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Minasan Oidemasu! This is Yukkuri demasu!
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Author:
みのろう (Minorou)
Translator:
Yukkuri Oniisan!
Editor:
Online Grammar Editor!
Chapter 2
The Kingdom’s Miscalculation
Part 4
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This is the Showing forth of the Inquiry of Herodotusof Halicarna.s.sos, to the end that 1 neither the deeds of men may be forgottenby lapse of time, nor the works 2 great and marvellous, which have beenproduced some by h.e.l.lenes and some by Barbarians, may lose their renown; andespecially that the causes may be remembered for which these waged war with oneanother.
1. Those of the Persians who have knowledge of historydeclare that the Phenicians first began the quarrel. These, they say, came fromthat which is called the Erythraian Sea to this of ours; and having settled inthe land where they continue even now to dwell, set themselves forthwith tomake long voyages by sea. And conveying merchandise of Egypt and of a.s.syriathey arrived at other places and also at Argos; now Argos was at that time inall points the first of the States within that land which is now calledh.e.l.las;—the Phenicians arrived then at this land of Argos, and began to disposeof their ship"s cargo: and on the fifth or sixth day after they had arrived,when their goods had been almost all sold, there came down to the sea a greatcompany of women, and among them the daughter of the king; and her name, as theh.e.l.lenes also agree, was Io the daughter of Inachos. These standing near to thestern of the ship were buying of the wares such as pleased them most, when of asudden the Phenicians, pa.s.sing the word from one to another, made a rush uponthem; and the greater part of the women escaped by flight, but Io and certainothers were carried off. So they put them on board their ship, and forthwithdeparted, sailing away to Egypt.
2. In this manner the Persians report that Io came toEgypt, not agreeing therein with the h.e.l.lenes, 3 and this they say was thefirst beginning of wrongs. Then after this, they say, certain h.e.l.lenes (but thename of the people they are not able to report) put in to the city of Tyre inPhenicia and carried off the king"s daughter Europa;—these would doubtless beCretans;—and so they were quits for the former injury. After this however theh.e.l.lenes, they say, were the authors of the second wrong; for they sailed in toAia of Colchis and to the river Phasis with a ship of war, and from thence,after they had done the other business for which they came, they carried offthe king"s daughter Medea: and the king of Colchis sent a herald to the land ofh.e.l.las and demanded satisfaction for the rape and to have his daughter back;but they answered that, as the Barbarians had given them no satisfaction forthe rape of Io the Argive, so neither would they give satisfaction to theBarbarians for this.
3. In the next generation after this, they say,Alexander the son of Priam, having heard of these things, desired to get a wifefor himself by violence 4 from h.e.l.las, being fully a.s.sured that he would not becompelled to give any satisfaction for this wrong, inasmuch as the h.e.l.lenesgave none for theirs. So he carried off Helen, and the h.e.l.lenes resolved tosend messengers first and to demand her back with satisfaction for the rape;and when they put forth this demand, the others alleged to them the rape ofMedea, saying that the h.e.l.lenes were now desiring satisfaction to be given tothem by others, though they had given none themselves nor had surrendered theperson when demand was made.
4. Up to this point, they say, nothing more happenedthan the carrying away of women on both sides; but after this the h.e.l.lenes werevery greatly to blame; for they set the first example of war, making anexpedition into Asia before the Barbarians made any into Europe. Now they saythat in their judgment, though it is an act of wrong to carry away women byforce, it is a folly to set one"s heart on taking vengeance for their rape, andthe wise course is to pay no regard when they have been carried away; for it isevident that they would never be carried away if they were not themselveswilling to go. And the Persians say that they, namely the people of Asia, whentheir women were carried away by force, had made it a matter of no account, butthe h.e.l.lenes on account of a woman of Lacedemon gathered together a greatarmament, and then came to Asia and destroyed the dominion of Priam; and thatfrom this time forward they had always considered the h.e.l.lenic race to be theirenemy: for Asia and the Barbarian races which dwell there the Persians claim asbelonging to them; but Europe and the h.e.l.lenic race they consider to be partedoff from them.
5. The Persians for their part say that thingshappened thus; and they conclude that the beginning of their quarrel with theh.e.l.lenes was on account of the taking of Ilion: but as regards Io thePhenicians do not agree with the Persians in telling the tale thus; for theydeny that they carried her off to Egypt by violent means, and they say on theother hand that when they were in Argos she was intimate with the master oftheir ship, and perceiving that she was with child, she was ashamed to confessit to her parents, and therefore sailed away with the Phenicians of her ownwill, for fear of being found out. These are the tales told by the Persians andthe Phenicians severally: and concerning these things I am not going to saythat they happened thus or thus, 401 but when I have pointed to the man whofirst within my own knowledge began to commit wrong against the h.e.l.lenes, Ishall go forward further with the story, giving an account of the cities ofmen, small as well as great: for those which in old times were great have forthe most part become small, while those that were in my own time great used informer times to be small: so then, since I know that human prosperity nevercontinues steadfast, I shall make mention of both indifferently.
6. Croesus was Lydian by race, the son of Alyattes andruler of the nations which dwell on this side of the river Halys; which river,flowing from the South between the Syrians 5 and the Paphlagonians, runs outtowards the North Wind into that Sea which is called the Euxine. This Croesus,first of all the Barbarians of whom we have knowledge, subdued certain of theh.e.l.lenes and forced them to pay tribute, while others he gained over and madethem his friends. Those whom he subdued were the Ionians, the Aiolians, and theDorians who dwell in Asia; and those whom he made his friends were theLacedemonians. But before the reign of Croesus all the h.e.l.lenes were free; forthe expedition of the Kimmerians, which came upon Ionia before the time ofCroesus, was not a conquest of the cities but a plundering incursion only. 6
7. Now the supremacy which had belonged to theHeracleidai came to the family of Croesus, called Mermnadai, in the followingmanner:—Candaules, whom the h.e.l.lenes call Myrsilos, was ruler of Sardis and adescendant of Alcaios, son of Heracles: for Agron, the son of Ninos, the son ofBelos, the son of Alcaios, was the first of the Heracleidai who became king ofSardis, and Candaules the son of Myrsos was the last; but those who were kingsover this land before Agrond, were descendants of Lydos the son of Atys, whencethis whole nation was called Lydian, having been before called Meonian. From thesethe Heracleidai, descended from Heracles and the slave-girl of Iardanos,obtained the government, being charged with it by reason of an oracle; and theyreigned for two-and-twenty generations of men, five hundred and five years,handing on the power from father to son, till the time of Clandaules the son ofMyrsos.
