TheCroliansthemselves were surpriz'd at it, and so closely had the Author couch'd his Design, that they never sawthe irony of the Stile, but began to look about them, to see which way they should fly to save themselves.
The Men of Zealwe talk'd of, were so blinded with the Notion whichsuited so exactly with their real Design, that they hugg'd the Book,applauded the unknown Author, and plac'd the Book next theirOraclar Writings, or Laws of Religion.
The Author was all this while conceal'd, and the Paper had all the effect he wish'd for.
For as it caus'dthese firstGentlemen to caress, applaud and approve it, and thereby discover'd their real Intention, so it met with Abhorrence and Detestation in all the Men ofPrinciples,PrudenceandModerationin the Kingdom, who tho' they wereSolunariansin Religion, yet were not for Blood, Desolation and Persecution of their Brethren, butwith the Queenwere willing they should enjoy their Liberties and Estates, they behaving themselvesquietly and peaceablyto the Government.
At last it came out that it was writ bya Crolian; butgood God! what a Clamour was rais'd at the poor Man, theCroliansflew at him like Lightning,ignorantly and blindly, not seeing that he had sacrific'd himself and his Fortunes in their behalf; theyrumag'd his Characterfor Reproaches, tho' they could find little that way to hurt him; they plentifully loaded him with ill Language and Railing, and took a great deal of pains to let the World see theirown Ignorance and Ingratitude.
TheMinisters of State, tho' at that timeof the fiery Party, yet seeing the general Detestation of such a Proposal, and how illit would go down with the Nation, tho' they approv'd the thing, yet began to scent the Design, and were also oblig'd to declare against it, for fear of being thought of the same Mind.
Thus the Author was Proscrib'd by Proclamation, and aRewardof 50000Hecato's, a small imaginary Coin in those Parts, put upon his Head.
TheCortezof the Nation being at the same time assembled join'd in Censuring the Book, and thusthe Partyblindly damn'dtheir own Principlesfor meer shame of the practice, not daring to own the thing in publick which they had underhand profest, and the fury of all Parties fellupon the poor Author.
The Man fled the first popular Fury, but at last being betraid fell into the Hands of the publick Ministry.
When theyhad himthey hardly knewwhat to do with him; they could not proceed against him as Author of a Proposal for the Destruction ofthe Croliansbecause it appear'd he wasa Crolian himself; they were loth to charge him with suggesting that theSolunarian Church-menwere guilty of such a Design, least he should bringtheir own Writings to prove it true; so they fell towheadling himwith good Words to throw himself into their Hands and submit, giving him thatGeu-gauthePublick Faithfor a Civil and Gentleman-like Treatment; the Man, believinglike a Coxcombthat they spoke as they meant,quitted his own Defence, and threw himself on the Mercyof the Queen as he thought; but they abusing their Queen with false Representations,Perjur'd all their Promiseswith him, and treated him in a most barbarous manner, on pretence that there wereno such Promises made, tho' he prov'd it upon them by the Oath of the Persons to whom they were made.
Thus they laid him undera heavy Sentence, Fin'd him more than they thought him able to pay, and order'd him to be expos'd to the Mob in the Streets.
Having him at this Advantage they set upon him with their Emissaries to discover to them his Adherents,as they call'd them, and promis'd him great Things on one Hand, threatning himwith his utter Ruinon the other; and theGreat Scribeof the Country, with another of their great Courtiers, took such a low Step as to go to himto the Dungeonwhere they had put him, to see if they could tempt himto betray his Friends. TheComical Dialoguebetween them there the Author of this has seenin Manuscript, exceedingdiverting, but having not time to Translate it 'tis omitted for the present; tho' he promises topublish it in its proper Seasonfor publick Instruction.
However for the present it may suffice to tell the World, that neither bypromises of Reward or fear of Punishmentthey could prevail upon him to discover any thing, and so it remains a Secret to this day.
The Title of this unhappy Book wasThe shortest way with the Crolians. The Effects of it were various, as will be seen in our ensuing Discourse: As to the Author nothing was more unaccountable than the Circumstances of his Treatment; for he met with allthat Fatewhich they must expectwho attempt to open the Eyes of a Nation wilfully blind.
Thehot Men of the Solunarian Churchdamn'd him withoutBell,Book, orCandle; the moreModeratepitied him, but lookt on as unconcern'd:But the Crolians, for whom he had run this Venture, us'd him worst of all; for they not only abandon'd him, butreproacht him as an Enemythat would ha' them destroy'd: So one side rail'd at him because theydid understandhim, and the other becausethey did not.
Thus the Man sunk under the general Neglect, was ruin'd and undone, and left a Monument of what every Man must expect that serves a good Cause,profestby anunthankful People.
And here it was I found out that my Lunar Philosopher wasonly soin Disguise, and thathe was no Philosopher, but the very ManI have been talking of.
From this Book, and the Treatment its Author receiv'd, for they us'd him with all possible Rigour, a new Scene of Parties came upon the Stage, and this Queen's Reign began to be fill'd with more Divisions and Feuds than any before her.
