Theatre is an act which can engage all major forms of communication: verbal, non-verbal,

pictorial, sonic, tactile. From cave drawings and signed language, to twitter wars, comment
feeds, and emoji, the transformation of communicative forms has always responded to a
need: a need for safety,  for organisation, nuance, beauty, or most of all, to simply be
understood. This workshop will use theatre to track the origins of communication and its
development through time.  We will discuss each transformation as a response to a need,
and we will attempt to understand what that need implies about a certain moment in time, 
and a certain people, as well as our own time, and our own people.  It has been said that 3
people make a good recipe for theatre: one who acts, one who reacts, and one who forgets
to turn off his phone.  Has our communication so progressed that we no longer
communicate at all? Or do we need to change our definition for the word 'communicate' to
something more reflective of our progress?

QUESTIONS
What is Communication?
What is Language?
What are the the different forms of Communication?
What are the different forms of Language?

Written language, what makes a written language?

Is it necessary, and why?
What if we did not have one? What are our limits without written language?

Is Language necessary to Communication?

Is Communication necessary to Language?

Is there a form of communication which can exist completely on its own?

Is communication with the self a thing?

Can expression change mood?

What is the power of language?

What is the responsibility?
Is there a duty?
What is the intersection of responsibility and freedom when it applies to language.

What if we all spoke one language? Good or bad?

What might we miss in ideas or interpretations?

What are the different language myths, what do they have in common, what do they attempt to
explain, why does a language have an origin myth.

What are the mechanics involved in Language and Communication?

What goes on in our minds before language?
What do Language and Communication have to do with listening?
Can we communicate in solitude?
Is listening necessary to communication? Is communication necessary to listening?
How much can be expressed without language?
What are the limits of our expression or communication without language?
What essential necessities are tied to Language and Communication?
How is Language and Communication tied to the evolution of our group?
How is Language and Communication tied to our evolution of self?
Day 1 (whiteboard)
sign language-gesture
-stop come
conversation with foot, hands, head+shoulders
problem solving with silence.
Individual and group memorization of words
Individual and group memorization of actions
Synonyms in one language, must go to word that seems to mean the same
Synonym in different language
-just sound
-sound plus action
-numbers in our own language (list them out of order, must put them in order)
-numbers in invented language (1-10)
-write name, word, or number in air, we must say the word
-speaking gibberish, must translate in own language
-reverse so gibberish is behind with gestures, person in front must intuit
-draw animal and connect to word, draw new animals and connect to word
word evolution-start with existing word-find gesture with word, sound, morph until we return to
word, (perhaps in circle) (greetings, father mother, essentials) ( inventing etymology)
-lying game (story + questions)
dream describe and play
circle slow-fast-slow
mimic sound
mimic movement (+with sound)
cockney rhymes
All see same photo or object or action, describe in different ways
Give language to new invention (new technical language)
write something down while listening, then repeat back what has been said
watch something through the phone ?
Scriptura continua
recall something you can't remember, from childhood, and describe it completely (full sensation
(senses))
create a scene based on a smell taste touch sound
Take notes on topic, can it translate?
Stream of consciousness/TRANCE
translate text physically -narrative, descriptions, day, etc...
tableaux, movement, title
improv adding to gesture telling story, enter and then exit
Communicate with emoji
Emoji dick
Write a letter to the self
Who do you text most often (write them a letter aloud (without the name)
what is the online language of love
Map of Life, tell us your journey to the present moment, or share, then have the partner play
Teach something without words
steal key
Relive something without words
Tell of the walk here
Read a text, then tell the story yourself, letting it transform based on your telling.
(the way the memory works)

Read a text without seeing

see if person can read without embodying any other communicative form

Lie (number 1-10, list numbers and watch for something.)

Drum a scene-griots
Play with, play against drumming

Anna Karinnina-

Self-describe vs. Description of others (

keep diary in these days journaling (topics and questions)

imagine something incredible that happened just for you

Au
create map, based on landmarks, something hidden in the building

-Write sentence that no one has ever written, one that no one will ever write
-Combine two or 3 words to make 1 word with corresponding meaning

Try to create new expression in face

New expression in gesture
Put together with words

Change facial expression/gesture to change meaning of phrase

-win people over (speeches, semiotics, objective action)

-teach song to one another

(memorization of sound + action words)

speaking words, must spell them, first the sound, then the word itself

talk about language, dialects, accent, grammar, spelling, punctuation, melody, intonation, slang,
words that have shifted definition in your life [gender pronouns, shifted connotations (negro), words
that can not be translated simply into other languages, online talk, emoji

The story of your name, [personal and family]

Shakespeare (soldier who shook a spear)
Norman (man from north)

old slang, household slang (family slang)

old spelling based on accent, dialect

Communication-Objectives and Obstacles

Childhood

-babies different cries for hunger, need comfort, pleasure(i am happy)

-(blind fold walk, using different language)
-(blindfold walk, different cries for danger (add a danger), direction.)

