Aengus

I thank you kindly, the philosopher continued.

most of the races of the world have at one time or another been visited by this deity whose title is the great god pan but there is no record of his ever having journeyed to ireland and certainly within historic times he has not set foot on these shores he lived for a great number of years in egypt persia and greece and although his empire is supposed to be world-wide this universal sway has always been and always will be contested but nevertheless however sharply his empire may be curtailed he will never be without a kingdom wherein his exercise of sovereign rights will be gladly and passionately acclaimed is he one of the old gods sir said mihal he is replied the philosopher and his coming intends no good to this country have you any idea why he should have captured your daughter not an idea in the world is your daughter beautiful i couldn't tell you because i never thought of looking at her that way but she is a good milker and as strong as a man she can lift a bag of meal under her arm easier than i can but she's a timid creature for all that whatever the reason is i am certain that he has the girl and i am inclined to think that he was directed to her by the leprechauns of the court you know they are at feud with you ever since their bird was killed I am not likely to forget it and they racking me day and night with torments you may be sure said the philosopher that if he's anywhere at all it's at Gortna Cloakamora he is for being a stranger he wouldn't know where to go unless he was directed and they know every hole and corner of this countryside since ancient times I'd go up myself and have a talk with him but it wouldn't be a bit of good and it wouldn't be any use you going either he has power over all grown people so that they either go and get drunk or else they fall in love with every person they meet and commit assaults and things i wouldn't like to be telling you about the only folk who can go near him at all are little children because he has no power over them until they grow to the sensual age and then he exercises lordship over them as over everyone else i'll send my two children with a message to him to say that he isn't doing the decent thing and that if he doesn't let the girl alone and go back to his own country we'll send for angus og he'd make short work of him i'm thinking he might surely but he may take the girl for himself all the same well i'd sooner he had her than the other one for he's one of ourselves anyway and the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know angus og is a god said the philosopher severely i know that sir said miho it's only a way of talking i have but how will your honour get at angus for i heard say that he hadn't been seen for a hundred years except one night only when he talked to a man for half an hour on keelmashogue i'll find him sure enough replied the philosopher i will warrant you will replied mihal heartily as he stood up long life and good health to your honour said he as he turned away the philosopher lit his pipe we live as long as we are let said he and we get the health we deserve your salutation embodies a reflection on death which is not philosophic we must acquiesce in all logical progressions The merging of opposites is completion.

Life runs to death as to its goal, and we should go towards that next stage of experience either carelessly as to what must be, or with a good honest curiosity as to what may be.

There's not much fun in being dead, sir, said Michal.

yes yes said caitlin and she ran back quickly to her

lord chapter nine CHAPTER X When the children reached home, they told the philosopher the result of their visit.

He questioned them minutely as to the appearance of Pan, how he had received them and what he had said in defence of his iniquities but when he found that pan had not returned any answer to his message he became very angry he tried to persuade his wife to undertake another embassy setting forth his abhorrence and defiance of the god but the thin woman replied sourly that she was a respectable married woman that having been already bereaved of her wisdom she had no desire to be further curtailed of her virtue that a husband would go any length to asperse his wife's reputation and that although she was married to a fool her self-respect had survived even that calamity the philosopher pointed out that her age her appearance and her tongue were sufficient guarantees of immunity against the machinations of either pan or slander and that he had no personal feelings in the matter beyond a scientific and benevolent interest in the troubles of mihal but this was discounted by his wife as the malignant and subtle tactics customary to all husbands matters appeared to be thus at a deadlock so far as they were immediately concerned and the philosopher decided that he would lay the case before angus og and implore his protection and assistance on behalf of the clan he therefore directed the thin woman to bake him two cakes of bread and set about preparations for a journey the thin woman baked the cakes and put them in a bag and early on the following morning the philosopher swung this bag over his shoulder and went forth on his quest WHEN HE CAME TO THE EDGE OF THE PINE WOOD HE HALTED FOR A FEW MOMENTS, NOT BEING QUITE CERTAIN OF HIS BEARINGS, AND THEN WENT FORWARD AGAIN IN THE DIRECTION OF GORT NAKLOKAMORA.

IT CAME INTO HIS MIND AS HE CROSSED THE GORT THAT HE OUGHT TO CALL ON THE LEPRICONS AND HAVE A TALK WITH THEM, BUT A REMEMBRANCE OF MIHA MAKMURAKU AND THE TROUBLES UNDER WHICH HE LABORED, ALL DIRECTLY TO BE TRACED TO THE LEPRICONS, hardened his heart against his neighbours so that he passed by the yew-tree without any stay in a short time he came to the rough heather clumped field wherein the children had found pan and as he was proceeding up the hill he saw caitlin nimuruku walking a little way in front with a small vessel in her hand the she-goat which she had just milked was bending again to the herbage and as caitlin trod lightly in front of him the philosopher closed his eyes in virtuous anger and opened them again in a not unnatural curiosity for the girl had no clothes on he watched her going behind the brush and disappearing in the cleft of the rock both with her and pan mastering himself he forsook the path of prudence which soared to the mountain-top and followed that leading to the cave the sound of his feet brought caitlin out hastily but he pushed her by with a harsh word hussy said he and he went into the cave where pan was as he went in he already repented of his harshness and said the human body is an aggregation of flesh and sinew around a central bony structure the use of clothing is primarily to protect this organism from rain and cold and it may not be regarded as a banner of morality without danger to this fundamental premises if a person does not desire to be so protected who will quarrel with an honourable liberty decency is not clothing but mind morality is behaviour virtue is thought i have often fancied he continued jupin whom he was now confronting that the effect of clothing on mind must be very considerable and that it must have a modifying rather than an expending effect or even an intensifying as against an exuberant effect with clothing the whole environment is immediately affected the air which is our proper medium is only filtered to our bodies in an abated and niggardly fashion which can scarcely be as beneficial as the generous and unintermitted elemental play The question naturally arises whether clothing is as unknown to nature as we have fancied.