Thomas Pynchon Wiki - User contributions [en]

Chapter 66: 633-645

2013-08-01T15:51:03Z

Kenoshakid: /* Page 637 */

==Page 633==
'''Watteau''' 
Jean-Antoine Watteau (October 10, 1684 – July 18, 1721) was a French painter whose brief career spurred the revival of interest in colour and movement (in the tradition of Correggio and Rubens), and revitalized the waning Baroque idiom, which eventually became known as Rococo. He is credited with inventing the genre of fêtes galantes: scenes of bucolic and idyllic charm, suffused with an air of theatricality. Some of his best known subjects were drawn from the world of Italian comedy and ballet... Watteau's influence on the arts (not only painting, but the decorative arts, costume, film, poetry, music) was more extensive than that of almost any other 18th-century artist. According to the 1911 Britannica, "in his treatment of the landscape background and of the atmospheric surroundings of the figures can be found the germs of Impressionism". The ''Watteau dress'', a long, sacklike dress with loose pleats hanging from the shoulder at the back, similar to those worn by many of the women in his paintings, is named after him. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watteau WIKI]

''' "To Thorfinn Karlsefni's settlement at Hop... None but Gudrid ever saw the woman" ''' 
The excerpt comes almost word by word from ''Grœnlendinga saga'' or ''The saga of the Greenlanders'' ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gr%C5%93nlendinga_saga Wikipedia entry]), which, along with the ''Saga of Erik the Red'', are the two main literary sources of information for the Norse exploration of North America.

'''Vineland''' 
Vinland was the name given to an area of North America by the Norseman, about the year 1000 CE. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinland WIKI]- Also, see page [http://vineland.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_14#Page_322 322] of ''Vineland''.

'''Skrællings''' 
Skræling (plural skrælingar) is the name the Norse Greenlanders used for the Thule people whom they encountered in Greenland. When they traveled to present-day Newfoundland ("Vinland"), the Norse used the same term for the inhabitants (possibly the ancestors of the later Beothuk) of North America. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skraeling WIKI]

'''Gudrid... Snorri''' 
She stayed on ther home island but moved to Brattahlíð, where she married a merchant named Thorfinn Karlsefni (Þorfinnr Karlsefni Þórðarson). She and her new husband had a son named Snorri Þorfinnsson, who was the first child born in North America of European descent. Shortly after Snorri was born the small family traveled back to Greenland. After a while her husband died and his farm was inherited by Snorri. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gu%C3%B0r%C3%AD%C3%B0r_%C3%9Eorbjarnard%C3%B3ttir WIKI]

==Page 634==
'''this first Act of American murder, and the collapse of Vineland the Good''' 
Cf. ''Vineland'', of course. Especially echoes the scene on [http://vineland.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_14#Page_322 page 322], where Zoyd is planning to "harbor in Vineland, Vineland the Good".

Vineland was the name given to North America by the Vikings. It was named so because of the wild grapes they found there... With the abandonment of Greenland, needed supplies no longer made their way to the way station point in North America (Vineland). Major climate change has happened since. They had 'conflicts' with the Native Americans who lived there, perhaps the first acts of American murder? The conflict was probably short-lived while the commerce went on for 500 years. Adapted from 'Vineland' [[http://www.american.edu/TED/ice/vineland.htm]]

'''Helgi and Finnbogi''' 
Helgi and Finnbogi were two merchant brothers from Iceland, born in the late tenth century A.D. The Saga of the Greenlanders describes them as coming to Greenland one summer. There they negotiated a deal with Freydis Eiriksdottir, agreeing to share the profits of a voyage to newly-discovered Vinland. Each agreed to take 30 crewmembers, but Freydis secretly took more. In Vinland, there was tension between the two groups. Helgi and Finnbogi set up a settlement separate from Freydis and her crew. Freydis eventually went to the brothers' hut and asked how they were faring. "Well," responded the brothers, "but we do not like this ill-feeling that has sprung up between us." The two sides made peace. Freydis, once outside, beat herself so that it would appear as if she had been ill-treated. When she returned to her husband, he asked who had beaten her. Freydis claimed Helgi and Finnbogi were the culprits, and, calling him a coward, demanded that he extract revenge on her behalf, or else she would divorce him. He gathered his men and killed Helgi and Finnbogi, as well as the men in their camp. When he refused to kill the women, Freydis herself picked up an axe and massacred them. When she returned to Greenland, she told her brother Leif Eiriksson that Helgi and Finnbogi had decided to stay in Vinland. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helgi_and_Finnbogi WIKI]

'''Thorstein the Swarthy''' 
Thorstein Eriksson resolves to go to Vinland for the body of his brother. The same ship is prepared yet again and Thorstein sets sail with a crew of 25 and his wife Gudrid (ON: Guðríðr). The expedition never reaches Vinland and after driving about the whole summer the ship ends up back at the coast of Greenland. During the winter, Thorstein falls ill and dies but speaks out of his dead body and tells the fortune of his wife Gudrid, predicting a long and prosperous life for her. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorstein_Er%C3%ADksson WIKI]

'''Biarni Heriulfsson''' 
Bjarni is believed to be the first European to see North America. The Grœnlendinga saga ('Greenlanders Saga') tells that he was sailing from Iceland to visit his parents as usual, except he came home and his father had gone with Eric the Red to Greenland. So he took his crew and set off to find him. But in that summer of 985 or 986, Bjarni was blown off course by a storm with no map or compass. He saw a piece of land that was not Greenland. It was covered with trees and mountains and although his crew begged him to, he refused to stop and look around. Since no one in his crew had been to Greenland before, they had to search for it. Although he managed to regain his course, he reported seeing low-lying hills covered with forests some distance farther to the west. The land looked hospitable, but Bjarni was eager to reach Greenland to see his parents and did not land and explore the new lands. He reported his findings both in Greenland and in Norway, but no one at the time seems to have shown interest in them. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bjarni_Herjulfsson WIKI]

'''Firths and Fjords''' 
Firth is the word in the Lowland Scots language used to denote various coastal waters in Scotland. In mainland Scotland it is used to describe a large sea bay, or even a strait. In the Northern Isles it more usually refers to a smaller inlet. It is linguistically cognate to fjord (both from Proto-Germanic *ferþuz) which has a more constrained sense in English; a firth would most likely be called a fjord if it were situated in Scandinavia. Bodies of water named "firths" tend to be more common on the east coast, or in the southwest of the country, although the Firth of Lorn is an exception to this. The Highland coast contains numerous estuaries, straits and inlets of a similar kind, not called "firth", e.g. the Minch, and Loch Torridon; these are often called sea lochs. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firth WIKI]

Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides, created in a valley carved by glacial activity. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fjord WIKI]

'''Escombe''' 
Escomb is a village in County Durham, England. It is situated approximately 2.5km to the west of Bishop Auckland. Escomb Church, one of the oldest Saxon churches in England, is located here. The church was built using stones transported up the river wear from the near by Roman Settlement. Evidence of this is the complete Roman Arch that separates the transept from the nave. The exterior of the church also includes a Saxon sundial. The church was allowed to fall into disrepair until the 1960s when its true worth was rediscovered and the church was restored. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escomb WIKI]

==Page 635==
'''White Women''' 
See this [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_women_(mythology) LINK]

'''Black Dogs''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_51:_491-498#Page_494 494].

