Lamekis

by Charles de Fieux

  198 Surprising acquiescence that would put this passage in doubt if so many other authors mentioning it did not incline us to believe it, since no mortal was allowed to walk on the ground of the sacred island until he had been initiated as an inhabitant.

  199 The citizens of the island were great jugglers and hustlers. What is mentioned here is practicing all the agility and artifice to do the most extraordinary things. It was from this island that swindling came to Earth and when a man excelled in this craft you can be sure that a black spirit was in him and could be found under every cup.

  200 We can assume that Dehahal’s suffering, with exaggerated details, was only in his mind and the dampness he talks about comes from his overworked imagination.

  201 This would seem to be ironic and surprising if we did not know that the more unpleasant a smell was, the more welcome it was on this island. On this basis, a modern author cracked a joke that when we passed foul wind, it was a Sylph caught in our body trying to escape.

  202 The triple roll was made of a human skin that was so strong you could shave off three layers without weakening it.

  203 The Sylphs claimed that they were harmful to conception as they were earthly bodies that the volatile spirits could not pass through. No inhabitant of the island was allowed to keep them. The first thing they did to a newborn baby was to pull out its gums in order to destroy the very roots of these vile accessories.

  204 The author did not interpret this passage well. The stone in question was a piece of ice and the cold stopped the bleeding. One can never be too careful when translating: the slightest ambiguity casts a dark shadow, which happened more than once in this work.

  205 [Motacoa’s mother, also called Hildaë—not the princess Nasilaë—tr. note]

  206 Governors of the provinces.

  207 The author’s Intelligence convinced him that he would be told the rest of the Houcaïs’ story. When the favor is granted, we will be sure to let the public know.

  208 The following descriptions are of Part 1.

  209 Part 2.

  210 Part 3.

  211 At the exact moment when the author wrote this passage and was about to describe his mysterious dream, his hand suddenly went numb and could not move the pen. With the idea that the paralysis was caused by bad circulation, he took the pen with his left hand and tried to continue writing. By some unheard-of prodigy, it, too, refused to work. With no doubt that the difficulty was caused by a hidden power, he figured he had to submit to the internal orders. Indeed, his submission was accepted right away. As soon as he decided not to speak about it, he was given back the use of his hands.

  212 Part 4.

  213 The story of Dehahal had been written in full and I dare say that it is as interesting as you might imagine, but the strict censor was convinced, since he heard no more from the author, that it could be replaced by more than 30 pages of scholarly explanations. Unfortunately for the public, there was no rough draft of the manuscript and the original was not kept after being approved. That’s why the rest of the story was not told.

  214 The Motives of Conversion for Use by the People of the World.

  215 Here is where the royal censor cut out the text. It concerned a system on the divinity and thoughts on the other life, appropriate for all good people. Even though the author printed this work in Holland and was thereby free to include the passage, he kept it out with the idea that an honest man should obey the laws of his country and never, on any pretext whatsoever, break them.

  216 May you always be happy.

  217 A punishment on the Island of the Sylphs.

  218 That of the soul. The Sylphs claimed that the eternal punishment is to return to the void, to nothingness.

  219 Towards the end of Part 3.

  220 From Part 3.

  221 A square bell that was rung by the king to let the people see and breath. The privilege was given to the people hardly once a century.

  222 My children. The king only spoke to his people in general using this expression.

  223 Distinctive punishment. It consisted of being put on a press and flattened like a sheet of paper. The liquid that came out was burned in front of the statue and the skin that was squeezed out was enshrined in the temple with a bas-relief showing the cause of the punishment.

  224 A kind of delirium ordained by the worship when they want to sway the divinity. Once started it could not stop until sunset.

  225 This word is difficult to translate. The scholars explain it in several ways. Heinsius says that it means “there’s no more to say.” Scaliger is sure that after this supreme order it was not allowed to answer and it meant, “be quiet.” It does appear, however, that in this case the respectful Karveder would not have used it with his master’s daughter who was going to become the ruler. The Abbé Ménage feels the same and I thought it best to follow him, even though Madame Dacier fights long and hard against it, as well as de Fontenelle in his Errata.

  226 See Part 3.

  227 Fat, thick, monstrous worms with stumpy limbs. See end of Part 2.

  228 These worms were so fast that they were extremely hard to catch. Only the toad monsters had the ability to capture them and tame them. It was big business in the Inner Earth. The worm monsters bought them for the most beautiful Trifoldaysters. The toad monsters worshipped them and considered them the most desirable possession. The ardor to enjoy the women caused bloody wars, but the worm monsters always ended them with their unequalled bravery.

  229 He is talking about the carrying of the owl. See beginning of Part 3.

  230 Za-ra-ouf means the Basilisks; he calls all animals like Falbao by this name.

  231 Père Maimbourg claimed that the toad monsters’ hatred for the worm people came from the fear of their teeth, which were hollow and housed a little black beast that killed the toad monsters if they were unlucky enough to get too close.

