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 Arguments in our World would have been unanswerable, but when
they came to be brought to the Test of Lunar Reasoning, alas they
signify'd nothing; they distinguisht and distinguisht till they
brought the Prestarian War to be meer Rebellion, King-killing, Bloody
and Unnatural; and the Solunarian fighting against their King, and
turning him adrift to seek his Fortune, no prejudice at all to their
Loyalty, no, nor to the famous Doctrine of Passive Obedience and
Absolute Subjection.
When I saw this, I really bewail'd the unhappiness of some of our
Gentlemen in England, who standing exceedingly in need of such a
wonderful Dexterity of Argument to defend their share in our late
Revolution, and to reconcile it to their anticedent and subsequent
Conduct, should not be furnish'd from this more accurate World with
the suitable Powers, in order the better to defend them against the
Banter and just Raillery of their ill-natur'd Enemies the Whigs.
By this they might have attained suitable reserves of Argument to
distinguish themselves out of their Loyalty, and into their Loyalty,
as occasion presented to dismiss this Prince, and entertain that, as
they found it to their purpose; but above all, they might have learnt
a way how to justify Swearing to one King and Praying for another,
Eating one Prince's Bread and doing another Prince's Work, Serving
one King they don't Love and Loving another they don't Serve; they
might easily reconcile the Schisms of the Church, and prove they are
still Loyal Subjects to King James, while they are only forc'd
Bonds-Men to the Act of Settlement, for the sake of that comfortable
Importance, call'd Food and Rainment; and thus their Reputation might
have been sav'd, which is most unhappily tarnish'd and blur'd, with
the malicious Attacks of the Whigs on one Hand, and the Non-Jurants
on the other.
These Tax them as above with Rebellion by their own Principles, and
contradicting the Doctrin of Passive Submission and Non-Resistance,
by taking up Arms against their Prince, calling in a Foreign Power,
and deposing him: They charge them with killing the Lord's Anointed,
by Shooting at him at the Boyn, where if he was not kill'd it was his
own fault, at least 'tis plain 'twas none of theirs.
On the other Hand, the Non Jurant Clergy charge them with Schism,
declare the whole Church of England Schismaticks, and breakers off
from the general Union of the Church, in renouncing their Allegiance,
and Swearing to another Power, their former Prince being yet alive.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account