'''the Presence itself''' 
Divine presence, presence of God, or simply presence is a concept in religion, spirituality, and theology that deals with God's omnipotent abilities to be "present" with human beings. God is understood to be capable of interfacing with the natural world, and more importantly, with human being, such that He would be able to hold some influence with each and all human being(s). From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_presence WIKI]

==Page 636==
'''Sir William Johnson''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_54:_525-541#Page_532 532].

'''Six Nations''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_53:_511-524#Page_513 513].

'''German Flat''' 
German Flatts is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. See this [http://history.rays-place.com/ny/herk-german-flats.htm LINK] for more info.

'''Mohawk''' 
The Village of Mohawk is at the north border of the Town of German Flatts and adjacent to the Erie Canal. Mohawk is southeast of Utica. Mohawk was originally settled by Palatine Germans after 1722. In 1725, the Queen of England and Governor Burnet granted Mohawk to the Palatine Germans in what was known as the Burnetsfield Patent. George Washington was known to stop in Mohawk to have lunch at the Shoemaker Tavern on his way to and from Fort Stanwix in Rome, NY. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohawk,_Herkimer_County,_New_York WIKI]

'''Whist''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_33:_327-340#Page_327 327].

'''Cobra-Brain Pearl''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_55:_542-553#Page_550 550].

'''travel to Florida and be one of the founders of a sort of Jesuit Pleasure-Garden, of Dimensions unlimited by neighboring Parcels, tho' the Topick of Alligators has so far adroitly remain'd unaddress'd....''' 
It seems that Zhang's Cobra-Brain Pearl has brought about P. Zarpazo's (Wolf of Jesus) chance at becoming one of the founders of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disney_world Disney World] (and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epcot Epcot]), however, with a nice bit of intrigue here, it seems Zarpazo's journey is actually a skillfully set trap. Also, note the "Dimensions unlimited", which brings to mind - like the Conveyance that carried Wicks, Lepton Castle, the Cavern that is used as a Church - those spaces that have much more room on the Inside than one would expect from the Outside.

==Page 637==
'''"But, Time, surely... Stream of Time as she likes?"''' 
The Redzingers' speculations suggest that the Duck has traveled to different worlds, if we accept the Special Theory of Relativity posited by Einstein. According to the theory, the only conceivable circumstances in which time dilation could be so pronounced would be if the Duck were either traveling at light speed (perhaps for the purpose of interstellar travel?) or leaving spacetime as we know it. For more on this check out this [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_relativity#Time_dilation WIKI]

'''Cumberland''' 
Cumberland is a city in the far western portion of Maryland, United States... Cumberland, Maryland is named after the son of King George II, Prince William, the Duke of Cumberland. It is built on the site of the old Fort Cumberland, the starting point for British General Edward Braddock's ill-fated attack on the French strong-hold of Fort Duquesne (located on the site of present-day Pittsburgh) during the French and Indian War. (See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braddock_expedition Braddock expedition].) Cumberland was also an outpost of Colonel George Washington during the French and Indian War and his first military headquarters was built here... Cumberland was a key road, railroad and canal junction during the 1800s and at one time the second largest city in Maryland (second to the port city of Baltimore—hence its nickname "The Queen City"). The surrounding hillsides provided coal, iron ore, and timber... From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumberland,_Maryland WIKI]

==Page 638==
'''Thomas Cresap''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_28:_275-288#Page_277 277].

'''Old Smith... Mr. Sam Smith''' 
Sheriff Samuel Smith of Lancaster County brought a posse to arrest Cresap, but when deputy Knowles Daunt was at the door, Cresap fired through it, wounding Daunt. The sheriff asked Mrs. Cresap for a candle, so that they could see to tend to Daunt's wounds, but Mrs. Cresap refused, "crying out that not only was she glad he had been hit, she would have preferred the wound had been to his heart." When Daunt died, Pennsylvania Governor Gordon demanded that Maryland arrest Cresap for murder. Governor Ogle of Maryland responded by naming Cresap a captain in the Maryland militia. Cresap continued his raids, destroying barns and livestock, until Sheriff Samuel Smith raised a posse of 24 armed "non-Quakers" to arrest him on November 25, 1736. Unable to get him to surrender, they set his cabin on fire, and when he made a run for the river, they were upon him before he could launch a boat. He shoved one of his captors overboard, and cried, "Cresap's getting away", and the other deputies pummeled their peer with oars until the ruse was discovered. Removed to Lancaster, a blacksmith was fetched to put him in steel manacles, but Cresap knocked the blacksmith down in one blow. Once constrained in steel, he was hauled off to Philadelphia, and paraded through the streets before being imprisoned. His spirit unbroken, he announced, "Damn it, this is one of the prettiest towns in Maryland!" From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cresap%27s_War WIKI]

==Page 640==
'''hale''' 
Sound, entire, healthy; robust, not impaired. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hale WIKI] - Usually used in regard to an older person.

==Page 641==
'''Monseer's Privateers''' 
French Pirates, see more at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_privateers WIKI].

'''Shelby''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_52:_499-510#Page_499 499].

'''Michael's batch''' 
Michael Cresap (April 17, 1742 – October 18, 1775) was a frontiersman born in Maryland. He spent part of his adult years in the Ohio Country as a trader and land developer. He led several raids against Indians whom he believed were hostile to white settlement. Logan of the Mingo Indians accused Cresap of murdering his family. In fact, the killings were almost certainly perpetrated by Daniel Greathouse, yet Cresap was immortalized in Logan's speech (quoted in Thomas Jefferson's ''Notes on the State of Virginia'') as the murderer of Logan's family. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Cresap WIKI]

'''Nemacolin''' 
A Native American who helped white settlers with the surveying of what is now [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_40 Route 40]. Also, see this [http://www.nemacolincastle.org/history.html LINK], as well as this link to WIKI for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemacolin%27s_Trail Nemacolin's Trail].

==Page 642==
'''"Why ''am'' I doing this?"''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_34:_341-348#Page_347 347].

'''Stoick''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_4:_30-41#Page_30 30].

'''Pit-Pony''' 
A pit pony was a type of pony commonly used underground in coal mines from the mid 18th up until the mid 20th century. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pit_pony WIKI]

'''Revetments''' 
A revetment is defined as a "retaining wall constructed to support the interior slope of a parapet. Made of logs, wood planks, fence rails, fascines, gabions, hurdles, sods, or stones, the revetment provided additional protection from enemy fire, and, most importantly, kept the interior slope nearly vertical. Stone revetments commonly survive." From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revetments WIKI]

'''Mantua-makers''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_31:_302-314#Page_308 308].

==Page 643==
'''chuck-farthing games''' 
A version of the game called Chuck-Farthing was played in Britain. Mentions of the game date back to the 18th century. The rules of the game were described in the 19th century as follows: Each competitor starts with the same number of coins. They pitch their coins one at a time from a mark at a given distance towards a hole in the ground. The competitors are ranked based on how close they come to the hole. The competitor closest to the hole receives all of the coins and proceeds to a second mark nearer to the hole, from which he throws all of the coins at once towards the hole. All of the coins that remain in the hole are his to keep. The remainder of the coins are given to the next closest competitor, and the process is repeated until no coins remain. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitch_penny WIKI]

'''whose horses in a former life were humans who traffick'd in Land''' 
???

