THE CREEK
GULLIVER
STORIES FROM LUCIAN
By A. J. CHURCH, M.A.
V
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BE
ARTES
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VERITAS
SCIENTIA
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PLURIBUS u
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TUEBOR
Was
anywh
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KALYDOR
cools and refreshes the face, hands and arms
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MACASSAR OIL preserves, strengthens. and beauti-
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Ask any dealer in perfumery for Rowlands' articles, of 20, Hatton Garden,
London, and avoid spurious worthless imitations.
!

THE GREEK GULLIVER.

-
JON
2....
THE CORK-FOOT FOLK.
•
THE GREEK GULLIVER
STORIES FROM LUCIAN
BY
ALFRED J. CHURCH, M.A.,
Lately Professor of Latin at University College, London
AUTHOR OF STORIES FROM HOMER,' ETC.
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY C. O. MURRAY
NEW EDITION
LONDON: SEELEY AND CO., LIMITED
NEW YORK: MACMILLAN AND CO.
1891
15 My 24
MEW
Res.
Res. L. L. Hubbard
qt.
1-28-19214
PREFACE.
I HAVE here rendered into English, allowing
myself some liberty of change, the Vera
Historia of Lucian. I hoped that readers,
old and young, night find entertainment in
its fanciful and humorous extravagances.
Some, too, I thought, might be interested in
seeing the original from which more than
one famous writer in later times have
borrowed.
I gladly express my obligations to Mr.
C. S. Jerram, in whose excellent edition (the
viii
PREFACE.
Clarendon Press, 1879) I made my first
acquaintance with the Vera Historia, from
whose annotations I have received much
help, and some of whose ingenious equiva-
lents for Lucian's strange coinage of words.
I have borrowed..
A. C.
RETFORD,
Nov. 8, 1879.
CHAPTER
CONTENTS.
I. LUCIAN
STARTS ON A JOURNEY, AND IS
CARRIED A LONG WAY
II. THE BATTLE AND THE TREATY
PAGE
I
12
III. OF THE MOON-FOLK AND THEIR MANNERS
AND CUSTOMS
IV. LUCIAN COMES TO LANTERN-CITY
20
25
V. LUCIAN AND HIS MEN ARE SWALLOWED UP
30
VI. LUCIAN DEFEATS HIS NEIGHBOURS,
•
4I
VII. THE BATTLE OF THE ISLANDS
46
VIII, LUCIAN ESCAPES FROM THE BEAST, AND
COMES TO THE SEA OF MILK AND CHEESE
ISLAND
IX. THE TRAVELLERS
MEET THE CORK-FOOT-
FOLK, AND COME TO THE ISLAND OF THE
BLESSED
X. THE ISLAND OF THE BLESSED
52
57
64
X
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER
XI. THE INHABITANTS OF THE ISLAND OF THE
BLESSED
XII. LUCIAN TALKS WITH HOMER.
HOMER.GAMES ARE
PAGE
70
CELEBRATED IN THE ISLAND
74
XIII. THE ISLAND IS INVADED.—THE FLIGHT OF
THE FAIR HELEN
79
XIV. LUCIAN BIDS FAREWELL TO KING RHADA ·
MANTHUS AND DEPARTS. HE VISITS THE
ABODE OF THE WICKED
85
XV. THE ISLAND OF DREAMS.-LUCIAN VISITS
CALYPSO
90
XVI. LUCIAN SEES THE PUMPKIN PIRATES, AND
OTHER STRANGE CREATURES AND THINGS
97
XVII. THE OCEAN FOREST.-THE
OX-HEADED
PEOPLE AND OTHER MARVELS
102
THE GREEK GULLIVER.
100
CHAPTER I.
LUCIAN STARTS ON A JOURNEY, AND IS CARRIED
A LONG WAY.
I WAS one that had always my head filled
with wandering thoughts and the desire to
see strange countries. And especially did I
wish to discover whether there be any oppo-
site shore to the ocean by which I dwelt, and
what manner of men they were that inha-
bited it. So having purchased a pinnace,
which I strengthened as for a voyage that
would beyond doubt be both long and stormy,
I busied myself in making all things ready for
my journey. First I chose me fifty stout young
2
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
fellows having the same love of adventure that
I myself had; and next I hired the best captain
that could be got for money; and put good
store of provisions and water on board. All
this being done, I set sail; and for a day and a
night the wind was fair and gentle. But after-
wards it began to blow and the sea to rise in
a terrible manner. We could not even shorten
sail, and so were tossed about for seventy-
nine days. On the eightieth day, the weather
abating and the sun beginning to shine, we
saw an island with high cliffs and well covered
with trees. On this we landed, and being
very weary lay down to sleep on the shore.
and rested a good space. When we awoke I
appointed thirty men to guard the ship, and
with the twenty that remained went up into
the island to discover the country.
When we had gone about three furlongs'
space from the sea we found a pillar of bronze,
whereon was engraved in Greek letters, but
these very faint and hardly to be read, 'So
FAR CAME HERCULES AND BACCHUS.' Hard by
there were two footmarks upon the rocks,
LUCIAN STARTS ON A JOURNEY.
3
whereof one was one hundred feet long or
thereabout, and the other somewhat less. We
judged the smaller to be of Bacchus, and the
other of Hercules. After this we came on a
river that was running with wine, and the
wine, when we tasted it, was found to be such
as they make in the island of Chios. 'Twas a
pretty strong stream, and in some parts could
have carried a good-sized vessel. This thing
made us the more ready to believe that which
was written on the pillar; for we held it to be
good proof that Bacchus had been in the
country. After this I judged it well to travel up
the river, that we might learn where it had its
beginning. We found indeed no spring, but
only many great vines, full all of them of clus-
ters of grapes, and from the root of each clear
wine flowing. 'Twas from these that the
river came. Also we saw in it a great store
of fish, and these had the colour of wine, aye,
and the taste also. For we caught some with
fishing-lines that we chanced to have with us,
which when we had cooked and eaten, we
were as tipsy as if we had drunk two or three
4
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
bottles apiece. However we devised a remedy
against this, for we caught other fish in a river
of water that was at hand, and so mixing the
two, made a dish that was not more than suffi-
ciently strong.
After this we went back to our comrades
at the ship, and the next day having filled our
casks, some with water and others with wine
from the river, set sail, the wind blowing
gently. But after a while there fell upon us a
very violent whirlwind, which twisted our
ship about, and lifted it up into the air four
hundred miles and more. Nor did we fall
back into the sea; for there came a wind from
below, and filled out our sails and so carried
us up for seven days and nights. And on the
eighth day we saw an island, having the shape
of a globe, and shining with a very bright
light. To this we came, and having anchored,
disembarked. And when we had gone a little
way inland, we found houses in it fairly built
and fields well tilled. Now by day we could
see nothing but the island itself; but at night
we saw other islands hard by, some greater
LUCIAN IS CARRIED A LONG WAY.
5
and some less, and all of them bright as fire.
And below us we could see another country,
in which were cities and rivers and seas and
woods and mountains. This was judged to
be the earth from which we had come. Travel-
ling farther we came upon a company of people
that were called Vulture-Horsemen. These
are men that ride upon mighty great vultures ;
and the vultures for the greater part have three
heads. And how great they are, anyone may
learn from this, that each of the pinions of
their wings is larger and thicker than the mast
of a merchantman. These Vulture-Horse-
men had been commanded to fly about the
country, and if they encountered any stranger,
to take him to the King. So they laid hold
of us and took us to the King. And when he
saw us, knowing our garb, he said, 'Are ye
not Greeks, my friends?' And learning that we
were, he inquired how we had come, cross-
ing so great a space as is between the Earth
and the Moon. So we told him the whole truth.
And when he had heard it, he also told to us
the truth about himself, that he was a man,
6
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
Endymion by name, who had been carried
away from the Earth while he lay asleep, and
having been brought to this country had been
made king. For know,' he said, 'that this
land where you are is in the Moon. But be
of good cheer, and fear nothing. I will furnish
you with all that you need. And also, if I
prosper in this war which I am waging with
the folk that dwell in the Sun, you shall have
such wealth and happiness as shall fully
content you."
Then I asked him who were his foes,
and for what cause he had fallen out with
them? To this he answered:
'The King of the Sun is one Phaeton, and
there has been war between us now these
many years. And the beginning of our
quarrel was this: I gathered all the poorest
folk in my dominions and would have sent
them as a colony to the Morning Star, which
is desert and uninhabited. But King Phae-
ton was jealous, and met the colony on its
way with his Ant-Horsemen, and hindered it
from going. That time we were worsted in
LUCIAN IS CARRIED A LONG WAY.
7
battle, being much weaker than they. But
now I purpose to fight again, and plant my
colony. And if ye be minded to join with me
in this enterprise, so do, and I will furnish
you with a vulture for each from the King's
stable and other equipment. For we march
to-morrow.'
'So be it,' I said, 'if it is your Majesty's
pleasure.'
Then he gave us right royal entertainment.
And the next morning early, we set ourselves.
in battle array, for the scouts came in with
news that the enemy were hard at hand.
Now the number of our army was one hun-
dred thousand, they that carried the baggage
and made the artillery not being reckoned,
nor the infantry, nor the allies from foreign
parts. The Vulture-Horsemen were eighty
thousand, and the riders upon Cabbage-Fowl
twenty thousand. Now, the Cabbage-Fowl is
a mighty great bird, with cabbages all over
him for feathers; but the swifter have lettuce-
leaves. On these rode the Millet-seed-
Shooters and the Garlic-Fighters. We had
8
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
also many allies from the Great Bear, Flea-
Archers thirty thousand, and Wind-Runners
fifty thousand. Now, the Flea-Archers ride
upon very great fleas, from which also they
have their name, each flea being as big as
twelve elephants; and the Wind-Runners are
foot soldiers, but fly in the air without wings.
And the way of their flight is this. They
have cloaks reaching down to the ground.
These they gird about them, and setting them
to the wind as sails are set, they are carried
about like the ships. These for the most part
fight as skirmishers.
I heard say also that there would come to
fight for us seventy thousand Acorn-Ostriches
and five thousand Horse-Cranes. But these I
saw not, for they had not yet arrived; where-
fore I will not venture to write of them, for
the things that were said about them were
altogether beyond belief.
Now, all these soldiers were equipped in
like fashion, having helmets of beans-and
the beans in that country are very great and
strong and breastplates of lupines, plated
strong—and
LUCIAN IS CARRIED A LONG WAY.
with scales-'tis the husk of the lupines that
they sew together to make their breastplates;
and in those parts the husk of the lupine is
strong as horn, so that no man can break it.
But their shields and swords were after the
Greek fashion.
Now our order of battle was this: On the
right wing were the Vulture-Horsemen, and
with them King Endymion. And here also
I and my companions had our place. And
on the left wing were the Cabbage-Fowl
Riders; and in the centre the allies, in their
order, one hundred and sixty thousand in all.
Now there were with the army a multitude of
very great spiders, bigger each of them than
the islands in the Greek sea. These King
Endymion made spin over the space between
the Moon and the Morning Star. And when
they had done this, so that there was a great
plain between the two, the King set his
infantry in order. Their captain was Night-
Bird, the son of Fair Weather.
