Nottotelloveragainhisfurlongsfromspiracletotail,andtheyardshemeasuredaboutthewaist;onlythinkofthegiganticinvolutionsofhisintestines,wheretheylieinhimlikegreatcablesandhawserscoiledawayinthesubterraneanorlop-deckofaline-of-battle-ship.
SinceIhaveundertakentomanhandlethisLeviathan,itbehoovesmetoapprovemyselfomniscientlyexhaustiveintheenterprise;notoverlookingtheminutestseminalgermsofhisblood,andspinninghimouttotheuttermostcoilofhisbowels.
Havingalreadydescribedhiminmostofhispresenthabitatoryandanatomicalpeculiarities,itnowremainstomagnifyhiminanarchaeological,fossiliferous,andantediluvianpointofview.
AppliedtoanyothercreaturethantheLeviathan-toanantoraflea-suchportlytermsmightjustlybedeemedunwarrantablygrandiloquent.
Andherebeitsaid,thatwheneverithasbeenconvenienttoconsultoneinthecourseofthesedissertations,IhaveinvariablyusedahugequartoeditionofJohnson,expresslypurchasedforthatpurpose;becausethatfamouslexicographer’suncommonpersonalbulkmorefittedhimtocompilealexicontobeusedbyawhaleauthorlikeme.
ForinthemereactofpenningmythoughtsofthisLeviathan,theywearyme,andmakemefaintwiththeiroutreachingcomprehensivenessofsweep,asiftoincludethewholecircleofthesciences,andallthegenerationsofwhales,andmen,andmastodons,past,present,andtocome,withalltherevolvingpanoramasofempireonearth,andthroughoutthewholeuniverse,notexcludingitssuburbs.
EreenteringuponthesubjectofFossilWhales,Ipresentmycredentialsasageologist,bystatingthatinmymiscellaneoustimeIhavebeenastone-mason,andalsoagreatdiggerofditches,canalsandwells,wine-vaults,cellars,andcisternsofallsorts.
Likewise,bywayofpreliminary,Idesiretoremindthereader,thatwhileintheearliergeologicalstratatherearefoundthefossilsofmonstersnowalmostcompletelyextinct;thesubsequentrelicsdiscoveredinwhatarecalledtheTertiaryformationsseemtheconnecting,oratanyrateinterceptedlinks,betweentheantichronicalcreatures,andthosewhoseremoteposterityaresaidtohaveenteredtheArk;alltheFossilWhaleshithertodiscoveredbelongtotheTertiaryperiod,whichisthelastprecedingthesuperficialformations.
Andthoughnoneofthempreciselyanswertoanyknownspeciesofthepresenttime,theyareyetsufficientlyakintothemingeneralrespects,tojustifytheirtakingrankasCetaceanfossils.
Detachedbrokenfossilsofpre-adamitewhales,fragmentsoftheirbonesandskeletons,havewithinthirtyyearspast,atvariousintervals,beenfoundatthebaseoftheAlps,inLombardy,inFrance,inEngland,inScotland,andintheStatesofLouisiana,Mississippi,andAlabama.
Amongthemorecuriousofsuchremainsispartofaskull,whichintheyear1779wasdisinterredintheRueDauphineinParis,ashortstreetopeningalmostdirectlyuponthepalaceoftheTuileries;andbonesdisinterredinexcavatingthegreatdocksofAntwerp,inNapoleon’stime.
ButbyfarthemostwonderfulofallCetaceanrelicswasthealmostcompletevastskeletonofanextinctmonster,foundintheyear1842,ontheplantationofJudgeCreagh,inAlabama.
ButsomespecimenbonesofitbeingtakenacrosstheseatoOwen,theEnglishAnatomist,itturnedoutthatthisallegedreptilewasawhale,thoughofadepartedspecies.
Asignificantillustrationofthefact,againandagainrepeatedinthisbook,thattheskeletonofthewhalefurnishesbutlittlecluetotheshapeofhisfullyinvestedbody.
SoOwenrechristenedthemonsterZeuglodon;andinhispaperreadbeforetheLondonGeologicalSociety,pronouncedit,insubstance,oneofthemostextraordinarycreatureswhichthemutationsoftheglobehaveblottedoutofexistence.
WhenIstandamongthesemightyLeviathanskeletons,skulls,tusks,jaws,ribs,andvertebrae,allcharacterizedbypartialresemblancestotheexistingbreedsofsea-monsters;butatthesametimebearingontheotherhandsimilaraffinitiestotheannihilatedantichronicalLeviathans,theirincalculableseniors;Iam,byaflood,bornebacktothatwondrousperiod,eretimeitselfcanbesaidtohavebegun;fortimebeganwithman.
HereSaturn’sgreychaosrollsoverme,andIobtaindim,shudderingglimpsesintothosePolareternities;whenwedgedbastionsoficepressedharduponwhatarenowtheTropics;andinallthe25,000milesofthisworld’scircumference,notaninhabitablehand’sbreadthoflandwasvisible.
Thenthewholeworldwasthewhale’s;and,kingofcreation,helefthiswakealongthepresentlinesoftheAndesandtheHimmalehs.WhocanshowapedigreelikeLeviathan?
Ahab’sharpoonhadshedolderbloodthanthePharaoh’s.Methuselahseemsaschoolboy.IlookroundtoshakehandswithShem.
Iamhorror-struckatthisantemosaic,unsourcedexistenceoftheunspeakableterrorsofthewhale,which,havingbeenbeforealltime,mustneedsexistafterallhumaneagesareover.
ButnotalonehasthisLeviathanlefthispre-adamitetracesinthestereotypeplatesofnature,andinlimestoneandmarlbequeathedhisancientbust;butuponEgyptiantablets,whoseantiquityseemstoclaimforthemanalmostfossiliferouscharacter,wefindtheunmistakableprintofhisfin.
InanapartmentofthegreattempleofDenderah,somefiftyyearsago,therewasdiscovereduponthegraniteceilingasculpturedandpaintedplanisphere,similartothegrotesquefiguresonthecelestialglobeofthemoderns.
Glidingamongthem,oldLeviathanswamasofyore;wasthereswimminginthatplanisphere,centuriesbeforeSolomonwascradled.
Normusttherebeomittedanotherstrangeattestationoftheantiquityofthewhale,inhisownosseouspostdiluvianreality,assetdownbythevenerableJohnLeo,theoldBarbarytraveller.
“NotfarfromtheSea-side,theyhaveaTemple,theRaftersandBeamsofwhicharemadeofWhale-Bones;forWhalesofamonstroussizeareoftentimescastupdeaduponthatshore.
TheCommonPeopleimagine,thatbyasecretPowerbestowedbyGodupontheTemple,noWhalecanpassitwithoutimmediatedeath.
Butthetruthofthematteris,thatoneithersideoftheTemple,thereareRocksthatshoottwoMilesintotheSea,andwoundtheWhaleswhentheylightupon‘em.
TheykeepaWhale’sRibofanincrediblelengthforaMiracle,whichlyingupontheGroundwithitsconvexpartuppermost,makesanArch,theHeadofwhichcannotbereachedbyaManuponaCamel’sBack.
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