-talking to babies, talking to inanimate objects, talking to plants and animals

but continued to the point where it is no longer acceptable (weird)
(bring that object/person/to new plane of existence)
-the moment of creating a deity, the moment of

Rhythm + Intonation – what is the intonation of the language?

(what are the emphasized parts of phrase)
-Improvise on the intonation, no real words (oh look it's a dog, hello doggie)
(this is baby talk)
Try words of other languages, trying to match the melody and intonation
(if we understand it, even if it is spoken incorrectly, does it count)

Divide speaking into parts:

1)decide what we want to say/mimick
2)shape sound inside (tongue, lips, jaw)
3)breathe in
4)breathe out (silence)
5)breathe in
6)breathe out sound
(play with reversing 2+3)

How much can you speak in one breath alone, in circle?

Count breaths resting vs. Speaking

Voiceless (sssss) (Ta) + voiced sound (zzzzz) (Da) (fingers in ears)

nasal sound-air out nose (n)(m)(ng)
play with voiced and voiceless sound and nasal (when you find one, all must try)
how many different sounds in your own langauge?

Consonant-tongue or lip block sound

Vowel-no block
sounds-words-sentences-meaning

-Melody-Circle speak on text/on improvised phrase

Speak-derive meaning from response we get

write words or phrases phonetically,

A question, A statement, A command,

-Back turned, can we hear the difference, in different language, in gibberish?
-(Add Hey, Russia aspect, backs turned and they must turn only if is a command, must answer if it
is a question, even if in gibberish, a statement nothing)
word groups: words for
people
events (past present future)
actions/words to stop actions
food
parts of body +what they do (pee/poo)
clothing
animals
vehicles/tools
toys/games
household objects
indentifying locations
description
participation
politeness (class)

day in silence, (each puzzle gained access new step in evolution)

1 hour (30 min?) with hands in ears, eyes closed, (mimic sound, voiced and voiceless)
10 words that could suffice for everything in this environment
SENSES
open ears, silence, must find one another
open eyes must follow what the eyes see (separate)
(eyes must close for 10 minutes every 30(40?) minutes)
MUST TAKE SOLITUDE
must agree on standardized language
danger food social calls
sound must mimic environment and body
(must give them growing complexity)
must create a song (for a purpose) (magic, incantation)
must agree on standardized writing
Timeline: Tally Sticks-counting, recording
Tokens different shapes for different items
marks on tokens for more distinction
personal mark so they know it is mine (symbol for name)
press item on clay (what is inside)

Touch vocal organs of others to train yourself to make sound (Hellen Keller)

must create a unified record (perhaps of this song) (perhaps laws)

must tell also collective oral history of day

you have your 10 words, must learn other words,

sounds-words-sentences-meaning
speed (telegraph, transatlantic cable, telephone)
distance (steam engine)
images (motion picture)
1. A Shrinking Vessel
Helps with: Adaptability
Why adaptability is important for problem solving: Adaptability is highly associatedwith
cognitive diversity, which helps teams solve problems faster, according to the Harvard
Business Review. Innovation and disruption are happening faster than ever before. People,
teams, and organizations that can adapt will come out on top.

What You’ll Need:

•A rope or string

Instructions:
1. Using the rope, make a shape on the floor everyone can fit into.
2. Slowly shrink the space over a time period of 10-15 minutes.
3. Work together to figure out how to keep everyone within the shrinking boundaries.

2. Marshmallow Spaghetti Tower

Helps with: Collaboration
Why collaboration is important for problem solving: “Collectively, we can be more insightful,
more intelligent than we can possibly be individually,” writes Peter Senge in The Fifth
Discipline. We can solve problems better as a team than we can alone, which means
developing your team’s collaboration skills will lead to better problem solving outcomes.

What You’ll Need (per team):

•20 sticks of uncooked spaghetti

•1 roll of masking tape

•1 yard of string

•1 marshmallow

Instructions:
1. The goal of this exercise is to see which team can use the materials provided to build the
tallest tower within an allotted time period. The tower must be able to stand on its own.
2. To make this exercise more challenging, try adding a marshmallow to the top of the tower.
This team problem solving exercise helps teams think on their toes while building
camaraderie and leadership.
5. Legoman
Helps with: Communication
What You'll Need:
•Legos

Instructions:
1. Divide everyone into small teams of two or more.
2. Select an overseer who isn't on a team to build a random structure using Lego building
blocks within 10 minutes.
3. The other teams must replicate the structure exactly (including size and color) within 15
minutes. However, only one member from each group may look at the original structure.
They must figure out how to communicate the size, color, and shape of the original structure
to their team.
4. If this is too easy, add a rule that the member who can see the original structure can't
touch the new structure.
5.

