached us every morning from the populous city. Not a day elapsed which did not bring
us news of the decease of some acquaintance. Then as the fatality increased, we learned
to expect daily the loss of some friend. At length we trembled at the approach of every
messenger. The very air from the South seemed to us redolent with death. That palsying
thought, indeed, took entire posession of my soul. I could neither speak, think, nor dream
of any thing else. My host was of a less excitable temperament, and, although greatly
depressed in spirits, exerted himself to sustain my own. His richly philosophical intellect
was not at any time affected by unrealities. To the substances of terror he was sufficiently
alive, but of its shadows he had no apprehension.

His endeavors to arouse me from the condition of abnormal gloom into which I had
f Allan, were frustrated, in great measure, by certain volumes which I had found in his
library. These were of a character to force into germination whatever seeds of hereditary
superstition lay latent in my bosom. I had been reading these books without his
knowledge, and thus he was often at a loss to account for the forcible impressions which
had been made upon my fancy.

A favorite topic with me was the popular belief in omens-a belief which, at this one
epoch of my life, I was almost seriously disposed to defend. On this subject we had long
and animated discussions-he maintaining the utter groundlessness of faith in such
matters,-! contending that a popular sentiment arising with absolute spontaneity- that is
to say, without apparent traces of suggestion-had in itself the unmistakable elements of
truth, and was entitled to as much respect as that intuition which is the idiosyncrasy of the
individual man of genius.

The fact is, that soon after my arrival at the cottage there had occurred to myself an
incident so entirely inexplicable, and which had in it so much of the portentous character,
that I might well have been excused for regarding it as an omen. It appalled, and at the
same time so confounded and bewildered me, that many days elapsed before I could
make up my mind to communicate the circumstances to my friend.

Near the close of exceedingly warm day, I was sitting, book in hand, at an open window,
commanding, through a long vista of the river banks, a view of a distant hill, the face of

which nearest my position had been denuded by what is termed a land-slide, of the
principal portion of its trees. My thoughts had been long wandering from the volume
before me to the gloom and desolation of the neighboring city. Uplifting my eyes from
the page, they fell upon the naked face of the bill, and upon an object-upon some living
monster of hideous conformation, which very rapidly made its way from the summit to
the bottom, disappearing finally in the dense forest below. As this creature first came in
sight, I doubted my own sanity-or at least the evidence of my own eyes; and many
minutes passed before I succeeded in convincing myself that I was neither mad nor in a
dream. Yet when I described the monster (which I distinctly saw, and calmly surveyed
through the whole period of its progress), my readers, I fear, will feel more difficulty in
being convinced of these points than even I did myself.

Estimating the size of the creature by comparison with the diameter of the large trees near
which it passed-the few giants of the forest which had escaped the fury of the land-slide-
I concluded it to be far larger than any ship of the line in existence. I say ship of the line,
because the shape of the monster suggested the idea- the hull of one of our seventy-four
might convey a very tolerable conception of the general outline. The mouth of the animal
was situated at the extremity of a proboscis some sixty or seventy feet in length, and
about as thick as the body of an ordinary elephant. Near the root of this trunk was an
immense quantity of black shaggy hair- more than could have been supplied by the coats
of a score of buffaloes; and projecting from this hair downwardly and laterally, sprang
two gleaming tusks not unlike those of the wild boar, but of infinitely greater dimensions.
Extending forward, parallel with the proboscis, and on each side of it, was a gigantic
staff, thirty or forty feet in length, formed seemingly of pure crystal and in shape a perfect
prism,-it reflected in the most gorgeous manner the rays of the declining sun. The trunk
was fashioned like a wedge with the apex to the earth. From it there were outspread two
pairs of wings- each wing nearly one hundred yards in length-one pair being placed
above the other, and all thickly covered with metal scales; each scale apparently some ten
or twelve feet in diameter. I observed that the upper and lower tiers of wings were
connected by a strong chain. But the chief peculiarity of this horrible thing was the
representation of a Death's Head, which covered nearly the whole surface of its breast,
and which was as accurately traced in glaring white, upon the dark ground of the body, as
if it had been there carefully designed by an artist. While I regarded the terrific animal,
and more especially the appearance on its breast, with a feeling or horror and awe-with a
sentiment of forthcoming evil, which I found it impossible to quell by any effort of the
reason, I perceived the huge jaws at the extremity of the proboscis suddenly expand
themselves, and from them there proceeded a sound so loud and so expressive of wo, that
it struck upon my nerves like a knell and as the monster disappeared at the foot of the
hill, I fell at once, fainting, to the floor.

Upon recovering, my first impulse, of course, was to inform my friend of what I had seen
and heard-and I can scarcely explain what feeling of repugnance it was which, in the end,
operated to prevent me.

At length, one evening, some three or four days after the occurrence, we were sitting
together in the room in which I had seen the apparition-I occupying the same seat at the

same window, and he lounging on a sofa near at hand. The association of the place and
time impelled me to give him an account of the phenomenon. He heard me to the end-at
first laughed heartily-and then lapsed into an excessively grave demeanor, as if my
insanity was a thing beyond suspicion. At this instant I again had a distinct view of the
monster- to which, with a shout of absolute terror, I now directed his attention. He looked
eagerly-but maintained that he saw nothing- although I designated minutely the course of
the creature, as it made its way down the naked face of the hill.

I was now immeasurably alarmed, for I considered the vision either as an omen of my
death, or, worse, as the fore-runner of an attack of mania. I threw myself passionately
back in my chair, and for some moments buried my face in my hands. When I uncovered
my eyes, the apparition was no longer apparent.

My host, however, had in some degree resumed the calmness of his demeanor, and
questioned me very rigorously in respect to the conformation of the visionary creature.
When I had fully satisfied him on this head, he sighed deeply, as if relieved of some
intolerable burden, and went on to talk, with what I thought a cruel calmness, of various
points of speculative philosophy, which had heretofore formed subject of discussion
between us. I remember his insisting very especially (among other things) upon the idea
that the principle source of error in all human investigations lay in the liability of the
understanding to under-rate or to over- value the importance of an object, through mere
mis-admeasurement of its propinquity. "To estimate properly, for example," he said, "the
influence to be exercised on mankind at large by the thorough diffusion of Democracy,
the distance of the epoch at which such diffusion may possibly be accomplished should
not fail to form an item in the estimate. Yet can you tell me one writer on the subject of
government who has ever thought this particular branch of the subject worthy of
discussion at all?"

He here paused for a moment, stepped to a book-case, and brought forth one of the
ordinary synopses of Natural History. Requesting me then to exchange seats with him,
that he might the better distinguish the fine print of the volume, he took my armchair at
the window, and, opening the book, resumed his discourse very much in the same tone as
before.

"But for your exceeding minuteness," he said, "in describing the monster, I might never
have had it in my power to demonstrate to you what it was. In the first place, let me read
to you a schoolboy account of the genus Sphinx, of the family Crepuscularia of the order
Lepidoptera, of the class of Insecta-or insects. The account runs thus:

"'Four membranous wings covered with little colored scales of metallic appearance;
mouth forming a rolled proboscis, produced by an elongation of the jaws, upon the sides
of which are found the rudiments of mandibles and downy palpi; the inferior wings
retained to the superior by a stiff hair; antennae in the form of an elongated club,
prismatic; abdomen pointed. The Death's-headed Sphinx has occasioned much terror
among the vulgar, at times, by the melancholy kind of cry which it utters, and the insignia
of death which it wears upon its corslet.'"

He here closed the book and leaned forward in the chair, placing himself accurately in the
position which I had occupied at the moment of beholding "the monster."

"Ah, here it is," he presently exclaimed-"it is reascending the face of the hill, and a very
remarkable looking creature I admit it to be. Still, it is by no means so large or so distant
as you imagined it,-for the fact is that, as it wriggles its way up this thread, which some
spider has wrought along the window- sash, I find it to be about the sixteenth of an inch in
its extreme length, and also about the sixteenth of an inch distant from the pupil of my
eye."

THE END

THE SYSTEM OF DR. TARR AND PROF. FETHER

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

southern provinces of France, my route led me within a few miles of a certain Maison de
Sante or private mad-house, about which I had heard much in Paris from my medical
friends. As I had never visited a place of the kind, I thought the opportunity too good to
be lost; and so proposed to my travelling companion (a gentleman with whom I had made
casual acquaintance a few days before) that we should turn aside, for an hour or so, and
look through the establishment. To this he objected-pleading haste in the first place, and,
in the second, a very usual horror at the sight of a lunatic. He begged me, however, not to
let any mere courtesy towards himself interfere with the gratification of my curiosity, and
said that he would ride on leisurely, so that I might overtake him during the day, or, at all
events, during the next. As he bade me good-bye, I bethought me that there might be
some difficulty in obtaining access to the premises, and mentioned my fears on this point.
He replied that, in fact, unless I had personal knowledge of the superintendent. Monsieur
Maillard, or some credential in the way of a letter, a difficulty might be found to exist, as
the regulations of these private mad-houses were more rigid than the public hospital laws.
For himself, he added, he had, some years since, made the acquaintance of Maillard, and
would so far assist me as to ride up to the door and introduce me; although his feelings on
the subject of lunacy would not permit of his entering the house.

I thanked him, and, turning from the main road, we entered a grass-grown by-path,
which, in half an hour, nearly lost itself in a dense forest, clothing the base of a mountain.
Through this dank and gloomy wood we rode some two miles, when the Maison de Sante
came in view. It was a fantastic chateau, much dilapidated, and indeed scarcely
tenantable through age and neglect. Its aspect inspired me with absolute dread, and,
checking my horse, I half resolved to turn back. I soon, however, grew ashamed of my
weakness, and proceeded.

As we rode up to the gate-way, I perceived it slightly open, and the visage of a man
peering through. In an instant afterward, this man came forth, accosted my companion by
name, shook him cordially by the hand, and begged him to alight. It was Monsieur
Maillard himself. He was a portly, fine-looking gentleman of the old school, with a
polished manner, and a certain air of gravity, dignity, and authority which was very
impressive.

My friend, having presented me, mentioned my desire to inspect the establishment, and
received Monsieur Maillard's assurance that he would show me all attention, now took
leave, and I saw him no more.

When he had gone, the superintendent ushered me into a small and exceedingly neat
parior, containing, among other indications of refined taste, many books, drawings, pots
of flowers, and musical instruments. A cheerful fire blazed upon the hearth. At a piano,
singing an aria from Bellini, sat a young and very beautiful woman, who, at my entrance,
paused in her song, and received me with graceful courtesy. Her voice was low, and her
whole manner subdued. I thought, too, that I perceived the traces of sorrow in her
countenance, which was excessively, although to my taste, not unpleasingly, pale. She
was attired in deep mourning, and excited in my bosom a feeling of mingled respect,
interest, and admiration.

I had heard, at Paris, that the institution of Monsieur Maillard was managed upon what is
vulgarly termed the "system of soothing "-that all punishments were avoided-that even
confinement was seldom resorted to-that the patients, while secretly watched, were left
much apparent liberty, and that most of them were permitted to roam about the house and
grounds in the ordinary apparel of persons in right mind.

Keeping these impressions in view, I was cautious in what I said before the young lady;
for I could not be sure that she was sane; and, in fact, there was a certain restless
brilliancy about her eyes which half led me to imagine she was not. I confined my
remarks, therefore, to general topics, and to such as I thought would not be displeasing or
exciting even to a lunatic. She replied in a perfectly rational manner to all that I said; and
even her original observations were marked with the soundest good sense, but a long
acquaintance with the metaphysics of mania, had taught me to put no faith in such
evidence of sanity, and I continued to practise, throughout the interview, the caution with
which I commenced it.

Presently a smart footman in livery brought in a tray with fruit, wine, and other
refreshments, of which I partook, the lady soon afterward leaving the room. As she
departed I turned my eyes in an inquiring manner toward my host.

"No," he said, "oh, no-a member of my family-my niece, and a most accomplished
woman."

"I beg a thousand pardons for the suspicion," I replied, "but of course you will know how
to excuse me. The excellent administration of your affairs here is well understood in
Paris, and I thought it just possible, you know-

"Yes, yes-say no more-or rather it is myself who should thank you for the commendable
prudence you have displayed. We seldom find so much of forethought in young men;
and, more than once, some unhappy contre-temps has occurred in consequence of
thoughtlessness on the part of our visitors. While my former system was in operation, and
my patients were permitted the privilege of roaming to and fro at will, they were often
aroused to a dangerous frenzy by injudicious persons who called to inspect the house.
Hence I was obliged to enforce a rigid system of exclusion; and none obtained access to
the premises upon whose discretion I could not rely."

"While your former system was in operation!" I said, repeating his words-"do I
understand you, then, to say that the 'soothing system' of which I have heard so much is
no longer in force?"

"It is now," he replied, "several weeks since we have concluded to renounce it forever."

"Indeed! you astonish me!"

"We found it, sir," he said, with a sigh, "absolutely necessary to return to the old usages.
The danger of the soothing system was, at all times, appalling; and its advantages have
been much overrated. I believe, sir, that in this house it has been given a fair trial, if ever
in any. We did every thing that rational humanity could suggest. I am sorry that you
could not have paid us a visit at an earlier period, that you might have judged for
yourself. But I presume you are conversant with the soothing practice-with its details."

"Not altogether. What I have heard has been at third or fourth hand."

"I may state the system, then, in general terms, as one in which the patients were
menages-humored. We contradicted no fancies which entered the brains of the mad. On
the contrary, we not only indulged but encouraged them; and many of our most
permanent cures have been thus effected. There is no argument which so touches the
feeble reason of the madman as the argumentum ad absurdum. We have had men, for
example, who fancied themselves chickens. The cure was, to insist upon the thing as a
fact-to accuse the patient of stupidity in not sufficiently perceiving it to be a fact-and
thus to refuse him any other diet for a week than that which properly appertains to a
chicken. In this manner a little corn and gravel were made to perform wonders."

"But was this species of acquiescence all?"

"By no means. We put much faith in amusements of a simple kind, such as music,
dancing, gymnastic exercises generally, cards, certain classes of books, and so forth. We
affected to treat each individual as if for some ordinary physical disorder, and the word
'lunacy' was never employed. A great point was to set each lunatic to guard the actions of
all the others. To repose confidence in the understanding or discretion of a madman, is to
gain him body and soul. In this way we were enabled to dispense with an expensive body
of keepers."

"And you had no punishments of any kind?"

"None."

"And you never confined your patients?"

"Very rarely. Now and then, the malady of some individual growing to a crisis, or taking
a sudden turn of fury, we conveyed him to a secret cell, lest his disorder should infect the

rest, and there kept him until we could dismiss him to his friends-for with the raging
maniac we have nothing to do. He is usually removed to the public hospitals."

"And you have now changed all this-and you think for the better?"

"Decidedly. The system had its disadvantages, and even its dangers. It is now, happily,
exploded throughout all the Maisons de Sante of France."

"I am very much surprised," I said, "at what you tell me; for I made sure that, at this
moment, no other method of treatment for mania existed in any portion of the country."

"You are young yet, my friend," replied my host, "but the time will arrive when you will
learn to judge for yourself of what is going on in the world, without trusting to the gossip
of others. Believe nothing you hear, and only one-half that you see. Now about our
Maisons de Sante, it is clear that some ignoramus has misled you. After dinner, however,
when you have sufficiently recovered from the fatigue of your ride, I will be happy to
take you over the house, and introduce to you a system which, in my opinion, and in that
of every one who has witnessed its operation, is incomparably the most effectual as yet
devised."

"Your own?" I inquired-"one of your own invention?"

"I am proud," he replied, "to acknowledge that it is-at least in some measure."

In this manner I conversed with Monsieur Maillard for an hour or two, during which he
showed me the gardens and conservatories of the place.

"I cannot let you see my patients," he said, "just at present. To a sensitive mind there is
always more or less of the shocking in such exhibitions; and I do not wish to spoil your
appetite for dinner. We will dine. I can give you some veal a la Menehoult, with
cauliflowers in veloute sauce-after that a glass of Clos de Vougeot-then your nerves will
be sufficiently steadied."

At six, dinner was announced; and my host conducted me into a large salle a manger,
where a very numerous company were assembled- twenty-five or thirty in all. They were,
apparently, people of rank-certainly of high breeding-although their habiliments, I
thought, were extravagantly rich, partaking somewhat too much of the ostentatious finery
of the vielle cour. I noticed that at least two-thirds of these guests were ladies; and some
of the latter were by no means accoutred in what a Parisian would consider good taste at
the present day. Many females, for example, whose age could not have been less than
seventy were bedecked with a profusion of jewelry, such as rings, bracelets, and earrings,
and wore their bosoms and arms shamefully bare. I observed, too, that very few of the
dresses were well made-or, at least, that very few of them fitted the wearers. In looking
about, I discovered the interesting girl to whom Monsieur Maillard had presented me in
the little parlor; but my surprise was great to see her wearing a hoop and farthingale, with
high-heeled shoes, and a dirty cap of Brussels lace, so much too large for her that it gave

her face a ridiculously diminutive expression. When I had first seen her, she was attired,
most becomingly, in deep mourning. There was an air of oddity, in short, about the dress
of the whole party, which, at first, caused me to recur to my original idea of the "soothing
system," and to fancy that Monsieur Maillard had been willing to deceive me until after
dinner, that I might experience no uncomfortable feelings during the repast, at finding
myself dining with lunatics; but I remembered having been informed, in Paris, that the
southern provincialists were a peculiarly eccentric people, with a vast number of
antiquated notions; and then, too, upon conversing with several members of the company,
my apprehensions were immediately and fully dispelled.

The dining-room itself, although perhaps sufficiently comfortable and of good
dimensions, had nothing too much of elegance about it. For example, the floor was
uncarpeted; in France, however, a carpet is frequently dispensed with. The windows, too,
were without curtains; the shutters, being shut, were securely fastened with iron bars,
applied diagonally, after the fashion of our ordinary shop- shutters. The apartment, I
observed, formed, in itself, a wing of the chateau, and thus the windows were on three
sides of the parallelogram, the door being at the other. There were no less than ten
windows in all.

The table was superbly set out. It was loaded with plate, and more than loaded with
delicacies. The profusion was absolutely barbaric. There were meats enough to have
feasted the Anakim. Never, in all my life, had I witnessed so lavish, so wasteful an
expenditure of the good things of life. There seemed very little taste, however, in the
arrangements; and my eyes, accustomed to quiet lights, were sadly offended by the
prodigious glare of a multitude of wax candles, which, in silver candelabra, were
deposited upon the table, and all about the room, wherever it was possible to find a place.
There were several active servants in attendance; and, upon a large table, at the farther
end of the apartment, were seated seven or eight people with fiddles, fifes, trombones,
and a drum. These fellows annoyed me very much, at intervals, during the repast, by an
infinite variety of noises, which were intended for music, and which appeared to afford
much entertainment to all present, with the exception of myself.

Upon the whole, I could not help thinking that there was much of the bizarre about every
thing I saw-but then the world is made up of all kinds of persons, with all modes of
thought, and all sorts of conventional customs. I had travelled, too, so much, as to be
quite an adept at the nil admirari; so I took my seat very coolly at the right hand of my
host, and, having an excellent appetite, did justice to the good cheer set before me.

The conversation, in the meantime, was spirited and general. The ladies, as usual, talked
a great deal. I soon found that nearly all the company were well educated; and my host
was a world of good-humored anecdote in himself. He seemed quite willing to speak of
his position as superintendent of a Maison de Sante; and, indeed, the topic of lunacy was,
much to my surprise, a favorite one with all present. A great many amusing stories were
told, having reference to the whims of the patients.

"We had a fellow here once," said a fat little gentleman, who sat at my right,-" a fellow
that fancied himself a tea-pot; and by the way, is it not especially singular how often this
particular crotchet has entered the brain of the lunatic? There is scarcely an insane asylum
in France which cannot supply a human tea-pot. Our gentleman was a Britannia-ware
tea-pot, and was careful to polish himself every morning with buckskin and whiting."

"And then," said a tall man just opposite, "we had here, not long ago, a person who had
taken it into his head that he was a donkey- which allegorically speaking, you will say,
was quite true. He was a troublesome patient; and we had much ado to keep him within
bounds. For a long time he would eat nothing but thistles; but of this idea we soon cured
him by insisting upon his eating nothing else. Then he was perpetually kicking out his
heels-so-so-"

"Mr. De Kock! I will thank you to behave yourself!" here interrupted an old lady, who sat
next to the speaker. "Please keep your feet to yourself! You have spoiled my brocade! Is
it necessary, pray, to illustrate a remark in so practical a style? Our friend here can surely
comprehend you without all this. Upon my word, you are nearly as great a donkey as the
poor unfortunate imagined himself. Your acting is very natural, as I live."

"Mille pardons! Ma'm'selle!" replied Monsieur De Kock, thus addressed-"a thousand
pardons! I had no intention of offending. Ma'm'selle Laplace-Monsieur De Kock will do
himself the honor of taking wine with you."

Here Monsieur De Kock bowed low, kissed his hand with much ceremony, and took wine
with Ma'm'selle Laplace.

"Allow me, mon ami," now said Monsieur Maillard, addressing myself, "allow me to
send you a morsel of this veal a la St. Menhoult- you will find it particularly fine."

At this instant three sturdy waiters had just succeeded in depositing safely upon the table
an enormous dish, or trencher, containing what I supposed to be the "monstrum
horrendum, informe, ingens, cui lumen ademptum." A closer scrutiny assured me,
however, that it was only a small calf roasted whole, and set upon its knees, with an apple
in its mouth, as is the English fashion of dressing a hare.

"Thank you, no," I replied; "to say the truth, I am not particularly partial to veal a la St.-
what is it?-for I do not find that it altogether agrees with me. I will change my plate,
however, and try some of the rabbit."

There were several side-dishes on the table, containing what appeared to be the ordinary
French rabbit-a very delicious morceau, which I can recommend.

"Pierre," cried the host, "change this gentleman's plate, and give him a side-piece of this
rabbit au-chat."

"This what?" said I.

"This rabbit au-chat."

"Why, thank you-upon second thoughts, no. I will just help myself to some of the ham."

There is no knowing what one eats, thought I to myself, at the tables of these people of
the province. I will have none of their rabbit au-chat-and, for the matter of that, none of
their cat-au-rabbit either.

"And then," said a cadaverous looking personage, near the foot of the table, taking up the
thread of the conversation where it had been broken off,-"and then, among other oddities,
we had a patient, once upon a time, who very pertinaciously maintained himself to be a
Cordova cheese, and went about, with a knife in his hand, soliciting his friends to try a
small slice from the middle of his leg."

"He was a great fool, beyond doubt," interposed some one, "but not to be compared with
a certain individual whom we all know, with the exception of this strange gentleman. I
mean the man who took himself for a bottle of champagne, and always went off with a
pop and a fizz, in this fashion."

Here the speaker, very rudely, as I thought, put his right thumb in his left cheek,
withdrew it with a sound resembling the popping of a cork, and then, by a dexterous
movement of the tongue upon the teeth, created a sharp hissing and fizzing, which lasted
for several minutes, in imitation of the frothing of champagne. This behavior, I saw
plainly, was not very pleasing to Monsieur Maillard; but that gentleman said nothing, and
the conversation was resumed by a very lean little man in a big wig.

"And then there was an ignoramus," said he, "who mistook himself for a frog, which, by
the way, he resembled in no little degree. I wish you could have seen him, sir, "-here the
speaker addressed myself-"it would have done your heart good to see the natural airs that
he put on. Sir, if that man was not a frog, I can only observe that it is a pity he was not.
His croak thus-o-o-o-o-gh-o-o-o-o-gh! was the finest note in the world-B flat; and when
he put his elbows upon the table thus-after taking a glass or two of wine-and distended
his mouth, thus, and rolled up his eyes, thus, and winked them with excessive rapidity,
thus, why then, sir, I take it upon myself to say, positively, that you would have been lost
in admiration of the genius of the man."

"I have no doubt of it," I said.

"And then," said somebody else, "then there was Petit Gaillard, who thought himself a
pinch of snuff, and was truly distressed because he could not take himself between his
own finger and thumb."

"And then there was Jules Desoulieres, who was a very singular genius, indeed, and went
mad with the idea that he was a pumpkin. He persecuted the cook to make him up into
pies-a thing which the cook indignantly refused to do. For my part, I am by no means
sure that a pumpkin pie a la Desoulieres would not have been very capital eating indeed!"

"You astonish me!" said I; and I looked inquisitively at Monsieur Maillard.

"Ha! ha! ha!" said thatgentleman-"he! he! he!-hi! hi! hi!-ho! ho! ho!-hu! hu! hu! hu!-
very good indeed! You must not be astonished, mon ami; our friend here is a wit-a
drole-you must not understand him to the letter."

"And then," said some other one of the party ,-"then there was Bouffon Le Grand-another
extraordinary personage in his way. He grew deranged through love, and fancied himself
possessed of two heads. One of these he maintained to be the head of Cicero; the other he
imagined a composite one, being Demosthenes' from the top of the forehead to the
mouth, and Lord Brougham's from the mouth to the chin. It is not impossible that he was
wrong; but he would have convinced you of his being in the right; for he was a man of
great eloquence. He had an absolute passion for oratory, and could not refrain from
display. For example, he used to leap upon the dinner-table thus, and-and-"

Here a friend, at the side of the speaker, put a hand upon his shoulder and whispered a
few words in his ear, upon which he ceased talking with great suddenness, and sank back
within his chair.

"And then," said the friend who had whispered, "there was BouUard, the tee-totum. I call
him the tee-totum because, in fact, he was seized with the droll but not altogether
irrational crotchet, that he had been converted into a tee-totum. You would have roared
with laughter to see him spin. He would turn round upon one heel by the hour, in this
manner-so-

Here the friend whom he had just interrupted by a whisper, performed an exactly similar
office for himself.

"But then," cried the old lady, at the top of her voice, "your Monsieur BouUard was a
madman, and a very silly madman at best; for who, allow me to ask you, ever heard of a
human tee-totum? The thing is absurd. Madame Joyeuse was a more sensible person, as
you know. She had a crotchet, but it was instinct with common sense, and gave pleasure
to all who had the honor of her acquaintance. She found, upon mature deliberation, that,
by some accident, she had been turned into a chicken-cock; but, as such, she behaved
with propriety. She flapped her wings with prodigious effect-so-so-and, as for her crow,
it was delicious! Cock-a-doodle-doo !-cock-a-doodle-doo!- cock-a-doodle-de-doo-dooo-
do-o-o-o-o-o-o!"

"Madame Joyeuse, I will thank you to behave yourself!" here interrupted our host, very
angrily. "You can either conduct yourself as a lady should do, or you can quit the table
forth with-take your choice."