On the left wing of the enemy were the
Ant-Horsemen, and King Phaeton among
2
ΙΟ
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
them. Now these are very great beasts with
wings, like to the ants that are upon the
Earth, but bigger by much, for the greatest of
them are two hundred feet long and more.
Not only did the riders on these fight, but
the beasts also themselves, pushing with their
horns. I heard say that there were fifty
thousand of them. On the right wing were
set the Gnat-Troopers, another fifty thousand,
archers all of them, riding upon very great
gnats; and next to them the Crow-Troopers,
light infantry, and very keen fighters. These
had slings, and slung from them great
radishes. And whosoever was wounded by
these died forthwith, his wounds stank so
terribly. 'Tis said that they dipped their
weapons in mallow poison. Next to them
were the Long-stalk-Mushroomites, ten thou-
sand in number, stout men-at-arms, and very
good at close quarters, that had mushrooms
for shields and asparagus-stalks for spears.
Hard by these were the Acorn-Dogs, that
came from the Dog Star, dog-faced men,
riding upon acorns that had wings. Certain
LUCIAN IS CARRIED A LONG WAY.
II
also of King Phaeton's allies had not yet
come-the Slingers from the Milky Way and
the Cloud Centaurs. These last indeed came
when we had now joined battle, and it had
been well, as will be seen hereafter, that they
had not come. But the Slingers came not at
all, and I heard say that King Phaeton
burned their country with fire for their de-
fault.
:
CHAPTER II.
THE BATTLE AND THE TREATY.
WHEN the two armies had been set in array,
and the standards raised, and the asses had
brayed (for the Sun-Folk and the Moon-Folk
also have asses for trumpeters), the battle
began. And in a very short space of time
the left wing of the Sun-Folk turned and fled,
for they could not abide that the Horse-Vul-
tures should come to close quarters with them.
Then we pursued, killing not a few as we
went, but King Phaeton's Air-Gnats, that were
on his right wing, drove back the forces that
were posted on the left of us, and pursued
them till they came to the infantry. But when
these charged to help their own people, the Air-
THE BATTLE AND THE TREATY.
13
Gnats broke and fled, and this all the more
speedily, because they saw that the left wing
of their army had been vanquished. And now
the Sun Folk fled all over the field, and we
pursued, taking many prisoners and killing
many. There was, as one may suppose, a
great quantity of blood shed, and this poured
down upon the clouds and dyed them till they
were altogether red. This was a thing that I
had often seen when I lived upon the Earth,
especially about the time of sunset, but knew
not the cause until now. After a while, when
we were near weary of pursuing, we turned
back and set up two trophies which should be
monuments of our victory. We set up two,
because we judged that we had won two
battles, one with our infantry on Spiderweb-
Field, for so we called it, and one with our
cavalry in Cloudland.
in Cloudland. But we had hardly
done this when our scouts came running in
with all speed, bringing tidings that the Cloud-
Centaurs who should have helped King
Phaeton in the battle were coming. And
when we looked out we saw them, monstrous
14
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
great creatures, of as strange a shape as ever
I beheld. They were half horses and half
men, as the common Centaurs are, but the
horses had wings. And the man-half, that is
to say from the saddle upward, was as high
as the great statue of Rhodes which they call
the Colossus. (Men who have not travelled
in these parts should know that it is of an hun-
dred feet, and stands with its legs stretched
across the mouth of the harbour.) As for the
horse-half, 'twas as big as a good-sized mer-
chantman. Their number I do not dare to
write, for 'tis quite incredible, and I am not
disposed to put such things in my history as my
readers will not readily believe. Their leader
was the Archer from the Zodiac, the same that
stands between the Balances and Capricorn,
and receives the Sun into his dominions at the
month of November. These Cloud-Centaurs
being come up, and finding that their friends
had been worsted in the battle, sent a message
to King Phaeton that he should try his for-
tune again. Meanwhile they set to and helped
him to very good purpose, for they charged

•
01.11
•
مانیان
•
•
•
1.10
1.1.
1 · 1 · 1 · 1 · 1 · 1 · 1
THE MOON FOLK SURPRISED BY THE CLOUD CENTAURS.
↓
1
THE BATTLE AND THE TREATY.
15
the Moon-Folk; and being in orderly array
and the others very much confused and
scattered, some in pursuing and some in
gathering spoil, put them to flight without
much ado. They pursued King Endymion up
to the very walls of his city, and killed the
most part of his birds. After this they tore
down the trophies which we had set up and
scoured all Spiderweb-Field, taking no few
prisoners, and among them myself and two of
my companions. After this King Phaeton
came and set up two trophies for himself.
That same day we that were prisoners
were taken off to the Sun, having our hands
tied behind our backs with a length of spider-
web. As for the city of the Moon-King, the
Sun-Folk decided that it were best not to
besiege it. But returning to their own
country, they built up a great wall between the
Sun and the Moon, so that the light should
not come any more from the one to the other.
This wall was double, and was built altogether
of clouds. Thus there was brought about a
very plain eclipse of the Moon, which had
16
A TRAVEller's trUE TALE.
night everywhere, and that without ceasing.
This was a condition of life which King
Endymion and his people could not endure.
He sent therefore ambassadors, beseeching
the Sun-Folk to pull down the wall which
they had built, for that else the Moon-Folk
would have to live in darkness for the rest of
their days. These ambassadors promised, on
behalf of their King, that they would pay
tribute to Phaeton, and be his allies and good
friends for all time to come, giving hostages
by way of surety for that which they pro-
mised.
So the Sun-Folk were gathered in public
assembly, and the first day, being of a very
hot and fiery temper, they did not abate their
anger against the Moon-Folk one jot; but
the second day, as commonly happens with
this kind of people, they thought better of it,
and granted the prayer of the ambassadors.
So peace was made, as I have written
below:
There shall be peace and friendship be
THE BATTLE AND THE TREATY.
17
tween the Sun-Folk and their allies of the
one part and the Moon-Folk and their allies
of the other part for ever.
1. The Sun-Folk shall pull down the wall
which they have built between the Sun and
the Moon, and shall not invade Moonland
any more.
2. The Sun-Folk shall send back all
prisoners of war, receiving for each such sum
as shall be agreed between the nigh contract-
ing parties.
'3. The Moon-Folk shall acknowledge all
the Stars to be free and independent, and
shall keep the peace with the Sun-Folk for
ever.
'4. The high contracting parties guarantee
to each other their respective territories.
5. The Moon-Folk shall pay a tribute to
the Sun-Folk, ten thousand barrels of dew by
the year.
'6. The colony to the Morning Star shall
be sent by the high contracting parties in
common; and it shall be lawful for any
citizen of the other Stars to take part therein.
18
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
'7. This treaty shall be engraved on a
column of fine brass, which shall be set up
in the air midway between the Sun and the
Moon.
'To this have set their hands, on the part
of his Highness King Phaeton, the Lords
Firebrace and Summertown and Flashington;
and on the part of his Highness King
Endymion, the Lords Night-Rider and
Moonson and Shineall.'
So peace was made. And straightway the
Sun-Folk pulled down the wall which they
had built, and sent back the prisoners of war,
myself being among them. When we came
to the Moon, my comrades came out to meet
us, and King Endymion with them. They
were right glad to see us, even to tears. And
the King was very earnest with me that I
should remain in his country; or, if I would,
should join this said colony to the Morning
Star. He promised me that if I would con-
sent, he would bestow the princess, his
daughter, on me in marriage. For all that
THE BATTLE AND THE TREATY.
19
I would not consent, but asked him to send
me back to the sea, for I was minded to pro-
And when he saw that I
secute my voyage.
was steadfastly resolved, he sent us away,
having first entertained us right royally for
seven days.
CHAPTER III
OF THE MOON-FOLK AND THEIR MANNERS
AND CUSTOMS.
WHILE I lived in Moonland I saw not a few
new and strange things, which I shall now
proceed to relate to such as care to hear them.
They use but one kind of food only. There
are great multitudes of frogs flying about in
the air; these they catch, and lighting a fire,
cook them upon the coals; and while the
frogs are a-cooking, they sit round the fire, just
as men sit round a table, and swallow the
smoke, thinking it indeed to be the finest
thing in the world. This is the meat with
which they are nourished. As for drink, they
pound air in a mortar, till it gives out a cer-
THE MOON-FOLK.
21
None are
tain liquid very like to dew.
counted so beautiful among this people as
they that are altogether bald and without
hair. Such as have their hair long they hate
and abominate. But with those that dwell in
the hairy stars which we call the comets,
'tis far otherwise, for they hold long-haired
men in great admiration.
This and other things about the Comet-
Folk I heard from some of them who were
on their travels in Moonland.
Beards they all have, but these grow a little
above the knee. They have no nails on their
feet, which are indeed of one toe only. When
they shed tears, these tears are honey, very
sharp in taste, they told me, for this I do not
know of my own experience; and when they
sweat at their labour or their games, the
sweat is milk. Aye, and they make good
sound cheese thereof, with somewhat of the
honey dropped in to set it. Their oil-olive
they make of onions, very
most sweet-smelling thing
imagined.
clear, and the
that can be
22
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
There are many vines in Moonland, but
they bear water, not wine; for the grapes in
the clusters are hailstones, and when the wind
shakes the vines, the clusters are broken and
the grapes fall. From these, I take it, comes
the hail which falls upon the Earth. Their
stomachs they use for pouches, putting into
them such things as they have need of, for
they can be opened and shut at pleasure.
They have no liver within them, or such other
organs as men are wont to have. Only these
said pouches are covered very thickly in the
inside of them with hair; and the young ones,
if they chance to be cold, use them for
shelter.
As for their clothing, 'tis different accord-
ing to their station. The rich have garments.
of glass, very soft and pleasant, but the poor
wear woven stuffs of bronze. You must
know that the country produces bronze in
great plenty. They steep this in water and
so work it, just as wool is worked.
As to what I have to write concerning
their eyes and their fashion of using them, I
THE MOON-FOLK.
23
fear it will seem to some a thing altogether
incredible. For this reason I am scarcely
willing to tell it, yet judge it best, on the
whole, so to do. Their eyes, then, they can
take out and put in at their will, so that a
man, if it so please him, can take his eyes
from their place, and keep them by him till
he have occasion to see. Many of them lose
their eyes, and are compelled to shift as they
can, borrowing from others. Some, too, that
are of the richer sort have a great store of
eyes laid up by them. For ears they have
the leaves of plane-trees; but some also have
ears of wood.
When one of the Moon-Folk has come to
extreme old age, he dies not, but vanishes
away like smoke into the air.
One more marvellous thing I must tell of
that I saw in King Endymion's palace.
There was a well, not deeper than wells
commonly are, and set over it a great mirror.
Any man that went down into this well heard
everything that was being said here upon the
Earth; and if he looked into the mirror, he
3
24
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
saw every nation and every city that there is
in all the world as plain as though he were
there. I myself looked into this mirror, and
saw my own kinsfolk and the country in
which I was born; but whether they also saw
me I cannot say for certain.
So much then about the Moon-Folk and
their customs; and to any man that does not
believe what I have written, I will say this,
that whenever he should chance to go to that
country he will find that I have told the
truth.
