A light supper of course. I am exceedingly fond of Welsh rabbit. More than a pound at once, however, may not at all times be advisable. Still, there can be no material objection to two. And really between two and three, there is merely a single unit of difference. I ventured, perhaps, upon four. My wife will have it five; — but, clearly, she has confounded two very distinct affairs. The abstract number, five, I am willing to admit; but, concretely, it has reference to bottles of Brown Stout6, without which, in the way of condiment7, Welsh rabbit is to be eschewed8.
Having thus concluded a frugal9 meal, and donned my night-cap, with the serene10 hope of enjoying it till noon the next day, I placed my head upon the pillow, and, through the aid of a capital conscience, fell into a profound slumber11 forthwith.
But when were the hopes of humanity fulfilled? I could not have completed my third snore when there came a furious ringing at the street-door bell, and then an impatient thumping12 at the knocker, which awakened13 me at once. In a minute afterward14, and while I was still rubbing my eyes, my wife thrust in my face a note, from my old friend, Doctor Ponnonner. It ran thus:
“Come to me, by all means, my dear good friend, as soon as you receive this. Come and help us to rejoice. At last, by long persevering15 diplomacy16, I have gained the assent17 of the Directors of the City Museum, to my examination of the Mummy — you know the one I mean. I have permission to unswathe it and open it, if desirable. A few friends only will be present — you, of course. The Mummy is now at my house, and we shall begin to unroll it at eleven to-night.
“Yours, ever, PONNONNER.
By the time I had reached the “Ponnonner,” it struck me that I was as wide awake as a man need be. I leaped out of bed in an ecstacy, overthrowing18 all in my way; dressed myself with a rapidity truly marvellous; and set off, at the top of my speed, for the doctor’s .
There I found a very eager company assembled. They had been awaiting me with much impatience19; the Mummy was extended upon the dining-table; and the moment I entered its examination was commenced.
It was one of a pair brought, several years previously20, by Captain Arthur Sabretash, a cousin of Ponnonner’s from a tomb near Eleithias, in the Lybian mountains, a considerable distance above Thebes on the Nile. The grottoes at this point, although less magnificent than the Theban sepulchres, are of higher interest, on account of affording more numerous illustrations of the private life of the Egyptians. The chamber21 from which our specimen22 was taken, was said to be very rich in such illustrations; the walls being completely covered with fresco23 paintings and bas-reliefs, while statues, vases, and Mosaic24 work of rich patterns, indicated the vast wealth of the deceased.
The treasure had been deposited in the Museum precisely25 in the same condition in which Captain Sabretash had found it; — that is to say, the coffin26 had not been disturbed. For eight years it had thus stood, subject only externally to public inspection27. We had now, therefore, the complete Mummy at our disposal; and to those who are aware how very rarely the unransacked antique reaches our shores, it will be evident, at once that we had great reason to congratulate ourselves upon our good fortune.
Approaching the table, I saw on it a large box, or case, nearly seven feet long, and perhaps three feet wide, by two feet and a half deep. It was oblong — not coffin-shaped. The material was at first supposed to be the wood of the sycamore (platanus), but, upon cutting into it, we found it to be pasteboard, or, more properly, papier mache, composed of papyrus28. It was thickly ornamented29 with paintings, representing funeral scenes, and other mournful subjects — interspersed30 among which, in every variety of position, were certain series of hieroglyphical31 characters, intended, no doubt, for the name of the departed. By good luck, Mr. Gliddon formed one of our party; and he had no difficulty in translating the letters, which were simply phonetic33, and represented the word Allamistakeo.
We had some difficulty in getting this case open without injury; but having at length accomplished34 the task, we came to a second, coffin-shaped, and very considerably35 less in size than the exterior36 one, but resembling it precisely in every other respect. The interval37 between the two was filled with resin38, which had, in some degree, defaced the colors of the interior box.
Upon opening this latter (which we did quite easily), we arrived at a third case, also coffin-shaped, and varying from the second one in no particular, except in that of its material, which was cedar39, and still emitted the peculiar40 and highly aromatic41 odor of that wood. Between the second and the third case there was no interval — the one fitting accurately42 within the other.
Removing the third case, we discovered and took out the body itself. We had expected to find it, as usual, enveloped43 in frequent rolls, or bandages, of linen44; but, in place of these, we found a sort of sheath, made of papyrus, and coated with a layer of plaster, thickly gilt45 and painted. The paintings represented subjects connected with the various supposed duties of the soul, and its presentation to different divinities, with numerous identical human figures, intended, very probably, as portraits of the persons embalmed46. Extending from head to foot was a columnar, or perpendicular48, inscription49, in phonetic hieroglyphics50, giving again his name and titles, and the names and titles of his relations.
Around the neck thus ensheathed, was a collar of cylindrical51 glass beads52, diverse in color, and so arranged as to form images of deities53, of the scarabaeus, etc, with the winged globe. Around the small of the waist was a similar collar or belt.
Stripping off the papyrus, we found the flesh in excellent preservation54, with no perceptible odor. The color was reddish. The skin was hard, smooth, and glossy55. The teeth and hair were in good condition. The eyes (it seemed) had been removed, and glass ones substituted, which were very beautiful and wonderfully life-like, with the exception of somewhat too determined57 a stare. The fingers and the nails were brilliantly gilded58.
Mr. Gliddon was of opinion, from the redness of the epidermis59, that the embalmment60 had been effected altogether by asphaltum; but, on scraping the surface with a steel instrument, and throwing into the fire some of the powder thus obtained, the flavor of camphor and other sweet-scented gums became apparent.
We searched the corpse61 very carefully for the usual openings through which the entrails are extracted, but, to our surprise, we could discover none. No member of the party was at that period aware that entire or unopened mummies are not infrequently met. The brain it was customary to withdraw through the nose; the intestines62 through an incision63 in the side; the body was then shaved, washed, and salted; then laid aside for several weeks, when the operation of embalming64, properly so called, began.
