Thomas Pynchon Wiki - User contributions [en]

Chapter 66: 633-645

2015-09-13T21:08:19Z

Pthomas: /* 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==
'''"How is the Duck?" "The Duck is excellent."''' 
Armand starts to answer as if the question were asked by a restaurant patron perusing a menu.

'''"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 44: 440-447

2015-09-11T00:39:01Z

Pthomas: /* Page 441 */

==Page 440==
'''''[[L#ley-lines|Ley-lines]]''''' 
The term "ley lines" was coined by Alfred Watkins when explaining his theory that ancient sites around Britain had actually been constructed or formed giving alignments between and across the inhabited landscape of Britain. The sites mentioned include Stone Circles, Standing Stones, Long Barrows, Cairns, Burial Mounds and Churches -- [http://www.mystical-www.co.uk/leylines.htm MORE]; [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ley_lines Wikipedia entry]; Also, see page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_22:_215-227#Page_218 218].

'''Avebury Pilgrims''' 
Avebury is the site of a large henge and several stone circles surrounding the village of Avebury in the English county of Wiltshire. It is one of the finest and largest Neolithic monuments in Europe, about 5,000 years old. Although older than the megalithic stages of Stonehenge 32 kilometres (20 mi) to the south, the two monuments are broadly contemporary overall. Avebury is roughly midway between the towns of Marlborough and Calne, just off the main A4 road on the northbound A4361 towards Wroughton... Avebury is seen as a spiritual centre by many who profess beliefs such as Paganism, Wicca, and Druidry; for some it is regarded more highly than Stonehenge. The pagan festivals all attract visitors, and the summer solstice especially draws increasingly large crowds. Avebury is said to stand on the St Michael ley line, an alignment that is said to run across England from Cornwall to East Anglia. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avebury WIKI]

'''Oölite''' 
"(geology) a deposit of spherical grains within a mineral cortex accreted around a nucleus, often of quartz grains" -- [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/oolite Wiktionary]

"I'm confused here as to how limestone can be used to make prisms, since
all the limestone I have ever climbed up has been opaque. Is there transparent oölite? Or are the egg-stones a plant." -- [http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=9801&msg=22958&sort=date Dinn's Notes on the Pynchon-L]

Perhaps the uses of Oölite are more focused on the meaning of "Egg Stone" - it being the first marker, and the beginning of the Line, versus its having to do with limestone? It just seems that it is mainly described as being Rose Quartz...

'''Master-valve of rose Quartz''' 
"Master-valve" -- interesting choice of words! Generally speaking, a "valve" is a device (esp. a flap or hinge) that opens one line while closing another, generally to control flow.

See pages [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_33:_327-340#Page_334 334] & [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_44:_440-447#Page_441 441].

'''Any Argument from Design, here, must include a yearning for Flight''' 
"Argument from design for the existence of God, that is, proved by the simplicity and orderliness of his thereby presumed Creation. A GR theme and a poke at rationalism, which, the more it succeeds in reducing complexity to order, the more it emphasisies (sic) the presence of design, or is that Design, a terribly loaded word for we paranoid." -- [http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=9801&msg=22958&sort=date Dinn's Notes on the Pynchon-L]

'''March''' 
1765

'''Azimuth''' 
#An arc of the horizon intercepted between the meridian of the place and a vertical circle passing through the center of any object; as, the azimuth of a star; the azimuth or bearing of a line surveying.
#The quadrant of an azimuth circle.
-- [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/azimuth Wiktionary]

==Page 441==
'''strike''' 
Consider some multiple meanings of "strike" (v.) (all quotes from the OED):
*"To bring (an arc) into being"
*"To make one's way, go"
*"Of a serpent or other venomous animal: To wound (a person) with its fangs or sting"
*"To mark with lines, draw a line"
*"To mark, stigmatize"
*"To deal a blow, to smite"
*"To imprint on the mind"
*"to produce a flame with flint and steel or by the friction of a match"
*"To produce (music, a sound, note) by touching a string or playing upon an instrument"; "Of a clock: To make one or more strokes on its sounding part"
*"To kill or wound (deer) with an arrow or spear"; "To hit with a missile, a shot, etc"
*"To lance or cut (a vein)"
*"Of lightning, thunder, a thunderbolt: To descend violently upon and blast"; "To send out or forth (a beam of light)"
*"said of a moving shadow"
*"Of a thought, an idea: To come into the mind of, occur to (a person)"
*"To agree (to articles or terms)"
*"of an electric charge, to pass as a spark"

'''Ev'rything upon the Ground, by April, as they're about to begin the West Line, must be sighted thro' a haze of green Resurrection.''' 
"Wow! remember that radar screen in GR with its `green return' (also the
superhighways of July song with spring's green return). 'green resurrection links the cycle of the seasons back to Christ's cycle of suffering, which suggests Wicks is well aware of Christianity's pagan roots, at the psychological and historical level at least, if not necessarily theological and spiritual. But there is also a hint in 'Resurrection' at America, the New World being an Eden of - or was that for? - the Redeemed. Unlike the corrupt, fallen Old Worlds further East. Depending on which way you read it the New World is either virgin land ripe for corruption or a second chance from a loving creator. Which recalls the opinion expressed by Pynchon's narrator at GR 720 of 'we, the crippled keepers, [...] God's spoilers. Us. Counter-revolutionaries. It is our mission to promote death.' a chillingly beautiful passage leading up to and beyond the judgement at GR 722.22 `America *was* the edge of the World. ... In Africa, Asia, Amerindia, Oceania, Europe came and established its order of Analysis and Death.' Does Pynchon still believe this in M&D or does he believe there is life in America's old corpse still?" -- [http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=9801&msg=22958&sort=date Dinn's Notes on the Pynchon-L]

'''Over Susquehanna,-- once you've cross'd the York to Baltimore Road,-- you'll see.''' 
"The Visto will cross Susquehanna about 20 miles West of the Tangent Line, the York-Baltimore road at 40 miles West. York and Lancaster, counties and cities, are mirror images, either side of Susquehanna, though, disconcertingly, York is West of Lancaster. York is 15 miles N of the Visto, Baltimor 20 miles South on the knee bend half way down Chesapeake Bay. The crossing point on the York-Baltimore Road is at towns called New Freedom on the Pennsylvania side, Maryland Line on the Maryland side. Anyone who can furnish relevant slavery/Civil War explanations for the names? This must be a
notable border checkpoint since it would likely have been a main trade route for Pennsylvanians West of Susquehannah, the river running too fast for easy ferrying of goods across to Philadelphia." -- [http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=9801&msg=22958&sort=date Dinn's Notes on the Pynchon-L]

'''"and he ain't just hummin' 'Love in a Cottage,' either"''' 
"First encountered in London as a show Mason wished he had not caught, no?
cf MDMD(10) [page] 292.18" -- [http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=9801&msg=22958&sort=date Dinn's Notes on the Pynchon-L] - See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_29:_289-295#Page_292 292]

Not to mention the obvious joak: "you ain't just whistlin' Dixie!"

'''I lit East''' 
As with "strike" (see above) note that "lit" has connotations with light and fuses, an physical (as in physics) reaction that a human initiates.

'''cry in the right Uncle's ale-can''' 
"Tell my sad story to a helpful 'sugar-daddy'", in more current parlance.

'''fifty-weight of Harness''' 
Boggs is presumably a hostler or wagon-driver for the Party.

'''the chunk of Rose Quartz''' 
See pages [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_33:_327-340#Page_334 334] & [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_44:_440-447#Page_441 441].

'''the West Line ... will finally refer ... preparing for the Translation south''' 
"refer" and "Translation" paint a different image than "strike" and "lit" above, although all four words describe interaction with the lines. Why the difference? Note that "strike" and "lit" describe human movement along the lines, while "refer" and "Translation" seem to describe the interaction of lines with lines and points and mathematics.

==Page 442==
'''Swifts come out''' 
The swifts are a family, Apodidae, of highly aerial birds. They are superficially similar to swallows but are actually not closely related to thorre passerine species at all; swifts are in the separate order Apodiformes, which they share with the hummingbirds. The treeswifts are closely releted to the true swifts, but form a separate family, the Hemiprocnidae. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swift WIKI]

'''scry''' 
"To predict the future using crystal balls." -- [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/scry Wiktionary]

'''heptagon''' 
(geometry) A polygon with seven sides and seven angles." -- [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/heptagon Wiktionary]

I believe this is the first appearance of a seven-sided object, but note that several octagonal shapes have appeared, including a couple of deadly devices (the Octuple Gloucester--a big cheese--on page 137 and "The octagonal Barrel" of the rifle that M&D consider swapping for a Tub on p. 428) as well as the Octagon Room on page 437.

'''line of work''' 
Speaking of scrying...

'''Mr. Franklin's [[G#armonica|Armonica]]''' 
Musical instrument consisting of a set of graduated and tuned glass bowls sounded by the friction of wet fingers on the rims. It was invented by [[F#franklin|Benjamin Franklin]] in 1761. His "armonica" consisted of hemispherical glasses suspended on atreadle-operated spindle, overlapping so that only their rims were visible. A trough of water beneath the glasses moistened them as they rotated through it. It spanned four octaves. Mozart composed ''Adagio und Rondo'' K 617 and ''Adagio für Harmonika'' K 356 for the instrument. Beethoven also composed for it, as well as others; [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_harmonica Wikipedia entry]. See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_27:_266-274#Page_268 268].

'''light of the Sun, and whatever Medium bears it to us''' 
The luminiferous aether, the medium through which it was thought, at the end of the 19th century, light propogated. The idea of such a medium was eventually done away with as a result of Einstein's special theory of relativity.

==Page 443==
'''Crimp''' 
One who decoys or entraps men into the military or naval service. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/crimp WIKI]

'''Body-jobber''' 
Pynchon having more playful fun with the job title of "jobber." Cf. Land Jobbers and Labor Crimps (naval Body-jobbers), both on p. 365, and Love-Jobbers, p. 427.

'''Parts of a single great Machine''' 
Tell it to John Henry! Humorous, but dehumanizing the human traffic brings slavery to mind.

'''"Developer," or Projector of Land-Schemes''' 
Wicks (Pynchon?) seems to hold Land Jobbers (p. 427) in nearly as high esteem as lawyers.

==Page 444==
'''sailing from Spithead''' 
Fairly smooth sailing: Spithead is an area of the Solent and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds, except those from the southeast. It receives its name from the Spit, a sandbank stretching south from the Hampshire shore for 5 km (3 miles); and it is 22.5 km (14 miles) long by about 6.5 km (4 miles) in average breadth. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spithead WIKI]

I believe that this is also a reference to the incident near the beginning of the book where they are almost killed by the French -- doesn't their ship leave from here?