CHAPTER IV.
LUCIAN COMES TO LANTERN-CITY.
But now I must speak of our departure from
Moonland. We had audience of King
Endymion, and bade farewell to him and his
court; and the King gave me two suits of
glass and five of bronze, and a whole set of
the armour which the Moon-Folk make of
lupine pods. 'Tis a pity that I have not these
things by me to show as a proof of my truth-
fulness; but I left them all in the Whale
matter of which you shall hear hereafter).
The King also sent a thousand Vulture-Horse-
men to escort us some forty miles or so on
our way. So we sailed along past many
countries, and came to the Morning Star, to
4.7
26
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
}
which, as I have before related, a colony had
been newly sent. Here we landed, and fur-
nished our ship with water. Setting sail again
we came into the Zodiac, which is, as you know,
the road along which the Sun travels. And
indeed we passed the Sun, coming very close
to him but not landing, though my people.
would very willingly have done so, only the
wind was against us. But we saw that the
country was very flourishing and rich and
well watered, and that it abounded with all
manner of good things. Here certain of the
Cloud-Centaurs, who were hired soldiers of
King Phaeton, spied us and came flying after
us; but when they knew that we had made
alliance with the King, departed without doing
us any damage. (By this time our Vulture-
Horsemen had left us, returning to Moonlar d.)
All that night we sailed and also the day fol-
lowing, and about evening came to a fair town
that they call Lantern-City. It lies between
the Pleiades and the Hyades, being lower
by far than the Zodiac. Here we landed,
but saw not man, woman or child in the whole
LANTERN-CITY.
27
place, but only many lanterns, some busy in
the streets, and some idling about the har-
bour, and others talking in the market-place.
Some of these lanterns were small, these I
took to be the poor; and a few very bright and
easy to be seen, which were the wealthy and
noble. And each of them had his own dwell-
ing and his own lantern stand. Also they
had every one of them his proper name, just
as we have; and they could speak, for we
heard them talking to one another. These
Lantern-Folk did us no harm; nay, more, they
treated us kindly, and would have had us sup
with them. Nevertheless we were terribly
afraid; and there was not one of us that had
the heart to sleep or as much as eat or drink
while we tarried in Lantern-City. I should
say that their Government House is built in
the middle of their city; and that their Chief
Magistrate sits there the whole night through.
And 'tis the custom for him to call every one
of the Lantern-Folk by his name, and have
him appear before him, that it may be seen
that he is alight and well trimmed.
If any
28
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
one obeys not this summons he is condemned
to die. (You must know that among these
folk to be extinguished is to die.) For they
think of him as of a soldier that leaves his
place in the battle.
It so chanced that we were present at the
Government House and saw all that happened
there, hearing also certain of the Lantern-Folk
that had been accused to the King pleading
before him and showing cause why they had
been slow in appearing before him. Among
others I saw our own Lantern that we have
at home; and I asked him of the welfare
of my people at home, to which he answered
that all was well with them. That night we
abode in Lantern-City; and the next morn-
ing, setting sail, came before long to the
region of the clouds, among which we saw
the famous place Cloud-Cuckoo-Town.
this I heard tell, how that it had been founded
by one Plausible, a man of Athens, who seek-
ing his fortune abroad, had established a Com-
monwealth of Birds. But this had been many
years before, for at this time its ruler was
Of

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LANTERN CITY.
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LANTERN-CITY.
29
King Crow, son of King Blackbird. So
indeed I was told, for to the town itself we
could not come, though we much desired it,
because the wind was not favourable.
I
After this we sailed for three days more,
till we could see the ocean very plainly below
us. But no land could we espy, only the
lands above us in the air, from which we had
lately come, and these were by this time
bright and shining, as the moon and the stars
commonly appear. On the fourth day, half
an hour before noon, the wind dropping and
dying away, we settled down upon the sea.
cannot write how glad we were when we
touched the water again. Never, I sup-
pose, were men more rejoiced. We made
merry together with such things as we had,
and in the evening, there being no wind and
the sea dead calm, nothing would content us
but that we must bathe. But it often hap-
pens that they who change their condition
very much, as they think, to their advantage,
do often in truth change it very much for the
worse. And so it was with us, as I shall now
proceed to tell you.
CHAPTER V.
LUCIAN AND HIS MEN ARE SWALLOWED UP.
FOR two days we sailed, the sea being
smooth as ever I saw; but on the third
day we saw towards the East, where the Sun
had just risen, a multitude of great beasts,
monsters of the sea, and among them one of
the most prodigious size, being one hundred
and eighty-eight miles and four furlongs in
length. This came towards us with its mouth
wide open, making a terrible commotion in
the water a long way before it as it moved,
the sea being white with foam for miles on
either side. Also we could see its teeth,
which were long and sharp as stakes, and
white as ivory.
When we saw this, we gave up ourselves

སུ
············© 1-1-1-1-1-1;1 01-1-1-1-1-
•
•
•
THE GREAT FISH.
SWALLOW ED UP.
31
for lost, and so, embracing each other and
having said farewell, we awaited our fate. In
a very short space it was upon us, and swal-
lowed us, with our ship and all its tackling.
By great good luck it did not close its teeth
upon us, or it had certainly broken us to
pieces; but we went down whole into the
monster's belly. There at the first all was
darkness, nor could we see anything. But
after a while the beast opened his jaws, and
we saw into what manner of place we had
come.
'Twas a great chamber, very broad and
long, and high also. And in the middle there
was a multitude of small fishes and of other
creatures, all of them broken up, and masts
of ships, and anchors, and men's bones, and
cargo of all sorts. Also there was some land
with small hills rising out of it. This last, I
take it, came from the mud which the beast
swallowed when he went down to the bottom
of the sea. On this land there was a forest,
and trees of all kinds and many sorts of
plants. In truth, it seemed to be a well-tilled
32
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
parcel of ground. Afterwards we measured
this island, and found that the circuit was
about eighty miles. We saw also a multi-
tude of sea-birds, as cormorants and king-
fishers, that had built their nests and were
hatching their young ones on the trees.
For a while, when we found ourselves in
this plight, we could do nothing but weep.
But I took heart after a time, and roused my
companions. First, we propped the ship on
either side, that it should not fall. After-
wards we lit a fire, and prepared for ourselves
a meal of such things as were at hand; and
indeed, there was a vast store of fish from
which to choose, and as for water, we yet had
some of that which we took on board from
the Morning Star.
After we had eaten, we started on a jour-
ney, and came as near as might be to the
monster's throat, from which, looking out
when he chanced to open his mouth, we saw
sometimes the land and hills rising from it,
and sometimes the sky only. Often we saw
islands, for indeed, as we found, the beast was
SWALLOWED UP.
33
going with amazing swiftness to all parts of
the sea.
At the first we were overwhelmed with
fear, but after a while, growing used to our
abode, judged it best to explore it further. I
took, therefore, some of my companions and
went into the wood, being resolved to make
myself acquainted with the whole place.
After we had gone half a mile or thereabouts,
I found a temple to Posidon (for so much we
learnt from the writing inscribed upon it).
And then again, in a short space, we came to
tombs with columns upon them; and close by
to a spring of clear water; also I heard the
barking of a dog; and saw the smoke of a
chimney, from which I gathered that we were
coming near to some dwelling.
We were all eager to know what this might
mean, and made all the haste that we could;
nor had we gone far before we saw an old man,
and a young man with him, who were working
with right goodwill in a meadow, which they
were watering by conduits from the spring of
which I have just spoken. 'Twas a great
34
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
pleasure to us to see them, and yet we were
also somewhat afraid. And they, I take it,
were much in the same case, for they stood
looking at us without a word. But at last
the old man said :
'And who are you, my friends? Sea-gods,
or mere unlucky mortals like as we are? For
we are men that were born and bred on dry
land, but are now become a sort of sea-crea-
tures, as it were, living in the middle of this
great monster, and always swimming about
with him. Indeed, I do not rightly know
what has befallen us, or even whether we are
dead or alive. It seems likely enough that
we are dead, but for all that I feel as if I
were alive.'
'Father,' I said, 'we are new comers in this
place, for only this morning the monster swal-
lowed us down with our ship. And when we
saw this wood, how great and thickly grown
it was, we desired to know what there might
be to be seen in it, and so we came as you
perceive. And, as I take it, 'tis a good pro-
vidence that has led us to this place, where
SWALLOWED UP.
35
we have made your acquaintance, and learnt
that there are others also who are prisoners in
this great monster. Pray tell us your for-
tunes, and how you came hither, and how you
have fared?'
But the old man declared that he would
not tell us a word about himself, or hear
anything about us, till he had given us such
entertainment as he could. To this we
gladly consented, and he took us into his
house, which was very prettily built and suffi-
ciently furnished with all things needful, as
beds and the like. There he set food
before us, vegetables and fruits and fish, and
with all this some good wine also. When we
had had our fill of these good things, he would
fain hear of our adventures, which I told him
from the beginning, how a storm had over-
taken us at sea, and of what we saw in the
island, and how we had journeyed through
the air, and of the great battle in which we
had taken a part. In a word, I told him my
whole story up to the time when we were
swallowed by the monster.
He was aston-
4
36
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE,
ished beyond measure at the things which we
related to him, and told us, in return, some
of the things which had happened to himself.
And his story ran somewhat after this fashion:
'I was a merchant of Cyprus, in which
country I was born, and was accustomed to
trade with Greece and Italy, and the neigh-
bouring parts. This I did with good fortune.
for some years. But at the last, sailing to
Italy with a cargo of merchandise of many
kinds, I met with the misfortune which has
brought me to this plight. I had with me on
shipboard my son, being then a young child,
and a crew of my own servants. All went
well with us till we came to the Island of
Sicily, when there encountered us a very fierce
storm of wind. For three days we were car-
ried before it till we came to the Pillars of
Hercules, and so out into the Western Sea.
And here there met us this monster and swal-
lowed us up together with our ship, which
doubtless you saw lying wrecked in the beast's
mouth. All the rest of my comrades perished,
being hurt by the beast's teeth as we came
SWALLOWED UP.
37
down, and I only and my son were saved. So
we buried our friends, and built a temple to
Posidon as a thank-offering for such deliver-
ance as he had given.
have lived as you see;
with sundry plants and
Since that time we
we have this garden.
herbs, and we have
also fish and fruits. As for this wood which
you see, it is of great extent, and has in it abun-
dance of vines from which we get some excel-
lent sweet wine; nor could there be sweeter
and colder water than we get from this spring.
Our beds we make of leaves; nor have we
any stint of fuel for fire. We also take such
birds as fly into the beast's mouth, and we
catch live fish with our angling lines from the
beast's gill, bathing also from there, whenever
we desire so to do. And not far from this
place is a salt lake somewhat less than three
miles in circumference, which holds all kinds
of fish. Here we bathe and sail at times in
a small skiff which I have built for this pur-
pose. 'Tis now, by my reckoning, the twenty-
eighth year since the beast swallowed us up.
And I do not deny that it would be such a
38
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
life as a man might very well endure but for
our neighbours, who are a great and grievous
trouble to us. For we can have no dealings
with them, so savage and fierce are they.'