As no trace of an opening could be found, Doctor Ponnonner was preparing his instruments for dissection65, when I observed that it was then past two o’clock. Hereupon it was agreed to postpone66 the internal examination until the next evening; and we were about to separate for the present, when some one suggested an experiment or two with the Voltaic pile.
The application of electricity to a mummy three or four thousand years old at the least, was an idea, if not very sage67, still sufficiently68 original, and we all caught it at once. About one-tenth in earnest and nine-tenths in jest, we arranged a battery in the Doctor’s study, and conveyed thither69 the Egyptian.
It was only after much trouble that we succeeded in laying bare some portions of the temporal muscle which appeared of less stony70 rigidity71 than other parts of the frame, but which, as we had anticipated, of course, gave no indication of galvanic susceptibility when brought in contact with the wire. This, the first trial, indeed, seemed decisive, and, with a hearty72 laugh at our own absurdity73, we were bidding each other good night, when my eyes, happening to fall upon those of the Mummy, were there immediately riveted74 in amazement75. My brief glance, in fact, had sufficed to assure me that the orbs76 which we had all supposed to be glass, and which were originally noticeable for a certain wild stare, were now so far covered by the lids, that only a small portion of the tunica albuginea remained visible.
With a shout I called attention to the fact, and it became immediately obvious to all.
I cannot say that I was alarmed at the phenomenon, because “alarmed” is, in my case, not exactly the word. It is possible, however, that, but for the Brown Stout, I might have been a little nervous. As for the rest of the company, they really made no attempt at concealing77 the downright fright which possessed78 them. Doctor Ponnonner was a man to be pitied. Mr. Gliddon, by some peculiar process, rendered himself invisible. Mr. Silk Buckingham, I fancy, will scarcely be so bold as to deny that he made his way, upon all fours, under the table.
After the first shock of astonishment79, however, we resolved, as a matter of course, upon further experiment forthwith. Our operations were now directed against the great toe of the right foot. We made an incision over the outside of the exterior os sesamoideum pollicis pedis, and thus got at the root of the abductor muscle. Readjusting the battery, we now applied80 the fluid to the bisected nerves — when, with a movement of exceeding life-likeness, the Mummy first drew up its right knee so as to bring it nearly in contact with the abdomen81, and then, straightening the limb with inconceivable force, bestowed82 a kick upon Doctor Ponnonner, which had the effect of discharging that gentleman, like an arrow from a catapult, through a window into the street below.
We rushed out en masse to bring in the mangled83 remains84 of the victim, but had the happiness to meet him upon the staircase, coming up in an unaccountable hurry, brimful of the most ardent85 philosophy, and more than ever impressed with the necessity of prosecuting86 our experiment with vigor87 and with zeal88.
It was by his advice, accordingly, that we made, upon the spot, a profound incision into the tip of the subject’s nose, while the Doctor himself, laying violent hands upon it, pulled it into vehement89 contact with the wire.
Morally and physically90 — figuratively and literally91 — was the effect electric. In the first place, the corpse opened its eyes and winked92 very rapidly for several minutes, as does Mr. Barnes in the pantomime, in the second place, it sneezed; in the third, it sat upon end; in the fourth, it shook its fist in Doctor Ponnonner’s face; in the fifth, turning to Messieurs Gliddon and Buckingham, it addressed them, in very capital Egyptian, thus:
“I must say, gentlemen, that I am as much surprised as I am mortified93 at your behaviour. Of Doctor Ponnonner nothing better was to be expected. He is a poor little fat fool who knows no better. I pity and forgive him. But you, Mr. Gliddon — and you, Silk — who have travelled and resided in Egypt until one might imagine you to the manner born — you, I say who have been so much among us that you speak Egyptian fully56 as well, I think, as you write your mother tongue — you, whom I have always been led to regard as the firm friend of the mummies — I really did anticipate more gentlemanly conduct from you. What am I to think of your standing94 quietly by and seeing me thus unhandsomely used? What am I to suppose by your permitting Tom, Dick, and Harry95 to strip me of my coffins96, and my clothes, in this wretchedly cold climate? In what light (to come to the point) am I to regard your aiding and abetting97 that miserable98 little villain99, Doctor Ponnonner, in pulling me by the nose?”
It will be taken for granted, no doubt, that upon hearing this speech under the circumstances, we all either made for the door, or fell into violent hysterics, or went off in a general swoon. One of these three things was, I say, to be expected. Indeed each and all of these lines of conduct might have been very plausibly100 pursued. And, upon my word, I am at a loss to know how or why it was that we pursued neither the one nor the other. But, perhaps, the true reason is to be sought in the spirit of the age, which proceeds by the rule of contraries altogether, and is now usually admitted as the solution of every thing in the way of paradox101 and impossibility. Or, perhaps, after all, it was only the Mummy’s exceedingly natural and matter-of-course air that divested102 his words of the terrible. However this may be, the facts are clear, and no member of our party betrayed any very particular trepidation103, or seemed to consider that any thing had gone very especially wrong.
For my part I was convinced it was all right, and merely stepped aside, out of the range of the Egyptian’s fist. Doctor Ponnonner thrust his hands into his breeches’ pockets, looked hard at the Mummy, and grew excessively red in the face. Mr. Glidden stroked his whiskers and drew up the collar of his shirt. Mr. Buckingham hung down his head, and put his right thumb into the left corner of his mouth.
The Egyptian regarded him with a severe countenance104 for some minutes and at length, with a sneer105, said:
“Why don’t you speak, Mr. Buckingham? Did you hear what I asked you, or not? Do take your thumb out of your mouth!”
Mr. Buckingham, hereupon, gave a slight start, took his right thumb out of the left corner of his mouth, and, by way of indemnification inserted his left thumb in the right corner of the aperture106 above-mentioned.
Not being able to get an answer from Mr. B., the figure turned peevishly107 to Mr. Gliddon, and, in a peremptory108 tone, demanded in general terms what we all meant.
Mr. Gliddon replied at great length, in phonetics; and but for the deficiency of American printing-offices in hieroglyphical type, it would afford me much pleasure to record here, in the original, the whole of his very excellent speech.