The lady (whom I was much astonished to hear addressed as Madame Joyeuse, after the
description of Madame Joyeuse she had just given) blushed up to the eyebrows, and
seemed exceedingly abashed at the reproof. She hung down her head, and said not a

syllable in reply. But another and younger lady resumed the theme. It was my beautiful
girl of the little parlor.

"Oh, Madame Joyeuse was a fool!" she exclaimed, "but there was really much sound
sense, after all, in the opinion of Eugenie Salsafette. She was a very beautiful and
painfully modest young lady, who thought the ordinary mode of habiliment indecent, and
wished to dress herself, always, by getting outside instead of inside of her clothes. It is a
thing very easily done, after all. You have only to do so-and then so-so-so-and then so-
so-so-and then so-so-and then-

"Mon dieu! Ma'm'selle Salsafette!" here cried a dozen voices at once. "What are you
about ?-forbear!-that is sufficient! -we see, very plainly, how it is done!-hold! hold!" and
several persons were already leaping from their seats to withhold Ma'm'selle Salsafette
from putting herself upon a par with the Medicean Venus, when the point was very
effectually and suddenly accomplished by a series of loud screams, or yells, from some
portion of the main body of the chateau.

My nerves were very much affected, indeed, by these yells; but the rest of the company I
really pitied. I never saw any set of reasonable people so thoroughly frightened in my
life. They all grew as pale as so many corpses, and, shrinking within their seats, sat
quivering and gibbering with terror, and listening for a repetition of the sound. It came
again-louder and seemingly nearer-and then a third time very loud, and then a fourth
time with a vigor evidently diminished. At this apparent dying away of the noise, the
spirits of the company were immediately regained, and all was life and anecdote as
before. I now ventured to inquire the cause of the disturbance.

"A mere bagtelle," said Monsieur Maillard. "We are used to these things, and care really
very little about them. The lunatics, every now and then, get up a howl in concert; one
starting another, as is sometimes the case with a bevy of dogs at night. It occasionally
happens, however, that the concerto yells are succeeded by a simultaneous effort at
breaking loose, when, of course, some little danger is to be apprehended."

"And how many have you in charge?"

"At present we have not more than ten, altogether."

"Principally females, I presume?"

"Oh, no-every one of them men, and stout fellows, too, I can tell you."

"Indeed! I have always understood that the majority of lunatics were of the gentler sex."

"It is generally so, but not always. Some time ago, there were about twenty-seven patients
here; and, of that number, no less than eighteen were women; but, lately, matters have
changed very much, as you see."

"Yes-have changed very much, as you see," here interrupted the gentleman who had
broken the shins of Ma'm'selle Laplace.

"Yes-have changed very much, as you see!" chimed in the whole company at once.

"Hold your tongues, every one of you!" said my host, in a great rage. Whereupon the
whole company maintained a dead silence for nearly a minute. As for one lady, she
obeyed Monsieur Maillard to the letter, and thrusting out her tongue, which was an
excessively long one, held it very resignedly, with both hands, until the end of the
entertainment.

"And this gentlewoman," said I, to Monsieur Maillard, bending over and addressing him
in a whisper-"this good lady who has just spoken, and who gives us the cock-a-doodle-
de-doo-she, I presume, is harmless-quite harmless, eh?"

"Harmless!" ejaculated he, in unfeigned surprise, "why-why, what can you mean?"

"Only slightly touched?" said I, touching my head. "I take it for granted that she is not
particularly not dangerously affected, eh?"

"Mon dieu! what is it you imagine? This lady, my particular old friend Madame Joyeuse,
is as absolutely sane as myself. She has her little eccentricities, to be sure-but then, you
know, all old women-all very old women-are more or less eccentric!"

"To be sure," said I,-"to be sure-and then the rest of these ladies and gentlemen-"

"Are my friends and keepers," interupted Monsieur Maillard, drawing himself up with
hauteur,-"my very good friends and assistants."

"What! all of them?" I asked,-"the women and all?"

"Assuredly," he said,-"we could not do at all without the women; they are the best lunatic
nurses in the world; they have a way of their own, you know; their bright eyes have a
marvellous effect;- something like the fascination of the snake, you know."

"To be sure," said I,-"to be sure! They behave a little odd, eh?- they are a little queer,
eh?-don't you think so?"

"Odd!-queer!-why, do you really think so? We are not very prudish, to be sure, here in
the South-do pretty much as we please-enjoy life, and all that sort of thing, you know-"

"To be sure," said I,-"to be sure."

And then, perhaps, this Clos de Vougeot is a little heady, you know- a little strong-you
understand, eh?"

"To be sure," said I -"to be sure. By the bye, Monsieur, did I understand you to say that
the system you have adopted, in place of the celebrated soothing system, was one of very
rigorous severity?"

"By no means. Our confinement is necessarily close; but the treatment-the medical
treatment, I mean-is rather agreeable to the patients than otherwise."

"And the new system is one of your own invention?"

"Not altogether. Some portions of it are referable to Professor Tarr, of whom you have,
necessarily, heard; and, again, there are modifications in my plan which I am happy to
acknowledge as belonging of right to the celebrated Fether, with whom, if I mistake not,
you have the honor of an intimate acquaintance."

"I am quite ashamed to confess," I replied, "that I have never even heard the names of
either gentleman before."

"Good heavens!" ejaculated my host, drawing back his chair abruptly, and uplifting his
hands. "I surely do not hear you aright! You did not intend to say, eh? that you had never
heard either of the learned Doctor Tarr, or of the celebrated Professor Fether?"

"I am forced to acknowledge my ignorance," I replied; "but the truth should be held
inviolate above all things. Nevertheless, I feel humbled to the dust, not to be acquainted
with the works of these, no doubt, extraordinary men. I will seek out their writings
forthwith, and peruse them with deliberate care. Monsieur Maillard, you have really-I
must confess it-you have really-made me ashamed of myself!"

And this was the fact.

"Say no more, my good young friend," he said kindly, pressing my hand,-"join me now
in a glass of Sauterne."

We drank. The company followed our example without stint. They chatted-they jested-
they laughed-they perpetrated a thousand absurdities-the fiddles shrieked-the drum row-
de-dowed-the trombones bellowed like so many brazen bulls of Phalaris-and the whole
scene, growing gradually worse and worse, as the wines gained the ascendancy, became
at length a sort of pandemonium in petto. In the meantime. Monsieur Maillard and
myself, with some bottles of Sauterne and Vougeot between us, continued our
conversation at the top of the voice. A word spoken in an ordinary key stood no more
chance of being heard than the voice of a fish from the bottom of Niagra Falls.

"And, sir," said I, screaming in his ear, "you mentioned something before dinner about
the danger incurred in the old system of soothing. How is that?"

"Yes," he replied, "there was, occasionally, very great danger indeed. There is no
accounting for the caprices of madmen; and, in my opinion as well as in that of Dr. Tarr

and Professor Fether, it is never safe to permit them to run at large unattended. A lunatic
may be 'soothed,' as it is called, for a time, but, in the end, he is very apt to become
obstreperous. His cunning, too, is proverbial and great. If he has a project in view, he
conceals his design with a marvellous wisdom; and the dexterity with which he
counterfeits sanity, presents, to the metaphysician, one of the most singular problems in
the study of mind. When a madman appears thoroughly sane, indeed, it is high time to
put him in a straitjacket."

"But the danger, my dear sir, of which you were speaking, in your own experience-
during your control of this house-have you had practical reason to think liberty
hazardous in the case of a lunatic?"

"Here?-in my own experience?-why, I may say, yes. For example:-no very long while
ago, a singular circumstance occurred in this very house. The 'soothing system,' you
know, was then in operation, and the patients were at large. They behaved remarkably
well-especially so, any one of sense might have known that some devilish scheme was
brewing from that particular fact, that the fellows behaved so remarkably well. And, sure
enough, one fine morning the keepers found themselves pinioned hand and foot, and
thrown into the cells, where they were attended, as if they were the lunatics, by the
lunatics themselves, who had usurped the offices of the keepers."

"You don't tell me so! I never heard of any thing so absurd in my life!"

"Fact-it all came to pass by means of a stupid fellow-a lunatic- who, by some means, had
taken it into his head that he had invented a better system of government than any ever
heard of before-of lunatic government, I mean. He wished to give his invention a trial, I
suppose, and so he persuaded the rest of the patients to join him in a conspiracy for the
overthrow of the reigning powers."

"And he really succeeded?"

"No doubt of it. The keepers and kept were soon made to exchange places. Not that
exactly either-for the madmen had been free, but the keepers were shut up in cells
forthwith, and treated, I am sorry to say, in a very cavalier manner."

"But I presume a counter-revolution was soon effected. This condition of things could not
have long existed. The country people in the neighborhood-visitors coming to see the
establishment- would have given the alarm."

"There you are out. The head rebel was too cunning for that. He admitted no visitors at
all-with the exception, one day, of a very stupid-looking young gentleman of whom he
had no reason to be afraid. He let him in to see the place-just by way of variety ,-to have
a little fun with him. As soon as he had gammoned him sufficiently, he let him out, and
sent him about his business."

"And how long, then, did the madmen reign?"

"Oh, a very long time, indeed-a month certainly-how much longer I can't precisely say.
In the meantime, the lunatics had a jolly season of it-that you may swear. They doffed
their own shabby clothes, and made free with the family wardrobe and jewels. The cellars
of the chateau were well stocked with wine; and these madmen are just the devils that
know how to drink it. They lived well, I can tell you."

"And the treatment-what was the particular species of treatment which the leader of the
rebels put into operation?"

"Why, as for that, a madman is not necessarily a fool, as I have already observed; and it is
my honest opinion that his treatment was a much better treatment than that which it
superseded. It was a very capital system indeed-simple-neat-no trouble at all-in fact it
was delicious it was

Here my host's observations were cut short by another series of yells, of the same
character as those which had previously disconcerted us. This time, however, they
seemed to proceed from persons rapidly approaching.

"Gracious heavens!" I ejaculated-"the lunatics have most undoubtedly broken loose."

"I very much fear it is so," replied Monsieur Maillard, now becoming excessively pale.
He had scarcely finished the sentence, before loud shouts and imprecations were heard
beneath the windows; and, immediately afterward, it became evident that some persons
outside were endeavoring to gain entrance into the room. The door was beaten with what
appeared to be a sledge-hammer, and the shutters were wrenched and shaken with
prodigious violence.

A scene of the most terrible confusion ensued. Monsieur Maillard, to my excessive
astonishment threw himself under the side-board. I had expected more resolution at his
hands. The members of the orchestra, who, for the last fifteen minutes, had been
seemingly too much intoxicated to do duty, now sprang all at once to their feet and to
their instruments, and, scrambling upon their table, broke out, with one accord, into,
"Yankee Doodle," which they performed, if not exactly in tune, at least with an energy
superhuman, during the whole of the uproar.

Meantime, upon the main dining-table, among the bottles and glasses, leaped the
gentleman who, with such difficulty, had been restrained from leaping there before. As
soon as he fairly settled himself, he commenced an oration, which, no doubt, was a very
capital one, if it could only have been heard. At the same moment, the man with the
teetotum predilection, set himself to spinning around the apartment, with immense
energy, and with arms outstretched at right angles with his body; so that he had all the air
of a tee-totum in fact, and knocked everybody down that happened to get in his way. And
now, too, hearing an incredible popping and fizzing of champagne, I discovered at length,
that it proceeded from the person who performed the bottle of that delicate drink during
dinner. And then, again, the frog-man croaked away as if the salvation of his soul
depended upon every note that he uttered. And, in the midst of all this, the continuous

braying of a donkey arose over all. As for my old friend, Madame Joyeuse, I really could
have wept for the poor lady, she appeared so terribly perplexed. All she did, however,
was to stand up in a corner, by the fireplace, and sing out incessantly at the top of her
voice, "Cock-a-doodle-de-dooooooh ! "

And now came the climax-the catastrophe of the drama. As no resistance, beyond
whooping and yelling and cock-a-doodling, was offered to the encroachments of the
party without, the ten windows were very speedily, and almost simultaneously, broken in.
But I shall never forget the emotions of wonder and horror with which I gazed, when,
leaping through these windows, and down among us pele-mele, fighting, stamping,
scratching, and howling, there rushed a perfect army of what I took to be Chimpanzees,
Ourang-Outangs, or big black baboons of the Cape of Good Hope.

I received a terrible beating-after which I rolled under a sofa and lay still. After lying
there some fifteen minutes, during which time I listened with all my ears to what was
going on in the room, I came to same satisfactory denouement of this tragedy. Monsieur
Maillard, it appeared, in giving me the account of the lunatic who had excited his fellows
to rebellion, had been merely relating his own exploits. This gentleman had, indeed, some
two or three years before, been the superintendent of the establishment, but grew crazy
himself, and so became a patient. This fact was unknown to the travelling companion
who introduced me. The keepers, ten in number, having been suddenly overpowered,
were first well tarred, then-carefuUy feathered, and then shut up in underground cells.
They had been so imprisoned for more than a month, during which period Monsieur
Maillard had generously allowed them not only the tar and feathers (which constituted his
"system"), but some bread and abundance of water. The latter was pumped on them daily.
At length, one escaping through a sewer, gave freedom to all the rest.

The "soothing system," with important modifications, has been resumed at the chateau;
yet I cannot help agreeing with Monsieur Maillard, that his own "treatment" was a very
capital one of its kind. As he justly observed, it was "simple-neat-and gave no trouble at
ail-not the least."

I have only to add that, although I have searched every library in Europe for the works of
Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether, I have, up to the present day, utterly failed in my
endeavors at procuring an edition.

THE END

THE TELL-TALE HEART

by Edgar Allan Poe

1843

TRUE! —nervous -very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you
say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses —not destroyed -not dulled
them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the
earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how
healthily —how calmly I can tell you the whole story.

It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted
me day and night. Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man.
He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I
think it was his eye! yes, it was this! He had the eye of a vulture —a pale blue eye, with a
film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees —very
gradually —I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the
eye forever.

Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have
seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded —with what caution -with what
foresight —with what dissimulation I went to work! I was never kinder to the old man
than during the whole week before I killed him. And every night, about midnight, I
turned the latch of his door and opened it —oh so gently! And then, when I had made an
opening sufficient for my head, I put in a dark lantern, all closed, closed, that no light
shone out, and then I thrust in my head. Oh, you would have laughed to see how
cunningly I thrust it in! I moved it slowly -very, very slowly, so that I might not disturb
the old man's sleep. It took me an hour to place my whole head within the opening so far
that I could see him as he lay upon his bed. Ha! would a madman have been so wise as
this. And then, when my head was well in the room, I undid the lantern cautiously-oh, so
cautiously -cautiously (for the hinges creaked) —I undid it just so much that a single thin
ray fell upon the vulture eye. And this I did for seven long nights —every night just at
midnight —but I found the eye always closed; and so it was impossible to do the work; for
it was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye. And every morning, when the
day broke, I went boldly into the chamber, and spoke courageously to him, caUing him by
name in a hearty tone, and inquiring how he has passed the night. So you see he would
have been a very profound old man, indeed, to suspect that every night, just at twelve, I
looked in upon him while he slept.

Upon the eighth night I was more than usually cautious in opening the door. A watch's
minute hand moves more quickly than did mine. Never before that night had I felt the
extent of my own powers —of my sagacity. I could scarcely contain my feelings of
triumph. To think that there I was, opening the door, little by little, and he not even to
dream of my secret deeds or thoughts. I fairly chuckled at the idea; and perhaps he heard

me; for he moved on the bed suddenly, as if startled. Now you may think that I drew back
-but no. His room was as black as pitch with the thick darkness, (for the shutters were
close fastened, through fear of robbers,) and so I knew that he could not see the opening
of the door, and I kept pushing it on steadily, steadily.

I had my head in, and was about to open the lantern, when my thumb slipped upon the tin
fastening, and the old man sprang up in bed, crying out -"Who's there?"

I kept quite still and said nothing. For a whole hour I did not move a muscle, and in the
meantime I did not hear him lie down. He was still sitting up in the bed listening; -just as
I have done, night after night, hearkening to the death watches in the wall.

Presently I heard a slight groan, and I knew it was the groan of mortal terror. It was not a
groan of pain or of grief -oh, no! —it was the low stifled sound that arises from the
bottom of the soul when overcharged with awe. I knew the sound well. Many a night, just
at midnight, when all the world slept, it has welled up from my own bosom, deepening,
with its dreadful echo, the terrors that distracted me. I say I knew it well. I knew what the
old man felt, and pitied him, although I chuckled at heart. I knew that he had been lying
awake ever since the first slight noise, when he had turned in the bed. His fears had been
ever since growing upon him. He had been trying to fancy them causeless, but could not.
He had been saying to himself —"It is nothing but the wind in the chimney —it is only a
mouse crossing the floor," or "It is merely a cricket which has made a single chirp." Yes,
he had been trying to comfort himself with these suppositions: but he had found all in
vain. All in vain; because Death, in approaching him had stalked with his black shadow
before him, and enveloped the victim. And it was the mournful influence of the
unperceived shadow that caused him to feel —although he neither saw nor heard —to feel
the presence of my head within the room.

When I had waited a long time, very patiently, without hearing him lie down, I resolved
to open a little —a very, very little crevice in the lantern. So I opened it —you cannot
imagine how stealthily, stealthily -until, at length a simple dim ray, like the thread of the
spider, shot from out the crevice and fell full upon the vulture eye.

It was open —wide, wide open —and I grew furious as I gazed upon it. I saw it with
perfect distinctness —all a dull blue, with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very
marrow in my bones; but I could see nothing else of the old man's face or person: for I
had directed the ray as if by instinct, precisely upon the damned spot.

And have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over-acuteness of the
sense? -now, I say, there came to my ears a low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch
makes when enveloped in cotton. I knew that sound well, too. It was the beating of the
old man's heart. It increased my fury, as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into
courage.

But even yet I refrained and kept still. I scarcely breathed. I held the lantern motionless. I
tried how steadily I could maintain the ray upon the eve. Meantime the hellish tattoo of

the heart increased. It grew quicker and quicker, and louder and louder every instant. The
old man's terror must have been extreme! It grew louder, I say, louder every moment! —
do you mark me well I have told you that I am nervous: so I am. And now at the dead
hour of the night, amid the dreadful silence of that old house, so strange a noise as this
excited me to uncontrollable terror. Yet, for some minutes longer I refrained and stood
still. But the beating grew louder, louder! I thought the heart must burst. And now a new
anxiety seized me —the sound would be heard by a neighbour! The old man's hour had
come! With a loud yell, I threw open the lantern and leaped into the room. He shrieked
once —once only. In an instant I dragged him to the floor, and pulled the heavy bed over
him. I then smiled gaily, to find the deed so far done. But, for many minutes, the heart
beat on with a muffled sound. This, however, did not vex me; it would not be heard
through the wall. At length it ceased. The old man was dead. I removed the bed and
examined the corpse. Yes, he was stone, stone dead. I placed my hand upon the heart and
held it there many minutes. There was no pulsation. He was stone dead. His eve would
trouble me no more.

If still you think me mad, you will think so no longer when I describe the wise
precautions I took for the concealment of the body. The night waned, and I worked
hastily, but in silence. First of all I dismembered the corpse. I cut off the head and the
arms and the legs.

I then took up three planks from the flooring of the chamber, and deposited all between
the scantlings. I then replaced the boards so cleverly, so cunningly, that no human eye —
not even his -could have detected any thing wrong. There was nothing to wash out —no
stain of any kind -no blood- spot whatever. I had been too wary for that. A tub had
caught all -ha! ha!

When I had made an end of these labors, it was four o'clock —still dark as midnight. As
the bell sounded the hour, there came a knocking at the street door. I went down to open
it with a light heart, —for what had I now to fear? There entered three men, who
introduced themselves, with perfect suavity, as officers of the police. A shriek had been
heard by a neighbour during the night; suspicion of foul play had been aroused;
information had been lodged at the police office, and they (the officers) had been deputed
to search the premises.

I smiled, —for what had I to fear? I bade the gentlemen welcome. The shriek, I said, was
my own in a dream. The old man, I mentioned, was absent in the country. I took my
visitors all over the house. I bade them search —search well. I led them, at length, to his
chamber. I showed them his treasures, secure, undisturbed. In the enthusiasm of my
confidence, I brought chairs into the room, and desired them here to rest from their
fatigues, while I myself, in the wild audacity of my perfect triumph, placed my own seat
upon the very spot beneath which reposed the corpse of the victim.

The officers were satisfied. My manner had convinced them. I was singularly at ease.
They sat, and while I answered cheerily, they chatted of familiar things. But, ere long, I
felt myself getting pale and wished them gone. My head ached, and I fancied a ringing in

my ears: but still they sat and still chatted. The ringing became more distinct: —It
continued and became more distinct: I talked more freely to get rid of the feeling: but it
continued and gained definiteness —until, at length, I found that the noise was not within
my ears.

No doubt I now grew very pale; —but I talked more fluently, and with a heightened voice.
Yet the sound increased —and what could I do? It was a low, dull, quick sound —much
such a sound as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I gasped for breath —and yet
the officers heard it not. I talked more quickly —more vehemently; but the noise steadily
increased. I arose and argued about trifles, in a high key and with violent gesticulations;
but the noise steadily increased. Why would they not be gone? I paced the floor to and fro
with heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the observations of the men —but the noise
steadily increased. Oh God! what could I do? I foamed -I raved -I swore! I swung the
chair upon which I had been sitting, and grated it upon the boards, but the noise arose
over all and continually increased. It grew louder —louder —louder! And still the men
chatted pleasantly, and smiled. Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God! -no, no!
They heard! —they suspected! —they knew! —they were making a mockery of my horror! -
this I thought, and this I think. But anything was better than this agony! Anything was
more tolerable than this derision! I could bear those hypocritical smiles no longer! I felt
that I must scream or die! and now —again! —hark! louder! louder! louder! louder!

"Villains!" I shrieked, "dissemble no more! I admit the deed! —tear up the planks! here,
here! —It is the beating of his hideous heart!"

THE END

THE THOUSAND- AND-SECOND TALE OF
SCHEHERAZADE

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

Truth is stranger than fiction.
OLD SAYING.

HAVING had occasion, lately, in the course of some Oriental investigations, to consult
the Tellmenow Isitsoomot, a work which (like the Zohar of Simeon Jochaides) is scarcely
known at all, even in Europe; and which has never been quoted, to my knowledge, by any
American-if we except, perhaps, the author of the "Curiosities of American Literature";-
having had occasion, I say, to turn over some pages of the first-mentioned very
remarkable work, I was not a little astonished to discover that the literary world has
hitherto been strangely in error respecting the fate of the vizier's daughter, Scheherazade,
as that fate is depicted in the "Arabian Nights"; and that the denouement there given, if
not altogether inaccurate, as far as it goes, is at least to blame in not having gone very
much farther.

For full information on this interesting topic, I must refer the inquisitive reader to the
"Isitsoornot" itself, but in the meantime, I shall be pardoned for giving a summary of
what I there discovered.

It will be remembered, that, in the usual version of the tales, a certain monarch having
good cause to be jealous of his queen, not only puts her to death, but makes a vow, by his
beard and the prophet, to espouse each night the most beautiful maiden in his dominions,
and the next morning to deliver her up to the executioner.

Having fulfilled this vow for many years to the letter, and with a religious punctuality and
method that conferred great credit upon him as a man of devout feeling and excellent
sense, he was interrupted one afternoon (no doubt at his prayers) by a visit from his grand
vizier, to whose daughter, it appears, there had occurred an idea.

Her name was Scheherazade, and her idea was, that she would either redeem the land
from the depopulating tax upon its beauty, or perish, after the approved fashion of all
heroines, in the attempt.

Accordingly, and although we do not find it to be leap-year (which makes the sacrifice
more meritorious), she deputes her father, the grand vizier, to make an offer to the king of
her hand. This hand the king eagerly accepts-(he had intended to take it at all events, and
had put off the matter from day to day, only through fear of the vizier), -but, in accepting

it now, he gives all parties very distinctly to understand, that, grand vizier or no grand
vizier, he has not the slightest design of giving up one iota of his vow or of his privileges.
When, therefore, the fair Scheherazade insisted upon marrying the king, and did actually
marry him despite her father's excellent advice not to do any thing of the kind-when she
would and did marry him, I say, will I, nill I, it was with her beautiful black eyes as
thoroughly open as the nature of the case would allow.

It seems, however, that this politic damsel (who had been reading Machiavelli, beyond
doubt), had a very ingenious little plot in her mind. On the night of the wedding, she
contrived, upon I forget what specious pretence, to have her sister occupy a couch
sufficiently near that of the royal pair to admit of easy conversation from bed to bed; and,
a little before cock-crowing, she took care to awaken the good monarch, her husband
(who bore her none the worse will because he intended to wring her neck on the
morrow),-she managed to awaken him, I say, (although on account of a capital
conscience and an easy digestion, he slept well) by the profound interest of a story (about
a rat and a black cat, I think) which she was narrating (all in an undertone, of course) to
her sister. When the day broke, it so happened that this history was not altogether
finished, and that Scheherazade, in the nature of things could not finish it just then, since
it was high time for her to get up and be bowstrung-a thing very little more pleasant than
hanging, only a trifle more genteel.

The king's curiosity, however, prevailing, I am sorry to say, even over his sound religious
principles, induced him for this once to postpone the fulfilment of his vow until next
morning, for the purpose and with the hope of hearing that night how it fared in the end
with the black cat (a black cat, I think it was) and the rat.

The night having arrived, however, the lady Scheherazade not only put the finishing
stroke to the black cat and the rat (the rat was blue) but before she well knew what she
was about, found herself deep in the intricacies of a narration, having reference (if I am
not altogether mistaken) to a pink horse (with green wings) that went, in a violent
manner, by clockwork, and was wound up with an indigo key. With this history the king
was even more profoundly interested than with the other-and, as the day broke before its
conclusion (notwithstanding all the queen's endeavors to get through with it in time for
the bowstringing), there was again no resource but to postpone that ceremony as before,
for twenty-four hours. The next night there happened a similar accident with a similar
result; and then the next-and then again the next; so that, in the end, the good monarch,
having been unavoidably deprived of all opportunity to keep his vow during a period of
no less than one thousand and one nights, either forgets it altogether by the expiration of
this time, or gets himself absolved of it in the regular way, or (what is more probable)
breaks it outright, as well as the head of his father confessor. At all events, Scheherazade,
who, being lineally descended from Eve, fell heir, perhaps, to the whole seven baskets of
talk, which the latter lady, we all know, picked up from under the trees in the garden of
Eden-Scheherazade, I say, finally triumphed, and the tariff upon beauty was repealed.