'''Dogs run free''' 
Possible allusion to Bob Dylan's 1970 song, "If Dogs Run Free" (from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Morning ''New Morning''])?

'''Black Dog''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_51:_491-498#Page_494 494].

'''Wolf's Commandments''' 
I think this is a reference to the Tribe of Benjamin, see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribe_of_Benjamin WIKI]. Also, see [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0149.htm#1 Genesis 49:27].

'''Fort''' [[File:Fortcumberland.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Fort Cumberland, 1755]]
Fort Cumberland was constructed by troops of General Braddock at the confluence of Wills Creek and the Potomac River, at the current location of the City of Cumberland, Maryland. The wood palisade fort is now gone, and occupying the site is the existing Emmanuel Episcopal Church, but the old fort tunnels still remain underneath. This fort once marked the westernmost outpost of the British Empire in America, and was the jumping-off point for General Braddock's disastrous expedition against the French at Fort Duquesne. When Braddock was killed, a young officer of Virginia militia, George Washington, lead the troops back to Fort Cumberland. The Fort was later abandoned, and the army and militia withdrew eastward. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Cumberland_(Maryland) WIKI]

'''Snake... a Ratter''' 
They are the smallest of the working Terriers. They are active and compact, free moving, with good substance and bone. Good substance means good spring of rib and bone that matches the body such that the dog can be a very agile ratter, the function for which it was bred. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norfolk_Terrier WIKI]

==Page 644==
'''Learnéd English Dog''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_3:_14-29#Page_18 18].

'''credulous''' 
Excessively ready to believe things; gullible. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/credulous WIKI]

'''''Queues du Rat aux Haricots''''' 
Rat Tail with Haricot Beans

'''Emetick''' 
An agent that induces vomiting. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/emetic WIKI]

'''Glacis''' 
A gentle incline, especially one in front of a fortification. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/glacis WIKI]

==Page 645==
'''an unopen'd Goober Pea-Shell, exhibiting it to both Astronomers before cracking it open to reveal two red Pea-Nuts within...''' 
Mason and Dixon, two peas in a pod, maybe?

==Annotation Index==

{{MD PbP}}

Chapter 66: 633-645

2013-08-01T14:29:22Z

Kenoshakid: /* Page 637 */

==Page 633==
'''Watteau''' 
Jean-Antoine Watteau (October 10, 1684 – July 18, 1721) was a French painter whose brief career spurred the revival of interest in colour and movement (in the tradition of Correggio and Rubens), and revitalized the waning Baroque idiom, which eventually became known as Rococo. He is credited with inventing the genre of fêtes galantes: scenes of bucolic and idyllic charm, suffused with an air of theatricality. Some of his best known subjects were drawn from the world of Italian comedy and ballet... Watteau's influence on the arts (not only painting, but the decorative arts, costume, film, poetry, music) was more extensive than that of almost any other 18th-century artist. According to the 1911 Britannica, "in his treatment of the landscape background and of the atmospheric surroundings of the figures can be found the germs of Impressionism". The ''Watteau dress'', a long, sacklike dress with loose pleats hanging from the shoulder at the back, similar to those worn by many of the women in his paintings, is named after him. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watteau WIKI]

''' "To Thorfinn Karlsefni's settlement at Hop... None but Gudrid ever saw the woman" ''' 
The excerpt comes almost word by word from ''Grœnlendinga saga'' or ''The saga of the Greenlanders'' ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gr%C5%93nlendinga_saga Wikipedia entry]), which, along with the ''Saga of Erik the Red'', are the two main literary sources of information for the Norse exploration of North America.

'''Vineland''' 
Vinland was the name given to an area of North America by the Norseman, about the year 1000 CE. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinland WIKI]- Also, see page [http://vineland.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_14#Page_322 322] of ''Vineland''.

'''Skrællings''' 
Skræling (plural skrælingar) is the name the Norse Greenlanders used for the Thule people whom they encountered in Greenland. When they traveled to present-day Newfoundland ("Vinland"), the Norse used the same term for the inhabitants (possibly the ancestors of the later Beothuk) of North America. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skraeling WIKI]

'''Gudrid... Snorri''' 
She stayed on ther home island but moved to Brattahlíð, where she married a merchant named Thorfinn Karlsefni (Þorfinnr Karlsefni Þórðarson). She and her new husband had a son named Snorri Þorfinnsson, who was the first child born in North America of European descent. Shortly after Snorri was born the small family traveled back to Greenland. After a while her husband died and his farm was inherited by Snorri. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gu%C3%B0r%C3%AD%C3%B0r_%C3%9Eorbjarnard%C3%B3ttir WIKI]

==Page 634==
'''this first Act of American murder, and the collapse of Vineland the Good''' 
Cf. ''Vineland'', of course. Especially echoes the scene on [http://vineland.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_14#Page_322 page 322], where Zoyd is planning to "harbor in Vineland, Vineland the Good".

Vineland was the name given to North America by the Vikings. It was named so because of the wild grapes they found there... With the abandonment of Greenland, needed supplies no longer made their way to the way station point in North America (Vineland). Major climate change has happened since. They had 'conflicts' with the Native Americans who lived there, perhaps the first acts of American murder? The conflict was probably short-lived while the commerce went on for 500 years. Adapted from 'Vineland' [[http://www.american.edu/TED/ice/vineland.htm]]

'''Helgi and Finnbogi''' 
Helgi and Finnbogi were two merchant brothers from Iceland, born in the late tenth century A.D. The Saga of the Greenlanders describes them as coming to Greenland one summer. There they negotiated a deal with Freydis Eiriksdottir, agreeing to share the profits of a voyage to newly-discovered Vinland. Each agreed to take 30 crewmembers, but Freydis secretly took more. In Vinland, there was tension between the two groups. Helgi and Finnbogi set up a settlement separate from Freydis and her crew. Freydis eventually went to the brothers' hut and asked how they were faring. "Well," responded the brothers, "but we do not like this ill-feeling that has sprung up between us." The two sides made peace. Freydis, once outside, beat herself so that it would appear as if she had been ill-treated. When she returned to her husband, he asked who had beaten her. Freydis claimed Helgi and Finnbogi were the culprits, and, calling him a coward, demanded that he extract revenge on her behalf, or else she would divorce him. He gathered his men and killed Helgi and Finnbogi, as well as the men in their camp. When he refused to kill the women, Freydis herself picked up an axe and massacred them. When she returned to Greenland, she told her brother Leif Eiriksson that Helgi and Finnbogi had decided to stay in Vinland. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helgi_and_Finnbogi WIKI]

'''Thorstein the Swarthy''' 
Thorstein Eriksson resolves to go to Vinland for the body of his brother. The same ship is prepared yet again and Thorstein sets sail with a crew of 25 and his wife Gudrid (ON: Guðríðr). The expedition never reaches Vinland and after driving about the whole summer the ship ends up back at the coast of Greenland. During the winter, Thorstein falls ill and dies but speaks out of his dead body and tells the fortune of his wife Gudrid, predicting a long and prosperous life for her. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorstein_Er%C3%ADksson WIKI]

