The agitation1 for the Universal Colour Bill continued for three years; and up to the last moment of that period it seemed as though Anarchy2 were destined3 to triumph.
A whole army of Polygons, who turned out to fight as private soldiers, was utterly5 annihilated6 by a superior force of Isosceles Triangles — the Squares and Pentagons meanwhile remaining neutral. Worse than all, some of the ablest Circles fell a prey7 to conjugal8 fury. Infuriated by political animosity, the wives in many a noble household wearied their lords with prayers to give up their opposition9 to the Colour Bill; and some, finding their entreaties10 fruitless, fell on and slaughtered12 their innocent children and husband, perishing themselves in the act of carnage. It is recorded that during that triennial agitation no less than twenty-three Circles perished in domestic discord13.
Great indeed was the peril14. It seemed as though the Priests had no choice between submission15 and extermination16; when suddenly the course of events was completely changed by one of those picturesque17 incidents which Statesmen ought never to neglect, often to anticipate, and sometimes perhaps to originate, because of the absurdly disproportionate power with which they appeal to the sympathies of the populace.
It happened that an Isosceles of a low type, with a brain little if at all above four degrees — accidentally dabbling18 in the colours of some Tradesman whose shop he had plundered19 — painted himself, or caused himself to be painted (for the story varies) with the twelve colours of a Dodecagon. Going into the Market Place he accosted20 in a feigned21 voice a maiden22, the orphan23 daughter of a noble Polygon4, whose affection in former days he had sought in vain; and by a series of deceptions25 — aided, on the one side, by a string of lucky accidents too long to relate, and on the other, by an almost inconceivable fatuity26 and neglect of ordinary precautions on the part of the relations of the bride — he succeeded in consummating27 the marriage. The unhappy girl committed suicide on discovering the fraud to which she had been subjected.
When the news of this catastrophe28 spread from State to State the minds of the Women were violently agitated29. Sympathy with the miserable30 victim and anticipations31 of similar deceptions for themselves, their sisters, and their daughters, made them now regard the Colour Bill in an entirely32 new aspect. Not a few openly avowed33 themselves converted to antagonism34; the rest needed only a slight stimulus35 to make a similar avowal36. Seizing this favourable37 opportunity, the Circles hastily convened38 an extraordinary Assembly of the States; and besides the usual guard of Convicts, they secured the attendance of a large number of reactionary39 Women.
Amidst an unprecedented40 concourse, the Chief Circle of those days — by name Pantocyclus — arose to find himself hissed41 and hooted42 by a hundred and twenty thousand Isosceles. But he secured silence by declaring that henceforth the Circles would enter on a policy of Concession43; yielding to the wishes of the majority, they would accept the Colour Bill. The uproar44 being at once converted to applause, he invited Chromatistes, the leader of the Sedition45, into the centre of the hall, to receive in the name of his followers46 the submission of the Hierarchy47. Then followed a speech, a masterpiece of rhetoric48, which occupied nearly a day in the delivery, and to which no summary can do justice.
With a grave appearance of impartiality49 he declared that as they were now finally committing themselves to Reform or Innovation, it was desirable that they should take one last view of the perimeter50 of the whole subject, its defects as well as its advantages. Gradually introducing the mention of the dangers to the Tradesmen, the Professional Classes and the Gentlemen, he silenced the rising murmurs51 of the Isosceles by reminding them that, in spite of all these defects, he was willing to accept the Bill if it was approved by the majority. But it was manifest that all, except the Isosceles, were moved by his words and were either neutral or averse53 to the Bill.
Turning now to the Workmen he asserted that their interests must not be neglected, and that, if they intended to accept the Colour Bill, they ought at least to do so with full view of the consequences. Many of them, he said, were on the point of being admitted to the class of the Regular Triangles; others anticipated for their children a distinction they could not hope for themselves. That honourable54 ambition would now have to be sacrificed. With the universal adoption55 of Colour, all distinctions would cease; Regularity56 would be confused with Irregularity; development would give place to retrogression; the Workman would in a few generations be degraded to the level of the Military, or even the Convict Class; political power would be in the hands of the greatest number, that is to say the Criminal Classes, who were already more numerous than the Workmen, and would soon out-number all the other Classes put together when the usual Compensative57 Laws of Nature were violated.
A subdued58 murmur52 of assent59 ran through the ranks of the Artisans, and Chromatistes, in alarm, attempted to step forward and address them. But he found himself encompassed60 with guards and forced to remain silent while the Chief Circle in a few impassioned words made a final appeal to the Women, exclaiming that, if the Colour Bill passed, no marriage would henceforth be safe, no woman’s honour secure; fraud, deception24, hypocrisy61 would pervade62 every household; domestic bliss63 would share the fate of the Constitution and pass to speedy perdition. “Sooner than this,” he cried, “Come death.”