8. This Candaules then of whom I speak had becomepa.s.sionately in love with his own wife; and having become so, he deemed thathis wife was fairer by far than all other women; and thus deeming, to Gyges theson of Daskylos (for he of all his spearmen was the most pleasing to him), tothis Gyges, I say, he used to impart as well the more weighty of his affairs asalso the beauty of his wife, praising it above measure: and after no long time,since it was destined that evil should happen to Candaules, he said to Gyges asfollows: "Gyges, I think that thou dost not believe me when I tell thee ofthe beauty of my wife, for it happens that men"s ears are less apt of beliefthan their eyes: contrive therefore means by which thou mayest look upon hernaked." But he cried aloud and said: "Master, what word of unwisdomis this which thou dost utter, bidding me look upon my mistress naked? When awoman puts off her tunic she puts off her modesty also. Moreover of old timethose fair sayings have been found out by men, from which we ought to learnwisdom; and of these one is this,—that each man should look on his own: but Ibelieve indeed that she is of all women the fairest and I entreat thee not to askof me that which it is not lawful for me to do."
9. With such words as these he resisted, fearing lestsome evil might come to him from this; but the king answered him thus: "Beof good courage, Gyges, and have no fear, either of me, that I am saying thesewords to try thee, or of my wife, lest any harm may happen to thee from her.For I will contrive it so from the first that she shall not even perceive thatshe has been seen by thee. I will place thee in the room where we sleep, behindthe open door; 7 and after I have gone in, my wife also will come to lie down.Now there is a seat near the entrance of the room, and upon this she will layher garments as she takes them off one by one; and so thou wilt be able to gazeupon her at full leisure. And when she goes from the chair to the bed and thoushalt be behind her back, then let it be thy part to take care that she seesthee not as thou goest through the door."
10. He then, since he might not avoid it, gaveconsent: and Candaules, when he considered that it was time to rest, led Gygesto the chamber; and straightway after this the woman also appeared: and Gygeslooked upon her after she came in and as she laid down her garments; and whenshe had her back turned towards him, as she went to the bed, then he slippedaway from his hiding-place and was going forth. And as he went out, the womancaught sight of him, and perceiving that which had been done by her husband shedid not cry out, though struck with shame, 8 but she made as though she had notperceived the matter, meaning to avenge herself upon Candaules: for among theLydians as also among most other Barbarians it is a shame even for a man to beseen naked.
11. At the time then she kept silence, as I say, andmade no outward sign; but as soon as day had dawned, and she made ready thoseof the servants whom she perceived to be the most attached to herself, andafter that she sent to summon Gyges. He then, not supposing that anything ofthat which had been done was known to her, came upon her summons; for he hadbeen accustomed before to go 9 whenever the queen summoned him. And when Gygeswas come, the woman said to him these words: "There are now two ways opento thee, Gyges, and I give thee the choice which of the two thou wilt prefer totake. Either thou must slay Candaules and possess both me and the kingdom ofLydia, or thou must thyself here on the spot be slain, so that thou mayest notin future, by obeying Candaules in all things, see that which thou shouldestnot. Either he must die who formed this design, or thou who hast looked upon menaked and done that which is not accounted lawful." For a time then Gygeswas amazed at these words, and afterwards he began to entreat her that shewould not bind him by necessity to make such a choice: then however, as hecould not prevail with her, but saw that necessity was in truth set before himeither to slay his master or to be himself slain by others, he made the choiceto live himself; and he inquired further as follows: "Since thou dostcompel me to take my master"s life against my own will, let me hear from theealso what is the manner in which we shall lay hands upon him." And sheanswering said: "From that same place shall the attempt be, where hedisplayed me naked; and we will lay hands upon him as he sleeps."
12. So after they had prepared the plot, when nightcame on, (for Gyges was not let go nor was there any way of escape for him, buthe must either be slain himself or slay Candaules), he followed the woman tothe bedchamber; and she gave him a dagger and concealed him behind that verysame door. Then afterwards, while Candaules was sleeping, Gyges came privily upto him 10 and slew him, and he obtained both his wife and his kingdom: of himmoreover Archilochos the Parian, who lived about that time, made mention in atrimeter iambic verse. 11
13. He obtained the kingdom however and wasstrengthened in it by means of the Oracle at Delphi; for when the Lydians wereangry because of the fate of Candaules, and had risen in arms, a treaty wasmade between the followers of Gyges and the other Lydians to this effect, thatif the Oracle should give answer that he was to be king of the Lydians, heshould be king, and if not, he should give back the power to the sons ofHeracles. So the Oracle gave answer, and Gyges accordingly became king: yet thePythian prophetess said this also, that vengeance for the Heracleidai shouldcome upon the descendants of Gyges in the fifth generation. Of this oracle theLydians and their kings made no account until it was in fact fulfilled.
14. Thus the Mermnadai obtained the government havingdriven out from it the Heracleidai: and Gyges when he became ruler sent votiveofferings to Delphi not a few, for of all the silver offerings at Delphi hisare more in number than those of any other man; and besides the silver heoffered a vast quant.i.ty of gold, and especially one offering which is moreworthy of mention than the rest, namely six golden mixing-bowls, which arededicated there as his gift: of these the weight is thirty talents, and theystand in the treasury of the Corinthians, (though in truth this treasury doesnot belong to the State of the Corinthians, but is that of Kypselos the son ofAëtion). 12 This Gyges was the first of the Barbarians within our knowledge whodedicated votive offerings at Delphi, except only Midas the son of Gordias kingof Phrygia, who dedicated for an offering the royal throne on which he satbefore all to decide causes; and this throne, a sight worth seeing, stands inthe same place with the bowls of Gyges. This gold and silver which Gygesdedicated is called Gygian by the people of Delphi, after the name of him whooffered it.
Now Gyges also, 13 as soon as he became king, led anarmy against Miletos and Smyrna, and he took the lower town of Colophon: 14 butno other great deed did he do in his reign, which lasted eight-and-thirtyyears, therefore we will pa.s.s him by with no more mention than has already beenmade,
15, and I will speak now of Ardys the son of Gyges,who became king after Gyges. He took Priene and made an invasion againstMiletos; and while he was ruling over Sardis, the Kimmerians driven from theirabodes by the nomad Scythians came to Asia and took Sardis except the citadel.