'''in perfect Enfilade''' 
A formation or position is "in enfilade" if weapons fire can be directed along its longest axis. For instance, a trench is enfiladed if the opponent can fire down the length of the trench. A column of marching troops is enfiladed if fired on from the front or rear such that the projectiles travel the length of the column. A rank or line of advancing troops is enfiladed if fired on from the side (flank). From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enfilade WIKI]

==Page 445==
'''kine''' 
Cows, pronounced kʌɪn.

'''Little Christiana''' 
The Christina River is a tributary of the Delaware River, approximately 35 miles (56 km) long, in northern Delaware in the United States, also flowing through small areas of southeastern Pennsylvania and northeastern Maryland. Near its mouth the river flows past downtown Wilmington, Delaware, forming the city's harbor for traffic on the Delaware River. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina_River WIKI]

'''Like your Mother's Pussy''' 
From here to the end of the page, they start telling "yo mama" jokes, which also appear in ''Inherent Vice'' [http://inherent-vice.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_10 (pg. 155)] and ''Against the Day'' [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_1-25#Page_12 (pg. 12)].

==Annotation Index==

{{MD PbP}}

Chapter 35: 349-361

2015-09-10T23:53:03Z

Pthomas: /* Page 356 */

==Page 349==
'''quidnunc''' 
A gossip or busybody; an ever-curious questioner; newsmonger

'''...rather, a great disorderly Tangle of Lines,''' 
A tangle of lines in need of singling up. See entry from [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_1-25#Page_3 ATD].

'''Mr. Gibbon''' 
Edward Gibbon (April 27, 1737[1] – January 16, 1794) was an English historian and Member of Parliament. His most important work, ''The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'', was published in six volumes between 1776 and 1788. The History is known principally for the quality and irony of its prose, its use of primary sources, and its open denigration of organised religion, though the extent of this is disputed by some critics. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Gibbon WIKI]

'''Jack Mandeville''' 
Bernard Mandeville, or Bernard de Mandeville (15 November 1670, Rotterdam – 21 January 1733, Hackney), was a philosopher, political economist and satirist. Born in the Netherlands, he lived most of his life in England and used English for most of his published works. He became famous (or infamous) for ''The Fable of the Bees''. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Mandeville WIKI]

'''Captain John Smith''' 
Captain John Smith (c. January 1580 – June 21, 1631) Admiral of New England was an English soldier, explorer, and author. He is remembered for his role in establishing the first permanent English settlement in North America at Jamestown, Virginia, and his brief association with the Virginia Indian girl Pocahontas during an altercation with the Powhatan Confederacy and her father, Chief Powhatan. He was a leader of the Virginia Colony (based at Jamestown) between September 1608 and August 1609, and led an exploration along the rivers of Virginia and the Chesapeake Bay. His books and maps may have been as important as his deeds, as they encouraged more Englishmen and women to follow the trail he had blazed and colonize the New World. He gave the name New England to that region, and encouraged people with the comment, "Here every man may be master and owner of his owne labour and land...If he have nothing but his hands, he may...by industrie quickly grow rich." His message attracted millions of people in the next four centuries. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_John_Smith WIKI]

==Page 350==
'''Baron Munchausen''' 
Karl Friedrich Hieronymus, Freiherr von Münchhausen (11 May 1720 – 22 February 1797) (often spelled Munchausen in English) was a German baron born in Bodenwerder, who in his youth was sent to serve as page to Anthony Ulrich II of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, and later joined the Russian military. He served until 1750, in particular taking part in two campaigns against the Ottoman Turks. Returning home, Münchhausen supposedly told a number of outrageous tall tales about his adventures. He died in his birthplace of Bodenwerder. According to the stories, as retold by others, the Baron's astounding feats included riding cannonballs, travelling to the Moon, and escaping from a swamp by pulling himself up by his own hair (or bootstraps, depending on who tells the story). From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baron_M%C3%BCnchhausen WIKI]

'''Herodotus''' 
Herodotus of Halicarnassus (Greek: Ἡρόδοτος Ἁλικαρνᾱσσεύς Hēródotos Halikarnāsseús) was a Greek historian who lived in the 5th century BC (c. 484 BC – c. 425 BC) and is regarded as the "Father of History" in Western culture. He was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a well-constructed and vivid narrative. He is almost exclusively known for writing ''The Histories'', a record of his "inquiries" (or ἱστορίαι, a word that passed into Latin and took on its modern meaning of history) into the origins of the Greco-Persian Wars which occurred in 490 and 480-479 BC—especially since he includes a narrative account of that period, which would otherwise be poorly documented; and many long digressions concerning the various places and peoples he encountered during wide-ranging travels around the lands of the Mediterranean and Black Sea. Although some of his stories were not completely accurate, he claimed that he was reporting only what had been told to him. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodotus WIKI]

'''certain Egyptian Deity''' 
???

'''AEsop''' 
Aesop (also spelled Æsop or Esop, from the Greek Αἴσωπος—Aisōpos) (620-560 BC), known only for the genre of fables ascribed to him, was by tradition a slave (δούλος) who was a contemporary of Croesus and Peisistratus in the mid-sixth century BC in ancient Greece. The various collections that go under the rubric "Aesop's Fables" are still taught as moral lessons and used as subjects for various entertainments, especially children's plays and cartoons. Most of what are known as Aesopic fables is a compilation of tales from various sources, many of which originated with authors who lived long before Aesop. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesop WIKI]

==Page 351==

''''Novel'... Britain's Bedlam ... French 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 (also, see page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_32:_315-326#Page_321 321] - R.C. entry)

The Bethlem Royal Hospital of London is a psychiatric hospital in Beckenham, south east London. Although no longer in its original location and buildings, it is recognised as the world's first and oldest institution to specialise in the mentally ill. It has been variously known as St. Mary Bethlehem, Bethlem Hospital, Bethlehem Hospital and Bedlam. The word bedlam, meaning uproar and confusion, is derived from its name. Although the hospital is now at the forefront of humane psychiatric treatment, for much of its history it was notorious for cruelty and inhumane treatment – the epitome of what the term "madhouse" connotes to the modern reader. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedlam WIKI]

The Salpêtrière was originally a gunpowder factory ("salpêtre" being a constituent of gunpowder), but was converted to a dumping ground for the poor of Paris. It served as a prison for prostitutes, and a holding place for the mentally disabled, criminally insane, epileptics, and the poor; it was also notable for its famous population of rats. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salpetriere WIKI]

'''Dr. Johnson''' [[File:Samuel_Johnson.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Samuel Johnson c. 1772,
painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds]]Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 [O.S. 7 September] – 13 December 1784), often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, novelist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. Johnson was a devout Anglican and political conservative, and has been described as "arguably the most distinguished man of letters in English history". He is also the subject of "the most famous single work of biographical art in the whole of literature": James Boswell's ''Life of Samuel Johnson''. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Johnson WIKI]

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

==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.

Note that the novel frequently mentions [[I#invisible|invisible]] forces.

'''Octarara Creek''' 
Octoraro Creek is the last significant tributary of the Susquehanna River. The Octoraro rises as an East and West Branch in Pennsylvania. The East Branch forms the southern half of the border between Lancaster and Chester counties until it crosses the Mason-Dixon line. The creek winds through northwestern Cecil County, Maryland before joining the Susquehanna. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octoraro_Creek WIKI]

'''the War''' 
The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), also sometimes known as the American War of Independence, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen united former British colonies in North America, and concluded in a global war between several European great powers. The war was the culmination of the political American Revolution, whereby the colonists rejected the right of the Parliament of Great Britain to govern them without representation, claiming that this violated the Rights of Englishmen. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary_War WIKI]

'''Sedan Chairs''' 
[[Image:Sedan-Chair.jpg|thumb|Sedan chair|right]]
"a chair or windowed cabin suitable for a single occupant, also carried by at least two porters in front and behind, using wooden rails that pass through brackets on the sides of the chair" -- [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Litter_%28vehicle%29 Wikipedia]

'''Saint Nicholas''' 
Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or simply "Santa", is the legendary and mythical figure who, in many Western cultures, brings gifts to the homes of the good children during the late evening and overnight hours of Christmas Eve, December 24 or on his Feast Day, December 6 (Saint Nicholas Day). The legend may have part of its basis in hagiographical tales concerning the historical figure of gift giver Saint Nicholas... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus WIKI]

Saint Nicholas (Greek: Άγιος Νικόλαος , Agios Nikolaos, "victory of the people") (270 - 6 December 346) is the common name for Nicholas of Myra, a saint and Bishop of Myra (in Lycia, part of modern-day Turkey). Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nicholas the Wonderworker. He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus became the model for Santa Claus, whose English name comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas. His reputation evolved among the faithful, as is common for early Christian saints. In 1087, his relics were furtively translated to Bari, in southern Italy; for this reason, he is also known as Nicholas of Bari. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_nicholas WIKI]

==Page 353==
'''I was back in America''' 
The Section from here until page 392 takes place from [[1765#January|January]] 11, 1765 to [[1765#January|January]] 17, 1765.

'''mesopotamian Mysticks of Kutztown or Bethlehem''' 
Kutztown is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, 18 miles (29 km) west southwest of Allentown and 17 miles (27 km) northeast of Reading. George (Coots) Kutz purchased 130 acres (0.53 km2) of land that became on Kutztown on June 16, 1755 from Peter Wentz, who owned much of what is now Maxatawny Township. Kutz first laid out his plans for the town in 1779. The first lots in the new town of Cootstown (later renamed Kutztown) were purchased in 1785 by Adam Dietrich and Henry Schweier. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kutztown,_Pennsylvania WIKI]

Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. On Christmas Eve in 1741, David Nitschmann and Count Nicolaus von Zinzendorf, leading a small group of Moravians, founded the city of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania along the banks of the Monocacy Creek by the Lehigh River... Bethlehem became the headquarters of the Northern Province of the Moravian Church in North America after the Unity Synod of 1848. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethlehem,_Pennsylvania WIKI]

'''"The Stamp Act Crisis"''' 
It's strange to note that the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stamp_Act_1765 Stamp Act] wasn't passed until [[1765#March|March]] 22, 1765. The Rev is setting the mood of the times but this is really only the dissatisfaction waiting for a trigger.

See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_39:_391-398#Page_395 395].

'''Chits''' 
Small notes, used as reminders for something (usually money) owed to someone

'''Business then, in this Province, Wagering included, was conducted overwhelmingly by way of Credit, - the Flow of Cash was not as important as Character, Duty, a complex structure of debt in which Favors, Forgiveness, Ignominy were much more likely than any repayment in Specie.''' 
Business here works much like Emerson's watch; see page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_32:_315-326#Page_317 317].