Now, this conclusion (which is that of the story as we have it upon record) is, no doubt,
excessively proper and pleasant-but alas! like a great many pleasant things, is more

pleasant than trae, and I am indebted altogether to the "Isitsoomot" for the means of
correcting the error. "Le mieux," says a French proverb, "est I'ennemi du bien," and, in
mentioning that Scheherazade had inherited the seven baskets of talk, I should have
added that she put them out at compound interest until they amounted to seventy- seven.

"My dear sister," said she, on the thousand-and-second night, (I quote the language of the
"Isitsoornot" at this point, verbatim) "my dear sister," said she, "now that all this little
difficulty about the bowstring has blown over, and that this odious tax is so happily
repealed, I feel that I have been guilty of great indiscretion in withholding from you and
the king (who I am sorry to say, snores-a thing no gentleman would do) the full
conclusion of Sinbad the sailor. This person went through numerous other and more
interesting adventures than those which I related; but the truth is, I felt sleepy on the
particular night of their narration, and so was seduced into cutting them short-a grievous
piece of misconduct, for which I only trust that Allah will forgive me. But even yet it is
not too late to remedy my great neglect-and as soon as I have given the king a pinch or
two in order to wake him up so far that he may stop making that horrible noise, I will
forthwith entertain you (and him if he pleases) with the sequel of this very remarkable
story.

Hereupon the sister of Scheherazade, as I have it from the "Isitsoornot," expressed no
very particular intensity of gratification; but the king, having been sufficiently pinched, at
length ceased snoring, and finally said, "hum!" and then "hoo!" when the queen,
understanding these words (which are no doubt Arabic) to signify that he was all
attention, and would do his best not to snore any more-the queen, I say, having arranged
these matters to her satisfaction, re-entered thus, at once, into the history of Sinbad the
sailor:

"'At length, in my old age, [these are the words of Sinbad himself, as retailed by
Scheherazade]-' at length, in my old age, and after enjoying many years of tranquillity at
home, I became once more possessed of a desire of visiting foreign countries; and one
day, without acquainting any of my family with my design, I packed up some bundles of
such merchandise as was most precious and least bulky, and, engaged a porter to carry
them, went with him down to the sea-shore, to await the arrival of any chance vessel that
might convey me out of the kingdom into some region which I had not as yet explored.

"'Having deposited the packages upon the sands, we sat down beneath some trees, and
looked out into the ocean in the hope of perceiving a ship, but during several hours we
saw none whatever. At length I fancied that I could hear a singular buzzing or humming
sound; and the porter, after listening awhile, declared that he also could distinguish it.
Presently it grew louder, and then still louder, so that we could have no doubt that the
object which caused it was approaching us. At length, on the edge of the horizon, we
discovered a black speck, which rapidly increased in size until we made it out to be a vast
monster, swimming with a great part of its body above the surface of the sea. It came
toward us with inconceivable swiftness, throwing up huge waves of foam around its
breast, and illuminating all that part of the sea through which it passed, with a long line of
fire that extended far off into the distance.

'"As the thing drew near we saw it very distinctly. Its length was equal to that of three of
the loftiest trees that grow, and it was as wide as the great hall of audience in your palace,
O most sublime and munificent of the Caliphs. Its body, which was unlike that of
ordinary fishes, was as solid as a rock, and of a jetty blackness throughout all that portion
of it which floated above the water, with the exception of a narrow blood-red streak that
completely begirdled it. The belly, which floated beneath the surface, and of which we
could get only a glimpse now and then as the monster rose and fell with the billows, was
entirely covered with metallic scales, of a color like that of the moon in misty weather.
The back was flat and nearly white, and from it there extended upwards of six spines,
about half the length of the whole body.

'"The horrible creature had no mouth that we could perceive, but, as if to make up for this
deficiency, it was provided with at least four score of eyes, that protruded from their
sockets like those of the green dragon-fly, and were arranged all around the body in two
rows, one above the other, and parallel to the blood-red streak, which seemed to answer
the purpose of an eyebrow. Two or three of these dreadful eyes were much larger than the
others, and had the appearance of solid gold.

'"Although this beast approached us, as I have before said, with the greatest rapidity, it
must have been moved altogether by necromancy- for it had neither fins like a fish nor
web-feet like a duck, nor wings like the seashell which is blown along in the manner of a
vessel; nor yet did it writhe itself forward as do the eels. Its head and its tail were shaped
precisely alike, only, not far from the latter, were two small holes that served for nostrils,
and through which the monster puffed out its thick breath with prodigious violence, and
with a shrieking, disagreeable noise.

'"Our terror at beholding this hideous thing was very great, but it was even surpassed by
our astonishment, when upon getting a nearer look, we perceived upon the creature's back
a vast number of animals about the size and shape of men, and altogether much
resembling them, except that they wore no garments (as men do), being supplied (by
nature, no doubt) with an ugly uncomfortable covering, a good deal like cloth, but fitting
so tight to the skin, as to render the poor wretches laughably awkward, and put them
apparently to severe pain. On the very tips of their heads were certain square-looking
boxes, which, at first sight, I thought might have been intended to answer as turbans, but I
soon discovered that they were excessively heavy and solid, and I therefore concluded
they were contrivances designed, by their great weight, to keep the heads of the animals
steady and safe upon their shoulders. Around the necks of the creatures were fastened
black collars, (badges of servitude, no doubt,) such as we keep on our dogs, only much
wider and infinitely stiffer, so that it was quite impossible for these poor victims to move
their heads in any direction without moving the body at the same time; and thus they
were doomed to perpetual contemplation of their noses-a view puggish and snubby in a
wonderful, if not positively in an awful degree.

'"When the monster had nearly reached the shore where we stood, it suddenly pushed out
one of its eyes to a great extent, and emitted from it a terrible flash of fire, accompanied
by a dense cloud of smoke, and a noise that I can compare to nothing but thunder. As the

smoke cleared away, we saw one of the odd man-animals standing near the head of the
large beast with a trumpet in his hand, through which (putting it to his mouth) he
presently addressed us in loud, harsh, and disagreeable accents, that, perhaps, we should
have mistaken for language, had they not come altogether through the nose.

'"Being thus evidently spoken to, I was at a loss how to reply, as I could in no manner
understand what was said; and in this difficulty I turned to the porter, who was near
swooning through affright, and demanded of him his opinion as to what species of
monster it was, what it wanted, and what kind of creatures those were that so swarmed
upon its back. To this the porter replied, as well as he could for trepidation, that he had
once before heard of this sea-beast; that it was a cruel demon, with bowels of sulphur and
blood of fire, created by evil genii as the means of inflicting misery upon mankind; that
the things upon its back were vermin, such as sometimes infest cats and dogs, only a little
larger and more savage; and that these vermin had their uses, however evil-for, through
the torture they caused the beast by their nibbling and stingings, it was goaded into that
degree of wrath which was requisite to make it roar and commit ill, and so fulfil the
vengeful and malicious designs of the wicked genii.

"This account determined me to take to my heels, and, without once even looking behind
me, I ran at full speed up into the hills, while the porter ran equally fast, although nearly
in an opposite direction, so that, by these means, he finally made his escape with my
bundles, of which I have no doubt he took excellent care-although this is a point I cannot
determine, as I do not remember that I ever beheld him again.

'"For myself, I was so hotly pursued by a swarm of the men- vermin (who had come to the
shore in boats) that I was very soon overtaken, bound hand and foot, and conveyed to the
beast, which immediately swam out again into the middle of the sea.

'"I now bitterly repented my folly in quitting a comfortable home to peril my life in such
adventures as this; but regret being useless, I made the best of my condition, and exerted
myself to secure the goodwill of the man-animal that owned the trumpet, and who
appeared to exercise authority over his fellows. I succeeded so well in this endeavor that,
in a few days, the creature bestowed upon me various tokens of his favor, and in the end
even went to the trouble of teaching me the rudiments of what it was vain enough to
denominate its language; so that, at length, I was enabled to converse with it readily, and
came to make it comprehend the ardent desire I had of seeing the world.

'"Washish squashish squeak, Sinbad, hey-diddle diddle, grunt unt grumble, hiss, fiss,
whiss,' said he to me, one day after dinner- but I beg a thousand pardons, I had forgotten
that your majesty is not conversant with the dialect of the Cock-neighs (so the man-
animals were called; I presume because their language formed the connecting link
between that of the horse and that of the rooster). With your permission, I will translate.
'Washish squashish,' and so forth:-that is to say, 'I am happy to find, my dear Sinbad, that
you are really a very excellent fellow; we are now about doing a thing which is called
circumnavigating the globe; and since you are so desirous of seeing the world, I will
strain a point and give you a free passage upon back of the beast.'"

When the Lady Scheherazade had proceeded thus far, relates the "Isitsoornot," the king
turned over from his left side to his right, and said:

"It is, in fact, very surprising, my dear queen, that you omitted, hitherto, these latter
adventures of Sinbad. Do you know I think them exceedingly entertaining and strange?"

The king having thus expressed himself, we are told, the fair Scheherazade resumed her
history in the following words:

"Sinbad went on in this manner with his narrative to the caliph- 1 thanked the man-
animal for its kindness, and soon found myself very much at home on the beast, which
swam at a prodigious rate through the ocean; although the surface of the latter is, in that
part of the world, by no means flat, but round like a pomegranate, so that we went-so to
say-either up hill or down hill all the time.'

"That I think, was very singular," interrupted the king.

"Nevertheless, it is quite true," replied Scheherazade.

"I have my doubts," rejoined the king; "but, pray, be so good as to go on with the story."

"I will," said the queen. "'The beast,' continued Sinbad to the caliph, 'swam, as I have
related, up hill and down hill until, at length, we arrived at an island, many hundreds of
miles in circumference, but which, nevertheless, had been built in the middle of the sea
by a colony of little things like caterpillars'"*

* The coralites.

"Hum!" said the king.

'"Leaving this island,' said Sinbad-(for Scheherazade, it must be understood, took no
notice of her husband's ill-mannered ejaculation) 'leaving this island, we came to another
where the forests were of solid stone, and so hard that they shivered to pieces the finest-
tempered axes with which we endeavoured to cut them down.'"*

* "One of the most remarkable natural curiosities in Texas is a petrified forest, near the
head of Pasigno river. It consists of several hundred trees, in an erect position, all turned
to stone. Some trees, now growing, are partly petrified. This is a startling fact for natural
philosophers, and must cause them to modify the existing theory of petrification.-
Kennedy.

This account, at first discredited, has since been corroborated by the discovery of a
completely petrified forest, near the head waters of the Cheyenne, or Chienne river,
which has its source in the Black Hills of the rocky chain.

There is scarcely, perhaps, a spectacle on the surface of the globe more remarkable, either
in a geological or picturesque point of view than that presented by the petrified forest,
near Cairo. The traveller, having passed the tombs of the caliphs, just beyond the gates of
the city, proceeds to the southward, nearly at right angles to the road across the desert to
Suez, and after having travelled some ten miles up a low barren valley, covered with
sand, gravel, and sea shells, fresh as if the tide had retired but yesterday, crosses a low
range of sandhills, which has for some distance run parallel to his path. The scene now
presented to him is beyond conception singular and desolate. A mass of fragments of
trees, all converted into stone, and when struck by his horse's hoof ringing like cast iron,
is seen to extend itself for miles and miles around him, in the form of a decayed and
prostrate forest. The wood is of a dark brown hue, but retains its form in perfection, the
pieces being from one to fifteen feet in length, and from half a foot to three feet in
thickness, strewed so closely together, as far as the eye can reach, that an Egyptian
donkey can scarcely thread its way through amongst them, and so natural that, were it in
Scotland or Ireland, it might pass without remark for some enormous drained bog, on
which the exhumed trees lay rotting in the sun. The roots and rudiments of the branches
are, in many cases, nearly perfect, and in some the worm-holes eaten under the bark are
readily recognizable. The most delicate of the sap vessels, and all the finer portions of the
centre of the wood, are perfectly entire, and bear to be examined with the strongest
magnifiers. The whole are so thoroughly silicified as to scratch glass and are capable of
receiving the highest polish.- Asiatic Magazine.

"Hum!" said the king, again; but Scheherazade, paying him no attention, continued in the
language of Sinbad.

"'Passing beyond this last island, we reached a country where there was a cave that ran to
the distance of thirty or forty miles within the bowels of the earth, and that contained a
greater number of far more spacious and more magnificent palaces than are to be found
in all Damascus and Bagdad. From the roofs of these palaces there hung myriads of
gems, liked diamonds, but larger than men; and in among the streets of towers and
pyramids and temples, there flowed immense rivers as black as ebony, and swarming
with fish that had no eyes.'"*

* The Mammoth Cave of Kentucky.

"Hum!" said the king.

'"We then swam into a region of the sea where we found a lofty mountain, down whose
sides there streamed torrents of melted metal, some of which were twelve miles wide and
sixty miles long*; while from an abyss on the summit, issued so vast a quantity of ashes
that the sun was entirely blotted out from the heavens, and it became darker than the
darkest midnight; so that when we were even at the distance of a hundred and fifty miles
from the mountain, it was impossible to see the whitest object, however close we held it
to our eyes. "'*(2)

* In Iceland, 1783.

*(2) "During the eruption of Hecla, in 1766, clouds of this kind produced such a degree
of darkness that, at Glaumba, which is more than fifty leagues from the mountain, people
could only find their way by groping. During the eruption of Vesuvius, in 1794, at
Caserta, four leagues distant, people could only walk by the light of torches. On the first
of May, 1812, a cloud of volcanic ashes and sand, coming from a volcano in the island of
St. Vincent, covered the whole of Barbadoes, spreading over it so intense a darkness that,
at mid-day, in the open air, one could not perceive the trees or other objects near him, or
even a white handkerchief placed at the distance of six inches from the eye. "-Murray, p.
215, Phil. edit.

"Hum!" said the king.

"'After quitting this coast, the beast continued his voyage until we met with a land in
which the nature of things seemed reversed-for we here saw a great lake, at the bottom of
which, more than a hundred feet beneath the surface of the water, there flourished in full
leaf a forest of tall and luxuriant trees.'"*

* In the year 1790, in the Caraccas during an earthquake a portion of the granite soil sank
and left a lake eight hundred yards in diameter, and from eighty to a hundred feet deep. It
was a part of the forest of Aripao which sank, and the trees remained green for several
months under the water. "-Murray, p. 221

"Hoo!" said the king.

"Some hundred miles farther on brought us to a climate where the atmosphere was so
dense as to sustain iron or steel, just as our own does feather.'"*

* The hardest steel ever manufactured may, under the action of a blowpipe, be reduced to
an impalpable powder, which will float readily in the atmospheric air.

"Fiddle de dee," said the king.

"Proceeding still in the same direction, we presently arrived at the most magnificent
region in the whole world. Through it there meandered a glorious river for several
thousands of miles. This river was of unspeakable depth, and of a transparency richer
than that of amber. It was from three to six miles in width; and its banks which arose on
either side to twelve hundred feet in perpendicular height, were crowned with ever-
blossoming trees and perpetual sweet-scented flowers, that made the whole territory one
gorgeous garden; but the name of this luxuriant land was the Kingdom of Horror, and to
enter it was inevitable death'"*

* The region of the Niger. See Simmona's "Colonial Magazine."
"Humph!" said the king.

'"We left this kingdom in great haste, and, after some days, came to another, where we
were astonished to perceive myriads of monstrous animals with horns resembling scythes
upon their heads. These hideous beasts dig for themselves vast caverns in the soil, of a
funnel shape, and line the sides of them with, rocks, so disposed one upon the other that
they fall instantly, when trodden upon by other animals, thus precipitating them into the
monster's dens, where their blood is immediately sucked, and their carcasses afterwards
hurled contemptuously out to an immense distance from "the caverns of death.'""*

* The Myrmeleon-lion-ant. The term "monster" is equally applicable to small abnormal
things and to great, while such epithets as "vast" are merely comparative. The cavern of
the myrmeleon is vast in comparison with the hole of the common red ant. A grain of
silexis also a "rock."

"Pooh!" said the king.

'"Continuing our progress, we perceived a district with vegetables that grew not upon any
soil but in the air.* There were others that sprang from the substance of other
vegetables;* (2) others that derived their substance from the bodies of living animals;*(3)
and then again, there were others that glowed all over with intense fire;*(4) others that
moved from place to place at pleasure,*(5) and what was still more wonderful, we
discovered flowers that lived and breathed and moved their limbs at will and had,
moreover, the detestable passion of mankind for enslaving other creatures, and confining
them in horrid and solitary prisons until the fulfillment of appointed tasks. "'*(6)

* The Epidendron, Flos Aeris, of the family of the Orchideae, grows with merely the
surface of its roots attached to a tree or other object, from which it derives no nutriment-
subsisting altogether upon air.

*(2) The Parasites, such as the wonderful Rafflesia Amaldii.

*(3) Schouw advocates a class of plants that grow upon living animals-the Plantae
Epizoae. Of this class are the Fuci and Algae.

Mr. J. B. WiUiams, of Salem, Mass., presented the "National Institute," with an insect
from New Zealand, with the following description:-"'The Hotte,' a decided caterpillar, or
worm, is found growing at the foot of the Rata tree, with a plant growing out of its head.
This most peculiar and most extraordinary insect travels up both the Rata and Perriri
trees, and entering into the top, eats its way, perforating the trunk of the tree until it
reaches the root, it then comes out of the root, and dies, or remains dormant, and the plant
propagates out of its head; the body remains perfect and entire, of a harder substance than
when alive. From this insect the natives making a coloring for tattooing."

*(4) In mines and natural caves we find a species of cryptogamous fungus that emits an
intense phosphorescence.

*(5) The orchis, scabius and valisneria.

*(6) The corolla of this flower (Aristolochia Clematitis), which is tubular, but terminating
upwards in a ligulate limb, is inflated into a globular figure at the base. The tubular part is
internally beset with stiff hairs, pointing downwards. The globular part contains the pistil,
which consists merely of a germen and stigma, together with the surrounding stamens.
But the stamens, being shorter than the germen, cannot discharge the pollen so as to
throw it upon the stigma, as the flower stands always upright till after impregnation. And
hence, without some additional and peculiar aid, the pollen must necessarily fan down to
the bottom of the flower. Now, the aid that nature has furnished in this case, is that of the
Tiputa Pennicornis, a small insect, which entering the tube of the corroUa in quest of
honey, descends to the bottom, and rummages about till it becomes quite covered with
pollen; but not being able to force its way out again, owing to the downward position of
the hairs, which converge to a point like the wires of a mouse-trap, and being somewhat
impatient of its confinement it brushes backwards and forwards, trying every corner, till,
after repeatedly traversing the stigma, it covers it with pollen sufficient for its
impregnation, in consequence of which the flower soon begins to droop, and the hairs to
shrink to the sides of the tube, effecting an easy passage for the escape of the insect."
Rev. P. Keith-System of Physiological Botany.

"Pshaw!" said the king.

"'Quitting this land, we soon arrived at another in which the bees and the birds are
mathematicians of such genius and erudition, that they give daily instructions in the
science of geometry to the wise men of the empire. The king of the place having offered a
reward for the solution of two very difficult problems, they were solved upon the spot-
the one by the bees, and the other by the birds; but the king keeping their solution a
secret, it was only after the most profound researches and labor, and the writing of an
infinity of big books, during a long series of years, that the men-mathematicians at length
arrived at the identical solutions which had been given upon the spot by the bees and by
the birds.'"*

* The bees-ever since bees were-have been constructing their cells with just such sides,
in just such number, and at just such inclinations, as it has been demonstrated (in a
problem involving the profoundest mathematical principles) are the very sides, in the
very number, and at the very angles, which will afford the creatures the most room that is
compatible with the greatest stability of structure.

During the latter part of the last century, the question arose among mathematicians-"to
determine the best form that can be given to the sails of a windmill, according to their
varying distances from the revolving vanes, and likewise from the centres of the
revolution." This is an excessively complex problem, for it is, in other words, to find the
best possible position at an infinity of varied distances, and at an infinity of points on the
arm. There were a thousand futile attempts to answer the query on the part of the most
illustrious mathematicians; and when, at length, an undeniable solution was discovered,
men found that the wing of a bird had given it with absolute precision ever since the first
bird had traversed the air.

"Oh my!" said the king.

"'We had scarcely lost sight of this empire when we found ourselves close upon another,
from whose shores there flew over our heads a flock of fowls a mile in breadth, and two
hundred and forty miles long; so that, although they flew a mile during every minute, it
required no less than four hours for the whole flock to pass over us-in which there were
several millions of millions of fowl.'"*

* He observed a flock of pigeons passing betwixt Frankfort and the Indian territory, one
mile at least in breadth; it took up four hours in passing, which, at the rate of one mile per
minute, gives a length of 240 miles; and, supposing three pigeons to each square yard,
gives 2,230,272,000 Pigeons.-"Travels in Canada and the United States," by Lieut. F.
Hall.

"Oh fy!" said the king.

"'No sooner had we got rid of these birds, which occasioned us great annoyance, than we
were terrified by the appearance of a fowl of another kind, and infinitely larger than even
the rocs which I met in my former voyages; for it was bigger than the biggest of the
domes on your seraglio, oh, most Munificent of Caliphs. This terrible fowl had no head
that we could perceive, but was fashioned entirely of belly, which was of a prodigious
fatness and roundness, of a soft-looking substance, smooth, shining and striped with
various colors. In its talons, the monster was bearing away to his eyrie in the heavens, a
house from which it had knocked off the roof, and in the interior of which we distinctly
saw human beings, who, beyond doubt, were in a state of frightful despair at the horrible
fate which awaited them. We shouted with all our might, in the hope of frightening the
bird into letting go of its prey, but it merely gave a snort or puff, as if of rage and then let
fall upon our heads a heavy sack which proved to be filled with sand!'"

"Stuff!" said the king.

"'It was just after this adventure that we encountered a continent of immense extent and
prodigious solidity, but which, nevertheless, was supported entirely upon the back of a
sky-blue cow that had no fewer than four hundred horns.'"*

* The earth is upheld by a cow of a blue color, having horns four hundred in number. "-
Sale's Koran.

"That, now, I believe," said the king, "because I have read something of the kind before,
in a book."

"'We passed immediately beneath this continent, (swimming in between the legs of the
cow, and, after some hours, found ourselves in a wonderful country indeed, which, I was
informed by the man-animal, was his own native land, inhabited by things of his own
species. This elevated the man-animal very much in my esteem, and in fact, I now began
to feel ashamed of the contemptuous familiarity with which I had treated him; for I found

that the man-animals in general were a nation of the most powerful magicians, who lived
with worms in their brain,* which, no doubt, served to stimulate them by their painful
writhings and wrigglings to the most miraculous efforts of imagination!'"

* "The Entozoa, or intestinal worms, have repeatedly been observed in the muscles, and
in the cerebral substance of men. "-See Wyatt's Physiology, p. 143.

"Nonsense!" said the king.

"'Among the magicians, were domesticated several animals of very singular kinds; for
example, there was a huge horse whose bones were iron and whose blood was boiling
water. In place of corn, he had black stones for his usual food; and yet, in spite of so hard
a diet, he was so strong and swift that he would drag a load more weighty than the
grandest temple in this city, at a rate surpassing that of the flight of most birds.'"*

* On the Great Western Railway, between London and Exeter, a speed of 71 miles per
hour has been attained. A train weighing 90 tons was whirled from Paddington to Didcot
(53 miles) in 51 minutes.

"Twattle!" said the king.

'"I saw, also, among these people a hen without feathers, but bigger than a camel; instead
of flesh and bone she had iron and brick; her blood, like that of the horse, (to whom, in
fact, she was nearly related,) was boiling water; and like him she ate nothing but wood or
black stones. This hen brought forth very frequently, a hundred chickens in the day; and,
after birth, they took up their residence for several weeks within the stomach of their
mother.'"*

* The Eccalobeion

"Fa! lal!" said the king.

'"One of this nation of mighty conjurors created a man out of brass and wood, and
leather, and endowed him with such ingenuity that he would have beaten at chess, all the
race of mankind with the exception of the great Caliph, Haroun Alraschid.* Another of
these magi constructed (of like material) a creature that put to shame even the genius of
him who made it; for so great were its reasoning powers that, in a second, it performed
calculations of so vast an extent that they would have required the united labor of fifty
thousand fleshy men for a year.*(2) But a still more wonderful conjuror fashioned for
himself a mighty thing that was neither man nor beast, but which had brains of lead,
intermixed with a black matter like pitch, and fingers that it employed with such
incredible speed and dexterity that it would have had no trouble in writing out twenty
thousand copies of the Koran in an hour, and this with so exquisite a precision, that in all
the copies there should not be found one to vary from another by the breadth of the finest
hair. This thing was of prodigious strength, so that it erected or overthrew the mightiest
empires at a breath; but its powers were exercised equally for evil and for good.'"

* Maelzel's Automaton Chess-player.

*(2) Babbage's Calculating Machine.

"Ridiculous!" said the king.

"'Among this nation of necromancers there was also one who had in his veins the blood
of the salamanders; for he made no scruple of sitting down to smoke his chibouc in a red-
hot oven until his dinner was thoroughly roasted upon its floor.* Another had the faculty
of converting the common metals into gold, without even looking at them during the
process. *(2) Another had such a delicacy of touch that he made a wire so fine as to be
invisible. *(3) Another had such quickness of perception that he counted all the separate
motions of an elastic body, while it was springing backward and forward at the rate of
nine hundred millions of times in a second. '"*(4)

* Chabert, and since him, a hundred others.

*(2) The Electrotype.

*(3) WoUaston made of platinum for the field of views in a telescope a wire one
eighteen-thousandth part of an inch in thickness. It could be seen only by means of the
microscope.

*(4) Newton demonstrated that the retina beneath the influence of the violet ray of the
spectrum, vibrated 900,000,000 of times in a second.

"Absurd!" said the king.

"'Another of these magicians, by means of a fluid that nobody ever yet saw, could make
the corpses of his friends brandish their arms, kick out their legs, fight, or even get up and
dance at his will.* Another had cultivated his voice to so great an extent that he could
have made himself heard from one end of the world to the other. *(2) Another had so long
an arm that he could sit down in Damascus and indite a letter at Bagdad-or indeed at any
distance whatsoever.*(3) Another commanded the lightning to come down to him out of
the heavens, and it came at his call; and served him for a plaything when it came.
Another took two loud sounds and out of them made a silence. Another constructed a
deep darkness out of two brilliant lights. *(4) Another made ice in a red-hot furnace. *(5)
Another directed the sun to paint his portrait, and the sun did.*(6) Another took this
luminary with the moon and the planets, and having first weighed them with scrupulous
accuracy, probed into their depths and found out the solidity of the substance of which
they were made. But the whole nation is, indeed, of so surprising a necromantic ability,
that not even their infants, nor their commonest cats and dogs have any difficulty in
seeing objects that do not exist at all, or that for twenty millions of years before the birth
of the nation itself had been blotted out from the face of creation. "'*(7)

* Voltaic pile.