At these words, which were the preconcerted signal for action, the Isosceles Convicts fell on and transfixed the wretched Chromatistes; the Regular Classes, opening their ranks, made way for a band of Women who, under direction of the Circles, moved, back foremost, invisibly and unerringly upon the unconscious soldiers; the Artisans, imitating the example of their betters, also opened their ranks. Meantime bands of Convicts occupied every entrance with an impenetrable phalanx.
The battle, or rather carnage, was of short duration. Under the skillful generalship of the Circles almost every Woman’s charge was fatal and very many extracted their sting uninjured, ready for a second slaughter11. But no second blow was needed; the rabble64 of the Isosceles did the rest of the business for themselves. Surprised, leader-less, attacked in front by invisible foes66, and finding egress67 cut off by the Convicts behind them, they at once — after their manner — lost all presence of mind, and raised the cry of “treachery”. This sealed their fate. Every Isosceles now saw and felt a foe65 in every other. In half an hour not one of that vast multitude was living; and the fragments of seven score thousand of the Criminal Class slain68 by one another’s angles attested69 the triumph of Order.
The Circles delayed not to push their victory to the uttermost. The Working Men they spared but decimated. The Militia70 of the Equilaterals was at once called out; and every Triangle suspected of Irregularity on reasonable grounds, was destroyed by Court Martial71, without the formality of exact measurement by the Social Board. The homes of the Military and Artisan classes were inspected in a course of visitations extending through upwards72 of a year; and during that period every town, village, and hamlet was systematically73 purged74 of that excess of the lower orders which had been brought about by the neglect to pay the tribute of Criminals to the Schools and University, and by the violation75 of the other natural Laws of the Constitution of Flatland. Thus the balance of classes was again restored.
Needless to say that henceforth the use of Colour was abolished, and its possession prohibited. Even the utterance76 of any word denoting Colour, except by the Circles or by qualified77 scientific teachers, was punished by a severe penalty. Only at our University in some of the very highest and most esoteric classes — which I myself have never been privileged to attend — it is understood that the sparing use of Colour is still sanctioned for the purpose of illustrating78 some of the deeper problems of mathematics. But of this I can only speak from hearsay79.
Elsewhere in Flatland, Colour is now non-existent. The art of making it is known to only one living person, the Chief Circle for the time being; and by him it is handed down on his death-bed to none but his Successor. One manufactory alone produces it; and, lest the secret should be betrayed, the Workmen are annually80 consumed, and fresh ones introduced. So great is the terror with which even now our Aristocracy looks back to the far-distant days of the agitation for the Universal Colour Bill.
1 agitation | |
n.搅动;搅拌;鼓动,煽动 | |
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2 anarchy | |
n.无政府状态;社会秩序混乱,无秩序 | |
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3 destined | |
adj.命中注定的;(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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4 polygon | |
n.多边形;多角形 | |
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5 utterly | |
adv.完全地,绝对地 | |
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6 annihilated | |
v.(彻底)消灭( annihilate的过去式和过去分词 );使无效;废止;彻底击溃 | |
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7 prey | |
n.被掠食者,牺牲者,掠食;v.捕食,掠夺,折磨 | |
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8 conjugal | |
adj.婚姻的,婚姻性的 | |
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9 opposition | |
n.反对,敌对 | |
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10 entreaties | |
n.恳求,乞求( entreaty的名词复数 ) | |
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11 slaughter | |
n.屠杀,屠宰;vt.屠杀,宰杀 | |
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12 slaughtered | |
v.屠杀,杀戮,屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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13 discord | |
n.不和,意见不合,争论,(音乐)不和谐 | |
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14 peril | |
n.(严重的)危险;危险的事物 | |
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15 submission | |
n.服从,投降;温顺,谦虚;提出 | |
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16 extermination | |
n.消灭,根绝 | |
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17 picturesque | |
adj.美丽如画的,(语言)生动的,绘声绘色的 | |
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18 dabbling | |
v.涉猎( dabble的现在分词 );涉足;浅尝;少量投资 | |
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19 plundered | |
掠夺,抢劫( plunder的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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20 accosted | |
v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 );跟…搭讪;(乞丐等)上前向…乞讨;(妓女等)勾搭 | |
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21 feigned | |
a.假装的,不真诚的 | |
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22 maiden | |
n.少女,处女;adj.未婚的,纯洁的,无经验的 | |
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23 orphan | |
n.孤儿;adj.无父母的 | |
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24 deception | |
n.欺骗,欺诈;骗局,诡计 | |
