PEKEE-NUEE-NUEE, Fegee.
PEKEE-NUEE-NUEE, Erromangoan.
EXTRACTS
(Supplied by a Sub-Sub-Librarian)
It will be seen that this mere painstaking burrower and grub-worm
of a poor devil of a Sub-Sub appears to have gone through the long
Vaticans and street-stalls of the earth, picking up whatever random
allusions to whales he could anyways find in any book whatsoever,
sacred or profane. therefore you must not, in every case at least,
take the higgledy-piggledy whale statements, however authentic,
in these extracts, for veritable gospel cetology. Far from it.
As touching the ancient authors generally, as well as the poets
here appearing, these extracts are solely valuable or entertaining,
as affording a glancing bird's eye view of what has been
promiscuously said, thought, fancied, and sung of Leviathan,
by many nations and generations, including our own.
So fare thee well, poor devil of a Sub-Sub, whose commentator I am.
Thou belongest to that hopeless, sallow tribe which no wine of this world
will ever warm; and for whom even Pale Sherry would be too rosy-strong;
but with whom one sometimes loves to sit, and feel poor-devilish, too;
and grow convivial upon tears; and say to them bluntly, with full
eyes and empty glasses, and in not altogether unpleasant sadness--
Give it up, Sub-Subs! For by how much more pains ye take to please
the world, by so much the more shall ye for ever go thankless!
Would that I could clear out Hampton Court and the Tuileries for ye!
But gulp down your tears and hie aloft to the royal-mast with
your hearts; for your friends who have gone before are clearing
out the seven-storied heavens, and making refugees of long
pampered Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael, against your coming.
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