The Consolidator; or, Memoirs of Sundry Transactions from the World in the MoonDefoe, Daniel
Science
The Consolidator; or, Memoirs of Sundry Transactions from the World in the Moon
Defoe, Daniel
Fantasy fiction; Interplanetary voyages -- Fiction; Moon -- Fiction; Political fiction; Satire
'Without doubt the Eagle has a Title by Proximity of Blood, founded
on the renunciation of the King of Gallunaria formerly mention'd, and
if the Will of the late King be Invalid, or he had no Right to give
the Soveraignty of his Kingdoms away, then the Eagle is next Heir.
'But as we quit his Morals, and justify the Honesty of his
Proceedings in the War, against the present King of Ebronia, so in
this Action of declaring his second Son. We must begin to question
his Understanding, and saying a respect of decency, it looks as if
his Musical Head was out of Tune, to Illus tratellus. I crave leave
to tell you a Story out of your own Country, which we have heard of
hither. A French Man that could speak but broken English, was at the
Court of England, when on some occasion he happen'd to hear the Title
of the King of England read thus, Charles the II. King of England,
Scotland France and Ireland.
'Vat is dat you say? says Monsieur, being a little affronted, the Man
reads it again, as before. Charles the Second, King of England,
Scotland, France and Ireland.------ Charles the Second, King of
France! Ma Foy, says the French Man, you can no read, Charles the
Second, King of France, ha! ha! ha! Charles the Second, King of
France, when he can catch. Any one may apply the Story, whether it
was a true one or no.
'All the Lunar World looks on it, therefore, as a most Ridiculous,
Senseless Thing, to make a Man a King of a Country he has not one
Foot of Land in, nor can have a Foot there, but what he must Fight
for. As to the probability of gaining it, I have nothing to say to
it, but if we may guess at his Success there, by what has been done
in other Parts of the Moon, we find he has Fought three Campaigns, to
lose every Foot he had got.
'It had been much more to the Honour of the Eagle's Conduct, and of
the young Hero himself, first to ha' let him ha' fac'd his Enemy in
the Field, and as soon as he had beaten him, the Ebronians would have
acknowledg'd him fast enough; or his own Victorious Troops might have
Proclaim'd him at the Gate of their Capital City; and if after all,
the Success of the War had deny'd him the Crown he had fought for, he
had the Honour to have shown his Bravery, and he had been where he
was, a Prince of the Great Lip. A Son of the Eagle is a Title much
more Honourable than a King Without a Crown, without Subjects,
without a Kingdom, and another Man upon his Throne; but by this
declaring him King, the old Eagle has put him under a necessity of
gaining the Kingdom of Ebronia, which at best is a great hazard, or
if he fails to be miserably despicable, and to bear all his Life the
constant Chagrin of a great Title and no Possession.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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