*(2) The Electro Telegraph Printing Apparatus.

*(3) The Electro telegraph transmits intelligence instantaneously- at least at so far as
regards any distance upon the earth.

*(4) Common experiments in Natural Philosophy. If two red rays from two luminous
points be admitted into a dark chamber so as to fall on a white surface, and differ in their
length by 0.0000258 of an inch, their intensity is doubled. So also if the difference in
length be any whole-number multiple of that fraction. A multiple by 2 1/4, 3 1/4, &c.,
gives an intensity equal to one ray only; but a multiple by 2 1/2, 3 1/2, &c., gives the
result of total darkness. In violet rays similar effects arise when the difference in length is
0.000157 of an inch; and with all other rays the results are the same-the difference
varying with a uniform increase from the violet to the red.

Analogous experiments in respect to sound produce analogous results.

*(5) Place a platina crucible over a spirit lamp, and keep it a red heat; pour in some
sulphuric acid, which, though the most volatile of bodies at a common temperature, will
be found to become completely fixed in a hot crucible, and not a drop evaporates-being
surrounded by an atmosphere of its own, it does not, in fact, touch the sides. A few drops
of water are now introduced, when the acid, immediately coming in contact with the
heated sides of the crucible, flies off in sulphurous acid vapor, and so rapid is its
progress, that the caloric of the water passes off with it, which falls a lump of ice to the
bottom; by taking advantage of the moment before it is allowed to remelt, it may be
turned out a lump of ice from a red-hot vessel.

*(6) The Daguerreotype.

*(7) Although light travels 167,000 miles in a second, the distance of 61 Cygni (the only
star whose distance is ascertained) is so inconceivably great, that its rays would require
more than ten years to reach the earth. For stars beyond this, 20-or even 1000 years-
would be a moderate estimate. Thus, if they had been annihilated 20, or 1000 years ago,
we might still see them to-day by the light which started from their surfaces 20 or 1000
years in the past time. That many which we see daily are really extinct, is not impossible-
not even improbable.

"Preposterous!" said the king.

"'The wives and daughters of these incomparably great and wise magi,'" continued
Scheherazade, without being in any manner disturbed by these frequent and most
ungentlemanly interruptions on the part of her husband-"'the wives and daughters of
these eminent conjurers are every thing that is accomplished and refined; and would be
every thing that is interesting and beautiful, but for an unhappy fatality that besets them,
and from which not even the miraculous powers of their husbands and fathers has,
hitherto, been adequate to save. Some fatalities come in certain shapes, and some in
others-but this of which I speak has come in the shape of a crotchet.'"

"A what?" said the king.

'"A crotchet'" said Scheherazade. "'One of the evil genii, who are perpetually upon the
watch to inflict ill, has put it into the heads of these accomplished ladies that the thing
which we describe as personal beauty consists altogether in the protuberance of the
region which lies not very far below the small of the back. Perfection of loveliness, they
say, is in the direct ratio of the extent of this lump. Having been long possessed of this
idea, and bolsters being cheap in that country, the days have long gone by since it was
possible to distinguish a woman from a dromedary-'"

"Stop!" said the king-"I can't stand that, and I won't. You have already given me a
dreadful headache with your lies. The day, too, I perceive, is beginning to break. How
long have we been married?-my conscience is getting to be troublesome again. And then
that dromedary touch-do you take me for a fool? Upon the whole, you might as well get
up and be throttled."

These words, as I learn from the "Isitsoomot," both grieved and astonished Scheherazade;
but, as she knew the king to be a man of scrupulous integrity, and quite unlikely to forfeit
his word, she submitted to her fate with a good grace. She derived, however, great
consolation, (during the tightening of the bowstring,) from the reflection that much of the
history remained still untold, and that the petulance of her brute of a husband had reaped
for him a most righteous reward, in depriving him of many inconceivable adventures.

THE END

THE VALLEY OF UNREST

by Edgar Allan Poe

1831

Once it smiled a silent dell
Where the people did not dwell;
They had gone unto the wars,
Trusting to the mild-eyed stars,
Nightly, from their azure towers.
To keep watch above the flowers.
In the midst of which all day
The red sunlight lazily lay.
Now each visitor shall confess
The sad valley's restlessness.
Nothing there is motionless-
Nothing save the airs that brood
Over the magic solitude.
Ah, by no wind are stirred those trees
That palpitate like the chill seas
Around the misty Hebrides !
Ah, by no wind those clouds are driven
That rustle through the unquiet Heaven
Uneasily, from morn till even.
Over the violets there that lie
In myriad types of the human eye-
Over the lilies there that wave
And weep above a nameless grave!
They wave:-from out their fragrant tops
Eternal dews come down in drops.
They weep:-from off their delicate stems
Perennial tears descend in gems.

THE END

tl

THOU ART THE MAN"

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

I WILL now play the Oedipus to the Rattleborough enigma. I will expound to you-as I
alone can-the secret of the enginery that effected the Rattleborough miracle-the one, the
true, the admitted, the undisputed, the indisputable miracle, which put a definite end to
infidelity among the Rattleburghers and converted to the orthodoxy of the grandames all
the carnal-minded who had ventured to be sceptical before.

This event-which I should be sorry to discuss in a tone of unsuitable levity-occurred in
the summer of 18-. Mr. Barnabas Shuttleworthy-one of the wealthiest and most
respectable citizens of the borough-had been missing for several days under
circumstances which gave rise to suspicion of foul play. Mr. Shuttleworthy had set out
from Rattleborough very early one Saturday morning, on horseback, with the avowed
intention of proceeding to the city of-, about fifteen miles distant, and of returning the
night of the same day. Two hours after his departure, however, his horse returned without
him, and without the saddle-bags which had been strapped on his back at starting. The
animal was wounded, too, and covered with mud. These circumstances naturally gave
rise to much alarm among the friends of the missing man; and when it was found, on
Sunday morning, that he had not yet made his appearance, the whole borough arose en
masse to go and look for his body.

The foremost and most energetic in instituting this search was the bosom friend of Mr.
Shuttleworthy-a Mr. Charles Goodfellow, or, as he was universally called, "Charley
Goodfellow," or "Old Charley Goodfellow." Now, whether it is a marvellous
coincidence, or whether it is that the name itself has an imperceptible effect upon the
character, I have never yet been able to ascertain; but the fact is unquestionable, that there
never yet was any person named Charles who was not an open, manly, honest, good-
natured, and frank-hearted fellow, with a rich, clear voice, that did you good to hear it,
and an eye that looked you always straight in the face, as much as to say: "I have a clear
conscience myself, am afraid of no man, and am altogether above doing a mean action."
And thus all the hearty, careless, "walking gentlemen" of the stage are very certain to be
called Charles.

Now, "Old Charley Goodfellow," although he had been in Rattleborough not longer than
six months or thereabouts, and although nobody knew any thing about him before he
came to settle in the neighborhood, had experienced no difficulty in the world in making
the acquaintance of all the respectable people in the borough. Not a man of them but
would have taken his bare word for a thousand at any moment; and as for the women,
there is no saying what they would not have done to oblige him. And all this came of his

having been christened Charles, and of his possessing, in consequence, that ingenuous
face which is proverbially the very "best letter of recommendation."

I have already said that Mr. Shuttleworthy was one of the most respectable and,
undoubtedly, he was the most wealthy man in Rattleborough, while "Old Charley
Goodfellow" was upon as intimate terms with him as if he had been his own brother. The
two old gentlemen were next-door neighbours, and, although Mr. Shuttleworthy seldom,
if ever, visited "Old Charley," and never was known to take a meal in his house, still this
did not prevent the two friends from being exceedingly intimate, as I have just observed;
for "Old Charley" never let a day pass without stepping in three or four times to see how
his neighbour came on, and very often he would stay to breakfast or tea, and almost
always to dinner, and then the amount of wine that was made way with by the two
cronies at a sitting, it would really be a difficult thing to ascertain. "Old Charleys"
favorite beverage was Chateau-Margaux, and it appeared to do Mr. Shuttleworthy' s heart
good to see the old fellow swallow it, as he did, quart after quart; so that, one day, when
the wine was in and the wit as a natural consequence, somewhat out, he said to his crony,
as he slapped him upon the back-"I tell you what it is, 'Old Charley,' you are, by all odds,
the heartiest old fellow I ever came across in all my born days; and, since you love to
guzzle the wine at that fashion, I'll be darned if I don't have to make thee a present of a
big box of the Chateau-Margaux. Od rot me, "-(Mr. Shuttleworthy had a sad habit of
swearing, although he seldom went beyond "Od rot me," or "By gosh," or "By the jolly
golly,")-"Od rot me," says he, "if I don't send an order to town this very afternoon for a
double box of the best that can be got, and I'll make ye a present of it, I will!- ye needn't
say a word now-I will, I tell ye, and there's an end of it; so look out for it-it will come to
hand some of these fine days, precisely when ye are looking for it the least!" I mention
this little bit of liberality on the part of Mr. Shuttleworthy, just by way of showing you
how very intimate an understanding existed between the two friends.

Well, on the Sunday morning in question, when it came to be fairly understood that Mr.
Shuttleworthy had met with foul play, I never saw any one so profoundly affected as
"Old Charley Goodfellow." When he first heard that the horse had come home without
his master, and without his master's saddle-bags, and all bloody from a pistol-shot, that
had gone clean through and through the poor animal's chest without quite killing him;
when he heard all this, he turned as pale as if the missing man had been his own dear
brother or father, and shivered and shook all over as if he had had a fit of the ague.

At first he was too much overpowered with grief to be able to do any thing at all, or to
concert upon any plan of action; so that for a long time he endeavoured to dissuade Mr.
Shuttleworthy' s other friends from making a stir about the matter, thinking it best to wait
awhile-say for a week or two, or a month, or two-to see if something wouldn't turn up, or
if Mr. Shuttleworthy wouldn't come in the natural way, and explain his reasons for
sending his horse on before. I dare say you have often observed this disposition to
temporize, or to procrastinate, in people who are labouring under any very poignant
sorrow. Their powers of mind seem to be rendered torpid, so that they have a horror of
any thing like action, and like nothing in the world so well as to lie quietly in bed and
"nurse their grief," as the old ladies express it-that is to say, ruminate over the trouble.

The people of Rattleborough had, indeed, so high an opinion of the wisdom and
discretion of "Old Charley," that the greater part of them felt disposed to agree with him,
and not make a stir in the business "until something should turn up," as the honest old
gentleman worded it; and I believe that, after all this would have been the general
determination, but for the very suspicious interference of Mr. Shuttleworthy's nephew, a
young man of very dissipated habits, and otherwise of rather bad character. This nephew,
whose name was Pennifeather, would listen to nothing like reason in the matter of "lying
quiet," but insisted upon making immediate search for the "corpse of the murdered man.-
This was the expression he employed; and Mr. Goodfellow acutely remarked at the time,
that it was "a singular expression, to say no more." This remark of 'Old Charley's,' too,
had great effect upon the crowd; and one of the party was heard to ask, very impressively,
"how it happened that young Mr. Pennifeather was so intimately cognizant of all the
circumstances connected with his wealthy uncle's disappearance, as to feel authorized to
assert, distinctly and unequivocally, that his uncle was 'a murdered man.'" Hereupon
some little squibbing and bickering occurred among various members of the crowd, and
especially between "Old Charley" and Mr. Pennifeather-although this latter occurrence
was, indeed, by no means a novelty, for no good will had subsisted between the parties
for the last three or four months; and matters had even gone so far that Mr. Pennifeather
had actually knocked down his uncles friend for some alleged excess of liberty that the
latter had taken in the uncle's house, of which the nephew was an inmate. Upon this
occasion "Old Charley" is said to have behaved with exemplary moderation and Christian
charity. He arose from the blow, adjusted his clothes, and made no attempt at retaliation
at ail-merely muttering a few words about "taking summary vengeance at the first
convenient opportunity,"- a natural and very justifiable ebullition of anger, which meant
nothing, however, and, beyond doubt, was no sooner given vent to than forgotten.

However these matters may be (which have no reference to the point now at issue), it is
quite certain that the people of Rattleborough, principally through the persuasion of Mr.
Pennifeather, came at length to the determination of dispersion over the adjacent country
in search of the missing Mr. Shuttleworthy. I say they came to this determination in the
first instance. After it had been fully resolved that a search should be made, it was
considered almost a matter of course that the seekers should disperse-that is to say,
distribute themselves in parties-for the more thorough examination of the region round
about. I forget, however, by what ingenious train of reasoning it was that "Old Charley"
finally convinced the assembly that this was the most injudicious plan that could be
pursued. Convince them, however, he did-all except Mr. Pennifeather, and, in the end, it
was arranged that a search should be instituted, carefully and very thoroughly, by the
burghers en masse, "Old Charley" himself leading the way.

As for the matter of that, there could have been no better pioneer than "Old Charley,"
whom everybody knew to have the eye of a lynx; but, although he led them into all
manner of out-of-the-way holes and corners, by routes that nobody had ever suspected of
existing in the neighbourhood, and although the search was incessantly kept up day and
night for nearly a week, still no trace of Mr. Shuttleworthy could be discovered. When I
say no trace, however, I must not be understood to speak literally, for trace, to some
extent, there certainly was. The poor gentleman had been tracked, by his horses shoes

(which were peculiar), to a spot about three miles to the east of the borough, on the main
road leading to the city. Here the track made off into a by-path through a piece of
woodland-the path coming out again into the main road, and cutting off about half a mile
of the regular distance. Following the shoe-marks down this lane, the party came at
length to a pool of stagnant water, half hidden by the brambles, to the right of the lane,
and opposite this pool all vestige of the track was lost sight of. It appeared, however, that
a struggle of some nature had here taken place, and it seemed as if some large and heavy
body, much larger and heavier than a man, had been drawn from the by-path to the pool.
This latter was carefully dragged twice, but nothing was found; and the party was upon
the point of going away, in despair of coming to any result, when Providence suggested
to Mr. Goodfellow the expediency of draining the water off altogether. This project was
received with cheers, and many high compliments to "Old Charley" upon his sagacity and
consideration. As many of the burghers had brought spades with them, supposing that
they might possibly be called upon to disinter a corpse, the drain was easily and speedily
effected; and no sooner was the bottom visible, than right in the middle of the mud that
remained was discovered a black silk velvet waistcoat, which nearly every one present
immediately recognized as the property of Mr. Pennifeather. This waistcoat was much
torn and stained with blood, and there were several persons among the party who had a
distinct remembrance of its having been worn by its owner on the very morning of Mr.
Shuttleworthy's departure for the city; while there were others, again, ready to testify
upon oath, if required, that Mr. P. did not wear the garment in question at any period
during the remainder of that memorable day, nor could any one be found to say that he
had seen it upon Mr. P.'s person at any period at all subsequent to Mr. Shuttleworthy's
disappearance.

Matters now wore a very serious aspect for Mr. Pennifeather, and it was observed, as an
indubitable confirmation of the suspicions which were excited against him, that he grew
exceedingly pale, and when asked what he had to say for himself, was utterly incapable
of saying a word. Hereupon, the few friends his riotous mode of living had left him,
deserted him at once to a man, and were even more clamorous than his ancient and
avowed enemies for his instantaneous arrest. But, on the other hand, the magnanimity of
Mr. Goodfellow shone forth with only the more brilliant lustre through contrast. He made
a warm and intensely eloquent defence of Mr. Pennifeather, in which he alluded more
than once to his own sincere forgiveness of that wild young gentleman-"the heir of the
worthy Mr. Shuttleworthy,"-for the insult which he (the young gentleman) had, no doubt
in the heat of passion, thought proper to put upon him (Mr. Goodfellow). "He forgave
him for it," he said, "from the very bottom of his heart; and for himself (Mr. Goodfellow),
so far from pushing the suspicious circumstances to extremity, which he was sorry to say,
really had arisen against Mr. Pennifeather, he (Mr. Goodfellow) would make every
exertion in his power, would employ all the little eloquence in his possession to-to-to-
soften down, as much as he could conscientiously do so, the worst features of this really
exceedingly perplexing piece of business."

Mr. Goodfellow went on for some half hour longer in this strain, very much to the credit
both of his head and of his heart; but your warm-hearted people are seldom apposite in
their observations-they run into all sorts of blunders, contre-temps and mal apropos-isms.

in the hot-headedness of their zeal to serve a friend-thus, often with the kindest intentions
in the world, doing infinitely more to prejudice his cause than to advance it.

So, in the present instance, it turned out with all the eloquence of "Old Charley"; for,
although he laboured earnestly in behalf of the suspected, yet it so happened, somehow or
other, that every syllable he uttered of which the direct but unwitting tendency was not to
exalt the speaker in the good opinion of his audience, had the effect to deepen the
suspicion already attached to the individual whose cause he pleaded, and to arouse
against him the fury of the mob.

One of the most unaccountable errors committed by the orator was his allusion to the
suspected as "the heir of the worthy old gentleman Mr. Shuttle worthy." The people had
really never thought of this before. They had only remembered certain threats of
disinheritance uttered a year or two previously by the uncle (who had no living relative
except the nephew), and they had, therefore, always looked upon this disinheritance as a
matter that was settled-so single-minded a race of beings were the Rattleburghers; but the
remark of "Old Charley" brought them at once to a consideration of this point, and thus
gave them to see the possibility of the threats having been nothing more than a threat.
And straightway hereupon, arose the natural question of cui bono?-a question that tended
even more than the waistcoat to fasten the terrible crime upon the young man. And here,
lest I may be misunderstood, permit me to digress for one moment merely to observe that
the exceedingly brief and simple Latin phrase which I have employed, is invariably
mistranslated and misconceived. "Cui bono?" in all the crack novels and elsewhere,-in
those of Mrs. Gore, for example, (the author of "Cecil,") a lady who quotes all tongues
from the Chaldaean to Chickasaw, and is helped to her learning, "as needed," upon a
systematic plan, by Mr. Beckford,-in all the crack novels, I say, from those of Bulwer
and Dickens to those of Bulwer and Dickens to those of Turnapenny and Ainsworth, the
two little Latin words cui bono are rendered "to what purpose?" or, (as if quo bono,) "to
what good." Their true meaning, nevertheless, is "for whose advantage." Cui, to whom;
bono, is it for a benefit. It is a purely legal phrase, and applicable precisely in cases such
as we have now under consideration, where the probability of the doer of a deed hinges
upon the probability of the benefit accruing to this individual or to that from the deed's
accomplishment. Now in the present instance, the question cui bono? very pointedly
implicated Mr. Pennifeather. His uncle had threatened him, after making a will in his
favour, with disinheritance. But the threat had not been actually kept; the original will, it
appeared, had not been altered. Had it been altered, the only supposable motive for
murder on the part of the suspected would have been the ordinary one of revenge; and
even this would have been counteracted by the hope of reinstation into the good graces of
the uncle. But the will being unaltered, while the threat to alter remained suspended over
the nephew's head, there appears at once the very strongest possible inducement for the
atrocity, and so concluded, very sagaciously, the worthy citizens of the borough of Rattle.

Mr. Pennifeather was, accordingly, arrested upon the spot, and the crowd, after some
further search, proceeded homeward, having him in custody. On the route, however,
another circumstance occurred tending to confirm the suspicion entertained. Mr.
Goodfellow, whose zeal led him to be always a little in advance of the party, was seen

suddenly to run forward a few paces, stoop, and then apparently to pick up some small
object from the grass. Having quickly examined it he was observed, too, to make a sort of
half attempt at concealing it in his coat pocket; but this action was noticed, as I say, and
consequently prevented, when the object picked up was found to be a Spanish knife
which a dozen persons at once recognized as belonging to Mr. Pennifeather. Moreover,
his initials were engraved upon the handle. The blade of this knife was open and bloody.

No doubt now remained of the guilt of the nephew, and immediately upon reaching
Rattleborough he was taken before a magistrate for examination.

Here matters again took a most unfavourable turn. The prisoner, being questioned as to
his whereabouts on the morning of Mr. Shuttleworthy's disappearance, had absolutely the
audacity to acknowledge that on that very morning he had been out with his rifle deer-
stalking, in the immediate neighbourhood of the pool where the blood-stained waistcoat
had been discovered through the sagacity of Mr. Goodfellow.

This latter now came forward, and, with tears in his eyes, asked permission to be
examined. He said that a stern sense of the duty he owed his Maker, not less than his
fellow-men, would permit him no longer to remain silent. Hitherto, the sincerest affection
for the young man (notwithstanding the latter's ill-treatment of himself, Mr. Goodfellow)
had induced him to make every hypothesis which imagination could suggest, by way of
endeavouring to account for what appeared suspicious in the circumstances that told so
seriously against Mr. Pennifeather, but these circumstances were now altogether too
convincing-too damning, he would hesitate no longer- he would tell all he knew,
although his heart (Mr. Goodfellow's) should absolutely burst asunder in the effort. He
then went on to state that, on the afternoon of the day previous to Mr. Shuttleworthy's
departure for the city, that worthy old gentleman had mentioned to his nephew, in his
hearing (Mr. Goodfellow's), that his object in going to town on the morrow was to make
a deposit of an unusually large sum of money in the "Farmers and Mechanics' Bank," and
that, then and there, the said Mr. Shuttleworthy had distinctly avowed to the said nephew
his irrevocable determination of rescinding the will originally made, and of cutting him
off with a shilling. He (the witness) now solemnly called upon the accused to state
whether what he (the witness) had just stated was or was not the truth in every substantial
particular. Much to the astonishment of every one present, Mr. Pennifeather frankly
admitted that it was.

The magistrate now considered it his duty to send a couple of constables to search the
chamber of the accused in the house of his uncle. From this search they almost
immediately returned with the well-known steel-bound, russet leather pocket-book which
the old gentleman had been in the habit of carrying for years. Its valuable contents,
however, had been abstracted, and the magistrate in vain endeavoured to extort from the
prisoner the use which had been made of them, or the place of their concealment. Indeed,
he obstinately denied all knowledge of the matter. The constables, also, discovered,
between the bed and sacking of the unhappy man, a shirt and neck-handkerchief both
marked with the initials of his name, and both hideously besmeared with the blood of the
victim.

At this juncture, it was announced that the horse of the murdered man had just expired in
the stable from the effects of the wound he had received, and it was proposed by Mr.
Goodfellow that a post mortem examination of the beast should be immediately made,
with the view, if possible, of discovering the ball. This was accordingly done; and, as if to
demonstrate beyond a question the guilt of the accused, Mr. Goodfellow, after
considerable searching in the cavity of the chest was enabled to detect and to pull forth a
bullet of very extraordinary size, which, upon trial, was found to be exactly adapted to the
bore of Mr. Pennifeather's rifle, while it was far too large for that of any other person in
the borough or its vicinity. To render the matter even surer yet, however, this bullet was
discovered to have a flaw or seam at right angles to the usual suture, and upon
examination, this seam corresponded precisely with an accidental ridge or elevation in a
pair of moulds acknowledged by the accused himself to be his own property. Upon
finding of this bullet, the examining magistrate refused to listen to any farther testimony,
and immediately committed the prisoner for trial-declining resolutely to take any bail in
the case, although against this severity Mr. Goodfellow very warmly remonstrated, and
offered to become surety in whatever amount might be required. This generosity on the
part of "Old Charley" was only in accordance with the whole tenour of his amiable and
chivalrous conduct during the entire period of his sojourn in the borough of Rattle. In the
present instance the worthy man was so entirely carried away by the excessive warmth of
his sympathy, that he seemed to have quite forgotten, when he offered to go bail for his
young friend, that he himself (Mr. Goodfellow) did not possess a single dollar's worth of
property upon the face of the earth.

The result of the committal may be readily foreseen. Mr. Pennifeather, amid the loud
execrations of all Rattleborough, was brought to trial at the next criminal sessions, when
the chain of circumstantial evidence (strengthened as it was by some additional damning
facts, which Mr. Goodfellow's sensitive conscientiousness forbade him to withhold from
the court) was considered so unbroken and so thoroughly conclusive, that the jury,
without leaving their seats, returned an immediate verdict of "Guilty of murder in the first
degree." Soon afterward the unhappy wretch received sentence of death, and was
remanded to the county jail to await the inexorable vengeance of the law.

In the meantime, the noble behaviour of "Old Charley Goodfellow, had doubly endeared
him to the honest citizens of the borough. He became ten times a greater favorite than
ever, and, as a natural result of the hospitality with which he was treated, he relaxed, as it
were, perforce, the extremely parsimonious habits which his poverty had hitherto
impelled him to observe, and very frequently had little reunions at his own house, when
wit and jollity reigned supreme-dampened a little, of course, by the occasional
remembrance of the untoward and melancholy fate which impended over the nephew of
the late lamented bosom friend of the generous host.

One fine day, this magnanimous old gentleman was agreeably surprised at the receipt of
the following letter: -

Chat. Mar. A-No. 1.-

6 doz. bottles (1/2 Gross)

From H.F.B. & Co.

Charles Goodfellow, Esq., Rattleborough

"Charles Goodfellow, Esquire.

"Dear Sir-In conformity with an order transmitted to our firm about two months since, by
our esteemed correspondent, Mr. Barnabus Shuttleworthy, we have the honour of
forwarding this morning, to your address, a double box of Chateau-Margaux of the
antelope brand, violet seal. Box numbered and marked as per margin.

"We remain, sir.

Your most ob'nt ser'ts,

HOGGS, FROGS, BOGS, & CO.

"City of-, June 21, 18-.

"P.S.-The box will reach you by wagon, on the day after your receipt of this letter. Our
respects to Mr. Shuttleworthy.

"H., F.,B., &C0."

The fact is, that Mr. Goodfellow had, since the death of Mr. Shuttleworthy, given over all
expectation of ever receiving the promised Chateau-Margaux; and he, therefore, looked
upon it now as a sort of especial dispensation of Providence in his behalf. He was highly
delighted, of course, and in the exuberance of his joy invited a large party of friends to a
petit souper on the morrow, for the purpose of broaching the good old Mr.
Shuttleworthy's present. Not that he said any thing about "the good old Mr.
Shuttleworthy" when he issued the invitations. The fact is, he thought much and
concluded to say nothing at all. He did not mention to any one-if I remember aright-that
he had received a present of Chateau-Margaux. He merely asked his friends to come and
help him drink some, of a remarkable fine quality and rich flavour, that he had ordered up
from the city a couple of months ago, and of which he would be in the receipt upon the
morrow. I have often puzzled myself to imagine why it was that "Old Charley" came to
the conclusion to say nothing about having received the wine from his old friend, but I
could never precisely understand his reason for the silence, although he had some
excellent and very magnanimous reason, no doubt.

