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
These Testimonials were things not much unlike our Addresses in
England, and which when I heard I could not but remember our Case, in
the time of the late King James, when the City of Carlisle in their
Address, Thankt his Majesty for the Establishing a Standing Army in
England in time of Peace, calling it the Strength, and Glory of the
Kingdom.
So strong is the Ambition and Envy of Parties, these Solunarian
Gentlemen not grudging to put out one of their own eyes, so they
might at the same time put out both the Eyes of their Enemies; the
Crolians rather consented to this badge of their own Slavery, and
brought themselves who were a free People before, under the Power and
Slavery of the Sword.
The ease with which this Prince got over so considerable a Point as
this, made him begin to be too credulous and to perswade himself
that the Solunarian Church-Men were really in earnest, as to their
Pageant-Doctrin of Non-Resistance, and that as he had seen them bear
with strange extravagancies on the Crolian Part, they were real and
in earnest when they Preach'd that Men ought to obey for Conscience's
sake, whatever hardship were impos'd upon them, and however unjust,
or contrary to the Laws of God, Nature, Reason, or their Country;
what Principle in the World could more readily prompt a Prince to
attempt what he so earnestly coveted, as this zealous Prince did the
restoring the Abrogratzian Faith, for since he had but two sorts of
People to do with; one he had crush'd by force, and had brought the
other to profess it their Religion, their Duty, and their Resolution
to bear every thing he thought fit to Impose upon them, and that they
should be Damn'd if they resisted, the Work seem'd half done to his
Hand.
And indeed when I reflected on the Coherence of things, I could not
so much blame this Prince for his venturing upon the probability, for
whoever was but to go up to this Lunar World and read the Stories of
that Time, with what Fury the hot Men of the Solunarian Church acted
against the Dissenting Crolians, and with what warmth they assisted
their Prince against them, and how Cruelly they insulted them after
they were defeated in their attempt of Dethroning him, how zealously
they Preach'd up the Doctrine of absolute undisputed Resignation to
his Will, how frequently they obey'd several of his encroachments
upon their Liberties, and what solemn Protestations they made to
submit to him in any thing, and to stand by and assist him in
whatever he Commanded them to the last Drop, much with the same Zeal
and Forwardness, as our Life-and-Fortune Men did here in England. I
say, when all this was consider'd, I could not so much condemn his
Credulity, nor blame him for believing them, for no Man could have
doubted their Sincerity, but he that at the same time must have Taxt
them with most unexampled Hipocrisie.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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