I wondered much to hear him speak thus,
and asked him, 'How say you? have you
neighbours in this country, if I may so call
this place?'
'Aye,' he said, 'neighbours in plenty,
who show no kindness to strangers, and are,
besides, of the oddest shape you can ima-
gine. To the westward, a hilly country, and
part of this wood where we are now, dwell
the Saltfish-Folk, a people that have the
faces of eels and the heads of stag-beetles.
They are very bold warriors, and are ac-
customed to eat their meat raw. Over
against these, along the right side of the
beast, are the Triton-Weasels, whose upper
parts are shaped as a man's, but their lower
parts are like a weasel's. Of all the
tribes in this place these are the best. To
the left of these are the Crab-Hands and the
Tunny-Heads. These have lately made alli-
SWALLOWED UP.
39
ance together, and are fast friends. The inland
region is inhabited by the Shell-Tails and the
Flea-Feet, who are a very warlike tribe, and
the fastest runners that can be imagined.
Eastward of them lies the country that is near
to the beast's mouth; therein is but little culti-
vated land, for the sea commonly overflows
it, and it is barren. As to this region that
you see, I hold it of the Flea-Feet, paying
them tribute by the year five hundred oysters.
And now that you have heard what I have to
tell you about this place, you must weigh the
matter well, for you must consider how you
will be able to live here, and whether you can
fight with all these tribes with any hope of
victory.'
(
Well,' said I, 'tell me how many are
there of them in all?'
To this he answered that there were a
thousand and more.
'And what arms have they?'
'No arms,' he answered, 'but fish-bones
only.'
If that be so,' I said, 'twere best to come to
40
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
blows with them without further delay. For
if they have no better arms than fish-bones, I
take it they will not be able to stand against
men equipped as we are. Let us deal with
them at once; and if things go as I wish and
believe, we shall dwell in peace hereafter.'
To this counsel all agreed. So we departed
to our ship and made such preparations as
were needed.
*
CHAPTER VI.
LUCIAN DEFEATS HIS NEIGHBOURS.
WHEN We had thus fixed in our minds that
we would make war with these creatures, we
cast about for a cause; and at last came to
this resolve, that the old man of the wood
should not pay his tribute according to cus-
tom, for the appointed day was now close at
hand. And so it was done; for the am-
bassadors came, after the custom, to ask their
due, but the old man made them a very
scornful answer, and chased them from his
house.
This stirred up the Flea-Feet and Shell-
Tails to great anger, and they marched
against the old man with prodigious uproar
42
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
and confusion.
Now we shrewdly conjec-
tured what they would do, and so waited for
them, having first equipped ourselves in full
armour. And we set an ambush of five-and-
twenty men on the road by which they would
come, with this instruction, that when the
enemy had passed them, they should rise
upon them.
This they did very exactly,
rising upon them as soon as ever they were
gone past and cutting down the rear-guard.
And at the same time we others, being also
five-and-twenty in number-for the old man
and his son were with us-met them in front,
and fought against them with all our might.
After some little trouble we put them to
flight, and chased them to their dens.
In this battle we killed not less than one
hundred and seventy of the enemy.
Of our
side there were slain two only, of whom one
was the captain of the ship. He was run
through the midriff with the fin of a mullet.
The rest of that day and the night following
we remained encamped on the field of battle,
and set up a trophy which should be a

/
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•
101
LA
•
•
FIGHT WITH THE FISH-FOLK.
•
·
LUCIAN DEFEATS HIS NEIGHBOURS.
43
memorial of our victory. This trophy was
the dried backbone of a dolphin. By this
time the other inhabitants of the place had
heard of what had befallen the Flea-Feet and
their allies, and marched against us with all
their forces.
Their order of battle was this: On the
right wing were the Saltfish-Folk, com-
manded by General Sturgeon; and on the
left wing the Tunny-Heads, the Crab-Hands
being in the centre. As for the Triton-
Weasels, they sat still, not wishing to help.
either us or our enemies. Nothing dis-
mayed, we went out to meet the host as it
advanced, and encountered it hard by the
temple of Posidon. And as soon as we saw
it, we raised a great shout, and so came
to blows. It was marvellous to hear the
echo, how it sounded again from the monster's
sides as from the walls and roof of a cave.
Our enemies could not stand against us for
a moment; indeed, they had not armour as
we had, and so did not venture to come to
close quarters.
So chasing them into the
44
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
wood, we were masters of the whole country.
In a short space of time they sent their heralds.
to us, asking that they might have their dead
for burial, and wishing also to make peace.
As for the dead, they had what they wished,
but peace we would not have with them on
any conditions whatsoever.
Accordingly, the next day we marched
into their country, and destroyed them root
and branch. Only with the Triton-Weasels
we did not meddle; but they, when they
knew what had befallen their neighbours,
escaped through the gills of the monster, and
threw themselves into the sea.
The whole country being now cleared of
all enemies, we took possession of it with
great joy and peace of mind. And there we
dwelt in quietness and cheerfulness for a time,
entertaining ourselves with such things as
boxing and wrestling, and the like, and with
hunting also, there being much game in the
wood. Also we cultivated the vines of the
country, and made liquor from them, and
gathered a good store of fruit from the other
LUCIAN DEFEATS HIS NEIGHBOURS. 45
trees. We were like men in a prison from
which there is no escaping; only the prison
was large and we were not bound, but lived
in much ease and plenty.
CHAPTER VII.
THE BATTLE OF TIIE ISLANDS.
In this fashion we lived for a year and eight
months, nothing happening that was beyond
the usual course of events.
But in the ninth
month, on the fifth day of the month, about
the second opening of the mouth-the mon-
ster opened his mouth twice in every hour,
which was, indeed, the thing by which we
reckoned the time-about the second opening
of the mouth, I say, we heard all of a sudden
a great shouting and uproar; and when we
listened we heard words of command and
the cries which they use to rowers to en-
courage them.
This noise disturbed us not a little, so we
THE BATTLE OF THE ISLANDS.
47
went as near as might be to the mouth of the
monster, and standing there just within the
teeth, we saw the strangest sight that ever I
beheld with my eyes-mighty great men,
some hundred yards and more in height,
that were sailing on great islands, just as men.
are wont to sail on ships.
Now that what I say will seem to some
incredible, I know well; but for all that I
shall tell my tale to the end. These islands.
were long, but they rose a little only from the
sea, and each, as I should reckon, was twelve
miles and more in circumference. Also upon
each there sailed, as nearly as we could count,
one hundred and twenty of these giants.
Some of these sat in rows upon each side of
the island and rowed, using for oars great
cypress-trees, with all their branches and
leaves upon them. And on the end, which
was, as it were, the stern of the island, on a
high hill, sat the steersman, with the tiller of
a great rudder of brass in his hand, the
rudder being of two hundred yards and more.
On the prow there stood about forty men in
48
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
full armour, who were the fighting men. I
call them men, and such they were in shape
-only their stature was very great-except-
ing as to their hair only. For where the
hair grows on men's heads, these had a burn-
ing fire, which, I take it, served them for
helmets.
The islands had no masts upon them, nor
sails; but in each of them was a great wood,
and the wind, blowing on this, made just as
it does when it fills out a sail. On each
island there was a man who gave the time to
the rowers; and these rowed with all their
might, just as they do in ships of war.
Now, of these islands and their crews, if I
may so say, we saw when we first looked out
of the monster's mouth but two or three
afterwards there came in sight full six hun-
dred, which we saw form themselves into two
fleets and fight a pitched battle. Some of the
ships, or islands for I scarcely know how I
should call them-met each other bow to
bow, and some were rammed at their sides,
and so sank, and others were entangled

HHANOTH
•
•
OHHH
·
THE BATTLE OF THE GIANTS.
•
•
5
THE BATTLE OF THE ISLANDS.
49
together and fought furiously, not separating
till one or the other was taken. As for the
soldiers in the forecastles, I never saw men
fight more fiercely, boarding their enemies'
ships and cutting them down; for as for
quarter, none was given.
They had not grappling-irons, such as are
commonly used in sea-fights, but a kind of
sea beast, the name of which is polypus.
These were very great creatures, and they
fastened them to their own ships, and after
threw them on to that which they wished to
hold fast. And when this was done, the
polypus would wind its limbs about the wood
of the other ship and hold it fast.
By way of artillery, they had oyster-shells so
big that they would have filled each a waggon,
and sponges of fifty feet long or thereabouts.
The names of the admirals were, of the one
fleet, King Nimble, and of the other, King
Sea-Drinker.
As for their quarrel, 'twas, as far as we
could understand, for some plundering busi-
ness. For King Sea-Drinker had harried,
50
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
we heard, not a few herds of dolphin from
King Nimble. So much we learnt from
what they cried to each other as they fought.
'Twas thus also that we knew the names of
the two kings.
After a while King Nimble's men had
the best of the battle, for they sank one hun-
dred and fifty of the enemy's islands and took
three other with their crews. As for the others,
they escaped; for though they were not able
to go forward, yet they backed water, and so
got clear away. To these King Nimble's ships.
gave chase, but after no long while returned,
it being now late in the day, and busied
themselves with the wrecks. Of these they
took the greater part, recovering all such as
belonged to themselves; for of their fleet
there had been sunk full eighty in number.
After this they set up a trophy, to be a
memorial of their victory, which they had
won in this Battle of the Islands.
This was
one of the enemy's ships, or islands, which
they fixed end-wise in the monster's head.
For all that night they rode at anchor hard
THE BATTLE OF THE ISLANDS.
51
by, with their hawsers made fast to the beast.
I should say that their anchors were very
large, and of glass. The next day they
offered sacrifices upon the back of the beast,
and buried their dead in it, and so departed
with loud singing and shouting.
..
CHAPTER VIII.
LUCIAN ESCAPES FROM THE BEAST AND COMES TO
THE SEA OF MILK AND CHEESE ISLAND.
By this time our life in the monster had be-
come well-nigh intolerable for weariness,
and we sought to devise some means by
which we might escape from him. At the
first our purpose was to dig through his right
wall, so to speak, or side, and so make our
way out.
But having set about the task, and
accomplished a thousand yards and more of
our digging, we judged it to be a hopeless
business, and so desisted.
Then we thought that we would set fire to
the wood, thinking that so the beast would
die and that we should easily escape. This
we did, first setting fire to the hilly part of
LUCIAN ESCAPES FROM THE BEAST. 53
the wood, where the trees, being pines and
such like, burnt more readily. For seven
days and nights he seemed not to heed the
burning, but on the eighth and ninth we per-
ceived that he began to sicken, for he was
slower in opening his mouth, and if ever he
opened it, would shut it again speedily.
On the tenth day, and yet more manifestly
on the eleventh, its inward parts had mor-
tified and even begun to give out a stench.
And on the twelfth we perceived, not without
some fear, that unless, when it opened its
mouth, we could by some means so keep the
teeth apart that they should not close, we
should be all shut up in the dead creature,
and run great risk of perishing miserably.
We therefore propped the mouth open with
great beams, and having so done, put our
ship, which by good luck had taken no harm,
in readiness for a voyage, taking on board as
much water as we could carry, and such
things as we needed and had at hand.