I may as well take this occasion to remark, that all the subsequent conversation in which the Mummy took a part, was carried on in primitive109 Egyptian, through the medium (so far as concerned myself and other untravelled members of the company)— through the medium, I say, of Messieurs Gliddon and Buckingham, as interpreters. These gentlemen spoke110 the mother tongue of the Mummy with inimitable fluency111 and grace; but I could not help observing that (owing, no doubt, to the introduction of images entirely112 modern, and, of course, entirely novel to the stranger) the two travellers were reduced, occasionally, to the employment of sensible forms for the purpose of conveying a particular meaning. Mr. Gliddon, at one period, for example, could not make the Egyptian comprehend the term “politics,” until he sketched113 upon the wall, with a bit of charcoal114 a little carbuncle-nosed gentleman, out at elbows, standing upon a stump115, with his left leg drawn116 back, right arm thrown forward, with his fist shut, the eyes rolled up toward Heaven, and the mouth open at an angle of ninety degrees. Just in the same way Mr. Buckingham failed to convey the absolutely modern idea “wig,” until (at Doctor Ponnonner’s suggestion) he grew very pale in the face, and consented to take off his own.
It will be readily understood that Mr. Gliddon’s discourse117 turned chiefly upon the vast benefits accruing118 to science from the unrolling and disembowelling of mummies; apologizing, upon this score, for any disturbance119 that might have been occasioned him, in particular, the individual Mummy called Allamistakeo; and concluding with a mere5 hint (for it could scarcely be considered more) that, as these little matters were now explained, it might be as well to proceed with the investigation120 intended. Here Doctor Ponnonner made ready his instruments.
In regard to the latter suggestions of the orator121, it appears that Allamistakeo had certain scruples122 of conscience, the nature of which I did not distinctly learn; but he expressed himself satisfied with the apologies tendered, and, getting down from the table, shook hands with the company all round.
When this ceremony was at an end, we immediately busied ourselves in repairing the damages which our subject had sustained from the scalpel. We sewed up the wound in his temple, bandaged his foot, and applied a square inch of black plaster to the tip of his nose.
It was now observed that the Count (this was the title, it seems, of Allamistakeo) had a slight fit of shivering — no doubt from the cold. The Doctor immediately repaired to his wardrobe, and soon returned with a black dress coat, made in Jennings’ best manner, a pair of sky-blue plaid pantaloons with straps123, a pink gingham chemise, a flapped vest of brocade, a white sack overcoat, a walking cane124 with a hook, a hat with no brim, patent-leather boots, straw-colored kid gloves, an eye-glass, a pair of whiskers, and a waterfall cravat125. Owing to the disparity of size between the Count and the doctor (the proportion being as two to one), there was some little difficulty in adjusting these habiliments upon the person of the Egyptian; but when all was arranged, he might have been said to be dressed. Mr. Gliddon, therefore, gave him his arm, and led him to a comfortable chair by the fire, while the Doctor rang the bell upon the spot and ordered a supply of cigars and wine.
The conversation soon grew animated126. Much curiosity was, of course, expressed in regard to the somewhat remarkable127 fact of Allamistakeo’s still remaining alive.
“I should have thought,” observed Mr. Buckingham, “that it is high time you were dead.”
“Why,” replied the Count, very much astonished, “I am little more than seven hundred years old! My father lived a thousand, and was by no means in his dotage128 when he died.”
Here ensued a brisk series of questions and computations, by means of which it became evident that the antiquity129 of the Mummy had been grossly misjudged. It had been five thousand and fifty years and some months since he had been consigned130 to the catacombs at Eleithias.
“But my remark,” resumed Mr. Buckingham, “had no reference to your age at the period of interment (I am willing to grant, in fact, that you are still a young man), and my illusion was to the immensity of time during which, by your own showing, you must have been done up in asphaltum.”
“In what?” said the Count.
“In asphaltum,” persisted Mr. B.
“Ah, yes; I have some faint notion of what you mean; it might be made to answer, no doubt — but in my time we employed scarcely any thing else than the Bichloride of Mercury.”
“But what we are especially at a loss to understand,” said Doctor Ponnonner, “is how it happens that, having been dead and buried in Egypt five thousand years ago, you are here to-day all alive and looking so delightfully131 well.”
“Had I been, as you say, dead,” replied the Count, “it is more than probable that dead, I should still be; for I perceive you are yet in the infancy132 of Calvanism, and cannot accomplish with it what was a common thing among us in the old days. But the fact is, I fell into catalepsy, and it was considered by my best friends that I was either dead or should be; they accordingly embalmed me at once — I presume you are aware of the chief principle of the embalming process?”
“Why not altogether.”
“Why, I perceive — a deplorable condition of ignorance! Well I cannot enter into details just now: but it is necessary to explain that to embalm47 (properly speaking), in Egypt, was to arrest indefinitely all the animal functions subjected to the process. I use the word ‘animal’ in its widest sense, as including the physical not more than the moral and vital being. I repeat that the leading principle of embalmment consisted, with us, in the immediately arresting, and holding in perpetual abeyance133, all the animal functions subjected to the process. To be brief, in whatever condition the individual was, at the period of embalmment, in that condition he remained. Now, as it is my good fortune to be of the blood of the Scarabaeus, I was embalmed alive, as you see me at present.”
“The blood of the Scarabaeus!” exclaimed Doctor Ponnonner.
“Yes. The Scarabaeus was the insignium or the ‘arms,’ of a very distinguished134 and very rare patrician135 family. To be ‘of the blood of the Scarabaeus,’ is merely to be one of that family of which the Scarabaeus is the insignium. I speak figuratively.”
“But what has this to do with you being alive?”
“Why, it is the general custom in Egypt to deprive a corpse, before embalmment, of its bowels136 and brains; the race of the Scarabaei alone did not coincide with the custom. Had I not been a Scarabeus, therefore, I should have been without bowels and brains; and without either it is inconvenient137 to live.”