==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" ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TARDIS Wikipedia]). [[Chapter_41:_410-421#Page_412|See also p. 412]]

Note to, the ''OED'' definition of tardis, which includes usage samples dating back to 1969:

:* Etymology: [< TARDIS (acronym < Time And Relative Dimensions In Space), the name in the science-fiction BBC television series Doctor Who (first broadcast in 1963) of a time machine outwardly resembling a police telephone box, yet inwardly much larger.]
:* Definition: In allusive use. Something resembling or likened to Doctor Who's TARDIS; spec.: (a) a thing which has a larger capacity than its outward appearance suggests; a building, etc., that is larger on the inside than it appears from the outside; (b) a thing seemingly from another time (past or future).

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 ([[Chapter 34: 341-348#Page_345|ch. 34, p. 345]]). This same joke (?) is presented again regarding a cabin ([[Chapter 41: 410-421#Page_412|ch. 41, p. 412]]). Watch to see the audiences' reaction to these paradoxes. Are they growing progressively more tolerant of Wick's tall-tales?

This passage also makes me think of the book itself: An entity defined in three dimensions that contains within it many more objects, characters, events and intersecting ideas than would physically fit between its two covers, "some bearing loads, others merely decorative, still others serving as Cam-Surfaces guiding the motions of other Parts.--" I especially enjoy that "this fact cannot be appreciated until one is inside." In other words, you'll never truly appreciate the Byzantine genius of TRP until you 'get inside' one of his books.

This idea of a book or structure that is larger on the inside than it appears from the outside is also explored thoroughly in Mark Danielewski's novel ''House of Leaves'' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Leaves WIKI]

'''game of All-Fours''' [[Image:AllFours.jpg|thumb|Couple playing All-Fours|right]]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: [http://www.twainquotes.com/Galaxy/187010d.html Science vs. Luck].

All-Fours, All-Fools, is an English tavern trick-taking card game dating from about the middle of the 17th century, and may have been adapted by the English from another typically low-class Dutch game. It was introduced to the United States in the 18th century and soon became the most popular game by the 1800s. It is considered the game responsible for attaching the name Jack in 1864 to what was formerly just a knave. The name derives from the fact that one card may count all fours: If the eldest hand holds the Jack, the dealer having neither trump, Ten, Ace, nor a court-card, then the Jack will be both High, Low, Jack, and Game in the hand of non-dealer. This combination gave name to the game of All-Fours. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All-Fours WIKI]

'''Cisalleghenic''' 
The other side of the Allegheny river

A little confusion is possible here. The prefix -cis means on the nearer side to the speaker of the given object. If, however, Pynchon has based the phrase upon that used for the Thames in London, cispontine, it would refer to the northern side, which, in this case would be the other side.

==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 [[Reverend Wicks Cherrycoke]] implying that [[E#Edgewise|Mr. Edgewise]] is a slime ball, hitting on these young, defenseless ladies--right in front of his wife, the cad... Is Wicks' portrayal of Mr. Edgewise tainted his gambling losses to Edgewise? Wicks' contrasting portraits of a sinful Edgewise vs. a saintly pair of [[R#Redzinger|Redzinger]]s provides some humor in this chapter.

==Page 356==
'''''net''''' 
German for "No" - the actual word is "nicht" pronounced "net". In other words, when she subsequently uses this, it is such: "You are one of these? The English Church, no?"

'''planet-wide Syncretism''' 
Syncretism consists of the attempt to reconcile disparate or contrary beliefs, often while melding practices of various schools of thought. The term may refer to attempts to merge and analogise several originally discrete traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, and thus assert an underlying unity allowing for an inclusive approach to other faiths. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syncretism WIKI]

'''Kabbalist''' 
Kabbalah (Hebrew: קַבָּלָה‎, lit. "receiving") is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the mystical aspect of Judaism. It is a set of esoteric teachings that is meant to explain the relationship between an infinite, eternal and essentially unknowable Creator with the finite and mortal universe of His creation. In solving this paradox, Kabbalah seeks to define the nature of the universe and the human being, the nature and purpose of existence, and various other ontological questions. It also presents methods to aid understanding of these concepts and to thereby attain spiritual realization. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabbalist WIKI]

'''Pietists''' 
followers of Pietism, "a movement within Lutheranism, lasting from the late-17th century to the mid-18th century. It proved to be very influential throughout Protestantism and Anabaptism, inspiring not only Anglican priest John Wesley to begin the Methodist movement, but also Alexander Mack to begin the Brethren movement. The Pietist movement combined the Lutheran emphasis on Biblical doctrine with the Reformed, and especially Puritan, emphasis on individual piety, and a vigorous Christian life" -- [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pietism Wikipedia]

'''being between preferments''' 
I believe that preferments, here, refers to claims (to, for example, a monetary payment or land holding). See also, interprebendary later on this page.

Preferment- advancement or promotion (esp in the church)

'''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 [http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/levy_mason_and_dixon.pdf ''Mason & Dixon Three Pages a Day'']

Note that "inter" could also mean "between" (rather than "among" or "in the midst of"), in which case this term would suggest that Wicks is inbetween payments.

What does this mean: "... after promising a Certain Deity that I would refrain" [from using the term "interprebendary"]? Looking into this, but it may simply be about the $$$, in other words, when tied in with his comment about Herodotus on pg. 350 ("in his refusal to utter the name of a certain Egyptian Diety"), is it possible that Wicks promised God he wouldnt use that word because it framed his need for monetary payment (business-like), esp. to someone outside the establishment or of the flock? In other words, as if the Church were buying his allegiance, or faith?

'''the Gambler''' 
Pot calling the kettle black?

'''Frau Luise Redzinger, of Coniwingo''' 
Her surname is no doubt derived from the Celestial Seasonings herbal tea, Red Zinger. The connection is strengthened by her husband's experience with an overexposure to dried aromatic herbs.

Conowingo is a small community in western Cecil County, Maryland, USA. Conowingo is a Susquehannock word for "at the rapids". Conowingo was originally located on the eastern bank of the Susquehanna River at the confluence of the Conowingo Creek with the river. Conowingo was at the rapids that were the first navigation obstacle on the Susquehanna upstream of the Chesapeake Bay, the location of an early stretch of canal. It was also the site of the Conowingo Bridge. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conowingo,_Maryland WIKI]

'''Putzing''' 
Checking out the neighbors' putz--Moravian/Pennsylvanian Dutch Nativity scenes, often quite elaborate. Described well by the [http://www.easthillsmc.org/putz.html East Hills Moravian Church].

==Page 357==
'''the Communication''' 
A term that Wicks uses for the road(s) leading to Philadelphia

'''Jehu son of Nimshi''' 
Reference to [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=12&chapter=9&verse=19&end_verse=21&version=50&context=context 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!'" A couple of on-line dictionaries categorize this as a colloquial phrase.

==Page 358==
'''Bines''' 
A bine is a climbing plant which climbs by its shoots growing in a helix around a support. It is distinct from a vine, which climbs using tendrils or suckers. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bine_(botany) WIKI]

'''Certain herbal essences in massive influxion... have long been known and commented upon, as occasions of God-revealing''' 
Wicks here is most likely referring to the effects of ethylene (as found out later): Ethylene acts physiologically as a hormone in plants. It exists as a gas and acts at trace levels throughout the life of the plant by stimulating or regulating the ripening of fruit, the opening of flowers, and the abscission (or shedding) of leaves... In mild doses, ethylene produces states of euphoria, associated with stimulus to the pleasure centers of the human brain. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethylene WIKI] - Also, see page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_31:_302-314#Page_311 311] re: Delphic Vapors. In addition hops contain dimethylvinyl carbinol which is said to, in humans, possess sedative and hypnotic effects similar to ethanol, through ingestion or inhalation. It was previously used in medicine for this purpose. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2-Methyl-2-butanol WIKI]

'''Cagliostro''' 
Count Alessandro di Cagliostro (2 June 1743 – 26 August 1795) was the alias for the occultist Giuseppe Balsamo (also called Joseph Balsamo), an Italian adventurer. Cagliostro himself stated during the trial following the Affair of the Diamond Necklace to have been born of Christians of noble birth, but abandoned as an orphan upon the island of Malta. He claimed to have travelled as a child to Medina, Mecca, and Cairo, and upon return to Malta to have been initiated into the Sovereign Military Order of the Knights of Malta, with whom he studied alchemy, the Kabbalah and magic, but this may be nothing more than the typical mystical background asserted by many impostors and charlatans throughout history—Goethe classifies this as "silly fairy-tales". From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cagliostro WIKI]

'''Comte de St.-Germain''' 
The Count of St. Germain (fl. 1710–1784) has been variously described as a courtier, adventurer, charlatan, inventor, alchemist, pianist, violinist and amateur composer, but is best known as a recurring figure in the stories of several strands of occultism – particularly those connected to Theosophy and the White Eagle Lodge, where he is also referred to as the Master Rakoczi or the Master R and as one of the Masters of the Ancient Wisdom, is credited with near god-like powers and longevity. Some sources write that his name is not familial, but was invented by him as a French version of the Latin Sanctus Germanus, meaning "Holy Brother." From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comte_de_St._Germain WIKI]

'''Adam Weishaupt''' 
Johann Adam Weishaupt (February 6, 1748 in Ingolstadt – November 18, 1830 in Gotha) was a German philosopher and founder of the Order of Illuminati, a secret society with origins in Bavaria. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Weishaupt WIKI]

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

'''Illuminati''' 
Illuminati (plural of Latin illuminatus, "enlightened") is a name that refers to several groups, both historical and modern, and both real and fictitious. Historically, it refers specifically to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on May 1, 1776 by Jesuit-taught Adam Weishaupt (d. 1830), who was the first lay professor of canon law at the University of Ingolstadt. The movement was made up of freethinkers, as an offshoot of the Enlightenment. Writers at the time, such as Seth Payson, believed the movement represented a conspiracy to infiltrate and overthrow the governments of European states. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illuminati WIKI]

'''Elect Cohens''' 
In 1765 Jacques de Livron Joachim de la Tour de la Casa Martinez de Pasqually established the Ordre des Chevelier Maçons Élus Cohen de L’Univers (Order of Knight-Masons Elect Priests of the Universe), which functioned as a regular Masonic obedience in France. This order had three sets of degrees: the first were analogous to the symbolic degrees of conventional Freemasonry. The second were generally Masonic, though hinting at Pasqually's own secret doctrine. The third set were blatantly magical: for example by using exorcisms against evil in the world generally and in the individual specifically. In the highest degree, the Reaux-Croix, the initiate was taught to use Theurgy to contact spiritual realms beyond the physical. De Pasqually put forth the philosophy underlying the work of the Elus Cohens in his only book, ''Treatise on the Reintegration of Human Beings'' which first uses the analogy of the Garden of Eden, and refers to Christ as "The Repairer". The ultimate aim of the Elus Cohen was to attain - whilst living - the Beatific Vision, through a series of magical invocations and complex theurgic operations. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martinism WIKI]

==Page 359==
'''Cock Lane Ghost''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_18:_183-189#Page_183 183].