'''Biarni Heriulfsson''' 
Bjarni is believed to be the first European to see North America. The Grœnlendinga saga ('Greenlanders Saga') tells that he was sailing from Iceland to visit his parents as usual, except he came home and his father had gone with Eric the Red to Greenland. So he took his crew and set off to find him. But in that summer of 985 or 986, Bjarni was blown off course by a storm with no map or compass. He saw a piece of land that was not Greenland. It was covered with trees and mountains and although his crew begged him to, he refused to stop and look around. Since no one in his crew had been to Greenland before, they had to search for it. Although he managed to regain his course, he reported seeing low-lying hills covered with forests some distance farther to the west. The land looked hospitable, but Bjarni was eager to reach Greenland to see his parents and did not land and explore the new lands. He reported his findings both in Greenland and in Norway, but no one at the time seems to have shown interest in them. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bjarni_Herjulfsson WIKI]

'''Firths and Fjords''' 
Firth is the word in the Lowland Scots language used to denote various coastal waters in Scotland. In mainland Scotland it is used to describe a large sea bay, or even a strait. In the Northern Isles it more usually refers to a smaller inlet. It is linguistically cognate to fjord (both from Proto-Germanic *ferþuz) which has a more constrained sense in English; a firth would most likely be called a fjord if it were situated in Scandinavia. Bodies of water named "firths" tend to be more common on the east coast, or in the southwest of the country, although the Firth of Lorn is an exception to this. The Highland coast contains numerous estuaries, straits and inlets of a similar kind, not called "firth", e.g. the Minch, and Loch Torridon; these are often called sea lochs. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firth WIKI]

Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides, created in a valley carved by glacial activity. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fjord WIKI]

'''Escombe''' 
Escomb is a village in County Durham, England. It is situated approximately 2.5km to the west of Bishop Auckland. Escomb Church, one of the oldest Saxon churches in England, is located here. The church was built using stones transported up the river wear from the near by Roman Settlement. Evidence of this is the complete Roman Arch that separates the transept from the nave. The exterior of the church also includes a Saxon sundial. The church was allowed to fall into disrepair until the 1960s when its true worth was rediscovered and the church was restored. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escomb WIKI]

==Page 635==
'''White Women''' 
See this [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_women_(mythology) LINK]

'''Black Dogs''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_51:_491-498#Page_494 494].

'''the Presence itself''' 
Divine presence, presence of God, or simply presence is a concept in religion, spirituality, and theology that deals with God's omnipotent abilities to be "present" with human beings. God is understood to be capable of interfacing with the natural world, and more importantly, with human being, such that He would be able to hold some influence with each and all human being(s). From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_presence WIKI]

==Page 636==
'''Sir William Johnson''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_54:_525-541#Page_532 532].

'''Six Nations''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_53:_511-524#Page_513 513].

'''German Flat''' 
German Flatts is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. See this [http://history.rays-place.com/ny/herk-german-flats.htm LINK] for more info.

'''Mohawk''' 
The Village of Mohawk is at the north border of the Town of German Flatts and adjacent to the Erie Canal. Mohawk is southeast of Utica. Mohawk was originally settled by Palatine Germans after 1722. In 1725, the Queen of England and Governor Burnet granted Mohawk to the Palatine Germans in what was known as the Burnetsfield Patent. George Washington was known to stop in Mohawk to have lunch at the Shoemaker Tavern on his way to and from Fort Stanwix in Rome, NY. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohawk,_Herkimer_County,_New_York WIKI]

'''Whist''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_33:_327-340#Page_327 327].

'''Cobra-Brain Pearl''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_55:_542-553#Page_550 550].

'''travel to Florida and be one of the founders of a sort of Jesuit Pleasure-Garden, of Dimensions unlimited by neighboring Parcels, tho' the Topick of Alligators has so far adroitly remain'd unaddress'd....''' 
It seems that Zhang's Cobra-Brain Pearl has brought about P. Zarpazo's (Wolf of Jesus) chance at becoming one of the founders of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disney_world Disney World] (and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epcot Epcot]), however, with a nice bit of intrigue here, it seems Zarpazo's journey is actually a skillfully set trap. Also, note the "Dimensions unlimited", which brings to mind - like the Conveyance that carried Wicks, Lepton Castle, the Cavern that is used as a Church - those spaces that have much more room on the Inside than one would expect from the Outside.

==Page 637==
'''"But, Time, surely... Stream of Time as she likes?"''' 
The Redzingers' speculation suggests that the Duck has traveled to different worlds, if we accept the Special Theory of Relativity posited by Einstein. According to the theory, the only conceivable circumstances in which time dilation could be so pronounced would be if the Duck were either traveling at light speed (perhaps for the purpose of interstellar travel?) or leaving spacetime as we know it. For more on this check out this [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_relativity#Time_dilation WIKI]

'''Cumberland''' 
Cumberland is a city in the far western portion of Maryland, United States... Cumberland, Maryland is named after the son of King George II, Prince William, the Duke of Cumberland. It is built on the site of the old Fort Cumberland, the starting point for British General Edward Braddock's ill-fated attack on the French strong-hold of Fort Duquesne (located on the site of present-day Pittsburgh) during the French and Indian War. (See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braddock_expedition Braddock expedition].) Cumberland was also an outpost of Colonel George Washington during the French and Indian War and his first military headquarters was built here... Cumberland was a key road, railroad and canal junction during the 1800s and at one time the second largest city in Maryland (second to the port city of Baltimore—hence its nickname "The Queen City"). The surrounding hillsides provided coal, iron ore, and timber... From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumberland,_Maryland WIKI]

==Page 638==
'''Thomas Cresap''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_28:_275-288#Page_277 277].

'''Old Smith... Mr. Sam Smith''' 
Sheriff Samuel Smith of Lancaster County brought a posse to arrest Cresap, but when deputy Knowles Daunt was at the door, Cresap fired through it, wounding Daunt. The sheriff asked Mrs. Cresap for a candle, so that they could see to tend to Daunt's wounds, but Mrs. Cresap refused, "crying out that not only was she glad he had been hit, she would have preferred the wound had been to his heart." When Daunt died, Pennsylvania Governor Gordon demanded that Maryland arrest Cresap for murder. Governor Ogle of Maryland responded by naming Cresap a captain in the Maryland militia. Cresap continued his raids, destroying barns and livestock, until Sheriff Samuel Smith raised a posse of 24 armed "non-Quakers" to arrest him on November 25, 1736. Unable to get him to surrender, they set his cabin on fire, and when he made a run for the river, they were upon him before he could launch a boat. He shoved one of his captors overboard, and cried, "Cresap's getting away", and the other deputies pummeled their peer with oars until the ruse was discovered. Removed to Lancaster, a blacksmith was fetched to put him in steel manacles, but Cresap knocked the blacksmith down in one blow. Once constrained in steel, he was hauled off to Philadelphia, and paraded through the streets before being imprisoned. His spirit unbroken, he announced, "Damn it, this is one of the prettiest towns in Maryland!" From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cresap%27s_War WIKI]

==Page 640==
'''hale''' 
Sound, entire, healthy; robust, not impaired. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hale WIKI] - Usually used in regard to an older person.