“I perceive that,” said Mr. Buckingham, “and I presume that all the entire mummies that come to hand are of the race of Scarabaei.”
“Beyond doubt.”
“I thought,” said Mr. Gliddon, very meekly138, “that the Scarabaeus was one of the Egyptian gods.”
“One of the Egyptian what?” exclaimed the Mummy, starting to its feet.
“Gods!” repeated the traveller.
“Mr. Gliddon, I really am astonished to hear you talk in this style,” said the Count, resuming his chair. “No nation upon the face of the earth has ever acknowledged more than one god. The Scarabaeus, the Ibis, etc., were with us (as similar creatures have been with others) the symbols, or media, through which we offered worship to the Creator too august to be more directly approached.”
There was here a pause. At length the colloquy139 was renewed by Doctor Ponnonner.
“It is not improbable, then, from what you have explained,” said he, “that among the catacombs near the Nile there may exist other mummies of the Scarabaeus tribe, in a condition of vitality140?”
“There can be no question of it,” replied the Count; “all the Scarabaei embalmed accidentally while alive, are alive now. Even some of those purposely so embalmed, may have been overlooked by their executors, and still remain in the tomb.”
“Will you be kind enough to explain,” I said, “what you mean by ‘purposely so embalmed’?”
“With great pleasure!” answered the Mummy, after surveying me leisurely141 through his eye-glass — for it was the first time I had ventured to address him a direct question.
“With great pleasure,” he said. “The usual duration of man’s life, in my time, was about eight hundred years. Few men died, unless by most extraordinary accident, before the age of six hundred; few lived longer than a decade of centuries; but eight were considered the natural term. After the discovery of the embalming principle, as I have already described it to you, it occurred to our philosophers that a laudable curiosity might be gratified, and, at the same time, the interests of science much advanced, by living this natural term in installments142. In the case of history, indeed, experience demonstrated that something of this kind was indispensable. An historian, for example, having attained143 the age of five hundred, would write a book with great labor144 and then get himself carefully embalmed; leaving instructions to his executors pro4 tem., that they should cause him to be revivified after the lapse145 of a certain period — say five or six hundred years. Resuming existence at the expiration146 of this time, he would invariably find his great work converted into a species of hap-hazard note-book — that is to say, into a kind of literary arena147 for the conflicting guesses, riddles148, and personal squabbles of whole herds149 of exasperated150 commentators151. These guesses, etc., which passed under the name of annotations152, or emendations, were found so completely to have enveloped, distorted, and overwhelmed the text, that the author had to go about with a lantern to discover his own book. When discovered, it was never worth the trouble of the search. After re-writing it throughout, it was regarded as the bounden duty of the historian to set himself to work immediately in correcting, from his own private knowledge and experience, the traditions of the day concerning the epoch153 at which he had originally lived. Now this process of re-scription and personal rectification154, pursued by various individual sages155 from time to time, had the effect of preventing our history from degenerating156 into absolute fable157.”
“I beg your pardon,” said Doctor Ponnonner at this point, laying his hand gently upon the arm of the Egyptian —“I beg your pardon, sir, but may I presume to interrupt you for one moment?”
“By all means, sir,” replied the Count, drawing up.
“I merely wished to ask you a question,” said the Doctor. “You mentioned the historian’s personal correction of traditions respecting his own epoch. Pray, sir, upon an average what proportion of these Kabbala were usually found to be right?”
“The Kabbala, as you properly term them, sir, were generally discovered to be precisely on a par32 with the facts recorded in the un-re-written histories themselves; — that is to say, not one individual iota158 of either was ever known, under any circumstances, to be not totally and radically159 wrong.”
“But since it is quite clear,” resumed the Doctor, “that at least five thousand years have elapsed since your entombment, I take it for granted that your histories at that period, if not your traditions were sufficiently explicit160 on that one topic of universal interest, the Creation, which took place, as I presume you are aware, only about ten centuries before.”
“Sir!” said the Count Allamistakeo.
The Doctor repeated his remarks, but it was only after much additional explanation that the foreigner could be made to comprehend them. The latter at length said, hesitatingly:
“The ideas you have suggested are to me, I confess, utterly161 novel. During my time I never knew any one to entertain so singular a fancy as that the universe (or this world if you will have it so) ever had a beginning at all. I remember once, and once only, hearing something remotely hinted, by a man of many speculations162, concerning the origin of the human race; and by this individual, the very word Adam (or Red Earth), which you make use of, was employed. He employed it, however, in a generical sense, with reference to the spontaneous germination163 from rank soil (just as a thousand of the lower genera of creatures are germinated)— the spontaneous germination, I say, of five vast hordes164 of men, simultaneously165 upspringing in five distinct and nearly equal divisions of the globe.”
Here, in general, the company shrugged166 their shoulders, and one or two of us touched our foreheads with a very significant air. Mr. Silk Buckingham, first glancing slightly at the occiput and then at the sinciput of Allamistakeo, spoke as follows:
“The long duration of human life in your time, together with the occasional practice of passing it, as you have explained, in installments, must have had, indeed, a strong tendency to the general development and conglomeration167 of knowledge. I presume, therefore, that we are to attribute the marked inferiority of the old Egyptians in all particulars of science, when compared with the moderns, and more especially with the Yankees, altogether to the superior solidity of the Egyptian skull168.”
“I confess again,” replied the Count, with much suavity169, “that I am somewhat at a loss to comprehend you; pray, to what particulars of science do you allude170?”
Here our whole party, joining voices, detailed171, at great length, the assumptions of phrenology and the marvels172 of animal magnetism173.
Having heard us to an end, the Count proceeded to relate a few anecdotes174, which rendered it evident that prototypes of Gall175 and Spurzheim had flourished and faded in Egypt so long ago as to have been nearly forgotten, and that the manoeuvres of Mesmer were really very contemptible176 tricks when put in collation177 with the positive miracles of the Theban savans, who created lice and a great many other similar things.
I here asked the Count if his people were able to calculate eclipses. He smiled rather contemptuously, and said they were.