16. Now when Ardys had been king for nine-and-fortyyears, Sadyattes his son succeeded to his kingdom, and reigned twelve years;and after him Alyattes. This last made war against Kyaxares the descendant ofDeïokes and against the Medes, 15 and he drove the Kimmerians forth out ofAsia, and he took Smyrna which had been founded from Colophon, and made aninvasion against Clazomenai. From this he returned not as he desired, but withgreat loss: during his reign however he performed other deeds very worthy ofmention as follows:—
17. He made war with those of Miletos, having receivedthis war as an inheritance from his father: for he used to invade their landand besiege Miletos in the following manner:—whenever there were ripe cropsupon the land, then he led an army into their confines, making his march to thesound of pipes and harps and flutes both of male and female tone: and when hecame to the Milesian land, he neither pulled down the houses that were in thefields, nor set fire to them nor tore off their doors, but let them stand asthey were; the trees however and the crops that were upon the land hedestroyed, and then departed by the way he came: for the men of Miletos hadcommand of the sea, so that it was of no use for his army to blockade them: andhe abstained from pulling down the houses to the end that the Milesians mighthave places to dwell in while they sowed and tilled the land, and by the meansof their labour he might have somewhat to destroy when he made his invasion.
18. Thus he continued to war with them for elevenyears; and in the course of these years the Milesians suffered two greatdefeats, once when they fought a battle in the district of Limenion in theirown land, and again in the plain of Maiander. Now for six of the eleven yearsSadyattes the son of Ardys was still ruler of the Lydians, the same who waswont to invade the land of Miletos at the times mentioned; 16 for thisSadyattes was he who first began the war: but for the five years which followedthese first six the war was carried on by Alyattes the son of Sadyattes, whoreceived it as an inheritance from his father (as I have already said) andapplied himself to it earnestly. And none of the Ionians helped those ofMiletos bear the burden of this war except only the men of Chios. These came totheir aid to pay back like with like, for the Milesians had formerly a.s.sistedthe Chians throughout their war with the people of Erythrai.
19. Then in the twelfth year of the war, when standingcorn was being burnt by the army of the Lydians, it happened as follows:—assoon as the corn was kindled, it was driven by a violent wind and set fire tothe temple of Athene surnamed of a.s.sessos; and the temple being set on fire wasburnt down to the ground. Of this no account was made then; but afterwards whenthe army had returned to Sardis, Alyattes fell sick, and as his sickness lastedlong, he sent messengers to inquire of the Oracle at Delphi, either beingadvised to do so by some one, or because he himself thought it best to send andinquire of the G.o.d concerning his sickness. But when these arrived at Delphi,the Pythian prophetess said that she would give them no answer, until theyshould have built up again the temple of Athene which they had burnt ata.s.sessos in the land of Miletos.
20. Thus much I know by the report of the people ofDelphi; but the Milesians add to this that Periander the son of Kypselos, beinga special guest-friend of Thrasybulos the then despot of Miletos, heard of theoracle which had been given to Alyattes, and sending a messenger toldThrasybulos, in order that he might have knowledge of it beforehand and takesuch counsel as the case required. This is the story told by the Milesians.
Central Calendar Year 1639, Month 7, Day 19.
Louria Kingdom Eastern Subjugation Army – EasternLords Division – Headquarters.
The event of the major defeat in the naval battle at RodeniusSea was completely concealed from the frontline soldiers due to a concern thatit will demoralize the soldiers. Except, for some high-ranking officers……
The Vanguard Forces of Louria Kingdom’s Eastern SubjugationArmy had conquered Gim, a QuToynese City and made it their encampement. ViceCommander Adem, who had his authority enlarged due to his military exploit of conqueringGim with only the Vanguard Force, was entrusted with the Eastern Lords Divisionunder his command. In order to expand Lourian zone of control further east, he haddemanded the Hawk Knights Order to scout the area ahead.
There was an unpleasant premonition amongst the officersof the Louria Kingdom Eastern Lords Army which was the superior of the Hawk KnightsOrder.
About 100 men from the 15th Cavalry Squadron, who wentfor a reconnaissance in force, had disappeared in a location about 30 kilometerseast from Gim.
According to the magicians, they seemed unable to detectany trace of magic with Wyvern-level strength. However, there were signs of a battlehappened. There were vestiges of powerful attacks of some kind being used, so therewas no doubt that the Cavalry Squadron had clashed with something or someone.
Despite no evidence of high powered magics beingemployed, not a single person from the 100 Knights had returned.
Even if something had happened, they should be able toreturn, even if it was just a single person.
Although there was a possibility that they were surroundedand annihilated by a larger army, it was inconceivable that a cavalry squadronwho excel in mobility could be completely annihilated.
「Something is wrong. Are we really fighting with the demihumans ofQuToyne……? What do you think, Washner?」
Count Jean-Philia, who had gathered the Eastern Lords Division,questioned Magician Washner.
Around him, every Lords were present.
「Because there was no reaction on the detector in the magic watchpost,n.o.body noticed it…… At the very least, we believed that it was not a work of a creaturewith high magic power like a Wyvern, nor the result a high power magic projectionlike the concentrated flame b.a.l.l.s.」
「Then what it is?」
Jean-Philia was concerned because of the fact that a cavalrysquadron disappeared without any explanation.
「I think this is a hogwash, but……」
「Don’t leave your words hanging. I won’t mind it, so please continue.」
「Recently there is a rumor among the magicians, but since the details are sooverwhelmingly absurd, please take it with a grain of salt.」
「Go on.」
Washner sighed very deeply and cast his face down as hebegan to tell what the rumor said.
「The Eastern Subjugation Navy, the Fleet for the Maihark Invasion Force, hada crushing defeat with over 30% of the ships lost. Furthermore, 250 Wyvern Knights,who were heading towards the enemy ship, were also annihilated, so the Maihark InvasionOperations ended in a failure……」
「What…… Annihilated!?」
「You say the Wyvern Squadrons were annihilated?!」
For the Lords who wasn’t informed of the battle reportsince it was outside their jurisdiction, this was like a bolt out of the bluesky.
「Wait a moment…… Just wait a moment. I heard that the fleet and Wyburn we hadsent are so huge, that they are enough to conquer QuToyne by themselves. Withtheir strength, even if they had invaded Papardia Empire, it wouldn’t be adream to burst through the Empire’s fleet blockade and land on the continent. Withjust one battle, the fleet that perhaps could be said as the largest in thehistory…… they lost? Moreover, to QuToyne?」
Because it was a story that is too absurd to be real, Jean-Philiacouldn’t believe it. Because he had cut his way through many battles, heunderstood that no matter how QuToyne strengthened their defense, it wasimpossible for them to defeat the Lourian fleet.
「Actually, after the purge in Gim, a country called j.a.pan seems to be partic.i.p.atingin the war. The ship they used could continuously release magic that that cansink a ship with a single hit while giving a thunderous roar and Light Spears thatcould pursue wyvern and blow them into pieces. The amount of Mana Projection forthese was so powerful that it couldn’t be replicated even with a group of 1,000Magician-cla.s.s…… Or so what I heard from my cla.s.smate in the Magic Academy……」
Everyone was pondering. Is this just the usual battlefieldexaggerated legend or the truth?