These Partiesbegan to be so numerous and violent thatit endanger'd the Publick Good, and gave great Disadvantages to the general Affairs abroad.
The Queen invited them all toPeace and Union, but 'twas in vain; nay, one had the Impudence to publish that to procure Peace and Union it was necessary to suppressall the Crolians, and have no Party but one, and then all must be of a Mind.
From this heat of Parties all the moderate Men fell in with their Queen, and were heartilyfor Peace and Union:The other, who were now distinguish'd by the Title ofHigh Solunarians, call'd these allCroliansandLow Solunarians, and began to Treat them with more Inveteracy than they us'd to do theCroliansthemselves, calling themTraytorsto their Country,Betrayersof their Mother,Serpentsharbour'd in the Bosom, who bite, sting and hiss at the Hand that succour'd them; and in short the Enmity grew so violent, that from hence proceeded one of thesubtilest, foolishest, deep, shallowContrivances andPlotsthat ever was hatcht or set on foot by any Party of Men in the whole Moon, at least who pretendedto any Brains, or to half a degreeof commonUnderstanding.
There had always been Dislikes and Distasts between even the most moderateSolunariansand theCrolians, as I have noted in the beginning of this Relation, and these were deriv'd fromDissenting in Opinions of Religion, ancient Feuds, private Interest, Education, and the like; and theSolunarianshad frequently, on pretence of securing the Government, made Laws to exclude theCroliansfrom any part of the Administration, unless they submitted to someReligious Testsand Ceremonies which were prescrib'd them.
Now asthe keeping them out of Officeswas more the Design than theConversion of the Croliansto theSolunarianChurch, theCrolians, at least many of them,submitted to the Test, and frequently Conform'd to qualify themselves for publick Employments.
The most moderate of the Solunarianswere in their Opinion against this practice, and theHigh Mentaking advantage of them,drew them into Concur in making a Law with yet more Severity against them, effectually to keep them out of Employment.
The low Solunarianswere easy to be drawn into this Project, as it was only a Confirming former Laws of their own making, and all Things run fairfor the Design; but as theHigh Menhad further Ends in it than barely reducing theCroliansto Conformity, they coucht so many gross Clauses into their Law, that even theGrandees of the Solunariansthemselves could not comply with; nay even thePatriarchsof theSolunarianChurch declar'd against it, as tending to Persecution and Confusion.
This Disappointmentenrag'd the Party, and that very Rage entirely ruin'd their Project; for now theNobility, thePatriarchs, and all the wise Men of the Nation, joining together against theseMen of Heat and Fury, the Queen began to see into their Designs, andas she was of a most pious and peaceable Temper, she conceiv'd a just Hatred of so wicked and barbarous a Design, and immediately dismiss'd from her Council and Favourthe Great Scribe, and several others who were Leaders in the Design,to the great mortification of the whole Party, and utter Ruin of the intended Law againstthe Crolians.
Here I could not but observe, as I have done before in the Case of the banish'd King, howimpolitick these high Solunarian Church-men actedin all their Proceedings, for had they contented themselvesby little and littleto ha' done their Work, they had done it effectually; but pushing at Extremities they overshot themselves, andruin'd all.
Forthe GrandeesandPatriarchsmade but afew trifling Objectionsat first, nay and came off, and yielded some of them too; and if these would ha' consented to ha' parted with some Clauses which they have willingly left out since, they had had it pass'd; but these wereas hot Men always are, too eager and sure of their Game, they thought all was their own, and so they lost themselves.
If they rail'd at thelow Solunarian Church-menbefore, they doubled their Clamors at them now, all thePatriarchs, and all the Nobility andGrandees, nay even theQueenher self came under their Censure, and every Body who was not of their Mind werePrestariansandCrolians.
As this Rage of theirs was implacable, so, as I hinted before, it drove them into anotherSubdivision of Parties, and now beganthe Mysterious Plotto be laid which I mention'd before; for theCortezbeing summon'd, and the Law being proposed, some of thesehigh Solunariansappear'd in Confederacy with theCrolians, in perfect Confederacywith them, a thing no Body would have imagin'd could ever ha' been brought to pass.
Now as these sorts of Plots must always be carry'd very nicely, so thesehigh Gentlemenwho Confederated with theCrolians, having, to spight the other, resolv'd effectually to prevent the passing the Law againstthe Qualification of the Crolians, it was not their Business immediately to declare themselvesagainstit as a Law, but by still loading it with some Extravagance or other, and pushing it on to some intolerable Extreme,secure its miscarriage.
In the managing this Plot, one of their Authors was specially employ'd, andthat all that was really true of theCrolian Dissenters might be ridicul'd, his Work was to drawmonstrous Picturesof them, which no Body could believe; this took immediately, for now People began to look at their Shooes to see if they were notCloven Footedas they went a long Streets; and at last finding they were really shap'd like the restof the Lunar Inhabitants, they went backto the Author, who was a Learned Member of a certain Seminary, or Brother-hood ofthe Solunarian Clergy, and enquir'd if he werenot Mad, Distracted andRaving, orMoon-blind, and in want of the thinking Engine; but finding all thingsright there, and that he was in his Senses, especially in a Morning when he was a littlefree from, &c. that he was a Good, Honest, Jolly,Solunarian Priest, and no room could be found for an Objection there. Upon all these Searches it presently appear'd, and all Men concluded it was a meerFanatick Crolian Plot; that thisHigh Party of allwere but Pretenders, and meer Traytors to theTrue High Solunarian Church-Men, that wearing the same Cloth had herded among themin Disguise, only to wheedle them into such wild Extravagancies as must of necessity confuse their Councils, expose their Persons, and ruin their Cause. ---- According to the like Practice, put upon theirAbrograzianPrince, and of which I have spoken before.
