Chapter 35: 349-361
Contents
Page 349
quidnunc
A gossip or busybody; an ever-curious questioner; newsmonger
Page 350
certain Egyptian Deity
???
Page 351
Bedlam ... Salpêtriére
Two early mental asylums, both quite horrific. The suggestion, of course, is that readers of novels like Mason & Dixon will drive themselves crazy by indulging in such fantasies.
Page 352
Invisible Snake Trick
Is there really something called the Invisible Snake Trick, or is this pure joshing (à la Get Smart: "the old Invisible Snake Trick, eh?")? Curiously, Aunt Euphrenia, hoisting an oboe, follows this witty braggadocio by playing “a sinuous Air full of exotick sharps and flats” – perhaps this “sinuous Air” is, itself, the Invisible Snake. And the Trick? Note that once she starts playing, “The Company redeploy themselves in the direction of Comfort” – it’s as if she’s charmed her challengers into wandering away from her and the dispute.
Page 353
I was back in America
The Secton from here until page 392 takes place from January 11, 1765 to January 17, 1765.
The Stamp Act Crisis
It's strange to note that the Stamp Act wasn't passed until March 22, 1765. The Rev is setting the mood of the times but this is really only the dissatisfaction waiting for a trigger.
page 354
a Conveyance, wherein the inside is quite noticeably larger than the outside
I wonder if this a reference to Dr. Who: "The TARDIS is a time machine and spacecraft in the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. The name is an acronym of Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space. A product of Time Lord technology, a properly maintained and piloted TARDIS can transport its occupants to any point in time and space. The interior of a TARDIS is much larger than its exterior, which can blend in with its surroundings through the ship's chameleon circuit" (Wikipedia).
My suspicions are furthered by several references to the coach as a "Machine," some mysteries concerning the driver, and some suggestion that the coach is flying.
(On the other hand, I can imagine other "things" that may be larger outside than in, including black holes and the mind...?)
Note, too, that this is one in a series of supposed "paradoxes" that Reverend Wicks Cherrycoke presents to his audience, including the Möbius smoke ring (ch. 34, p. 345). This same joke (?) is presented again regarding a cabin (ch. 41, p. 412). Watch to see the audiences' reaction to these paradoxes. Are they growing progressively more tolerant of Wick's tall-tales?
game of All-Fours
Card game, somewhat related to Whist; also known as “seven-up” or “old-sledge.” At the time of Mason & Dixon, played for money. See this humorous article by Mark Twain: Science vs. Luck.
Cisalleghenic
???
Page 355
cap of white Lawn
White lawn is a fabric. It can still be purchased by the yard.
introduce himself in a mucilaginous voice
mucilaginous - I think the meaning here is "slimy" with the suggestion that Mr. Edgewise himself is a slime ball, hitting on these young, defenseless ladies--right in front of his wife, the cad...
Page 356
interprebendary
“Not in the dictionary, prebendary is described as someone who receives a stipend from a cathedral or collegiate church in England. Perhaps Wicks used this word because he was receiving stipends from more than one church” – Toby Levy’s Mason & Dixon Three Pages a Day project
Page 357
Jehu son of Nimshi
Reference to 2 Kings 9:20, wherein Jehu--a king of Israel--drives a chariot to battle with fury: "So the watchman reported, saying, 'He went up to them and is not coming back; and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously!'"
Page 359
Tales of the Pit
Funny phrase; is it a reference to something specific outside the text?
Page 361
...shall this Machine come abruptly to a Stop...only the Machine, fading as we stand, and a Prairie of desperate Immensity...
The passage recalls the closing scene of Vineland, in which Prairie Wheeler is lying on a meadow, waiting for Brock Vond to find her. He doesn't come though.