The morrow at length arrived, and with it a very large and highly respectable company at
Mr. Goodfellow's house. Indeed, half the borough was there,-I myself among the
number,-but, much to the vexation of the host, the Chateau-Margaux did not arrive until
a late hour, and when the sumptuous supper supplied by "Old Charley" had been done

very ample justice by the guests. It came at length, however -a monstrously big box of it
there was, too-and as the whole party were in excessively good humor, it was decided,
nem. con., that it should be lifted upon the table and its contents disembowelled
forthwith.

No sooner said than done. I lent a helping hand; and, in a trice we had the box upon the
table, in the midst of all the bottles and glasses, not a few of which were demolished in
the scuffle. "Old Charley," who was pretty much intoxicated, and excessively red in the
face, now took a seat, with an air of mock dignity, at the head of the board, and thumped
furiously upon it with a decanter, calling upon the company to keep order "during the
ceremony of disinterring the treasure."

After some vociferation, quiet was at length fully restored, and, as very often happens in
similar cases, a profound and remarkable silence ensued. Being then requested to force
open the lid, I complied, of course, "with an infinite deal of pleasure." I inserted a chisel,
and giving it a few slight taps with a hammer, the top of the box flew suddenly off, and at
the same instant, there sprang up into a sitting position, directly facing the host, the
bruised, bloody, and nearly putrid corpse of the murdered Mr. Shuttleworthy himself. It
gazed for a few seconds, fixedly and sorrowfully, with its decaying and lack-lustre eyes,
full into the countenance of Mr. Goodfellow; uttered slowly, but clearly and
impressively, the words-"Thou art the man!" and then, falling over the side of the chest
as if thoroughly satisfied, stretched out its limbs quiveringly upon the table.

The scene that ensued is altogether beyond description. The rush for the doors and
windows was terrific, and many of the most robust men in the room fainted outright
through sheer horror. But after the first wild, shrieking burst of affright, all eyes were
directed to Mr. Goodfellow. If I live a thousand years, I can never forget the more than
mortal agony which was depicted in that ghastly face of his, so lately rubicund with
triumph and wine. For several minutes he sat rigidly as a statue of marble; his eyes
seeming, in the intense vacancy of their gaze, to be turned inward and absorbed in the
contemplation of his own miserable, murderous soul. At length their expression appeared
to flash suddenly out into the external world, when, with a quick leap, he sprang from his
chair, and falling heavily with his head and shoulders upon the table, and in contact with
the corpse, poured out rapidly and vehemently a detailed confession of the hideous crime
for which Mr. Pennifeather was then imprisoned and doomed to die.

What he recounted was in substance this:-He followed his victim to the vicinity of the
pool; there shot his horse with a pistol; despatched its rider with the butt end; possessed
himself of the pocket-book, and, supposing the horse dead, dragged it with great labour to
the brambles by the pond. Upon his own beast he slung the corpse of Mr. Shuttleworthy,
and thus bore it to a secure place of concealment a long distance off through the woods.

The waistcoat, the knife, the pocket-book, and bullet, had been placed by himself where
found, with the view of avenging himself upon Mr. Pennifeather. He had also contrived
the discovery of the stained handkerchief and shirt.

Towards the end of the blood-churning recital the words of the guilty wretch faltered and
grew hollow. When the record was finally exhausted, he arose, staggered backward from
the table, and fell-dead.

The means by which this happily-timed confession was extorted, although efficient, were
simple indeed. Mr. Goodfellow's excess of frankness had disgusted me, and excited my
suspicions from the first. I was present when Mr. Pennifeather had struck him, and the
fiendish expression which then arose upon his countenance, although momentary, assured
me that his threat of vengeance would, if possible, be rigidly fulfilled. I was thus prepared
to view the manoeuvering of "Old Charley" in a very different light from that in which it
was regarded by the good citizens of Rattleborough. I saw at once that all the criminating
discoveries arose, either directly or indirectly, from himself. But the fact which clearly
opened my eyes to the true state of the case, was the affair of the bullet, found by Mr. G.
in the carcass of the horse. I had not forgotten, although the Rattleburghers had, that there
was a hole where the ball had entered the horse, and another where it went out. If it were
found in the animal then, after having made its exit, I saw clearly that it must have been
deposited by the person who found it. The bloody shirt and handkerchief confirmed the
idea suggested by the bullet; for the blood on examination proved to be capital claret, and
no more. When I came to think of these things, and also of the late increase of liberality
and expenditure on the part of Mr. Goodfellow, I entertained a suspicion which was none
the less strong because I kept it altogether to myself.

In the meantime, I instituted a rigorous private search for the corpse of Mr.
Shuttleworthy, and, for good reasons, searched in quarters as divergent as possible from
those to which Mr. Goodfellow conducted his party. The result was that, after some days,
I came across an old dry well, the mouth of which was nearly hidden by brambles; and
here, at the bottom, I discovered what I sought.

Now it so happened that I had overheard the colloquy between the two cronies, when Mr.
Goodfellow had contrived to cajole his host into the promise of a box of Chateaux-
Margaux. Upon this hint I acted. I procured a stiff piece of whalebone, thrust it down the
throat of the corpse, and deposited the latter in an old wine box-taking care so to double
the body up as to double the whalebone with it. In this manner I had to press forcibly
upon the lid to keep it down while I secured it with nails; and I anticipated, of course, that
as soon as these latter were removed, the top would fly off and the body up.

Having thus arranged the box, I marked, numbered, and addressed it as already told; and
then writing a letter in the name of the wine merchants with whom Mr. Shuttleworthy
dealt, I gave instructions to my servant to wheel the box to Mr. Goodfellow's door, in a
barrow, at a given signal from myself. For the words which I intended the corpse to
speak, I confidently depended upon my ventriloquial abilities; for their effect, I counted
upon the conscience of the murderous wretch.

I believe there is nothing more to be explained. Mr. Pennifeather was released upon the
spot, inherited the fortune of his uncle, profited by the lessons of experience, turned over
a new leaf, and led happily ever afterward a new life.

THREE SUNDAYS IN A WEEK

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

YOU hard-headed, dunder-headed, obstinate, rusty, crusty, musty, fusty, old savage!"
said I, in fancy, one afternoon, to my grand uncle Rumgudgeon-shaking my fist at him in
imagination.

Only in imagination. The fact is, some trivial discrepancy did exist, just then, between
what I said and what I had not the courage to say-between what I did and what I had half
a mind to do.

The old porpoise, as I opened the drawing-room door, was sitting with his feet upon the
mantel-piece, and a bumper of port in his paw, making strenuous efforts to accomplish
the ditty.

Remplis ton verre vide!
Vide ton verre plein!

"My dear uncle," said I, closing the door gently, and approaching him with the blandest
of smiles, "you are always so very kind and considerate, and have evinced your
benevolence in so many-so very many ways-that-that I feel I have only to suggest this
little point to you once more to make sure of your full acquiescence."

"Hem!" said he, "good boy! go on!"

"I am sure, my dearest uncle [you confounded old rascal!], that you have no design
really, seriously, to oppose my union with Kate. This is merely a joke of yours, I know-
ha! ha! ha!-how very pleasant you are at times."

"Ha! ha! ha!" said he, "curse you! yes!"

"To be sure-of course ! I knew you were jesting. Now, uncle, all that Kate and myself
wish at present, is that you would oblige us with your advice as-as regards the time-you
know, uncle-in short, when will it be most convenient for yourself, that the wedding
shall-shall come off, you know?"

"Come off, you scoundrel! -what do you mean by that?-Better wait till it goes on."

"Ha! ha! ha!-he! he! he!-hi! hi! hi!-ho! ho! ho!-hu! hu! hu!- that's good!-oh that's
capital-such a wit! But all we want just now, you know, uncle, is that you would indicate
the time precisely."

"Ah!-precisely?"

"Yes, uncle-that is, if it would be quite agreeable to yourself."

"Wouldn't it answer, Bobby, if I were to leave it at random-some time within a year or
so, for example?-must I say precisely?"

"If you please, uncle-precisely."

"Well, then, Bobby, my boy-you're a fine fellow, aren't you?-since you will have the
exact time I'U-why I'll oblige you for once:"

"Dear uncle!"

"Hush, sir!" [drowning my voiceJ-I'll oblige you for once. You shall have my consent-
and the plum, we mus'n't forget the plum-let me see! when shall it be? To-day's Sunday-
isn't it? Well, then, you shall be married precisely-precisely, now mind!-when three
Sundays come together in a week! Do you hear me, sir! What are you gaping at? I say,
you shall have Kate and her plum when three Sundays come together in a week-but not
till then-you young scapegrace-not till then, if I die for it. You know me-I'm a man of
my word-now be off! " Here he swallowed his bumper of port, while I rushed from the
room in despair.

A very "fine old English gentleman," was my grand-uncle Rumgudgeon, but unlike him
of the song, he had his weak points. He was a little, pursy, pompous, passionate
semicircular somebody, with a red nose, a thick scull, [sic] a long purse, and a strong
sense of his own consequence. With the best heart in the world, he contrived, through a
predominant whim of contradiction, to earn for himself, among those who only knew him
superficially, the character of a curmudgeon. Like many excellent people, he seemed
possessed with a spirit of tantalization, which might easily, at a casual glance, have been
mistaken for malevolence. To every request, a positive "No!" was his immediate answer,
but in the end-in the long, long end-there were exceedingly few requests which he
refused. Against all attacks upon his purse he made the most sturdy defence; but the
amount extorted from him, at last, was generally in direct ratio with the length of the
siege and the stubbornness of the resistance. In charity no one gave more liberally or with
a worse grace.

For the fine arts, and especially for the belles-lettres, he entertained a profound contempt.
With this he had been inspired by Casimir Perier, whose pert little query "A quoi un
poete est il bon?" he was in the habit of quoting, with a very droll pronunciation, as the
ne plus ultra of logical wit. Thus my own inkling for the Muses had excited his entire
displeasure. He assured me one day, when I asked him for a new copy of Horace, that the
translation of "Poeta nascitur non fit" was "a nasty poet for nothing fit"-a remark which I
took in high dudgeon. His repugnance to "the humanities" had, also, much increased of
late, by an accidental bias in favor of what he supposed to be natural science. Somebody
had accosted him in the street, mistaking him for no less a personage than Doctor Dubble

L. Dee, the lecturer upon quack physics. This set him off at a tangent; and just at the
epoch of this story-for story it is getting to be after all-my grand-uncle Rumgudgeon was
accessible and pacific only upon points which happened to chime in with the caprioles of
the hobby he was riding. For the rest, he laughed with his arms and legs, and his politics
were stubborn and easily understood. He thought, with Horsley, that "the people have
nothing to do with the laws but to obey them."

I had lived with the old gentleman all my life. My parents, in dying, had bequeathed me
to him as a rich legacy. I believe the old villain loved me as his own child-nearly if not
quite as well as he loved Kate-but it was a dog's existence that he led me, after all. From
my first year until my fifth, he obliged me with very regular floggings. From five to
fifteen, he threatened me, hourly, with the House of Correction. From fifteen to twenty,
not a day passed in which he did not promise to cut me off with a shilling. I was a sad
dog, it is true-but then it was a part of my nature-a point of my faith. In Kate, however, I
had a firm friend, and I knew it. She was a good girl, and told me very sweetly that I
might have her (plum and all) whenever I could badger my grand-uncle Rumgudgeon,
into the necessary consent. Poor girl!-she was barely fifteen, and without this consent,
her little amount in the funds was not come-at-able until five immeasurable summers had
"dragged their slow length along." What, then, to do? At fifteen, or even at twenty-one
[for I had now passed my fifth olympiad] five years in prospect are very much the same
as five hundred. In vain we besieged the old gentleman with importunities. Here was a
piece de resistance (as Messieurs Ude and Careme would say) which suited his perverse
fancy to a T. It would have stiffed the indignation of Job himself, to see how much like
an old mouser he behaved to us two poor wretched little mice. In his heart he wished for
nothing more ardently than our union. He had made up his mind to this all along. In fact,
he would have given ten thousand pounds from his own pocket (Kate's plum was her
own) if he could have invented any thing like an excuse for complying with our very
natural wishes. But then we had been so imprudent as to broach the subject ourselves.
Not to oppose it under such circumstances, I sincerely believe, was not in his power.

I have said already that he had his weak points; but in speaking of these, I must not be
understood as referring to his obstinacy: which was one of his strong points-"assurement
ce n' etait pas sa foible." When I mention his weakness I have allusion to a bizarre old-
womanish superstition which beset him. He was great in dreams, portents, et id genus
omne of rigmarole. He was excessively punctilious, too, upon small points of honor, and,
after his own fashion, was a man of his word, beyond doubt. This was, in fact, one of his
hobbies. The spirit of his vows he made no scruple of setting at naught, but the letter was
a bond inviolable. Now it was this latter peculiarity in his disposition, of which Kates
ingenuity enabled us one fine day, not long after our interview in the dining-room, to take
a very unexpected advantage, and, having thus, in the fashion of all modern bards and
orators, exhausted in prolegomena, all the time at my command, and nearly all the room
at my disposal, I will sum up in a few words what constitutes the whole pith of the story.

It happened then-so the Fates ordered it-that among the naval acquaintances of my
betrothed, were two gentlemen who had just set foot upon the shores of England, after a
year's absence, each, in foreign travel. In company with these gentlemen, my cousin and

I, preconcertedly paid uncle Rumgudgeon a visit on the afternoon of Sunday, October the
tenth-just three weeks after the memorable decision which had so cruelly defeated our
hopes. For about half an hour the conversation ran upon ordinary topics, but at last, we
contrived, quite naturally, to give it the following turn:

CAPT. PRATT. "Well I have been absent just one year.-Just one year to-day, as I live-
let me see! yes!-this is October the tenth. You remember, Mr. Rumgudgeon, I called, this
day year to bid you good-bye. And by the way, it does seem something like a
coincidence, does it not-that our friend. Captain Smitherton, here, has been absent
exactly a year also-a year to-day!"

SMITHERTON. "Yes! just one year to a fraction. You will remember, Mr. Rumgudgeon,
that I called with Capt. Pratol on this very day, last year, to pay my parting respects."

UNCLE. "Yes, yes, yes-I remember it very well-very queer indeed! Both of you gone
just one year. A very strange coincidence, indeed! Just what Doctor Dubble L. Dee would
denominate an extraordinary concurrence of events. Doctor Dub-"

KATE. [Interrupting.] "To be sure, papa, it is something strange; but then Captain Pratt
and Captain Smitherton didn't go altogether the same route, and that makes a difference,
you know."

UNCLE. "I don't know any such thing, you huzzy! How should I? I think it only makes
the matter more remarkable. Doctor Dubble L. Dee-

KATE. Why, papa. Captain Pratt went round Cape Horn, and Captain Smitherton
doubled the Cape of Good Hope."

UNCLE. "Precisely !-the one went east and the other went west, you jade, and they both
have gone quite round the world. By the by. Doctor Dubble L. Dee-

MYSELF. [Hurriedly.] "Captain Pratt, you must come and spend the evening with us to-
morrow-you and Smitherton-you can tell us all about your voyage, and well have a game
of whist and-

PRATT. "Wist, my dear fellow-you forget. To-morrow will be Sunday. Some other
evening-

KATE. "Oh, no. fie!-Robert's not quite so bad as that. To-day's Sunday."

PRATT. "I beg both your pardons-but I can't be so much mistaken. I know to-morrow's
Sunday, because-"

SMITHERTON. [Much surprised.] "What are you all thinking about? Wasn't yesterday,
Sunday, I should like to know?"

ALL. "Yesterday indeed! you are out!"

UNCLE. "To-days Sunday, I say-don't I know?"

PRATT. "Oh no!-to-morrow's Sunday."

SMITHERTON. "You are all mad-every one of you. I am as positive that yesterday was
Sunday as I am that I sit upon this chair."

KATE, [jumping up eagerly.] "I see it-I see it all. Papa, this is a judgment upon you,
about-about you know what. Let me alone, and I'll explain it all in a minute. It's a very
simple thing, indeed. Captain Smitherton says that yesterday was Sunday: so it was; he is
right. Cousin Bobby, and uncle and I say that to-day is Sunday: so it is; we are right.
Captain Pratt maintains that to-morrow will be Sunday: so it will; he is right, too. The
fact is, we are all right, and thus three Sundays have come together in a week."

SMITHERTON. [After a pause.] "By the by, Pratt, Kate has us completely. What fools
we two are! Mr. Rumgudgeon, the matter stands thus: the earth, you know, is twenty-four
thousand miles in circumference. Now this globe of the earth turns upon its own axis-
revolves-spins round-these twenty-four thousand miles of extent, going from west to
east, in precisely twenty-four hours. Do you understand Mr. Rumgudgeon?-"

UNCLE. "To be sure-to be sure-Doctor Dub-"

SMITHERTON. [Drowning his voice.] "Well, sir; that is at the rate of one thousand
miles per hour. Now, suppose that I sail from this position a thousand miles east. Of
course I anticipate the rising of the sun here at London by just one hour. I see the sun rise
one hour before you do. Proceeding, in the same direction, yet another thousand miles, I
anticipate the rising by two hours-another thousand, and I anticipate it by three hours,
and so on, until I go entirely round the globe, and back to this spot, when, having gone
twenty-four thousand miles east, I anticipate the rising of the London sun by no less than
twenty-four hours; that is to say, I am a day in advance of your time. Understand, eh?"

UNCLE. "But Double L. Dee-"

SMITHERTON. [Speaking very loud.] "Captain Pratt, on the contrary, when he had
sailed a thousand miles west of this position, was an hour, and when he had sailed
twenty-four thousand miles west, was twenty-four hours, or one day, behind the time at
London. Thus, with me, yesterday was Sunday-thus, with you, to-day is Sunday-and
thus, with Pratt, to-morrow will be Sunday. And what is more, Mr. Rumgudgeon, it is
positively clear that we are all right; for there can be no philosophical reason assigned
why the idea of one of us should have preference over that of the other."

UNCLE. "My eyes!-well, Kate-well, Bobby !-this is a judgment upon me, as you say.
But I am a man of my word-mark that! you shall have her, boy, (plum and all), when you

please. Done up, by Jove! Three Sundays all in a row! I'll go, and take Bubble L. Dee's
opinion upon that."

THE END

TO"

by Edgar Allan Poe

1830

The bowers whereat, in dreams, I see
The wantonest singing birds.
Are lips-and all thy melody
Of lip-begotten words-

Thine eyes, in Heaven of heart enshrined.

Then desolately fall,

O God! on my funereal mind

Like starlight on a pall-

Thy heart-thy heart!-! wake and sigh.
And sleep to dream till day
Of the truth that gold can never buy-
Of the baubles that it may.

THE END

TO

by Edgar Allan Poe

1829

Not long ago, the writer of these lines,
In the mad pride of intellectuality.
Maintained "the power of words "-denied that ever
A thought arose within the human brain
Beyond the utterance of the human tongue:
And now, as if in mockery of that boast.
Two words-two foreign soft dissyllables-
Italian tones, made only to be murmured
By angels dreaming in the moonlit "dew
That hangs like chains of pearl on Hermon hill,"
Have stirred from out the abysses of his heart,
Unthought-like thoughts that are the souls of thought.
Richer, far wilder, far diviner visions
Than even seraph harper, Israfel,
(Who has "the sweetest voice of all God's creatures,")
Could hope to utter. And I! my spells are broken.
The pen falls powerless from my shivering hand.
With thy dear name as text, though bidden by thee,
I cannot write-I cannot speak or think-
Alas, I cannot feel; for 'tis not feeling.
This standing motionless upon the golden
Threshold of the wide-open gate of dreams.
Gazing, entranced, adown the gorgeous vista.
And thrilling as I see, upon the right.
Upon the left, and all the way along.
Amid empurpled vapors, far away
To where the prospect terminate s-thee only.

THE END

TOF"

by Edgar Allan Poe

1835

Beloved! amid the earnest woes

That crowd around my earthly path-

(Drear path, alas! where grows

Not even one lonely rose)-

My soul at least a solace hath

In dreams of thee, and therein knows

An Eden of bland repose.

And thus thy memory is to me
Like some enchanted far-off isle
In some tumultuous sea-
Some ocean throbbing far and free
With storms-but where meanwhile
Serenest skies continually
Just o'er that one bright island smile.

THE END

TO F--S S. O-D

by Edgar Allan Poe

1835

Thou wouldst be loved?-then let thy heart
From its present pathway part not!
Being everything which now thou art,
Be nothing which thou art not.
So with the world thy gentle ways,
Thy grace, thy more than beauty.
Shall be an endless theme of praise.
And love-a simple duty.

THE END

TO HELEN

by Edgar Allan Poe

1831

Helen, thy beauty is to me
Like those Nicean barks of yore,
That gently, o'er a perfumed sea.
The weary, wayworn wanderer bore
To his own native shore.

On desperate seas long wont to roam.
Thy hyacinth hair, thy classic face.
Thy Naiad airs have brought me home
To the glory that was Greece
And the grandeur that was Rome.

Lo! in yon brilliant window-niche
How statue-like I see thee stand.
The agate lamp within thy hand!
Ah, Psyche, from the regions which
Are Holy Land!

THE END

TO HELEN

by Edgar Allan Poe

1848

I saw thee once-once only-years ago:
I must not say how many-but not many.
It was a July midnight; and from out
A full-orbed moon, that, like thine own soul, soaring.
Sought a precipitate pathway up through heaven.
There fell a silvery- silken veil of light.
With quietude, and sultriness, and slumber.
Upon the upturned faces of a thousand
Roses that grew in an enchanted garden.
Where no wind dared to stir, unless on tiptoe-
Fell on the uptum'd faces of these roses
That gave out, in return for the love-light.
Their odorous souls in an ecstatic death-
Fell on the uptum'd faces of these roses
That smiled and died in this parterre, enchanted
By thee, and by the poetry of thy presence.

Clad all in white, upon a violet bank
I saw thee half reclining; while the moon
Fell on the uptum'd faces of the roses.
And on thine own, upturn'd-alas, in sorrow!

Was it not Fate, that, on this July midnight-
Was it not Fate, (whose name is also Sorrow,)
That bade me pause before that garden-gate.
To breathe the incense of those slumbering roses?
No footstep stirred: the hated world an slept.
Save only thee and me. (Oh, Heaven !-oh, God!
How my heart beats in coupling those two words!)
Save only thee and me. I paused-I looked-
And in an instant all things disappeared.
(Ah, bear in mind this garden was enchanted!)

The pearly lustre of the moon went out:
The mossy banks and the meandering paths.
The happy flowers and the repining trees.
Were seen no more: the very roses' odors
Died in the arms of the adoring airs.

All-all expired save thee-save less than thou:
Save only the divine light in thine eyes-
Save but the soul in thine uplifted eyes.
I saw but them-they were the world to me!
I saw but them-saw only them for hours,
Saw only them until the moon went down.
What wild heart-histories seemed to he enwritten
Upon those crystalline, celestial spheres!
How dark a woe, yet how sublime a hope!
How silently serene a sea of pride!
How daring an ambition; yet how deep-
How fathomless a capacity for love!

But now, at length, dear Dian sank from sight.
Into a western couch of thunder-cloud;
And thou, a ghost, amid the entombing trees
Didst glide away. Only thine eyes remained;
They would not go-they never yet have gone;
Lighting my lonely pathway home that night.
They have not left me (as my hopes have) since;
They follow me-they lead me through the years.
They are my ministers-yet I their slave.
Their office is to illumine and enkindle-
My duty, to be saved by their bright light.
And purified in their electric fire.
And sanctified in their elysian fire.
They fill my soul with Beauty (which is Hope),
And are far up in Heaven-the stars I kneel to
In the sad, silent watches of my night;
While even in the meridian glare of day
I see them still-two sweetly scintillant
Venuses, unextinguished by the sun!

THE END

TOM"

by Edgar Allan Poe

1830

O! I care not that my earthly lot
Hath little of Earth in it,
That years of love have been forgot
In the fever of a minute:

I heed not that the desolate
Are happier, sweet, than I,
But that you meddle with my fate
Who am a passer by.

It is not that my founts of bliss
Are gushing-strange! with tears-
Or that the thrill of a single kiss
Hath palsied many years-

'Tis not that the flowers of twenty springs
Which have wither'd as they rose
Lie dead on my heart-strings
With the weight of an age of snows.

Not that the grass-0! may it thrive!
On my grave is growing or grown-
But that, while I am dead yet alive
I cannot be, lady, alone.

THE END

TO M.L.S.

by Edgar Allan Poe

1847

Of all who hail thy presence as the moming-

Of all to whom thine absence is the night-

The blotting utterly from out high heaven

The sacred sun-of all who, weeping, bless thee

Hourly for hope-for life-ah! above all.

For the resurrection of deep-buried faith

In Truth-in Virtue-in Humanity-

Of all who, on Despair's unhallowed bed

Lying down to die, have suddenly arisen

At thy soft-murmured words, "Let there be light!"

At the soft-murmured words that were fulfilled

In the seraphic glancing of thine eyes-

Of all who owe thee most- whose gratitude

Nearest resembles worship-oh, remember

The truest-the most fervently devoted.

And think that these weak lines are written by him-

By him who, as he pens them, thrills to think

His spirit is communing with an angel's.

THE END

TO MY MOTHER

by Edgar Allan Poe

1849

Because I feel that, in the Heavens above,

The angels, whispering to one another.

Can find, among their burning terms of love.

None so devotional as that of "Mother,"

Therefore by that dear name I long have called you-

You who are more than mother unto me.

And fill my heart of hearts, where Death installed you

In setting my Virginia's spirit free.

My mother-my own mother, who died early.

Was but the mother of myself; but you

Are mother to the one I loved so dearly.

And thus are dearer than the mother I knew

By that infinity with which my wife

Was dearer to my soul than its soul-life.

THE END

TO ONE IN PARADISE

by Edgar Allan Poe

1834

Thou wast all that to me, love,

For which my soul did pine-

A green isle in the sea, love,

A fountain and a shrine.

All wreathed with fairy fruits and flowers.

And all the flowers were mine.

Ah, dream too bright to last!

Ah, starry Hope! that didst arise

But to be overcast!

A voice from out the Future cries,

"On! on! "-but o'er the Past

(Dim gulf!) my spirit hovering lies

Mute, motionless, aghast!

