pon the mysteries of vril；… as well argue in a desert； and with a simoon！
Amid the various departments to which the vast building of the College of Sages was appropriated； that which interested me most was devoted to the archaeology of the Vril…ya； and comprised a very ancient collection of portraits。 In these the pigments and groundwork employed were of so durable a nature that even pictures said to be executed at dates as remote as those in the earliest annals of the Chinese； retained much freshness of colour。 In examining this collection； two things especially struck me：… first； that the pictures said to be between 6000 and 7000 years old were of a much higher degree of art than any produced within the last 3000 or 4000 years； and； second； that the portraits within the former period much more resembled our own upper world and European types of countenance。 Some of them； indeed reminded me of the Italian heads which look out from the canvases of Titian… speaking of ambition or craft； of care or of grief； with furrows in which the passions have passed with iron ploughshare。 These were the countenances of men who had lived in struggle and conflict before the discovery of the latent forces of vril had changed the character of society… men who had fought with each other for power or fame as we in the upper world fight。
The type of face began to evince a marked change about a thousand years after the vril revolution； becoming then； with each generation； more serene； and in that serenity more 75terribly distinct from the faces of labouring and sinful men； while in proportion as the beauty and the grandeur of the countenance itself became more fully developed； the art of the painter became more tame and monotonous。
But the greatest curiosity in the collection was that of three portraits belonging to the pre…historical age； and； according to mythical tradition； taken by the orders of a philosopher； whose origin and attributes were as much mixed up with symbolical fable as those of an Indian Budh or a Greek Prometheus。
》From this mysterious personage； at once a sage and a hero； all the principal sections of the Vril…ya race pretend to trace a common origin。
The portraits are of the philosopher himself； of his grandfather； and great…grandfather。 They are all at full length。 The philosopher is attired in a long tunic which seems to form a loose suit of scaly armour； borrowed； perhaps； from some fish or reptile； but the feet and hands are exposed： the digits in both are wonderfully long； and webbed。 He has little or no perceptible throat； and a low receding forehead； not at all the ideal of a sage's。 He has bright brown prominent eyes； a very wide mouth and high cheekbones； and a muddy complexion。 According to tradition； this philosopher had lived to a patriarchal age； extending over many centuries； and he remembered distinctly in middle life his grandfather as surviving； and in childhood his great…grandfather； the portrait of the first he had taken； or caused to be taken； while yet alive… that of the latter was taken from his effigies in mummy。 The portrait of his grandfather had the features and aspect of the philosopher； only much more exaggerated： he was not dressed； and the colour of his body was singular； the breast and stomach yellow； the shoulders and legs of a dull bronze hue： the great…grandfather was a magnificent specimen of the Batrachian genus； a Giant Frog； 'pur et simple。'
Among the pithy sayings which； according to tradition； the philosopher bequeathed to posterity in rhythmical form and 76sententious brevity； this is notably recorded： 〃Humble yourselves； my descendants； the father of your race was a 'twat' （tadpole）： exalt yourselves； my descendants； for it was the same Divine Thought which created your father that develops itself in exalting you。〃
Aph…Lin told me this fable while I gazed on the three Batrachian portraits。 I said in reply： 〃You make a jest of my supposed ignorance and credulity as an uneducated Tish； but though these horrible daubs may be of great antiquity； and were intended； perhaps； for some rude caracature； I presume that none of your race even in the less enlightened ages； ever believed that the great…grandson of a Frog became a sententious philosopher； or that any section； I will not say of the lofty Vril…ya； but of the meanest varieties of the human race； had its origin in a Tadpole。〃
〃Pardon me；〃 answered Aph…Lin： 〃in what we call the Wrangling or Philosophical Period of History； which was at its height about seven thousand years ago； there was a very distinguished naturalist； who proved to the satisfaction of numerous disciples such analogical and anatomical agreements in structure between an An and a Frog； as to show that out of the one must have developed the other。 They had some diseases in common； they were both subject to the same parasitical worms in the intestines； and； strange to say； the An has； in his structure； a swimming…bladder； no longer of any use to him； but which is a rudiment that clearly proves his descent from a Frog。 Nor is there any argument against this theory to be found in the relative difference of size； for there are still existent in our world Frogs of a size and stature not inferior to our own； and many thousand years ago they appear to have been still larger。〃
〃I understand that；〃 said I； 〃because Frogs this enormous are； according to our eminent geologists； who perhaps saw them in dreams； said to have been distinguished inhabitants of the upper world before the Deluge； and such Frogs are exactly the creatures likely to have flourished in the lakes and morasses of your subterranean regions。 But pray； proceed。〃 77 〃In the Wrangling Period of History； whatever one sage asserted another sage was sure to contradict。 In fact； it was a maxim in that age； that the human reason could only be sustained aloft by being tossed to and fro in the perpetual motion of contradiction； and therefore another sect of philosophers maintained the doctrine that the An was not the descendant of the Frog； but that the Frog was clearly the improved development of the An。 The shape of the Frog； taken generally； was much more symmetrical than that of the An； beside the beautiful conformation of its lower limbs； its flanks and shoulders the majority of the Ana in that day were almost deformed； and certainly ill…shaped。 Again； the Frog had the power to live alike on land and in water… a mighty privilege； partaking of a spiritual essence denied to the An； since the disuse of his swimming…bladder clearly proves his degeneration from a higher development of species。 Again； the earlier races of the Ana seem to have been covered with hair； and； even to a comparatively recent date； hirsute bushes deformed the very faces of our ancestors； spreading wild over their cheeks and chins； as similar bushes； my poor Tish； spread wild over yours。 But the object of the higher races of the Ana through countless generations has been to erase all vestige of connection with hairy vertebrata； and they have gradually eliminated that debasing capillary excrement by the law of sexual selection； the Gy…ei naturally preferring youth or the beauty of smooth faces。 But the degree of the Frog in the scale of the vertebrata is shown in this； that he has no hair at all； not even on his head。 He was born to that hairless perfection which the most beautiful of the Ana； despite the culture of incalculable ages； have not yet attained。 The wonderful complication and delicacy of a Frog's nervous system and arterial circulation were shown by this school to be more susceptible of enjoyment than our inferior； or at least simpler； physical frame allows us to be。 The examination of a Frog's hand； if I may use that expression； accounted for its 78keener susceptibility to love； and to social life in general。 In fact； gregarious and amatory as are the Ana； Frogs are still more so。 In short； these two schools raged against each other； one asserting the An to be the perfected type of the Frog； the other that the Frog was the highest development of the An。 The moralists were divided in opinion with the naturalists； but the bulk of them sided with the Frog…preference school。 They said； with much plausibility； that in moral conduct （viz。； in the adherence to rules best adapted to the health and welfare of the individual and the community） there could be no doubt of the vast superiority of the Frog。 All history showed the wholesale immorality of the human race； the complete disregard； even by the most renowned amongst them； of the laws which they acknowledged to be essential to their own and the general happiness and wellbeing。 But the severest critic of the Frog race could not detect in their manners a single aberration from the moral law tacitly recognised by themselves。 And what； after all； can be the profit of civilisation if superiority in moral conduct be not the aim for which it strives； and the test by which its progress should be judged？
〃In fine； the adherents of this theory presumed that in some remote period the Frog race had been the improved development of the Human； but that； from some causes which defied rational conjecture； they had not maintained their original position in th