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 indeed are some faint Resemblances of what I am upon; but alas!
these are tender sort of People, that han't obtain'd a compleat
Victory over their Consciences, but suffer that Trifle to reproach
them all the while they are doing it, to rebel against their resolv'd
Wills, and check them in the middle of the Design; from which
Interruptions arise Palpitations of the Heart, Sickness and
squeamishness of Stomach; and these have proceeded to Castings and
Vomit, whereby they have been forc'd sometimes to throw up some such
unhappy Truths as have confounded all the rest, and flown in their
own Faces so violently, as in spight of Custom has made them blush
and look downward; and tho' in kindness to one another they have
carefully lickt up one anothers Filth, yet this unhappy squeamishness
of Stomach has spoil'd all the Design, and turn'd the Appetites of
their Party, to the no small prejudice of a Cause that stood in need
of more Art and more Face to carry it on as it shou'd be with a
thoro'-pac'd Case-harden'd Policy, such as I have been relating, is
compleatly obtain'd in these Regions, where the Arts and Excellencies
of sublime Reasonings are carried up to all the extraordinaries of
banishing Scruples, reconciling Contradictions, uniting Opposites,
and all the necessary Circumstances requir'd in a compleat Casuist.
'Tis not easily conceivable to what extraordinary Flights they have
carry'd this strength of Reasoning, for besides the distinguishing
nicely between Truth and Error, they obtain a most refin'd Method of
distinguishing Truth it self into Seasons and Circumstances, and so
can bring any thing to be Truth, when it serves the turn that happens
just then to be needful, and make the same thing to be false at
another time.
And this method of circumstantiating Matters of Fact into Truth or
Falshood, suited to occasion, is found admirably useful to the
solving the most difficult Phanomena of State, for by this Art the
Solunarian Church made Persecution be against their Principles at one
time, and reducible to Practice at another. They made taking up Arms,
and calling in Foreign Power to depose their Prince, consistent with
Non-Resistance, and Passive Obedience; nay they went farther, they
distinguisht between a Crolian's taking Arms, and a Solunarians, and
fairly prov'd this to be Rebellion and that to be Non-Resistance.
Nay, and which exceeded all the Power of human Art in the highest
degrees of Attainment that ever it arriv'd to on our side the Moon;
they turn'd the Tables so dexterously, as to argument upon one sort
of Crolians, call'd Prestarians; that tho' they repented of the War
they had rais'd in former Times, and protested against the violence
offer'd their Prince; and after another Party had in spight of them
Beheaded him, took Arms against the other Party, and never left
contriving their Ruin, till they had brought in his Son, and set him
upon the Throne again.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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