第 22 节
作者:猜火车      更新:2021-02-20 17:38      字数:9321
  any number short of Infinity。 Away then with all personal considerations!
  Let   me   continue   to   the   end;   as   I   began;   without   further   digressions   or
  anticipations; pursuing the plain path of dispassionate History。 The exact
  facts; the exact words;and they are burnt in upon my brain; shall be set
  down without alteration of an iota; and let my Readers judge between me
  and Destiny。
  The      Sphere     would      willingly      have     continued      his    lessons     by
  indoctrinating   me   in   the   conformation   of   all   regular   Solids;   Cylinders;
  Cones;       Pyramids;      Pentahedrons;        Hexahedrons;        Dodecahedrons;         and
  Spheres:      but   I  ventured    to   interrupt   him。    Not   that   I  was   wearied     of
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  knowledge。 On the contrary; I thirsted for yet deeper and fuller draughts
  than he was offering to me。
  〃Pardon me;〃 said I; 〃O Thou Whom I must no longer address as the
  Perfection of   all   Beauty; but   let   me beg   thee to vouchsafe thy  servant   a
  slight of thine interior。〃
  Sphere。 My what?
  I。 Thine interior: thy stomach; thy intestines。
  Sphere。   Whence   this   ill…timed   impertinent   request?   And   what   mean
  you by saying that I am no longer the Perfection of all Beauty?
  I。   My   Lord;   your   own   wisdom  has   taught   me   to   aspire   to   One   even
  more   great;   more   beautiful;   and   more   closely   approximate   to   Perfection
  than   yourself。  As   you   yourself;   superior   to   all   Flatland   forms;   combine
  many Circles in One; so doubtless there is One above you who combines
  many  Spheres in   One   Supreme   Existence;   surpassing   even   the   Solids   of
  Spaceland。 And even as we; who are now in Space; look down on Flatland
  and   see   the   insides   of   all   things;   so   of   a   certainty  there   is   yet   above   us
  some higher; purer region; whither thou dost surely purpose to lead meO
  Thou Whom   I   shall   always   call;   everywhere   and   in   all   Dimensions;   my
  Priest;    Philosopher;      and   Friendsome       yet   more    spacious     Space;    some
  more   dimensionable   Dimensionality;   from   the   vantage…ground   of   which
  we shall look down together upon the revealed insides of Solid things; and
  where   thine   own   intestines;   and   those   of   thy   kindred   Spheres;   will   lie
  exposed to the view of the poor wandering exile from Flatland; to whom
  so much has already been vouchsafed。
  Sphere。   Pooh!   Stuff!   Enough   of   this   trifling!   The   time   is   short;   and
  much   remains   to   be   done   before   you   are   fit   to   proclaim   the   Gospel   of
  Three Dimensions to your blind benighted countrymen in Flatland。
  I。 Nay; gracious Teacher; deny me not what I know it is in thy power to
  reform。 Grant me but one glimpse of thine interior; and I am satisfied for
  ever; remaining henceforth thy docile pupil; thy unemacipable slave; ready
  to receive all thy teachings and to feed upon the words that fall from thy
  lips。
  Sphere。 Well; then;   to   content and   silence   you;   let   me   say  at   once;   I
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  would shew you what you wish if I could; but I cannot。 Would you have
  me turn my stomach inside out to oblige you?
  I。 But my Lord has shewn me the intestines of all my countrymen in
  the   Land   of   Two   Dimensions   by   taking   me   with   him   into   the   Land   of
  Three。 What therefore more easy than now to take his servant on a second
  journey   into   the   blessed   region   of   the   Fourth   Dimension;   where   I   shall
  look down with him once more upon this land of Three Dimensions; and
  see the inside of every three…dimensioned house; the secrets of the solid
  earth; the treasures of the mines of Spaceland; and the intestines of every
  solid living creature; even the noble and adorable Spheres。
  Sphere。 But where is this land of Four Dimensions?