'''''aus dem Kipp''''' 
from the Tilt

I am going to guess that this means he is "armed for battle" with his new religion, though I guess it could also mean he could be under the effects of the hops again? Or a bit of both

'''anywhere two or more Germans may be gathered together''' 
Reference to [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%2018:20&version=KJV Matthew 18:20]

'''Tales of the Pit''' 
Funny phrase; is it a reference to something specific outside the text?

This is most likely a major reach, but just following up one someone's earlier thoughts (also see pg.361) in relation to this Carriage Ride in reference to Dr. Who/TARDIS. See this [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pit_(Doctor_Who) LINK].

'''Quit-rent''' 
Quit-rent is a form of tax or land tax imposed on freehold or leased land by a higher landowning authority, usually government or its assigns. Under feudal law, the payment of quit rent freed the tenant of a holding from the obligation to perform such other services as were obligatory under feudal tenure. In post-feudal times, quit rents have continued to be imposed by some governments, usually attached to land grants as a form of land tax. The quit rent system was used frequently by colonial governments in the British empire. Many land grants in colonial America in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries carried quit rent. Quit rents went on to be used in British colonies in Asia and elsewhere in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quit-rent WIKI]

==Page 360==
'''Linnaeus''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_32:_315-326#Page_321 321].

'''Grodt''' 
Get Rich or Die Tryin'

'''Purveyor of Delusion''' 
Wicks' opinion of Mr. Edgewise, over the span of this carriage ride, just keeps spiraling downward.

'''Spruce Beer''' 
Spruce beer is a beverage flavored with the buds, needles, or essence of spruce trees. Spruce beer can refer to either alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages. A number of flavors are associated with spruce-flavored beverages, ranging from floral, citrusy, and fruity to cola-like flavors to resinous and piney. This diversity in flavor likely comes from the choice of spruce species, the season in which the needles are harvested, and the manner of preparation. Spruce beer, despite its name, is - like Ginger beer and Root beer - not a type of beer. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spruce_beer WIKI]

==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.

Again (following up on comments from page 354 (& 359), above), I wonder, too, if there is some sly reference ("only the machine, fading as we stand") to Dr. Who, in which the time machine/spacecraft TARDIS "can blend in with its surroundings through the ship's chameleon circuit" ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TARDIS Wikipedia]).

Also, perhaps this is a bit of a presage in regard to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_locomotive Locomotives] of the future, which would facilitate the development of the Midwest (prairies of immensity) and beyond...

==Annotation Index==

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__TOC__

==Page 706==
'''Sir William Johnson''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_54:_525-541#Page_532 532].

'''Zeno's Paradox''' 
Zeno of Elea (ca. 490 BC? – ca. 430 BC?) was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher of southern Italy and a member of the Eleatic School founded by Parmenides. Aristotle called him the inventor of the dialectic. He is best known for his paradoxes, which Betrand Russell has described as "immeasurably subtle and profound"... This seems to be a reference to the paradox of Achilles and the Tortoise: Achilles is in a footrace with the tortoise. Achilles allows the tortoise a head start of 100 metres. If we suppose that each racer starts running at some constant speed (one very fast and one very slow), then after some finite time, Achilles will have run 100 metres, bringing him to the tortoise's starting point. During this time, the tortoise has run a much shorter distance, say, 10 metres. It will then take Achilles some further time to run that distance, by which time the tortoise will have advanced farther; and then more time still to reach this third point, while the tortoise moves ahead. Thus, whenever Achilles reaches somewhere the tortoise has been, he still has farther to go. Therefore, because there are an infinite number of points Achilles must reach where the tortoise has already been, he can never overtake the tortoise. Of course, simple experience tells us that Achilles will be able to overtake the tortoise, which is why this is a paradox. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeno%27s_paradoxes WIKI]
This is a paradox only if one accepts Zeno's premise that motion is incremental, rather than continuous.

==Page 707==
'''inimical''' 
1. Harmful in effect 
2. Unfriendly; hostile 
From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/inimical WIKI]

'''Bourbon Court''' 
The House of Bourbon is an important European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty. Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples & Sicily, and Parma. Spain and Luxembourg currently have Bourbon monarchs. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_bourbon WIKI] - Also, see page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_37:_371-381#Page_377 377].

'''''Haute Cuisine''''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_38:_382-390#Page_385 385].

'''Vongolli''' 
Clammy

'''...tho' like the Quaker in the joke...'''

An old Quaker says to his wife, "All are mad [or queer] save me and thee, and sometimes I find thee a bit strange." Also attributed to Robert Owen, circa. 1828.

'''When they happen across an Adventurer from Mexico, and the ancient City he has discover'd beneath the Earth, where thousands of Mummies occupy the Streets...''' 
Yet another reference to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollow_earth Hollow Earth theory]. See [[Chapter_55:_542-553#Page 548|p.548]] - This also, takes it a bit further, as this seems intended to focus on the archaic idea of the Afterlife being Underground, and the fusion of Ancient Egyptian ideas (that one must be mummified to reach the Afterlife) as well as Ancient Hebrew (that when one dies they go to Sheol, a place underground). Also, see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afterlife WIKI]

==Page 708==
'''''Vis Inertiae''''' 
Force of inertia

'''Herschel... Uranus''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_21:_207-214#Page_213 213].

The object was soon universally accepted as a new planet. By 1783, Herschel himself acknowledged this fact to Royal Society president Joseph Banks: "By the observation of the most eminent Astronomers in Europe it appears that the new star, which I had the honour of pointing out to them in March 1781, is a Primary Planet of our Solar System." In recognition of his achievement, King George III gave Herschel an annual stipend of £200 on the condition that he move to Windsor so that the Royal Family could have a chance to look through his telescopes. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranus WIKI]

'''Mug's Game''' 
A foolish, profitless, or hopeless undertaking. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mug%27s_game WIKI]

'''Copley Medal''' 
The Copley Medal is an award given by the Royal Society of London for "outstanding achievements in research in any branch of science, and alternates between the physical sciences and the biological sciences". Awarded every year, the medal is the oldest Royal Society medal still being awarded, having first been given in 1731 to Stephen Gray, who received it for "his new Electrical Experiments: - as an encouragement to him for the readiness he has always shown in obliging the Society with his discoveries and improvements in this part of Natural Knowledge". The medal was created following a donation of £100 to be used for carrying out experiments by Sir Godgery Copley, for which the interest on the amount was used for several years. The conditions for the medal have been changed several of times; in 1736, it was suggested that "a medal or other honorary prize should be bestowed on the person whose experiment should be best approved", and this remained the rule until 1831, when the conditions were changed so that the medal would be awarded to the researcher that the Royal Society Council decided most deserved it. A second donation of £1666 13s. 4d. was made by Sir Joseph William Copley in 1881, and the interest from that amount is used to pay for the medal. The medal in its current format is made of silver gilt and awarded with a £5000 prize. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copley_medal WIKI]

==Page 709==
'''Haggis''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_22:_215-227#Page_216 216].

'''"’twill have to be a Continental D.I.O., forever." ''' 
"Damme, I'm Off!" - a men's catchphrase of the late 18th-early 19th centuries. According to Maskelyne, “No sooner did the Planet detach from the Sun’s further limb than ’twas D.I.O. for Mr. Waddington.” Dixon also uses it at the entrance to Lord Lepton's castle; "I, for one, am now arriv’d at the moment of D. Ahh. Oah,— and thee...?”

==Page 710==
'''Lethe''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_25:_245-253#Page_253 253].

'''Queen of Sheba''' 
The Queen of Sheba was the woman who ruled the ancient kingdom of Sheba and is referred to in Habeshan history, the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and the Qur'an. The location of the historical kingdom may have included part or all of modern day Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Yemen... According to the Hebrew Bible, the unnamed queen of the land of Sheba heard of the great wisdom of King Solomon of Israel and journeyed there with gifts of spices, gold, precious stones, and beautiful wood and to test him with questions, as recorded in First Kings 10:1-13 (largely copied in 2 Chronicles 9:1–12). From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_of_sheba WIKI]

==Page 711==
'''emprise''' 
An enterprise; endeavor; adventure. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/emprise WIKI]

'''depredations''' 
A raid or predatory attack. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/depredation WIKI]

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

'''Jesuit Telegraph''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_53:_511-524#Page_515 515].

==Page 712==
'''Susurrus''' [[File:Crumhorns.png|200px|thumb|right|Crumhorns shown in the “Syntagma musicum” vol. 2 (1619)]](Literary) A whispering or rustling sound; a murmur. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/susurrus WIKI]

'''Crumhornes''' 
The crumhorn is a musical instrument of the woodwind family, most commonly used during the Renaissance period... The name 'crumhorn' derives from the German Krumhorn (or Krummhorn or Krumphorn) meaning bent horn. This relates to the old English crump meaning curve, surviving in modern English in 'crumpled' and 'crumpet' (a curved cake)... The crumhorn is a capped reed instrument. Its construction is similar to that of the chanter of a bagpipe. A double reed is mounted inside a windcap at one end of a long pipe. Blowing into the windcap produces a musical note. The pitch of the note can be varied by opening or closing finger holes along the length of the pipe. One unusual feature of the crumhorn is its shape; the end is bent upwards in a curve resembling the letter 'J'. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crumhorn WIKI]

'''Swedesboro''' 
Swedesboro, along with Bridgeport, was one of only two settlements established in New Jersey as a part of the New Sweden colony. The oldest extant log cabin in the United States, the ''Nothnagle Log Cabin'' was built by Antti Niilonpoika (Anthony Neilson/Nelson) in Swedesboro. It is a registered National historic site, as is ''Trinity Episcopal "Old Swedes" Church''. Trinity was established as a Swedish Lutheran Church in 1703; the present building dates to 1784. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedesboro WIKI]

'''Spanish Extremadura''' 
Extremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. It includes the provinces of Cáceres and Badajoz. Extremadura borders Portugal to the west, and it is an important area for wildlife, particularly with the major reserve at Monfragüe, which was designated a National Park in 2007, or the project of the International Tagus River Natural Park (Parque Natural Rio Tajo internacional). To the north it borders Castile and León (provinces of Salamanca and Ávila); to the south, it borders Andalusia (provinces of Huelva, Seville, and Córdoba); and to the east, it borders Castile-La Mancha (provinces of Toledo and Ciudad Real). From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extramadura WIKI]

'''Fiduciary''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_41:_410-421#Page_418 418].