==Page 641==
'''Monseer's Privateers''' 
French Pirates, see more at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_privateers WIKI].

'''Shelby''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_52:_499-510#Page_499 499].

'''Michael's batch''' 
Michael Cresap (April 17, 1742 – October 18, 1775) was a frontiersman born in Maryland. He spent part of his adult years in the Ohio Country as a trader and land developer. He led several raids against Indians whom he believed were hostile to white settlement. Logan of the Mingo Indians accused Cresap of murdering his family. In fact, the killings were almost certainly perpetrated by Daniel Greathouse, yet Cresap was immortalized in Logan's speech (quoted in Thomas Jefferson's ''Notes on the State of Virginia'') as the murderer of Logan's family. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Cresap WIKI]

'''Nemacolin''' 
A Native American who helped white settlers with the surveying of what is now [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_40 Route 40]. Also, see this [http://www.nemacolincastle.org/history.html LINK], as well as this link to WIKI for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemacolin%27s_Trail Nemacolin's Trail].

==Page 642==
'''"Why ''am'' I doing this?"''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_34:_341-348#Page_347 347].

'''Stoick''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_4:_30-41#Page_30 30].

'''Pit-Pony''' 
A pit pony was a type of pony commonly used underground in coal mines from the mid 18th up until the mid 20th century. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pit_pony WIKI]

'''Revetments''' 
A revetment is defined as a "retaining wall constructed to support the interior slope of a parapet. Made of logs, wood planks, fence rails, fascines, gabions, hurdles, sods, or stones, the revetment provided additional protection from enemy fire, and, most importantly, kept the interior slope nearly vertical. Stone revetments commonly survive." From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revetments WIKI]

'''Mantua-makers''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_31:_302-314#Page_308 308].

==Page 643==
'''chuck-farthing games''' 
A version of the game called Chuck-Farthing was played in Britain. Mentions of the game date back to the 18th century. The rules of the game were described in the 19th century as follows: Each competitor starts with the same number of coins. They pitch their coins one at a time from a mark at a given distance towards a hole in the ground. The competitors are ranked based on how close they come to the hole. The competitor closest to the hole receives all of the coins and proceeds to a second mark nearer to the hole, from which he throws all of the coins at once towards the hole. All of the coins that remain in the hole are his to keep. The remainder of the coins are given to the next closest competitor, and the process is repeated until no coins remain. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitch_penny WIKI]

'''whose horses in a former life were humans who traffick'd in Land''' 
???

'''Dogs run free''' 
Possible allusion to Bob Dylan's 1970 song, "If Dogs Run Free" (from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Morning ''New Morning''])?

'''Black Dog''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_51:_491-498#Page_494 494].

'''Wolf's Commandments''' 
I think this is a reference to the Tribe of Benjamin, see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribe_of_Benjamin WIKI]. Also, see [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0149.htm#1 Genesis 49:27].

'''Fort''' [[File:Fortcumberland.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Fort Cumberland, 1755]]
Fort Cumberland was constructed by troops of General Braddock at the confluence of Wills Creek and the Potomac River, at the current location of the City of Cumberland, Maryland. The wood palisade fort is now gone, and occupying the site is the existing Emmanuel Episcopal Church, but the old fort tunnels still remain underneath. This fort once marked the westernmost outpost of the British Empire in America, and was the jumping-off point for General Braddock's disastrous expedition against the French at Fort Duquesne. When Braddock was killed, a young officer of Virginia militia, George Washington, lead the troops back to Fort Cumberland. The Fort was later abandoned, and the army and militia withdrew eastward. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Cumberland_(Maryland) WIKI]

'''Snake... a Ratter''' 
They are the smallest of the working Terriers. They are active and compact, free moving, with good substance and bone. Good substance means good spring of rib and bone that matches the body such that the dog can be a very agile ratter, the function for which it was bred. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norfolk_Terrier WIKI]

==Page 644==
'''Learnéd English Dog''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_3:_14-29#Page_18 18].

'''credulous''' 
Excessively ready to believe things; gullible. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/credulous WIKI]

'''''Queues du Rat aux Haricots''''' 
Rat Tail with Haricot Beans

'''Emetick''' 
An agent that induces vomiting. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/emetic WIKI]

'''Glacis''' 
A gentle incline, especially one in front of a fortification. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/glacis WIKI]

==Page 645==
'''an unopen'd Goober Pea-Shell, exhibiting it to both Astronomers before cracking it open to reveal two red Pea-Nuts within...''' 
Mason and Dixon, two peas in a pod, maybe?

==Annotation Index==

{{MD PbP}}

Chapter 74: 717-732

2013-07-16T00:36:16Z

Kenoshakid: /* Page 731 */

__TOC__

==Page 717==
'''North Cape''' [[File:NorthCape.png|200px|thumb|right|Map of North Cape (Nordkapp)]]North Cape (Norwegian: Nordkapp) is a cape on the island of Magerøya in northern Norway, in the municipality of Nordkapp. Its 307 m high, steep cliff is often referred to as the northernmost point of Europe, located at 71°10′21″N 25°47′40″E / 71.1725°N 25.79444°E / 71.1725; 25.79444, 2102.3 km from the North Pole. However, the neighbouring point Knivskjellodden is actually 1,457 metres further north. Moreover, both of these points are situated on an island, which means the northernmost point of mainland Europe is in fact Cape Nordkinn (Kinnarodden), about 20 km from the village of Mehamn. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Cape,_Norway WIKI]

'''Cherry Island''' 
Cherry Island is the only island in Loch Ness, Highland, Scotland, and is an example of a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crannog crannog]. The island is about 150 yards (140 m) from the shore near the southern end of the loch... A castle stood on the island during the 15th century; this was constructed of stone and oak wood and was probably used as a fortified refuge. It has been suggested that Cherry Island may have been a hunting lodge, with Dog Island the home for the hunting dogs. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_Island_(Loch_Ness) WIKI]

'''pro forma''' 
The term pro forma (Latin "as a matter of form") is a term applied to practices that are perfunctory, or seek to satisfy the minimum requirements or to conform to a convention or doctrine. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pro_forma WIKI]

==Page 718==
'''Boswell''' 
James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck (October 29, 1740 - May 19, 1795) was a lawyer, diarist, and author born in Edinburgh, Scotland; he is best known for his biography of Samuel Johnson. His name has passed into the English language as a term (Boswell, Boswellian, Boswellism) for a constant companion and observer. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Boswell WIKI]

'''Nitre, for Gunpowder''' 
Nitre is the mineral form of potassium nitrate, KNO3, also known as saltpeter (US) or saltpetre (UK). Historically, the term "nitre" – cognate with "natrium", a Latin word for sodium – has been very vaguely defined, and it has been applied to a variety of other minerals and chemical compounds, including sodium nitrate (also "soda nitre" or "cubic nitre"), sodium carbonate and potassium carbonate. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitre WIKI]

==Page 719==
'''crepuscular''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_47:_460-465#Page_465 465].

