Moon -- Fiction; Science fiction, French -- Translations into English; Space flight to the moon -- Fiction
Sin against nature; seeing such Boldness tends to its destruction. And
this puts me in mind to tell ye, that some Years ago application was
made to the Council of War for a more circumspect and conscientious
Rule to be made, as to the way of Fighting. The Philosopher who gave
the advice, if I mistake it not, spake in this manner.
"You imagine, Gentlemen, that you have very equally balanced the
advantages of two Enemies, when you have chosen both Tall Men, both
skillful, and both couragious: But that's not enough, seeing after all
the Conquerour must have the better on't either through his Skill,
Strength, or good Fortune. If it be by Skill, without doubt he hath
taken his Adversary on the blind side, which he did not expect; or
struck him sooner than was likely, or faining to make his Pass on one
side, he hath attacked him on the other: Nevertheless all this is
Cunning, Cheating, and Treachery, and none of these make a brave Man:
If he hath triumphed by Force, would you judge his Enemy overcome,
because he hath been over-powered? No; doubtless, no more than you'll
say that a Man hath lost the Victory, when, overwhelm'd by a Mountain,
it was not in his power to gain it: Even so, the other was not
overcome, because he was not in a suitable Disposition, at that nick of
time, to resist the violences of his Adversary. If Chance hath given
him the better of his Enemy, Fortune ought then to be Crowned, since he
hath contributed nothing to it; and, in fine, the vanquished is no more
to be blamed, than he who at Dice having thrown Seventeen, is beat by
another that throws three Sixes.'
"They confessed he was in the right; but that it was impossible,
according to humane Appearances, to remedy it; and that it was better
to submit to a small inconvenience, than to open a door to a hundred of
greater Importance."
She entertained me no longer at that time, because she was afraid to
be found alone with me so early; not that Impudicity is a Crime in
that Country: On the contrary, except Malefactors Convicted, all Men
have power over all Women; and in the same manner, a Woman may bring
her Action against a Man for refusing her: But she durst not keep
me company publickly, because the Members of Council, at their last
meeting, had said, That it was chiefly the Women who gave it out that I
was a Man; which was the reason that for a long time I neither saw her,
nor any other of her Sex.
[Sidenote: Moon Not the Moon]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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