Of the 150 Wyverns Knights attached to the SubjugationArmy, 50 units were ordered to return to the Headquarters. He had questioned aboutthis sudden recall, but if that story is true then he could understand thatthose Wyverns, in fact, were redeployed to protect the headquarters.
There was another factor that troubled the commanders ofthe Eastern Lords Division. The name on the written instruction might be spellingthe Commander of the Vanguard Force’s name, but the one who issued it was the dreadfulVice-Commander Adem.
The content of that written instruction was this:
『The Eastern Lords Division will advance until 3 kilometers west from theFort City Ejei, set the camp, and carry out a reconnaissance in force at Ejei. Waituntil the Main Force link up, the Ejei Conquest Operation will begin.』
Jean-Philia’s stomach became increasingly painful as heread the written instruction.
Fort City Ejei is different from a border town like Gimor its surrounding villages. It was a city that QuToyne Princ.i.p.ality constructedfor a future war with Louria Kingdom, a city that will decide their very existence.
The city itself was a fortress, a castle, and a base. Itsdefensive capabilities were very different from Gim.
Though the letter said that this was a renaissance in forceoperation, obviously the Eastern Lords Divisions were obliged to report how toachieve a good result or what kind of information they had obtained. If the reportis of no value, then there is a possibility that the commanding officers willbe removed and rea.s.signed as the commanding officer of the most dangerous shocktroops. At any rate, the people of the Lords Division got the short end of thestick.
The Fort City Ejei was located 55 kilometers east ofGim.
The Eastern Lords Division’s current location was 5kilometers east of Gim. The location But, where the 15th Knights Squadron ofthe Hawk Knights Order was annihilated was 25 kilometers east from the presentlocation. In other words, on a location halfway at the route towards Ejei, therewas an enemy so strong that they could even annihilate an entire CavalrySquadron which possess the highest mobility without leaving a single personescape. Or else, there was a troublesome being that wouldn’t abandon pursuing thefleeing enemies. There was no time to send a reconnaissance team……
However, to disobey Adem’s order, not only meanslosing their own life, but their family also wouldn’t escape from theslaughter. They must avoid this result at all cost.
And so, a detachment of about 20,000 soldiers from theLouria Kingdom Eastern Lords Division began to march east.
There were three of us—Mary, Eliza, and myself. I wasapproaching fifteen, Mary was about a year younger, and Eliza between twelveand thirteen years of age. Mamma treated us all as children, and was blind tothe fact that I was no longer what I had been. Although not tall for my age,nor outwardly presenting a manly appearance, my pa.s.sions were awakening, andthe distinctive feature of my s.e.x, although in repose it looked magnificentenough, was very sufficiently developed when under the influence of feminineexcitement.
As yet, I had absolutely no knowledge of the uses ofthe different organs of s.e.x. My sisters and I all slept in the same room. Theytogether in one bed, I alone in another. When no one was present, we had oftenmutually examined the different formations of our s.e.xes.
We had discovered that mutual handlings gave a certainamount of pleasing sensation; and, latterly, my eldest sister had discoveredthat the hooding and unhooding of my doodle, as she called it, instantly causedit to swell up and stiffen as hard as a piece of wood. My feeling of her littlepinky slit gave rise in her to nice sensations, but on the slightest attempt toinsert even my finger, the pain was too great. We had made so little progressin the attouchements that not the slightest inkling of what could be done inthat way dawned upon us. I had begun to develop a slight growth of moss-likecurls round the root of my c.o.c.k; and then, to our surprise, Mary began to showa similar tendency. As yet, Eliza was as bald as her hand, but both wereprettily formed, with wonderfully full and fat mounts of Venus. We wereperfectly innocent of guile and quite habituated to let each other look at allour naked bodies without the slightest hesitation; and when playing in the garden,if one wanted to relieve the pressure on the bladder, we all squatted downtogether, and crossed waters, each trying who could piddle fastest.Notwithstanding these symptoms of pa.s.sion when excited, in a state of calm Imight have pa.s.sed for a boy of ten or eleven.
My father had left us but moderately provided for, andmamma, wishing to live comfortably, preferred giving me lessons along with mysisters at home to sending me to school; but her health beginning to fail, sheinserted an advertis.e.m.e.nt in the Times for a governess. Out of a large numberof applicants, a young lady, of the name of Evelyn, was selected. Some ten daysafterwards she arrived, and became one of the family.
We did not see much of her the first evening, butafter breakfast the following morning, mamma accompanied her to what wasconsidered our schoolroom, and said, “Now, my dears, I place you under MissEvelyn’s care; you must obey her in all things; she will teach you yourlessons, as I am unable to do so any longer.” Then, turning to our newgoverness, “I fear you will find them somewhat spoiled, and unruly; but thereis a horse, and Susan will make you excellent birch rods whenever you requirethem. If you spare their bottoms when they deserve whipping, you will seriouslyoffend me.” As mamma said this, I observed Miss Evelyn’s eyes appeared todilate with a sort of joy, and I felt certain that, severely as mamma had oftenwhipped us, if we should now deserve it, Miss Evelyn would administer it muchmore severely. She looked amiability itself, and was truly beautiful in faceand person, twenty-two years of age, full and finely formed, and dressed alwayswith the most studied neatness. She was, in truth, a seductive creature. Shemade an instantaneous impression on my senses. There was, however, somewhat ofa sternness of expression, and a dignity of carriage, which caused at once tofear and respect her. Of course, at first, all went smoothly enough, and seeingthat mamma treated me precisely as she did my sisters, I came to be regarded asquite a child by Miss Evelyn. She found that she had to sleep in the same roomwith my sisters and myself. I fancied that on the first night Miss Evelyn didnot approve of this arrangement, but gradually became familiarized with it, andseemed to think no more about it.