  232 Za-ra-ouf and his minister were so dazzled by the brightness of the light, which their eyes were not made for, that they were blinded for a few days. History says that they hid in a cave where they slowly got their eyes used to it. It is not mentioned here apparently out of pride and arrogance.

  233 The worm monsters were like moles. They could dig so easily that they could travel underground from one place to another just like walking. A scholar made an interesting comment on this passage: when a worm monster wanted to go underground it stood up on its tail and like a drill it turned round and round with amazing speed. It used its hands to throw out the dirt and if it was really in a hurry it ate it and when it resurfaced it could spit it out like it was just useless waste too heavy in its stomach.

  234 Men of another species are monsters in the eyes of those who really are.

  235 Palace. Its façade was magnificent. It had no doors or windows and the entrance was on the roof, accessible by a very tall ladder. The effect was remarkable.

  236 The monster calls a bed a box because the Amphicleocles slept in closed alcoves, a fashion that has been passed down to us.

  237 A comparison that the people in the Inner Earth often use.

  238 The purest proof of happiness for these people was to cry. If this note were here a few centuries ago our scholars would not have fallen into the gross errors they have when describing the funeral rites of ancient people, who, far from considering death a great misfortune, thought it was the greatest blessing. That was why their dead were followed by crying mourners—to make their joy known and to rejoice for them.

  239 Runners. They were so fast that they did 10 karies (i.e. 10 leagues) in an hour. This is not surprising when you consider that they ate only feathers, cork and spider webs, light food that was more than a little conducive to making them supple and spry. I owe this important information to Madame Lévêque who took the trouble to elaborate it in one of her many works.

  240 The skin of the worm men is like a snake except that it is so hard that the Great Mughal thought of making armor of it.

  241 A sign of great joy.<
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  242 A sign of gratitude.

  243 This is hard to understand and deserves to be explained. It is the law in the realm of the Trifoldaysters to lose your freedom when you owe your life to someone—you become their slave. Rich or influential people pay this off with huge sums. Horace was in this situation, which he explains rather well in a poem that has never been printed, but exists in a manuscript that can be found in all scholars’ libraries.

  244 Which means, “I am yours. Command and I will obey.”

  245 Very sharp fork that the worm men use by forcing it into their mouths. It was a very easy death and pretty nice for the soul. The Turks, that sensual, voluptuous nation, have adopted this punishment and they find it very good because when someone is sentenced to death, they die with pleasure.

  246 When a Trifoldayster was found to break his word, they considered him despicable and threw him to the toad monsters and became the Troukadors’ slave.

  247 A way of praying to Vilkonhis.

  248 There were only three kings who were to have this celebration. Four men, naked as a nail, started out by calling each other rude names and challenging each other. Then a fifth broke in, bigger and stronger, carrying a knurled whip and flogged them until they were furious and streaming with blood. The more they screamed and writhed in pain, the more the onlookers laughed. After this introduction the flayed men jumped all together on their punisher and grabbed him wherever they could get hold to tear him apart. He fought until his strength gave out and then fell to the ground. The loser was put on a kind of round stool that was attached to ropes. Every other athlete grabbed a rope end and pulled. The one on the stool was thrown in the air so deftly that he landed on the seat every time. The game lasted about an hour and everyone enjoyed it immensely. It culminated by throwing the loser out the window, under which a huge crowd of people was waiting. It was the height of the party because everyone was ready to catch him and toss him around to one another. The celebration ended by burying him up to his neck and to pay him back for all the trouble he had taken to entertain the court and the people, the King and Queen and all the nobility came and peed on his head. After this the crowd of people ran over each other trying to give him this mark of friendship and respect. According to Strabo the four athletes were not honored so highly, but did they really deserve to be? After the ceremony they put their heads through a specially made board and the people pulled their hair in a friendly way, not stopping until they were entirely bald.

  249 Sign of respect from the King and the greatest contempt for an individual.

  250 A royal game that only the nobles could play. It was called Bil-gou-ta-ber-ker and was played like this: Everyone chosen to Bil-gou-router lied down on their bellies in a circle on the ground. Then they let loose the Bil-gou-rout, a fat, wild rat, in the middle. All the chins were touching the ground and the mouths were open so that the rat could save itself in whichever one it chose. The aim was to catch the rat. When it tried to get away there was a slave standing there to whip it and the circle was so tight that there was no way to escape the whip except by running into a mouth. When the Bil-gou-rout was caught, he or she who got lucky stood up and hid it secretly among the players, asking one of them, “Where’s the rat?” They had to guess right or do whatever he or she said, usually a song or a kiss. But if he guessed, if it was a man, he had the right to take whichever lady pleased him most into the next room and do what he wanted with her. If it was a lady, she could do the same to a man.

  251 It was caused by an earthquake. See Heinsius, Treatise on Collapses, page 13, London edition.

  252 A ball with a string attached so they could pull it back if they were wrong. It was used to keep track of the order because they kept it until they were answered.

