ABBé DE SAINT-PIERRE: It was, I think, the autumn of 1687, in Paris, and while nature was divesting itself of all its colors and leaving them to macerate for just a few days before churning them into sludge along the carriageways, I was tirelessly assembling the detailed memoranda and obiter dicta of famous men to which I could obtain access. Among the ashen stars of the Abbey, I was attracted, more than any other, to Monsieur Pascal—and I resolved to find in the peculiarities of his demeanor the sign that might guide me to certain brusque impulses in the Pensées. At that time I occasionally visited Monsieur Nicole in Place du Puits-l’Hermite, and the conversation was divided between his recollections of the amiable Monsieur de Tréville, always in the company of ladies, and those about Monsieur Pascal, which were of far more concern to me. But Monsieur Nicole noticed this insatiable interest of mine and, furrowing even more the multitude of wrinkles around his eyes in order to accentuate his expression without changing his voice, he said: “My dear Abbé de Saint-Pierre, I feel that your eagerness betrays you in your search for memories of our glorious men. You think of the Spirit like you used to dream as a child of being received at Court. And nothing seemed so royal to you as the harshness of Monsieur Pascal. But you didn’t know him, and your pleasure in that image of him is pointless. There’s one thing, at least, that you do not know: he was a collector of seashells.”

The Ruin of Kasch

Four meleks (kings) ruled the great realm—the first in Nubia, the second in Habesch, the third in Kordofan, and the fourth in For.

The wealthiest of these was the Nap of Naphta, in Kordofan. His capital lay in the direction of Hophrat-en-Nahas. The king owned all the gold and copper. His gold and copper was transported to Nubia, where the great kings of the west searched it out. Ambassadors came over the sea from the east and, in the south, the king ruled many peoples, who forged iron weapons for him and sent slaves. Thousands of these lived at the Court of the Nap.

The Nap of Naphta was the richest man on earth. But his life was shorter and sadder than that of all men. For each Nap of Naphta could rule his land for only a certain number of years. During his reign the priests studied the stars every evening, offered sacrifices, and lit fires. They could never stop their praying and their sacrifices, otherwise they would lose sight of the path taken by a star and they wouldn’t know when the king was to be killed in accordance with their law. It continued like this for a long time. Day after day, year after year, the priests studied the stars and recognized the day on which the king was to be killed.

And once again the day of the king’s death arrived. They broke the hind legs of the bulls. All the fires in the kingdom were put out. The women were closed inside their houses. The priests lit the new fire. They called the new king. The new king was the son of the sister of the one who had just been killed. The new king was called Akaf; it was under him that a change was made affecting the kingdom’s ancient institutions. But the people say this change was the reason for the ruin of Naphta.