This put me a little out, but I began to make other inquiries178 in regard to his astronomical179 knowledge, when a member of the company, who had never as yet opened his mouth, whispered in my ear, that for information on this head, I had better consult Ptolemy (whoever Ptolemy is), as well as one Plutarch de facie lunae.
I then questioned the Mummy about burning-glasses and lenses, and, in general, about the manufacture of glass; but I had not made an end of my queries180 before the silent member again touched me quietly on the elbow, and begged me for God’s sake to take a peep at Diodorus Siculus. As for the Count, he merely asked me, in the way of reply, if we moderns possessed any such microscopes as would enable us to cut cameos in the style of the Egyptians. While I was thinking how I should answer this question, little Doctor Ponnonner committed himself in a very extraordinary way.
“Look at our architecture!” he exclaimed, greatly to the indignation of both the travellers, who pinched him black and blue to no purpose.
“Look,” he cried with enthusiasm, “at the Bowling181-Green Fountain in New York! or if this be too vast a contemplation, regard for a moment the Capitol at Washington, D. C.!"— and the good little medical man went on to detail very minutely, the proportions of the fabric182 to which he referred. He explained that the portico183 alone was adorned184 with no less than four and twenty columns, five feet in diameter, and ten feet apart.
The Count said that he regretted not being able to remember, just at that moment, the precise dimensions of any one of the principal buildings of the city of Aznac, whose foundations were laid in the night of Time, but the ruins of which were still standing, at the epoch of his entombment, in a vast plain of sand to the westward185 of Thebes. He recollected187, however, (talking of the porticoes,) that one affixed188 to an inferior palace in a kind of suburb called Carnac, consisted of a hundred and forty-four columns, thirty-seven feet in circumference189, and twenty-five feet apart. The approach to this portico, from the Nile, was through an avenue two miles long, composed of sphynxes, statues, and obelisks190, twenty, sixty, and a hundred feet in height. The palace itself (as well as he could remember) was, in one direction, two miles long, and might have been altogether about seven in circuit. Its walls were richly painted all over, within and without, with hieroglyphics. He would not pretend to assert that even fifty or sixty of the Doctor’s Capitols might have been built within these walls, but he was by no means sure that two or three hundred of them might not have been squeezed in with some trouble. That palace at Carnac was an insignificant191 little building after all. He (the Count), however, could not conscientiously192 refuse to admit the ingenuity193, magnificence, and superiority of the Fountain at the Bowling Green, as described by the Doctor. Nothing like it, he was forced to allow, had ever been seen in Egypt or elsewhere.
I here asked the Count what he had to say to our railroads.
“Nothing,” he replied, “in particular.” They were rather slight, rather ill-conceived, and clumsily put together. They could not be compared, of course, with the vast, level, direct, iron-grooved causeways upon which the Egyptians conveyed entire temples and solid obelisks of a hundred and fifty feet in altitude.
I spoke of our gigantic mechanical forces.
He agreed that we knew something in that way, but inquired how I should have gone to work in getting up the imposts on the lintels of even the little palace at Carnac.
This question I concluded not to hear, and demanded if he had any idea of Artesian wells; but he simply raised his eyebrows194; while Mr. Gliddon winked at me very hard and said, in a low tone, that one had been recently discovered by the engineers employed to bore for water in the Great Oasis195.
I then mentioned our steel; but the foreigner elevated his nose, and asked me if our steel could have executed the sharp carved work seen on the obelisks, and which was wrought196 altogether by edge-tools of copper197.
This disconcerted us so greatly that we thought it advisable to vary the attack to Metaphysics. We sent for a copy of a book called the “Dial,” and read out of it a chapter or two about something that is not very clear, but which the Bostonians call the Great Movement of Progress.
The Count merely said that Great Movements were awfully198 common things in his day, and as for Progress, it was at one time quite a nuisance, but it never progressed.
We then spoke of the great beauty and importance of Democracy, and were at much trouble in impressing the Count with a due sense of the advantages we enjoyed in living where there was suffrage199 ad libitum, and no king.
He listened with marked interest, and in fact seemed not a little amused. When we had done, he said that, a great while ago, there had occurred something of a very similar sort. Thirteen Egyptian provinces determined all at once to be free, and to set a magnificent example to the rest of mankind. They assembled their wise men, and concocted200 the most ingenious constitution it is possible to conceive. For a while they managed remarkably201 well; only their habit of bragging202 was prodigious203. The thing ended, however, in the consolidation204 of the thirteen states, with some fifteen or twenty others, in the most odious205 and insupportable despotism that was ever heard of upon the face of the Earth.
I asked what was the name of the usurping206 tyrant207.
As well as the Count could recollect186, it was Mob.
Not knowing what to say to this, I raised my voice, and deplored208 the Egyptian ignorance of steam.
The Count looked at me with much astonishment, but made no answer. The silent gentleman, however, gave me a violent nudge in the ribs209 with his elbows — told me I had sufficiently exposed myself for once — and demanded if I was really such a fool as not to know that the modern steam-engine is derived210 from the invention of Hero, through Solomon de Caus.
We were now in imminent211 danger of being discomfited212; but, as good luck would have it, Doctor Ponnonner, having rallied, returned to our rescue, and inquired if the people of Egypt would seriously pretend to rival the moderns in the all — important particular of dress.
The Count, at this, glanced downward to the straps of his pantaloons, and then taking hold of the end of one of his coat-tails, held it up close to his eyes for some minutes. Letting it fall, at last, his mouth extended itself very gradually from ear to ear; but I do not remember that he said any thing in the way of reply.
Hereupon we recovered our spirits, and the Doctor, approaching the Mummy with great dignity, desired it to say candidly213, upon its honor as a gentleman, if the Egyptians had comprehended, at any period, the manufacture of either Ponnonner’s lozenges or Brandreth’s pills.
We looked, with profound anxiety, for an answer — but in vain. It was not forthcoming. The Egyptian blushed and hung down his head. Never was triumph more consummate214; never was defeat borne with so ill a grace. Indeed, I could not endure the spectacle of the poor Mummy’s mortification215. I reached my hat, bowed to him stiffly, and took leave.