  253 Square bell.

  254 Only royalty was allowed to play this wonderful game, but by wholly royal kindness the people were allowed to watch. Alas, how fickle is man! This royal game has gone completely out of favor and is almost never played anymore.

  255 Part 1.

  256 In the kingdom of the Abdalles it was the custom to teach a girl about to be married about the duties that she has to fulfill. He whom the groom chose to indoctrinate his future bride personally attests to her virginity. At sunset on the eve of the wedding day the Ab-sok-cor, who was responsible for their future by imparting the marital duties, went to the virgin’s house and showed his authorization to the father, mother or guardian. His authorization was the “shirt of the future” on which was written in red that he was the proxy. When it had been carefully read, they fetched the virgin and handed her over to the Ab-sok-cor, who then shut himself in a dark room with her (a modesty ordained by law so that she not be too ashamed). There, stretched out on a sofa, the future bride listened, but could not speak, to all the nuptial obligations she would enter into. After a long, long speech about the way she had to attract the hugs and kisses of her husband, he asked her if she was pure. She usually answered “yes” (and that goes for all countries), so the Ab-sok-cor wrote “probably”…and then, after thinking about it, “I have my doubts” to which the virgin was to answer, “Prove it.” The chaste author of the story leaves it at that. At the break of day the Ab-sok-cor went to the groom, kissed him and said, “The child sleeps” to which the future husband responded, “So let’s go wake her up.” Then they went to the temple where they consummated the wedding.

  257 It was only in the King’s rooms that one could whistle. It was a sign of the deepest respect. Before having the honor of speaking with him, you had to whistle; it was a way of asking his permission.

  258 An honor that the kings granted only to princes of their blood or to their favorites.

  259 A kind of hermit who had the right to go everywhere by yelling “ab-da-kak,” which means “Glory to the Highest.” These characters wore tinplate robes, brown leather caps and wicker sandals; their faces were the color of goose turd; and over everything a cowhide that had been soaked in goat urine served as a coat and gave them an air of majesty, which inspired a great deal of respect.

  260 Painting was not in use in those times. They made portraits in a very singular fashion, seeing that they knew the secret of melting porphyry. When it was in liquid form, after covering the face with putty to catch all the features, they poured the porphyry into the hardened putty, which produced a likeness down to the smallest trait.

  261 The interrogation. The people of this country had an extraordinary process: whoever they wanted to make talk they delivered to four torturers who flogged the sufferer with iron-tipped whips and then they served him the most exquisite meal before putting him back to torture until he finally died.

  262 Such a terrible vow for the kings that they could not break it except by royal anointment.

  263 The four torturers appointed to the interrogation.

  264 Chief executioner. He had the privilege of undressing the sufferers and when they were dead, he got their skin, which he soaked in urine and sold at a very high price to be used as clothing for noble ladies.

  265 See Pliny in his chapter on snakes, Ch. IX, p. 135.

  266 Death is the least of sorrows that we are subject to in this life. Only its approach is terrible and the idea of what will become of the soul after leaving its body.

  267 If the ancients had been fortunate enough to have had this story appear in their times, they would not have fallen into the darkness of paganism. It is clear that this passage clears up many obscurities. The allegory of Jupiter on an eagle is nothing but the adventure of Lamekis. The Egyptians, who saw him carried in the skies on his eaglet, took him, as he well said, for a divinity; and that’s where the whole fable came from.

  268 See Semiramis’ descent into the catacombs, Part 1.

  269 Strabo claims that it was Hebrew; Scaliger is sure that it was Syrian; for my part, after much research, I found that it was neither and you would have to be crazy to accept everything the scholars say in such matters. After reading 20 volumes, I know less about i
t than before.

  270 The Egyptians put their fingers in their ears and tapped their feet to pray. The Jews inherited from them this impatient way of making their vows to Heaven.

  271 Lord of all things.

  272 He thinks Lamekis is the Father of the Sun.

  273 Have mercy.

  274 Days: measured by the distance a man could walk from sunup to sundown, which was around 20 leagues.

  275 The Egyptians counted the year by the revolutions of the Sun.

  276 A kind of weathervane made from a dried out steer whose rear end was positioned so that the wind always blew up its butt, which was quite helpful in preserving it whole for a long time.

  277 Zelimon wore a cuirass. It was javelin-proof and became the model for the metal mail-armor which replaced it.

  278 My wares and woman.

  279 A curious coffin. It was a kind of deep barrel in which they put the corpse upright and then filled it with herbs and spices to preserve it.

  280 When an Abdallese paid nature’s tribute, they took off his shoes and put his feet in water. Then they dressed him in a very expensive tunic before everyone came in to ask the questions that this note is written for.

  281 The gifts were a thimble, a needle, thread and scissors to mend his clothes in case they were torn on the road.

  282 The slaves not only had to drag their master to the tomb, but also leave behind one of their limbs, like a head, arm or leg.

  283 They tied the rope to a hook in the ceiling specifically installed for this. So that the dead not be disturbed, they rocked it constantly and it was considered very humane to help with this work, a proof of respect for the deceased.