6. Escape
Helps with: Collaboration
What You’ll Need:
•1 rope

•1 key

•A lockable room

•5-10 puzzles or clues (depending on how much time you want to spend on the game)

Instructions:
The goal of this exercise is to solve the clues, find the key, and escape a locked room within
the time allotted.
Hide the key and a list of clues around the room.
Gather the team into the empty room and "lock" the door.
Give them either 30 minutes or 1 hour to find the key using the clues hidden around the
room.
7. Frostbite
Helps with: Decision Making, Adaptability
What You’ll Need:
•A blindfold

•1 packet of construction materials (such as card stock, toothpicks, rubber bands, and
sticky notes) for each team

•An electric fan

Instructions: Picture this: Your employees are Arctic explorers adventuring across an icy
tundra! Separate them into teams of 4-5 and have them select a leader to guide their
exploration. Each team must build a shelter from the materials provided before the storm
hits in 30 minutes. However, both the team leader’s hands have frostbite, so they can’t
physically help construct the shelter, and the rest of the team has snow blindness and is
unable to see. When the 30 minutes is up, turn on the fan and see which shelter can
withstand the high winds of the storm.

8. Minefield
Helps with: Communication
What You’ll Need:
•An empty room or hallway

•Blindfolds

•A collection of common office items

Instructions:
1. Place the items (boxes, chairs, water bottles, bags, etc.) around the room so there's no
clear path from one end of the room to the other.
2. Divide your team into pairs and blindfold one person on the team.
3. The other must verbally guide that person from one end of the room to the other, avoiding
the "mines."
4. The partner who is not blindfolded can't touch the other.
5. If you want to make the activity more challenging, have all the pairs go simultaneously so
teams must find ways to strategically communicate over each other.

9. Blind Formations
Helps with: Communication
What You'll Need:
•Blindfolds

•Rope

Instructions:
1. Have the group put on blindfolds and form a large circle.
2. Tie two ends of a rope together and lay it in a circle in the middle of the group, close
enough so each person can reach down and touch it.
3. Instruct the group to communicate to create a shape with the rope—a square, triangle,
rectangle, etc.
4. If you have a very large group, divide them into teams and provide a rope for each
team. Let them compete to see who forms a particular shape quickest.
5.

10. Line up Blind

Helps with: Communication
What You'll Need:
•Blindfolds

Instructions:
1. Blindfold everyone and whisper a number to each person, beginning with one.
2. Tell them to line up in numerical order without talking.
3. Instead of giving them a number, you could also have them line up numerically by height,
age, birthday, etc.

13. Human Knot

Helps with: Adaptability, Collaboration
What You'll Need:
•Nothing

Instructions:
1. Have everyone stand in a circle, and ask each person to hold hands with two people who
aren’t directly next to them.
2. When everyone is tangled together, ask them to untangle the knot and form a perfect circle
—without letting anyone's hand.
15. What Would X Do
Helps with: Instant Problem Solving
What You'll Need:
•Nothing

Instructions:
1. Have everyone pretend they're someone famous.
2. Each person must approach the problem as if they were the famous person. What options
would they consider? How would they handle it?
3. This allows everyone to consider solutions they might not have thought of originally.
Looking for more team building games like this? Check out our Ultimate Guide to Team
Building Activities that Don't Suck.

Genesis, Ch.11
1 And the whole earth was of
one language and of one
speech.
2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed east, that
they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they
dwelt there.
3 And they said one to another: 'Come, let us make
brick, and burn them thoroughly.' And they had brick
for stone, and slime had they for mortar.
4 And they said: 'Come, let us build us a city, and a
tower, with its top in heaven, and let us make us a
name; lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of
the whole earth.'
5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the
tower, which the children of men builded.
6 And the LORD said: 'Behold, they are one people,
and they have all one language; and this is what they
 begin to do; and now nothing will be withholden
from them, which they purpose to do.
7 Come, let us go down, and there confound their
language, that they may not understand one another's
speech.'
8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence
upon the face of all the earth; and they left off to
build the city.
9 Therefore was the name of it called Babel; because
the LORD did there confound the language of all the
earth; and from thence did the LORD scatter them
abroad upon the face of all the earth. {P}

The Four Levels of Vac (Vak) (personified version of Speech

(Hinduism)

In yoga, there is the concept of four levels of speech.

