A Journey to the World Under-Ground 1 – Holberg · Verses Across
Literature · Science Fiction & Fantasy
A Journey to the World Under-Ground 1Chap 1
18
Literature · Science Fiction & Fantasy
A Journey to the World Under-Ground 1
Chap 1
HolbergEnglish
_The Author’s Descent to the subterraneous
World._
In the Year 1664, after I had pass’d my several Examinations in the University of Copenhagen, and had deservedly obtained the Character, which is there call’d Laudable, by the Votes of my Judges, as well Philosophers as Divines, I prepar’d for my Return into my native Country; and accordingly put myself aboard a Ship bound for Bergen in Norway, dignify’d indeed with various Marks of Honour from the Gentlemen of the several Faculties, but in my Fortunes quite impoverish’d. This was an Evil that attended myself as well as several of the Norway Students, who return’d from the Study of the Arts and Sciences into their own Country stript of all they were worth. As we had a pretty brisk Gale, after a Voyage of six Days we arrived at Bergen Harbour. Being thus restor’d to my Country, something wiser indeed, tho’ by no Means richer, I was supported for a Time at the Expence of my near Relations, and led a precarious Sort of Life, yet not altogether indolent and inactive. For in order to clear up by Experience some Points of natural Philosophy, the Study I had devoted myself to, I rambled over every Corner of the Province, with an insatiable Curiosity, to explore the Nature of the Earth, and to search into the very Bowels of our Mountains. No Rock so steep but I climb’d it; no Cavern so hideous and deep, but I made a Descent into it, to try if haply I could discover any Thing curious and worthy the Inquiry of a Philosopher. For there are a Multitude of Things in our Country of Norway, hardly ever seen or heard of, which if France, Italy, Germany, or any other Country so fruitful of the Marvellous, could boast of, nothing wou’d be more talk’d of, nothing more sifted and examin’d.
Among those Things, which to me appear’d most worthy of Observation, there was a large and deep Cave upon the Top of that Mountain which the Natives call Floïen. And because the Mouth of the Cave us’d to send forth a gentle murmuring Sound, and that too by Intervals, as if by its frequent Sighs its Jaws were now shut, and now open’d; hence the Literati of Bergen, and particularly the celebrated Master Abeline, and Master Edward, one of our first Geniuses in Astronomy and natural Philosophy, imagin’d this Affair highly worthy of a philosophical Inquiry; and since they themselves were too old for such an Enterprize, they excited the younger Inhabitants to a closer Examination of the Nature of the Cavern; especially as at stated Intervals, after the Manner of human Respiration, the Sound being sometime with-held issued out with a certain proportional Force.
What with these Discourses, and what with my own natural Inclination, I form’d a Design of entring into this Cavern, and communicated my Intention to some of my Friends. But they by no Means approv’d of it, plainly declaring, that it was a wild and frantick Undertaking. But all they cou’d say, so far was it from extinguishing, that it did not even damp the Ardour of my Mind; and their Advices, instead of weakning, administred Fuel to my Curiosity. For that Eagerness with which I pursued the Study of Nature inspir’d me to face every Danger, and the Straightness of my private Circumstances gave a Spur to my natural Inclination. For my own Substance was quite wasted, and it seem’d to me the greatest Hardship to live in a State of Dependance, in a Country where all Hopes of Preferment were cut off, where I beheld myself condemned to Poverty, and every Avenue to Honour and Advantage entirely stopp’d, unless I would make my Way by some flagrant Act of Dishonour or Immorality.
Thus resolv’d, and having got together what was requisite for such an Exploit, upon a Thursday Morning, when the Heavens were all serene and cloudless, I left the City soon after Twilight, to the End that having finish’d my Observations, I might return again that same Day; because, being ignorant of Futurity, it was not possible I shou’d foresee that I, like another Phaeton,
Volverer in præceps, longoque per aëra tractu,
should be flung upon another World, not to revisit my native Soil, till after a ten Years Peregrination.
This Expedition was undertaken in the Year of our Lord 1665, John Munthe, and Lawrence Severini being Consuls of Bergen, and Christiern Bertholdi and Lawrence Scandio being Senators. I went out attended by four Fellows I had hir’d, who brought with them such Ropes and Iron Crooks as would be necessary to descend by. We went directly to Sanduic, the most commodious Way to climb the Mountain. Having with Difficulty reach’d the Top, we came to the Place where was the fatal Cave, and being tir’d with so troublesome a Journey, we all sat down to Breakfast. ’Twas then my Mind, foreboding as it were the approaching Evil, first began to be dismay’d. Therefore turning to my Companions, “Will any one, says I, undertake this Task?” But no Reply being made, my Ardour, that had languish’d, kindled anew. I order’d them to fasten the Rope about me, and thus equipp’d, I commended my Soul to Almighty God. Being now just ready to be let down, I gave my Companions to understand what I would have done, viz. that they should continue letting down the Rope till they heard me cry out, upon which Signal they should stop, and if I persisted to cry out, that then they shou’d immediately draw me up again. In my right hand I held my Harpoon, or Iron Hook, an Instrument that might be of Use to me to remove whatever might obstruct my Passage, and also to keep my Body suspended equally between the Sides of the Cavern. But scarce had I descended so low as about ten or twelve Cubits, when the Rope broke. This Accident was discover’d to me by the sudden Outcries of the Men I had hir’d. But their Noise soon died away; for with an amazing Velocity I was hurry’d down into the Abyss, and like a second Pluto, allowing my Harpoon to be a Sceptre,
Labor, & icta viam tellus ad Tartara fecit.