I have said that the captain of the ship was
killed in the battle with the Shell-Tails. I
54
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
made, therefore, the old man of the wood
captain in his place, he having been a sailor
in time past. The next day the beast was
now wholly dead, and we dragged our ship
up his throat and through his teeth, to which
fastening cables, we let it down gently into
the sea.
After this we climbed on to the beast, and
did sacrifice to the god of the sea close by
the trophy which King Nimble's people had
set up. There we spent three days, it being a
dead calm all the while; and on the fourth
day departed. For a long way as we sailed,
we came across the dead bodies of those that
had been slain in the Battle of the Islands,
and measuring some, were astonished to see
how great they were. For a while the wind
was warm, but afterwards there came a very
great storm from the North and a great frost,
so that the whole sea was frozen, not on the
top only as is wont to be the case, but very
deep, as much as four hundred fathoms.
When we saw this we left the ship and ran
about on the ice, but the wind still blowing
THE SEA OF MILK.
55
very strongly, the cold was altogether more
than we were able to endure. Doubtless it
would have gone hard with us, but that the old
man, the captain, contrived a remedy, bidding
us dig a great and deep cavern in the ice, in
which we all dwelt for thirty days, keeping
great fires and having fish for food, for these
we had in plenty for the digging. But our
provisions failing, we must needs move from
the place. So having dug out our ship from
the place where it was frozen into the ice, we
set all sail and were so dragged along smoothly
and pleasantly, for all as if we had been sail-
ing. By the fifth day 'twas warm weather
again, and the ice thawed, and all was water
as before. After sailing some thirty or forty
miles we came to a small uninhabited island,
from which we took a store of water, for ours
had by this time given in. Also we shot two
wild bulls which were like the bulls which we
used to see, save that they had their horns not
on their foreheads but under their eyes, so
seeing, I suppose, the better how to toss.
Sailing on from this island we came to sea
56
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
that was not of water but of milk, and in this
sea to an island with white cliffs and covered
with vineyards. Now this island was one mar-
vellously great cheese, very firmly set through,
as we found afterwards when we came to eat
of it. The circuit of it was a little more than
three miles. As to the vines, they were very
heavy laden with bunches of grapes; only
from these bunches when we squeezed them
there came not wine, but milk. In the middle
of the island was a temple, and on it an
inscription 'to Galatea, daughter of Nereus'
(now Galatea by interpretation means 'Lady
of Milk'). For all the time that we dwelt
in this island we got provision in plenty from
the earth, and from the vines good milk to
drink. We heard
We heard say that the queen of this
country was one Tyro, daughter of Salmoneus;
and as Galatea signifies milk, so does Tyro
signify cheese.
CHAPTER IX.
THE TRAVELLERS MEET THE CORK-FOOT-FOLK,
AND COME TO THE ISLAND OF THE BLESSED.
In this island we remained five days, and on
the sixth day set sail, having a fair wind that
drove us on quickly enough, but the sea, as
was indeed to be expected, was calm and
smooth. On the eighth day we were clear of
the milk, and found ourselves in water that
was both salt and blue. Here we saw a mul-
titude of men running hither and thither upon
the sea, who were like us in shape and size,
and indeed in all respects except their feet
only, for they were of cork; for which
reason, as I understood, this people was
called the Cork-Foot-Folk.
'Twas very
strange to see that they went where they
58
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
would without sinking; moving on the top of
the waves without any difficulty or fear. Some
of these wayfarers came to us and bade us
welcome in the Greek tongue, saying that
they were on their way to the city of Cork,
which was their native country. And when
they had gone with us for a space, running
along the water by our side, they turned and
went on their way, wishing us a good voyage.
After no long time we saw a multitude of
islands before us; Cork city, to which the tra-
vellers were bound, being on our left. This
town was built on one cork, but this very
large and round. And on the right hand we
saw five islands, very large and lofty, and
many miles distant, as it seemed; and one
right before which was both broad and low,
which we judged to be sixty miles away and
more. To this we held a straight course, and
when we had got near to it we perceived a
marvellously sweet and fragrant air blowing
from it, such as the historian Herodotus
declares to blow over the neighbouring parts
of the sea from Araby the Blest. For the
THE ISLAND OF THE BLESSED.
59
fragrance was as of roses and narcissus and
hyacinths and lilies and violets mingled to-
gether, with myrtle flowers also, and bay and
the blossom of the vine.
Never were men more pleased than we,
for we hoped that now at last, after all our
toils and dangers, we should have some happy
and peaceable days. And when still sailing
on we came near to the island, we saw that
all about it there were harbours very large
and deep and wholly defended from the waves.
Also we saw rivers clear as crystal that flowed
down into the sea with a very gentle stream,
and about these rivers meadows and woods
full of all manner of sweet-singing birds, of
which some haunted the shore and some the
branches of trees, but all gave forth the most
ravishing music you can conceive. And all
about the country there blew breezes very
light and pleasant. And especially through
the wood there came a very sweet and gentle
wind that stirred it in the most delicate
fashion, so that from the moving of the boughs
there was given forth without ceasing a most.
60
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
delightful melody. And from the whole
country we heard a mingled noise, not by
any means confused or tumultuous, but such
as might be heard at a banquet where there
are flute-players, and minstrels reciting their
pieces, and others dancing to the music of
flutes or harps. All this fairly enchanted us,
and so we made for the shore. And when we
had moored our ship we landed, leaving only
the old man and two of the crew to keep
watch.
Close to the shore was a meadow well
covered with flowers, across which we walked,
and so came to the city, where the guards and
sentries spied us. These laid hold on us and
bound us with chains, but the chains were of
roses only; and this is the strongest chain that
they use in this island. Having bound us,
they took us before their King, telling us, as
we went, that the country wherein we now
were was the Island of the Blessed, and that
their King was Rhadamanthus of Crete.
Being brought into the presence, we found that
there were other causes to be tried, and so
THE ISLAND OF THE BLESSED.
61
stood waiting for our turn and listening to
what we heard.
There were four causes in all, and ours the
last. The first cause was that of Ajax, son
of Telamon; and the matter in dispute was
this, whether he was fit to be admitted into
the company of the heroes, the accusation
against him being this, that he had fallen into
madness and had laid violent hands upon
himself. The judgment of Rhadamanthus was
this, 'Let Ajax, the son of Telamon, be de-
livered to the care of Hippocrates, the physi-
cian of Cos, that he may drink hellebore, which
is the remedy of madness, and when he is
healed, let him come back to this place and
take his place at the banquet of the heroes.'
After this was a trial of Love, Theseus
and Meneläus disputing about Helen the Fair,
which of the two should have her to wife.
For Theseus had carried her away while.
she was yet a girl, only her brothers, the
Twins, had taken her from him; but Meneläus
had married her when she was grown to
womanhood. Here the judgment of the King
62
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
was this, 'Let Meneläus have her, because he
endured many toils and dangers for her sake.
As for Theseus, he has wives already, the
Queen of the Amazons to wit, and Ariadne,
who was daughter to King Minos of Crete.'
The third trial was a contest for the pre-
eminence between great generals, Alexander
of Macedon, the son of Philip, on the one
side, and Hannibal the Carthaginian on the
other. Here the judgment was for Alexander,
and there was assigned to him a throne close
by Cyrus the Persian, who I perceived had
the first place of all.
And the fourth case that was tried was ours.
The King asked us, 'Why did you come,
being yet living men, to this holy place?'
To this we made such answer as we could,
telling him all our history from the day that
we set sail upon the ocean. After this we
were taken from the Court, and the Judge
considered our cause for a long time, consult-
ing also with his assessors (among whom, with
many other wise and learned men, was Aristides
of Athens, that was surnamed the Just). At
THE ISLAND OF THE BLESSED.
63
last he delivered his sentence, which was
to this effect: For your busying yourselves
in things not concerning you and leaving your
country, you shall give account hereafter. But
now you are permitted for a certain time to
sojourn in this island, and to live with the
heroes; but afterwards you must depart with-
out fail: and the time that I appoint for
sojourn is seven months, and no more.'
your
6
CHAPTER X.
THE ISLAND OF THE BLESSED.
WHEN this sentence had been given, immedi-
ately our chains fell off of their own accord,
and we were loosed by our guards and led
into the city to the Banqueting House of the
Blessed. Now this city is wholly built of gold,
and the wall which encircles it is of emerald;
and it has seven gates, each of them of cinna-
mon wood, made in one piece. And the pave-
ment of the city and all the space that is
within the walls is of pure ivory. There are
temples to all the gods in it, these being built of
beryl stones, and in the temple very great altars
of amethyst, every altar being of one ame-
thyst. On these altars they offer sacrifice, and
every sacrifice is of a hundred beasts. And
THE ISLAND OF THE BLESSED.
65
round about the city there flows a river of
fragrant oil more beautiful than can be con-
ceived, the breadth of which is one hundred
royal cubits, and the depth such that a man
can easily swim in it. There are baths in the
city, great houses of glass, and these are
heated with fires of cinnamon wood. But in
these baths they use not water, but dew. The
clothes which they wear are of spider web,
very fine and of a purple colour. They have
no bodies, nor flesh, nor can they be touched;
but yet though they have the form and sem-
blance only of men, they stand and move, and
think and speak. It seemed to me when I
saw them, as if it were the bare soul, clothed
only with a certain likeness of the body, that
did these things. But no man would know
that what he sees has not a bodily substance,
unless he sought to touch it. For these people,
though they are shadows, are yet shadows that
stand upright, and not such as we see here.
cast upon the ground or upon a wall. In this
country none grow old, but whatever a man's
age may be when he comes hither, at that
66
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
he remains. Nor have they in their land any
night, nor yet the day in its full brightness;
but as the twilight is with us, when it grows
very near to the morning, but the sun has not
yet risen, such is the light that prevails con-
tinually among them. Also they have but
one season in their year, for it is always spring-
time with them; and they have only one wind
that blows, and that is the west wind. And the
whole land is covered with every kind of flower
and shrub that is, both of the wild and of the
garden sorts. The vines which they have,
bear their fruit twelve times in the year, so
that in every month there is a vintage. As
to the pomegranates and the apples and all
other kinds of fruit, these, they told me,
ripened not twelve but thirteen times in the
year, for that in one month which they call the
month of Minos they ripen twice. As to their
wheat, it does not bear ears such as we have
among us, but loaves at the end of the stalk,
ready made and baked for eating. Round
about the city there are three hundred and
sixty and five springs of water, and as many
THE ISLAND OF THE BLESSED.
67
more of honey, and of perfume five hundred,
though these indeed are smaller than the
springs of water and honey; there are seven
rivers of milk, and of wine eight.
The Banqueting of the Heroes is held out-
side the city in a field that is called the Elysian
Meadow. 'Tis a very beautiful meadow, and
round about it is a wood of all kinds of trees, very
thick, which shade those that sit at the banquet;
and under them are couches to lie on, made
of flowers. The meat which they eat is carried
about and served to them by the winds; but
these do not serve them with the wine. This
service, indeed, they want not at all, for there
are great trees of the very clearest and
brightest glass that can be found about the
banqueting place. And these trees have for
fruit cups of all manner of sizes and shapes.
