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ThinkingthatitwastimetobringdowntheMonarchfromhisrapturestothelevelofcommonsense,Ideterminedtoendeavourtoopenuptohimsomeglimpsesofthetruth,thatistosayofthenatureofthingsinFlatland.
SoIbeganthus:"HowdoesyourRoyalHighnessdistinguishtheshapesandpositionsofhissubjects?
Iformypartnoticedbythesenseofsight,beforeIenteredyourKingdom,thatsomeofyourpeoplearelinesandothersPoints;andthatsomeofthelinesarelarger—""Youspeakofanimpossibility,"interruptedtheKing;"youmusthaveseenavision;fortodetectthedifferencebetweenaLineandaPointbythesenseofsightis,aseveryoneknows,inthenatureofthings,impossible;butitcanbedetectedbythesneseofhearing,andbythesamemeansmyshapecanbeexactlyascertained.
Beholdme—IamaLine,thelongestinLineland,oversixinchesofSpace—""OfLength,"Iventuredtosuggest."Fool,"saidhe,"SpaceisLength.Interruptmeagain,andIhavedone."
Iapologized;buthecontinuedscornfully,"Sinceyouareimpervioustoargument,youshallhearwithyourearshowbymeansofmytwovoicesIrevealmyshapetomyWives,whoareatthismomentsixthousandmilesseventyyardstwofeeteightinchesaway,theonetotheNorth,theothertotheSouth.Listen,Icalltothem."
Hechirruped,andthencomplacentlycontinued:"Mywivesatthismomentreceivingthesoundofoneofmyvoice,closelyfollowedbytheother,andperceivingthatthelatterreachesthemafteranintervalinwhichsoundcantraverse6.457inches,inferthatoneofmymouthsis6.457inchesfurtherfromthemthantheother,andaccordinglyknowmyshapetobe6.457inches.
Butyouwillofcourseunderstandthatmywivesdonotmakethiscalculationeverytimetheyhearmytwovoices.
Theymadeit,onceforall,beforeweweremarried.Buttheycouldmakeitatanytime.
AndinthesamewayIcanestimatetheshapeofanyofmyMalesubjectsbythesenseofsound."
"Buthow,"saidI,"ifaManfeignsaWoman'svoicewithoneofhistwovoices,orsodisguiseshisSouthernvoicethatitcannotberecognizedastheechooftheNorthern?
Maynotsuchdeceptionscausegreatinconvenience?
Andhaveyounomeansofcheckingfraudsofthiskindbycommandingyourneighbouringsubjectstofeeloneanother?"
Thisofcoursewasaverystupidquestion,forfeelingcouldnothaveansweredthepurpose;butIaskedwiththeviewofirritatingtheMonarch,andIsucceededperfectly.
"What!"criedheinhorror,"explainyourmeaning."
"Feel,touch,comeintocontact,"Ireplied..
"Ifyoumeanbyfeeling,"saidtheKing,"approachingsocloseastoleavenospacebetweentwoindividuals,know,Stranger,thatthisoffenceispunishableinmydominionsbydeath.Andthereasonisobvious.
ThefrailformofaWoman,beingliabletobeshatteredbysuchanapproximation,mustbepreservedbytheState;butsinceWomencannotbedistinguishedbythesenseofsightfromMen,theLawordainsuniversallythatneitherMannorWomanshallbeapproachedsocloselyastodestroytheintervalbetweentheapproximatorandtheapproximated.
"Andindeedwhatpossiblepurposewouldbeservedbythisillegalandunnaturalexcessofapproximationwhichyoucalltouching,whenalltheendsofsobrutalandcourseaprocessareattainedatoncemoreeasilyandmoreexactlybythesenseofhearing?
Astoyoursuggesteddangerofdeception,itisnon-existent:fortheVoice,beingtheessenceofone'sBeing,cannotbethuschangedatwill.
Butcome,supposethatIhadthepowerofpassingthroughsolidthings,sothatIcouldpenetratemysubjects,oneafteranother,eventothenumberofabillion,verifyingthesizeanddistanceofeachbythesenseoffeeling:Howmuchtimeandenergywouldbewastedinthisclumsyandinaccuratemethod!
Whereasnow,inonemomentofaudition,Itakeasitwerethecensusandstatistics,local,corporeal,mentalandspiritual,ofeverylivingbeinginLineland.Hark,onlyhark!"
Sosayinghepausedandlistened,asifinanecstasy,toasoundwhichseemedtomenobetterthanatinychirpingfromaninnumerablemultitudeoflilliputiangrasshoppers.
"Truly,"repliedI,"yoursenseofhearingservesyouingoodstead,andfillsupmanyofyourdeficiencies.
ButpermitmetopointoutthatyourlifeinLinelandmustbedeplorablydull.ToseenothingbutaPoint!
NoteventobeabletocontemplateaStraightLine!
Nay,noteventoknowwhataStraightLineis!
Tosee,yettobecutofffromthoseLinearprospectswhicharevouchsafedtousinFlatland!
Bettersurelytohavenosenseofsightatallthantoseesolittle!
IgrantyouIhavenotyourdiscriminativefacultyofhearing;fortheconcertofallLinelandwhichgivesyousuchintensepleasure,istomenobetterthanamultitudinoustwitteringorchirping.
ButatleastIcandiscern,bysight,aLinefromaPoint.Andletmeproveit.
JustbeforeIcameintoyourkingdom,Isawyoudancingfromlefttoright,andthenfromrighttoleft,withSevenMenandaWomaninyourimmediateproximityontheleft,andeightMenandtwoWomenonyourright.Isnotthiscorrect?"