For about the fourth Part of an Hour (as near as I cou’d guess, considering the great Consternation I must be in) I was in total Darkness, and in the very Bosom of Night; when at length a thin small Light, like Twilight, broke in upon me, and I beheld at last a bright serene Firmament. I ignorantly thought therefore, that either by the Repercussion or opposite Action of the subterraneous Air, or that by the Force of some contrary Wind, I had been thrown back, and that the Cave had vomited me up again. But neither the Sun which I then survey’d, nor the Heavens, or heavenly Bodies, were at all known to me, since they were considerably less than those of ours. I concluded therefore, that either all that whole Mass of new Heavens existed solely in Imagination, excited by the Vertigo my Head had undergone, or else that I was arriv’d at the Mansions of the Blessed. But this last Opinion I soon rejected with Scorn, since I view’d myself arm’d with a Harpoon, and dragging a mighty Length of Rope after me, knowing full well, that a Man just going to Paradise has no Occasion for a Rope or a Harpoon, and that the cœlestial Inhabitants cou’d not possibly be pleas’d with a Dress, which look’d as if I intended, after the Example of the Titans, to take Heaven by Violence, and to expel them from their divine Abodes. At last after the maturest Consideration, I fell to imagining, that I was sunk into the subterraneous World, and that the Conjectures of those Men are right who hold the Earth to be concave, and that within the Shell or outward Crust there is another lesser Globe, and another Firmament adorn’d with lesser Sun, Stars, and Planets. And the Event discover’d that this Conjecture was right.
That Violence with which I was hurry’d headlong, had now continued for some Time, when at length I perceived that it languish’d gradually in Proportion to my Approach towards a certain Planet, which was the first Thing I met with. That same Planet increas’d so sensibly in Bulk or Magnitude, that at last, without much Difficulty, I cou’d plainly distinguish Mountains, Vallies, and Seas, through that thicker Atmosphere with which it was surrounded.
—_Sicut avis quæ circum littora, circum
Piscosos scopulos humilis volat æquora juxta,
Haud aliter terras inter cœlumque volabam._
Then I perceiv’d that I did not only swim in a cœlestial Matter or Æther, but that my Motion which had hitherto been perpendicular, was now alter’d into a circular one. At this my Hair stood on End; for I was full of Apprehension lest I should be transform’d into a Planet, or into a Satellite of the neighbouring Planet, and so be whirl’d about in an everlasting Rotation. But when I reflected, that by this Metamorphosis my Dignity would suffer no great Diminution, and that a heavenly Body, or at least an Attendant upon a heavenly Body, would surely move with equal Solemnity to a famish’d Philosopher, I took Courage again, especially when I found from the Benefit of that pure cœlestial Æther, that I was no longer prest by Hunger or Thirst. Yet upon recollecting that I had in my Pocket some of that Sort of Bread which the People of Bergen call Bolken, and which is of an oval or oblong Figure, I resolv’d to take it out, and make an Experiment whether in this Situation I had any Appetite. But at the first Bite perceiving it was quite nauseous, I threw it away as a Thing to all Intents and Purposes useless. The Bread thus cast away was not only suspended in Air, but (what was very marvellous to behold) it describ’d a little circular Motion round my own Body. And from thence I learnt the true Laws of Motion, by which it comes to pass, that all Bodies plac’d in Æquilibrium naturally affect a circular Motion. Upon this, instead of deploring my Wretchedness, as I had done, for being thus the Sport of Fortune, I began to plume a little, finding that I was not only a simple Planet, but such a Planet as wou’d have a perpetual Attendant conforming itself to my Motions, insomuch that I should have the Honour to be reckon’d in the Number of the greater heavenly Bodies or Stars of the first Magnitude. And to confess my Weakness, so elated was I, that if I had then met any of our Consuls or Senators of Bergen, I should have receiv’d them with a supercilious Air, should have regarded them as Atoms, and accounted them unworthy to be saluted or honoured with a Touch of my Harpoon.
