CHAPTER CIV. Wherein Babbalanja Broaches A Diabolical Theory, And In His Own Person Proves It

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# CHAPTER CIV. Wherein Babbalanja Broaches A Diabolical Theory, And In His Own Person Proves It ## Overview This entity is Chapter 104 of Herman Melville's novel, "[Mardi: And a Voyage Thither](arke:01KG8AJA6157W2830190N652KA)". Titled "Wherein Babbalanja Broaches A Diabolical Theory, And In His Own Person Proves It", this chapter spans lines 11225 to 11387 of the source text. ## Context This chapter is an integral part of "[Mardi: And a Voyage Thither](arke:01KG8AJA6157W2830190N652KA)", a novel published in 1849, and is part of the larger "[Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW)" collection. It was extracted from the digital text file "[mardi_vol1.txt](arke:01KG89J1HYC04JWXEK48P07WPK)". It follows "[CHAPTER CIII. As They Sail](arke:01KG8AJP4TXT5CXQA3GBYYQK1J)" in the novel's sequence. ## Contents The chapter details a philosophical discussion among the characters, primarily featuring Babbalanja, who presents a "diabolical theory" concerning the nature of devils and their influence on humanity. The conversation is sparked by an encounter with the "mad prince, Tribonnora," who recklessly swamps canoes. Babbalanja quotes the fictional sage Bardianna, asserting that "all men are possessed by devils," and distinguishes between different types of devils and their societal implications. The chapter concludes with Media humorously, yet forcefully, applying Babbalanja's theory to him by binding him to prevent further dissemination of his "devilish doctrine," leading to Babbalanja's submission and a final philosophical retort. This chapter also marks the "END OF VOL. I" of the novel.

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2026-01-30T20:49:26.232Z

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gemini-2.5-flash-lite

description_title

CHAPTER CIV. Wherein Babbalanja Broaches A Diabolical Theory, And In His Own Person Proves It

end_line

11387

extracted_at

2026-01-30T20:47:39.473Z

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structure-extraction-lambda

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01KG89J1HYC04JWXEK48P07WPK

start_line

11225

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null

title

CHAPTER CIV. Wherein Babbalanja Broaches A Diabolical Theory, And In His Own Person Proves It