e part of the wisdom of the ancients might be preserved. They
themselves wrote down what they knew, and these manuscripts, transmitted
to their children, were saved with care. Some of them remain to this
day. These children, growing to manhood, took more upon them, and
assumed higher authority as the past was forgotten, and the original
equality of all men lost in antiquity. The small enclosed farms of their
fathers became enlarged to estates, the estates became towns, and thus,
by degrees, the order of the nobility was formed. As they intermarried
only among themselves, they preserved a certain individuality. At this
day a noble is at once known, no matter how coarsely he may be dressed,
or how brutal his habits, by his delicacy of feature, his air of
command, even by his softness of skin and fineness of hair.

Still the art of reading and writing is scrupulously imparted to all
their legitimate offspring, and scrupulously confined to them alone. It
is true that they do not use it except on rare occasions when necessity
demands, being wholly given over to the chase, to war, and politics, but
they retain the knowledge. Indeed, were a noble to be known not to be
able to read and write, the prince would at once degrade him, and the
sentence would be upheld by the entire caste. No other but the nobles
are permitted to acquire these arts; if any attempt to do so, they are
enslaved and punished. But none do attempt; of what avail would it be to
them?

All knowledge is thus retained in the possession of the nobles; they do
not use it, but the physicians, for instance, who are famous, are so
because by favour of some baron, they have learned receipts in the
ancient manuscripts which have been mentioned. One virtue, and one only,
adorns this exclusive caste; they are courageous to the verge of
madness. I had almost omitted to state that the merchants know how to
read and write, having special license and permits to do so, without
which they may not correspond. There are few books, and still fewer to
read them; and these all in manuscript, for though the way to print is
not lost, it is not employed since no one wants books.

CHAPTER V

THE LAKE

There now only remains the geography of our country to be treated of
before the history is commenced. Now the most striking difference
between the country as we know it and as it was known to the ancients is
the existence of the great Lake in the centre of the island. From t