Sentence:  So ignorant are most landsmen of some of the plainest and most palpable wonders of the world, that without some hints touching the plain facts, historical and otherwise, of the fishery, they might <WSD>scout</WSD> at Moby Dick as a monstrous fable, or still worse and more detestable, a hideous and intolerable allegory. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To scoff.