Upon getting home I found it past four o’clock, and went immediately to bed. It is now ten A.M. I have been up since seven, penning these memoranda216 for the benefit of my family and of mankind. The former I shall behold217 no more. My wife is a shrew. The truth is, I am heartily218 sick of this life and of the nineteenth century in general. I am convinced that every thing is going wrong. Besides, I am anxious to know who will be President in 2045. As soon, therefore, as I shave and swallow a cup of coffee, I shall just step over to Ponnonner’s and get embalmed for a couple of hundred years.
点击收听单词发音
1 symposium | |
n.讨论会,专题报告会;专题论文集 | |
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2 desperately | |
adv.极度渴望地,绝望地,孤注一掷地 | |
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3 drowsy | |
adj.昏昏欲睡的,令人发困的 | |
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4 pro | |
n.赞成,赞成的意见,赞成者 | |
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5 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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7 condiment | |
n.调味品 | |
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8 eschewed | |
v.(尤指为道德或实际理由而)习惯性避开,回避( eschew的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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9 frugal | |
adj.节俭的,节约的,少量的,微量的 | |
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10 serene | |
adj. 安详的,宁静的,平静的 | |
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11 slumber | |
n.睡眠,沉睡状态 | |
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12 thumping | |
adj.重大的,巨大的;重击的;尺码大的;极好的adv.极端地;非常地v.重击(thump的现在分词);狠打;怦怦地跳;全力支持 | |
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13 awakened | |
v.(使)醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 );(使)觉醒;弄醒;(使)意识到 | |
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14 afterward | |
adv.后来;以后 | |
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15 persevering | |
a.坚忍不拔的 | |
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16 diplomacy | |
n.外交;外交手腕,交际手腕 | |
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17 assent | |
v.批准,认可;n.批准,认可 | |
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18 overthrowing | |
v.打倒,推翻( overthrow的现在分词 );使终止 | |
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19 impatience | |
n.不耐烦,急躁 | |
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20 previously | |
adv.以前,先前(地) | |
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21 chamber | |
n.房间,寝室;会议厅;议院;会所 | |
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22 specimen | |
n.样本,标本 | |
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23 fresco | |
n.壁画;vt.作壁画于 | |
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24 mosaic | |
n./adj.镶嵌细工的,镶嵌工艺品的,嵌花式的 | |
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25 precisely | |
adv.恰好,正好,精确地,细致地 | |
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26 coffin | |
n.棺材,灵柩 | |
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27 inspection | |
n.检查,审查,检阅 | |
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28 papyrus | |
n.古以纸草制成之纸 | |
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29 ornamented | |
adj.花式字体的v.装饰,点缀,美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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30 interspersed | |
adj.[医]散开的;点缀的v.intersperse的过去式和过去分词 | |
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31 hieroglyphical | |
n.象形文字,象形文字的文章 | |
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32 par | |
n.标准,票面价值,平均数量;adj.票面的,平常的,标准的 | |
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33 phonetic | |
adj.语言的,语言上的,表示语音的 | |
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34 accomplished | |
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的 | |
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35 considerably | |
adv.极大地;相当大地;在很大程度上 | |
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36 exterior | |
adj.外部的,外在的;表面的 | |
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37 interval | |
n.间隔,间距;幕间休息,中场休息 | |
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38 resin | |
n.树脂,松香,树脂制品;vt.涂树脂 | |
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39 cedar | |
n.雪松,香柏(木) | |
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40 peculiar | |
adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的 | |
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41 aromatic | |
adj.芳香的,有香味的 | |
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42 accurately | |
adv.准确地,精确地 | |
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43 enveloped | |
v.包围,笼罩,包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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44 linen | |
n.亚麻布,亚麻线,亚麻制品;adj.亚麻布制的,亚麻的 | |
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45 gilt | |
adj.镀金的;n.金边证券 | |
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46 embalmed | |
adj.用防腐药物保存(尸体)的v.保存(尸体)不腐( embalm的过去式和过去分词 );使不被遗忘;使充满香气 | |
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47 embalm | |
v.保存(尸体)不腐 | |
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48 perpendicular | |
adj.垂直的,直立的;n.垂直线,垂直的位置 | |
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49 inscription | |
n.(尤指石块上的)刻印文字,铭文,碑文 | |
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50 hieroglyphics | |
n.pl.象形文字 | |
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51 cylindrical | |
adj.圆筒形的 | |
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52 beads | |
n.(空心)小珠子( bead的名词复数 );水珠;珠子项链 | |
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53 deities | |
n.神,女神( deity的名词复数 );神祗;神灵;神明 | |
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54 preservation | |
n.保护,维护,保存,保留,保持 | |
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55 glossy | |
adj.平滑的;有光泽的 | |
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56 fully | |
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地 | |
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57 determined | |
adj.坚定的;有决心的 | |
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58 gilded | |
a.镀金的,富有的 | |
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59 epidermis | |
n.表皮 | |
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60 embalmment | |
n.(尸体的)防腐处理,薰香 | |
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61 corpse | |
n.尸体,死尸 | |
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62 intestines | |
n.肠( intestine的名词复数 ) | |
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63 incision | |
n.切口,切开 | |
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64 embalming | |
v.保存(尸体)不腐( embalm的现在分词 );使不被遗忘;使充满香气 | |
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65 dissection | |
n.分析;解剖 | |
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66 postpone | |
v.延期,推迟 | |
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67 sage | |
n.圣人,哲人;adj.贤明的,明智的 | |
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68 sufficiently | |
adv.足够地,充分地 | |
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69 thither | |
adv.向那里;adj.在那边的,对岸的 | |
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70 stony | |
adj.石头的,多石头的,冷酷的,无情的 | |
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71 rigidity | |
adj.钢性,坚硬 | |
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72 hearty | |
adj.热情友好的;衷心的;尽情的,纵情的 | |
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73 absurdity | |
n.荒谬,愚蠢;谬论 | |