For, alas! alas! me

The light of Life is o'er!

"No more-no more-no more-"

(Such language holds the solemn sea

To the sands upon the shore)

Shall bloom the thunder-blasted tree

Or the stricken eagle soar!

And all my days are trances.
And all my nightly dreams
Are where thy grey eye glances.
And where thy footstep gleams-
In what ethereal dances.
By what eternal streams.

THE END

TO THE RIVER

by Edgar Allan Poe

1829

Fair river! in thy bright, clear flow
Of crystal, wandering water.
Thou art an emblem of the glow
Of beauty-the unhidden heart-
The playful maziness of art
In old Alberto's daughter;

But when within thy wave she looks-
Which glistens then, and trembles-
Why, then, the prettiest of brooks
Her worshipper resembles;
For in his heart, as in thy stream,
Her image deeply lies-
His heart which trembles at the beam
Of her soul-searching eyes.

THE END

ULALAME

by Edgar Allan Poe

1847

The skies they were ashen and sober;
The leaves they were crisped and sere-
The leaves they were withering and sere;
It was night in the lonesome October
Of my most immemorial year;
It was hard by the dim lake of Auber,
In the misty mid region of Weir-
It was down by the dank tarn of Auber,
In the ghoul-haunted woodland of Weir.

Here once, through an alley Titanic,
Of cypress, I roamed with my Soul-
Of cypress, with Psyche, my Soul.
There were days when my heart was volcanic
As the scoriae rivers that roll-
As the lavas that restlessly roll
Their sulphurous currents down Yaanek
In the ultimate climes of the pole-
That groan as they roll down Mount Yaanek
In the realms of the boreal pole.

Our talk had been serious and sober.
But our thoughts they were palsied and sere-
Our memories were treacherous and sere-
For we knew not the month was October,
And we marked not the night of the year-
(Ah, night of all nights in the year!)
We noted not the dim lake of Auber-
(Though once we had journeyed down here).
Remembered not the dank tarn of Auber,
Nor the ghoul-haunted woodland of Weir.

And now, as the night was senescent,
And star-dials pointed to morn-
As the star-dials hinted of morn-
At the end of our path a liquescent
And nebulous lustre was born.
Out of which a miraculous crescent

Arose with a duplicate hom-
Astarte's bediamonded crescent
Distinct with its duplicate horn.

And I said-"She is warmer than Dian:
She rolls through an ether of sighs-
She revels in a region of sighs:
She has seen that the tears are not dry on
These cheeks, where the worm never dies,
And has come past the stars of the Lion,
To point us the path to the skies-
To the Lethean peace of the skies-
Come up, in despite of the Lion,
To shine on us with her bright eyes-
Come up through the lair of the Lion,
With love in her luminous eyes."

But Psyche, uplifting her finger.
Said-" Sadly this star I mistrust-
Her pallor I strangely mistrust: -
Oh, hasten !-oh, let us not linger!
Oh, fly!-let us fly!-for we must."
In terror she spoke, letting sink her
Wings until they trailed in the dust-
In agony sobbed, letting sink her
Plumes till they trailed in the dust-
Till they sorrowfully trailed in the dust.

I replied-"This is nothing but dreaming:

Let us on by this tremulous light!

Let us bathe in this crystalline light!

Its Sybilic splendor is beaming

With Hope and in Beauty to-night: -

See!-it flickers up the sky through the night!

Ah, we safely may trust to its gleaming.

And be sure it will lead us aright-

We safely may trust to a gleaming

That cannot but guide us aright.

Since it flickers up to Heaven through the night."

Thus I pacified Psyche and kissed her.
And tempted her out of her gloom-
And conquered her scruples and gloom;
And we passed to the end of the vista.
But were stopped by the door of a tomb-
By the door of a legended tomb;

And I said-"What is written, sweet sister,
On the door of this legended tomb?"
She replied-"Ulalume-Ulalume-
'Tis the vault of thy lost Ulalume!"

Then my heart it grew ashen and sober
As the leaves that were crisped and sere-
As the leaves that were withering and sere-
And I cried-"It was surely October
On this very night of last year
That I joumeyed-I journeyed down here-
That I brought a dread burden down here-
on this night of all nights in the year.
Ah, what demon has tempted me here?
Well I know, now, this dim lake of Auber-
This misty mid region of Weir-
Well I know, now, this dank tarn of Auber,
This ghoul-haunted woodland of Weir."

THE END

VON KEMPELEN AND HIS DISCOVERY

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

AFTER THE very minute and elaborate paper by Arago, to say nothing of the summary
in 'Silliman's Journal,' with the detailed statement just published by Lieutenant Maury, it
will not be supposed, of course, that in offering a few hurried remarks in reference to Von
Kempelen's discovery, I have any design to look at the subject in a scientific point of
view. My object is simply, in the first place, to say a few words of Von Kempelen
himself (with whom, some years ago, I had the honor of a slight personal acquaintance),
since every thing which concerns him must necessarily, at this moment, be of interest;
and, in the second place, to look in a general way, and speculatively, at the results of the
discovery.

It may be as well, however, to premise the cursory observations which I have to offer, by
denying, very decidedly, what seems to be a general impression (gleaned, as usual in a
case of this kind, from the newspapers), viz.: that this discovery, astounding as it
unquestionably is, is unanticipated.

By reference to the 'Diary of Sir Humphrey Davy' (Cottle and Munroe, London, pp. 150),
it will be seen at pp. 53 and 82, that this illustrious chemist had not only conceived the
idea now in question, but had actually made no inconsiderable progress, experimentally,
in the very identical analysis now so triumphantly brought to an issue by Von Kempelen,
who although he makes not the slightest allusion to it, is, without doubt (I say it
unhesitatingly, and can prove it, if required), indebted to the 'Diary' for at least the first
hint of his own undertaking.

The paragraph from the 'Courier and Enquirer,' which is now going the rounds of the
press, and which purports to claim the invention for a Mr. Kissam, of Brunswick, Maine,
appears to me, I confess, a little apocryphal, for several reasons; although there is nothing
either impossible or very improbable in the statement made. I need not go into details.
My opinion of the paragraph is founded principally upon its manner. It does not look
true. Persons who are narrating facts, are seldom so particular as Mr. Kissam seems to be,
about day and date and precise location. Besides, if Mr. Kissam actually did come upon
the discovery he says he did, at the period designated- nearly eight years ago-how
happens it that he took no steps, on the instant, to reap the immense benefits which the
merest bumpkin must have known would have resulted to him individually, if not to the
world at large, from the discovery? It seems to me quite incredible that any man of
common understanding could have discovered what Mr. Kissam says he did, and yet
have subsequently acted so like a baby-so hke an owl-as Mr. Kissam admits that he did.
By-the-way, who is Mr. Kissam? and is not the whole paragraph in the 'Courier and
Enquirer' a fabrication got up to 'make a talk'? It must be confessed that it has an

amazingly moon-hoaxy-air. Very little dependence is to be placed upon it, in my humble
opinion; and if I were not well aware, from experience, how very easily men of science
are mystified, on points out of their usual range of inquiry, I should be profoundly
astonished at finding so eminent a chemist as Professor Draper, discussing Mr. Kissam's
(or is it Mr. Quizzem's?) pretensions to the discovery, in so serious a tone.

But to return to the 'Diary' of Sir Humphrey Davy. This pamphlet was not designed for
the public eye, even upon the decease of the writer, as any person at all conversant with
authorship may satisfy himself at once by the slightest inspection of the style. At page 13,
for example, near the middle, we read, in reference to his researches about the protoxide
of azote: 'In less than half a minute the respiration being continued, diminished gradually
and were succeeded by analogous to gentle pressure on all the muscles.' That the
respiration was not 'diminished,' is not only clear by the subsequent context, but by the
use of the plural, 'were.' The sentence, no doubt, was thus intended: 'In less than half a
minute, the respiration [being continued, these feelings] diminished gradually, and were
succeeded by [a sensation] analogous to gentle pressure on all the muscles.' A hundred
similar instances go to show that the MS. so inconsiderately published, was merely a
rough note-book, meant only for the writer's own eye, but an inspection of the pamphlet
will convince almost any thinking person of the truth of my suggestion. The fact is. Sir
Humphrey Davy was about the last man in the world to commit himself on scientific
topics. Not only had he a more than ordinary dislike to quackery, but he was morbidly
afraid of appearing empirical; so that, however fully he might have been convinced that
he was on the right track in the matter now in question, he would never have spoken out,
until he had every thing ready for the most practical demonstration. I verily believe that
his last moments would have been rendered wretched, could he have suspected that his
wishes in regard to burning this 'Diary' (full of crude speculations) would have been
unattended to; as, it seems, they were. I say 'his wishes,' for that he meant to include this
note -book among the miscellaneous papers directed 'to be burnt,' I think there can be no
manner of doubt. Whether it escaped the flames by good fortune or by bad, yet remains to
be seen. That the passages quoted above, with the other similar ones referred to, gave
Von Kempelen the hint, I do not in the slightest degree question; but I repeat, it yet
remains to be seen whether this momentous discovery itself (momentous under any
circumstances) will be of service or disservice to mankind at large. That Von Kempelen
and his immediate friends will reap a rich harvest, it would be folly to doubt for a
moment. They will scarcely be so weak as not to 'realize,' in time, by large purchases of
houses and land, with other property of intrinsic value.

In the brief account of Von Kempelen which appeared in the 'Home Journal,' and has
since been extensively copied, several misapprehensions of the German original seem to
have been made by the translator, who professes to have taken the passage from a late
number of the Presburg 'Schnellpost.' 'Viele' has evidently been misconceived (as it often
is), and what the translator renders by 'sorrows,' is probably 'lieden,' which, in its true
version, 'sufferings,' would give a totally different complexion to the whole account; but,
of course, much of this is merely guess, on my part.

Von Kempelen, however, is by no means 'a misanthrope,' in appearance, at least,
whatever he may be in fact. My acquaintance with him was casual altogether; and I am
scarcely warranted in saying that I know him at all; but to have seen and conversed with a
man of so prodigious a notoriety as he has attained, or will attain in a few days, is not a
small matter, as times go.

'The Literary World' speaks of him, confidently, as a native of Presburg (misled, perhaps,
by the account in 'The Home Journal') but I am pleased in being able to state positively,
since I have it from his own lips, that he was bom in Utica, in the State of New York,
although both his parents, I believe, are of Presburg descent. The family is connected, in
some way, with Maelzel, of Automaton-chess-player memory. In person, he is short and
stout, with large, fat, blue eyes, sandy hair and whiskers, a wide but pleasing mouth, fine
teeth, and I think a Roman nose. There is some defect in one of his feet. His address is
frank, and his whole manner noticeable for bonhomie. Altogether, he looks, speaks, and
acts as little like 'a misanthrope' as any man I ever saw. We were fellow- sojouners for a
week about six years ago, at Earl's Hotel, in Providence, Rhode Island; and I presume
that I conversed with him, at various times, for some three or four hours altogether. His
principal topics were those of the day, and nothing that fell from him led me to suspect
his scientific attainments. He left the hotel before me, intending to go to New York, and
thence to Bremen; it was in the latter city that his great discovery was first made public;
or, rather, it was there that he was first suspected of having made it. This is about all that
I personally know of the now immortal Von Kempelen; but I have thought that even
these few details would have interest for the public.

There can be little question that most of the marvellous rumors afloat about this affair are
pure inventions, entitled to about as much credit as the story of Aladdin's lamp; and yet,
in a case of this kind, as in the case of the discoveries in California, it is clear that the
truth may be stranger than fiction. The following anecdote, at least, is so well
authenticated, that we may receive it implicitly.

Von Kempelen had never been even tolerably well off during his residence at Bremen;
and often, it was well known, he had been put to extreme shifts in order to raise trifling
sums. When the great excitement occurred about the forgery on the house of Gutsmuth &
Co., suspicion was directed toward Von Kempelen, on account of his having purchased a
considerable property in Gasperitch Lane, and his refusing, when questioned, to explain
how he became possessed of the purchase money. He was at length arrested, but nothing
decisive appearing against him, was in the end set at liberty. The police, however, kept a
strict watch upon his movements, and thus discovered that he left home frequently, taking
always the same road, and invariably giving his watchers the slip in the neighborhood of
that labyrinth of narrow and crooked passages known by the flash name of the
'Dondergat.' Finally, by dint of great perseverance, they traced him to a garret in an old
house of seven stories, in an alley called Flatzplatz,-and, coming upon him suddenly,
found him, as they imagined, in the midst of his counterfeiting operations. His agitation is
represented as so excessive that the officers had not the slightest doubt of his guilt. After
hand-cuffing him, they searched his room, or rather rooms, for it appears he occupied all
the mansarde.

Opening into the garret where they caught him, was a closet, ten feet by eight, fitted up
with some chemical apparatus, of which the object has not yet been ascertained. In one
comer of the closet was a very small furnace, with a glowing fire in it, and on the fire a
kind of duplicate crucible-two crucibles connected by a tube. One of these crucibles was
nearly full of lead in a state of fusion, but not reaching up to the aperture of the tube,
which was close to the brim. The other crucible had some liquid in it, which, as the
officers entered, seemed to be furiously dissipating in vapor. They relate that, on finding
himself taken, Kempelen seized the crucibles with both hands (which were encased in
gloves that afterwards turned out to be asbestic), and threw the contents on the tiled floor.
It was now that they hand-cuffed him; and before proceeding to ransack the premises
they searched his person, but nothing unusual was found about him, excepting a paper
parcel, in his coat-pocket, containing what was afterward ascertained to be a mixture of
antimony and some unknown substance, in nearly, but not quite, equal proportions. All
attempts at analyzing the unknown substance have, so far, failed, but that it will
ultimately be analyzed, is not to be doubted.

Passing out of the closet with their prisoner, the officers went through a sort of ante-
chamber, in which nothing material was found, to the chemist's sleeping -room. They here
rummaged some drawers and boxes, but discovered only a few papers, of no importance,
and some good coin, silver and gold. At length, looking under the bed, they saw a large,
common hair trunk, without hinges, hasp, or lock, and with the top lying carelessly across
the bottom portion. Upon attempting to draw this trunk out from under the bed, they
found that, with their united strength (there were three of them, all powerful men), they
'could not stir it one inch.' Much astonished at this, one of them crawled under the bed,
and looking into the trunk, said:

'No wonder we couldn't move it-why it's full to the brim of old bits of brass!'

Putting his feet, now, against the wall so as to get a good purchase, and pushing with all
his force, while his companions pulled with an theirs, the trunk, with much difficulty, was
slid out from under the bed, and its contents examined. The supposed brass with which it
was filled was all in small, smooth pieces, varying from the size of a pea to that of a
dollar; but the pieces were irregular in shape, although more or less flat-looking, upon the
whole, 'very much as lead looks when thrown upon the ground in a molten state, and
there suffered to grow cool.' Now, not one of these officers for a moment suspected this
metal to be any thing but brass. The idea of its being gold never entered their brains, of
course; how could such a wild fancy have entered it? And their astonishment may be well
conceived, when the next day it became known, all over Bremen, that the 'lot of brass'
which they had carted so contemptuously to the police office, without putting themselves
to the trouble of pocketing the smallest scrap, was not only gold-real gold-but gold far
finer than any employed in coinage-gold, in fact, absolutely pure, virgin, without the
slightest appreciable alloy.

I need not go over the details of Von Kempelen's confession (as far as it went) and
release, for these are familiar to the public. That he has actually realized, in spirit and in
effect, if not to the letter, the old chimaera of the philosopher's stone, no sane person is at

liberty to doubt. The opinions of Arago are, of course, entitled to the greatest
consideration; but he is by no means infallible; and what he says of bismuth, in his report
to the Academy, must be taken cum grano sails. The simple truth is, that up to this period
all analysis has failed; and until Von Kempelen chooses to let us have the key to his own
published enigma, it is more than probable that the matter will remain, for years, in statu
quo. All that as yet can fairly be said to be known is, that 'Pure gold can be made at will,
and very readily from lead in connection with certain other substances, in kind and in
proportions, unknown.'

Speculation, of course, is busy as to the immediate and ultimate results of this discovery-
a discovery which few thinking persons will hesitate in referring to an increased interest
in the matter of gold generally, by the late developments in California; and this reflection
brings us inevitably to another-the exceeding inopportuneness of Von Kempelen's
analysis. If many were prevented from adventuring to California, by the mere
apprehension that gold would so materially diminish in value, on account of its
plentifulness in the mines there, as to render the speculation of going so far in search of it
a doubtful one-what impression will be wrought now, upon the minds of those about to
emigrate, and especially upon the minds of those actually in the mineral region, by the
announcement of this astounding discovery of Von Kempelen? a discovery which
declares, in so many words, that beyond its intrinsic worth for manufacturing purposes
(whatever that worth may be), gold now is, or at least soon will be (for it cannot be
supposed that Von Kempelen can long retain his secret), of no greater value than lead,
and of far inferior value to silver. It is, indeed, exceedingly difficult to speculate
prospectively upon the consequences of the discovery, but one thing may be positively
maintained-that the announcement of the discovery six months ago would have had
material influence in regard to the settlement of California.

In Europe, as yet, the most noticeable results have been a rise of two hundred per cent, in
the price of lead, and nearly twenty-five per cent, that of silver.

THE END

WHY THE LITTLE FRENCHMAN WEARS HIS

HAND IN A SLING

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

IT'S on my visiting cards sure enough (and it's them that's all o' pink satin paper) that
inny gintleman that plases may behould the intheristhin words, "Sir Pathrick
O'Grandison, Barronitt, 39 Southampton Row, Russell Square, Parrish o' Bloomsbury."
And shud ye be wantin' to diskiver who is the pink of purliteness quite, and the laider of
the hot tun in the houl city o' Lonon-why it's jist mesilf. And fait that same is no wonder
at all at all (so be plased to stop curUn your nose), for every inch o' the six wakes that I've
been a gintleman, and left aff wid the bogthrothing to take up wid the Barronissy, it's
Pathrick that's been living like a houly imperor, and gitting the iddication and the graces.
Och! and wouldn't it be a blessed thing for your spirrits if ye cud lay your two peepers
jist, upon Sir Pathrick O'Grandison, Barronitt, when he is all riddy drissed for the
hopperer, or stipping into the Brisky for the drive into the Hyde Park. But it's the illigant
big figgur that I ave, for the rason o' which all the ladies fall in love wid me. Isn't it my
own swate silf now that'll missure the six fut, and the three inches more nor that, in me
stockins, and that am excadingly will proportioned all over to match? And it is ralelly
more than three fut and a bit that there is, inny how, of the little ould furrener Frinchman
that lives jist over the way, and that's a oggling and a goggling the houl day, (and bad
luck to him,) at the purty widdy Misthress Trade that's my own nixt-door neighbor, (God
bhss her!) and a most particuUer frind and acquaintance? You percave the little spalpeen
is summat down in the mouth, and wears his lift hand in a sling, and it's for that same
thing, by yur lave, that I'm going to give you the good rason.

The truth of the houl matter is jist simple enough; for the very first day that I com'd from
Connaught, and showd my swate little silf in the strait to the widdy, who was looking
through the windy, it was a gone case althegither with the heart o' the purty Misthress
Trade. I percaved it, ye see, all at once, and no mistake, and that's God's truth. First of all
it was up wid the windy in a jiffy, and thin she threw open her two peepers to the itmost,
and thin it was a little gould spy-glass that she clapped tight to one o' them and divil may
bum me if it didn't spake to me as plain as a peeper cud spake, and says it, through the
spy-glass: "Och! the tip o' the mornin' to ye. Sir Pathrick O'Grandison, Barronitt,
mavourneen; and it's a nate gintleman that ye are, sure enough, and it's mesilf and me
forten jist that'll be at yur sarvice, dear, inny time o' day at all at all for the asking." And
it's not mesilf ye wud have to be bate in the purliteness; so I made her a bow that wud ha'
broken yur heart altegither to behould, and thin I pulled aff me hat with a flourish, and
thin I winked at her hard wid both eyes, as much as to say, "True for you, yer a swate
little crature, Mrs. Trade, me darlint, and I wish I may be drownthed dead in a bog, if it's

not mesilf, Sir Pathrick O'Grandison, Barronitt, that'll make a houl bushel o' love to yur
leddyship, in the twinkling o' the eye of a Londonderry purraty."

And it was the nixt mornin', sure, jist as I was making up me mind whither it wouldn't be
the purlite thing to sind a bit o' writin' to the widdy by way of a love-litter, when up
com'd the delivery servant wid an illigant card, and he tould me that the name on it (for I
niver could rade the copperplate printin on account of being lift handed) was all about
Mounseer, the Count, A Goose, Look-aisy, Maiter-di-dauns, and that the houl of the
divilish lingo was the spalpeeny long name of the little ould furrener Frinchman as lived
over the way.

And jist wid that in cum'd the little willian himself, and then he made me a broth of a
bow, and thin he said he had ounly taken the liberty of doing me the honor of the giving
me a call, and thin he went on to palaver at a great rate, and divil the bit did I comprehind
what he wud be afther the tilling me at all at all, excipting and saving that he said "puUy
wou, woolly wou," and tould me, among a bushel o' lies, bad luck to him, that he was
mad for the love o' my widdy Misthress Trade, and that my widdy Mrs. Trade had a
puncheon for him.

At the hearin' of this, ye may swear, though, I was as mad as a grasshopper, but I
remimbered that I was Sir Pathrick O'Grandison, Barronitt, and that it wasn't althegither
gentaal to lit the anger git the upper hand o' the purliteness, so I made light o' the matter
and kipt dark, and got quite sociable wid the little chap, and afther a while what did he do
but ask me to go wid him to the widdy's, saying he wud give me the feshionable
inthroduction to her leddyship.

"Is it there ye are?" said I thin to mesilf, "and it's thrue for you, Pathrick, that ye're the
fortunittest mortal in life. We'll soon see now whither it's your swate silf, or whither it's
little Mounseer Maiter-di-dauns, that Misthress Trade is head and ears in the love wid."

Wid that we wint aff to the widdy's, next door, and ye may well say it was an illigant
place; so it was. There was a carpet all over the floor, and in one corner there was a forty-
pinny and a Jew's harp and the divil knows what ilse, and in another comer was a sofy,
the beautifuUest thing in all natur, and sitting on the sofy, sure enough, there was the
swate little angel, Misthress Trade.

"The tip o' the mornin' to ye," says I, "Mrs. Trade," and thin I made sich an illigant
obaysance that it wud ha quite althegither bewildered the brain o' ye.

"WuUy woo, puUy woo, plump in the mud," says the little furrenner Frinchman, "and sure
Mrs. Trade," says he, that he did, "isn't this gintleman here jist his reverence Sir Pathrick
O'Grandison, Barronitt, and isn't he althegither and entirely the most particular frind and
acquaintance that I have in the houl world?"

And wid that the widdy, she gits up from the sofy, and makes the swatest curthchy nor
iver was seen; and thin down she sits like an angel; and thin, by the powers, it was that

little spalpeen Mounseer Maiter-di-dauns that plumped his silf right down by the right
side of her. Och hon! I ixpicted the two eyes o' me wud ha cum'd out of my head on the
spot, I was so dispirate mad! Howiver, "Bait who!" says I, after awhile. "Is it there ye are,
Mounseer Maiter-di-dauns?" and so down I plumped on the lift side of her leddyship, to
be aven with the willain. Botheration! it wud ha done your heart good to percave the
illigant double wink that I gived her jist thin right in the face with both eyes.

But the little ould Frinchman he niver beginned to suspict me at all at all, and disperate
hard it was he made the love to her leddyship. "WouUy wou," says he, PuUy wou," says
he, "Plump in the mud," says he.

"That's all to no use, Mounseer Frog, mavourneen," thinks I; and I talked as hard and as
fast as I could all the while, and throth it was mesilf jist that divarted her leddyship
complately and intirely, by rason of the illigant conversation that I kipt up wid her all
about the dear bogs of Connaught. And by and by she gived me such a swate smile, from
one ind of her mouth to the ither, that it made me as bould as a pig, and I jist took hould
of the ind of her little finger in the most dillikitest manner in natur, looking at her all the
while out o' the whites of my eyes.

And then ounly percave the cuteness of the swate angel, for no sooner did she obsarve
that I was afther the squazing of her flipper, than she up wid it in a jiffy, and put it away
behind her back, jist as much as to say, "Now thin. Sir Pathrick O'Grandison, there's a
bitther chance for ye, mavourneen, for it's not altogether the gentaal thing to be afther the
squazing of my flipper right full in the sight of that little furrenner Frinchman, Mounseer
Maiter-di-dauns."

Wid that I giv'd her a big wink jist to say, "lit Sir Pathrick alone for the likes o' them
thricks," and thin I wint aisy to work, and you'd have died wid the divarsion to behould
how cliverly I slipped my right arm betwane the back o' the sofy, and the back of her
leddyship, and there, sure enough, I found a swate little flipper all a waiting to say, "the
tip o' the mornin' to ye. Sir Pathrick O'Grandison, Barronitt." And wasn't it mesilf, sure,
that jist giv'd it the laste little bit of a squaze in the world, all in the way of a
commincement, and not to be too rough wid her leddyship? and och, botheration, wasn't
it the gentaalest and dilikittest of all the little squazes that I got in return? "Blood and
thunder. Sir Pathrick, mavourneen," thinks I to mesilf, "fait it's jist the mother's son of
you, and nobody else at all at all, that's the handsomest and the fortunittest young bog-
thro tter that ever cum'd out of Connaught!" And with that I givd the flipper a big squaze,
and a big squaze it was, by the powers, that her leddyship giv'd to me back. But it would
ha split the seven sides of you wid the laffin' to behould, jist then all at once, the consated
behavior of Mounseer Maiter-di-dauns. The likes o' sich a jabbering, and a smirking, and
a parley- wouing as he begin'd wid her leddyship, niver was known before upon arth; and
divil may burn me if it wasn't me own very two peepers that cotch'd him tipping her the
wink out of one eye. Och, hon! if it wasn't mesilf thin that was mad as a Kilkenny cat I
shud like to be tould who it was!

"Let me infarm you, Mounseer Maiter-di-dauns," said I, as purlite as iver ye seed, "that
it's not the gintaal thing at all at all, and not for the likes o' you inny how, to be afther the
oggling and a goggling at her leddyship in that fashion," and jist wid that such another
squaze as it was I giv'd her flipper, all as much as to say, "isn't it Sir Pathrick now, my
jewel, that'll be able to the proticting o' you, my darlint?" and then there cum'd another
squaze back, all by way of the answer. "Thrue for you. Sir Pathrick," it said as plain as
iver a squaze said in the world, "Thrue for you. Sir Pathrick, mavourneen, and it's a
proper nate gintleman ye are- that's God's truth," and with that she opened her two
beautiful peepers till I belaved they wud ha' cum'd out of her hid althegither and intirely,
and she looked first as mad as a cat at Mounseer Frog, and thin as smiling as all out o'
doors at mesilf.

