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
The eager Solunarian could not on all occasions forbear to show their
deep Regret at the Dissenting Crolians enjoying the Tolleration of
their Religion, by a Law ---.
And when all their legal Attempts to lessen that Liberty had prov'd
Abortive, her Solunarian Majesty on all Occasions repeating her
assurances of the continuance of her Protection, and particularly the
maintaining this Tolleration Inviolable. They proceeded then to show
the remains of their Mallice, in little Insults, mean and illegal
Methods, and continual private Disturbances upon particular Persons,
in which, however the Crolians having recourse to the Law, always
found Justice on their side, and had redress with Advantage, of which
the following Instance is more than ordinarily Remarkable.
There had been a Law made by the Men of the Feather, that all the
meaner Idle sort of People, who had no settel'd way of living should
go to the Wars, and the Lazognians, a sort of Magistrates there, in
the nature of our Justices of the Peace, were to send them away by
Force.
Now it happen'd in a certain Solunarian Island, that for want of a
better, one of their High Priests was put into the Civil
Administration, and made a Lazognian.----- In the Neighbourhood of
this Man's Jurisdiction, one of their own Solunarian Priests had
turn'd Crolian, and whether he had a better Tallent at performance,
or rather was more diligent in his Office is not material, but he set
up a kind of a Crolian Temple in an old Barn, or some such Mechanick
Building, and all the People flock'd after him.
This so provok'd his Neighbours of the black Girdle, an Order of
Priests, of which he had been one, that they resolv'd to suppress him
let it cost what it would.
They run strange lengths to bring this to pass.
They forg'd strange Stories of him, defam'd him, run him into Jayl
upon frivolous and groundless Occasions, represented him as a Monster
of a Man, told their Story so plain, and made it so specious, that
even the Crolians themselves to their Shame, believ'd it, and took up
Prejudices against the Poor Man, which had like to ha' been his Ruin.
They proscrib'd him in Print for Crimes they could never prove, they
branded him with Forgery, Adultery, Drunkenness, Swearing, breaking
Jayl, and abundance of Crimes; but when Matters were examin'd and
things came to the Test, they could never prove the least thing upon
him.----- In this manner however they continually worryed the poor
Man, till they ruin'd his Family and reduc'd him to Beggary; and tho'
he came out of the Prison they cast him into by the meer force of
Innocence, yet they never left persuing him with all sorts of
violence.------ At last they made use of their Brother of the Girdle
who was in Commission as above, and this Man being High Priest and
Lazonian too, by the first was a Party, and by the last had a Power
to act the Tragedy they had plotted against the poor Man.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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