When bedtime came, we all kissed mamma and retiredearly, as usual. Miss Evelyn followed some hours later. When she came in, shecarefully locked the door, then looked at me to see if I was asleep. Why, Iknow not, but I was instinctively prompted to feign sleep. I did sosuccessfully, notwithstanding the pa.s.sing of the candle before my eyes. So sheat once commenced undressing. When her back was turned, I opened my eyes, andgreedily devoured her naked charms as they were gradually exhibited before me.The moment she turned round, I was again as if asleep. I have said that mypa.s.sions had begun to develop themselves, but as yet I did not understand theirforce or direction. I well remember this first night, when a fine ripe woman graduallyremoved every particle of dress within a couple of yards of me—the effect ofeach succeeding charm, from her lovely and beautifully formed bubbies to thetaking off her shoes and stockings from her well-formed legs and small feet andankles, caused my p.r.i.c.k to swell and stiffen to a painful extent. When all buther chemise was removed, she stopped to pick up her petticoats that she hadallowed to fall to her feet, and in lifting them, raised also her chemise, andexposed to my view a most glorious bottom—dazzlingly white and shining likesatin. As the light was full upon it, and she was still in a stooping position,I could see that below her slit she was well covered with dark hair. Turninground, to put her petticoats on a chair, and to take up her nightgown, sheslipped her chemise from her arm, and letting it fall to the ground while shelifted the nightgown over her head, I had for some seconds a view of herbeautiful belly, thickly covered with dark curly hair over the mount of Venus.So voluptuous was the sight, I almost shuddered, so intense was my excitement.She now sat down on the bed to take off her shoes and stockings. Oh! whatbeautiful thighs, legs, ankles, and feet she had!
20. Thus much I know by the report of the people ofDelphi; but the Milesians add to this that Periander the son of Kypselos, beinga special guest-friend of Thrasybulos the then despot of Miletos, heard of theoracle which had been given to Alyattes, and sending a messenger toldThrasybulos, in order that he might have knowledge of it beforehand and takesuch counsel as the case required. This is the story told by the Milesians.
21. And Alyattes, when this answer was reported tohim, sent a herald forthwith to Miletos, desiring to make a truce withThrasybulos and the Milesians for so long a time as he should be building thetemple. He then was being sent as envoy to Miletos; and Thrasybulos in themeantime being informed beforehand of the whole matter and knowing whatAlyattes was meaning to do, contrived this device:—he gathered together in themarket-place all the store of provisions which was found in the city, both hisown and that which belonged to private persons; and he proclaimed to theMilesians that on a signal given by him they should all begin to drink and makemerry with one another.
22. This Thrasybulos did and thus proclaimed to theend that the herald from Sardis, seeing a vast quant.i.ty of provisionscarelessly piled up, and the people feasting, might report this to Alyattes:and so on fact it happened; for when the herald returned to Sardis after seeingthis and delivering to Thrasybulos the charge which was given to him by theking of Lydia, the peace which was made, came about, as I am informed, merelybecause of this. For Alyattes, who thought that there was a great famine in Miletosand that the people had been worn down to the extreme of misery, heard from theherald, when he returned from Miletos, the opposite to that which he himselfsupposed. And after this the peace was made between them on condition of beingguest-friends and allies to one another, and Alyattes built two temples toAthene at a.s.sessos in place of one, and himself recovered from his sickness.With regard then to the war waged by Alyattes with the Milesians andThrasybulos things went thus.
23. As for Periander, the man who gave informationabout the oracle to Thrasybulos, he was the son of Kypselos, and despot ofCorinth. In his life, say the Corinthians, (and with them agree the Lesbians),there happened to him a very great marvel, namely that Arion of Methymna wascarried ash.o.r.e at Tainaron upon a dolphin"s back. This man was a harper secondto none of those who then lived, and the first, so far as we know, who composeda dithyramb, naming it so and teaching it to a chorus 17 at Corinth.
24. This Arion, they say, who for the most part of histime stayed with Periander, conceived a desire to sail to Italy 18 and Sicily;and after he had there acquired large sums of money, he wished to return againto Corinth. He set forth therefore from Taras, 19 and as he had faith inCorinthians more than in other men, he hired a ship with a crew of Corinthians.These, the story says, when out in open sea, formed a plot to cast Arionoverboard and so possess his wealth; and he having obtained knowledge of thismade entreaties to them, offering them his wealth and asking them to grant himhis life. With this however he did not prevail upon them, but the men who wereconveying him bade him either slay himself there, that he might receive burialon the land, or leap straightway into the sea. So Arion being driven to astrait entreated them that, since they were so minded, they would allow him totake his stand in full minstrel"s garb upon the deck 20 of the ship and sing;and he promised to put himself to death after he had sung. They then, wellpleased to think that they should hear the best of all minstrels upon earth,drew back from the stern towards the middle of the ship; and he put on the fullminstrel"s garb and took his lyre, and standing on the deck performed theOrthian measure. Then as the measure ended, he threw himself into the sea justas he was, in his full minstrel"s garb; and they went on sailing away toCorinth, but him, they say, a dolphin supported on its back and brought him tosh.o.r.e at Tainaron: and when he had come to land he proceeded to Corinth withhis minstrel"s garb. Thither having arrived he related all that had been done;and Periander doubting of his story kept Arion in guard and would let him gonowhere, while he kept careful watch for those who had conveyed him. When thesecame, he called them and inquired of them if they had any report to make ofArion; and when they said that he was safe in Italy and that they had left himat Taras faring well, Arion suddenly appeared before them in the same guise aswhen he made his leap from the ship; and they being struck with amazement wereno longer able to deny when they were questioned. This is the tale told by theCorinthians and Lesbians alike, and there is at Tainaron a votive offering ofArion of no great size, 21 namely a bronze figure of a man upon a dolphin"sback.
25. Alyattes the Lydian, when he had thus waged waragainst the Milesians, afterwards died, having reigned seven-and-fifty years.This king, when he recovered from his sickness, dedicated a votive offering atDelphi (being the second of his house who had so done), namely a greatmixing-bowl of silver with a stand for it of iron welded together, which lastis a sight worth seeing above all the offerings at Delphi and the work ofGlaucos the Chian, who of all men first found out the art of welding iron.
26. After Alyattes was dead Croesus the son ofAlyattes received the kingdom in succession, being five-and-thirty years ofage. He (as I said) fought against the h.e.l.lenes and of them he attacked theEphesians first. The Ephesians then, being besieged by him, dedicated theircity to Artemis and tied a rope from the temple to the wall of the city: nowthe distance between the ancient city, which was then being besieged, and thetemple is seven furlongs. 22 These, I say, where the first upon whom Croesuslaid hands, but afterwards he did the same to the other Ionian and Aioliancities one by one, alleging against them various causes of complaint, andmaking serious charges against those in whose cases he could find seriousgrounds, while against others of them he charged merely trifling offences.