And since I am upon the detection of thismost refin'd Practice, I crave leave to descend to some particular Instances, which will the better evince the Truth of this Matter, and make it appear that either this was reallya Crolian Plot, or else all these People wereperfectly Distracted; and as their Wits inthat Lunar World, are much higher strain'dthan ours, so their Lunacy, where it happens, must according to the Rulesof Mathematical Nature, bear an extream Equal in proportion.
This College Fury of a Manwas the first on whom this useful Discovery was made, and havingwrit several Learned Tractswherein he invited the Peopleto Murtherand Destroyall the Crolians, Branded all theSolunarian Patriarchs,ClergyandGentrythat would not come intohis Proposal, with the name ofCowards,TraytorsandBetrayersofLunar Religion; having beat theConcionazimirat a great Assembly of the Cadirs, orJudges, and told themall the CrolianswereDevils, and they wereall Perjur'dthat did not use them as such: He carry'd on Mattersso dexterously, and with such surprizing Success, that he fill'd eventhe Solunariansthemselves with Horror at his Proposals.----- And as I happen'd to be in one of their publick Halls where all such Writingsas are neware laid a certain time to be read byevery Comer, I saw a littleknot of Menround a Table, where one was readingthis Book.
There were twoSolunarian High Priestsin their proper Vestments, onePrivy Councellorof the State, one otherNoble Man, and one who hadin his Hata Token, to signifie that he possest one of thefine Feathersof theConsolidator, of which I have given the Description already.
The Book being readby one of the habited Priests, he starts up with some warmth,by the Moon, says he, I havefound this Fellow out, he is certainly aCrolian, a meerPrestarian Crolian, and is crept into our Church onlyin Disguise, for 'tis certain all this isbut meer Banterand Irony to expose us, and to ridicule theSolunarianInterest.
The Privy Councellortook it presently, whether he isa Crolianor no, says he, I cannot tell, but he has certainlydone the Crolians so much Service, that if they had hir'd him to act for them, they could not have desir'd he should serve them better.
Truly, saysthe Man of the Feather, I was always for pulling downthe Crolians, for I thought them dangerous to the State; but this Man has brought the Matternearer to my View, and shown mewhat destroying them is, for he put me upon examining the Consequences, and now I find it would belopping off the Limbs of the Government, and laying it at the Mercy of the Enemythat they might lop off its Head; I assure you he has donethe Croliansgreat Service, for whereas abundance of our Menof the Featherwere for routing theCrolians, they lately fell down to 134 or thereabouts.
All this confirm'd the first Man's Opinion thathe was a Crolian in Disguise, or an Emissary employ'd by them to ruin the Project of their Enemies; forthese Crolians are damn'd cunning People in their way, and they have Mony enough to engage Hirelings to their side.
Another Party concern'd inthis Plotwas an oldcast-out Solunarian Priest, who, tho' professing himself aSolunarian, was turn'd out for adhering to theAbrograzian King, a mighty Stickler for the Doctrin ofabsolute Subjection.
This Man drawsthe most monstrous Picture of a Crolianthat could be invented, he put him in aWolf's Skinwith longAsses Ears, and hung him all over full ofAssociations,Massacres,Persecutions,Rebellions, andBlood. Here the People began tostareagain, and aCroliancou'd not go along the Street but they were alway's looking for thelong Ears, theWolf's Claws, and the like; 'till at last nothing of these Things appearing, but theCrolianslooking and acting likeother Folks, they begun to examine the Matter, and found this wasa meer Crolian Plottoo, andthis Manwas hir'd to run these extravagant lengths to point out the right meaning.
The Discovery being made, People ever since understand him that when he talks of the DissentersAssociations,Murthers,Persecutions, and the like, he means that his Readers should look back to theMurthers,OppressionsandPersecutionsthey had suffered for several past years, and theAssociationsthat were now forming to bring them into the same Condition again.
From this famous Author I could not but proceed to observe the farther Progress of this most refin'd piece of Cunning, among thevery great Ones,Grandees,Feathers, andConsolidatorsof the Country. For theseCunning Croliansmanag'd their Intriegues so nicely, that they brought about a Famous Division even among theHigh Solunarian Party themselves; and whereas the Law of Qualification was reviv'd again, and in great Danger of being compleated; these subtleCroliansbrought over One Hundred and Thirty Fourof the Feathersin the FamousConsolidatorto be of their side, and toContrive the utter Destruction of it;and thus fell the Designwhich theHigh SolunarianChurch Men had laid for the Ruin ofthe Crolians Interest, by their own Friends first joyning in all the Extremes they had proposed, and then pushing it so much farther, and to suchmad Periodsthat the very highest of themstood amaz'dat the Design,startled, flew backand made afull stop; they were willing to Ruin theCrolians, but they were not willing to Ruin the whole Nation. The more these Men began to consider, the more furiously these Plotters carry'd on their Extravagances; at last they madea General pushat a thing in which they knew if the otherHigh Menjoyn'd, they must throwall into Confusion, bring aForeign Enemyon their Backs,unravel all the Thread of the War, fight all their Victoriesback again, and involve the whole Nation inBloodandConfusion.