  I。 I know not: but doubtless my Teacher knows。
  Sphere。   Not   I。   There   is   no   such   land。   The   very   idea   of   it   is   utterly
  inconceivable。
  I。   Not    inconceivable;      my    Lord;    to   me;   and    therefore    still  less
  inconceivable   to   my   Master。   Nay;   I   despair   not   that;   even   here;   in   this
  region   of   Three   Dimensions;   your   Lordship's   art   may   make   the   Fourth
  Dimension   visible   to   me;   just   as   in   the   Land   of   Two   Dimensions   my
  Teacher's skill would fain have opened the eyes of his blind servant to the
  invisible presence of a Third Dimension; though I saw it not。
  Let me recall the past。 Was I not taught below that when I saw a Line
  and inferred a Plane; I in reality saw a Third unrecognized Dimension; not
  the same as brightness; called 〃height〃? And does it not now follow that;
  in this region; when I see a Plane and infer a Solid; I really see a Fourth
  unrecognized   Dimension;   not   the   same   as   colour;   but   existent;   though
  infinitesimal and incapable of measurement?
  And besides this; there is the Argument from Analogy of Figures。
  Sphere。 Analogy! Nonsense: what analogy?
  I。 Your Lordship tempts his servant to see whether he remembers the
  revelations imparted to him。 Trifle not with me; my Lord; I crave; I thirst;
  for    more     knowledge。      Doubtless      we    cannot     SEE    that   other    higher
  Spaceland now; because we have no eye in our stomachs。 But; just as there
  WAS   the   realm   of   Flatland;   though   that   poor   puny   Lineland   Monarch
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  could   neither   turn   to   left   nor   right   to   discern   it;   and   just   as   there   WAS
  close   at   hand;   and   touching   my   frame;   the   land   of   Three   Dimensions;
  though I; blind senseless wretch; had no power to touch it; no eye in my
  interior to discern it; so of a surety there is a Fourth Dimension; which my
  Lord perceives   with the inner eye   of thought。 And that it must   exist   my
  Lord   himself   has   taught   me。   Or   can   he   have   forgotten   what   he   himself
  imparted to his servant?
  In One Dimension; did not a moving Point produce a Line with TWO
  terminal points?
  In   Two   Dimensions;   did   not   a   moving   Line   produce   a   Square   with
  FOUR terminal points?
  In Three Dimensions; did not a moving Square producedid not this
  eye of mine behold itthat blessed Being; a Cube; with EIGHT terminal
  points?
  And in Four Dimensions shall not a moving Cubealas; for Analogy;
  and   alas   for   the   Progress   of   Truth;   if   it   be   not   soshall   not;   I   say;   the
  motion   of   a   divine   Cube   result   in   a   still   more   divine   Organization   with
  SIXTEEN terminal points?
  Behold the infallible confirmation of the Series; 2; 4; 8; 16: is not this
  a   Geometrical   Progression?   Is   not   thisif   I   might   quote   my   Lord's   own
  words〃strictly according to Analogy〃?
  Again; was I not taught by my Lord that as in a Line there are TWO
  bounding Points; and in a Square there are FOUR bounding Lines; so in a
  Cube      there   must    be   SIX    bounding      Squares?      Behold     once    more    the
  confirming   Series;   2;   4;   6:   is   not   this   an Arithmetical   Progression? And
  consequently does it not of necessity follow that the more divine offspring
  of the divine Cube in the Land of Four Dimensions; must have 8 bounding
  Cubes: and is not this also; as my Lord has taught me to believe; 〃strictly
  according   to Analogy〃?   O;   my   Lord;   my   Lord;   behold;   I   cast   myself   in
  faith    upon    conjecture;     not   knowing      the   facts;   and   I  appeal     to  your
  Lordship   to   confirm   or   deny   my   logical   anticipations。   If   I   am   wrong;   I
  yield; and will no longer demand a Fourth Dimension; but; if I am right;
  my Lord will listen to reason。
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  I ask therefore; is it; or is it not; the fact; that ere now your countrymen
  also have witnessed the descent of Beings of a higher order than their own;
  entering closed   rooms;  even   as   your   Lordship   entered   mine;  without the
  opening of doors or windows; and appearing and vanishing at will? On the
  reply to this   question I  am ready  to stake everything。  Deny it;  and I  am