Iussit Naves

William speaks a fleet into existence: shipwrights fell the trees, adzes swing, hulls rise on the shore. One naked verb — édifier, to build — swinging like an axe over the whole coast.

The Verb

Percussive, hammer-on-wood, building dread, the rhythm section literally the sound of a fleet being made.

Note

HIC WILLELM DUX IUSSIT NAVES EDIFICARE. 'Un seul verbe nu : édifier.' The word arrives before the army.