LITERATURE 67 



nie anything whicli becomes thy son and I shall instantly obey, but I cannot comply with 

 thy wish that I shoukl answer that crowd of gluttony, hypocrisy, and cant, by anything 

 than disdain. If thou lovcst better than thou lovest me, poisonous calumny, the cowardly 

 snake, which has fed on thy bounties only to sting thy heart ; if, to the youngest son of thine 

 old age, thou preferrest these despicable beings who have never lived, never done anything, 

 and who shall pass into nothingness, say it', and condemn me without more ado. I shall not, 

 I will not, dishonour myself by answering them, and were it not for thy venerable presence, 

 I would instead, have swept the whole of them into that obscurity out of which it was a mis- 

 take to take them, and into which the sooner they shall be thrown back the better for the 

 eternal order over which God Timu presides. 



" In what strain dost thou speak? Dost thou dare," saitl Timu, " to criticise what Ls, 

 what I have willed and ordered to be? Thou spcakest of old age, of mistakes, of what I know 

 not. Ah ! I see clearly that all that has been said is true — to criticise, to reject, tj revolt; 

 it is but a step from the one to the other. War, if I were not a God I should go mad — 

 mad — mad enough to be unjust ! What right hast thou to speak as thou dost? Tell me, what 

 art thou? " 



"Life." 



" What? From whence dost thou come? Who caused thee to be? " 



" Life." 



"What dost thou mean? " said Timu perplexed. 



" To live." 



"He is mad, impious, sacrilegious, infamous, criminal," roared and shouted thousands 

 of voices. 



" Mad ! Mad ! " exclaimed Timu, " Xo ! Xo ! he plays witii my majesty. Silence ! " 

 and he added " X^ow answer me, War, and do not believe init thai thou will be brought to 

 bay. What dost thou mean by ' Life, Life '" ? 



" I mean to feel." 



" What? " 



" To have sensations." 



" What? Speak or else " 



" I do speak, to have sensations." 



" Again? " 



" The eye which gazes and knows rapture, the smell which dreams, the taste which 

 delights, the watchful ear which is enchanted, the touch which takes possession, and Love, 

 which two Gods in one kiss and gives an eternal youth to the whole of the universe." 



On hearing this the whole of the assembly lost the control of reason, and a terrific yell 

 responded to the last words, whilst Timu, overpowered by rage and emotion, remained 

 motionless save that his head and all his limbs shook with frenzy. 



Helplessly clamouring in their impotence, maddened, exasperated, his followers filled 

 the air with such a volume of indescribable imprecations and vociferations that it resembled 

 the thundering voice of the storm, and from out of the midst of it came, intermingled and 

 confused, such words as — blasphemy, revolt, defiance, sensualism, materialism, desecration, 

 imposture, rebellion, and damnation. 



Timu arose in the midst of it all. awful and terrilile looking in the storm of his anger, 

 shaking his white beard and with threatening brow ; he extended his powerful arm, showing 

 all the nerves and sinews of his race, and a shudder ran through all those around him, even 

 the stars ceased to wink, and a leaden silence enveloped and weighed upon all. Such a 

 calm and depression as always precede the most terrific storms suspended now the furious 

 outburst of indignation which had failed to shake War or to disturb his majestic calm. 



" Knave ! Madman ! Fool ! Lowest, most pitiable and degraded being ! Son who hast 

 dishonoured me ! Hast thou lost all conscience? Hast thou no fear? " and the voice of Timu 

 terrible and awful, roaring and clapping as if all the thunders of the universe had been 

 gathered in his breast and had broken forth in one tremendous outburst. 



