the coming race-第13章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


；　perceptible　under　the　skin；　which　starts　from　the　wrist　skirting　the　ball　of　the　thumb；　and　branching；　fork…like；　at　the　roots　of　the　fore　and　middle　fingers。　　〃With　your　slight　formation　of　thumb；〃　said　the　philosophical　young　Gy；　〃and　with　the　absence　of　the　nerve　which　you　find　more　or　less　developed　in　the　hands　of　our　race；　you　can　never　achieve　other　than　imperfect　and　feeble　power　over　the　agency　of　vril；　but　so　far　as　the　nerve　is　concerned；　that　is　not　found　in　the　hands　of　our　earliest　progenitors；　nor　in　those　of　the　ruder　tribes　without　the　pale　of　the　Vril…ya。　　It　has　been　slowly　developed　73in　the　course　of　generations；　commencing　in　the　early　achievements；　and　increasing　with　the　continuous　exercise；　of　the　vril　power；　therefore；　in　the　course　of　one　or　two　thousand　years；　such　a　nerve　may　possibly　be　engendered　in　those　higher　beings　of　your　race；　who　devote　themselves　to　that　paramount　science　through　which　is　attained　command　over　all　the　subtler　forces　of　nature　permeated　by　vril。　　But　when　you　talk　of　matter　as　something　in　itself　inert　and　motionless；　your　parents　or　tutors　surely　cannot　have　left　you　so　ignorant　as　not　to　know　that　no　form　of　matter　is　motionless　and　inert：　every　particle　is　constantly　in　motion　and　constantly　acted　upon　by　agencies；　of　which　heat　is　the　most　apparent　and　rapid；　but　vril　the　most　subtle；　and；　when　skilfully　wielded；　the　most　powerful。　　So　that；　in　fact；　the　current　launched　by　my　hand　and　guided　by　my　will　does　but　render　quicker　and　more　potent　the　action　which　is　eternally　at　work　upon　every　particle　of　matter；　however　inert　and　stubborn　it　may　seem。　　If　a　heap　of　metal　be　not　capable　of　originating　a　thought　of　its　own；　yet；　through　its　internal　susceptibility　to　movement；　it　obtains　the　power　to　receive　the　thought　of　the　intellectual　agent　at　work　on　it；　by　which；　when　conveyed　with　a　sufficient　force　of　the　vril　power；　it　is　as　much　compelled　to　obey　as　if　it　were　displaced　by　a　visible　bodily　force。　　It　is　animated　for　the　time　being　by　the　soul　thus　infused　into　it；　so　that　one　may　almost　say　that　it　lives　and　reasons。　　Without　this　we　could　not　make　our　automata　supply　the　place　of　servants。

I　was　too　much　in　awe　of　the　thews　and　the　learning　of　the　young　Gy　to　hazard　the　risk　of　arguing　with　her。　　I　had　read　somewhere　in　my　schoolboy　days　that　a　wise　man；　disputing　with　a　Roman　Emperor；　suddenly　drew　in　his　horns；　and　when　the　emperor　asked　him　whether　he　had　nothing　further　to　say　on　his　side　of　the　question；　replied；　〃Nay；　Caesar；　there　is　no　arguing　against　a　reasoner　who　commands　ten　legions。〃　74　Though　I　had　a　secret　persuasion　that；　whatever　the　real　effects　of　vril　upon　matter；　Mr。　　Faraday　could　have　proved　her　a　very　shallow　philosopher　as　to　its　extent　or　its　causes；　I　had　no　doubt　that　Zee　could　have　brained　all　the　Fellows　of　the　Royal　Society；　one　after　the　other；　with　a　blow　of　her　fist。　　Every　sensible　man　knows　that　it　is　useless　to　argue　with　any　ordinary　female　upon　matters　he　comprehends；　but　to　argue　with　a　Gy　seven　feet　high　upon　the　mysteries　of　vril；…　as　well　argue　in　a　desert；　and　with　a　simoon！