'''Chandleries''' [[File:BrendansIsle.jpg|200px|thumb|right|1707 map of north-west Africa, showing the "fabled" island of San Borondón west of the Canaries, ie. St. Brendan's Isle]]In non-American parts of the English speaking world a chandlery refers to a shop selling nautical items for ships and boats. This term is still in use. Also the job function and title, Chandler still exists as someone who works in the chandlery business or chandlery shop. Also, a chandlery was the office in a medieval household responsible for wax and candles, as well as the room in which the candles were kept. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandlery WIKI]

'''Greengrocers'''' 
A greengrocer or fruiterer is a retail trader in fruit and vegetables; that is, in green groceries. Greengrocer is primarily a British and Australian term, and greengrocers' shops were once common in suburbs, towns and villages. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_grocer WIKI]

'''"St. Brendan's Isle"''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_72:_694-705#Page_703 703].

==Page 713==
'''ubiquitous''' 
Ubiquity- The state or quality of being, or appearing to be, everywhere at once; actual or perceived omnipresence. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ubiquity WIKI]

'''transnoctially''' 
Across the night; beyond the surface of dreams

'''"Atlantick Company"''' 
Definitely seems to be a fictitious company here, however, this [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Telegraph_Company LINK] is interesting to read, and relevant, though comes later in time.

This is merely a name for a whimsical speculative enterprise based on the fantasy of laying out "a Visto upon the Atlantick Sea", begun on the previous page. The name follows the stylistic precedents of "The Virginia Company", "The Massachusetts Bay Company", etc.

==Annotations Index==

{{MD PbP}}

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__TOC__

==Page 706==
'''Sir William Johnson''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_54:_525-541#Page_532 532].

'''Zeno's Paradox''' 
Zeno of Elea (ca. 490 BC? – ca. 430 BC?) was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher of southern Italy and a member of the Eleatic School founded by Parmenides. Aristotle called him the inventor of the dialectic. He is best known for his paradoxes, which Betrand Russell has described as "immeasurably subtle and profound"... This seems to be a reference to the paradox of Achilles and the Tortoise: Achilles is in a footrace with the tortoise. Achilles allows the tortoise a head start of 100 metres. If we suppose that each racer starts running at some constant speed (one very fast and one very slow), then after some finite time, Achilles will have run 100 metres, bringing him to the tortoise's starting point. During this time, the tortoise has run a much shorter distance, say, 10 metres. It will then take Achilles some further time to run that distance, by which time the tortoise will have advanced farther; and then more time still to reach this third point, while the tortoise moves ahead. Thus, whenever Achilles reaches somewhere the tortoise has been, he still has farther to go. Therefore, because there are an infinite number of points Achilles must reach where the tortoise has already been, he can never overtake the tortoise. Of course, simple experience tells us that Achilles will be able to overtake the tortoise, which is why this is a paradox. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeno%27s_paradoxes WIKI]

==Page 707==
'''inimical''' 
1. Harmful in effect 
2. Unfriendly; hostile 
From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/inimical WIKI]

'''Bourbon Court''' 
The House of Bourbon is an important European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty. Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples & Sicily, and Parma. Spain and Luxembourg currently have Bourbon monarchs. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_bourbon WIKI] - Also, see page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_37:_371-381#Page_377 377].

'''''Haute Cuisine''''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_38:_382-390#Page_385 385].

'''Vongolli''' 
Clammy

'''...tho' like the Quaker in the joke...'''

An old Quaker says to his wife, "All are mad [or queer] save me and thee, and sometimes I find thee a bit strange." Also attributed to Robert Owen, circa. 1828.

'''When they happen across an Adventurer from Mexico, and the ancient City he has discover'd beneath the Earth, where thousands of Mummies occupy the Streets...''' 
Yet another reference to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollow_earth Hollow Earth theory]. See [[Chapter_55:_542-553#Page 548|p.548]] - This also, takes it a bit further, as this seems intended to focus on the archaic idea of the Afterlife being Underground, and the fusion of Ancient Egyptian ideas (that one must be mummified to reach the Afterlife) as well as Ancient Hebrew (that when one dies they go to Sheol, a place underground). Also, see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afterlife WIKI]

==Page 708==
'''''Vis Inertiae''''' 
Force of inertia

'''Herschel... Uranus''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_21:_207-214#Page_213 213].

The object was soon universally accepted as a new planet. By 1783, Herschel himself acknowledged this fact to Royal Society president Joseph Banks: "By the observation of the most eminent Astronomers in Europe it appears that the new star, which I had the honour of pointing out to them in March 1781, is a Primary Planet of our Solar System." In recognition of his achievement, King George III gave Herschel an annual stipend of £200 on the condition that he move to Windsor so that the Royal Family could have a chance to look through his telescopes. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranus WIKI]

'''Mug's Game''' 
A foolish, profitless, or hopeless undertaking. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mug%27s_game WIKI]

'''Copley Medal''' 
The Copley Medal is an award given by the Royal Society of London for "outstanding achievements in research in any branch of science, and alternates between the physical sciences and the biological sciences". Awarded every year, the medal is the oldest Royal Society medal still being awarded, having first been given in 1731 to Stephen Gray, who received it for "his new Electrical Experiments: - as an encouragement to him for the readiness he has always shown in obliging the Society with his discoveries and improvements in this part of Natural Knowledge". The medal was created following a donation of £100 to be used for carrying out experiments by Sir Godgery Copley, for which the interest on the amount was used for several years. The conditions for the medal have been changed several of times; in 1736, it was suggested that "a medal or other honorary prize should be bestowed on the person whose experiment should be best approved", and this remained the rule until 1831, when the conditions were changed so that the medal would be awarded to the researcher that the Royal Society Council decided most deserved it. A second donation of £1666 13s. 4d. was made by Sir Joseph William Copley in 1881, and the interest from that amount is used to pay for the medal. The medal in its current format is made of silver gilt and awarded with a £5000 prize. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copley_medal WIKI]

==Page 709==
'''Haggis''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_22:_215-227#Page_216 216].

'''"’twill have to be a Continental D.I.O., forever." ''' 
"Damme, I'm Off!" - a men's catchphrase of the late 18th-early 19th centuries. According to Maskelyne, “No sooner did the Planet detach from the Sun’s further limb than ’twas D.I.O. for Mr. Waddington.” Dixon also uses it at the entrance to Lord Lepton's castle; "I, for one, am now arriv’d at the moment of D. Ahh. Oah,— and thee...?”

==Page 710==
'''Lethe''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_25:_245-253#Page_253 253].

'''Queen of Sheba''' 
The Queen of Sheba was the woman who ruled the ancient kingdom of Sheba and is referred to in Habeshan history, the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and the Qur'an. The location of the historical kingdom may have included part or all of modern day Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Yemen... According to the Hebrew Bible, the unnamed queen of the land of Sheba heard of the great wisdom of King Solomon of Israel and journeyed there with gifts of spices, gold, precious stones, and beautiful wood and to test him with questions, as recorded in First Kings 10:1-13 (largely copied in 2 Chronicles 9:1–12). From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_of_sheba WIKI]

==Page 711==
'''emprise''' 
An enterprise; endeavor; adventure. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/emprise WIKI]

'''depredations''' 
A raid or predatory attack. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/depredation WIKI]

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

'''Jesuit Telegraph''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_53:_511-524#Page_515 515].

==Page 712==
'''Susurrus''' [[File:Crumhorns.png|200px|thumb|right|Crumhorns shown in the “Syntagma musicum” vol. 2 (1619)]](Literary) A whispering or rustling sound; a murmur. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/susurrus WIKI]

'''Crumhornes''' 
The crumhorn is a musical instrument of the woodwind family, most commonly used during the Renaissance period... The name 'crumhorn' derives from the German Krumhorn (or Krummhorn or Krumphorn) meaning bent horn. This relates to the old English crump meaning curve, surviving in modern English in 'crumpled' and 'crumpet' (a curved cake)... The crumhorn is a capped reed instrument. Its construction is similar to that of the chanter of a bagpipe. A double reed is mounted inside a windcap at one end of a long pipe. Blowing into the windcap produces a musical note. The pitch of the note can be varied by opening or closing finger holes along the length of the pipe. One unusual feature of the crumhorn is its shape; the end is bent upwards in a curve resembling the letter 'J'. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crumhorn WIKI]

'''Swedesboro''' 
Swedesboro, along with Bridgeport, was one of only two settlements established in New Jersey as a part of the New Sweden colony. The oldest extant log cabin in the United States, the ''Nothnagle Log Cabin'' was built by Antti Niilonpoika (Anthony Neilson/Nelson) in Swedesboro. It is a registered National historic site, as is ''Trinity Episcopal "Old Swedes" Church''. Trinity was established as a Swedish Lutheran Church in 1703; the present building dates to 1784. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedesboro WIKI]

'''Spanish Extremadura''' 
Extremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. It includes the provinces of Cáceres and Badajoz. Extremadura borders Portugal to the west, and it is an important area for wildlife, particularly with the major reserve at Monfragüe, which was designated a National Park in 2007, or the project of the International Tagus River Natural Park (Parque Natural Rio Tajo internacional). To the north it borders Castile and León (provinces of Salamanca and Ávila); to the south, it borders Andalusia (provinces of Huelva, Seville, and Córdoba); and to the east, it borders Castile-La Mancha (provinces of Toledo and Ciudad Real). From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extramadura WIKI]

'''Fiduciary''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_41:_410-421#Page_418 418].

'''Chandleries''' [[File:BrendansIsle.jpg|200px|thumb|right|1707 map of north-west Africa, showing the "fabled" island of San Borondón west of the Canaries, ie. St. Brendan's Isle]]In non-American parts of the English speaking world a chandlery refers to a shop selling nautical items for ships and boats. This term is still in use. Also the job function and title, Chandler still exists as someone who works in the chandlery business or chandlery shop. Also, a chandlery was the office in a medieval household responsible for wax and candles, as well as the room in which the candles were kept. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandlery WIKI]

'''Greengrocers'''' 
A greengrocer or fruiterer is a retail trader in fruit and vegetables; that is, in green groceries. Greengrocer is primarily a British and Australian term, and greengrocers' shops were once common in suburbs, towns and villages. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_grocer WIKI]

'''"St. Brendan's Isle"''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_72:_694-705#Page_703 703].