They knew well enough that most of theHigh Menwould hesitate at this, they knew if they did not theGrandeesandPatriarchswould reject it, and so they plaid thesurest Gameto blast and overthrow this Law, that could possibly be plaid.
If any Man,in the whole World in the Moon, will pretend this was nota Plot, aCrolian Design, a meerConspiracy to destroy the Law, let him tell me for what other end could these Men offer such extreams as they needs must know would meet with immediate opposition, things that they knew all the Honest Men, all theGrandees, all thePatriarchs, and almost all theFeatherswould oppose.
From hence all the Men of any fore-sight brought it to this pass, as is before Noted, that either these One Hundred and Thirty Four wereFoolsorMad-Men, or that it was aPhanatick Crolian Plotand Conspiracy to Ruin the makeing this Law, which the rest of theSolunarian Church Menwere very forward to carry on.
I heard indeed some Men Argue that this could not be, the breach was too wide betweenthe Croliansand these Gentlemen ever to come to such an Agreement; butthe Wiser Headswho argu'd the other way, always brought them, as is noted above, to this pinch of Argument; that either it must be so,be a Fanatick Crolian Plot, or else theMen of Furywere allFools,Madmen, and fitter for anHospital, than a State-House, or aPulpit.
It must be allow'd, theseCrolianswere Cunning People, thus to wheedle in theseHigh Flying Solunariansto break the Neck of their dear Project.
But upon the whole, for ought I cou'd see, whether it went one way or t'other, all the Nation esteem'd the other PeopleFools ------ Fools of the most extraordinarySizein all the Moon, for either waythey pull'd down what they had been many Years a Building.
I cannot say that this was in kindness to theCrolians, but in meer Malice to theLow Solunarian Party, who had the Government in their Hands, forMalice always carries Men on to monstrous Extremes.
Some indeed have thought it hard to call this a Plot, and a Confederacywith the Crolians.------ But I cannot but think it thekindest thing that can be said of them, and that 'tis impossible those People who push'd at some imaginary Things inthat Lawcould but be in a Plot as aforesaid, or be perfectlyLunatick, down right Mad-Men, or Traytors to their Country,and let them choose which Character they like.
I cannot in Charity but spare them theirHonesty, and theirSenses, and attribute it all to their Policy.
When I had understood all things at large, and found the exceeding depth of the Design; I must confess the Discovery of these thingswas very diverting, and the more so, when I made the proper Reflections upon theAnalogy there seem'd to bebetweenthese Solunarian High Church-Menin the Moon, and ours here inEngland;our High Church-Menare no more to compare tothese, than the Hundred and Thirty Four, are to theConsolidators.
Ours can Plot now and then a little among themselves, but then 'tis allGrossandplain Sailing, down righttaking Arms, calling in Foreign Forces,Assassinationsandthe like; but these are nothing to the more Exquisite Heads inthe Moon. For they have the subtillest Ways with them, that ever were heard of. They canmake Warwith a Prince, on purpose tobring him to the Crown; fit outvast Navies against him, that he may have the more leisureto take their Merchant Men; makeDescentsupon him, on purpose to come Home and donothing; if they have a mind to a Sea Fight, they carefully send out Admirals that care not to come within half a Mile of the Enemy, that coming off safe they may havethe boasting Partof the Victory, andthe beaten Part both together.
'Twould be endless to call over the Roll of their sublime Politicks. Theydamn Moderation in order to Peace and Union, set the Houseon Fireto save it fromDesolation, Plunder to avoid Persecution, andconsolidate Thingsin order to their moreimmediate Dissolution.
Had ourHigh Church-Menbeen Masters of these excellent Arts, they had long ago brought their Designs to pass.
The exquisite Plot of theseHigh Solunariansanswer'd theCrolians End, for it broke all their Enemies Measures, the Law vanish'd, the Grandees could hardly be perswaded to read it, and when it was propos'd to be read again,they hist at it, and threw it by with Contempt.
Nor was this all; for it not only lost them their Design as to this Law, but it also absolutely broke the Party, and just as it was withAdamandEve, as soon asthey Sinn'dtheyQuarrell'd, and fell out with one another; so, as soon as things came to this height,the Party fell out one among another, and even theHigh Menthemselves were divided, some were forConsolidating, and some not forConsolidating, some were forTacking, and some not forTacking, as they were, or were not let into the Secret.
