English
Anunspeakablehorrorseizedme.Therewasadarkness;thenadizzy,sickeningsensationofsightthatwasnotlikeseeing;IsawaLinethatwasnoLine;SpacethatwasnotSpace:Iwasmyself,andnotmyself.
WhenIcouldfindvoice,Ishriekedloudinagony,"EitherthisismadnessoritisHell."
"Itisneither,calmlyrepliedthevoiceoftheSphere,"itisKnowledge;itisThreeDimensions:openyoureyeonceagainandtrytolooksteadily."
Ilooked,and,behold,anewworld!Therestoodbeforeme,visiblyincorporate,allthatIhadbeforeinferred,conjectured,dreamed,ofperfectCircularbeauty.
WhatseemedthecentreoftheStranger'sformlayopentomyview:yetIcouldseenoheart,lungs,norarteries,onlyabeautifulharmoniousSomething—forwhichIhadnowords;butyou,myReadersinSpaceland,wouldcallitthesurfaceoftheSphere.
ProstratingmyselfmentallybeforemyGuide,Icried,"Howitis,OdivineidealofconsummatelovelinessandwisdomthatIseethyinside,andyetcannotdiscernthyheart,thylungs,thyarteries,thyliver?"
"Whatyouthinkyousee,youseenot,"hereplied;"itisnotgivingtoyou,nortoanyotherBeing,tobeholdmyinternalparts.
IamofadifferentorderofBeingsfromthoseinFlatland.
WhereIaCircle,youcoulddiscernmyintestines,butIamaBeing,composedasItoldyoubefore,ofmanyCircles,theManyintheOne,calledinthiscountryaSphere.
And,justastheoutsideofaCubeisaSquare,sotheoutsideofaSphererepresentstheappearanceofaCircle."
BewilderedthoughIwasbymyTeacher'senigmaticutterance,Inolongerchafedagainstit,butworshippedhiminsilentadoration.
Hecontinued,withmoremildnessinhisvoice.
"DistressnotyourselfifyoucannotatfirstunderstandthedeepermysteriesofSpaceland.Bydegreestheywilldawnuponyou.
Letusbeginbycastingbackaglanceattheregionwhenceyoucame.
ReturnwithmeawhiletotheplainsofFlatlandandIwillshewyouthatwhichyouhaveoftenreasonedandthoughtabout,butneverseenwiththesenseofsight—avisibleangle.""Impossible!"
Icried;but,theSphereleadingtheway,Ifollowedasifinadream,tilloncemorehisvoicearrestedme:"Lookyonder,andbeholdyourownPentagonalhouse,andallitsinmates."
Ilookedbelow,andsawwithmyphysicaleyeallthatdomesticindividualitywhichIhadhithertomerelyinferredwiththeunderstanding.
AndhowpoorandshadowywastheinferredconjectureincomparisonwiththerealitywhichInowbehold!
MyfourSonscalmlyasleepintheNorth-Westernrooms,mytwoorphanGrandsonstotheSouth;theServants,theButler,myDaughter,,allintheirseveralapartments.
OnlymyaffectionWife,alarmedbymycontinuedabsence,hadquitterherroomandwasrovingupanddownintheHall,anxiouslyawaitingmyreturn.
AlsothePage,arousedbymycries,hadlefthisroom,andunderpretextofascertainingwhetherIhadfallensomewhereinafaint,waspryingintothecabinetinmystudy.
AllthisIcouldnowsee,notmerelyinfer;andaswecamenearerandnearer,Icoulddiscerneventhecontentsofmycabinet,andthetwochestsofgold,andthetabletsofwhichtheSpherehadmademention.
TouchedbymyWife'sdistress,Iwouldhavesprungdownwardtoreassureher,butIfoundmyselfincapableofmotion.
"TroublenotyourselfaboutyourWife,"saidmyGuide:"shewillnotbelongleftinanxiety;meantime,letustakeasurveyofFlatland."
OncemoreIfeltmyselfrisingthroughspace.ItwasevenastheSpherehadsaid.
Thefurtherwerecededfromtheobjectwebeheld,thelargerbecamethefieldofvision.
Mynativecity,withtheinteriorofeveryhouseandeverycreaturetherein,layopentomyviewinminiature.
Wemountedhigher,andlo,thesecretsoftheearth,thedepthsoftheminesandinmostcavernsofthehills,werebaredbeforeme.
Awestruckatthesightofthemysteriesoftheearth,thusunveiledbeforemyunworthyeye,IsaidtomyCompanion,"Behold,IambecomeasaGod.
Forthewisemeninourcountrysaythattoseeallthings,orastheyexpressit,omnividence,istheattributeofGodalone."
TherewassomethingofscorninthevoiceofmyTeacherashemadeanswer:"itissoindeed?
Thentheverypick-pocketsandcut-throatsofmycountryaretobeworshippedbyyourwisemenasbeingGods:forthereisnotoneofthemthatdoesnotseeasmuchasyouseenow.Buttrustme,yourwisemenarewrong."
I.ThenisomnividencetheattributeofothersbesidesGods?
Sphere.Idonotknow.