==Page 713==
'''ubiquitous''' 
Ubiquity- The state or quality of being, or appearing to be, everywhere at once; actual or perceived omnipresence. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ubiquity WIKI]

'''transnoctially''' 
Across the night; beyond the surface of dreams

'''"Atlantick Company"''' 
Definitely seems to be a fictitious company here, however, this [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Telegraph_Company LINK] is interesting to read, and relevant, though comes later in time.

==Annotations Index==

{{MD PbP}}

Chapter 73: 706-713

2011-12-17T03:31:07Z

Pthomas: /* Page 707 */

__TOC__

==Page 706==
'''Sir William Johnson''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_54:_525-541#Page_532 532].

'''Zeno's Paradox''' 
Zeno of Elea (ca. 490 BC? – ca. 430 BC?) was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher of southern Italy and a member of the Eleatic School founded by Parmenides. Aristotle called him the inventor of the dialectic. He is best known for his paradoxes, which Betrand Russell has described as "immeasurably subtle and profound"... This seems to be a reference to the paradox of Achilles and the Tortoise: Achilles is in a footrace with the tortoise. Achilles allows the tortoise a head start of 100 metres. If we suppose that each racer starts running at some constant speed (one very fast and one very slow), then after some finite time, Achilles will have run 100 metres, bringing him to the tortoise's starting point. During this time, the tortoise has run a much shorter distance, say, 10 metres. It will then take Achilles some further time to run that distance, by which time the tortoise will have advanced farther; and then more time still to reach this third point, while the tortoise moves ahead. Thus, whenever Achilles reaches somewhere the tortoise has been, he still has farther to go. Therefore, because there are an infinite number of points Achilles must reach where the tortoise has already been, he can never overtake the tortoise. Of course, simple experience tells us that Achilles will be able to overtake the tortoise, which is why this is a paradox. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeno%27s_paradoxes WIKI]

==Page 707==
'''inimical''' 
1. Harmful in effect 
2. Unfriendly; hostile 
From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/inimical WIKI]

'''Bourbon Court''' 
The House of Bourbon is an important European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty. Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples & Sicily, and Parma. Spain and Luxembourg currently have Bourbon monarchs. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_bourbon WIKI] - Also, see page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_37:_371-381#Page_377 377].

'''''Haute Cuisine''''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_38:_382-390#Page_385 385].

'''Vongolli''' 
Clammy

'''...tho' like the Quaker in the joke...'''

An old Quaker says to his wife, "All are mad [or queer] save me and thee, and sometimes I find thee a bit strange." Also attributed to Robert Owen, circa. 1828.

'''When they happen across an Adventurer from Mexico, and the ancient City he has discover'd beneath the Earth, where thousands of Mummies occupy the Streets...''' 
Yet another reference to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollow_earth Hollow Earth theory]. See [[Chapter_55:_542-553#Page 548|p.548]] - This also, takes it a bit further, as this seems intended to focus on the archaic idea of the Afterlife being Underground, and the fusion of Ancient Egyptian ideas (that one must be mummified to reach the Afterlife) as well as Ancient Hebrew (that when one dies they go to Sheol, a place underground). Also, see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afterlife WIKI]

==Page 708==
'''''Vis Inertiae''''' 
Inner Inertia

'''Herschel... Uranus''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_21:_207-214#Page_213 213].

The object was soon universally accepted as a new planet. By 1783, Herschel himself acknowledged this fact to Royal Society president Joseph Banks: "By the observation of the most eminent Astronomers in Europe it appears that the new star, which I had the honour of pointing out to them in March 1781, is a Primary Planet of our Solar System." In recognition of his achievement, King George III gave Herschel an annual stipend of £200 on the condition that he move to Windsor so that the Royal Family could have a chance to look through his telescopes. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranus WIKI]

'''Mug's Game''' 
A foolish, profitless, or hopeless undertaking. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mug%27s_game WIKI]

'''Copley Medal''' 
The Copley Medal is an award given by the Royal Society of London for "outstanding achievements in research in any branch of science, and alternates between the physical sciences and the biological sciences". Awarded every year, the medal is the oldest Royal Society medal still being awarded, having first been given in 1731 to Stephen Gray, who received it for "his new Electrical Experiments: - as an encouragement to him for the readiness he has always shown in obliging the Society with his discoveries and improvements in this part of Natural Knowledge". The medal was created following a donation of £100 to be used for carrying out experiments by Sir Godgery Copley, for which the interest on the amount was used for several years. The conditions for the medal have been changed several of times; in 1736, it was suggested that "a medal or other honorary prize should be bestowed on the person whose experiment should be best approved", and this remained the rule until 1831, when the conditions were changed so that the medal would be awarded to the researcher that the Royal Society Council decided most deserved it. A second donation of £1666 13s. 4d. was made by Sir Joseph William Copley in 1881, and the interest from that amount is used to pay for the medal. The medal in its current format is made of silver gilt and awarded with a £5000 prize. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copley_medal WIKI]

==Page 709==
'''Haggis''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_22:_215-227#Page_216 216].

'''"’twill have to be a Continental D.I.O., forever." ''' 
"Damme, I'm Off!" - a men's catchphrase of the late 18th-early 19th centuries. According to Maskelyne, “No sooner did the Planet detach from the Sun’s further limb than ’twas D.I.O. for Mr. Waddington.” Dixon also uses it at the entrance to Lord Lepton's castle; "I, for one, am now arriv’d at the moment of D. Ahh. Oah,— and thee...?”

==Page 710==
'''Lethe''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_25:_245-253#Page_253 253].

'''Queen of Sheba''' 
The Queen of Sheba was the woman who ruled the ancient kingdom of Sheba and is referred to in Habeshan history, the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and the Qur'an. The location of the historical kingdom may have included part or all of modern day Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Yemen... According to the Hebrew Bible, the unnamed queen of the land of Sheba heard of the great wisdom of King Solomon of Israel and journeyed there with gifts of spices, gold, precious stones, and beautiful wood and to test him with questions, as recorded in First Kings 10:1-13 (largely copied in 2 Chronicles 9:1–12). From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_of_sheba WIKI]

==Page 711==
'''emprise''' 
An enterprise; endeavor; adventure. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/emprise WIKI]

'''depredations''' 
A raid or predatory attack. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/depredation WIKI]

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

'''Jesuit Telegraph''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_53:_511-524#Page_515 515].

==Page 712==
'''Susurrus''' [[File:Crumhorns.png|200px|thumb|right|Crumhorns shown in the “Syntagma musicum” vol. 2 (1619)]](Literary) A whispering or rustling sound; a murmur. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/susurrus WIKI]

'''Crumhornes''' 
The crumhorn is a musical instrument of the woodwind family, most commonly used during the Renaissance period... The name 'crumhorn' derives from the German Krumhorn (or Krummhorn or Krumphorn) meaning bent horn. This relates to the old English crump meaning curve, surviving in modern English in 'crumpled' and 'crumpet' (a curved cake)... The crumhorn is a capped reed instrument. Its construction is similar to that of the chanter of a bagpipe. A double reed is mounted inside a windcap at one end of a long pipe. Blowing into the windcap produces a musical note. The pitch of the note can be varied by opening or closing finger holes along the length of the pipe. One unusual feature of the crumhorn is its shape; the end is bent upwards in a curve resembling the letter 'J'. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crumhorn WIKI]

'''Swedesboro''' 
Swedesboro, along with Bridgeport, was one of only two settlements established in New Jersey as a part of the New Sweden colony. The oldest extant log cabin in the United States, the ''Nothnagle Log Cabin'' was built by Antti Niilonpoika (Anthony Neilson/Nelson) in Swedesboro. It is a registered National historic site, as is ''Trinity Episcopal "Old Swedes" Church''. Trinity was established as a Swedish Lutheran Church in 1703; the present building dates to 1784. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedesboro WIKI]

'''Spanish Extremadura''' 
Extremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. It includes the provinces of Cáceres and Badajoz. Extremadura borders Portugal to the west, and it is an important area for wildlife, particularly with the major reserve at Monfragüe, which was designated a National Park in 2007, or the project of the International Tagus River Natural Park (Parque Natural Rio Tajo internacional). To the north it borders Castile and León (provinces of Salamanca and Ávila); to the south, it borders Andalusia (provinces of Huelva, Seville, and Córdoba); and to the east, it borders Castile-La Mancha (provinces of Toledo and Ciudad Real). From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extramadura WIKI]

'''Fiduciary''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_41:_410-421#Page_418 418].

'''Chandleries''' [[File:BrendansIsle.jpg|200px|thumb|right|1707 map of north-west Africa, showing the "fabled" island of San Borondón west of the Canaries, ie. St. Brendan's Isle]]In non-American parts of the English speaking world a chandlery refers to a shop selling nautical items for ships and boats. This term is still in use. Also the job function and title, Chandler still exists as someone who works in the chandlery business or chandlery shop. Also, a chandlery was the office in a medieval household responsible for wax and candles, as well as the room in which the candles were kept. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandlery WIKI]

'''Greengrocers'''' 
A greengrocer or fruiterer is a retail trader in fruit and vegetables; that is, in green groceries. Greengrocer is primarily a British and Australian term, and greengrocers' shops were once common in suburbs, towns and villages. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_grocer WIKI]

'''"St. Brendan's Isle"''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_72:_694-705#Page_703 703].

==Page 713==
'''ubiquitous''' 
Ubiquity- The state or quality of being, or appearing to be, everywhere at once; actual or perceived omnipresence. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ubiquity WIKI]

'''transnoctially''' 
Across the night; beyond the surface of dreams

'''"Atlantick Company"''' 
Definitely seems to be a fictitious company here, however, this [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Telegraph_Company LINK] is interesting to read, and relevant, though comes later in time.

==Annotations Index==

{{MD PbP}}

Chapter 63: 618-622

2011-12-14T03:13:51Z

Pthomas: /* Page 621 */

__TOC__

==Page 618==
'''Confabulation''' 
(Psychology) A fabricated memory believed to be true. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/confabulation WIKI]

'''Whim-Wham''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_51:_491-498#Page_496 496].

'''Zepho Beck''' 
Zepho is the Hebrew word for "hidden". In the Book of Enoch, Zephon, also Zepho (Heb. צפון "hidden") was an angel, sent by the archangel Gabriel together with Ithuriel, to find out the location of Satan after his Fall. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zepho WIKI]

==Page 619==
'''Withes''' 
A flexible, slender twig or shoot, especially when used as a band or for binding; a withy. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/withe WIKI]

'''Kastoranthropy''' 
Kastor is Greek and Latin for "beaver"; therefore we have (like Lyncanthropy - werewolfism)), Kastoranthropy = humans morphing into beavers.

==Page 620==
'''Ulster Scot''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_28:_275-288#Page_277 277].