If thisConfusion of Languages, or Interest, lost them the real Design, it cannot be a wonder; have we not always seen itin our World, that dividing an Interest, weakens and exposes it? Has not a great many both good and bad Designs been render'd Abortive inthis our Lower World, for want ofthe Harmony of Parties, and the Unanimity of those concern'd in the Design?
How had theknot of Rebellionbeen dissolv'd inEngland, if it had not been untied by the very Handsof those that knit it? All the contrary Force had been entirely broken and subdu'd, and theRestoration of Monarchyhad never happen'd inEngland, ifUnion and Agreementhad been found among the managers of that Age.
The Enemies of the present Establishment have shown sufficiently that they perfectly understand theshortest wayto our infallible Destruction, when they bend their principle Force at dividing us into Parties, and keeping those parties at the utmost variance.
But this is not all, the Author of this cannot but observe here that asEnglandis unhappily divided among Parties, so it has this one Felicity even to be found in the very matter of her Misfortunes, that those Parties are all again subdivided among themselves.
How easily might the Church have crusht and subdu'd the Dissenters if they had been all as mad as one Party, if they had not beensome Highandsome LowChurch-men. And what Mischief might not that one Party ha' done in this Nation, had not they been divided again intoJurant JacobitesandNon-Jurant, intoConsolidatorsandNon-Consolidators? From whence 'tis plain to me, thatjust as it is in the MoontheseConsolidating Church-menare meer Confederates with theWhigs; and it must be so, unless we should suppose them meermad Menthat don't know what they are a doing, and who are the Drudges of their Enemies, and kno' nothing of the Matter.
And from thisLunar Observationit presently occur'd to my Understanding, thatmy Masters the Dissentersmay come in for a share among theMoon-blindMen of this Generation, since had they done for their own Interest what theLaws fairly admits tobe done, had they beenunited among themselves, had they form'd themselves into aPolitick Bodyto have acted in a publick, united Capacityby general Concert, and as Persons that had but one Interestand understood it, they had never been so often Insulted by every rising Party, they had never had so manyMachinesandIntrigues to ruin and suppress them, they had never been so oftenTacktandConsolidatedto Oppression and Persecution, and yet never have rebell'd or broke the Peace, incurr'd the Displeasure of their Princes, or have been upbraided with Plots, Insurrections andAntimonarchical Principles; when they had made Treaties and Capitulations with the Churchfor TemperandToleration, the Articles would have been kept, and these would have demanded Justice with an Authority that would upon all Occasionsbe respected.
Were they united inCivil PolityinTradeandInterest, would theyBuy and Sellwithone another, abstract theirStocks, erectBanksandCompaniesin Tradeof their own, lend their Cash to the Governmentin a Body, and as aBody.
If I were to tell them what Advantages theCroliansin theMoonmake of this sort of management, how the Government finds it their Interest to treat them civilly, and use them like Subjects of Consideration; how upon all Occasions some of theGrandeesandNobilityappear as Protectors of theCrolians, and treat with their Princes in their Names, present their Petitions, and make Demands from the Prince of such Loans andSums of Monyas the publick Occasions require; and what abundance of Advantages are reapt from such a Union, both to their own Body as a Party, and to the Government also they would be convinc'd; wherefore I cannot but very earnestly desire of the Dissenters and Whigsin my own Countrythat they would take a Journy in myConsolidatorup to the Moon, they would certainly see there what vast Advantages they lose for want of aSpirit of Union, and a concert of Measures among themselves.
TheCrolians in the Moonare Men oflarge Souls, and Generously stand by one anotheron all Occasions; it was never known that they deserted any Body that suffer'd for them,my Old Philosopher excepted, and that was a surprize upon them.
The Reason of the Difference is plain, our Dissenters here have not the Advantage ofa Cogitator, orthinking Engine, as they havein the Moon.----- We have theElevatorhere and are lifted up pretty much, butin the Moonthey always go into theThinking Engineupon everyEmergency, and in this they out-do us of this World on every Occasion.
In general therefore I must note that the wisest Men I foundin the Moon, when they understood the Notes I had made as above, of the sub-divisions of our Parties, told me that it was the greatest Happiness that could ha' been obtained to our Country, for that if our Parties had not been thus divided,the Nation had been undone. They own'd that had not theirSolunarian Partybeen divided among themselves, theCrolianshad been undone, and all theMoonhad been involv'din Persecution, and been very probably subjected to theGallunarian Monarch.
Thus thefatal Errors of Menhave their advantages, the seperate ends they serve are not foreseen by their Authors and theydo goodagainst the veryDesign of the People, and the nature of the Evil it self.
And now that I may encourageour Peopleto that Peace and good Understanding among themselves, which can alone produce their Safety and Deliverance; I shall give a brief Account how theCrolians in the Mooncame to open their Eyes to their own Interest, how they came toUnite; and how the Fruits ofthat Unionsecur'd them from ever being insulted again by theSolunarian Party, who in time gave over the vain and fruitless Attempt, and so a universalLunar Calmhas spread the wholeMoonever since.
Ifour Peoplewill not listen to their own Advantages, nordo their own Business, let them take the consequences to themselves, they cannot blame theMan in the Moon.