When a hero comes to the banquet he gathers
from one of these trees a cup, or it may be
two cups, and sets them by his side. And
these of their own accord are filled with wine.
Such is the fashion of their drinking. They
do not wear garlands on their heads; but, in
68
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
X
the place of this, nightingales and other sweet-
singing birds gather flowers with their beaks.
from the meadows that are hard by, and when
flying over the heads of the feasters let them
fall upon them. And as to perfume, the manner
of the place is this. There are continually
thick clouds which draw up perfume from the
rivers and springs. These same clouds gather
over the place of the banquet, and being
very gently stirred by the winds, rain down
that which they hold in a very fine rain.
While the heroes are at their meal they
have a very plentiful entertainment of sing-
ing and music. And the songs which they
most love to hear are the songs which Homer
made. Indeed Homer himself is one of their
company, and has his accustomed place next
by Ulysses. The quires that sing are of boys
and maidens; and they that lead them are
famous poets, as Eunomus the Locrian, for
whom, when he had chanced to break a string
of his harp, a grasshopper made music; and
Arion, whom a dolphin carried on his back
lest such sweet music should be lost, and
THE ISLAND OF THE BLESSED.
69
Anacreon, and Stesichorus. This last had made
friends again, I perceived, with the Fair
Helen, against whom he had written in his
lifetime very sharp verses. And when the
quire have ceased their singing, then begins
another quire that is not one whit less sweet,
of swans and swallows and nightingales. Last
of all, when these two have come to the end
of their music, there is heard the sweetest
melody from the whole wood, of which the
winds themselves are the leaders. But of all
things which make for the joy and pleasure of
the feasters the chief is this, namely two foun-
tains, the one of Delight and the other of
Laughter. Every man takes a draught from
each of the fountains at the beginning of the
feast, and thenceforward spends his time in
delight and laughter without ceasing.
CHAPTER XI.
THE INHABITANTS OF THE ISLAND OF THE
BLESSED..
Now that I have described the place to
the best of my power, I should like to say
somewhat of those that dwelt there. First,
there were all the heroes of old time, and all
they that took a part in the war against Troy
-all, that is to say, excepting the Lesser
Ajax. Of him they told me that for his
impiety he had been banished to the dwellings
of the wicked. And of barbarians, I saw
Cyrus the Elder, that was the first king of
Persia; and Cyrus the Younger, who marched
with the Ten Thousand to win for himself
the throne of Persia; and Anacharsis, the wise
Scythian; and Numa, that gave laws and
INHABITANTS OF THE ISLAND.
71
religion to Rome; and Phocion and Tellus,
men of Athens, that did good service to
Greece in their day, and the Seven Wise
Men-all but Periander, who indeed was a
cruel and wicked tyrant.
I saw also Socrates, the philosopher,
whom the men of Athens put to death. He
had what he had hoped for; for he talked with
the famous men of old times, as with Nestor
and Palamedes. He had also gathered about
him many handsome youths, as Hyacinthus.
and Narcissus and Hylas, among whom he
seemed to prefer Hyacinthus.
For so I
judged, perceiving that he asked more ques
tions of him than of the others.
As for this asking of questions, he did it
without ceasing. Indeed, I heard say that
King Rhadamanthus liked it not, and had
threatened that he would send him away out
of the country, unless he would cease from
such trifling, nor trouble himself or others
any more, but make merry like the rest.
Plato I did not see; indeed, they told me
that he dwelt in the Republic which he
72
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
fashioned for himself, living according to the
constitutions and the laws which he imagined.
Of all the philosophers, they that were in the
best repute were the Epicureans, who were
right pleasant, gracious and jovial fellows.
In their company I saw Æsop, the Phrygian,
who indeed served as a jester to them. As
for Diogenes that was used to live in a tub,
there never was man so changed as he; for
now he was married to the gayest woman in
the world, and would drink till he was tipsy,
and dance in the merriest fashion.
Of the Stoics, I could not see a single one.
It was told me that they were all busy climb-
ing up the steep hill of virtue, nor ever getting
nearer to the top. As to Chrysippus, who
was the chief of this set of people, it had been
told him that he should never have entrance
into the Island till he drenched himself with
hellebore, not once, but many times, so mad
was he. As to the School of the Academy,
men that doubted of everything, I heard that
they were wishful to come to the place, but
stayed questioning about it; and indeed were
INHABITANTS OF THE ISLAND.
73
not all come to any certainty whether or no
there was such an island. For my part, I
believe that they stood in no small fear of the
judgment of King Rhadamanthus, seeing that
they had done their utmost to prove that
there was no such court or judgment any-
where, or, indeed, any test by which a man
may judge whether a thing be good or bad.
I was told, indeed, that sundry of these wise
men had started on their journey to the
Island, following some of those that had come
to the place, but had always lagged behind or
stopped half-way for sheer laziness and want
of will.
Now I have told the names of the most
notable of the inhabitants of the Island. But
none, I perceived, was so much honoured as
Achilles, and after Achilles the next in place.
was Theseus.
CHAPTER XII.
LUCIAN TALKS
WITH HOMER. GAMES ARE
CELEBRATED IN THE ISLAND,
AFTER We had passed two or three days in
the island very agreeably, I made a visit to
the poet Homer; and it so chancing that
both of us had leisure and could talk as much
as we would, I asked many questions about
himself and his poems. And first I inquired
of him of what country he came, for about
this, I said, the learned dispute violently up to
this day. To this he answered, 'I know well
what they say about me; how some will have
it that I was born in the island of Chios, and
others again that I was a man of the city of
Smyrna, and a third party that I belonged to
Colophon. Now the real truth is this, that I am

Lecce
1.1.1
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A TALK WITH HOMER IN THE ISLES OF THE BLESSED.
LUCIAN TALKS WITH HOMER.
75
come from none of these places, and indeed
am no Greek at all, but was born in the city of
Babylon, and among my own people had the
name of Tigranes. As for this name of
Homer, I got it because I was sent as a
hostage to the land of Greece, where, as you
know, Homer signifies hostage.' Then I
asked him, 'The wise men have noted many
verses in your poems as ill-made and not such
as you would have written. Tell me if this be
so.' 'Not so, indeed,' he answered, 'for I
wrote them all, and these men do not know
the good from the bad.' Next I wished to
know whether he wrote the book of the
Odyssey before the book of the Iliad, as is
commonly said. To this he replied, that the
Illiad was the first written. As to the common
tale that he was blind, I had no need to ask
him any question, for I could perceive for my-
self that his eyes were just as good as my
own. I often talked with him and asked him
questions about many things, whenever he
chanced to be at leisure, and these he would
always answer as pleasantly as can be ima-
76
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
gined. He was all the more friendly with me
after a certain cause had been tried, in which
he won the day. And the cause was this:
He writes in the Iliad of one Thersites, how he
was ugly and mis-shapen and had a scurrilous
tongue, and how he was beaten for his insolence
by Ulysses. This Thersites indicted him be-
fore the Judge for slander; but the Judge
gave his sentence for Homer, whose advocate,
I should tell you, was Ulysses himself. It
was about the time of this trial that there
came into the country a very famous man,
Pythagoras of Samos, who had lived seven
different lives in seven different bodies, and
was now come to the Island, his soul now
having duly accomplished all the time of its
sojourn. I had heard before when on the
earth that this man had a golden thigh; and
now looking at him as narrowly as I could, I
saw that half of him was of gold. It was
agreed that he should be admitted to be of the
company of the Blessed; only, as he had lived in
the bodies of seven men, it was doubted by
what name he should be called; or indeed who
THE GAMES.
77
he was, as, for instance whether he was Eu-
phorbus the Trojan, that Menelaüs killed, as
he was wont to say of himself, or Pythagoras.
Empedocles of Sicily also came to the Island,
wishing to be received into this company.
I had heard of this man, that wishing his
countrymen to believe that he had been car-
ried up into heaven and received among the
gods, he threw himself down into the crater of
Mount Etna, but that the deceit had been
discovered by one of his golden slippers
which the fire of the place had not been able
to melt. I perceived that he was scorched all
over; but he was not received into the com-
pany, for all his prayers.
Not long after this coming of Pythagoras,
there happened the great gathering which
they call in the place the 'Death-Feast,' and
in which they have sports of all kinds, and
contests of singing and the like. The two
presidents of the festival were Achilles and
Theseus, of whom Theseus had held this
office six times before, and Achilles four.
It would weary you were I to relate the
7
78
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
In
whole of what was done at this festival, but
some of the chief things shall be told.
the wrestling match, one Carus, who was
said to be son to Hercules, won the prize,
throwing Ulysses, whom none of the Greek
heroes had been able to overcome, when
Achilles held the funeral games of Patroclus.
In boxing, there was an equal match be-
tween Areus-who, strange to tell, was a
philosopher of Alexandria, in Egypt-and
Epeüs, that won the prize against all comers
in the funeral games of Patroclus. There
was a contest of poets, in which Homer and
Hesiod contended. Homer was manifestly
and by far the better of the two. Neverthe-
less the prize was given to Hesiod; for even
in this island such judgments are not always
according to justice. The prize that was
given to those who gained the victory in
these contests was a crown woven out of
peacock-feathers.
CHAPTER XIII.
THE ISLAND IS INVADED. THE FLIGHT OF
THE FAIR HELEN.
We had scarcely ended these games and con-
tests, when there came tidings that certain of
the vilest of those that were in prison, suffer-
ing punishment in the abode of the wicked,
had burst their bonds, and having mastered
the guards that were set to watch them, were
coming with all speed against the island.
Further, it was said that the leaders of this
host were Phalaris of Agrigentum, the same
that burnt men in the bull of brass that
Perillus made for him; and Busiris of Egypt,
that had offered men in the place of cattle
for sacrifice on his altars; and Diomed of
80
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
Thrace, who fed his horses with the flesh of
men.
Also there were said to be with them some
of the famous robbers of old time, as Sciron,
who threw travellers from the cliffs into the
sea, and Sinis, who killed such as fell into his
hand by binding them to the top of a fir,
which he bent and then let spring again.
When King Rhadamanthus heard this
news, he set the heroes in order of battle on
the sea-shore, their leaders being Theseus, and
Achilles, and Ajax the Greater, who by this
time was restored to a sound mind.
These were scarcely drawn up, when the
enemy fell upon them, and there was a great
battle, in which the heroes were the con-
querors. All bore themselves well, but the
most valiant of all was Achilles. Socrates
also, the philosopher, showed most excellent
courage in the place where he was set, on the
right wing, and, indeed, obtained the prize of
valour, which was a very fine and spacious
park neighbouring to the city, to which he
thenceforward would invite his friends, and
THE ISLAND IS INVADED,
81
talk to them and ask them questions without
end. '
This place he called the Academy of
the Dead.'
After the battle we took such of the van-
quished as were left, and bound them, and
sent them back to the place whence they had
come, to suffer worse punishment than be-
fore.
On this battle Homer wrote a poem, aye,
and gave me the book to take with me to the
Earth; but this, with many other of my goods,
I have lost. Nevertheless, the first verse of
the poem I can well remember.
It ran
thus:
'Sing, Muse, the fight which the dead heroes fought.'