"Thin," says he, the willian, "Och hon! and a woUy-wou, puUy-wou," and then wid that
he shoved up his two shoulders till the divil the bit of his hid was to be diskivered, and
then he let down the two corners of his purraty-trap, and thin not a haporth more of the
satisfaction could I git out o' the spalpeen.

Belave me, my jewel, it was Sir Pathrick that was unreasonable mad thin, and the more
by token that the Frinchman kipt an wid his winking at the widdy; and the widdy she kept
an wid the squazing of my flipper, as much as to say, "At him again. Sir Pathrick
O'Grandison, mavourneen:" so I just ripped out wid a big oath, and says I;

"Ye little spalpeeny frog of a bog-throtting son of a bloody noun!"- and jist thin what d'ye
think it was that her leddyship did? Troth she jumped up from the sofy as if she was bit,
and made off through the door, while I turned my head round afther her, in a complate
bewilderment and botheration, and followed her wid me two peepers. You percave I had
a reason of my own for knowing that she couldn't git down the stares althegither and
intirely; for I knew very well that I had hould of her hand, for the divil the bit had I iver
lit it go. And says I; "Isn't it the laste little bit of a mistake in the world that ye've been
afther the making, yer leddyship? Come back now, that's a darlint, and I'll give ye yur
flipper." But aff she wint down the stairs like a shot, and thin I turned round to the little
Frinch furrenner. Och hon! if it wasn't his spalpeeny little paw that I had hould of in my
own-why thin-thin it wasn't-that's all.

And maybe it wasn't mesilf that jist died then outright wid the laffin', to behold the little
chap when he found out that it wasn't the widdy at all at all that he had had hould of all
the time, but only Sir Pathrick O'Grandison. The ould divil himself niver behild sich a
long face as he pet an! As for Sir Pathrick O'Grandison, Barronitt, it wasn't for the likes
of his riverence to be afther the minding of a thrifle of a mistake. Ye may jist say, though
(for it's God's thruth), that afore I left hould of the flipper of the spalpeen (which was not
till afther her leddyship's futman had kicked us both down the stairs, I giv'd it such a nate
little broth of a squaze as made it all up into raspberry jam.

"WouUy wou," says he, "puUy wou," says he-"Cot tam!"

And that's jist the thruth of the rason why he wears his lift hand in a sling.

LITTLETON BARRY.
THE END

WILLIAM WILSON

by Edgar Allan Poe

1839

What say of it? what say (of) CONSCIENCE grim,
That spectre in my path?
Chamberlayne's Pharronida.

LET me call myself, for the present, William Wilson. The fair page now lying before me
need not be sullied with my real appellation. This has been already too much an object
for the scorn —for the horror —for the detestation of my race. To the uttermost regions of
the globe have not the indignant winds bruited its unparalleled infamy? Oh, outcast of all
outcasts most abandoned! -to the earth art thou not forever dead? to its honors, to its
flowers, to its golden aspirations? —and a cloud, dense, dismal, and limitless, does it not
hang eternally between thy hopes and heaven?

I would not, if I could, here or to-day, embody a record of my later years of unspeakable
misery, and unpardonable crime. This epoch —these later years —took unto themselves a
sudden elevation in turpitude, whose origin alone it is my present purpose to assign. Men
usually grow base by degrees. From me, in an instant, all virtue dropped bodily as a
mantle. From comparatively trivial wickedness I passed, with the stride of a giant, into
more than the enormities of an Elah-Gabalus. What chance —what one event brought this
evil thing to pass, bear with me while I relate. Death approaches; and the shadow which
foreruns him has thrown a softening influence over my spirit. I long, in passing through
the dim valley, for the sympathy —I had nearly said for the pity —of my fellow men. I
would fain have them believe that I have been, in some measure, the slave of
circumstances beyond human control. I would wish them to seek out for me, in the details
I am about to give, some little oasis of fatality amid a wilderness of error. I would have
them allow —what they cannot refrain from allowing —that, although temptation may
have erewhile existed as great, man was never thus, at least, tempted before -certainly,
never thus fell. And is it therefore that he has never thus suffered? Have I not indeed been
living in a dream? And am I not now dying a victim to the horror and the mystery of the
wildest of all sublunary visions?

I am the descendant of a race whose imaginative and easily excitable temperament has at
all times rendered them remarkable; and, in my earliest infancy, I gave evidence of
having fully inherited the family character. As I advanced in years it was more strongly
developed; becoming, for many reasons, a cause of serious disquietude to my friends, and
of positive injury to myself. I grew self-willed, addicted to the wildest caprices, and a
prey to the most ungovernable passions. Weak-minded, and beset with constitutional
infirmities akin to my own, my parents could do but little to check the evil propensities
which distinguished me. Some feeble and ill-directed efforts resulted in complete failure
on their part, and, of course, in total triumph on mine. Thenceforward my voice was a
household law; and at an age when few children have abandoned their leading-strings, I

was left to the guidance of my own will, and became, in all but name, the master of my
own actions.

My earliest recollections of a school-life, are connected with a large, rambling,
Elizabethan house, in a misty-looking village of England, where were a vast number of
gigantic and gnarled trees, and where all the houses were excessively ancient. In truth, it
was a dream-like and spirit- soothing place, that venerable old town. At this moment, in
fancy, I feel the refreshing chilliness of its deeply- shadowed avenues, inhale the
fragrance of its thousand shrubberies, and thrill anew with undefinable delight, at the
deep hollow note of the church-bell, breaking, each hour, with sullen and sudden roar,
upon the stillness of the dusky atmosphere in which the fretted Gothic steeple lay
imbedded and asleep.

It gives me, perhaps, as much of pleasure as I can now in any manner experience, to
dwell upon minute recollections of the school and its concerns. Steeped in misery as I am
—misery, alas! only too real —I shall be pardoned for seeking relief, however slight and
temporary, in the weakness of a few rambling details. These, moreover, utterly trivial,
and even ridiculous in themselves, assume, to my fancy, adventitious importance, as
connected with a period and a locality when and where I recognise the first ambiguous
monitions of the destiny which afterwards so fully overshadowed me. Let me then
remember.

The house, I have said, was old and irregular. The grounds were extensive, and a high
and solid brick wall, topped with a bed of mortar and broken glass, encompassed the
whole. This prison-like rampart formed the limit of our domain; beyond it we saw but
thrice a week —once every Saturday afternoon, when, attended by two ushers, we were
permitted to take brief walks in a body through some of the neighbouring fields -and
twice during Sunday, when we were paraded in the same formal manner to the morning
and evening service in the one church of the village. Of this church the principal of our
school was pastor. With how deep a spirit of wonder and perplexity was I wont to regard
him from our remote pew in the gallery, as, with step solemn and slow, he ascended the
pulpit! This reverend man, with countenance so demurely benign, with robes so glossy
and so clerically flowing, with wig so minutely powdered, so rigid and so vast, —could
this be he who, of late, with sour visage, and in snuffy habiliments, administered, ferule
in hand, the Draconian laws of the academy? Oh, gigantic paradox, too utterly monstrous
for solution!

At an angle of the ponderous wall frowned a more ponderous gate. It was riveted and
studded with iron bolts, and surmounted with jagged iron spikes. What impressions of
deep awe did it inspire! It was never opened save for the three periodical egressions and
ingressions already mentioned; then, in every creak of its mighty hinges, we found a
plenitude of mystery —a world of matter for solemn remark, or for more solemn
meditation.

The extensive enclosure was irregular in form, having many capacious recesses. Of these,
three or four of the largest constituted the play-ground. It was level, and covered with
fine hard gravel. I well remember it had no trees, nor benches, nor anything similar
within it. Of course it was in the rear of the house. In front lay a small parterre, planted
with box and other shrubs; but through this sacred division we passed only upon rare
occasions indeed —such as a first advent to school or final departure thence, or perhaps,
when a parent or friend having called for us, we joyfully took our way home for the

Christmas or Midsummer holy-days.

But the house! -how quaint an old building was this! —to me how veritably a palace of
enchantment! There was really no end to its windings —to its incomprehensible
subdivisions. It was difficult, at any given time, to say with certainty upon which of its
two stories one happened to be. From each room to every other there were sure to be
found three or four steps either in ascent or descent. Then the lateral branches were
innumerable —inconceivable —and so returning in upon themselves, that our most exact
ideas in regard to the whole mansion were not very far different from those with which
we pondered upon infinity. During the five years of my residence here, I was never able
to ascertain with precision, in what remote locality lay the little sleeping apartment
assigned to myself and some eighteen or twenty other scholars.

The school-room was the largest in the house —I could not help thinking, in the world. It
was very long, narrow, and dismally low, with pointed Gothic windows and a celling of
oak. In a remote and terror-inspiring angle was a square enclosure of eight or ten feet,
comprising the sanctum, "during hours," of our principal, the Reverend Dr. Bransby. It
was a solid structure, with massy door, sooner than open which in the absence of the
"Dominic," we would all have willingly perished by the peine forte et dure. In other
angles were two other similar boxes, far less reverenced, indeed, but still greatly matters
of awe. One of these was the pulpit of the "classical" usher, one of the "English and
mathematical." Interspersed about the room, crossing and recrossing in endless
irregularity, were innumerable benches and desks, black, ancient, and time-worn, piled
desperately with much-bethumbed books, and so beseamed with initial letters, names at
full length, grotesque figures, and other multiplied efforts of the knife, as to have entirely
lost what little of original form might have been their portion in days long departed. A
huge bucket with water stood at one extremity of the room, and a clock of stupendous
dimensions at the other.

Encompassed by the massy walls of this venerable academy, I passed, yet not in tedium
or disgust, the years of the third lustrum of my life. The teeming brain of childhood
requires no external world of incident to occupy or amuse it; and the apparently dismal
monotony of a school was replete with more intense excitement than my riper youth has
derived from luxury, or my full manhood from crime. Yet I must believe that my first
mental development had in it much of the uncommon —even much of the outre. Upon
mankind at large the events of very early existence rarely leave in mature age any definite
impression. All is gray shadow -a weak and irregular remembrance -an indistinct
regathering of feeble pleasures and phantasmagoric pains. With me this is not so. In
childhood I must have felt with the energy of a man what I now find stamped upon
memory in lines as vivid, as deep, and as durable as the exergues of the Carthaginian
medals.

Yet in fact —in the fact of the world's view —how little was there to remember! The
morning's awakening, the nightly summons to bed; the connings, the recitations; the
periodical half-holidays, and perambulations; the play-ground, with its broils, its
pastimes, its intrigues; -these, by a mental sorcery long forgotten, were made to involve
a wilderness of sensation, a world of rich incident, an universe of varied emotion, of
excitement the most passionate and spirit-stirring. "Oh, le bon temps, que ce siecle de
fer!"
In truth, the ardor, the enthusiasm, and the imperiousness of my disposition, soon

rendered me a marked character among my schoolmates, and by slow, but natural
gradations, gave me an ascendancy over all not greatly older than myself; —over all with
a single exception. This exception was found in the person of a scholar, who, although no
relation, bore the same Christian and surname as myself; —a circumstance, in fact, little
remarkable; for, notwithstanding a noble descent, mine was one of those everyday
appellations which seem, by prescriptive right, to have been, time out of mind, the
common property of the mob. In this narrative I have therefore designated myself as
William Wilson, —a fictitious title not very dissimilar to the real. My namesake alone, of
those who in school phraseology constituted "our set," presumed to compete with me in
the studies of the class —in the sports and broils of the play-ground —to refuse implicit
belief in my assertions, and submission to my will —indeed, to interfere with my arbitrary
dictation in any respect whatsoever. If there is on earth a supreme and unqualified
despotism, it is the despotism of a master mind in boyhood over the less energetic spirits
of its companions.

Wilson's rebellion was to me a source of the greatest embarrassment; -the more so as, in
spite of the bravado with which in public I made a point of treating him and his
pretensions, I secretly felt that I feared him, and could not help thinking the equality
which he maintained so easily with myself, a proof of his true superiority; since not to be
overcome cost me a perpetual struggle. Yet this superiority —even this equality —was in
truth acknowledged by no one but myself; our associates, by some unaccountable
blindness, seemed not even to suspect it. Indeed, his competition, his resistance, and
especially his impertinent and dogged interference with my purposes, were not more
pointed than private. He appeared to be destitute alike of the ambition which urged, and
of the passionate energy of mind which enabled me to excel. In his rivalry he might have
been supposed actuated solely by a whimsical desire to thwart, astonish, or mortify
myself; although there were times when I could not help observing, with a feeling made
up of wonder, abasement, and pique, that he mingled with his injuries, his insults, or his
contradictions, a certain most inappropriate, and assuredly most unwelcome
affectionateness of manner. I could only conceive this singular behavior to arise from a
consummate self-conceit assuming the vulgar airs of patronage and protection.
Perhaps it was this latter trait in Wilson's conduct, conjoined with our identity of name,
and the mere accident of our having entered the school upon the same day, which set
afloat the notion that we were brothers, among the senior classes in the academy. These
do not usually inquire with much strictness into the affairs of their juniors. I have before
said, or should have said, that Wilson was not, in the most remote degree, connected with
my family. But assuredly if we had been brothers we must have been twins; for, after
leaving Dr. Bransby's, I casually learned that my namesake was bom on the nineteenth of
January, 1813 -and this is a somewhat remarkable coincidence; for the day is precisely
that of my own nativity.

It may seem strange that in spite of the continual anxiety occasioned me by the rivalry of
Wilson, and his intolerable spirit of contradiction, I could not bring myself to hate him
altogether. We had, to be sure, nearly every day a quarrel in which, yielding me publicly
the palm of victory, he, in some manner, contrived to make me feel that it was he who
had deserved it; yet a sense of pride on my part, and a veritable dignity on his own, kept
us always upon what are called "speaking terms," while there were many points of strong
congeniality in our tempers, operating to awake me in a sentiment which our position

alone, perhaps, prevented from ripening into friendship. It is difficult, indeed, to define,or
even to describe, my real feelings towards him. They formed a motley and heterogeneous
admixture; -some petulant animosity, which was not yet hatred, some esteem, more
respect, much fear, with a world of uneasy curiosity. To the moralist it will be
unnecessary to say, in addition, that Wilson and myself were the most inseparable of
companions.

It was no doubt the anomalous state of affairs existing between us, which turned all my
attacks upon him, (and they were many, either open or covert) into the channel of banter
or practical joke (giving pain while assuming the aspect of mere fun) rather than into a
more serious and determined hostility. But my endeavours on this head were by no means
uniformly successful, even when my plans were the most wittily concocted; for my
namesake had much about him, in character, of that unassuming and quiet austerity
which, while enjoying the poignancy of its own jokes, has no heel of Achilles in itself,
and absolutely refuses to be laughed at. I could find, indeed, but one vulnerable point,
and that, lying in a personal peculiarity, arising, perhaps, from constitutional disease,
would have been spared by any antagonist less at his wit's end than myself; —my rival
had a weakness in the faucal or guttural organs, which precluded him from raising his
voice at any time above a very low whisper. Of this defect I did not fall to take what poor
advantage lay in my power.

Wilson's retaliations in kind were many; and there was one form of his practical wit that
disturbed me beyond measure. How his sagacity first discovered at all that so petty a
thing would vex me, is a question I never could solve; but, having discovered, he
habitually practised the annoyance. I had always felt aversion to my uncourtly
patronymic, and its very common, if not plebeian praenomen. The words were venom in
my ears; and when, upon the day of my arrival, a second William Wilson came also to
the academy, I felt angry with him for bearing the name, and doubly disgusted with the
name because a stranger bore it, who would be the cause of its twofold repetition, who
would be constantly in my presence, and whose concerns, in the ordinary routine of the
school business, must inevitably, on account of the detestable coincidence, be often
confounded with my own.

The feeling of vexation thus engendered grew stronger with every circumstance tending
to show resemblance, moral or physical, between my rival and myself. I had not then
discovered the remarkable fact that we were of the same age; but I saw that we were of
the same height, and I perceived that we were even singularly alike in general contour of
person and outline of feature. I was galled, too, by the rumor touching a relationship,
which had grown current in the upper forms. In a word, nothing could more seriously
disturb me, although I scrupulously concealed such disturbance,) than any allusion to a
similarity of mind, person, or condition existing between us. But, in truth, I had no reason
to believe that (with the exception of the matter of relationship, and in the case of Wilson
himself,) this similarity had ever been made a subject of comment, or even observed at all
by our schoolfellows. That he observed it in all its bearings, and as fixedly as I, was
apparent; but that he could discover in such circumstances so fruitful a field of
annoyance, can only be attributed, as I said before, to his more than ordinary penetration.
His cue, which was to perfect an imitation of myself, lay both in words and in actions;
and most admirably did he play his part. My dress it was an easy matter to copy; my gait
and general manner were, without difficulty, appropriated; in spite of his constitutional

defect, even my voice did not escape him. My louder tones were, of course, unattempted,
but then the key, it was identical; and his singular whisper, it grew the very echo of my
own.

How greatly this most exquisite portraiture harassed me, (for it could not justly be termed
a caricature,) I will not now venture to describe. I had but one consolation —in the fact
that the imitation, apparently, was noticed by myself alone, and that I had to endure only
the knowing and strangely sarcastic smiles of my namesake himself. Satisfied with
having produced in my bosom the intended effect, he seemed to chuckle in secret over
the sting he had inflicted, and was characteristically disregardful of the public applause
which the success of his witty endeavours might have so easily elicited. That the school,
indeed, did not feel his design, perceive its accomplishment, and participate in his sneer,
was, for many anxious months, a riddle I could not resolve. Perhaps the gradation of his
copy rendered it not so readily perceptible; or, more possibly, I owed my security to the
master air of the copyist, who, disdaining the letter, (which in a painting is all the obtuse
can see,) gave but the full spirit of his original for my individual contemplation and
chagrin.

I have already more than once spoken of the disgusting air of patronage which he
assumed toward me, and of his frequent officious interference withy my will. This
interference often took the ungracious character of advice; advice not openly given, but
hinted or insinuated. I received it with a repugnance which gained strength as I grew in
years. Yet, at this distant day, let me do him the simple justice to acknowledge that I can
recall no occasion when the suggestions of my rival were on the side of those errors or
follies so usual to his immature age and seeming inexperience; that his moral sense, at
least, if not his general talents and worldly wisdom, was far keener than my own; and that
I might, to-day, have been a better, and thus a happier man, had I less frequently rejected
the counsels embodied in those meaning whispers which I then but too cordially hated
and too bitterly despised.

As it was, I at length grew restive in the extreme under his distasteful supervision, and
daily resented more and more openly what I considered his intolerable arrogance. I have
said that, in the first years of our connexion as schoolmates, my feelings in regard to him
might have been easily ripened into friendship: but, in the latter months of my residence
at the academy, although the intrusion of his ordinary manner had, beyond doubt, in some
measure, abated, my sentiments, in nearly similar proportion, partook very much of
positive hatred. Upon one occasion he saw this, I think, and afterwards avoided, or made
a show of avoiding me.

It was about the same period, if I remember aright, that, in an altercation of violence with
him, in which he was more than usually thrown off his guard, and spoke and acted with
an openness of demeanor rather foreign to his nature, I discovered, or fancied I
discovered, in his accent, his air, and general appearance, a something which first
startled, and then deeply interested me, by bringing to mind dim visions of my earliest
infancy —wild, confused and thronging memories of a time when memory herself was yet
unborn. I cannot better describe the sensation which oppressed me than by saying that I
could with difficulty shake off the belief of my having been acquainted with the being
who stood before me, at some epoch very long ago —some point of the past even
infinitely remote. The delusion, however, faded rapidly as it came; and I mention it at all
but to define the day of the last conversation I there held with my singular namesake.

The huge old house, with its countless subdivisions, had several large chambers
communicating with each other, where slept the greater number of the students. There
were, however, (as must necessarily happen in a building so awkwardly planned,) many
little nooks or recesses, the odds and ends of the structure; and these the economic
ingenuity of Dr. Bransby had also fitted up as dormitories; although, being the merest
closets, they were capable of accommodating but a single individual. One of these small
apartments was occupied by Wilson.

One night, about the close of my fifth year at the school, and immediately after the
altercation just mentioned, finding every one wrapped in sleep, I arose from bed, and,
lamp in hand, stole through a wilderness of narrow passages from my own bedroom to
that of my rival. I had long been plotting one of those ill-natured pieces of practical wit at
his expense in which I had hitherto been so uniformly unsuccessful. It was my intention,
now, to put my scheme in operation, and I resolved to make him feel the whole extent of
the malice with which I was imbued. Having reached his closet, I noiselessly entered,
leaving the lamp, with a shade over it, on the outside. I advanced a step, and listened to
the sound of his tranquil breathing. Assured of his being asleep, I returned, took the light,
and with it again approached the bed. Close curtains were around it, which, in the
prosecution of my plan, I slowly and quietly withdrew, when the bright rays fell vividly
upon the sleeper, and my eyes, at the same moment, upon his countenance. I looked; —
and a numbness, an iciness of feeling instantly pervaded my frame. My breast heaved,
my knees tottered, my whole spirit became possessed with an objectless yet intolerable
horror. Gasping for breath, I lowered the lamp in still nearer proximity to the face. Were
these —these the lineaments of William Wilson? I saw, indeed, that they were his, but I
shook as if with a fit of the ague in fancying they were not. What was there about them to
confound me in this manner? I gazed; —while my brain reeled with a multitude of
incoherent thoughts. Not thus he appeared —assuredly not thus -in the vivacity of his
waking hours. The same name! the same contour of person! the same day of arrival at the
academy! And then his dogged and meaningless imitation of my gait, my voice, my
habits, and my manner! Was it, in truth, within the bounds of human possibility, that
what I now saw was the result, merely, of the habitual practice of this sarcastic imitation?
Awe-stricken, and with a creeping shudder, I extinguished the lamp, passed silently from
the chamber, and left, at once, the halls of that old academy, never to enter them again.
After a lapse of some months, spent at home in mere idleness, I found myself a student at
Eton. The brief interval had been sufficient to enfeeble my remembrance of the events at
Dr. Bransby's, or at least to effect a material change in the nature of the feelings with
which I remembered them. The truth —the tragedy —of the drama was no more. I could
now find room to doubt the evidence of my senses; and seldom called up the subject at all
but with wonder at extent of human credulity, and a smile at the vivid force of the
imagination which I hereditarily possessed. Neither was this species of scepticism likely
to be diminished by the character of the life I led at Eton. The vortex of thoughtless folly
into which I there so immediately and so recklessly plunged, washed away all but the
froth of my past hours, engulfed at once every solid or serious impression, and left to
memory only the veriest levities of a former existence.

I do not wish, however, to trace the course of my miserable profligacy here —a profligacy
which set at defiance the laws, while it eluded the vigilance of the institution. Three years
of folly, passed without profit, had but given me rooted habits of vice, and added, in a

somewhat unusual degree, to my bodily stature, when, after a week of soulless
dissipation, I invited a small party of the most dissolute students to a secret carousal in
my chambers. We met at a late hour of the night; for our debaucheries were to be
faithfully protracted until morning. The wine flowed freely, and there were not wanting
other and perhaps more dangerous seductions; so that the gray dawn had already faintly
appeared in the east, while our delirious extravagance was at its height. Madly flushed
with cards and intoxication, I was in the act of insisting upon a toast of more than wonted
profanity, when my attention was suddenly diverted by the violent, although partial
unclosing of the door of the apartment, and by the eager voice of a servant from without.
He said that some person, apparently in great haste, demanded to speak with me in the
hall.

Wildly excited with wine, the unexpected interruption rather delighted than surprised me.
I staggered forward at once, and a few steps brought me to the vestibule of the building.
In this low and small room there hung no lamp; and now no light at all was admitted,
save that of the exceedingly feeble dawn which made its way through the semi-circular
window. As I put my foot over the threshold, I became aware of the figure of a youth
about my own height, and habited in a white kerseymere morning frock, cut in the novel
fashion of the one I myself wore at the moment. This the faint light enabled me to
perceive; but the features of his face I could not distinguish. Upon my entering he strode
hurriedly up to me, and, seizing me by. the arm with a gesture of petulant impatience,
whispered the words "William Wilson!" in my ear.
I grew perfectly sober in an instant.

There was that in the manner of the stranger, and in the tremulous shake of his uplifted
finger, as he held it between my eyes and the light, which filled me with unqualified
amazement; but it was not this which had so violently moved me. It was the pregnancy of
solemn admonition in the singular, low, hissing utterance; and, above all, it was the
character, the tone, the key, of those few, simple, and familiar, yet whispered syllables,
which came with a thousand thronging memories of bygone days, and struck upon my
soul with the shock of a galvanic battery. Ere I could recover the use of my senses he was
gone.

Although this event failed not of a vivid effect upon my disordered imagination, yet was
it evanescent as vivid. For some weeks, indeed, I busied myself in earnest inquiry, or was
wrapped in a cloud of morbid speculation. I did not pretend to disguise from my
perception the identity of the singular individual who thus perseveringly interfered with
my affairs, and harassed me with his insinuated counsel. But who and what was this
Wilson? —and whence came he? —and what were his purposes? Upon neither of these
points could I be satisfied; merely ascertaining, in regard to him, that a sudden accident in
his family had caused his removal from Dr. Bransby's academy on the afternoon of the
day in which I myself had eloped. But in a brief period I ceased to think upon the subject;
my attention being all absorbed in a contemplated departure for Oxford. Thither I soon
went; the uncalculating vanity of my parents furnishing me with an outfit and annual
establishment, which would enable me to indulge at will in the luxury already so dear to
my heart, —to vie in profuseness of expenditure with the haughtiest heirs of the wealthiest
earldoms in Great Britain.

Excited by such appliances to vice, my constitutional temperament broke forth with
redoubled ardor, and I spumed even the common restraints of decency in the mad

infatuation of my revels. But it were absurd to pause in the detail of my extravagance. Let
it suffice, that among spendthrifts I out-Heroded Herod, and that, giving name to a
multitude of novel follies, I added no brief appendix to the long catalogue of vices then
usual in the most dissolute university of Europe.