1. Spoken language. That which is heard with the
ears. Vaikhari. When you use your tongue and lips.
2. Subvocal speech. That which is heard with the inner ears,
in the auditorium of mind and heart. Madhyama.
3. Abstract concepts, seeing and feeling the impact of the
mantra, feeling the vibration, beyond what we ordinarily know
as sound. Pashyanti.
4. Para. Transcendental sound. Para. The meaning in the
resonant silence.
A legend of the Maidu Indians of California says that everybody spoke the same
language until during preparations for a special burning ceremony, when �suddenly in
the night everybody began to speak in a different tongue except that each husband
and wife talked the same language.�
Then, according to the legend, God instructed a leader named Kuksu, who could
speak all the languages, to summon all the people together and teach �them the
names of the different animals and so forth in their various dialects. . . Then he called
each tribe by name, and sent them off in different directions, telling them where they
were to dwell.�
Central America
An Aztec legend claimed,
�Humanity was wiped out by a flood, but one man Coxcoxtli and one woman
Xochiquetzal escaped in a boat, and reached a mountain called Colhuacan. They had
many children, who were dumb until the time when a dove on top of a tree made
them the gift of languages; but these differed so much that the children could not
understand each other.�
Guatemala
The Quiches of Guatemala told of a time when the tribes multiplied and left their old
home to a place called Tulan. Here the language changed, and the people sought new
homes in various parts of the world as a result of not being able to understand each
other.
Africa
A legend of the Wa-Sania tribe in East Africa says
�that of old all the tribes of the earth knew only one language, but that during a
severe famine the people went mad and wandered in all directions, jabbering strange
words, and so the different languages arose.�
India
The Mikir tribe in northeastern India tells of the descendants of Ram who were strong
men and were growing dissatisfied with earth and aspired to conquer heaven. They
began to build a tower.
�Higher and higher rose the building, till at last the gods and demons feared lest
these giants should become the masters of heaven, as they already were of earth. So
they confounded their speech, and scattered them to the four corners of the world.
Hence arose all the various tongues of mankind.�
Europe
The Greeks had a legend that
�for many ages men lived at peace, without cities and without laws, speaking one
language, and ruled by Zeus alone. . . At last Hermes introduced diversities of speech
and divided mankind into separate nations.�
Men for many centuries before lived without town or laws, speaking one tongue
under the rule [Zeus]. But after [Hermes] had explained the languages of men,
he too, divided the nations, then discord arose among mortals, which was not
pleasing to [Zeus]."
Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 143 (trans. Grant) (Roman mythographer C2nd A.D.) :

Polynesia
Polynesians on the island of Hao said that Rata and his three sons survived a great
flood. Then
�they made an attempt to erect a building by which they could reach the sky, and
see the creator god Vatea [Atea]; but the god in anger chased the builders away,
broke down the building, and changed their language, so that they spoke diverse
tongues.�
Middle East
Sumerians believed that all people spoke one language, as claimed in the poem
�Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta�:
In those days . . . the whole universe, the people in unison, . . .
Enki, the Lord of abundance, . . .
Changed the speech in their mouths, and [brought?] contention into it,
Into the speech of man that [until then] had been one.

Once upon a time there was no snake, there was no scorpion,

There was no hyena, there was no lion,
There was no wild dog, no wolf,
There was no fear, no terror,
Man had no rival.

In those days, the lands of Subur (and) Hamazi,

Harmony-tongued Sumer, the great land of the decrees of princeship,
Uri, the land having all that is appropriate,
The land Martu, resting in security,
The whole universe, the people in unison
To Enlil in one tongue [spoke].

(Then) Enki, the lord of abundance (whose) commands are trustworthy,

The lord of wisdom, who understands the land,
The leader of the gods,
Endowed with wisdom, the lord of Eridu
Changed the speech in their mouths, [brought] contention into it,
Into the speech of man that (until then) had been one.

"On that day when there is no snake, when there is no scorpion, when there is no hyena, when there is
no lion, when there is neither dog nor wolf, when there is thus neither fear nor trembling, man has no
rival! At such a time, may the lands of Shubur and Hamazi, the many-tongued, and Sumer, the great
mountain of the me of magnificence, and Akkad, the land possessing all that is befitting, and the Martu
land, resting in security — the whole universe, the well-guarded people — may they all address Enlil
together in a single language! For at that time, for the ambitious lords, for the ambitious princes, for the
ambitious kings — Enki, the lord of abundance and of steadfast decisions, the wise and knowing lord of
the Land, the expert of the gods, chosen for wisdom, the lord of Eridug, shall change the speech in their
mouths, as many as he had placed there, and so the speech of mankind is truly one." [3]

Southeast Asia
A legend of the Gaikho tribe of Burma (Myanmar) says,
�In the days of Pan-dan-man, the people determined to build a pagoda that should
reach up to heaven. . . When the pagoda was half way up to heaven, God came down
and confounded the language of the people, so that they could not understand each
other. Then the people scattered, and Than-mau-rai, the father of the Gaikho tribe,
came west, with eight chiefs, and settled in the valley of the Sitang.�
IV

THE BOOK OF THOTH

Now Ahura was the wife of Nefer-ka-ptah, and their child was Merab; this was
the name by which he was registered by the scribes in the House of Life. And
Nefer-ka-ptah, though he was the son of the King, cared for naught on earth
but to read the ancient records, written on papyrus in the House of Life or
engraved on stone in the temples; all day and every day he studied the
writings of the ancestors.
One day he went into the temple to pray to the Gods, but when he saw the
inscriptions on the walls he began to read them; and he forgot to pray, he
forgot the Gods, he forgot the priests, he forgot all that was around him until he
heard laughter behind him. He looked round and a priest stood there, and from
him came the laughter.
"Why laughest thou at me?" said Nefer-ka-ptah.
"Because thou readest these worthless writings," answered the priest. "If thou
wouldest read
p. 30

