That Can Subjugate the Entire Earth, Easily Seize Control over Egypt, or Establish American Colonies
(1671, A IV i, 408-10. Translated here only in part. To see the corresponding Latin text, please click 'continue reading').
A certain island of Africa, such as Madagascar, shall be selected, and
all the inhabitants shall be ordered to leave. Visitors from elsewhere
shall be turned away, or in any event it will be decreed that they only
be permitted to stay in the harbor for the purpose of obtaining water.
To this island slaves captured from all over the barbarian world will
be brought, and from all of the wild coastal regions of Africa, Arabia,
New Guinea, etc. To this end Ethiopians, Nigritians, Angolans,
Caribbeans, Canadians, and Hurons fit the bill, without discrimination.
What a lovely bunch of semi-beasts! But so that this mass of men may be shaped in any way desired, it is
useful only to take boys up to around the age of twelve, as this is
better than [attempting to] transform girls and adults.
In every race [genere], whoever is most trained in his squadron, which is to say among those who speak his language, shall challenge those who are the best trained in the other squadrons. The people [gens] that wins that year shall be the leaders. Thus they will be able to strike terrible blows with their very powerful curved swords, to hit targets with their slings, and to rip things apart with their lances. They are to be trained to run races at such a speed as will be equal to that of horses. Which will come about first by pursuing them until they are able to touch the mane or the tail, and then freely [i.e., without horses]. They shall learn to swim first with the help of an outer shell or bladder, and thereafter without any covering; they will descend under the water after the example of diving bells, and they will learn the method of ascending and descending as they please. They shall learn to jump after the manner of the Tenerifeans, first jumping with the help of a lance, of the Springstecken, as far as human strength is able to reach, and afterwards without these.
In the beginning they will alight from a higher place by the means of their lance touching the ground below; then they will leap horizontally on a level plane, and finally from below they will leap to the top. The will learn how to climb up smooth surfaces [per lubrica klettern], as the Japanese do on their cliffs, and as the gatherers of palm fronds among the Indians. They shall become used to climbing however high their lance may be just by means of fixing their lances beneath them. They will learn moreover to carry the greatest and strongest lances, like Achilles, and like other ancients. Indeed, they shall learn to project them with great impetus towards a designated target, as well as of bringing one lance together with another if the one does not suffice for climing. By means of this art they will easily conquer the mightiest European fortifications. They will be able to walk on their lances, as on stilts [wie auff stelzen].
MODUS INSTITUENDI NOVAM MILITIAM INVICTAM QUA SUBJUGARI POSSIT ORBIS TERRARUM. FACILIS EXECUTIO TENENTI AEGYPTUM, VEL HABENTI COLONIAM AMERICANAM.
(1671, A IV i, 408-10).
Eligatur insula quaedam Africae ut Madagascar, ex illa incolae omnes migrare jubeantur.
Ad insulam exteris aditus negetur, aut saltem exscensio, liceat illis in portu aquandi causa
morari. In hanc insulam contrahantur mancipia emta captaque ex omni late barbarie totoque tractu maritimo inculto Africae, Arabiae, Americae, Novae Gvinea etc. Huc sine discrimine Aethiopes, Nigritae, Angolitae, Canibales, Canadenses, Hurones conveniant. Pulchrum concilium semibestiarum. Sed ut omnes formae infundi possint huic massae hominum, utile est non nisi pueros adduci duodecennes circiter, puellas adultosque permutare satius est...
In omni genere qui est exercitatissimus turmae seu lingvae suae, aliorum exercitatissimos provocet. Gens quae vincit eo anno priora teneat. Ita poterunt acinacibus solidissimis ictus terribiles inferre, fundis metas ferire, perrumpere hastis. Ad cursus celeritatem tantam exercendi sunt, ut aequare possint equos. Qvod fiet primum eos prosequendo dum jubas caudamque tangere liceat, deinde libere. Natare discent primum cortice aut vesica, deinde sine cortice; sub aqua morabuntur ad exemplum urinatorum, discent rationem descendendi et ascendendi in ea, cum volent. Saltare discent exemplo Teneriffiorum, primum saltabunt ope hastarum, der Springstecken, quousque pertingere vis humana potest, deinde sine illis...
Initio desilient ex loco excelso ope hastae suae infra terram tangentis; deinde salient in plano ad horizontem parallelo, denique ex imo in summum. Discent modum ascendendi per lubrica klettern, ut faciunt Iappones in suis rupibus, et curatores palmarum apud Indos. Assvescant per solas suas hastas infra fixas ad tantam altitudinem ascendere quanta est hastae. Hastas autem portare discant maximas et fortissimas instar Achillis, et aliorum veterum. Etiam projicere eas maximo impetu discant in metam destinatam, sit et ratio hastam hastae conjungendi si ad ascendendum non sufficiat. Hac arte facile superabunt munimenta fortissima Europaea. Poterunt ambulare super hastis, wie auff stelzen.
Comments