Amid　the　various　departments　to　which　the　vast　building　of　the　College　of　Sages　was　appropriated；　that　which　interested　me　most　was　devoted　to　the　archaeology　of　the　Vril…ya；　and　comprised　a　very　ancient　collection　of　portraits。　　In　these　the　pigments　and　groundwork　employed　were　of　so　durable　a　nature　that　even　pictures　said　to　be　executed　at　dates　as　remote　as　those　in　the　earliest　annals　of　the　Chinese；　retained　much　freshness　of　colour。　　In　examining　this　collection；　two　things　especially　struck　me：…　first；　that　the　pictures　said　to　be　between　6000　and　7000　years　old　were　of　a　much　higher　degree　of　art　than　any　produced　within　the　last　3000　or　4000　years；　and；　second；　that　the　portraits　within　the　former　period　much　more　resembled　our　own　upper　world　and　European　types　of　countenance。　　Some　of　them；　indeed　reminded　me　of　the　Italian　heads　which　look　out　from　the　canvases　of　Titian…　speaking　of　ambition　or　craft；　of　care　or　of　grief；　with　furrows　in　which　the　passions　have　passed　with　iron　ploughshare。　　These　were　the　countenances　of　men　who　had　lived　in　struggle　and　conflict　before　the　discovery　of　the　latent　forces　of　vril　had　changed　the　character　of　society…　men　who　had　fought　with　each　other　for　power　or　fame　as　we　in　the　upper　world　fight。

The　type　of　face　began　to　evince　a　marked　change　about　a　thousand　years　after　the　vril　revolution；　becoming　then；　with　each　generation；　more　serene；　and　in　that　serenity　more　75terribly　distinct　from　the　faces　of　labouring　and　sinful　men；　while　in　proportion　as　the　beauty　and　the　grandeur　of　the　countenance　itself　became　more　fully　developed；　the　art　of　the　painter　became　more　tame　and　monotonous。

But　the　greatest　curiosity　in　the　collection　was　that　of　three　portraits　belonging　to　the　pre…historical　age；　and；　according　to　mythical　tradition；　taken　by　the　orders　of　a　philosopher；　whose　origin　and　attributes　were　as　much　mixed　up　with　symbolical　fable　as　those　of　an　Indian　Budh　or　a　Greek　Prometheus。

》From　this　mysterious　personage；　at　once　a　sage　and　a　hero；　all　the　principal　sections　of　the　Vril…ya　race　pretend　to　trace　a　common　origin。

The　portraits　are　of　the　philosopher　himself；　of　his　grandfather；　and　great…grandfather。　　They　are　all　at　full　length。　　The　philosopher　is　attired　in　a　long　tunic　which　seems　to　form　a　loose　suit　of　scaly　armour；　borrowed；　perhaps；　from　some　fish　or　reptile；　but　the　feet　and　hands　are　exposed：　the　digits　in　both　are　wonderfully　long；　and　webbed。　　He　has　little　or　no　perceptible　throat；　and　a　low　receding　forehead；　not　at　all　the　ideal　of　a　sage's。　　He　has　bright　brown　prominent　eyes；　a　very　wide　mouth　and　high　cheekbones；　and　a　muddy　complexion。　　According　to　tradition；　this　philosopher　had　lived　to　a　patriarchal　age；　extending　over　many　centuries；　and　he　remembered　distinctly　in　middle　life　his　grandfather　as　surviving；　and　in　childhood　his　great…grandfather；　the　portrait　of　the　first　he　had　taken；　or　caused　to　be　taken；　while　yet　alive…　that　of　the　latter　was　taken　from　his　effigies　in　mummy。　　The　portrait　of　his　grandfather　had　the　features　and　aspect　of　the　philosopher；　only　much　more　exaggerated：　he　was　not　dressed；　and　the　colour　of　his　body　was　singular；　the　breast　and　stomach　yellow；　the　shoulders　and　legs　of　a　dull　bronze　hue：　the　great…grandfather　was　a　magnificent　specimen　of　the　Batrachian　genus；　a　Giant　Frog；　'pur　et　simple。'

Among　the　pithy　sayings　which；　according　to　tradition；　the　philosopher　bequeathed　to　posterity　in　rhythmical　form　and　76sententious　brevity；　this　is　notably　recorded：　〃Humble　yourselves；　my　descendants；　the　father　of　your　race　was　a　'twat'　（tadpole）：　exalt　yourselves；　my　descendants；　for　it　was　the　same　Divine　Thought　which　created　your　father　that　develops　itself　in　exalting　you。〃

Aph…Lin　told　me　this　fable　while　I　gazed　on　the　three　Batrachian　portraits。　　I　said　in　reply：　〃You　make　a　jest　of　my　supposed　ignorance　and　credulity　as　an　uneducated　Tish；　but　though　these　horrible　daubs　may　be　of　great　antiquity；　and　were　intended；　perhaps；　for　some　rude　caracature；　I　presume　that　none　of　your　race　even　in　the　less　enlightened　ages；　ever　believed　that　the　great…grandson　of　a　Frog　became　a　sententious　philosopher；　or　that　any　section；　I　will　not　say　of　the　lofty　Vril…ya；　but　of　the　meanest　varieties　of　the　human　race；　had　its　origin　in　a　Tadpole。〃

