Herman Melville

“ Said Media, "Expound you, then, sage Babbalanja." Muffling his face in his mantle, and his voice in sepulchral tones, Babbalanja thus:—
"These are the leaves of the book of Oro. Here we read how worlds are made; here read the rise and fall of Nature's kingdoms. From where this old man's furthest histories start, these unbeginning records end. ”

“ But, prithee, ghost, unmuffle! chatter no more! wait till you're buried for that."
"Ay, death's cold ague will set us all shivering, my lord. We'll swear our teeth are icicles."
"Will you quit driving your sleet upon us? have done expound these rocks."
"My lord, if you desire, I'll turn over these stone tablets till they're dog-eared."
"Heaven and Mardi!—Go on, Babbalanja."
"'Twas thus. These were tombs burst open by volcanic throes; and hither hurled from the lowermost vaults of the lagoon. All Mardi's rocks are one wide resurrection. But look. Here, now, a pretty story's told. ”

“ Age by age, the fluid thickened; dropping, at long intervals, heavy sediment to the bottom; which layer on layer concreted, and at length, in crusts, rose toward the surface. Then, the vast volcano burst; rent the whole mass; upthrew the ancient rocks; which now in divers mountain tops tell tales of what existed ere Mardi was completely fashioned. Hence many fossils on the hills, whose kith and kin still lurk beneath the vales. Thus Nature works, at random warring, chaos a crater, and this world a shell. ”