27. Then when the h.e.l.lenes in Asia had been conqueredand forced to pay tribute, he designed next to build for himself ships and tolay hands upon those who dwelt in the islands; and when all was prepared forhis building of ships, they say that Bias of Priene (or, according to anotheraccount, Pittacos of Mytilene) came to Sardis, and being asked by Croesuswhether there was any new thing doing in h.e.l.las, brought to an end his buildingof ships by this saying: "O king," said he, "the men of theislands are hiring a troop of ten thousand horse, and with this they mean tomarch to Sardis and fight against thee." And Croesus, supposing that whathe reported was true, said: "May the G.o.ds put it into the minds of thedwellers of the islands to come with horses against the sons of theLydians!" And he answered and said: "O king, I perceive that thoudost earnestly desire to catch the men of the islands on the mainland ridingupon horses; and it is not unreasonable that thou shouldest wish for this: whatelse however thinkest thou the men of the islands desire and have been prayingfor ever since the time they heard that thou wert about to build ships againstthem, than that they might catch the Lydians upon the sea, so as to takevengeance upon thee for the h.e.l.lenes who dwell upon the mainland, whom thoudost hold enslaved?" Croesus, they say, was greatly pleased with thisconclusion, 23 and obeying his suggestion, for he judged him to speak suitably,he stopped his building of ships; and upon that he formed a friendship with theIonians dwelling in the islands.
28. As time went on, when nearly all those dwelling onthis side the river Halys had been subdued, (for except the Kilikians andLykians Croesus subdued and kept under his rule all the nations, that is to sayLydians, Phrygians, Mysians, Mariandynoi, Chalybians, Paphlagonians, Thraciansboth Thynian and Bithynian, Carians, Ionians, Dorians, Aiolians, and Pamphylians),24
29, when these, I say, had been subdued, and while hewas still adding to his Lydian dominions, there came to Sardis, then at theheight of its wealth, all the wise men 25 of the h.e.l.las who chanced to be aliveat that time, brought thither severally by various occasions; and of them onewas Solon the Athenian, who after he had made laws for the Athenians at theirbidding, left his native country for ten years and sailed away saying that hedesired to visit various lands, in order that he might not be compelled torepeal any of the laws which he had proposed. 26 For of themselves theAthenians were not competent to do this, having bound themselves by solemnoaths to submit for ten years to the laws which Solon should propose for them.
30. So Solon, having left his native country for thisreason and for the sake of seeing various lands, came to Amasis in Egypt, andalso to Croesus at Sardis. Having there arrived he was entertained as a guestby Croesus in the king"s palace; and afterwards, on the third or fourth day, atthe bidding of Croesus his servants led Solon round to see his treasuries; andthey showed him all things, how great and magnificent they were: and after hehad looked upon them all and examined them as he had occasion, Croesus askedhim as follows: "Athenian guest, much report of thee has come to us, bothin regard to thy wisdom and thy wanderings, how that in thy search for wisdomthou hast traversed many lands to see them; now therefore a desire has comeupon me to ask thee whether thou hast seen any whom thou deemest to be of allmen the most happy." 27 This he asked supposing that he himself was thehappiest of men; but Solon, using no flattery but the truth only, said:"Yes, O king, Tellos the Athenian." And Croesus, marvelling at thatwhich he said, asked him earnestly: "In what respect dost thou judgeTellos to be the most happy?" And he said: "Tellos, in the firstplace, living while his native State was prosperous, had sons fair and good andsaw from all of them children begotten and living to grow up; and secondly hehad what with us is accounted wealth, and after his life a most glorious end:for when a battle was fought by the Athenians at Eleusis against theneighbouring people, he brought up supports and routed the foe and there diedby a most fair death; and the Athenians buried him publicly where he fell, andhonoured him greatly."
31. So when Solon had moved Croesus to inquire furtherby the story of Tellos, recounting how many points of happiness he had, theking asked again whom he had seen proper to be placed next after this man,supposing that he himself would certainly obtain at least the second place; buthe replied: "Cleobis and Biton: for these, who were of Argos by race,possessed a sufficiency of wealth and, in addition to this, strength of bodysuch as I shall tell. Both equally had won prizes in the games, and moreoverthe following tale is told of them:—There was a feast of Hera among the Argivesand it was by all means necessary that their mother should be borne in a car tothe temple. But since their oxen were not brought up in time from the field,the young men, barred from all else by lack of time, submitted themselves tothe yoke and drew the wain, their mother being borne by them upon it; and sothey brought it on for five-and-forty furlongs, 28 and came to the temple. Thenafter they had done this and had been seen by the a.s.sembled crowd, there cameto their life a most excellent ending; and in this the deity declared that itwas better for man to die than to continue to live. For the Argive men werestanding round and extolling the strength 29 of the young men, while the Argivewomen were extolling the mother to whose lot it had fallen to have such sons;and the mother being exceedingly rejoiced both by the deed itself and by thereport made of it, took her stand in front of the image of the G.o.ddess andprayed that she would give to Cleobis and Biton her sons, who had honoured her30 greatly, that gift which is best for man to receive: and after this prayer,when they had sacrificed and feasted, the young men lay down to sleep withinthe temple itself, and never rose again, but were held bound in this last end.31 And the Argives made statues in the likeness of them and dedicated them asofferings at Delphi, thinking that they had proved themselves mostexcellent."
32. Thus Solon a.s.signed the second place in respect ofhappiness to these: and Croesus was moved to anger and said: "Athenianguest, hast thou then so cast aside our prosperous state as worth nothing, thatthou dost prefer to us even men of private station?" And he said:"Croesus, thou art inquiring about human fortunes of one who well knowsthat the Deity is altogether envious and apt to disturb our lot. For in thecourse of long time a man may see many things which he would not desire to see,and suffer also many things which he would not desire to suffer. The limit oflife for a man I lay down at seventy years: and these seventy years givetwenty-five thousand and two hundred days, not reckoning for any intercalatedmonth. Then if every other one of these years shall be made longer by onemonth, that the seasons may be caused to come round at the due time of theyear, the intercalated months will be in number five-and-thirty besides theseventy years; and of these months the days will be one thousand and fifty. Ofall these days, being in number twenty-six thousand two hundred and fifty,which go to the seventy years, one day produces nothing at all which resembleswhat another brings with it. Thus then, O Croesus, man is altogether a creatureof accident. As for thee, I perceive that thou art both great in wealth andking of many men, but that of which thou didst ask me I cannot call thee yet,until I learn that thou hast brought thy life to a fair ending: for the veryrich man is not at all to be accounted more happy than he who has but hissubsistence from day to day, unless also the fortune go with him of ending hislife well in possession of all things fair. For many very wealthy men are nothappy, 32 while many who have but a moderate living are fortunate; 33 and intruth the very rich man who is not happy has two advantages only as comparedwith the poor man who is fortunate, whereas this latter has many as comparedwith the rich man who is not happy. The rich man is able better to fulfil hisdesire, and also to endure a great calamity if it fall upon him; whereas theother has advantage over him in these things which follow:—he is not indeedable equally with the rich man to endure a calamity or to fulfil his desire,but these his good fortune keeps away from him, while he is sound of limb, 34free from disease, untouched by suffering, the father of fair children andhimself of comely form; and if in addition to this he shall end his life well,he is worthy to be called that which thou seekest, namely a happy man; butbefore he comes to his end it is well to hold back and not to call him yethappy but only fortunate. Now to possess all these things together isimpossible for one who is mere man, just as no single land suffices to supplyall things for itself, but one thing it has and another it lacks, and the landthat has the greatest number of things is the best: so also in the case of aman, no single person is complete in himself, for one thing he has and anotherhe lacks; but whosoever of men continues to the end in possession of thegreatest number of these things and then has a gracious ending of his life, heis by me accounted worthy, O king, to receive this name. But we must of everything examine the end and how it will turn out at the last, for to many G.o.dshows but a glimpse of happiness and then plucks them up by the roots andoverturns them."
