Niels Klim's Journey Under The Ground Part 3

The roads are dotted by stone pillars, which, covered with inscriptions, denote every mile; affixed to them are hands pointing the road to every city and village;--splendid cities and prosperous villages! The country is intersected by greater and lesser ca.n.a.ls, on which boats propelled by oars, skim with wonderful celerity. The oars are driven by self-moving machines, so quietly that very little motion is given to the water. The planet Nazar has the same motion with the earth, and all the peculiarities of the latter planet: night and day; spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The inhabitants consist of oak, lime, poplar, thorn, and pine trees, from which the months--there being six in each subterranean year--take their names.

The chronology is peculiar, being fixed by remarkable occurrences. Their oldest tradition is, that three thousand years ago, a mighty comet appeared, immediately after which followed a flood, which swept off all the races of trees, animals, &c., with the exception of one or two of each race, who saved themselves upon a high mountain, and from whom descended the present inhabitants. Corn and other grain with the fruits common to Europe, grow here in great profusion. The waters are filled with fish, and upon the banks of the rivers are seated splendid country houses. Their drink is prepared from certain herbs, which bloom at all times of the year.

In _Potu_ is established a very useful law called the "generation law."

This law varies the liberties and advantages of the people according to the number of children each one possesses. Thus, he who is the father of six children is exempted from all common and extraordinary taxes.

Therefore generation is quite as useful and desirable in this country as on the earth it is burthensome and dangerous: below ground never was such a thing imagined as a small-pox-tax.

No one can hold two offices at once. It is thought that each office, however small, requires the sole attention of its occupant, and that none should be employed in that which they do not understand.

I remember to have heard the philosopher _Rakbasi_ speak thus: "Every one should know his own talents, and should impartially judge of his own merits and faults; otherwise the actor must be considered more sensible than natural men; for he chooses, not the best part, but that which he can execute best. Shall we allow the actor to be wiser on the stage than we in life?"

The inhabitants of this kingdom are not divided into cla.s.ses; those alone being regarded who are noted for virtue and industry. The highest rank, if rank it may be called, is given to those who possess the greatest number of branches, they being enabled to do the most work.

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CHAPTER VI.

THE RELIGION OF THE POTUANS.

The system of religion in _Potu_ is very simple.

It is forbidden, under pain of banishment to the firmament, to explain the holy books; whoever dares to dispute the being and nature of the Deity, is sent to the mad-house and is bled. It is foolish, they say, to attempt to describe that to which our senses are as blind as the eyes of the owl in suns.h.i.+ne. All agree in wors.h.i.+ping a superior being, whose omnipotence has created and whose providence maintains all things. Each one is permitted to think and wors.h.i.+p as he pleases; they only who publicly attack the prevailing religion, are punished as peace-disturbers. The people pray seldom, but with so ardent a devotion, that a looker-on would think them enraptured during the continuance of the prayer.

I told them that it was our custom to pray and sing psalms, while at our domestic duties. This they blamed. "An earthly king," said they, "would be angry should one who came to pet.i.tion for something, brush his clothes and comb his hair in the presence of his sovereign."

They have many curious notions of religion, which they defend very artfully; for example, when I remarked to some of them whose friends.h.i.+p I had gained, that they could not expect to be blessed after death, since they walked in darkness here, they answered: "He, who with severity condemned others, was himself in danger of being condemned."

I once advised them to pray every day. They did not deny the importance of prayer, but thought true religion consisted in obeying the will of G.o.d. "Suppose," continued they, "that a king has two kinds of subjects: some err every day, violating from ignorance or malice the ruler's commands; they come each day with pet.i.tions and deprecations to the palace, beg pardon for their faults, and depart only to recommit them.

"The others come seldom, and never voluntarily to court, but execute faithfully and diligently every of the king's commands, and thereby evince the respect and loyalty due to him.

"Will not the king think these deserving of his love, as good subjects and faithful; but, on the contrary, those as evil subjects, burthensome as well for their misdeeds as for their frequent pet.i.tions?"

There are five festival days during the year. The first of these, which takes place at the beginning of the oak month, is solemnized with great devotion, in dark places, where not a ray of light is suffered to enter, signifying that the being they wors.h.i.+p is inconceivable. The festival is called the "inconceivable-G.o.d's-day." The whole day, from sunrise to sunset, the people remain immovable, engaged in earnest and heart-felt prayer. In the four other festivals, thanks to G.o.d for his blessings form the princ.i.p.al ceremonies.