writings that are worth the reading I can tell thee where the Book of Thoth lies
hidden."
Then Nefer-ka-ptah was eager in his questions, and the priest replied, "Thoth
wrote the Book with his own hand, and in it is all the magic in the world. If thou
readest the first page, thou wilt enchant the sky, the earth, the abyss, the
mountains, and the sea; thou wilt understand the language of the birds of the
air, and thou wilt know what the creeping things of earth are saying, and thou
wilt see the fishes from the darkest depths of the sea. And if thou readest the
other page, even though thou wert dead and in the world of ghosts, thou
couldest come back to earth in the form thou once hadst. And besides this,
thou wilt see the sun shining in the sky with the full moon and the stars, and
thou wilt behold the great shapes of the Gods."
Then said Nefer-ka-ptah, "By the life of Pharaoh, that Book shall be mine. Tell
me whatsoever it is that thou desirest, and I will do it for thee."
"Provide for my funeral," said the priest. "See that I am buried as a rich man,
with priests and mourning women, offerings, libations, and incense. Then shall
my soul rest in peace in the Fields of Aalu. One hundred pieces of silver must
be spent upon my burying."
Then Nefer-ka-ptah sent a fleet messenger to fetch the money, and he paid one
hundred pieces
p. 31

of silver into the priest's hands. When the priest had taken the silver, he said to
Nefer-ka-ptah:
"The Book is at Koptos in the middle of the river.
In the middle of the river is an iron box,
In the iron box is a bronze box,
In the bronze box is a keté-wood box,
In the keté-wood box is an ivory-and-ebony box,
In the ivory-and-ebony box is a silver box,
In the silver box is a gold box,
And in the gold box is the Book of Thoth.
Round about the great iron box are snakes and scorpions and all manner of
crawling things, and above all there is a snake which no man can kill. These are
set to guard the Book of Thoth."
When the priest had finished speaking, Nefer-ka-ptah ran out of the temple, for
his joy was so great that he knew not where he was. He ran quickly to find
Ahura to tell her about the Book and that he would go to Koptos and find it.
But Ahura was very sorrowful, and said, "Go not on this journey, for trouble and
grief await thee in the Southern Land."
She laid her hand upon Nefer-ka-ptah as though she would hold him back from
the sorrow that awaited him. But he would not be restrained, and broke away
from her and went to the King his father.
He told the King all that he had learned, and said, "Give me the royal barge, O
my father,
p. 32

that I may go to the Southern Land with my wife Ahura and my son Merab. For
the Book of Thoth I must and will have."
So the King gave orders and the royal barge was prepared, and in it Nefer-ka-
ptah, Ahura, and Merab sailed up the river to the Southern Land as far as
Koptos. When they arrived at Koptos, the high priest and all the priests of Isis of
Koptos came down to the river to welcome Nefer-ka-ptah, Ahura, and Merab.
And they went in a great procession to the temple of the Goddess, and Nefer-
ka-ptah sacrificed an ox and a goose and poured a libation of wine to Isis of
Koptos and her son Harpocrates. After this, the priests of Isis and their wives
made a great feast for four days in honour of Nefer-ka-ptah and Ahura.
On the morning of the fifth day, Nefer-ka-ptah called to him a priest of Isis, a
great magician learned in all the mysteries of the Gods. And together they
made a little magic box, like the cabin of a boat, and they made men and a
great store of tackle, and put the men and the tackle in the magic cabin. Then
they uttered a spell over the cabin, and the men breathed and were alive, and
began to use the tackle. And Nefer-ka-ptah sank the magic cabin in the river,
saying, "Workmen, workmen! Work for me!" And he filled the royal barge with
sand and sailed away alone, while Ahura sat on the bank of the river at Koptos,
and watched and waited, for she knew
p. 33

that sorrow must come of this journey to the Southern Land.

The magic men in the magic cabin toiled all night and all day for three nights
and three days along the bottom of the river; and when they stopped the royal
barge stopped also, and Nefer-ka-ptah knew that he had arrived where the
Book lay hidden.
He took the sand out of the royal barge and threw it into the water, and it made
a gap in the river, a gap of a schoenus long and a schoenus wide; in the middle
of the gap lay the iron box, and beside the box was coiled the great snake that
no man can kill, and all around the box on every side to the edge of the walls of
water were snakes and scorpions and all manner of crawling things.
Then Nefer-ka-ptah stood up in the royal barge, and across the water he cried
to the snakes and scorpions and crawling things; a loud and terrible cry, and
the words were words of magic. As soon as his voice was still, the snakes and
scorpions and crawling things were still also, for they were enchanted by
means of the magical words of Nefer-ka-ptah, and they could not move. Nefer-
ka-ptah brought the royal barge to the edge of the gap, and he walked through
the snakes and scorpions and crawling things, and they looked at him, but
could not move because of the spell that was on them.
And now Nefer-ka-ptah was face to face with
p. 34