'''Giant Beaver''' 
Pocumtuck (Pocumtuc) was the name of a now extinct tribe of Native Americans who lived in the area prior to 1800. According to stories ascribed to the tribe, Pocumtuck Ridge and Sugarloaf Mountain were the remains of a giant beaver killed by the giant spirit Hobomock (the same spirit who diverted the course of the Connecticut River in central Connecticut and was cursed to sleep forever as the Sleeping Giant mountain formation). The Pocumtucks allegedly believed that the beaver lived in an enormous lake that once occupied the Connecticut River Valley:

"The Great Beaver, whose pond flowed over the whole basin of Mt. Tom, made havoc among the fish and when these failed he would come ashore and devour Indians. A pow-wow was held and Hobomock raised, who came to their relief. With a great stake in hand, he waded the river until he found the beaver, and so hotly chased him that he sought to escape by digging into the ground. Hobomock saw his plan and his whereabouts, and with his great stake jammed the beaver's head off. The earth over the beaver's head we call Sugarloaf, his body [Pocumtuck Ridge] lies just to the north of it."

A number of different versions of this story exist, all of them similar. There may be some scientific truth to the account. The lake described in the tale is very reminiscent of the post-glacial Lake Hitchcock which occupied the Connecticut River Valley from Burke, Vermont to New Britain, Connecticut 15,000 years ago. Around this time, a giant beaver species (''Castoroides ohioensis'') thrived from the post-glacial front to as far south as Florida. The animals were as large as black bears, weighed up to 450 lbs., and had teeth the size of bananas. A similar legend about the killing of a giant beaver by a helper-spirit and the subsequent transformation of the corpse into a landform occurs among the native Mi'kmaq people of Nova Scotia. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocumtuck_Range WIKI]

'''Arboreal''' 
Of, relating to, or resembling a tree. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/arboreal WIKI]

==Page 621==
'''"Sometimes," Mrs. Eggslap will begin, "'tis hard, to be a Woman..."'''

Homage to Tammy Wynette's "Stand by Your Man."

==Page 622==
'''Hsi and Ho''' 
See [http://sunearthday.nasa.gov/2009eclipse/ancienteclipses.php THIS ARTICLE] from NASA, specifically the "Eclipse Observations" section.

==Annotations Index==

{{MD PbP}}

Chapter 63: 618-622

2011-12-14T03:13:14Z

Pthomas:

__TOC__

==Page 618==
'''Confabulation''' 
(Psychology) A fabricated memory believed to be true. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/confabulation WIKI]

'''Whim-Wham''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_51:_491-498#Page_496 496].

'''Zepho Beck''' 
Zepho is the Hebrew word for "hidden". In the Book of Enoch, Zephon, also Zepho (Heb. צפון "hidden") was an angel, sent by the archangel Gabriel together with Ithuriel, to find out the location of Satan after his Fall. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zepho WIKI]

==Page 619==
'''Withes''' 
A flexible, slender twig or shoot, especially when used as a band or for binding; a withy. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/withe WIKI]

'''Kastoranthropy''' 
Kastor is Greek and Latin for "beaver"; therefore we have (like Lyncanthropy - werewolfism)), Kastoranthropy = humans morphing into beavers.

==Page 620==
'''Ulster Scot''' 
See page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_28:_275-288#Page_277 277].

'''Giant Beaver''' 
Pocumtuck (Pocumtuc) was the name of a now extinct tribe of Native Americans who lived in the area prior to 1800. According to stories ascribed to the tribe, Pocumtuck Ridge and Sugarloaf Mountain were the remains of a giant beaver killed by the giant spirit Hobomock (the same spirit who diverted the course of the Connecticut River in central Connecticut and was cursed to sleep forever as the Sleeping Giant mountain formation). The Pocumtucks allegedly believed that the beaver lived in an enormous lake that once occupied the Connecticut River Valley:

"The Great Beaver, whose pond flowed over the whole basin of Mt. Tom, made havoc among the fish and when these failed he would come ashore and devour Indians. A pow-wow was held and Hobomock raised, who came to their relief. With a great stake in hand, he waded the river until he found the beaver, and so hotly chased him that he sought to escape by digging into the ground. Hobomock saw his plan and his whereabouts, and with his great stake jammed the beaver's head off. The earth over the beaver's head we call Sugarloaf, his body [Pocumtuck Ridge] lies just to the north of it."

A number of different versions of this story exist, all of them similar. There may be some scientific truth to the account. The lake described in the tale is very reminiscent of the post-glacial Lake Hitchcock which occupied the Connecticut River Valley from Burke, Vermont to New Britain, Connecticut 15,000 years ago. Around this time, a giant beaver species (''Castoroides ohioensis'') thrived from the post-glacial front to as far south as Florida. The animals were as large as black bears, weighed up to 450 lbs., and had teeth the size of bananas. A similar legend about the killing of a giant beaver by a helper-spirit and the subsequent transformation of the corpse into a landform occurs among the native Mi'kmaq people of Nova Scotia. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocumtuck_Range WIKI]

'''Arboreal''' 
Of, relating to, or resembling a tree. From [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/arboreal WIKI]

==Page 621==
'''"Sometimes," Mrs. Eggslap will begin, "'tis hard, to be a Woman..."'''
Homage to Tammy Wynette's "Stand by Your Man."

==Page 622==
'''Hsi and Ho''' 
See [http://sunearthday.nasa.gov/2009eclipse/ancienteclipses.php THIS ARTICLE] from NASA, specifically the "Eclipse Observations" section.

==Annotations Index==

{{MD PbP}}

Chapter 42: 422-435

2011-12-10T22:24:18Z

Pthomas: /* Page 432 */

==Page 422==
'''Weather-gage''' 
"Sh OED lists 'have or keep the weather gauge of' as be windward of, fig get the better of. On a side note, Pynchon also uses gage in GR for marijuana (in the Red Malcolm scene) and I always presumed this was a corruption of ganja or ganga, but no, it is listed under gage, LME, var of gauge, 1 A quart pot, long rare or obs LME, 2 A pipe; a pipeful (orig. of tobacco, now chiefly of marijuana), hence, marijuana, slang L17. That's L17 slang, foax! and no doubt the contents of the pipe
changed some time before GW started growing and selling his crop in
the M18." -- [http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=9712&msg=22312&sort=author ''Dinn's Notes'']

See also: [http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=9712&msg=22449&sort=author More Discussion on Dinn's notes]

'''Dromonds''' 
The dromons (from Greek δρόμων, dromon, i.e. "runner") were the most important warships of the Byzantine navy from the 6th to 12th centuries AD. They were indirectly developed from the ancient trireme and were usually propelled by both oar and sail, a configuration that had been used by navies in the Mediterranean Sea for centuries. - from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dromon Wikipedia]

'''Spielers''' 
"Anglicized plural of German 'player' (as in Mabuse, Der...)" ([http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=9712&msg=22312&sort=author ''Dinn's Notes'']). Possibly spelled as an "anglicized plural" in order to pun off spoilers, spies...?

==Page 423==
'''hey? right out of G. Rex's Purse it came''' 
"G Rex being King George" -- [http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=9712&msg=22312&sort=author ''Dinn's Notes''], see page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_36:_362-370#Page_367 367].

'''The Tub!''' 
Cf. ''[[T#tub|A Tale of a Tub]]'', a satire by Jonathon Swift? Read it in [http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/A_Tale_of_a_Tub Wikisource], or read about it in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Tale_of_a_Tub Wikipedia], which describes it in such a Pynchonian light:
:"the book is constructed like a layer cake, with Digression and Tale alternating. However, the digressions overwhelm the narrative, both in terms of the forcefulness and imaginativeness of writing and in terms of volume [...] Many critics have followed Swift's biographer Irvin Ehrenpreis in arguing that there is no single, consistent narrator in the work [...] The digressions individually frustrate readers who expect a clear purpose [...] Some, such as the discussion of ears or of wisdom being like a nut, a cream sherry, a cackling hen, etc., are outlandish and require a militantly aware and thoughtful reader."

Wikipedia also notes that satire targeted "indexers, note-makers." I found myself squirming as I read this paragraph while working on this wiki:
:"Swift's targets in the Tale included indexers, note-makers, and, above all, people who saw 'dark matter' in books. Attacking criticism generally, he appears delighted that one of his enemies, William Wotton, offered to explain the Tale in an 'answer' to the book and that one of the men he had explicitly attacked, Curll, offered to explain the book to the public. In the fifth edition of the book in 1705, Swift provided an apparatus to the work that incorporated Wotton's explanations and Swift's narrator's own notes as well. The notes appear to occasionally provide genuine information and just as often to mislead, and William Wotton's name, a defender of the Moderns, was appended to a number of notes. This allows Swift to make the commentary part of the satire itself, as well as to elevate his narrator to the level of self-critic."

On the other hand, I delighted in the Pynchonian names: Curll and William Wotton.

'''Library at Alexandria, circa 390 A.D.''' 
The Royal Library of Alexandria, or Ancient Library of Alexandria, in Alexandria, Egypt, was probably the largest, and certainly the most famous, of the libraries of the ancient world. It flourished under the patronage of the Ptolemaic dynasty and existed, and functioned as a major center of scholarship, at least until the time of Rome's conquest of Egypt, and probably for many centuries thereafter. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_alexandria WIKI]

==Page 425==
'''Oh Ruddier than the Cherry''' 
"Aria from Handel's Acis and Galatea of c 1720" -- [http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=9712&msg=22312&sort=author ''Dinn's Notes'']

I believe that the words were written by John Gay (1688–1732) and that Handel set them to music. In this operatic scene, "the giant Polyphemus [a love-stricken cyclops], more used to wreaking terror and devastation than feelings of love, attempts to woo Galatea (O ruddier than the cherry) but Galatea flees in terror" ([http://www.bamptonopera.org/repertory/mozhanacisdetail.htm Bampton Classic Opera]). See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphemus Wikipedia] for more on the tale.

Listen to it, hear: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbyxE9QWPfc&mode=related&search= YouTube]

Read along while you listen:
:O RUDDIER than the cherry!
:O sweeter than the berry!
::O nymph more bright
:Than moonshine night,
:Like kidlings blithe and merry!
:Ripe as the melting cluster!
:No lily has such lustre;
::Yet hard to tame
::As raging flame,
:And fierce as storms that bluster!

:Ripe as the melting cluster,
:no lily has such luster;
:yet hard to tame as raging flame
:and fierce as storms that bluster.

:O ruddier than the cherry,
:O sweeter than the berry,
:O ruddier than the cherry,
:O sweeter than the berry,
:O nymph more bright
:than moonshine night
:like kidlings blithe and merry.