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74 riveted | |
铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 ); 把…固定住; 吸引; 引起某人的注意 | |
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75 amazement | |
n.惊奇,惊讶 | |
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76 orbs | |
abbr.off-reservation boarding school 在校寄宿学校n.球,天体,圆形物( orb的名词复数 ) | |
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77 concealing | |
v.隐藏,隐瞒,遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
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78 possessed | |
adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的 | |
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79 astonishment | |
n.惊奇,惊异 | |
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80 applied | |
adj.应用的;v.应用,适用 | |
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81 abdomen | |
n.腹,下腹(胸部到腿部的部分) | |
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82 bestowed | |
赠给,授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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83 mangled | |
vt.乱砍(mangle的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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84 remains | |
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 | |
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85 ardent | |
adj.热情的,热烈的,强烈的,烈性的 | |
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86 prosecuting | |
检举、告发某人( prosecute的现在分词 ); 对某人提起公诉; 继续从事(某事物); 担任控方律师 | |
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87 vigor | |
n.活力,精力,元气 | |
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88 zeal | |
n.热心,热情,热忱 | |
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89 vehement | |
adj.感情强烈的;热烈的;(人)有强烈感情的 | |
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90 physically | |
adj.物质上,体格上,身体上,按自然规律 | |
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91 literally | |
adv.照字面意义,逐字地;确实 | |
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92 winked | |
v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 );递眼色(表示友好或高兴等);(指光)闪烁;闪亮 | |
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93 mortified | |
v.使受辱( mortify的过去式和过去分词 );伤害(人的感情);克制;抑制(肉体、情感等) | |
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94 standing | |
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
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95 harry | |
vt.掠夺,蹂躏,使苦恼 | |
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96 coffins | |
n.棺材( coffin的名词复数 );使某人早亡[死,完蛋,垮台等]之物 | |
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97 abetting | |
v.教唆(犯罪)( abet的现在分词 );煽动;怂恿;支持 | |
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98 miserable | |
adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的 | |
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99 villain | |
n.反派演员,反面人物;恶棍;问题的起因 | |
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100 plausibly | |
似真地 | |
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101 paradox | |
n.似乎矛盾却正确的说法;自相矛盾的人(物) | |
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102 divested | |
v.剥夺( divest的过去式和过去分词 );脱去(衣服);2。从…取去…;1。(给某人)脱衣服 | |
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103 trepidation | |
n.惊恐,惶恐 | |
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104 countenance | |
n.脸色,面容;面部表情;vt.支持,赞同 | |
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105 sneer | |
v.轻蔑;嘲笑;n.嘲笑,讥讽的言语 | |
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106 aperture | |
n.孔,隙,窄的缺口 | |
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107 peevishly | |
adv.暴躁地 | |
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108 peremptory | |
adj.紧急的,专横的,断然的 | |
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109 primitive | |
adj.原始的;简单的;n.原(始)人,原始事物 | |
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110 spoke | |
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说 | |
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111 fluency | |
n.流畅,雄辩,善辩 | |
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112 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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113 sketched | |
v.草拟(sketch的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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114 charcoal | |
n.炭,木炭,生物炭 | |
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115 stump | |
n.残株,烟蒂,讲演台;v.砍断,蹒跚而走 | |
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116 drawn | |
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 | |
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117 discourse | |
n.论文,演说;谈话;话语;vi.讲述,著述 | |
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118 accruing | |
v.增加( accrue的现在分词 );(通过自然增长)产生;获得;(使钱款、债务)积累 | |
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119 disturbance | |
n.动乱,骚动;打扰,干扰;(身心)失调 | |
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120 investigation | |
n.调查,调查研究 | |
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121 orator | |
n.演说者,演讲者,雄辩家 | |
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122 scruples | |
n.良心上的不安( scruple的名词复数 );顾虑,顾忌v.感到于心不安,有顾忌( scruple的第三人称单数 ) | |
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123 straps | |
n.带子( strap的名词复数 );挎带;肩带;背带v.用皮带捆扎( strap的第三人称单数 );用皮带抽打;包扎;给…打绷带 | |
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124 cane | |
n.手杖,细长的茎,藤条;v.以杖击,以藤编制的 | |
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125 cravat | |
n.领巾,领结;v.使穿有领结的服装,使结领结 | |
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126 animated | |
adj.生气勃勃的,活跃的,愉快的 | |
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127 remarkable | |
adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的 | |
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128 dotage | |
n.年老体衰;年老昏聩 | |
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129 antiquity | |
n.古老;高龄;古物,古迹 | |
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130 consigned | |
v.把…置于(令人不快的境地)( consign的过去式和过去分词 );把…托付给;把…托人代售;丟弃 | |
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131 delightfully | |
大喜,欣然 | |
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132 infancy | |
n.婴儿期;幼年期;初期 | |
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133 abeyance | |
n.搁置,缓办,中止,产权未定 | |
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134 distinguished | |
adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的 | |
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135 patrician | |
adj.贵族的,显贵的;n.贵族;有教养的人;罗马帝国的地方官 | |
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136 bowels | |
n.肠,内脏,内部;肠( bowel的名词复数 );内部,最深处 | |
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137 inconvenient | |
adj.不方便的,令人感到麻烦的 | |
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138 meekly | |
adv.温顺地,逆来顺受地 | |
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139 colloquy | |
n.谈话,自由讨论 | |
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140 vitality | |
n.活力,生命力,效力 | |
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141 leisurely | |
adj.悠闲的;从容的,慢慢的 | |
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142 installments | |
部分( installment的名词复数 ) | |
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143 attained | |
(通常经过努力)实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 ); 达到; 获得; 达到(某年龄、水平、状况) | |
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144 labor | |
n.劳动,努力,工作,劳工;分娩;vi.劳动,努力,苦干;vt.详细分析;麻烦 | |
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145 lapse | |