the snake that no man could kill, and it reared itself up ready for battle. Nefer-
ka-ptah rushed upon it and cut off its head, and at once the head and body
came together, each to each, and the snake that no man could kill was alive
again, and ready for the fray. Again Nefer-ka-ptah rushed upon it, and so hard
did he strike that the head was flung far from the body, but at once the head
and body came together again, each to each, and again the snake that no man
could kill was alive and ready to fight. Then Nefer-ka-ptah saw that the snake
was immortal and could not be slain, but must be overcome by subtle means.
Again he rushed upon it and cut it in two, and very quickly he put sand on each
part, so that when the head and body came together there was sand between
them and they could not join, and the snake that no man could kill lay helpless
before him.
Then Nefer-ka-ptah went to the great box where it stood in the gap in the
middle of the river, and the snakes and scorpions and crawling things watched,
but they could not stop him.
He opened the iron box and found a bronze box,
He opened the bronze box and found a keté-wood box,
He opened the keté-wood box and found an ivory-and-ebony box,
He opened the ivory-and-ebony box and found a silver box,
p. 35

He opened the silver box and found a gold box,

[paragraph continues]

He opened the gold box and found the Book of Thoth.

He opened the Book and read a page, and at once he had enchanted the sky,
the earth, the abyss, the mountains, and the sea, and he understood the
language of birds, fish, and beasts. He read the second page and he saw the
sun shining in the sky, with the full moon and the stars, and he saw the great
shapes of the Gods themselves; and so strong was the magic that the fishes
came up from the darkest depths of the sea. So he knew that what the priest
had told him was true.
Then he thought of Ahura waiting for him at Koptos, and he cast a magic spell
upon the men that he had made, saying "Workmen, workmen! Work for me!
and take me back to the place from which I came." They toiled day and night
till they came to Koptos, and there was Ahura sitting by the river, having eaten
nothing and drunk nothing since Nefer-ka-ptah went away. For she sat waiting
and watching for the sorrow that was to come upon them.
But when she saw Nefer-ka-ptah returning in the royal barge, her heart was
glad and she rejoiced exceedingly. Nefer-ka-ptah came to her and put the Book
of Thoth into her hands and bade her read it. When she read the first page,
p. 36

she enchanted the sky, the earth, the abyss, the mountains, and the sea, and
she understood the language of birds, fish, and beasts; and when she read the
second page, she saw the sun shining in the sky, with the full moon and the
stars, and she saw the great shapes of the Gods themselves; and so strong was
the magic that the fishes came up from the darkest depths of the sea.
Nefer-ka-ptah now called for a piece of new papyrus and for a cup of beer; and
on the papyrus he wrote all the spells that were in the Book of Thoth. Then he
took the cup of beer and washed the papyrus in the beer, so that all the ink
was washed off and the papyrus became as though it had never been written
on. And Nefer-ka-ptah drank the beer, and at once he knew all the spells that
had been written on the papyrus, for this is the method of the great magicians.
Then Nefer-ka-ptah and Ahura went to the temple of Isis and gave offerings to
Isis and Harpocrates, and made a great feast, and the next day they went on
board the royal barge and sailed joyfully away down the river towards the
Northern Land.
But behold, Thoth had discovered the loss of his Book, and Thoth raged like a
panther of the South, and he hastened before Ra and told him all, saying,
"Nefer-ka-ptah has found my magic box and opened it, and has stolen my
Book, even the Book of Thoth; he slew the guards that
p. 37

surrounded it, and the snake that no man can kill lay helpless before him.
Avenge me, O Ra, upon Nefer-ka-ptah, son of the King of Egypt."
The Majesty of Ra answered and said, "Take him and his wife and his child, and
do with them as thou wilt." And now the sorrow for which Ahura watched and
waited was about to come upon them, for Thoth took with him a Power from Ra
to give him his desire upon the stealer of his Book.
As the royal barge sailed smoothly down the river, the little boy Merab ran out
from the shade of the awning and leaned over the side watching the water. And
the Power of Ra drew him, so that he fell into the river and was drowned. When
he fell, all the sailors on the royal barge and all the people walking on the river-
bank raised a great cry, but they could not save him. Nefer-ka-ptah came out of
the cabin and read a magical spell over the water, and the body of Merab came
to the surface and they brought it on board the royal barge. Then Nefer-ka-ptah
read another spell, and so great was its power that the dead child spoke and
told Nefer-ka-ptah all that had happened among the Gods, that Thoth was
seeking vengeance, and that Ra had granted him his desire upon the stealer of
his Book.
Nefer-ka-ptah gave command, and the royal barge returned to Koptos, that
Merab might be buried there with the honour due to the son of a
p. 38