"Itiscorrect,"saidtheKing,"sofarasthenumbersandsexesarecocnerned,thoughIknownowwhatyoumeanby'right'and'left.'ButIdenythatyousawthesethings.
ForhowcouldyouseetheLine,thatistosaytheinside,ofanyMan?
Butyoumusthaveheardthesethings,andthendreamedthatyousawthem.
Andletmeaskwhatyoumeanbythosewords'left'and'right.'
IsupposeitisyourwayofsayingNorthwardandSouthward."
"Notso,"repliedI;"besidesyourmotionofNorthwardandSouthward,thereisanothermotionwhichIcallfromrighttoleft."
King.Exhibittome,ifyouplease,thismotionfromlefttoright.
I.Nay,thatIcannotdo,unlessyoucouldstepoutofyourLinealtogether.
King.OutofmyLine?Doyoumeanoutoftheworld?OutofSpace?
I.Well,yes.Outofyourworld.OutofyourSpace.ForyourSpaceisnotthetrueSpace.TrueSpaceisaPlane;butyourSpaceisonlyaLine.
King.Ifyoucannotindicatethismotionfromlefttorightbyyourselfmovinginit,thenIbegyoutodescribeittomeinwords.
I.Ifyoucannottellyourrightsidefromyourleft,Ifearthatnowordsofminecanmakemymeaningclearertoyou.Butsurelyyoucannotbeignorantofsosimpleadistinction.
King.Idonotintheleastunderstandyou.
I.Alas!HowshallImakeitclear?
Whenyoumovestraighton,doesitnotsometimesoccurtoyouthatyoucouldmoveinsomeotherway,turningyoureyeroundsoastolookinthedirectiontowardswhichyoursideisnowfronting?
Inotherwords,insteadofalwaysmovinginthedirectionofoneofyourextremities,doyouneverfeeladesiretomoveinthedirection,sotospeak,ofyourside?
King.Never.Andwhatdoyoumean?Howcanaman'sinside"front"inanydirection?Orhowcanamanmoveinthedirectionofhisinside?
I.Wellthen,sincewordscannotexplainthematter,Iwilltrydeeds,andwillmovegraduallyoutofLinelandinthedirectionwhichIdesiretoindicatetoyou.
AtthewordIbegantomovemybodyoutofLineland.
Aslongasanypartofmeremainedinhisdominionandinhisview,theKingkeptexclaiming,"Iseeyou,Iseeyoustill;youarenotmoving."
ButwhenIhadatlastmovedmyselfoutofhisLine,hecriedinhisshrillestvoice,"Sheisvanished;sheisdead."
"Iamnotdead,"repliedI;"IamsimplyoutofLineland,thatistosay,outoftheStraightLinewhichyoucallSpace,andinthetrueSpace,whereIcanseethingsastheyare.
AndatthismomentIcanseeyourLine,orside—orinsideasyouarepleasedtocallit;andIcanseealsotheMenandWomenontheNorthandSouthofyou,whomIwillnowenumerate,describingtheirorder,theirsize,andtheintervalbetweeneach."
WhenIhaddonethisatgreatlength,Icriedtriumphantly,"Doesthatatlastconvinceyou?"And,withthat,IoncemoreenteredLineland,takingupthesamepositionasbefore.
ButtheMonarchreplied,"IfyouwereaManofsense—though,asyouappeartohaveonlyonevoiceIhavelittledoubtyouarenotaManbutaWoman—but,ifyouhadaparticleofsense,youwouldlistentoreason.
YouaskmetobelievethatthereisanotherLinebesidesthatwhichmysensesindicate,andanothermotionbesidesthatofwhichIamdailyconscious.
I,inreturn,askyoutodescribeinwordsorindicatebymotionthatotherLineofwhichyouspeak.
Insteadofmoving,youmerelyexercisesomemagicartofvanishingandreturningtosight;andinsteadofanyluciddescriptionofyournewWorld,yousimplytellmethenumbersandsizesofsomefortyofmyretinue,factsknowntoanychildinmycapital.
Cananythingbemoreirrationaloraudacious?
Acknowledgeyourfollyordepartfrommydominions."
Furiousathisperversity,andespeciallyindignantthatheprofessedtobeignorantofmysex,Iretortedinnomeasuredterms,"BesottedBeing!
Youthinkyourselftheperfectionofexistence,whileyouareinrealitythemostimperfectandimbecile.
Youprofesstosee,whereasyouseenothingbutaPoint!
YouplumeyourselfoninferringtheexistenceofaStraightLine;butIcanseeStraightLines,andinfertheexistenceofAngles,Triangles,Squares,Pentagons,Hexagons,andevenCircles.Whywastemorewords?
SufficeitthatIamthecompletionofyourincompleteself.
YouareaLine,butIamaLineofLinescalledinmycountryaSquare:andevenI,infinitelysuperiorthoughIamtoyou,amoflittleaccountamongthegreatnoblesofFlatland,whenceIhavecometovisityou,inthehopeofenighteningyourignorance."
HearingthesewordstheKingadvancedtowardsmewithamenacingcryasiftopiercemethroughthediagonal;andinthatsamemovementtherearosefrommyriadsofhissubjectsamultitudinouswar-cry,increasinginvehemencetillatlastmethoughtitrivalledtheroarofanarmyofahundredthousandIsosceles,andtheartilleryofathousandPentagons.
Spell-boundandmotionless,Icouldneitherspeaknormovetoaverttheimpendingdestruction;andstillthenoisegrewlouder,andtheKingcamecloser,whenIawoketofindthebreakfast-bellrecallingmetotherealitiesofFlatland.
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