After the battle they had a great Bean-
feast, as is their custom when they have
won a victory, and had a banquet to celebrate
their success, and altogether held high festi-
val. Only with this Bean-feast Pythagoras
would have no concern, but kept himself
apart and fasted, holding that to eat beans
was a most evil thing.
82
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
Now, after six months, and one half or
thereabouts of the seventh, had passed, there
befell us that for which I shall never cease to
The son of the old man of the
be sorry.
wood was a tall man and handsome. His
name, I should say, was Cinyras. He became
very much enamoured of the Fair Helen, and
it was plain to see that she had no small
liking for the young man. For we could per
ceive how they looked one at the other as
they sat at the banquet, and how they would
wander about, the two of them alone, in the
woods.
At last the young man's passion and folly
grew to such a height, that he conceived the
idea of flying with the Fair Helen from the
Island. To this scheme she consented, and
they agreed between them that they should
escape to one of the neighbouring countries,
Cork City or Cheese Island. They had also
got accomplices, three of the most daring
fellows in my ship's crew.
But the young
man said not a word of the matter to his
father, knowing that the old man would have

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01.1
THE ABDUCTION OF HELEN
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FLIGHT OF THE FAIR HELEN.
83
hindered him. So one night, as soon as ever
it grew dark, they took the Fair Helen on
board a ship and departed with all haste.
It so chanced that I slept that night in the
Banqueting House, and as for my comrades,
they knew nothing of the matter. But about
midnight Menelaus chanced to awake, and
finding that the Fair Helen was not by his
side, raised hue and cry, and ran with all
speed to King Rhadamanthus, his brother
Agamemnon being with him. When the day
broke, came the look-out men, saying that
they could see the ship, but that it was now
many miles distant.
But when King Rhadamanthus heard that
the ship could be seen, he took fifty men of
the heroes, and put them into a vessel built
of a single piece of asphodel wood, and bade
them pursue the runaways with all speed.
Whereupon they started, and rowing with
good-will, about noonday overtook the other
ship, which had just come into the Milk Sea,
and, indeed, was not far from Cheese Island.
So near were they to escaping altogether.
84
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE
Then the heroes made fast the ship with
a chain of roses to their own, and so re-
turned.
As for the Fair Helen, she wept and
blushed and hid her face in her veil; but
Cinyras and his companions were brought to
trial before King Rhadamanthus. First the
King examined them, whether they had any
other accomplices, and finding they had none
such, sent them to the abode of the wicked,
having first commanded that they should be
beaten with rods of mallow.
CHAPTER XIV.
LUCIAN BIDS FAREWELL TO KING RHADAMAN-
THUS AND DEPARTS.—HE VISITS THE ABODE
OF THE WICKED.
WHEN the malefactors had been dismissed,
the King and his counsellors determined that
though the time of our sojourn had not yet
come to an end, we must nevertheless depart
within the space of a single day. At this
I was much troubled, and wept to think that
I must leave such happiness behind me, and
must set out again on my travels. But the
Blessed people comforted me, saying that
before many years I should come thither
again to them, and that there was a seat and
a reward for me at the banquet, next to the
very best, for that such was the honour which
86
A TRAVEller's trUE TALE.
they pay to those that love the truth and
speak it. Before I departed I had audience
of the King, and entreated him that he would
instruct me about the things which should
happen to me thereafter, and should give me
such teaching as would cause me to finish my
voyage safely. To this the King made answer:
'You shall return to your native country, but
not until you have wandered far and passed
through many dangers; but the time of your
return I cannot tell.'
After he had said so much he pointed to
the islands that were near. These were five
in number, with a sixth that was much farther
away. These that you see,' he said, 'from
which you commonly see smoke and fire going
up, are the dwellings of the wicked. And the
sixth is the City of Dreams. And still
farther beyond this city is the Island of
Calypso, but that you cannot yet see. When
you have sailed past this, you will come to
the great Continent that lies over against this
Island. In this you shall meet with many
adventures, and pass through many nations,
FAREWELL TO KING RHADAMANTHUS. 87
having to do with strange and barbarous
people, and so come at last to your own
country. When he had said this he plucked
a root of mallow from the ground, and bade
me pray to it when I should find myself in any
peril greater than ordinary. And last he said,
'See, when you come to this land, that you
never stir a fire with a sword, nor cat lupines,
nor kiss a maid that shall be of more than
eighteen years. If you remember this you
may hope in good time to come to this place.'
After this I made preparation of such things
as I needed for my voyage; and in the evening
feasted with the heroes. The day following
I went to Homer and asked him to write for
me verses that should serve for an inscription;
and this he did. So I engraved them on a
pillar of beryl stone, which I set up by the
harbour. And the verses were these-
'All marvels of this land did Lucian see,
Great Lucian of the blessed gods beloved;
And having seen them, to his home returned.'
So the rest of that day I abode with the
Blessed, but on the morrow set sail, the heroes
88
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
wishing us all good luck and sending us on
our way. And when we were on the point
to start, Ulysses came by stealth with a letter
which I should take, he said, to Calypso, in the
island of Ogygia, where she dwelt. This matter
he was careful, I perceived, to hide from Pene-
lope. And King Rhadamanthus sent with us
his chief ferryman, so that when we came to
the other islands to which we were bound the
people might not lay hands on us, for it was
forbidden to have trade with these places.
When we had got beyond the region of the
sweet-smelling winds, of which I spoke before,
there encountered us a terrible smell of bitumen
and sulphur and pitch burning together, and
the air began to be very misty and dark.
But of the things that I saw in that country I
think it best not to speak. One thing only
will I say; namely, that of all that I beheld,
none suffered more grievous punishment than
those who had lied when they were alive,
especially such as had written false things,
either in history or travel. Among these I
saw Ctesias of Cnidus, and Herodotus also;
FAREWELL TO KING RHADAMANTHUS. 89
yet when I saw them I was at peace in my
own heart, and had good hope that it would
be well with me when I should depart from
life; for that I had not knowingly written any-
thing that was false. After I had seen so
much I returned with my comrades to the
ship, for we could not endure the place any
more. So we bade farewell to the ferryman
of King Rhadamanthus, and went our way.
i
CHAPTER XV.
THE ISLAND OF DREAMS.-LUCIAN VISITS
CALYPSO.
In a short space of time after we had set sail
we espied the Island of Dreams close to us.
But the place seemed to be very like to
that which men see in their dreams upon
the Earth; for it appeared to fly before us as
we went forward, and to grow more distant.
But at the last we came up with it, and sailing
into a certain harbour which they call Sleep
Haven, so disembarked. Close to the place.
where we landed was an Ivory Gate, and a
temple that was said to be the Temple of the
Cock.
The time of our coming, I remember, was
late in the afternoon. As soon as we had

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​ددری دارد
AMA!
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APPROACHING THE CITY OF DREAMS.
8
THE ISLAND OF DREAMS.
91
passed through the Gate into the city, we saw
a great multitude of all manner of dreams.
But before I speak of these, I would first say
something of the city, about which no man, as
far as I know, has written anything, except-
ing Homer only, who has erred in more than
one matter, and neglected to tell, or it may
be knew not, others.
About the city on every side there stands
a great wood, of which the trees are
mighty tall poppies and mandragores. On
these there dwell great swarms of bats; nor
indeed are there other birds besides bats in
this country. Near to the city there flows a
river, which the people of the country call
Nightfare, and by the gates are two foun-
tains, which they call Wake-not and Night-
long. The wall of the city is very high and
of many colours, like to the colours of a rain-
bow. In this wall there are gates- not two
only, as Homer tells us, but four; of which
four, two look upon the Plain of Indolence,
the one being of iron and the other of clay.
By these go forth, for so they told me in the
92
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
city, all such dreams as are fearful and bloody
and cruel. The two other gates look out
upon the harbour and the sea, and of these
two, one is horn and the other ivory, by
which last, as have said, we entered the city.
On the right hand, as a man goes into the
city, stands the Temple of Night. There is
indeed no god whom they worship more than
Night, excepting only the Cock, as I have
said, to whom the people of the city have
built a temple hard by the harbour. This
god, as being the wakener of man and the
enemy of dreams, they seek, I take it, to make
propitious.
On the left hand stands the palace of
Sleep. For the King of the city is Sleep,
having under him two satraps, or lieutenants,
whose names are Trouble-Wit, the son of
Vanity, and Purseproud, the son of Display.
In the middle of the market-place there is a
fountain, which they call the Spring Heavi-
ness, and near it two temples, the one of
Deceit and the other of Truth. Here, too, is
the Holy Place of the city and the oracle,
THE ISLAND OF DREAMS.
93
whereof one Concord is the chief prophet,
having been appointed to this office by King
Sleep.
As to the dreams that dwell in this city,
they are of many kinds, differing greatly one
from the other in nature and aspect. Some
were tall and fair and stately, and others
mean of aspect and shapeless, and some were
all of gold, as it seemed to us when we re-
garded them, and others very low and base.
Also I saw among them some that had wings
and were of marvellous form and beauty,
and others arrayed as if for some great show,
some in the garb of kings and some in the
semblance of gods and the like majestic
personages.
So
Not a few of these dreams we knew by
sight, having seen them of old time upon the
Earth; these would come up to us and greet
us, as being familiar acquaintance.
friendly, indeed, were they, that nothing
would content them but they must take us
to their homes and use us with all hospi-
tality. And of all the entertainment which
94
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
they furnished, and it was indeed of the finest,
nothing was more splendid than the promises
which they gave us, how that they would
make us kings and satraps and the like.
And some of the dreams took us to our own
country and our homes, and showed us our
friends and kinsfolk, bringing us back never-
theless the very same day.
For a full month of thirty days we re-
mained in the City of Dreams, making merry
and sleeping, for in these two things we
mostly spent our time. At the end of the
month there broke over the city of a sudden
a very violent thunderstorm. This roused us
from our sleep, so that we leapt up in all
haste, and, having put into our ship such pro-
visions as we needed, so set sail.
On the third day we came to the Island of
Ogygia, and landed upon it. Then I be-
thought me of the letter which Ulysses had
given me to deliver to Calypso. But I
judged that it would be well first to read
it. This I did, and found it to be as fol-
lows:
!
I
LUCIAN VISITS CALYPSO.
95
ULYSSES TO CALYPSO GREETING.-Know
that after I left your island on the raft which
I built, I suffered shipwreck, and being in
great peril, was scarcely saved by Leucothea,
and so came to the country of Phoacia, from
which, returning to Ithaca, my native land,
I found in my palace a crowd of men that
were suitors to my wife. These all I slew, and
afterwards was myself slain by Telegonus,
that was son of Circe. And now I dwell in
the Island of the Blessed. But be sure that
I repent me with all my heart that I left the
life which I had with you, and the immortality
of which you gave me promise. But if I find
occasion I will escape from this place and come
to you."
The letter was to this effect, speaking also
of us, that we should have good entertain-
ment. I took it, therefore, in my hand, and
going somewhat in advance of my comrades,
found the cave, even as Homer has written of
it, and Calypso herself sitting within and
spinning.
For a while, when she had taken the letter
96
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE,
and read it, she wept much; but afterwards,
being somewhat recovered, invited us to a
banquet, and gave us royal entertainment.