n.过失,流逝,失效,抛弃信仰,间隔;vi.堕落,停止,失效,流逝;vt.使失效 | |
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146 expiration | |
n.终结,期满,呼气,呼出物 | |
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147 arena | |
n.竞技场,运动场所;竞争场所,舞台 | |
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148 riddles | |
n.谜(语)( riddle的名词复数 );猜不透的难题,难解之谜 | |
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149 herds | |
兽群( herd的名词复数 ); 牧群; 人群; 群众 | |
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150 exasperated | |
adj.恼怒的 | |
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151 commentators | |
n.评论员( commentator的名词复数 );时事评论员;注释者;实况广播员 | |
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152 annotations | |
n.注释( annotation的名词复数 );附注 | |
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153 epoch | |
n.(新)时代;历元 | |
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154 rectification | |
n. 改正, 改订, 矫正 | |
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155 sages | |
n.圣人( sage的名词复数 );智者;哲人;鼠尾草(可用作调料) | |
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156 degenerating | |
衰退,堕落,退化( degenerate的现在分词 ) | |
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157 fable | |
n.寓言;童话;神话 | |
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158 iota | |
n.些微,一点儿 | |
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159 radically | |
ad.根本地,本质地 | |
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160 explicit | |
adj.详述的,明确的;坦率的;显然的 | |
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161 utterly | |
adv.完全地,绝对地 | |
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162 speculations | |
n.投机买卖( speculation的名词复数 );思考;投机活动;推断 | |
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163 germination | |
n.萌芽,发生;萌发;生芽;催芽 | |
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164 hordes | |
n.移动着的一大群( horde的名词复数 );部落 | |
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165 simultaneously | |
adv.同时发生地,同时进行地 | |
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166 shrugged | |
vt.耸肩(shrug的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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167 conglomeration | |
n.团块,聚集,混合物 | |
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168 skull | |
n.头骨;颅骨 | |
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169 suavity | |
n.温和;殷勤 | |
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170 allude | |
v.提及,暗指 | |
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171 detailed | |
adj.详细的,详尽的,极注意细节的,完全的 | |
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172 marvels | |
n.奇迹( marvel的名词复数 );令人惊奇的事物(或事例);不平凡的成果;成就v.惊奇,对…感到惊奇( marvel的第三人称单数 ) | |
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173 magnetism | |
n.磁性,吸引力,磁学 | |
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174 anecdotes | |
n.掌故,趣闻,轶事( anecdote的名词复数 ) | |
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175 gall | |
v.使烦恼,使焦躁,难堪;n.磨难 | |
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176 contemptible | |
adj.可鄙的,可轻视的,卑劣的 | |
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177 collation | |
n.便餐;整理 | |
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178 inquiries | |
n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 );疑问;探究;打听 | |
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179 astronomical | |
adj.天文学的,(数字)极大的 | |
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180 queries | |
n.问题( query的名词复数 );疑问;询问;问号v.质疑,对…表示疑问( query的第三人称单数 );询问 | |
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181 bowling | |
n.保龄球运动 | |
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182 fabric | |
n.织物,织品,布;构造,结构,组织 | |
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183 portico | |
n.柱廊,门廊 | |
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184 adorned | |
[计]被修饰的 | |
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185 westward | |
n.西方,西部;adj.西方的,向西的;adv.向西 | |
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186 recollect | |
v.回忆,想起,记起,忆起,记得 | |
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187 recollected | |
adj.冷静的;镇定的;被回忆起的;沉思默想的v.记起,想起( recollect的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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188 affixed | |
adj.[医]附着的,附着的v.附加( affix的过去式和过去分词 );粘贴;加以;盖(印章) | |
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189 circumference | |
n.圆周,周长,圆周线 | |
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190 obelisks | |
n.方尖石塔,短剑号,疑问记号( obelisk的名词复数 ) | |
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191 insignificant | |
adj.无关紧要的,可忽略的,无意义的 | |
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192 conscientiously | |
adv.凭良心地;认真地,负责尽职地;老老实实 | |
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193 ingenuity | |
n.别出心裁;善于发明创造 | |
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194 eyebrows | |
眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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195 oasis | |
n.(沙漠中的)绿洲,宜人的地方 | |
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196 wrought | |
v.引起;以…原料制作;运转;adj.制造的 | |
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197 copper | |
n.铜;铜币;铜器;adj.铜(制)的;(紫)铜色的 | |
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198 awfully | |
adv.可怕地,非常地,极端地 | |
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199 suffrage | |
n.投票,选举权,参政权 | |
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200 concocted | |
v.将(尤指通常不相配合的)成分混合成某物( concoct的过去式和过去分词 );调制;编造;捏造 | |
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201 remarkably | |
ad.不同寻常地,相当地 | |
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202 bragging | |
v.自夸,吹嘘( brag的现在分词 );大话 | |
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203 prodigious | |
adj.惊人的,奇妙的;异常的;巨大的;庞大的 | |
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204 consolidation | |
n.合并,巩固 | |
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205 odious | |
adj.可憎的,讨厌的 | |
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206 usurping | |
篡夺,霸占( usurp的现在分词 ); 盗用; 篡夺,篡权 | |
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207 tyrant | |
n.暴君,专制的君主,残暴的人 | |
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208 deplored | |
v.悲叹,痛惜,强烈反对( deplore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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209 ribs | |
n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 );(船或屋顶等的)肋拱;肋骨状的东西;(织物的)凸条花纹 | |
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210 derived | |
vi.起源;由来;衍生;导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 );(从…中)得到获得;源于;(从…中)提取 | |
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211 imminent | |
adj.即将发生的,临近的,逼近的 | |
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212 discomfited | |
v.使为难( discomfit的过去式和过去分词);使狼狈;使挫折;挫败 | |
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213 candidly | |
adv.坦率地,直率而诚恳地 | |
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214 consummate | |
adj.完美的;v.成婚;使完美 [反]baffle | |
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215 mortification | |
n.耻辱,屈辱 | |
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216 memoranda | |
n. 备忘录, 便条 名词memorandum的复数形式 | |
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217 behold | |
v.看,注视,看到 | |
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218 heartily | |
adv.衷心地,诚恳地,十分,很 | |
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