prince. When the funeral ceremonies were over, the royal barge sailed down
the river towards the Northern Land. A joyful journey was it no longer, for
Merab was dead, and Ahura's heart was heavy on account of the sorrow that
was still to come, for the vengeance of Thoth was not yet fulfilled.
They reached the place where Merab had fallen into the water, and Ahura
came out from under the shade of the awning, and she leaned over the side of
the barge, and the Power of Ra drew her so that she fell into the river and was
drowned. When she fell, all the sailors in the royal barge and all the people
walking on the river-bank raised a great cry, but they could not save her. Nefer-
ka-ptah came out of the cabin and read a magical spell over the water, and the
body of Ahura came to the surface, and they brought it on board the royal
barge. Then Nefer-ka-ptah read another spell, and so great was its power that
the dead woman spoke and told Nefer-ka-ptah all that had happened among
the Gods, that Thoth was still seeking vengeance, and that Ra had granted him
his desire upon the stealer of his Book.
Nefer-ka-ptah gave command and the royal barge returned to Koptos, that
Ahura might be buried there with the honour due to the daughter of a king.
When the funeral ceremonies were over, the royal barge sailed down the river
towards the Northern Land. A sorrowful journey was it
p. 39

now, for Ahura and Merab were dead, and the vengeance of Thoth was not yet
fulfilled.
They reached the place where Ahura and Merab had fallen into the water, and
Nefer-ka-ptah felt the Power of Ra drawing him. Though he struggled against it
he knew that it would conquer him. He took a piece of royal linen, fine and
strong, and made it into a girdle, and with it he bound the Book of Thoth firmly
to his breast, for he was resolved that Thoth should never have his Book again.
Then the Power drew him yet more strongly, and he came from under the
shade of the awning and threw himself into the river and was drowned. When
he fell, all the sailors of the royal barge and all the people walking on the river-
bank raised a great cry, but they could not save him. And when they looked for
his body they could not find it. So the royal barge sailed down the river till they
reached the Northern Land and came to Memphis, and the chiefs of the royal
barge went to the King and told him all that had happened.
The King put on mourning raiment; he and his courtiers, the high priest and all
the priests of Memphis, the King's army and the King's household, were clothed
in mourning apparel, and they walked in procession to the haven of Memphis to
the royal barge. When they came to the haven, they saw the body of Nefer-ka-
ptah floating in the water beside the barge, close to
p. 40

the great steering-oars. And this marvel came to pass because of the magical
powers of Nefer-ka-ptah; even in death he was a great magician by reason of
the spells he had washed off the papyrus and drunk in the beer.
Then they drew him out of the water, and they saw the Book of Thoth bound to
his breast with the girdle of royal linen. And the King gave command that they
should bury Nefer-ka-ptah with the honour due to the son of a king, and that
the Book of Thoth should be buried with him.
Thus was the vengeance of Thoth fulfilled, but the Book remained with Nefer-
ka-ptah.
Alexander Von Humbolt

On June 5, 1799, the German geographer and naturalist Alexander

von Humboldt set out from La Coruña on the north coast of Spain on a
five-year exploration of North and South America. He arrived at the
Venezuelan port of Cumana on July 16, 1799, and from there headed
inland, along the Orinoco river, to the northernmost reaches of the
Amazon basin before heading back out to the Caribbean coast. He set
sail again in December 1800 and began zigzagging his way around
Latin America, first heading north to Cuba; then south into modern-
day Colombia and Ecuador; and finally north again, sailing out into
the Pacific Ocean from Peru and up into the Spanish colony of New
Spain. He reached Acapulco in early 1803, crossed Mexico and
eventually made it back into the Caribbean, and headed north to the
United States, arriving in Philadelphia in June the following year.
Finally, by August 1, 1804, he was back in Europe. 
An eternally inquisitive naturalist and ecologist as much as he was an
adventurer, Humboldt’s five-year study set the benchmark for
overseas exploration: he returned to Europe having amassed an
astonishing quantity of zoological samples and ecological data,
ranging from detailed accounts of the flora and fauna of
Ecuador’s Mount Chimborazo (thought at the time to be the world’s
highest mountain) to descriptions of the local climate and the best
sailing routes (appropriately enough, the ocean current that flows
along the west of South America was named in his honor). Not only
that, but Humboldt made detailed notes on the local politics, peoples,
culture, climate, and geology of all the places he stopped in, and,
whenever his basic knowledge of Spanish permitted him, he spoke
with the natives to gain even better insight into their home—which, in
the depths of the Venezuelan jungle in 1800, included a surprising
encounter with a talking parrot. 
According to legend, during his exploration of the Orinoco river,
Humboldt met and stayed with a local indigenous Carib tribe near the
isolated village of Maypures. The tribe, so the story goes, had a
number of tame parrots kept in cages around the village, many of
which had been taught to speak—although one, Humboldt noted,
sounded noticeably different from the rest. When he asked the locals
why this parrot sounded so unusual, he was told that it had belonged
to a neighboring tribe, who had been the Caribs’ enemies. Ultimately,
they had violently ejected them from their land, and hounded the few
tribesmen who remained onto a tiny islet in the middle of the nearby
rapids. There, the last of the tribe had died in total isolation several
years earlier—taking with them their entire culture. This talking parrot
was, consequently, the last creature alive who spoke their language. 
Richard II, Earl of Essex, Essex Rebellion 1601

KING RICHARD II
165Alack, why am I sent for to a king,
Before I have shook off the regal thoughts
Wherewith I reign’d? I hardly yet have learn’d
To insinuate, flatter, bow, and bend my limbs:
Give sorrow leave awhile to tutor me
170To this submission. Yet I well remember
The favours of these men: were they not mine?
Did they not sometime cry, ‘all hail!’ to me?
So Judas did to Christ: but he, in twelve,
Found truth in all but one: I, in twelve thousand, none.
175God save the king! Will no man say amen?
Am I both priest and clerk? well then, amen.
God save the king! although I be not he;
And yet, amen, if heaven do think him me.
To do what service am I sent for hither?