33. Thus saying he refused to gratify Croesus, whosent him away from his presence holding him in no esteem, and thinking himutterly senseless in that he pa.s.sed over present good things and bade men lookto the end of every matter.
34. After Solon had departed, a great retribution fromG.o.d came upon Croesus, probably because he judged himself to be the happiest ofall men. First there came and stood by him a dream, which showed to him thetruth of the evils that were about to come to pa.s.s in respect of his son. NowCroesus had two sons, of whom one was deficient, seeing that he was deaf anddumb, while the other far surpa.s.sed his companions of the same age in allthings: and the name of this last was Atys. As regards this Atys then, thedream signified to Croesus that he should lose him by the blow of an ironspear-point: 35 and when he rose up from sleep and considered the matter withhimself, he was struck with fear on account of the dream; and first he took forhis son a wife; and whereas his son had been wont to lead the armies of theLydians, he now no longer sent him forth anywhere on any such business; and thejavelins and lances and all such things which men use for fighting he conveyedout of the men"s apartments and piled them up in the inner bed-chambers, forfear lest something hanging up might fall down upon his son.
35. Then while he was engaged about the marriage ofhis son, there came to Sardis a man under a misfortune and with hands notclean, a Phrygian by birth and of the royal house. This man came to the houseof Croesus, and according to the customs which prevail in that land maderequest that he might have cleansing; and Croesus gave him cleansing: now themanner of cleansing among the Lydians is the same almost as that which theh.e.l.lenes use. So when Croesus had done that which was customary, he asked ofhim whence he came and who he was, saying as follows: "Man, who art thou,and from what region of Phrygia didst thou come to sit upon my hearth? And whomof men or women didst thou slay?" And he replied: "O king, I am theson of Gordias, the son of Midas, and I am called Adrastos; and I slew my ownbrother against my will, and therefore am I here, having been driven forth bymy father and deprived of all that I had." And Croesus answered thus:"Thou art, as it chances, the offshoot of men who are our friends and thouhast come to friends, among whom thou shalt want of nothing so long as thoushalt remain in our land: and thou wilt find it most for thy profit to bearthis misfortune as lightly as may be." So he had his abode with Croesus.36
36. During this time there was produced in the MysianOlympos a boar of monstrous size. This, coming down from the mountainaforesaid, ravaged the fields of the Mysians, and although the Mysians went outagainst it often, yet they could do it no hurt, but rather received hurt themselvesfrom it; so at length messengers came from the Mysians to Croesus and said:"O king, there has appeared in our land a boar of monstrous size, whichlays waste our fields; and we, desiring eagerly to take it, are not able: nowtherefore we ask of thee to send with us thy son and also a chosen band ofyoung men with dogs, that we may destroy it out of our land." Thus theymade request, and Croesus calling to mind the words of the dream spoke to themas follows: "As touching my son, make no further mention of him in thismatter; for I will not send him with you, seeing that he is newly married andis concerned now with the affairs of his marriage: but I will send with youchosen men of the Lydians and the whole number of my hunting dogs, and I willgive command to those who go, to be as zealous as may be in helping you todestroy the wild beast out of your land."
37. Thus he made reply, and while the Mysians werebeing contented with this answer, there came in also the son of Croesus, havingheard of the request made by the Mysians: and when Croesus said that he wouldnot send his son with them, the young man spoke as follows: "My father, intimes past the fairest and most n.o.ble part was allotted to us, to go outcontinually to wars and to the chase and so have good repute; but now thou hastdebarred me from both of these, although thou hast not observed in me anycowardly or faint-hearted spirit. And now with what face must I appear when Igo to and from the market-place of the city? What kind of a man shall I beesteemed by the citizens, and what kind of a man shall I be esteemed by mynewly-married wife? With what kind of a husband will she think that she ismated? Therefore either let me go to the hunt, or persuade me by reason thatthese things are better for me done as now they are."
38. And Croesus made answer thus: "My son, notbecause I have observed in thee any spirit of cowardice or any other ungraciousthing, do I act thus; but a vision of a dream came and stood by me in my sleepand told me that thou shouldest be short-lived, and that thou shouldest perishby a spear-point of iron. With thought of this vision therefore I both urged onthis marriage for thee, and I refuse now to send thee upon the matter which isbeing taken in hand, having a care of thee that I may steal thee from thy fateat least for the period of my own life, if by any means possible for me to doso. For thou art, as it chances, my only son: the other I do not reckon as one,seeing that he is deficient in hearing."
39. The young man made answer thus: "It may wellbe forgiven in thee, O my father, that thou shouldest have a care of me afterhaving seen such a vision; but that which thou dost not understand, and inwhich the meaning of the dream has escaped thee, it is right that I shouldexpound to thee. Thou sayest the dream declared that I should end my life bymeans of a spear-point of iron: but what hands has a boar, or what spear-pointof iron, of which thou art afraid? If the dream had told thee that I should endmy life by a tusk, or any other thing which resembles that, it would be rightfor thee doubtless to do as thou art doing; but it said "by a spear-point."Since therefore our fight will not be with men, let me now go."
40. Croesus made answer: "My son, thou dost partlyprevail with me by declaring thy judgment about the dream; therefore, havingbeen prevailed upon by thee, I change my resolution and allow thee to go to thechase."
In a few minutes the light was extinguished, and arushing rill flowed into the night vase; very different from the gentletricklings from myself and sisters as we often squatted down opposite eachother and crossed water, laughing at the different sources from which theyflowed. My sisters often envied me the power of directing the spurt where Ipleased, so little were we from dreaming of the real intent of that projectinglittle instrument.