And while we sat at the feast together, she
asked us many questions about Ulysses, how
he fared, and also about Penelope, whether
she was a fair woman, and also whether she
was wise and good above all others, as
Ulysses had boasted about her. To all
which things we made such answers as we
thought best would please her. And after
the feast we went back to our ship, where
it was drawn up on the shore, and there
slept.
?
:
CHAPTER XVI.
LUCIAN SEES THE PUMPKIN-PIRATES AND OTHER
STRANGE CREATURES AND THINGS.
THE next morning early we set sail, but the
wind beginning shortly to blow with much
vehemence, we were driven before the storm
for two days. On the third we fell in with
the Pumpkin-Pirates. These are savages,
who are wont to sally forth from the islands
that lie in the seas hereabouts, and plunder
them that sail by. For ships they have pump-
kins, the biggest that ever I saw, being not
less than ninety feet in length. These pump-
kins they dry, and afterwards dig out all the
inner part of them till they are quite hollow, and
so sail in them. For masts they have reeds,
98
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
and for sails, in the place of canvas, pumpkin-
leaves. These savages engaged us with two
ships, or, I should rather say, two pumpkins'
crews, and wounded many of our company.
For stones they used the pumpkin-seeds,
which were, I should say, of about the big-
ness of an apple of the larger size. We fought
for some space of time without any conside-
rable gain either to us or to them; but about
noon we saw coming towards us, in the rear
of the Pumpkin-Pirates, the Nut-shell-Sailors.
These two tribes were at war with each other,
as we had soon reason to know. For so soon
as the Pumpkin-Pirates had knowledge that
the others were approaching, they left off
fighting with us, and prepared to give battle
to them. Which we perceiving, immediately
set our sails and departed with all speed,
leaving the others fighting. But looking
back we could see that the Nut-shell-Sailors
had the best of the battle, being superior in
number (as having five crews against two), and
also because their ships were the stronger. As
for their ships, they had the shells of nuts,
THE PUMPKIN PIRATES.
99
which had been split into two, each half being
of the measure of fifteen fathoms or there-
abouts. As soon as these were out of sight
we set ourselves to dress the wounds of our
companions; and from that time we wore our
armour continually, as not knowing how soon
an enemy might come upon us. And indeed
it was well that we so did; for before sunset,
from a certain desert island there came forth,
riding on great dolphins, twenty men or there-
abouts, who also were pirates. The dolphins
carried them right well, and leapt in the water,
and neighed, just as though they had been
horses. When these came near our ship they
separated, after the fashion of skirmishers, and
assailed us with dry cuttle-fish and crabs'
eyes. But when we shot at them with our
arrows and threw our javelins at them they
fled; and most of them, I perceived, were
wounded, but of us they had not hurt a single
man.
About midnight, there being then a dead
calm, we struck, not knowing whither we
went, against the most marvellously large
100
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
kingfisher's nest that ever I saw. 'Twas
seven or eight miles round; and the king-
fisher was on it, hatching her eggs. The bird,
indeed, was well-nigh as big as the nest, and,
rising up when we came upon it, had almost
sunk the ship with the wind from her wings.
We heard her fly away, uttering a very doleful
cry. So we lay by the nest till morning; and,
when it was light, we landed upon it, and
marvelled to see it, for it was like a very
large raft, made of great timber trees. There
were five hundred eggs upon it, each of them
of about the size of a barrel of wine. These
were nearly hatched, for the young birds were
breaking through the shells, and made a noise
of cawing. One of these eggs we broke
through with our axes, and found within a
young bird, that had not got its feathers, but
yet was bigger than twenty vultures.
When we had sailed some two or three
miles from this nest, there happened to us
many strange things, of which we had never
seen the like before; for the end of the stern,
which was bent (as is the fashion in ships),

نة
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THE KINGFISHER'S NEST.
•
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STRANGE THINGS.
ΙΟΙ
somewhat like to the neck of a goose,
grew of a sudden to be covered with
feathers, and cackled as a bird; and the
old man, our captain, who had long been
bald, found his hair grow long as a young
man's; and the mast of the ship sent forth
branches, aye, and fruit also.
was figs and great clusters of
And the fruit
grapes.
When
we saw these things we were much troubled,
and prayed to the gods that if the marvels
portended any evil to come, it might be turned
away from us,
CHAPTER XVII.
THE OCEAN FOREST.--THE OX-HEADED PEOPLE
AND OTHER MARVELS.
WE had sailed sixty miles or so when we
came to a very great and thick forest of pines
and cypresses. This, when we first espied it,
we took to be an island; but, coming close,
we found that it grew upon the deep sea (and
so deep was it that we found no bottom by
sounding), and that the trees had no roots in
the earth. Nevertheless they stood firm and
upright. When we were come near to the
place, and saw how the matter stood, we were
in no small perplexity, for it was not possible
to sail through the trees, so many were they
THE OCEAN FOREST.
103
and so close grew they to each other; nor, on
the other hand, was it easy to return.
There-
upon
I climbed the very tallest tree which I
could find, and looked from the top over the
country to see how it lay. The wood was
some sixty miles or more in breadth; but
beyond it I could see that there was again
the ocean. So, taking counsel together, we
devised this plan, that we should put our ship
upon the top of the wood, for the leaves of
the trees were close and thick beyond any-
thing that I ever saw, and so pass over, if it
might be, to the sea upon the other side.
This we did, but not without much trouble. We
fastened a great cable to the ship, and having
ourselves climbed to the tops of the trees, so
with much struggling lifted it after us. But
when it was lifted, we put it without much
ado upon the branches, and setting the sails,
so travelled along even as if we had been on
the sea, for it chanced that there was a strong
wind behind us which drove us forward. Nor
indeed were we the first, I take it, to sail in
this fashion, for I remember that a poet of
9
104
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
Alexandria, Antimachus by name, says some-
where of certain travellers:
'So on their woodland voyage they went.'
As
This woodland voyage' I understand to
mean something of the same kind. So we
made our way across the wood, and when we
were come to the other side let down our
ship again by the cable into the sea, and sailed
away without taking any harm. This we did
without hindrance for many miles, the water
being marvellously pure and clear, till we
came to a great chasm, where the sea was
divided into two, even as we often see in the
earth great rifts made by earthquakes.
soon as ever we saw this chasm, we let down
the sails and so hardly stopped our ship, which
indeed came very near to falling into it.
'Twas a terribly deep place, as we could see
by leaning over the side, for, as far as we could
judge, the height of the side was one hundred
and twenty miles. Here too we were in a
great strait, but looking about we saw on our
right hand, and that not far off, a bridge of
water that lay across the chasm and joined
THE OX-HEADED PEOPLE.
105
the two seas, being indeed a stream that
flowed from the one to the other Into this
stream therefore we, getting out our oars,
rowed the ship, and with much toil, and
beyond all our hope, brought her across.
In no great space of time, sailing over this
sea, which we found to be very calm, we came
to an island, fair and easy of access. Here there
dwelt a savage tribe, that had the heads and
the horns also of oxen. This we knew not
at the first, but landed, and went some way
inland, seeking for water and provender, if per-
chance we might find some, for that which we
had remaining had now given out. As for
water we found it without much trouble, but
food we found not at all. But we heard a great
bellowing that seemed to come from hard by.
This we supposed to be a herd of oxen; and
thinking that we had found that which we
sought, we ran towards the voice, and so
came suddenly on the savage people. There-
upon we turned and fled, and the people pur-
sued us, and took three of our companions
alive, the rest of us escaping to our ship. But
гоб
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
being there we armed ourselves, thinking that
it would be a shameful thing if we should
suffer our friends to perish unavenged; and
coming back quickly to the place, fell upon
the Ox-headed Folk while they were in the
act of dividing the flesh of our companions.
And when we saw them we all shouted, and
as they straightway fled, pursued them, killing
some fifty and taking two alive. With these
we returned to our ship. But of food we had
found nothing. For which reason some
would have had me slay the prisoners; but to
this I would not consent, but bound and kept
them in ward, till, as indeed I had hoped, there
came envoys from the Ox-headed Folk to agree
on a ransom for the prisoners. For so much
we understood from their signs and the pitiful
way in which they lowed. For ransom they
gave us a good store of cheese, and dried fish,
and onions, and four hinds, strange beasts
with three legs only, of which two were
behind and one in front, into which, as it
seemed, two had grown together. So we gave
back the prisoners, and having remained on

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1.101
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10 11
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101·11
STRANGE FOLK RIDING ON FISH.
1.1
THE DONKEY-LEGS FOLK.
107
the island for what was left of that day, so
departed. In a short space we saw signs as of
land close by, fish, and birds flying about us,
and the like. Also we saw men sailing in
the strangest fashion by themselves, so that
we said that they were at the same time both
ships and sailors; and others we saw sitting
on corks and driving dolphins, each of them
a pair yoked together. They did us no harm,
nor seemed to have any fear of us, but
quietly and peacefully drove their steeds;
only they marvelled much at our ship, and
observed it on every side.
After this we came into the very greatest
peril that we had yet encountered. For as
we sailed we came to a small island, in which
there dwelt a race of women, very fair and well
spoken, and using, as we perceived, the Greek
tongue. These received us with much hospi-
tality. Yet did I suspect something; and
looking about me more narrowly, perceived
many bones and skulls of men lying about.
And at the first I thought that I would make
an alarm, and called to my comrades that they
108
A TRAVEller's TRUE TALE.
ass.
should arm themselves, but afterwards judged
otherwise. Yet I did not cease to watch;
and after a while I saw that one of the women
(now they all had their tunics very long so as
to touch the ground), while she busied herself
in the house, let her tunic open a little space.
by the feet. And looking, I saw that she had
not the feet of a woman but the hoofs of an
Whereupon I drew my sword and laid
hands upon her and bound her; and after
this she confessed the whole matter, though
much against her will, saying that they were
called the Donkey-legs, and that they were
used to devour any strangers that came
among them. 'For,' she said, we make
them drunk with wine, and slay them in
their sleep.' When I heard this, I mounted
on the roof, and called aloud to my com-
panions, and bade them assemble. When
they all came together I declared the whole
matter to them, showing them the bones.
After this I took them to show them the
woman whom I had bound; but lo! when
THE DONKEY-LEGS FOLK.
109
we came into the house she was changed into
water. Yet, by way of a trial, I drove my
sword into the water, and drew it out red as
with blood. After this we went back to our
ship with all haste, and departed.
As soon
as it was day we saw land, and judged it to
be the Continent lying opposite to that on
which we dwelt. And when we came near to
the land we knelt down on the deck and
prayed, and afterwards took counsel as to what
we should do. Some thought that it would
be well to land fora time only, and so come back
to the ship; but others judged it best to leave
our ship and to march up the country that
we might find out what manner of men dwelt
there. But while we were debating this
matter with no little heat, there came a violent
storm, and drove the ship against the rocks,
and broke it to pieces. And we swam to the
land, but that not easily, carrying every man
his arms and anything beside that he had
been able to snatch up in his haste.
So far the end of my journey was accom-
IIO
A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE.
plished, for we had come to the land which
lies on the other side of the ocean. But what
befell us there I shall tell, if indeed I tell it
at all, at some other time.
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4
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1