〃Pardon　me；〃　answered　Aph…Lin：　〃in　what　we　call　the　Wrangling　or　Philosophical　Period　of　History；　which　was　at　its　height　about　seven　thousand　years　ago；　there　was　a　very　distinguished　naturalist；　who　proved　to　the　satisfaction　of　numerous　disciples　such　analogical　and　anatomical　agreements　in　structure　between　an　An　and　a　Frog；　as　to　show　that　out　of　the　one　must　have　developed　the　other。　　They　had　some　diseases　in　common；　they　were　both　subject　to　the　same　parasitical　worms　in　the　intestines；　and；　strange　to　say；　the　An　has；　in　his　structure；　a　swimming…bladder；　no　longer　of　any　use　to　him；　but　which　is　a　rudiment　that　clearly　proves　his　descent　from　a　Frog。　　Nor　is　there　any　argument　against　this　theory　to　be　found　in　the　relative　difference　of　size；　for　there　are　still　existent　in　our　world　Frogs　of　a　size　and　stature　not　inferior　to　our　own；　and　many　thousand　years　ago　they　appear　to　have　been　still　larger。〃

〃I　understand　that；〃　said　I；　〃because　Frogs　this　enormous　are；　according　to　our　eminent　geologists；　who　perhaps　saw　them　in　dreams；　said　to　have　been　distinguished　inhabitants　of　the　upper　world　before　the　Deluge；　and　such　Frogs　are　exactly　the　creatures　likely　to　have　flourished　in　the　lakes　and　morasses　of　your　subterranean　regions。　　But　pray；　proceed。〃　77　〃In　the　Wrangling　Period　of　History；　whatever　one　sage　asserted　another　sage　was　sure　to　contradict。　　In　fact；　it　was　a　maxim　in　that　age；　that　the　human　reason　could　only　be　sustained　aloft　by　being　tossed　to　and　fro　in　the　perpetual　motion　of　contradiction；　and　therefore　another　sect　of　philosophers　maintained　the　doctrine　that　the　An　was　not　the　descendant　of　the　Frog；　but　that　the　Frog　was　clearly　the　improved　development　of　the　An。　　The　shape　of　the　Frog；　taken　generally；　was　much　more　symmetrical　than　that　of　the　An；　beside　the　beautiful　conformation　of　its　lower　limbs；　its　flanks　and　shoulders　the　majority　of　the　Ana　in　that　day　were　almost　deformed；　and　certainly　ill…shaped。　　Again；　the　Frog　had　the　power　to　live　alike　on　land　and　in　water…　a　mighty　privilege；　partaking　of　a　spiritual　essence　denied　to　the　An；　since　the　disuse　of　his　swimming…bladder　clearly　proves　his　degeneration　from　a　higher　development　of　species。　　Again；　the　earlier　races　of　the　Ana　seem　to　have　been　covered　with　hair；　and；　even　to　a　comparatively　recent　date；　hirsute　bushes　deformed　the　very　faces　of　our　ancestors；　spreading　wild　over　their　cheeks　and　chins；　as　similar　bushes；　my　poor　Tish；　spread　wild　over　yours。　　But　the　object　of　the　higher　races　of　the　Ana　through　countless　generations　has　been　to　erase　all　vestige　of　connection　with　hairy　vertebrata；　and　they　have　gradually　eliminated　that　debasing　capillary　excrement　by　the　law　of　sexual　selection；　the　Gy…ei　naturally　preferring　youth　or　the　beauty　of　smooth　faces。　　But　the　degree　of　the　Frog　in　the　scale　of　the　vertebrata　is　shown　in　this；　that　he　has　no　hair　at　all；　not　even　on　his　head。　　He　was　born　to　that　hairless　perfection　which　the　most　beautiful　of　the　Ana；　despite　the　culture　of　incalculable　ages；　have　not　yet　attained。　　The　wonderful　complication　and　delicacy　of　a　Frog's　nervous　system　and　arterial　circulation　were　shown　by　this　school　to　be　more　susceptible　of　enjoyment　than　our　inferior；　or　at　least　simpler；　physical　frame　allows　us　to　be。　　The　examination　of　a　Frog's　hand；　if　I　may　use　that　expression；　accounted　for　its　78keener　susceptibility　to　love；　and　to　social　life　in　general。　　In　fact；　gregarious　and　amatory　as　are　the　Ana；　Frogs　are　still　more　so。　　In　short；　these　two　schools　raged　against　each　other；　one　asserting　the　An　to　be　the　perfected　type　of　the　Frog；　the　other　that　the　Frog　was　the　highest　development　of　the　An。　　The　moralists　were　divided　in　opinion　with　the　naturalists；　but　the　bulk　of　them　sided　with　the　Frog…preference　school。　　They　said；　with　much　pl