Between Worlds

[How squadrons of daemons can transport human travelers to the moon through the shadow of a solar eclipse]

Confecta prima parte itineris facilior redditur vectio ^74. Tunc libero aeri exponimus corpora raanusque subtrahimus ^75. Atque illa in sese conglobantur ut aranei, quae nos solo fere nutu transportamus ^76, adeo ut denique moles corporea sponte sua vergat in locum propositum ^77.

With this first part of the journey accomplished, it is easy to set his trajectory. When we reach the open sky, we remove our hands from his body so that he balls himself up like a spider, which we transport almost by our will alone, so that finally the mass of the body falls towards the intended destination of its own accord.

Sed parura nobis est utilis haec ϱοπη quia nimis tarda ^78, itaque nutu ut dixi acceleramus et praecedimus jam corpus, ne durissimo irapactu in Lunam damni quid patiatur. Solent homines, cura expergis cuntur, queri de ineffabili membrorum oranium lassitudine, a qua sero admodum se recipiunt, ut ambulent ^79.

But for our own use, this ϱοπη [moment or driving force] is not enough because it is extremely slow. We therefore impart an acceleration to the body, and go ahead to allow no injuries from a hard impact with the moon. When they awake, humans usually complain of indescribable exhaustion in all their limbs from which, much later, they recover enough to walk.

Multae praeterea occurrunt difficultates, quas longum esset recensere. Nobis nihil admodum evenit mali. Tenebras enim Telluris, quam longae illae sunt, confertim inhabitamus ^80, quae ubi Le vaniam attigerint, praesto sumus, quasi ex navi in terram exscendentes ^81, et ibi nos propere in speluucas et loca tenebrosa recipimus ^82, ne nos Sol in aperto paulo post obruturus optato diversorio ejiciat umbranique discedentem insequi cogat ^83.

It would take too long to recount the many additional difficulties that occur, but no great harm comes to us. We stay close within the shadow of the earth for as long as it lasts, and we are on hand when they arrive at Levania. They descend just as from a ship to the land, and once there we quickly withdraw to caves and shaded places lest the sun overwhelm us in the open, and force us away from our chosen shelter to follow the receding shadow.

Dantur ibi nobis induciae exercendorum ingeniorum ex animi sententia, conferimus cum eijus provinciae daemonibus initaque societate, ubi primum locus Sole carere coeperit ^84, junctis agminibus in umbram exspatiamur, et si illa mucrone suo, quod plerumque fit ^85, Tellurem feriat, Terris et nos sociis exercitibus incumbimus, quod non alias nobis licet, quam cum Solem homines viderint deficere. Hinc evenit, ut defectus Solis adeo metuantur ^86.

“When we are granted a period of rest in that place, we exercise our ingenuity to the best of our knowledge. We confer with other daemons of the same region and plan an alliance so when the sunlight first begins to leave a region of space, we move in massed ranks into the shadow. For if the sharp point of the [moon’s] shadow touches the earth, which often happens, our allied squadrons fall upon the earth. As long as men can see the sun’s eclipse, we cannot do otherwise – so it is that solar eclipses are so much feared.”

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