'''Scows''' 
A scow, in the original sense, is a flat bottomed boat with a blunt bow, often used to haul garbage or similar bulk freight; cf. barge. The etymology of the word is from the Dutch ''schouwe'', meaning such a boat. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scows WIKI]

'''Ulster''' 
Ulster is one of the four Provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. Ulster is composed of nine counties: Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry, and Tyrone are part of Northern Ireland; while Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan are part of the Republic of Ireland. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulster WIKI] - Also, see page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_58:_570-574#Page_572 572].

==Page 720==
'''Fairy Lights''' 
Decorative lights, most likely lots of small candles lit in a cluster, etc, similar to what we now know as Christmas lights.

'''hypnagogickally''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_33:_327-340#Page_338 338].

'''"Sandwich"''' 
See pages [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_36:_362-370#Page_366 366-367].

'''Donegal''' 
Donegal is a town in County Donegal, in the Province of Ulster, in Ireland. Donegal is not the county town (capital) of County Donegal, despite being its namesake, however until the early 17th century it was the capital of the larger former Kingdom and Principality of Tyrconnell... Donegal town is situated at the mouth of Donegal Bay, on the River Eske and is overshadowed by the Bluestack Mountains. The Irish name translates into English as ''Fort of the Foreigners (Vikings)''. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donegal WIKI]

'''Munchausen''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_35:_349-361#Page_350 350].

==Page 721==
''''as above, so below'''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_50:_484-490#Page_487 487].

'''fluxions''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_61:_597-607#Page_602 602].

'''Reverend Dr. Taylor, an Infinite Series''' 
In mathematics, the Taylor series is a representation of a function as an infinite sum of terms calculated from the values of its derivatives at a single point. It is named after the English mathematician Brook Taylor (see page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_38:_382-390#Page_384 384]). If the series is centered at zero, the series is also called a Maclaurin series, named after the Scottish mathematician Colin Maclaurin. It is common practice to use a finite number of terms of the series to approximate a function. The Taylor series may be regarded as the limit of the Taylor polynomials. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_series WIKI]

'''Epsilonics... ''Defective Zero''''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_49:_476-483#Page_482 482].

'''Imp''' 
An imp is a mythological being similar to a fairy or demon, frequently described in folklore and superstition. The word may perhaps derive from the term ''ympe'', used to denote a young grafted tree. Imps are often described as mischievous more than seriously threatening, and as lesser beings rather than more important supernatural beings. The attendants of the devil are sometimes described as imps. They are usually described as lively and having small stature... Originating from Germanic folklore the imp was a small lesser demon. It should also be noted that unlike the Christian faith and stories, demons in Germanic legends were not necessarily always evil. Imps were often mischievous rather than evil or harmful and in some regions they were attendants of the gods. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imp WIKI] - Also, cf. page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_7:_58-76#Page_63 63].

'''Kabbala''' 
See pages [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_35:_349-361#Page_356 356] & [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_49:_476-483#Page_479 479].

'''Oakboys''' 
The Oakboys was a largely non-sectarian agrarian secret society on Ireland. They are also called ''Greenboys'' or ''Hearts of Oak''. It was regulatory, concerned with a moral issue as they perceived it. It sprang up in Ulster in mid-1763. Its targets were the County cess, the road-building activities of the Grand Juries which the cess financed, and the perennial grievance of tithes. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakboys WIKI]

'''Dublin Pale''' 
Eventually, after the 16th and 17th centuries, and especially after the Anglican Reformation and the Plantation of Ulster, many of the "Old English" settlers were gradually assimilated into the Irish population, in large part due to their relative reluctance to give up Roman Catholicism (those who worshiped in the Church of Ireland were rewarded with a higher status). They kept their version of the English language, which had Cornish influences, for the most part. They were in fact joined by other English Roman Catholics fleeing persecution under Queen Elizabeth I and subsequent monarchs. By the Tudor period, however, the Irish culture and language had regained most of the territory initially lost to the colonists: even in the Pale ‘all the common folk … for the most part are of Irish birth, Irish habit and of Irish language’. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pale WIKI]

'''Lord Pennycomequick''' 
See this [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennycomequick LINK]

'''Bordeaux''' 
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in southwest France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture of the Gironde department. Its inhabitants are called Bordelais. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bordeaux WIKI]

'''Second Charles''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_33:_327-340#Page_335 335].

'''Wag''' 
A witty person. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wag WIKI]

==Page 722==
'''Robin Hood''' 
Robin Hood is a hero in English folklore, a highly skilled archer and outlaw. In particular, he is known for "stealing from the rich and giving to the poor," assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Robin and many of his men wore Lincoln green clothes. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_hood WIKI]

'''Buff''' 
Buff is a pale yellow-brown colour that got its name from the colour of buff leather. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buff_(color) WIKI]

'''the Folly''' 
In architecture, a folly is a building constructed strictly as a decoration, having none of the usual purposes of housing or sheltering associated with a conventional structure. In the 18th century English gardens and French landscape gardening often featured Roman temples, which symbolized classical virtues or ideals. Other 18th century garden follies represented Chinese temples, Egyptian pyramids, ruined abbeys, or Tatar tents, to represent different continents or historical eras. Sometimes they represented rustic villages, mills and cottages, to symbolize rural virtues. "Folly" is used in the sense of fun or light-heartedness, not in the sense of something ill-advised. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folly WIKI]

'''Topiary Elephant''' [[File:Topiaryelephant.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Topiary elephants at Bang Pa-In Royal Palace]]Topiary is the art of creating sculptures in the medium of clipped trees, shrubs and sub-shrubs. The word derives from the Latin word for an ornamental landscape gardener, topiarius, creator of topia or "places", a Greek word that Romans applied also to fictive indoor landscapes executed in fresco. No doubt the use of a Greek word betokens the art's origins in the Hellenistic world that was influenced by Persia, for neither Classical Greece nor Republican Rome developed any sophisticated tradition of artful pleasure grounds. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topiary WIKI]

'''Obelisks''' 
An obelisk is a tall, narrow, four-sided, tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top. Ancient obelisks were often monolithic. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obelisk WIKI]

'''Mr. Halfpenny's ''Rural Architecture in the Chinese Taste''''' 
William Halfpenny, English 18th-century architectural designer; he described himself as "architect and carpenter". His books deal almost entirely with domestic architecture, and especially with country houses in the neo-Gothic and Chinoiserie fashions which were so greatly in vogue in the middle of the 18th century. His most important publications, from the point of view of their effect upon taste, were ''New Designs for Chinese Temples, in four parts'' (1750-52); ''Rural Architecture in the Gothic Taste'' (1752); ''Chinese and Gothic Architecture Properly Ornamented'' (1752); and ''Rural Architecture in the Chinese Taste'' (1750-1752). This last book is believed to have introduced the word "gazebo" to the English language. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Halfpenny WIKI]

'''Great Buddha''' 
See this [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Buddha LINK] for examples in the East.

