Page 739 - ULYSSES

Ulysses

Tory gentleman of note much in favour with our
ascendancy party. He proposed to set up there a national
fertilising farm to be named Omphalos with an obelisk
hewn and erected after the fashion of Egypt and to offer

his dutiful yeoman services for the fecundation of any
female of what grade of life soever who should there
direct to him with the desire of fulfilling the functions of
her natural. Money was no object, he said, nor would he
take a penny for his pains. The poorest kitchenwench no
less than the opulent lady of fashion, if so be their
constructions and their tempers were warm persuaders for
their petitions, would find in him their man. For his
nutriment he shewed how he would feed himself
exclusively upon a diet of savoury tubercles and fish and
coneys there, the flesh of these latter prolific rodents being
highly recommended for his purpose, both broiled and
stewed with a blade of mace and a pod or two of capsicum
chillies. After this homily which he delivered with much
warmth of asseveration Mr Mulligan in a trice put off from
his hat a kerchief with which he had shielded it. They
both, it seems, had been overtaken by the rain and for all
their mending their pace had taken water, as might be
observed by Mr Mulligan’s smallclothes of a hodden grey
which was now somewhat piebald. His project meanwhile

738 of 1305