Niels Klim's journey under the ground: being a narrative of his wonderful descent to the subterranean lands; together with an account of the sensible animals and trees inhabiting the planet Nazar and the firmament.Holberg, Ludvig
Science
Niels Klim's journey under the ground: being a narrative of his wonderful descent to the subterranean lands; together with an account of the sensible animals and trees inhabiting the planet Nazar and the firmament.
Holberg, Ludvig
Utopias -- Early works to 1800; Voyages, Imaginary -- Early works to 1800
from the huge piles of slain that covered the way. When the battle was
over, we counted the killed of the enemy and found them to be thirteen
thousand: our own loss was comparatively very slight. The victorious
army marched into the kingdom of Tanaqui and encamped before its
capital. The general terror had meanwhile increased so much, that the
magistrates submissively met the conquerors and delivered the keys of
the city. The capital surrendering, the whole country soon followed its
example. The disregard and contempt in which the Quamites had to this
time been held, were changed to admiration and fear: the empire, with
the addition of the newly conquered kingdom, was extended to twice its
former size.
The glory of these actions was with one voice ascribed to my superior
knowledge and untiring industry; and the esteem which had been long
cherished for me, now passed over to a reverent and divine worship. This
period of general peace and exultation, I thought a fitting time to
advance the civilization and refinement of the Quamites, and as a
practical commencement to this great work I ordered the royal Tanaquitic
library to be moved to Quama.
My curiosity to become acquainted with this library had been at first
excited by the imprisoned leader Tomopoloko, who told me that among its
manuscripts was one, whose author had been up to our globe, in which
history of his travels he had described several of its kingdoms,
particularly those of Europe. The Tanaquites had seized this manuscript
during one of their predatory excursions into a distant land; but as the
author had concealed his name, they knew not what countryman he was, nor
in what manner he had passed up through the earth. The quaint title of
this book was: "Tanian's[2] Travels Above-ground; being a description of
the kingdoms and countries there, especially those of Europe." From the
antiquity of this work together with its great popularity, it had become
so ragged, that what I was most anxious to learn, namely, the narration
of the author's journey to our earth and his return, was most
unfortunately lost. Here is the contents of this singular manuscript,
such as I found it:
"_Fragments of Tanian's Diary, kept on a Voyage
above-ground, Translated by his Excellency, M. Tomopoloko,
General-in-chief, in the Service of his Tanaquitic
majesty._"
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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