'''It flies through the Air, in a curious, as it seems ''directed'', Arc, hits the Tub with a solid ''bong'', flattening its Point''' 
Cf. p. 5, opening line to novel: "Snow-Balls have flown their Arcs, starr'd the Sides of Outbuildings"

'''Hungarian Vampirism''' 
Although vampiric entities have been recorded in many cultures, the term vampire was not popularised until the early 18th century, after an influx of vampire superstition into Western Europe from areas where vampire legends were frequent, such as the Balkans and Eastern Europe, although local variants were also known by different names, such as vampir (вампир) in Serbia and Bulgaria, vrykolakas in Greece and strigoi in Romania. This increased level of vampire superstition in Europe led to mass hysteria and in some cases resulted in corpses actually being staked and people being accused of vampirism. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire WIKI]

'''[[V#voam|Professor Voam]] , Philosophical Operator''' 
"Voam appeared a hundred pages [p. 321] back as the 'camp naturalist' that Dixon consulted about Emerson's watch. That incident must have been a 'flash forward.'" -- [http://osdir.com/ml/culture.literature.thomas-pynchon/2002-03/msg00114.html from MDMD Dinn's notes on Ch. 41]

In addition to Voam's striking job titles ("camp naturalist" and "Philosophical Operator"), note that in Pennsylvania and New Jersey there is an organization called VOAM Electric Cooperative Inc. — and VOM is the abbreviation for Volt-Ohm Meter.

==Page 426==
'''Torpedo''' 
Electric eel, here - though this is incorrect as a "torpedo," when speaking of electric naval life, is an electric ray, order Torpediniformes (see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_ray Wikipedia]). Also, see page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_23:_228-237#Page_234 234]. The professor himself acknowledges the erroneousness of the term on page 431.

'''Ferric Prodigy''' 
Ferric refers to iron-containing materials or compounds. In chemistry the term is reserved for iron with an oxidation number of +3, also denoted iron(III) or Fe3+. On the other hand, ferrous refers to iron with oxidation number of +2, denoted iron(II) or Fe2+. Iron(III) is usually the most stable form of iron in air, as illustrated by the pervasiveness of rust, an insoluble iron(III)-containing material. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferric WIKI]

'''"You'd be flatter'n a Griddle-Cake" [...] "Excuse me,-- to what End? Gazing at it, as it fries? saying Oh you're so Circular...your Airr-Bubbles, they're so intriguing,--"''' 
" "*Than*, *than*" Took me a few parse errors before I realizes that Voam's intended 'flatter than' is read by Mason as 'flattering'." -- [http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=9712&msg=22312&sort=author Dinn's Notes]

==Page 427==
'''Dixon, emerging coprophagously a-grin''' 
coprophagous -- "Feeding on excrement" ([http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/coprophagous Wiktionary]); i.e., a sh*t eating grin

'''''exeunt''''' 
Latin for "they leave." Used as a stage direction in theater scripts, though the term is now obsolete. (See [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/exeunt Wiktionary])

'''the Slave who spoke to Dixon earlier''' 
"earlier being [page] 419.25 where he meets the 'pretty Bondmaiden' and it is Austra from the Cape. cf also [page] 431.5." -- [http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=9712&msg=22312&sort=author Dinn's Notes]

'''Love-Jobbers''' 
Pynchon having more playful fun with the job title of "Jobbers"--"Love," of course, being used euphemistically. Cf. [[B|Body Jobbers]], [[L|Land Jobbers]]

'''Fly-Whisks''' 
A fly-whisk is a tool to swat or disturb flies. It is used as a regalia in some cultures. See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fly_whisk WIKI]

'''in payment of a Debt forever unexplain'd to me''' 
"Perhaps Austra incurred this debt by failing to lure Charles into fathering a child by her. Oh Complicity! Oh Complexity!" -- [http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=9712&msg=22312&sort=author Dinn's Notes]

'''Novitiate''' 
novitiate (per [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/novitiate Wiktionary]):
#the period during which a novice of a religious order undergoes training
#the place where a novice lives and studies
#a novice

'''Rapprochement''' 
"The establishment of or state of having cordial relations; an agreement, accord, or reconciliation." -- [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rapprochement Wiktionary]

'''Dutch Rifle... with a Five-pointed Star... inverted.''' 
Here it is again. See pages [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_34:_341-348#Page_342 342] & [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_10:_94-104#Page_101 101].

Dutch rifle wheellock, circa 1630: The jaw is normally tightened with the same spanner used to cock the lock. This being a "Dutch" lock.

==Page 428==
'''A Polaris of Evil''' 
At the time of Mason & Dixon, Polaris only literally meant the North Star: "Polaris" comes from Stella Polaris, the Latin form of its common name "Pole Star". The rarely used Greek name Cynosura (Κυνόσουρα) means "tail of the dog". 

Polaris was the name of a famous guided missile system in the 20th Century. 

Here, North as the place from which death and destruction comes in Pynchon's world is clearly alluded to and what is another negative allusion to "man's best friend" may be implied. There is Pugnax the dog in ATD. Arguably, dogs are symbols of the bourgeoisie in Pynchon, complicit in mankind's war-making History in TRP's vision.

'''Patch-Box''' 
"Another change that was made to the old Jaeger ["brought to the colonies by German gunsmiths in the early 1700’s"] that most scholars consider unique to the American longrifle was the addition of a brass patch box. The Jaegers and the early longrifles had storage compartments in the butt of the gun with sliding carved wood covers. The argument is that these covers were easily lost and something a little more practical was required for the longhunter. Hence, the hinged brass patch box." -- [http://www.americanlongrifles.com/american-longrifle-kentucky-rifle-story.htm The Story of the American Longrifle] (an excellent read, incidentally)

'''Piercings''' 
Pierce-work -- "Metalwork, woodwork, etc., incorporating perforations made for decorative or functional effect." -- OED

==Page 429==
'''a Forest Weapon, match'd to a single Prey, heavier than a Squirrel, not quite so heavy as a Deer....''' 
"about the weight of a man, say? Is that maybe why, in which case, evil polarises around this rifle?" -- [http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=9712&msg=22312&sort=author Dinn's Notes]

'''inverted Star,- in Lancaster Town''' 
Referring to page [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_34:_341-348#Page_342 342].

'''form of a Daisy''' 
Possibly an allusion to Daisy brand "Outdoor Products" which would later become famous for their selling of BB Guns to youth etc: Daisy was started in 1882 as Plymouth Iron Windmill Company in Plymouth, Michigan. In 1886 the company started to give BB guns with purchases of windmills. The gun was so popular the company started to sell guns instead of windmills. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daisy_Outdoor_Products WIKI]

==Page 430==
'''the Sharper''' 
A sharper is an older term, common since the seventeenth-century, for thieves who use trickery to part an owner with his or her money possessions. Sharpers vary from what we now call con-men by virtue of the simplicity of their cons, which often were impromptu, rather than carefully orchestrated, though those certainly happened as well. The 1737 Dictionary of Thieving Slang defines a sharper as "A Cheat, One who lives by his wits." In the nineteenth-century, and into today, the term is more closely associated with gambling.

Sharpers were romantic figures in the eighteenth-century, valued as imaginative figures for their perceived social independence and ability to create new social networks of gangs. The appeal of an independent society, operating outside the law, has been imaginative evocative for centuries, but in eighteenth-century London philosophical thought, influenced by Thomas Hobbes and Rousseau's new formulations of social contract, the romanticization of thievery reached new levels. John Gay's The Beggar's Opera and Henry Fielding's novel Jonathan Wild are only two examples of sharpers as heroes, in these cases, to provide satirical ammunition against the British Prime Minister Horace Walpole. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharper WIKI]

'''Mr LeSpark, as he will come to tell the Tale, declines back into the Couch''' 
Tell the tale *now* (as in to Tenebrae, Ives, Ethelmer, DePugh, etc.) or tell the tale *then* as in rat out M&D's tub theft to Lord Lepton? (This idea was sparked by comments in [http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=9712&msg=22312&sort=author Dinn's Notes].)

==Page 431==
'''Mr. Linnaeus''' 
See pages [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_32:_315-326#Page_321 321] & [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_35:_349-361#Page_360 360].

'''''Gymnotus''''' 
Gymnotus is the among the most species-rich group of electric knifefishes (Gymnotiformes) found in the Amazon. Some Gymnotus species live in the leaf litter and root tangles of river banks. Other species are specialized to live on floodplains within the rootmats of floating meadows. Several species are broadly adapted to live in both of these habitats. Gymnotus are nocturnal predators feeding on insects, crustaceans, and other fish. They generate weak electric fields used in locating objects, and also for communication in which the males court females using stereotyped electrical "songs". From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gymnotus WIKI]

'''''Sí, sí, Cariño''''' 
Literally, Spanish for "Yes, yes, Affection," but cariño can also mean (figuratively) "caress," which is what the Professor is doing to the eel as he's speaking. Perhaps Pynchon offers a clue later on the page in translating the eel's other name, "El Peligroso," as "The Dangerous One." Literally, this translates as "The Danger"; this logic would equate "Cariño" with "Affectionate One."

'''let a Nonelectrickal provide the Thrills for a change''' 
The eel's identity is so wrapped up in being electrical that anything that cannot provide a spark is called "a Nonelectrickal"?!?

==Page 432==
'''El P.''' 
Or LP, long-playing record; certainly a "Cyclickal Creature" with a repetitive life.

'''''una Criatura Ci'clica, asi eres''''' 
"a cyclical creature, so you are" -- [http://www.hyperarts.com/pynchon/mason-dixon/alpha/s.html HyperArts]

'''worrying about Coach schedules''' 
Perhaps busy travelers in the 18th Century concerned themselves with tight transfers on Coach lines--or perhaps this is more of Pynchon's riffing on Coaches as modern airliners?

'''I counted.''' Same joke used in ''Inherent Vice'', p. 18.

'''far off E-do''' 
"Edo is the old name for Tokyo, in use in the 1760s." -- [http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=9712&msg=22312&sort=author Dinn's Notes]

==Page 433==
'''surcease''' 
"The cessation of something or someone." -- [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/surcease Wiktionary]

'''Rubicon''' 
Rubicon is a 29 km long river in northern Italy... "Crossing the Rubicon" is a popular idiom meaning to pass a point of no return. This phrase is often used by journalists in newspapers. It refers to Caesar's 49 BC crossing of the river, which was considered an act of war. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubicon WIKI]

'''Antillean Cigar''' 
Cuban cigar

==Page 435==
'''Squire Haligast''' 
See pages [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_38:_382-390#Page_389 389], [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_37:_371-381#Page_373 373], [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_36:_362-370#Page_366 366], [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_39:_391-398#Page_391 391] & [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_48:_466-475#Page_470 470].

==Annotation Index==

{{MD PbP}}