For almost three Days I remain’d in this Condition. For as without any Intermission I was whirl’d about the Planet that was next me, I could distinguish Day from Night; and observing the subterraneous Sun to rise, and set, and retire gradually out of my Sight, I could easily perceive when it was Night, tho’ it was not altogether such as it is with us. For at Sun-set the whole Face of the Firmament appear’d of a bright Purple, not unlike the Countenance of our Moon sometimes. This I took to be occasion’d by the inner Surface of our Earth, which borrow’d that Light from the subterraneous Sun, which Sun was plac’d in the Center. This Hypothesis I fram’d to myself, being not altogether a Stranger to the Study of Astronomy.
But while I was thus amus’d with the Thoughts of being in the Neighbourhood of the Gods, and was congratulating myself as a new Constellation, together with my Satellite that surrounded me, and hop’d in a short Time to be inserted in the Catalogue of Stars by the Astronomers of the neighbouring Planet, behold! an enormous winged Monster hover’d near me, sometimes on this Side, now on that Side, and by and by over my Head. At first View I took it for one of the twelve heavenly Signs in this new World, and accordingly hop’d, that, if the Conjecture was right, it would be that of Virgo, since out of the whole Number of the twelve Signs, that alone could yield me, in my unhappy Solitude, some Delight and Comfort. But when the Figure approach’d nearer to me, it appear’d to be a grim, huge Griffin. So great was my Terror, that unmindful of my starry Dignity, to which I was newly advanc’d, in that Disorder of my Soul, I drew out my University-Testimonium, which I happen’d to have in my Pocket, to signify to this terrible Adversary that I had pass’d my academical Examination, that I was a graduate Student, and could plead the Privilege of my University against any one that should attack me. But my Disorder beginning to cool, when I came to myself, I could not but condemn my Folly. For it was yet a Matter of Doubt to what Purpose this Griffin should approach me, whether as an Enemy, or a Friend; or, what is more likely, whether led by the sole Novelty of the Thing, he had only a Mind to feast his Curiosity. For the Sight of a human Creature whirling about in Air, bearing in his right Hand an Harpoon, and drawing after him a great Length of Rope like a Tail, was really a Phænomenon which might excite even a brute Creature to behold the Spectacle. For the unusual Figure I then exhibited, gave to the Inhabitants of the Globe, round which I revolv’d, an Occasion of divers Conjectures and Conversations concerning me, as I afterwards learn’d; for the Philosophers and Mathematicians would have me to be a Comet, being positive that my Rope was the Tail; and some there were, who from the Appearance of so rare a Meteor, prognosticated some impending Misfortune, a Plague, a Famine, or some other such extraordinary Catastrophe: Some also went further, and delineated my Figure, such as it appear’d to them at that Distance, in very accurate Drawings; so that I was describ’d, defin’d, painted and engrav’d before ever I touch’d their Globe. All this I afterward heard with no small Pleasure, and even Laughter, when I was convey’d to that Planet, and had learn’d their Language.
It must be noted, that sometimes there appear new Stars, which the Subterraneans call Sciscisi, or blazing Stars, which they describe as something looking horrid with fiery Hair, and, after the Manner of our Comets, bushy on the Top, so as that it projects in Form of a long Beard; and these, as in our World, so in that, they are reckon’d ominous.
But to resume my History. The Griffin advanc’d so near at last, as to incommode me by the Flapping of his Wings, and even did not scruple to attack my Leg with his Teeth, so that now it openly appear’d with what Disposition he pursu’d me. Upon this I began to attack this troublesome Animal with Arms, and grasping my Harpoon with both my Hands, I soon curb’d the Insolence of my Foe, obliging him to look about for a Way to escape; and at last, since he persisted to annoy me, I darted my Harpoon with such a Force into the Back of the Animal between his Wings, that I could not pull it out again. The wounded Griffin, setting up a horrible Cry, fell headlong upon the Planet. As for myself, quite weary of this starry Station, this new Dignity, which I saw expos’d to infinite Hazards and Evils,
_Arbitrio volucris rapior, quoque impetus egit
Huc sine lege ruo, longoque per aera tractu
In terram feror, ut de cœlo stella sereno,
Etsi non cecidit, potuit cecidisse videri._
And now this circular Motion I had describ’d alter’d once more into a perpendicular one. And being for some Time agitated and tost with great Violence by the opposite Motions of a thicker Air, at length by an easy, gentle Descent, I alighted upon the aforesaid Planet, together with the Griffin, who soon after died of his Wound.
It was Night when I was convey’d to that Planet. This I could gather from the sole Absence of the Sun, and not from the Darkness; for there still remained so much Light, as that I could distinctly read my University-Testimonium by it. That Light by Night arises from the inward Surface of our Earth, whose Surface reflects a Light like that of the Moon among us. And hence, with respect to Light alone, there is little Difference between the Nights and Days, only that the Sun is absent, and his Absence makes the Nights a little colder.
