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
I confess, I have thought it might have been very useful to this
Nation, to have brought so wonderful an Invention hither, and I was
once very desirous to have set up my rest here, and for the Benefit
of my Native Country, have made my self Master of these Engines,
that I might in due time have convey'd them to our Royal Society,
that once in 40 Years they might have been said to do something for
Publick Good; and that the Reputation and Usefulness of the so so's
might be recover'd in England; but being told that in the Moon
there were many of these Glasses to be had very cheap, and I having
declar'd my Resolution of undertaking a Voyage thither, I deferred my
Design, and shall defer my treating of them, till I give some Account
of my Arrival there.
But above all his Inventions for making this Voyage, I saw none more
pleasant or profitable, than a certain Engine formed in the shape of
a Chariot, on the Backs of two vast Bodies with extended Wings, which
spread about 50 Yards in Breadth, compos'd of Feathers so nicely put
together, that no Air could pass; and as the Bodies were made of
Lunar Earth which would bear the Fire, the Cavities were fill'd with
an Ambient Flame, which fed on a certain Spirit deposited in a proper
quantity, to last out the Voyage; and this Fire so order'd as to move
about such Springs and Wheels as kept the Wings in a most exact and
regular Motion, always ascendant; thus the Person being placed in
this airy Chariot, drinks a certain dozing Draught, that throws him
into a gentle Slumber, and Dreaming all the way, never wakes till he
comes to his Journey's end.
Of the Consolidator.
These Engines are call'd in their Country Language, Dupekasses; and
according to the Ancient Chinese, or Tartarian, Apezolanthukanistes;
in English, a Consolidator.
The Composition of this Engine is very admirable; for, as is before
noted, 'tis all made up of Feathers, and the quality of the Feathers,
is no less wonderful than their Composition; and therefore, I hope
the Reader will bear with the Description for the sake of the
Novelty, since I assure him such things as these are not to be seen
in every Country.
The number of Feathers are just 513, they are all of a length and
breadth exactly, which is absolutely necessary to the floating
Figure, or else one side or any one part being wider or longer than
the rest, it would interrupt the motion of the whole Engine; only
there is one extraordinary Feather which, as there is an odd one in
the number, is placed in the Center, and is the Handle, or rather
Rudder to the whole Machine: This Feather is every way larger than
its Fellows, 'tis almost as long and broad again; but above all, its
Quill or Head is much larger, and it has as it were several small
bushing Feathers round the bottom of it, which all make but one
presiding or superintendent Feather, to guide, regulate, and pilot
the whole Body.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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