But,ifapick-pocketoracut-throatofourcountrycanseeeverythingthatisinyourcountry,surelythatisnoreasonwhythepick-pocketorcut-throatshouldbeacceptedbyyouasaGod.
Thisomnividence,asyoucallit—itisnotacommonwordinSpaceland—doesitmakeyoumorejust,moremerciful,lessselfish,moreloving?Notintheleast.Thenhowdoesitmakeyoumoredivine?
I."Moremerciful,moreloving!"Butthesearethequalitiesofwomen!
AndweknowthataCircleisahigherBeingthanaStraightLine,insofarasknowledgeandwisdomaremoretobeesteemedthanmereaffection.
Sphere.Itisnotformetoclassifyhumanfacultiesaccordingtomerit.
YetmanyofthebestandwisestinSpacelandthinkmoreoftheaffectionsthanoftheunderstand,moreofyourdespisedStraightLinesthanofyourbelaudedCircles.Butenoughofthis.Lookyonder.Doyouknowthatbuilding?
Ilooked,andafaroffIsawanimmensePolygonalstructure,inwhichIrecognizedtheGeneralAssemblyHalloftheStatesofFlatland,surroundedbydenselinesofPentagonalbuildingsatrightanglestoeachother,whichIknewtobestreets;andIperceivedthatIwasapproachingthegreatMetropolis.
"Herewedescend,"saidmyGuide.Itwasnowmorning,thefirsthourofthefirstdayofthetwothousandthyearofourera.
Acting,aswastheirwont,instrictaccordancewithprecedent,thehighestCirclesoftherealmweremeetinginsolemnconclave,astheyhadmetonthefirsthourofthefirstdayoftheyear1000,andalsoonthefirsthourofthefirstdayoftheyear0.
TheminutesofthepreviousmeetingswerenowreadbyonewhomIatoncerecognizedasmybrother,aperfectlySymmetricalSquare,andtheChiefClerkoftheHighCouncil.
Itwasfoundrecordedoneachoccasionthat:"WhereastheStateshadbeentroubledbydiversill-intentionedpersonspretendingtohavereceivedrevelationsfromanotherWorld,andprofessingtoproducedemonstrationswherebytheyhadinstigatedtofrenzyboththemselvesandothers,ithadbeenforthiscauseunanimouslyresolvedbytheGrandCouncilthatonthefirstdayofeachmillenary,specialinjunctionsbesenttothePrefectsintheseveraldistrictsofFlatland,tomakestrictsearchforsuchmisguidedpersons,andwithoutformalityofmathematicalexanimation,todestroyallsuchaswereIsoscelesofanytdegree,toscourgeandimprisonanyregularTriangle,tocauseanySquareorPentagontobesenttothedistrictAsylum,andtoarrestanyoneofhigherrank,sendinghimstraightwaytotheCapitaltobeexaminedandjudgedbytheCouncil."
"Youhearyourfate,"saidtheSpheretome,whiletheCouncilwaspassingforthethirdtimetheformalresolution.
"DeathorimprisonmentawaitstheApostleoftheGospelofThreeDimensions."
"Notso,"repliedI,"thematterisnowsocleartome,thenatureofrealspacesopalpable,thatmethinksIcouldmakeachildunderstandit.
Permitmebuttodescendatthismomentandenlightenthem."
"Notyet,"saidmyGuide,"thetimewillcomeforthat.MeantimeImustperformmymission.Staythouthereinthyplace."
Sayingthesewords,heleapedwithgreatdexterityintothesea(ifImaysocallit)ofFlatland,rightinthemidstoftheringofCounsellors.
"Icome,"saidhe,"toproclaimthatthereisalandofThreeDimensions."
IcouldseemanyoftheyoungerCounsellorsstartbackinmanifesthorror,astheSphere'scircularsectionwidenedbeforethem.
ButonasignfromthepresidingCircle—whoshewednottheslightestalarmorsurprise—sixIsoscelesofalowtypefromsixdifferentquartersrushedupontheSphere.
"Wehavehim,"theycried;"No;yes;wehavehimstill!he'sgoing!he'sgone!"
"MyLords,"saidthePresidenttotheJuniorCirclesoftheCouncil,"thereisnottheslightestneedforsurprise;thesecretarchives,towhichIalonehaveaccess,tellmethatasimilaroccurrencehappenedonthelasttwomillennialcommencements.
Youwill,ofcourse,saynothingofthesetriflesoutsidetheCabinet."
Raisinghisvoice,henowsummonedtheguards."Arrestthepolicemen;gagthem.Youknowyourduty."
Afterhehadconsignedtotheirfatethewretchedpolicemen—ill-fatedandunwillingwitnessesofaState-secretwhichtheywerenottobepermittedtoreveal—heagainaddressedtheCounsellors.
"MyLords,thebusinessoftheCouncilbeingconcluded,IhaveonlytowishyouahappyNewYear."
Beforedeparting,heexpressed,atsomelength,totheClerk,myexcellentbutmostunfortunatebrother,hissincereregretthat,inaccordancewithrecedentandforthesakeofsecrecy,hemustcondemnhimtoperpetualimprisonment,butaddedhissatisfactionthat,unlesssomementionweremadebyhimofthatday'sincident,hislifewouldbespared.
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