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25 deceptions | |
欺骗( deception的名词复数 ); 骗术,诡计 | |
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26 fatuity | |
n.愚蠢,愚昧 | |
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27 consummating | |
v.使结束( consummate的现在分词 );使完美;完婚;(婚礼后的)圆房 | |
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28 catastrophe | |
n.大灾难,大祸 | |
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29 agitated | |
adj.被鼓动的,不安的 | |
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30 miserable | |
adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的 | |
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31 anticipations | |
预期( anticipation的名词复数 ); 预测; (信托财产收益的)预支; 预期的事物 | |
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32 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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33 avowed | |
adj.公开声明的,承认的v.公开声明,承认( avow的过去式和过去分词) | |
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34 antagonism | |
n.对抗,敌对,对立 | |
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35 stimulus | |
n.刺激,刺激物,促进因素,引起兴奋的事物 | |
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36 avowal | |
n.公开宣称,坦白承认 | |
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37 favourable | |
adj.赞成的,称赞的,有利的,良好的,顺利的 | |
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38 convened | |
召开( convene的过去式 ); 召集; (为正式会议而)聚集; 集合 | |
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39 reactionary | |
n.反动者,反动主义者;adj.反动的,反动主义的,反对改革的 | |
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40 unprecedented | |
adj.无前例的,新奇的 | |
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41 hissed | |
发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 ); 发嘘声表示反对 | |
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42 hooted | |
(使)作汽笛声响,作汽车喇叭声( hoot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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43 concession | |
n.让步,妥协;特许(权) | |
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44 uproar | |
n.骚动,喧嚣,鼎沸 | |
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45 sedition | |
n.煽动叛乱 | |
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46 followers | |
追随者( follower的名词复数 ); 用户; 契据的附面; 从动件 | |
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47 hierarchy | |
n.等级制度;统治集团,领导层 | |
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48 rhetoric | |
n.修辞学,浮夸之言语 | |
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49 impartiality | |
n. 公平, 无私, 不偏 | |
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50 perimeter | |
n.周边,周长,周界 | |
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51 murmurs | |
n.低沉、连续而不清的声音( murmur的名词复数 );低语声;怨言;嘀咕 | |
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52 murmur | |
n.低语,低声的怨言;v.低语,低声而言 | |
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53 averse | |
adj.厌恶的;反对的,不乐意的 | |
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54 honourable | |
adj.可敬的;荣誉的,光荣的 | |
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55 adoption | |
n.采用,采纳,通过;收养 | |
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56 regularity | |
n.规律性,规则性;匀称,整齐 | |
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57 compensative | |
偿还的,补充的 | |
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58 subdued | |
adj. 屈服的,柔和的,减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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59 assent | |
v.批准,认可;n.批准,认可 | |
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60 encompassed | |
v.围绕( encompass的过去式和过去分词 );包围;包含;包括 | |
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61 hypocrisy | |
n.伪善,虚伪 | |
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62 pervade | |
v.弥漫,遍及,充满,渗透,漫延 | |
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63 bliss | |
n.狂喜,福佑,天赐的福 | |
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64 rabble | |
n.乌合之众,暴民;下等人 | |
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65 foe | |
n.敌人,仇敌 | |
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66 foes | |
敌人,仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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67 egress | |
n.出去;出口 | |
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68 slain | |
杀死,宰杀,杀戮( slay的过去分词 ); (slay的过去分词) | |
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69 attested | |
adj.经检验证明无病的,经检验证明无菌的v.证明( attest的过去式和过去分词 );证实;声称…属实;使宣誓 | |
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70 militia | |
n.民兵,民兵组织 | |
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71 martial | |
adj.战争的,军事的,尚武的,威武的 | |
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72 upwards | |
adv.向上,在更高处...以上 | |
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73 systematically | |
adv.有系统地 | |
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74 purged | |
清除(政敌等)( purge的过去式和过去分词 ); 涤除(罪恶等); 净化(心灵、风气等); 消除(错事等)的不良影响 | |
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75 violation | |
n.违反(行为),违背(行为),侵犯 | |
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76 utterance | |
n.用言语表达,话语,言语 | |
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77 qualified | |
adj.合格的,有资格的,胜任的,有限制的 | |
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78 illustrating | |
给…加插图( illustrate的现在分词 ); 说明; 表明; (用示例、图画等)说明 | |
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79 hearsay | |
n.谣传,风闻 | |
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80 annually | |
adv.一年一次,每年 | |
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