too narrow and turbulent to be the beloved Thames? But then her familiar tidal pattern was noticed. This was our river, after all, yet one filled with shadows and pools of darkness.
There are even more extraordinary scenes when it becomes clear that a creature or person is diving and swooping above the river. It cannot be seen, but it sees all. It sees tall buildings and lighted rooms; it sees streets and faces; it sees strange grey birds and small boats upon the water. It rises and falls, gliding invisibly through the London air. Could it be some high priestess, called Hitchcock Frenzy? We have no knowledge, however, of astral magic in the Age of Mouldwarp. It has been suggested that it is the work of an angel, who excreted the material strip of light while flying over the city, but there has been no confirmation of this interesting hypothesis.
We remain perplexed, therefore, and can only look with wonder upon these images of ancient London. The first of them depicts a group of people gathered beside the Thames; they seem to be engaged in some tribal rite, during which they clap their hands and smile at one another. Perhaps they intend to worship the river, or to offer a sacrifice to the city, since the next scenes are those of a naked woman, with a band of striped linen around her neck, floating upon the water. It is possible that this body was part of an elaborate ceremony designed to summon up the dead from the depths of the river, but the very texture of Mouldwarp life is too rapid and discontinuous to allow any certain judgement.
The next representations, for example, are taken within some interior space where a male human is wrapping the same band of striped linen around his own neck. Is he one of the dead who has been reborn? Or is he about to become a willing sacrifice? There are no others in his presence, which suggests that he has been exiled from the city. Then he walks down to the ground by means of wooden steps or stairs and somehow reappears in a room filled with glass bottles. The nature of Mouldwarp life is disconcerting indeed, with sudden leaps of time and space which do not seem to affect the inhabitants of this continually evolving world. The exile pours liquid into a glass and swallows it in one gesture. This may be a form of awakening. He then places a tube of paper or cloth into his mouth and lights it; here we notice the worship of fire as well as water. He must be the only inhabitant of this bottle-chamber, since his name is inscribed upon a frosted glass exterior; he is called Nell Gwyn. Immediately opposite him dwells Henrietta Street, who cannot be seen.
Once again, in one of those extraordinary transitions of ancient city life, Nell Gwyn has suddenly passed through a doorway into the thoroughfare beyond. Here, then, was our first sight of the primitive city. It has been a constant source of excitement and surprise to us, sometimes overwhelming to those observing it for the first time. We glimpse doors and stairways, which seem to lead into unseen interior spaces, and we are almost afraid that we will fall into the depths of the strange world! The narrow path itself is filled with human figures engaged in harmonious movement, as if being directed by some unseen power; there are many objects piled high behind glass windows, and in certain places people give notes or coins in exchange for these objects. Then, in a moment, all this has been transformed into a great courtyard where wooden containers are piled with variously coloured fruits. The name of ‘Covent Garden’ can be seen—it is likely that there were many such gardens throughout the old city. In the next image Nell Gwyn is being given a selection of green and orange fruits by a red-headed priest or servant, while behind them are posters encouraging the citizens to further efforts— ‘Courage’ can be seen as Nell Gwyn leaves the garden. No history of Mouldwarp had mentioned this, which serves to emphasise that our knowledge of the
There are even more extraordinary scenes when it becomes clear that a creature or person is diving and swooping above the river. It cannot be seen, but it sees all. It sees tall buildings and lighted rooms; it sees streets and faces; it sees strange grey birds and small boats upon the water. It rises and falls, gliding invisibly through the London air. Could it be some high priestess, called Hitchcock Frenzy? We have no knowledge, however, of astral magic in the Age of Mouldwarp. It has been suggested that it is the work of an angel, who excreted the material strip of light while flying over the city, but there has been no confirmation of this interesting hypothesis.
We remain perplexed, therefore, and can only look with wonder upon these images of ancient London. The first of them depicts a group of people gathered beside the Thames; they seem to be engaged in some tribal rite, during which they clap their hands and smile at one another. Perhaps they intend to worship the river, or to offer a sacrifice to the city, since the next scenes are those of a naked woman, with a band of striped linen around her neck, floating upon the water. It is possible that this body was part of an elaborate ceremony designed to summon up the dead from the depths of the river, but the very texture of Mouldwarp life is too rapid and discontinuous to allow any certain judgement.
The next representations, for example, are taken within some interior space where a male human is wrapping the same band of striped linen around his own neck. Is he one of the dead who has been reborn? Or is he about to become a willing sacrifice? There are no others in his presence, which suggests that he has been exiled from the city. Then he walks down to the ground by means of wooden steps or stairs and somehow reappears in a room filled with glass bottles. The nature of Mouldwarp life is disconcerting indeed, with sudden leaps of time and space which do not seem to affect the inhabitants of this continually evolving world. The exile pours liquid into a glass and swallows it in one gesture. This may be a form of awakening. He then places a tube of paper or cloth into his mouth and lights it; here we notice the worship of fire as well as water. He must be the only inhabitant of this bottle-chamber, since his name is inscribed upon a frosted glass exterior; he is called Nell Gwyn. Immediately opposite him dwells Henrietta Street, who cannot be seen.
Once again, in one of those extraordinary transitions of ancient city life, Nell Gwyn has suddenly passed through a doorway into the thoroughfare beyond. Here, then, was our first sight of the primitive city. It has been a constant source of excitement and surprise to us, sometimes overwhelming to those observing it for the first time. We glimpse doors and stairways, which seem to lead into unseen interior spaces, and we are almost afraid that we will fall into the depths of the strange world! The narrow path itself is filled with human figures engaged in harmonious movement, as if being directed by some unseen power; there are many objects piled high behind glass windows, and in certain places people give notes or coins in exchange for these objects. Then, in a moment, all this has been transformed into a great courtyard where wooden containers are piled with variously coloured fruits. The name of ‘Covent Garden’ can be seen—it is likely that there were many such gardens throughout the old city. In the next image Nell Gwyn is being given a selection of green and orange fruits by a red-headed priest or servant, while behind them are posters encouraging the citizens to further efforts— ‘Courage’ can be seen as Nell Gwyn leaves the garden. No history of Mouldwarp had mentioned this, which serves to emphasise that our knowledge of the
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