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CHAPTER VII.

THE POTUAN CONSt.i.tUTION.

In the kingdom of Potu the crown is inherited, as with us, by the eldest son of the king, whose power is absolute. The government, however, is rather fatherly than tyrannical. Justice is not meted and bounded by law alone, but is the result of principle, a principle of the widest philosophic comprehension. Thus, monarchy and liberty are closely united, which otherwise would be inimical to each other. The ruler seeks to maintain, as far as possible, an equality among his subjects. Honors are not limited to any cla.s.s; but the poorer and more ignorant are called upon to receive their opinions from and submit to the decisions of the richer and more intelligent: the young are to respect the aged.

The annals of Potu show that some centuries ago, certain cla.s.ses were highly favored by the laws to the exclusion of the great body of the people; frequent disturbances had been the result of this favoritism, till a citizen of the town Keba, proposed an alteration in the laws, by which all distinctions of cla.s.s were abolished, and while the office of king should still remain hereditary, all the other officers of government should be subject to the will of the people, all of whom should be allowed to vote, who could read and write, at least, their names.

According to the custom of the subterraneans in such affairs, this intelligent and patriotic citizen was led to the market-place, with a rope about his neck: his proposition was considered, and after grave deliberation was adopted, as conducive to the general interest.

The mover was then carried in triumph through the city, honored by the grateful shouts of the people.

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He, who has the most numerous offspring, is regarded as the most deserving citizen; he is honored above all others, without exception.

Such men are looked upon as heroes, and their memory is sainted by posterity. They only receive the name, which on the earth is awarded to the disturbers and enemies of the race--the name of--great!

It is very easy to conceive of the degree in which Alexander and Julius Caesar would be prized by this people; both of whom not only had no children themselves, but murdered millions of the offspring of others.

I remember to have read the following inscription on the tomb of a Keban peasant:

"Here lies Jorktan the great, the hero of his time, father of thirty children."

Among the court officers the Kadori, or grand-chamberlain, is the superior. Next after him comes the Smizian, or treasurer. In my time, the seven-branched widow, Kahagna, filled the latter place. She was a virtuous and industrious woman; although her duties were many and important, she nursed her child herself. I remarked once, that I thought this to be troublesome and unfit for so great a lady. I was replied to in this wise: "For what purpose has nature given b.r.e.a.s.t.s to woman? for the ornament of the body alone,--or for the nourishment of their children?"

The crown prince was a child of six years; his governor was the wisest tree in the kingdom. I have seen an abstract of moral philosophy and policy, written by him for the use of the prince, the t.i.tle of which is Mahalda Libal Helit, which in the subterranean language means, The Country's Rudder. It contains many fundamental and useful precepts, of which I recollect the following:

"1st. Neither praise nor blame should be too hastily credited; judgment should be deferred until accurate knowledge of the matter is obtained.

"2d. When a tree is accused of any crime, and the accusation is supported, then the life of the culprit must be examined, his good and evil actions must be compared, and judgment be given according to the preponderance of either.

"3d. The king must be accurately acquainted with the opinions of his subjects, and must strive to keep union among them.

"4th. Punishment is not less necessary than reward. The former restrains evil; the latter promotes good.

"5th. Sound reason teaches that especial regard should be had to the fitness of candidates to public offices; but, though piety and honesty go to form the greatest merit, yet, as the appearance of these virtues is often imposed on us for the reality, no tree should be severely judged till he gets into office, when he will show himself what he is.

"6th. To make a treasurer of a poor man, or a bankrupt, is to make a hungry wolf purveyor of the kitchen. The case of a rich miser is still stronger; the bankrupt or the penniless may set bounds to their peculation; the miser never has enough.

"7th. When the prevalence of vice renders a reformation necessary, great care and deliberation must be used; to banish at once, and in a ma.s.s, old and rooted faults, would be like prescribing laxative and restringent medicines at the same time to an invalid.

"8th. They who boldly promise everything, and take upon themselves many duties, are either fools who know not their own powers or the importance of affairs, or are mean and unjust citizens who regard their own and not their country's welfare."

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