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- 10613
- extracted_at
- 2026-01-30T20:48:09.931Z
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- 10568
- text
- devil, Azzageddi. And now, what was it that originally impelled
Lombardo to the undertaking?
BABBALANJA—Primus and forever, a full heart:—brimful, bubbling,
sparkling; and running over like the flagon in your hand, my lord.
Secundo, the necessity of bestirring himself to procure his yams.
ABRAZZA—Wanting the second motive, would the first have sufficed,
philosopher?
BABBALANJA—Doubtful. More conduits than one to drain off the soul’s
overflowings. Besides, the greatest fullnesses overflow not
spontaneously; and, even when decanted, like rich syrups, slowly ooze;
whereas, poor fluids glibly flow, wide-spreading. Hence, when great
fullness weds great indolence;—that man, to others, too often proves a
cipher; though, to himself, his thoughts form an Infinite Series,
indefinite, from its vastness; and incommunicable;—not for lack of
power, but for lack of an omnipotent volition, to move his strength.
His own world is full before him; the fulcrum set; but lever there is
none. To such a man, the giving of any boor’s resoluteness, with
tendons braided, would be as hanging a claymore to Valor’s side, before
unarmed. Our minds are cunning, compound mechanisms; and one spring, or
wheel, or axle wanting, the movement lags, or halts. Cerebrum must not
overbalance cerebellum; our brains should be round as globes; and
planted on capacious chests, inhaling mighty morning- inspirations. We
have had vast developments of parts of men; but none of manly wholes.
Before a full-developed man, Mardi would fall down and worship. We are
idiot, younger-sons of gods, begotten in dotages divine; and our
mothers all miscarry. Giants are in our germs; but we are dwarfs,
staggering under heads overgrown. Heaped, our measures burst. We die of
too much life.
MEDIA (_to Abrazza_)—Be not impatient, my lord; he’ll recover
presently. You were talking of Lombardo, Babbalanja.
BABBALANJA—I was, your Highness. Of all Mardians, by nature, he was the
most inert. Hast ever seen a yellow lion, all day basking in the yellow
sun:—in reveries, rending droves of elephants; but his vast loins
supine, and eyelids winking? Such, Lombardo; but fierce Want, the
hunter, came and roused his roar. In hairy billows, his great mane
tossed like the sea; his eyeballs flamed two hells; his paw had stopped
a rolling world.
ABRAZZA—In other words, yams were indispensable, and, poor devil, he
roared to get them.
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