It could hardly be credited, however, that I had, even here, so utterly f Allan from the
gentlemanly estate, as to seek acquaintance with the vilest arts of the gambler by
profession, and, having become an adept in his despicable science, to practise it
habitually as a means of increasing my already enormous income at the expense of the
weak-minded among my fellow-collegians. Such, nevertheless, was the fact. And the
very enormity of this offence against all manly and honourable sentiment proved, beyond
doubt, the main if not the sole reason of the impunity with which it was committed. Who,
indeed, among my most abandoned associates, would not rather have disputed the
clearest evidence of his senses, than have suspected of such courses, the gay, the frank,
the generous William Wilson —the noblest and most commoner at Oxford —him whose
follies (said his parasites) were but the follies of youth and unbridled fancy —whose
errors but inimitable whim —whose darkest vice but a careless and dashing extravagance?
I had been now two years successfully busied in this way, when there came to the
university a young parvenu nobleman, Glendinning -rich, said report, as Herodes Atticus
-his riches, too, as easily acquired. I soon found him of weak intellect, and, of course,
marked him as a fitting subject for my skill. I frequently engaged him in play, and
contrived, with the gambler's usual art, to let him win considerable sums, the more
effectually to entangle him in my snares. At length, my schemes being ripe, I met him
(with the full intention that this meeting should be final and decisive) at the chambers of a
fellow-commoner, (Mr. Preston,) equally intimate with both, but who, to do him Justice,
entertained not even a remote suspicion of my design. To give to this a better colouring, I
had contrived to have assembled a party of some eight or ten, and was solicitously careful
that the introduction of cards should appear accidental, and originate in the proposal of
my contemplated dupe himself. To be brief upon a vile topic, none of the low finesse was
omitted, so customary upon similar occasions that it is a just matter for wonder how any
are still found so besotted as to fall its victim.

We had protracted our sitting far into the night, and I had at length effected the
manoeuvre of getting Glendinning as my sole antagonist. The game, too, was my favorite
ecarte!. The rest of the company, interested in the extent of our play, had abandoned their
own cards, and were standing around us as spectators. The parvenu, who had been
induced by my artifices in the early part of the evening, to drink deeply, now shuffled,
dealt, or played, with a wild nervousness of manner for which his intoxication, I thought,
might partially, but could not altogether account. In a very short period he had become
my debtor to a large amount, when, having taken a long draught of port, he did precisely
what I had been coolly anticipating —he proposed to double our already extravagant
stakes. With a well-feigned show of reluctance, and not until after my repeated refusal
had seduced him into some angry words which gave a color of pique to my compliance,
did I finally comply. The result, of course, did but prove how entirely the prey was in my
toils; in less than an hour he had quadrupled his debt. For some time his countenance had
been losing the florid tinge lent it by the wine; but now, to my astonishment, I perceived
that it had grown to a pallor truly fearful. I say to my astonishment. Glendinning had been
represented to my eager inquiries as immeasurably wealthy; and the sums which he had

as yet lost, although in themselves vast, could not, I supposed, very seriously annoy,
much less so violently affect him. That he was overcome by the wine just swallowed, was
the idea which most readily presented itself; and, rather with a view to the preservation of
my own character in the eyes of my associates, than from any less interested motive, I
was about to insist, peremptorily, upon a discontinuance of the play, when some
expressions at my elbow from among the company, and an ejaculation evincing utter
despair on the part of Glendinning, gave me to understand that I had effected his total
ruin under circumstances which, rendering him an object for the pity of all, should have
protected him from the ill offices even of a fiend.

What now might have been my conduct it is difficult to say. The pitiable condition of my
dupe had thrown an air of embarrassed gloom over all; and, for some moments, a
profound silence was maintained, during which I could not help feeling my cheeks tingle
with the many burning glances of scorn or reproach cast upon me by the less abandoned
of the party. I will even own that an intolerable weight of anxiety was for a brief instant
lifted from my bosom by the sudden and extraordinary interruption which ensued. The
wide, heavy folding doors of the apartment were all at once thrown open, to their full
extent, with a vigorous and rushing impetuosity that extinguished, as if by magic, every
candle in the room. Their light, in dying, enabled us just to perceive that a stranger had
entered, about my own height, and closely muffled in a cloak. The darkness, however,
was now total; and we could only feel that he was standing in our midst. Before any one
of us could recover from the extreme astonishment into which this rudeness had thrown
all, we heard the voice of the intruder.

"Gentlemen," he said, in a low, distinct, and never-to-be-forgotten whisper which thrilled
to the very marrow of my bones, "Gentlemen, I make no apology for this behaviour,
because in thus behaving, I am but fulfilling a duty. You are, beyond doubt, uninformed
of the true character of the person who has to-night won at ecarte a large sum of money
from Lord Glendinning. I will therefore put you upon an expeditious and decisive plan of
obtaining this very necessary information. Please to examine, at your leisure, the inner
linings of the cuff of his left sleeve, and the several little packages which may be found in
the somewhat capacious pockets of his embroidered morning wrapper."
While he spoke, so profound was the stillness that one might have heard a pin drop upon
the floor. In ceasing, he departed at once, and as abruptly as he had entered. Can I -shall
I describe my sensations? -must I say that I felt all the horrors of the damned? Most
assuredly I had little time given for reflection. Many hands roughly seized me upon the
spot, and lights were immediately reprocured. A search ensued. In the lining of my sleeve
were found all the court cards essential in ecarte, and, in the pockets of my wrapper, a
number of packs, facsimiles of those used at our sittings, with the single exception that
mine were of the species called, technically, arrondees; the honours being slightly convex
at the ends, the lower cards slightly convex at the sides. In this disposition, the dupe who
cuts, as customary, at the length of the pack, will invariably find that he cuts his
antagonist an honor; while the gambler, cutting at the breadth, will, as certainly, cut
nothing for his victim which may count in the records of the game.
Any burst of indignation upon this discovery would have affected me less than the silent
contempt, or the sarcastic composure, with which it was received.
"Mr. Wilson," said our host, stooping to remove from beneath his feet an exceedingly
luxurious cloak of rare furs, "Mr. Wilson, this is your property." (The weather was cold;

and, upon quitting my own room, I had thrown a cloak over my dressing wrapper, putting
it off upon reaching the scene of play.) "I presume it is supererogatory to seek here
(eyeing the folds of the garment with a bitter smile) for any farther evidence of your skill.
Indeed, we have had enough. You will see the necessity, I hope, of quitting Oxford —at
all events, of quitting instantly my chambers."

Abased, humbled to the dust as I then was, it is probable that I should have resented this
galling language by immediate personal violence, had not my whole attention been at the
moment arrested by a fact of the most startling character. The cloak which I had worn
was of a rare description of fur; how rare, how extravagantly costly, I shall not venture to
say. Its fashion, too, was of my own fantastic invention; for I was fastidious to an absurd
degree of coxcombry, in matters of this frivolous nature. When, therefore, Mr. Preston
reached me that which he had picked up upon the floor, and near the folding doors of the
apartment, it was with an astonishment nearly bordering upon terror, that I perceived my
own already hanging on my arm, (where I had no doubt unwittingly placed it,) and that
the one presented me was but its exact counterpart in every, in even the minutest possible
particular. The singular being who had so disastrously exposed me, had been muffled, I
remembered, in a cloak; and none had been worn at all by any of the members of our
party with the exception of myself. Retaining some presence of mind, I took the one
offered me by Preston; placed it, unnoticed, over my own; left the apartment with a
resolute scowl of defiance; and, next morning ere dawn of day, commenced a hurried
journey from Oxford to the continent, in a perfect agony of horror and of shame.
I fled in vain. My evil destiny pursued me as if in exultation, and proved, indeed, that the
exercise of its mysterious dominion had as yet only begun. Scarcely had I set foot in Paris
ere I had fresh evidence of the detestable interest taken by this Wilson in my concerns.
Years flew, while I experienced no relief. Villain! —at Rome, with how untimely, yet
with how spectral an officiousness, stepped he in between me and my ambition! At
Vienna, too —at Berlin —and at Moscow! Where, in truth, had I not bitter cause to curse
him within my heart? From his inscrutable tyranny did I at length flee, panic-stricken, as
from a pestilence; and to the very ends of the earth I fled in vain.
And again, and again, in secret communion with my own spirit, would I demand the
questions "Who is he? —whence came he? —and what are his objects?" But no answer
was there found. And then I scrutinized, with a minute scrutiny, the forms, and the
methods, and the leading traits of his impertinent supervision. But even here there was
very little upon which to base a conjecture. It was noticeable, indeed, that, in no one of
the multiplied instances in which he had of late crossed my path, had he so crossed it
except to frustrate those schemes, or to disturb those actions, which, if fully carried out,
might have resulted in bitter mischief. Poor justification this, in truth, for an authority so
imperiously assumed! Poor indemnity for natural rights of self- agency so pertinaciously,
so insultingly denied!

I had also been forced to notice that my tormentor, for a very long period of time, (while
scrupulously and with miraculous dexterity maintaining his whim of an identity of
apparel with myself,) had so contrived it, in the execution of his varied interference with
my will, that I saw not, at any moment, the features of his face. Be Wilson what he might,
this, at least, was but the veriest of affectation, or of folly. Could he, for an instant, have
supposed that, in my admonisher at Eton —in the destroyer of my honor at Oxford, -in
him who thwarted my ambition at Rome, my revenge at Paris, my passionate love at

Naples, or what he falsely termed my avarice in Egypt, —that in this, my arch-enemy and
evil genius, could fall to recognise the William Wilson of my school boy days, —the
namesake, the companion, the rival, —the hated and dreaded rival at Dr. Bransby's?
Impossible! —But let me hasten to the last eventful scene of the drama.
Thus far I had succumbed supinely to this imperious domination. The sentiment of deep
awe with which I habitually regarded the elevated character, the majestic wisdom, the
apparent omnipresence and omnipotence of Wilson, added to a feeling of even terror,
with which certain other traits in his nature and assumptions inspired me, had operated,
hitherto, to impress me with an idea of my own utter weakness and helplessness, and to
suggest an implicit, although bitterly reluctant submission to his arbitrary will. But, of
late days, I had given myself up entirely to wine; and its maddening influence upon my
hereditary temper rendered me more and more impatient of control. I began to murmur, —
to hesitate, -to resist. And was it only fancy which induced me to believe that, with the
increase of my own firmness, that of my tormentor underwent a proportional diminution?
Be this as it may, I now began to feel the inspiration of a burning hope, and at length
nurtured in my secret thoughts a stern and desperate resolution that I would submit no
longer to be enslaved.

It was at Rome, during the Carnival of 18—, that I attended a masquerade in the palazzo
of the Neapolitan Duke Di Broglio. I had indulged more freely than usual in the excesses
of the wine-table; and now the suffocating atmosphere of the crowded rooms irritated me
beyond endurance. The difficulty, too, of forcing my way through the mazes of the
company contributed not a little to the ruffling of my temper; for I was anxiously seeking,
(let me not say with what unworthy motive) the young, the gay, the beautiful wife of the
aged and doting Di Broglio. With a too unscrupulous confidence she had previously
communicated to me the secret of the costume in which she would be habited, and now,
having caught a glimpse of her person, I was hurrying to make my way into her presence.
—At this moment I felt a light hand placed upon my shoulder, and that ever-remembered,
low, damnable whisper within my ear.

In an absolute phrenzy of wrath, I turned at once upon him who had thus interrupted me,
and seized him violently by tile collar. He was attired, as I had expected, in a costume
altogether similar to my own; wearing a Spanish cloak of blue velvet, begirt about the
waist with a crimson belt sustaining a rapier. A mask of black silk entirely covered his
face.

"Scoundrel!" I said, in a voice husky with rage, while every syllable I uttered seemed as
new fuel to my fury, "scoundrel! impostor! accursed villain! you shall not -you shall not
dog me unto death! Follow me, or I stab you where you stand!" —and I broke my way
from the ball-room into a small ante-chamber adjoining —dragging him unresistingly with
me as I went.

Upon entering, I thrust him furiously from me. He staggered against the wall, while I
closed the door with an oath, and commanded him to draw. He hesitated but for an
instant; then, with a slight sigh, drew in silence, and put himself upon his defence.
The contest was brief indeed. I was frantic with every species of wild excitement, and felt
within my single arm the energy and power of a multitude. In a few seconds I forced him
by sheer strength against the wainscoting, and thus, getting him at mercy, plunged my
sword, with brute ferocity, repeatedly through and through his bosom.
At that instant some person tried the latch of the door. I hastened to prevent an intrusion.

and then immediately returned to my dying antagonist. But what human language can
adequately portray that astonishment, that horror which possessed me at the spectacle
then presented to view? The brief moment in which I averted my eyes had been sufficient
to produce, apparently, a material change in the arrangements at the upper or farther end
of the room. A large mirror, —so at first it seemed to me in my confusion —now stood
where none had been perceptible before; and, as I stepped up to it in extremity of terror,
mine own image, but with features all pale and dabbled in blood, advanced to meet me
with a feeble and tottering gait.

Thus it appeared, I say, but was not. It was my antagonist —it was Wilson, who then
stood before me in the agonies of his dissolution. His mask and cloak lay, where he had
thrown them, upon the floor. Not a thread in all his raiment —not a line in all the marked
and singular lineaments of his face which was not, even in the most absolute identity,
mine own!

It was Wilson; but he spoke no longer in a whisper, and I could have fancied that I myself
was speaking while he said:

"You have conquered, and I yield. Yet, henceforward art thou also dead -dead to the
World, to Heaven and to Hope! In me didst thou exist -and, in my death, see by this
image, which is thine own, how utterly thou hast murdered thyself."

THE END

XING A PARAGRAB

by Edgar Allan Poe

1850

AS it is well known that the 'wise men' came 'from the East,' and as Mr. Touch-and-go
Bullet-head came from the East, it follows that Mr. Bullet-head was a wise man; and if
collateral proof of the matter be needed, here we have it-Mr. B. was an editor. Irascibility
was his sole foible, for in fact the obstinacy of which men accused him was anything but
his foible, since he justly considered it his forte. It was his strong point-his virtue; and it
would have required all the logic of a Brownson to convince him that it was 'anything
else.' I have shown that Touch-and-go Bullet-head was a wise man; and the only occasion
on which he did not prove infallible, was when, abandoning that legitimate home for all
wise men, the East, he migrated to the city of Alexander-the-Great-o-nopolis, or some
place of a similar title, out West.

I must do him the justice to say, however, that when he made up his mind finally to settle
in that town, it was under the impression that no newspaper, and consequently no editor,
existed in that particular section of the country. In establishing 'The Tea-Pot' he expected
to have the field all to himself. I feel confident he never would have dreamed of taking up
his residence in Alexander-the-Great-o-nopolis had he been aware that, in Alexander-the-
Great-o-nopolis, there lived a gentleman named John Smith (if I rightly remember), who
for many years had there quietly grown fat in editing and publishing the 'Alexander-the-
Great-o-nopolis Gazette.' It was solely, therefore, on account of having been
misinformed, that Mr. Bullet-head found himself in Alex-suppose we call it Nopolis, 'for
short'-but, as he did find himself there, he determined to keep up his character for obst-
for firmness, and remain. So remain he did; and he did more; he unpacked his press, type,
etc., etc., rented an office exactly opposite to that of the 'Gazette,' and, on the third
morning after his arrival, issued the first number of 'The Alexan'-that is to say, of 'The
Nopolis Tea-Pot'-as nearly as I can recollect, this was the name of the new paper.

The leading article, I must admit, was brilliant-not to say severe. It was especially bitter
about things in general-and as for the editor of 'The Gazette,' he was torn all to pieces in
particular. Some of BuUethead's remarks were really so fiery that I have always, since
that time, been forced to look upon John Smith, who is still alive, in the light of a
salamander. I cannot pretend to give all the 'Tea-Pot's' paragraphs verbatim, but one of
them runs thus: 'Oh, yes!-Oh, we perceive! Oh, no doubt! The editor over the way is a
genius-0, my! Oh, goodness, gracious !-what is this world coming to? Oh, tempora! Oh,
Moses!'

A philippic at once so caustic and so classical, alighted like a bombshell among the
hitherto peaceful citizens of Nopolis. Groups of excited individuals gathered at the
comers of the streets. Every one awaited, with heartfelt anxiety, the reply of the dignified
Smith. Next moming it appeared as follows:

'We quote from "The Tea- Pot" of yesterday the subjoined paragraph: "Oh, yes! Oh, we
perceive! Oh, no doubt! Oh, my! Oh, goodness! Oh, tempora! Oh, Moses!" Why, the
fellow is all O! That accounts for his reasoning in a circle, and explains why there is
neither beginning nor end to him, nor to anything he says. We really do not believe the
vagabond can write a word that hasn't an O in it. Wonder if this 0-ing is a habit of his?
By-the-by, he came away from Down-East in a great hurry. Wonder if he O's as much
there as he does here? "O! it is pitiful.'"

The indignation of Mr. Bullet-head at these scandalous insinuations, I shall not attempt to
describe. On the eel-skinning principle, however, he did not seem to be so much incensed
at the attack upon his integrity as one might have imagined. It was the sneer at his style
that drove him to desperation. What!-he Touch-and-go Bullet-head!- not able to write a
word without an O in it! He would soon let the jackanapes see that he was mistaken. Yes!
he would let him see how much he was mistaken, the puppy! He, Touch-and-go Bullet-
head, of Frogpondium, would let Mr. John Smith perceive that he. Bullet-head, could
indite, if it so pleased him, a whole paragraph-aye! a whole article-in which that
contemptible vowel should not once-not even once-make its appearance. But no;-that
would be yielding a point to the said John Smith. He, Bullet-head, would make no
alteration in his style, to suit the caprices of any Mr. Smith in Christendom. Perish so vile
a thought! The O forever; He would persist in the O. He would be as 0-wy as 0-wy
could be.

Burning with the chivalry of this determination, the great Touch-and-go, in the next 'Tea-
Pot,' came out merely with this simple but resolute paragraph, in reference to this
unhappy affair: 'The editor of the "Tea-Pot" has the honor of advising the editor of the
"Gazette" that he (the "Tea-Pot") will take an opportunity in tomorrow morning's paper,
of convincing him (the "Gazette") that he (the "Tea-Pot") both can and will be his own
master, as regards style; he (the "Tea-Pot") intending to show him (the "Gazette") the
supreme, and indeed the withering contempt with which the criticism of him (the
"Gazette") inspires the independent bosom of him (the "TeaPot") by composing for the
especial gratification (?) of him (the "Gazette") a leading article, of some extent, in which
the beautiful vowel-the emblem of Eternity-yet so offensive to the hyper-exquisite
delicacy of him (the "Gazette") shall most certainly not be avoided by his (the
"Gazette's") most obedient, humble servant, the "Tea-Pot." "So much for Buckingham!'"

In fulfilment of the awful threat thus darkly intimated rather than decidedly enunciated,
the great Bullet-head, turning a deaf ear to all entreaties for 'copy,' and simply requesting
his foreman to 'go to the d-1,' when he (the foreman) assured him (the 'Tea-Pot'!) that it
was high time to 'go to press': turning a deaf ear to everything, I say, the great Bullet-head
sat up until day-break, consuming the midnight oil, and absorbed in the composition of
the really unparalleled paragraph, which follows:

'So ho, John! how now? Told you so, you know. Don't crow, another time, before you're
out of the woods! Does your mother know you're out? Oh, no, no!-so go home at once,
now, John, to your odious old woods of Concord! Go home to your woods, old owl-go!
You won't! Oh, poh, poh, don't do so! You've got to go, you know! So go at once, and

don't go slow, for nobody owns you here, you know! Oh! John, John, if you don't go
you're no homo-no! You're only a fowl, an owl, a cow, a sow,-a doll, a poll; a poor, old,
good-for-nothing-to-nobody, log, dog, hog, or frog, come out of a Concord bog. Cool,
now-cool! Do be cool, you fool! None of your crowing, old cock! Don't frown so- don't!
Don't hollo, nor howl nor growl, nor bow-wow- wow! Good Lord, John, how you do
look! Told you so, you know-but stop rolling your goose of an old poll about so, and go
and drown your sorrows in a bowl!'

Exhausted, very naturally, by so stupendous an effort, the great Touch-and-go could
attend to nothing farther that night. Firmly, composedly, yet with an air of conscious
power, he handed his MS. to the devil in waiting, and then, walking leisurely home,
retired, with ineffable dignity to bed.

Meantime the devil, to whom the copy was entrusted, ran up stairs to his 'case,' in an
unutterable hurry, and forthwith made a commencement at 'setting' the MS. 'up.'

In the first place, of course,-as the opening word was 'So, '-he made a plunge into the
capital S hole and came out in triumph with a capital S. Elated by this success, he
immediately threw himself upon the little-o box with a blindfold impetuosity-but who
shall describe his horror when his fingers came up without the anticipated letter in their
clutch? who shall paint his astonishment and rage at perceiving, as he rubbed his
knuckles, that he had been only thumping them to no purpose, against the bottom of an
empty box. Not a single little-o was in the little-o hole; and, glancing fearfully at the
capital-0 partition, he found that to his extreme terror, in a precisely similar predicament.
Awe-stricken, his first impulse was to rush to the foreman.

'Sir!' said he, gasping for breath, 'I can't never set up nothing without no o's.'

'What do you mean by that?' growled the foreman, who was in a very ill humor at being
kept so late.

'Why, sir, there beant an o in the office, neither a big un nor a little un!'

'What-what the d-1 has become of all that were in the case?' 'I don't know, sir,' said the
boy, 'but one of them ere "G'zette" devils is bin prowling 'bout here all night, and I spect
he's gone and cabbaged 'em every one.'

'Dod rot him! I haven't a doubt of it,' replied the foreman, getting purple with rage 'but I
tell you what you do. Bob, that's a good boy-you go over the first chance you get and
hook every one of their i's and (d-n them!) their izzards.'

'Jist so,' replied Bob, with a wink and a frown-'I'U be into 'em, I'll let 'em know a thing or
two; but in de meantime, that ere paragrab? Mus go in to-night, you know-else there'll be
the d-1 to pay, and-'

'And not a bit of pitch hot,' interrapted the foreman, with a deep sigh, and an emphasis on
the 'bit.' 'Is it a long paragraph. Bob?' 'Shouldn't call it a wery long paragrab,' said Bob.

'Ah, well, then! do the best you can with it! We must get to press," said the foreman, who
was over head and ears in work; 'just stick in some other letter for o; nobody's going to
read the fellow's trash anyhow.'

'Wery well,' replied Bob, 'here goes it!' and off he hurried to his case, muttering as he
went: 'Considdeble veil, them ere expressions, perticcler for a man as doesn't swar. So I's
to gouge out all their eyes, eh? and d-n all their gizzards! Veil! this here's the chap as is
just able for to do it.' The fact is that although Bob was but twelve years old and four feet
high, he was equal to any amount of fight, in a small way.

The exigency here described is by no means of rare occurrence in printing-offices; and I
cannot tell how to account for it, but the fact is indisputable, that when the exigency does
occur, it almost always happens that x is adopted as a substitute for the letter deficient.
The true reason, perhaps, is that x is rather the most superabundant letter in the cases, or
at least was so in the old times-long enough to render the substitution in question an
habitual thing with printers. As for Bob, he would have considered it heretical to employ
any other character, in a case of this kind, than the x to which he had been accustomed.

'I shell have to x this ere paragrab,' said he to himself, as he read it over in astonishment,
'but it's jest about the awfulest o-wy paragrab I ever did see': so x it he did, unflinchingly,
and to press it went x-ed.

Next morning the population of Nopolis were taken all aback by reading in 'The Tea- Pot,'
the following extraordinary leader: 'Sx hx, Jxhn! hxw nxw? Txld yxu sx, yxu knxw. Dxn't
crxw, anxther time, befxre yxu're xut xf the wxxds! Dxes yxur mxther knxw yxu're xut?
Xh, nx, nx!-sx gx hxme at xnce, nxw, Jxhn, tx yxur xdixus xld wxxds xf Cxncxrd! Gx
hxme tx yxur wxxds, xld xwl,-gx! Yxu wxn't? Xh, pxh, pxh, Jxhn, dxn't dx sx! Yxu've
gxt tx gx, yxu knxw, sx gx at xnce, and dxn't gx slxw; fxr nxbxdy xwns yxu here, yxu
knxw. Xh, Jxhn, Jxhn, Jxhn, if yxu dxn't gx yxu're nx hxmx-nx! Yxu're xnly a fxwl, an
xwl; a cxw, a sxw; a dxU, a pxU; a pxxr xld gxxd-fxr-nxthing-tx-nxbxdy, Ixg, dxg, hxg, xr
frxg, cxme xut xf a Cxncxrd bxg. Cxxl, nxw-cxxl! Dx be cxxl, yxu fxxl! Nxne xf yxur
crxwing, xld cxck! Dxn't frxwn sx-dxn't! Dxn't hxUx, nxr hxwl, nxr grxwl, nxr bxw-
wxw-wxw! Gxxd Lxrd, Jxhn, hxw yxu dx Ixxk! Txld yxu sx, yxu knxw,-but stxp rxUing
yxur gxxse xf an xld pxU abxut sx, and gx and drxwn yxur sxrrxws in a bxwl!'

The uproar occasioned by this mystical and cabalistical article, is not to be conceived.
The first definite idea entertained by the populace was, that some diabolical treason lay
concealed in the hieroglyphics; and there was a general rush to Bullet-head's residence,
for the purpose of riding him on a rail; but that gentleman was nowhere to be found. He
had vanished, no one could tell how; and not even the ghost of him has ever been seen
since. Unable to discover its legitimate object, the popular fury at length subsided;
leaving behind it, by way of sediment, quite a medley of opinion about this unhappy
affair.

One gentleman thought the whole an X-ellent joke. Another said that, indeed, Bullet-head
had shown much X-uberance of fancy.

A third admitted him X-entric, but no more.

A fourth could only suppose it the Yankee's design to X-press, in a general way, his X-
asperation.

'Say, rather, to set an X-ample to posterity,' suggested a fifth. That Bullet-head had been
driven to an extremity, was clear to all; and in fact, since that editor could not be found,
there was some talk about lynching the other one.

The more common conclusion, however, was that the affair was, simply, X-traordinary
and in-X-plicable. Even the town mathematician confessed that he could make nothing of
so dark a problem. X, every, body knew, was an unknown quantity; but in this case (as he
properly observed), there was an unknown quantity of X.

The opinion of Bob, the devil (who kept dark about his having 'X-ed the paragrab'), did
not meet with so much attention as I think it deserved, although it was very openly and
very fearlessly expressed. He said that, for his part, he had no doubt about the matter at
all, that it was a clear case, that Mr. Bullet-head 'never could be persuaded fur to drink
like other folks, but vas continually a-svigging o' that ere blessed XXX ale, and as a
naiteral consekvence, it just puffed him up savage, and made him X (cross) in the X-
treme.'

THE END