TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES OF JAMES MASSEY (1714) ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION

TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES OF JAMES MASSEY (1714) – By Simon Tyssot de Patot. Supposedly written in 1710 but not published until 1714, this novel dealt with the travels of the title character to exotic lands.

James Massey is a physician who becomes inspired by the tales told by the Wandering Jew (presented as a real person in this tale) when he comes to town. The encounter fills Massey’s head with a desire to travel in hopes of seeing some of the wonders that the Wandering Jew has seen multiple times during his endless travels.

From that meeting with a mythic figure, Dr. Massey’s adventures constitute a science fiction odyssey. He signs on as a Ship’s Surgeon under Captain Le Sage, and their vessel with a 52-man crew set sail on May 21st, 1643.  Off Finisterre their ship began taking on water, prompting an evacuation in longboats before it sank.

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Two sea-tossed days later, a British ship bound for Lisbon picked up our narrator and his fellows. After an extended stay in Portugal working under another physician, James signed on with a Portuguese ship. This vessel was outfitted with 20 cannons and 147 men on board. The Captain was named Don Pedro and they set sail on June 5th, 1644 bound for America.

On June 20th Don Pedro died from an infected wound brought on by a fight with a rowdy crew member. After his burial at sea came a massive, often fatal storm that raged for 22 days before clearing. At last the ship came upon an island, with just 85 people left alive.

The island boasted a fresh water stream plus turkeys, 500 pound turtles and other animals to feed on. On September 24th, 1644 Dr. Massey and two fellow castaways named Du Puis and La Foret resolved to explore the interior of the island while the others waited near the shore in hope of rescue.

In their journey the trio encountered plenty of fresh water and game. Armed with their guns and axes, they dug out a cave in which to ride out a four-day storm, and later survived quicksand. Reaching higher elevation, our threesome fought to survive an attack by larger than normal, never-before-seen birds who were so numerous they blackened the sky like clouds.

After driving off the birds, Massey and friends explored their giant nests which were built into the ground. They also ate the eggs of those birds, after first mistaking them for nuts.

Continuing their exploration, Massey, Du Puis and La Foret came across a stone wall built in front of a furnished cave in which lay human remains and Greek messages on the wall. That unpleasant discovery was followed by our heroes coming upon stone pyramids on a hill.

Investigating the pyramids, the explorers discovered multiple human remains as well as stone tablets with Hebrew writing on them. Journeying onward, our heroes discovered an entire forest of strange trees with leaves like ostrich feathers and branches which naturally shortened the higher up the trunk, thus forming a pyramidal shape.

(NOTE: This novel consists largely of a mere piling-on of events with no overarching theme.) Climbing to the top of the trees, James and company fed on the odd breadfruit which grew up there.

A hideous, 25-foot long serpent frightened the trio into fleeing the area. On they traveled for a few days before coming upon a vast lake. Following along its shore, Dr. Massey and company were compelled to change direction after reaching unpassable marshes.

The next day the explorers entered a forest of giant oak trees with a stone mountain at their center. Resolved to cross the lake, our heroes chopped out enough wood to build a boat to row across. The day before they set out, a bull-sized otter attacked them and required multiple shots from their guns to be killed.

Provisioning themselves with the delicious meat of this creature, Dr. Massey and the others set out across the lake. The lake was filled with flying fish who kept the travelers amused with their tremendous leaps out of the water. A day and a half later, James and the other two reached the opposite shore and plunged into the woodland behind it.

In the mountains beyond the forest the doctor and his cohorts encountered dead end after dead end and Massey found himself trying to keep Du Puis and La Foret calm. They both blamed him for their plight and violence loomed.

Fortunately, James and the others reached a peak from where they could see a city and farmland off in the distance. Unfortunately, on their way down, Du Puis lost his hold and plunged into a deep crevice the bottom of which could not be seen.

Despite the loss of their companion, Massey and La Foret were relieved to be welcomed by the inhabitants of the island. The doctor tried to converse with them in French, Portuguese and Latin, but to no avail. A slow process of learning followed as the explorers grew familiar with the native language and the indigenous population satisfied their curiosity about the strangers.

Anticipating nerds of the future, Simon Tysott de Patot came up with his own detailed language for the inhabitants of this fictional nation. A LOT of space was devoted to linguistics including the conjugation of verbs, and while it’s impressive it’s all in service to a nonexistent tongue. 

At any rate, after 6 months by Dr. Massey’s count, he and his friend and the island’s inhabitants could communicate easily.

END OF PART ONE. FOR PART TWO CLICK HERE.

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