'''Peat Baths''' 
A peat pulp bath is a bath prepared of peat pulp from wetlands. Balneotherapy in form of peat pulp baths is offered in many health resorts. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peat_pulp_bath WIKI]

==Page 723==
'''Bog-bursts''' 
See this [http://www.ipcc.ie/infobogburst.html LINK]

'''Berm''' 
A berm is a level space, shelf, or raised barrier separating two areas. Berm is a loanword from Dutch. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berm WIKI]

'''"Slanes"''' 
(Anglo-Irish) A spade for cutting turf or peat, consisting of an iron flat-bladed head and a long wooden shaft. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/slane WIKI]

'''Mathesis''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_19:_190-198#Page_194 194].

==Page 724==
'''American Station of the Cross''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_54:_525-541#Page_525 525].

'''cogitating''' 
1. (intransitive) to meditate, to ponder, to think deeply 
2. (transitive) to consider, to devise 
From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cogitate WIKI]

'''''Uber Bernouillis Brachistochronsprobleme''''' 
Johann Bernoulli posed the problem of the brachystochrone to the readers of ''Acta Eruditorum'' in June, 1696. He published his solution in ''Acta Eruditorum'' the following year in May, 1697 and noted that the solution is the same curve as Huygen's tautochrone curve. After deriving the differential equation for the curve by the method given above he went on to show that it does yield a cycloid. But his proof is marred by the fact that Bernoulli uses a single constant instead of the three constants, vm, 2g and D, above. Five mathematicians responded with solutions: Isaac Newton, Jakob Bernoulli (Johann's brother), Gottfried Leibniz, Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus and Guillaume de l'Hôpital. Four of the solutions (excluding l'Hôpital's) were published in the same edition of the journal as Johann Bernoulli's. In his paper Jakob Bernoulli gave a proof of the condition for least time similar to that above before showing that its solution is a cycloid... A Brachistochrone curve, or curve of fastest descent, is the curve between two points that is covered in the least time by a body that starts at the first point with zero speed and is constrained to move along the curve to the second point, under the action of constant gravity and assuming no friction. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brachistochrone WIKI]

'''the local Frieze''' 
Middle English term for a coarse woollen, plain weave cloth with a nap on one side. The nap was raised by scrubbing it to raise curls of fibre, and was not shorn after being raised, leaving an uneven surface. Panni frisi, "Frisian cloths", appear in medieval inventories and other documents. Frieze was woven in the English Midlands and Wales, and in Ireland from the fourteenth century, and later in Holland as well. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frieze_(textile) WIKI]

'''Neep-Lantern''' 
In Scotland, folklore, including that of Halloween, revolves around the ancient Celtic belief in faeries (Sidhe, or Sith, in modern Gaelic). Children who ventured out carried a traditional lantern (''samhnag'') with a devil face carved into it to frighten away the evil spirits. Such Halloween lanterns were made from a turnip, or "Neep" in Lowland Scots, with a candle lit in the hollow inside. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween_around_the_world WIKI]

'''Keadew''' 
Keadue is a village in County Roscommon, Ireland on the R285 regional road close to the borders of County Leitrim and County Sligo. The name is sometimes also spelled Keadew. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keadue WIKI]

'''Tath''' 
The droppings of cattle, as well as the luxuriant grass sprouting therefrom.

'''wan''' 
1. Pale, sickly-looking. 
2. Dim, faint. 
From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wan WIKI]

'''Well of Saint Brendan''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_13:_125-145#Page_134 134].

'''Galway''' 
Galway, one of the largest cities in Ireland, situated on the west coast of Ireland, has a complex history going back around 800 years. The city was the only medieval city in the province of Connacht. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Galway WIKI]

==Page 725==
'''Cavan''' 
Cavan (meaning "The Hollow") is the county seat of County Cavan in Ireland. It is one of the three counties, the others being Monaghan and Donegal, which are part of the Irish province of Ulster but are part of the Republic. The town lies in the northeast of the island, along the border with Northern Ireland. The town is located on the main road - the N3 road - linking Dublin (to the south) with Enniskillen, Ballyshannon and Donegal Town (to the north). From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavan WIKI]

'''Dowsers''' [[File:18thcenturydowser.jpg|200px|thumb|right|A dowser, from an 18th century French book about superstitions.]]Dowsing, sometimes called divining, doodlebugging (in the US), or (when searching specifically for water) water finding or water witching, is a practice that attempts to locate hidden water wells, buried metals or ores, gemstones, or other objects as well as so-called "currents of earth radiation" without the use of scientific apparatus. A Y- or L-shaped twig or rod is sometimes used during dowsing, although some dowsers use other equipment or no equipment at all. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dowsers WIKI]

'''''Krees'' from his Dream in Cape Town''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_7:_58-76#Page_70 70].

'''Traction''' 
1. the act of pulling something along a surface using motive power 
2. the condition of being so pulled 
From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traction WIKI]

'''Holy Wells of Gloucestershire''' 
A Holy Well is a spring or other body of water, revered either in a Pagan or Christian context, often both, as holy wells were frequently Christianized. The term 'Holy Well' is commonly employed to refer to any water source of limited size (i.e. not a lake or river, but including pools and natural springs and seeps), which has some significance in the folklore of the area where it is located, whether in the form of a particular name, an associated legend, the attribution of healing qualities to the water through the numinous presence of its guardian spirit or Christian saint, or a ceremony or ritual centred on the well site. In Christian legend, the water is often said to have been made to flow by the action of a saint, a familiar theme especially in the hagiography of Celtic saints. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_wells WIKI] - It is possible this is a reference to the Roman Villa in Chedworth, see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chedworth_Roman_Villa LINK]

==Page 726==
'''Miasmatick''' [[File:Corsica.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Topography of Corsica]]
Reeking, oppressing, having the nature of a miasma (a noxious atmosphere or emanation once thought to originate from swamps and waste to cause disease). From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/miasmatic WIKI]

'''Finger of Corsica''' 
Corsica is the fourth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily, Sardinia, and Cyprus). It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia. Corsica is one of the 26 régions of France, although strictly speaking Corsica is designated as a "territorial collectivity" (collectivité territoriale) by law. As a territorial collectivity, it enjoys greater powers than other French régions, but for the most part its status is quite similar. Corsica is referred to as a "région" in common speech, and is almost always listed among the other régions of France. Although the island is separated from the continental mainland by the Ligurian Sea and is much closer to the Italian than to the French mainland, politically Corsica is part of Metropolitan France. It was once briefly an independent Corsican Republic, until being incorporated into France in 1768. Corsica is famed as the birthplace of Napoléon Bonaparte. His ancestral home, Casa Buonaparte, is located there. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corsica WIKI]

==page 727==
'''Bradley''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_16:_167-174#Page_173 173].

'''''Péché Mortel''''' 
Mortal Sin

'''Mr. Chippendale''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_33:_327-340#Page_336 336].

'''Clive... Clive of ''India''''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_7:_58-76#Page_74 74].