To endeavour to bring this to pass, as these Memoirs have run thro' the general History of the Feuds and unhappy Breaches between theSolunarianChurch andthe CrolianDissentersin the World of the Moon, it would seem an imperfect and abrupt Relation, if I should not tell you how, and by what Method,tho' long hid from their Eyes, theCrolianscame to understand their own Interest andknow their own Strength.
'Tis true, it seem'd a Wonder to me when I consider'd the Excellence and Variety of thoseperspective GlassesI have mentioned, the clearness of the Air, andconsequently of the Head, in this Lunar World. I say it was very strange theCroliansshould ha' beenMoon Blindso long as they were, that they could not see it was always in their Power if they had but pursued their own Interest, and made use of those, legal Opportunities which lay before them, to put themselves in a Posture, as that the Government it self should think them a Body too big to be insulted, and find it their Interest to keep Measures with them.
It was indeed a long time before they open'd their Eyes to these advantages, but bore the Insults of the hair-brain'd Party, with a weakness and negligence that was as unjustifiable in them, as unaccountable to all the Nations of the Moon.
But at last, as all violent Extremes rouzetheir contrary Extremeties, the folly and extravagance of theHigh Solunariansdrove theCroliansinto their Senses, androuz'd themto their own Interest, the occasion was among a great many others as follows.
The eagerSolunariancould not on all occasions forbear to show their deep Regret at the DissentingCroliansenjoying the Tolleration of their Religion,by a Law---.
And when all their legal Attempts to lessen that Liberty had prov'd Abortive, herSolunarian Majestyon 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, inlittle Insults, mean andillegal Methods, and continual private Disturbances upon particular Persons, in which, however theCrolianshaving 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 bythe 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 theLazognians, 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 certainSolunarian Island, that for want of a better, one of their High Priests was put into the Civil Administration, and made aLazognian.----- In the Neighbourhood of this Man's Jurisdiction, one of their ownSolunarian Priestshad turn'dCrolian, 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 aCrolianTemple in an old Barn, or some such Mechanick Building, and all the People flock'd after him.
This so provok'd his Neighboursof 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 runstrange lengthsto 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 aMonster of a Man, told their Storyso plain, and made itso specious, that eventhe Croliansthemselvesto 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 Printfor Crimes they could never prove,they branded himwith Forgery, Adultery, Drunkenness, Swearing, breaking Jayl, and abundance of Crimes; but when Matters were examin'd and things came to the Test, they couldnever prove the least thing upon him.----- In this manner however they continually worryed the poor Man, till they ruin'd his Family andreduc'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 theirBrother of the Girdlewho was in Commission as above, and this Man beingHigh PriestandLazoniantoo, by thefirstwas a Party, and by thelasthad a Power to act the Tragedythey had plottedagainst the poor Man.
In short, they seiz'd him without any Crime alledg'd, took violently from himhis Licence, as a Crolian Priest, by which the Law justify'd what he had done, pretending it was forg'd, and after very ill Treating him,condemn'd him to the Wars, delivers him up for a Souldier, and accordingly carry'd him away.
But it happen'd, to their great Mortification, that this Man found more Mercy from theMen of the Sword, than from thoseof the Word, and so found means to get out of their Hands, and afterwards to undeceive all the Moon, both as to his own Character, and as to what he had Suffer'd.
For some of theCrolians, who began to be made sensible of the Injury done the poor Man, advis'd him to have recourse to the Law, and to bring his Adversaries beforethe Criminal Bar.
But as soon as this was done,good God!what aScene of Villainywas here opened: The poor Man brought up such a Cloud of Witnesses to confront every Article of their Charge, and to vindicate his own Character, that when the very Judges heard it, tho' they were allSolunariansthemselves, they held up their Hands, and declar'd in open Court it was thedeepest Track of Villanythat ever came before them, and that the Actors ought to be made Examples toall the Moon.
The Persons concern'd, us'd all possible Arts to avoid, or at least to delay the Shame, and adjourn the Punishment, thinking still to weary the poor Man out.------ But now his Brethren theCroliansbegan to see themselves wounded thro' his Sides, and above all, finding his Innocence clear'd up beyond all manner of dispute,they espous'd his Cause, and assisted him to prosecute his Enemies, which he did, till he brought them all to Justice, expos'd them to the last Degree, obtain'd the reparation of all his Losses, and a publick Decree of the Judges of his Justificationand future Repose.
Indeed when I saw the Proceedings against this poor Man run to a heighth so extravagant and monstrous, when I foundMalice,Forgery,Subornation,Perjury, and a thousand unjustifiable Things which their own Sense, if they had any, might ha' been their Protection against, and which any Childin the Moonmight ha' told them must one time or othercome upon the Stageand expose them; I began to think these People were all inthe Crolian Plottoo.
For really such Proceedings as these were the greatest pieces of Service tothe Croliansas could possibly be done; for as it generally proves in other Places as well as in the Moon, thatMischief unjustly contriv'dfalls upon the Head of the Authors, and redounds to their treble Dishonour, so it was here; the barbarity and inhumane Treatment of this Man, made the sober and honest Part even of theSolanariansthemselves blush for their Brethren, and own that the Punishment awarded on them was just.