I heard the charming creature get into bed, andshortly breathe hard. As for me, I could not sleep. I lay awake the greaterpart of the night, afraid to be restless, lest I should disturb Miss Evelyn andgive her reason to think I had been observant of her undressing. When at last Idozed off, it was but to dream of all the charms I had seen.
About a month pa.s.sed thus. Every night Miss Evelynbecame more and more at her ease, and confident of my mere childishness, oftengave me glorious and lengthened glimpses of her beautifully developed charms:although it was only about every other night that I could enjoy them, for, asthey always produced sleeplessness afterwards, the following night naturea.s.sured her rights, and I usually slept profoundly when I would have preferredcontinued gazing on the charms of my lovely governess. But, doubtless, thoseexhausting sleeps helped to throw her off her guard, and gave me betteropportunities than I should otherwise have had. Once or twice she used thenight ware before putting on her nightgown, and I could see the rosy-lippedopening embosomed in exquisite dark curls, pouring out its full measure ofwater; showing a fine force of nature, and driving me wild with excitement. Yetit is singular that I never once thought of applying to my fingers for relieffrom the painful stiffness that nearly burst my p.r.i.c.k asunder.
Whether mamma had observed my very frequent projectionof my trousers, or began to think it better I should not sleep in the same roomas Miss Evelyn, I cannot say, but she had my bed removed into her own. However,I was so thoroughly treated as a mere boy by everyone in the house, that MissEvelyn seemed to forget my s.e.x; and there was at all times a freedom ofcarriage and an abandon in her att.i.tudes that she certainly would not haveindulged in if she had felt any restraint from considering herself in thepresence of a youth of the age of p.u.b.erty.
In cold weather I used to sit on a low stool by thefire—Miss Evelyn was seated in front, I had my lesson book on my knee, and sheherself would place her beautiful feet on the high school fender, with her workin her lap, while she heard my sisters repeat their lesson, totally unconsciousthat for half an hour at a time she was exposing her beautiful legs and thighsto my ardent gaze; for sitting much below her, and bending my head as if intenton my lesson, my eyes were below her raised petticoats. Her close andtight-fitting white stockings displayed her well-formed legs, for whileconfined to the house during our morning lessons she did not wear drawers; sothat in the position she sat in, with her knees higher than her feet on thealready high fender, and her legs somewhat apart to hold her work in her lapmore easily, the whole glorious underswell of both thighs, and the lower partof her fine large bottom, with the pinky slit quite visible, nestled in a richprofusion of dark curls, were fully exposed to my view. The light from the fireglancing under her raised petticoats tinged the whole with a glow, and set meequally in a blaze of desire until I was almost ready to faint. I could haverushed headlong under her petticoats, and kissed and fondled that deliciousopening and all its surroundings. Oh, how little she thought of the pa.s.sion shewas raising. Oh! dear Miss Evelyn, how I did love you from the dainty kidslipper and tight glossy silk stocking, up to the glorious swell of thebeautiful bubbies, that were so fully exposed to me nearly every night, and thelovely lips of all that I longed to lovingly embrace.
Thus day after day pa.s.sed away, and Miss Evelyn becameto me a G.o.ddess, a creature whom, in my heart of hearts, I literally worshiped.When she left the schoolroom, and I was alone, I kissed that part of the fenderher feet had pressed, and the seat on which she sat, and even the air an inchabove, imagination placing there her lovely c.u.n.t. I craved for something beyondthis without knowing exactly what I wanted; for, as yet, I really was utterlyignorant of anything appertaining to the conjunction of the s.e.xes.
One day I had gone up to my sisters’ bedroom where thegoverness slept, that I might throw myself on her bed, and in imaginationembrace her beautiful body. I heard someone approaching, and knowing that I hadno business there, I hid myself under the bed. The next moment Miss Evelynherself entered, and locked the door. It was about an hour before dinner.Taking off her dress, and hanging it on the wardrobe, she drew out a piece offurniture, which had been bought for her, the use of which had often puzzledme; she took off the lid, poured water into its basin, and placed a sponge nearit. She then took off her gown, drew her petticoats and chemise up to her waistand fastened them there, straddled across it, and seated herself upon it.
I thus had the intoxicating delight of gazing on allher beautiful charms, for when she tucked up her clothes she stood before hergla.s.s, presenting to my devouring glance her glorious white bottom in all itsfullness, turning to approach the bidet, she equally exposed her lower bellyand beautiful mount, with all its wealth of hair. While straddling over thebidet before she sat down, the whole of her pinky-lipped c.u.n.t broke on myenraptured sight. Never shall I forget the wild excitement of the moment. Itwas almost too much for my excited senses; fortunately, when seated, theimmediate cause of my almost madness vanished. She sponged herself well betweenthe thighs for about five minutes. She then raised herself off the bidet, andfor a moment again displayed the pouting lips of her c.u.n.t—then stood frontingme for two or three minutes while she removed, with the rinsed sponge, thetrickling drops of water which still gathered on the rich bush of curls aroundher quim. Thus her belly, mount and thighs, whose ma.s.sy-fleshed and mostvoluptuous shape were more fully seen by me than they had heretofore been, andit may easily be conceived into what a state such a deliberate view threw me.
Oh, Miss Evelyn, dear, delicious Miss Evelyn! whatwould you have thought had you known that I was gazing on all your angeliccharms, and that my eager eyes had been straining themselves to penetrate therichness of those charming pouting lips which lay so snugly in that rich ma.s.sof dark curling hair. Oh! how I do long to kiss them; for at that time I had noother idea of embracing and still less of penetrating them.
When her ablutions were completed, she sat down anddrew off her stockings, displaying her beautiful white calves and charminglittle feet. I believe it was this first admiration of really exquisitelyformed legs, ankles and feet, which were extraordinarily perfect in make, thatfirst awakened my pa.s.sion for those objects, which have since always exerciseda peculiar charm over me. She was also so particularly neat in her shoes—littledark ones—that were bijoux to look at, I often took them up and kissed them, whenleft in the room. Then her silk stockings, always drawn up tight and fittinglike a glove, set off to the greatest advantage the remarkable fine shape ofher legs.
Putting on silk for cotton stockings, she took down alow-bodiced dress, finished her toilet, and left the room. I crawled out fromunder the bed, washed my face and hands in the water of the bidet, and evendrank some in my excitement.
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SERIOUSLY, CLICK THE b.u.t.tON
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The QuToyne-chan and j.a.pan-kun Manzai-duo. (j.a.pan is the boke, QuToyneis the tsukkomi.)
Also... I had inserted an erotica inside the hidden text. A 1873 book called The Romance of l.u.s.t.