Venice Preserv'd (Thomas Ottway) 1680 _ Attempt on King George III (inspired John Wilkes Boothe)
I shall undo myself, and tell thee all—
Yet think a little, ere thou tempt me further;
Think I've a tale to tell will shake thy nature,
Melt all this boasted constancy thou talk'st of,
Into vile tears and despicable sorrows;
Then, if thou shouldst betray me—

Bel. Shall I swear?

Jaf. No, do not swear: I would not violate

Thy tender nature with so rude a bond;
But, as thou hop'st to see me live my days,
And love thee long, lock this within thy breast:
I've bound myself, by all the strictest sacraments,
Divine and human—

Bel. Speak!

Jaf. To kill thy father—

Bel. My father! [Part.]

Jaf. Nay, the throats of the whole senate

Shall bleed, my Belvidera. He, amongst us,
[28] That spares his father, brother, or his friend,
Is damned.

Bel. Oh!

Jaf. Have a care, and shrink not even in thought

For, if thou dost—

Bel. (L. C.) I know it: thou wilt kill me.

Do! strike thy sword into this bosom: lay me
Dead on the earth, and then thou wilt be safe.
Murder my father! Though his cruel nature,
Has persecuted me to my undoing,
Driven me to basest wants; can I behold him,
 With smiles of vengeance, butchered in his age?
The sacred fountain of my life destroyed?
And canst thou shed the blood that gave me being?

[Leans on him

Nay, be a traitor, too, and sell thy country!

Can thy great heart descend so vilely low,
Mix with hired slaves, bravos, and common stabbers,
Join such a crew, and take a ruffian's wages,
To cut the throats of wretches as they sleep? [Part.

Ren. My friends, 'tis late: are we assembled all?

Spin. All—all!

Ren. (C.) Oh! you're men, I find,

Fit to behold your fate, and meet her summons.
To-morrow's rising sun must see you all
Decked in your honours. Are the soldiers ready?

Pierre. All—all!

Ren. You, Durand, with your thousand, must possess

St. Mark's; you, Captain, know your charge already;
'Tis to secure the ducal palace:
Be all this done with the least tumult possible,
Till in each place you post sufficient guards;
Then sheathe your swords in every breast you meet.

[33] Jaf. (L.) [Aside.] Oh, reverend cruelty! damned, bloody

villain!

Ren. During this execution, Durand, you

Must in the midst keep your battalia fast:
And, Theodore, be sure to plant the cannon
That may command the streets;
This done, we'll give the general alarm,
Apply petards, and force the ars'nal gates;
Then fire the city round in several places,
Or with our cannon, if it dare resist,
Batter to ruin. But, above all, I charge you,
Shed blood enough; spare neither sex nor age,
Name nor condition: if there lives a senator
After to-morrow, though the dullest rogue
That e'er said nothing, we have lost our ends.
If possible, let's kill the very name
Of senator, and bury it in blood.

Jaf. [Aside to R.] Merciless, horrid slave! Ay, blood

enough!
Shed blood enough, old Renault! how thou charm'st me!

Ren. But one thing more, and then farewell, till fate
Join us again, or sep'rate us forever:
But let us all remember,
We wear no common cause upon our swords:
Let each man think, that on his single virtue,
Depends the good and fame of all the rest;
Eternal honour, or perpetual infamy.
You droop, sir. [To Jaffier.

Jaf. (L. C.) No: with most profound attention

I've heard it all, and wonder at thy virtue.
 Ren. Let's consider,
That we destroy oppression—avarice;
A people nursed up equally with vices
And loathsome lusts, which nature most abhors,
And such as, without shame, she cannot suffer.

Drury-lane Prologue Spoken by Mr. Garrick at the Opening of the

Theatre in Drury-Lane, 1747 = (Covent Garden Riots 1809 after price
hike)
Ah! let not censure term our fate our choice, 
The stage but echoes back the public voice. 
The drama’s laws the drama’s patrons give, 
For we that live to please, must please to live. 

         Then prompt no more the follies you decry, 

As tyrants doom their tools of guilt to die; 
’Tis yours this night to bid the reign commence 
Of rescu’d Nature, and reviving Sense; 
To chase the charms of Sound, the pomp of Show, 
For useful Mirth, and salutary Woe; 
Bid scenic Virtue form the rising age, 
And Truth diffuse her radiance from the stage.