Thus theCroliansgot ground by the Folly and Madness of their Enemies, and the very Engines and Plots laid to injure them, serv'd to bring their Enemies on the Stage, and expose both them and their Cause.
But this was not all, by these incessant Attacks on them as a Party, they began to cometo their Sensesout of a 50 Year slumber, they found the Law on their side, and the Government Moderate and Just; they found they mightoppose Violence with Law, and that when they did fly to the Refuge of Justice, they always had the better of their Enemy; flusht with this Success, it put them upon consideringwhat Fools they had beenall along to bear the Insolence of a few hot-headed Men, who contrary to the true Intent and Meaning of the Queen, or of the Government,had resolv'd their Destruction.
It put them upon revolving the State of their own Case,and comparing it with their Enemies; upon Examining on what foot they stood, and tho' Establish'd upon a firm Law, yet a violent Partypushing at the overthrow of that Establishment, and dissolving the legal Right they had to their Liberty and Religion; it put them upon duly weighing the nearness of their approaching Ruin and Destruction, and finding things run so hard against them, reflecting upon the Extremity of their Affairs, and how if they had not drawn in the High Church-Champions todamn the Projectsof their own Party, by running at such desperate Extremes as all Men of any Temper must of course abhor, they had been undone;truly now they began to consider, and to consult with one anotherwhat was to be done.
Abundance of Projects were laid before them, some too Dangerous, some too Foolish to be put in practice; at last they resolv'd to consultwith my Philosopher.
He had been but scurvily treated by them in his Troubles, and so Universally abandon'd by theCrolians, that even theSolunariansthemselves insulted them on that Head, and laugh'd at them for expecting any Body should venture for them again.----- But he forgetting their unkindness, ask'd them what it was they desir'd of him?
They told him, they had heard that he had reported he could put theCroliansin a way to secure themselves from any possibility of being insulted againby the Solunarians, and yet not disturb the publick Tranquility,nor break the Laws; and they desir'd him, if he knew such a Secret, he would communicate it to them, and they would be sure toremember to forget him for it as long as he liv'd.
He frankly told themhe had said so, and it was true, he could put them in a way to do all this if they would follow his Directions.What's that, says oneof the most earnest Enquirers? ----- 'Tis included in one Word, says he, UNITE.
This most significant Word, deeply and solidly reflected upon, put them upon strange and various Conjectures, and many long Debates they had with themselves about it; at last they came again to him, and ask'd himwhat he mean't by it?
He told them he knew they wereStrangers to the meaningof the thing, and therefore if they would meet him the next Day he would come prepar'd to explain himself; accordingly they meet, when instead of a long Speech they expected from him what sort of Union he mean't,and with who, he brings them aThinking Press, orCogitator, and setting it down, goes away without speaking one Word.
ThisHyerogliphicalAdmonition was too plain notto let them all into his meaning; but still as they are an obstinate People, and not a little valuing themselves upon their own Knowledge and Penetration, they slighted the Engine and fell to off-hand-Surmises,GuessesandSupposes.
1. Some concluded he mean'tUnite with the Solunarian Church, and they reflected upon his Understanding, that not being the Question in Hand, and something remote from their Intention, or the HighSolunariansDesire.
2. Some mean'tUniteto the moderate Partyof the Solunarians, and this they said they had done already.
At last somebeing very Cunning, found it out, that it must be his meaningUnite one among another; and even there again they misunderstood him too; and some imagin'd he mean't down right Rebellion, Uniting Power, and Mobbing the whole Moon,but he soon convinc'd them of that too.
At last they took the Hint, that his Advice directed them toUnite their subdivided Partiesinto one general Interest, and to act in Concert upon one bottom, to lay aside theSelfish, Narrow, Suspicious Spirit; three Qualificationsthe Crolianswere but too justly charg'd with, and begin to act with Courage, Unanimity and Largeness of Soul, to open their Eyes to their own Interest, maintain a regular and constant Correspondence with one another in all parts of the Kingdom, andto bring their civil Interest into a Form.
The Author of this Advice having thus brought them to understand, and approve his Proposal, they demanded his assistance for making the Essay, and 'tis a most wonderful thing to consider what a strange effect the alteration of their Measures had upon the wholeSolunarianNation.
As soon as ever they had settled the Methods they resolv'd to act in, they form'da general Councilof the Heads of their Party, to be always sitting, to reconcile Differences, to unite Parties, to suppress Feuds in their beginning.
They appointed 3general Meetingsin 3 of the most remote Parts of the Kingdom, to be half yearly, andone universal Meetingof Persons deputed to concert matters among them in General.
By that time these Meetings had sat but once, and the Conduct of the Council of 12 began to appear, 'twas a wonder to see the prodigious alteration it made all over the Country.
Immediatelya Crolianwouldnever buy any thingbut of aCrolian; would hire no Servants, employ neither Porter nor Carman, but what wereCrolians.
TheCroliansin the Country that wrought and manag'd the Manufactures, would employ no body butCrolian Spinners, Crolian Weavers, and the like.
In their capital City the MerchandizingCrolianswould freight no Ships but of which the Owners and Commanders wereCrolians.