'''Venial''' 
Pardonable; able to be forgiven. from [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/venial WIKI]

==Page 728==
'''Celadon''' 
The term "celadon" for the pottery's pale jade-green glaze was coined by European connoisseurs of the wares. One theory is that the term first appeared in France in the 17th century and that it is named after the shepherd Celadon in Honoré d'Urfé's French pastoral romance, ''L'Astrée'' (1627), who wore pale green ribbons. (D'Urfe, in turn, borrowed his character from Ovid's ''Metamorphoses''.) Another theory is that the term is a corruption of the name of Saladin (Salah ad-Din), the Ayyubid Sultan, who in 1171 sent forty pieces of the ceramic to Nur ad-Din, Sultan of Syria. Yet a third theory is that the word derives from the Sanskrit ''sila'' and ''dhara'', which mean "stone" and "green" respectively. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celadon WIKI]

'''Revers''' 
A lapel of a garment, turned back to show the reverse side. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/revers WIKI]

'''East Indiaman''' 
An East Indiaman was a ship operating under charter or license to any of the East India Companies of the major European trading powers of the 17th through the 19th centuries. In Britain, the Honourable East India Company itself did not generally own merchant ships, but held a monopoly granted to it by Queen Elizabeth I of England for all English trade between the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn, which was progressively restricted during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. English (later British) East Indiamen usually ran between England, the Cape of Good Hope and India, often continuing on their voyages to China before returning to England via the Cape of Good Hope. Main ports visited in India were Mumbai (then Bombay), Chennai (then Madras) and Kolkata (then Calcutta). From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Indiaman WIKI]

'''Harrison Watch''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_20:_199-206#Page_201 201].

'''Hungarian Vampire''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_42:_422-435#Page_425 425].

'''Board of Longitude... B. of L.''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_13:_125-145#Page_141 141].

'''"Like watching Hamlet or something, isn't it?''' 
Mr. Gonzago should know his Hamlet - 'The Murder of Gonzago' is the play-within-the-play.

==Page 729==
'''Bedlam''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_35:_349-361#Page_351 351].

'''Veterans of Cartegena and Minorca''' 
The Battle of Cartagena de Indias was the decisive battle of a massive amphibious expedition by the forces of Britain under Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon against Spain under Admiral Blas de Lezo, taking place at the city of Cartagena de Indias, in present day Colombia, starting in March 1741. It is the most significant battle in the War of Jenkins' Ear and one of the largest naval campaigns in British history, though it is now largely forgotten by the British. The war later blended into the greater conflict of the War of the Austrian Succession. The battle ended in a major defeat and heavy losses for the British: 50 ships lost and 18,000 casualties. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cartagena_de_Indias WIKI]

The Battle of Minorca (20 May 1756) was a naval battle between French and British fleets, leading to the court-martial and execution of the British commander. It was the opening sea battle of the Seven Years' War in the European theatre. Shortly after Great Britain declared war on the House of Bourbon, their squadrons met off the Mediterranean island of Minorca. Although the fight was indecisive, and the French broke off battle first, the decision by the British to withdraw to Gibraltar handed France a strategic victory and led directly to the Fall of Minorca. The British failure to save Minorca led to the controversial court-martial and execution of the British commander, Admiral John Byng, for "failure to do his utmost" to relieve the siege of the British garrison on Minorca. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Minorca WIKI]

==Page 730==
'''a Blank Sheet that invites Fiction and her vulgar Friends''' 
This passage recalls the discussion that Wicks and his listeners had about "the Novel," earlier in the book; Cf. page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_35:_349-361#Page_351 351].

'''Eleventh Commandment''' 
The Eleventh Commandment is a term used to describe a rule or policy that is extremely important to the point of being sacred. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleventh_commandment WIKI]

Specifically, here, "I must not speak ill of another Clergyman" references a phrase utilized by Ronald Regan in his 1966 campaign for Governor of California: ''Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican'' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Eleventh_Commandment_(Ronald_Reagan) WIKI]

'''Schiehallion''' 
Schiehallion is a prominent mountain in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. Schiehallion has a rich botanical life, interesting archaeology, and a unique place in scientific history for an 18th-century experiment in 'weighing the world'. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schiehallion WIKI]

'''Cavendish''' 
Henry Cavendish FRS (10 October 1731 – 24 February 1810) was a British scientist noted for his discovery of hydrogen or what he called "inflammable air". He described the density of inflammable air, which formed water on combustion, in a 1766 paper "On Factitious Airs". Antoine Lavoisier later reproduced Cavendish's experiment and gave the element its name. Cavendish is also known for the Cavendish experiment, his measurement of the Earth's density, and early research into electricity. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Cavendish WIKI]

'''Mayer's Lunar Tables''' 
Tobias Mayer (17 February 1723 – 20 February 1762) was a German astronomer famous for his studies of the Moon. From/See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobias_Mayer WIKI]

==Page 731==
'''"-many wish'd for a faster way, willing to cede to Machinery a form of Human Effort they could've done without."''' 
The human/machine hybrid recalls the title character of Herman Melville's short story 'Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street.' The allusion seems even more pronounced in the exchange between Maskelyne and Mason on the following page where Mason says, "Maskelyne, - I cannot go...That is...if it pleases your Your Grace." Practically speaking, Mason's 'refusal' follows the same logic as Bartleby's famous rebuttal, "I prefer not to." Dehumanization of labor to increase efficiency and profit seems to be the mutual theme.

'''Investiture''' 
Investiture, from the Latin (preposition in and verb vestire, 'dress' from vestis 'robe') is a rather general term for the formal installation of an incumbent (heir, elect of nominee) in public office, especially by taking possession of its insignia. The term is normally reserved for formal offices of state, aristocracy and church. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Investiture WIKI]

'''Liripipes''' 
A liripipe (also liripoop, liripipion, liripion) is a historical part of clothing, the tail of a hood or cloak, or a long-tailed hood, in particular a chaperon or gugel, or the peak of a shoe. In modern times, the liripipe mostly refers to an element of academic dress, the tail of the cowl of an academic hood. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liripipe WIKI]

'''Tippets''' 
A tippet is a stole or scarf-like narrow piece of clothing, worn around the arms and above the elbow. They evolved in the fourteenth century from long sleeves and typically had one end hanging down to the knees. In later fashion, a tippet is often any scarf-like wrap, usually made of fur, such as the 16th century zibellino or the fur-lined capelets worn in the mid-18th century. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tippet WIKI]

'''Passementerie''' 
Passementerie or passementarie is the art of making elaborate trimmings or edgings (in French, passements) of applied braid, gold or silver cord, embroidery, colored silk, or beads for clothing or furnishings. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passementerie WIKI]

'''Pleiades''' [[File:Astrolabe.jpg|200px|thumb|right|A 16th century astrolabe]]See pages [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_36:_362-370#Page_365 365] & [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_64:_623-628#Page_628 628].

'''Astrolabe''' 
An astrolabe (Greek: ἁστρολάβον astrolabon 'star-taker') is a historical astronomical instrument used by classical astronomers, navigators, and astrologers. Its many uses include locating and predicting the positions of the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars; determining local time (given local latitude) and vice-versa; surveying; and triangulation. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrolabe WIKI]

==Page 732==
'''Honorarium''' 
An honorarium is an ''ex gratia'' payment made to a person for their services in a volunteer capacity or for services for which fees are not traditionally required. This is used by groups such as schools or sporting clubs to pay coaches for their costs. Another example includes the payment to a guest speaker at a conference to cover their travel, accommodation, or preparation time. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honorarium WIKI]

==Annotations Index==

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