Chapter VII

1 _Concerning the peace-mongers_. 8 _Willi speaketh concerning peace_. 10 _And expoundeth the meaning of the word_. 15 _Artemas beholdeth a vision_. 21 _Wherein David slayeth his thousands_. 26 _And meeteth with Willi and Mud_.

Now there were certain men in the land of En, and their talk was _for ever_ concerning peace.

2 And the _manner_ of its attainment, this considered they not at all; neither did they concern _themselves_ with the price to be paid for the blessings of it.

3 And though they were few _in number_, nevertheless, they were loud of voice; and a man that shouteth out, he is heard above a thousand _that be_ silent.

4 And there was no reason _in them_, nor any words in their mouths save only, Peace, peace, peace.

5 And if one said _unto them_, Will ye crave peace _of_ a tyrant? Then would they make answer, and they would say, Give us _only_ peace.

6 And whosoever questioned them, saying, How long this peace, and in what manner _shall it_ be assured? And would ye that our sons be dead in a lost cause? To him would they make answer, and they would say, Give us _only_ peace.

7 And because there was no other word ready unto their tongues, therefore _some_ called them Boloscheviks, and _some_ did call them mad; but many did call them merely traitors.

8 ¶ Now, when Willi, that was the king of Hu, _did speak_ concerning peace, a certain man _that was_ of Amer, he approached unto him, and he questioned him, saying, Explain me now this peace, and expound _its meaning_ unto me.

9 And tell me also, I beseech thee, what things be requisite _of_ thine enemies that _peace_ may come unto all peoples?

10 ¶ And Willi did expound the _meaning_ of the word, even as the man of Amer did beseech him. And he spake unto him in these words, saying,

11 This and that also shall our enemies perform. And they shall return unto us _all those_ lands which they have taken away; and we will behave in _like manner_ unto them, keeping only _whatsoever_ seemeth good unto us.

12 And there shall be a making _right_ of the boundaries that do separate us from our neighbours; _peradventure_, they shall lose a little in the doing of it.

13 And the might of the Most High Lord of War, it shall be acclaimed of all the world; and _afterwards_ there shall be peace.

14 And the man of Amer, he spake unto Willi, and he said unto him, Verily, the peace, _concerning_ which thou hast spoken unto me, it is _indeed_ the peace that passeth understanding.

15 ¶ Now it fell out on a time, that I, being Artemas, the scribe, did fall into a deep sleep. And whilst I slumbered, lo! a vision came _unto me_ in a dream, and I beheld _things_.

16 And I saw a river that was wide; and the beginning and the end _of it_, they did reach beyond man's sight.

17 And on one side of the river, _it was_ War; and on the other side of the river, _it was_ Peace.

18 And, even as _I looked_, there came one David, a man of Cam, and chief amongst the rulers in the land of En.

19 And in _his_ right hand he did carry a flaming sword; and in _his_ left hand he did carry a picture of the man Winston. And he took up _his stand_ at the crossing over of the river.

20 And it came to pass that the hosts of Hu drew nigh, fleeing before the swords of their adversaries. And they came unto the _crossing over_ of the river.

21 ¶ And David said _unto him_ that was first, Whither goest thou? And he replied _unto him_, saying, I go unto the Land of Peace. Suffer me, I beseech thee, that I may pass over.

22 And David cast an eye upon him. And he said unto him, Say now, _therefore_, Best oration. And, behold, he could not frame to pronounce it right, for the word, it was a stranger in his mouth.

23 But he spake as one afflicted _of his_ speech, and did stutter most abominably.

24 And David took him; and he lifted high the flaming sword and slew him at the _crossing over_ of the river.

25 And so it was with all that came up thither, _because_ they could not frame to pronounce _it_ right; wherefore many perished on that day.

26 ¶ And when David had made an end of all _of them_, a noise of trembling arose. And I did see Willi, that _was_ the king of Hu.

27 And Mud, that was his son, behold, he was _with him_; and they were hid amongst the rushes _of_ the river.

28 And when David saw them, he beckoned _with_ his finger, saying unto them, Come hither, ye laggards, and ye that are hanging behind. Come, for _this_ is the passage to Peace. _Nevertheless_ they came not unto him.

29 And when he perceived that they came not unto him, then did he take off his garments from _about_ him, and he descended unto them in all his awfulness.

30 And in _his_ right hand he did carry the flaming sword; and in _his_ left hand he did carry a picture of the man Winston.

31 And when he was come _amongst_ them, he did raise up the flaming sword on high, and he said unto them, Say now, therefore, Restoration.

32 And on the instant I did wake, and my dream, it was flown away. Neither was it vouchsafed unto me again for to see the end of the vision.