They call'd all their Cash out of theSolunarian Bank; and as the Act of the Cortez confirming the Bank then in being seem'd to be their Support, they made it plain that Cash and Credit will make a Bank without a publick Settlement of Law;and without theseall the Laws in theMoonwill never be able to support it.
They brought all their running Cash into one Bank, and settled a sub-Cash depending upon the Grand-Bank in every Province of the Kingdom; in which, by a strict Correspondence and crediting their Bills, they might be able to settle a Paper Credit over the whole Nation.
They went on to settle themselves in all sorts of Trade in open Companies, and sold off their Interests in the publick Stocks then in Trade.
If the Government wanted a Million of Mony upon any Emergency, they were ready to lend it as a Body, not by different Sums and private Hands blended together with their Enemies, but as will appear at large presently,it was only Crolian Mony, and pass'd as such.
Nor were the Consequences of thisNew Modelless considerable than the Proposer expected, for theCroliansbeing generally of the Trading Manufacturing part of the World, andvery Rich; the influence this method had upon the common People, upon Trade, and upon the Publick was very considerable every way.
1. All theSolunarian Trades-MenandShop-keeperswere at their Wits end, they sat in their Shops and had little or nothing to do, while the Shops of theCrolianswere full of Customers, and their People over Head and Ears in Business; this turn'd many of theSolunarianTrades-Men quite offof the hooks, and they began to break and decay strangely, till at last a great many of them to prevent their utter Ruin, turn'dCrolianson purpose to get a Trade; and what forwarded that part of it was, that whena Solunarian, who had little or no Trade before, came but over tothe Crolians, immediately every Body come to Trade with him, and his Shop would be full of Customers, so that this presently encreas'd the number of theCrolians.
2. The poor People in the Countries,Carders,Spinners,Weavers,Knitters, and all sorts ofManufacturers, run in Crowds to theCrolian Templesfor fear of being starv'd, for theCrolianswere two thirds of the Masters or Employers in the Manufactures all over the Country, and the Poor would ha' been starv'd and undone if they had cast them out of Work. Thus infenfibly theCroliansencreas'd their number.
3. TheCroliansbeing Men ofvast Cash, they no sooner withdrewtheir Monyfrom theGeneral Bankbut theBank languisht, Creditsunk, and in a short time they had little to do, butdissolv'd of Course.
One thing remain'd which People expected would ha' put a Check to this Undertaking, and that was a way of Trading in Classes,or Societies, much like ourEast-India CompaniesinEngland; and these depending upon publick Privileges granted by the Queen of the Country, or her Predecessors, no Body could Trade to those Parts but the Persons who had those priviledges: The cunningCrolians, who had great Stocks in those Trades, and foresaw they could not Trade by themselves without the publickGrant or Charter, contriv'd a way to get almost all that Capital Trade into their Hands as follows.
They concerted Matters, and all at once fell toselling off their Stock, giving out daily Reports that they would beno longer concern'd, that it was a losing Trade, that theFund at bottom was good for nothing, and that of two Societiesthe Old onehad not 20per Cent. to divide, all their Debts being paid; that theNew Societyhad Traded several Years, but if they were dissolv'dcould not say that they had got any thing; and that this must be a Cheat at last, and so they resolv'd to sell.
By this Artifice, they daily offering to Sale, and yet in all their Discoursediscouraging the thing they were to sellno Body could be found to buy.
The offering a thing to Sale and no Bidders, is a certain never-failing prospect ofa lowring the Price; from this Method therefore the value of all the Banks, Companies, Societies and Stocks in the Country fell to be little or nothing worth; and that was to be bought for 40 or 45Lunariansthat was formerly sold at 150, and so in proportion of all the rest.
All this while theCroliansemploy'd their Emissaries to buy up privately all the Interest or Shares in these Things that any of theSolunarianParty would sell.
This Plot took readily, for these Gentlemen exposing the weakness ofthese Societies, and running down the value oftheir Stocks, and at the same time warily buying at the lowest Prices, not onlyin time got Possession of the whole Trade, with their Grants, Privileges and Stocks, but got into them at a prodigiously low and despicable Price.
They had no sooner thus worm'd them out of the Trade, and got the greatest part of the Effects in their own Hands, and consequently the whole Management, but they run up the Price of the Funds again as high as ever, and laught at the folly of those that sold out.
Nor could the other People make any Reflections upon the honesty of the practice, for it wasno Original, but had its birth among theSolunarians themselves, of whom 3 or 4 had frequently made a Trade of raising and lowring the Funds of the Societies by all the Clandestine Contrivances in the World, and had ruin'd abundance of Families to raise their own Fortunes and Estates.
One of the greatest Merchantsin the Moonrais'd himself by this Method to such a heighth of Wealth, that he left all his Children married to Grandees, Dukes, and Great Folks; and from aMechanick Original, they are now rankt among theLunarianNobility, while multitudes of ruin'd Families helpt tobuild his Fortune, by sinking under the Knavery of his Contrivance.
His Brother in the same Iniquity, being at this timea Man of the Feather, has carry'd on the same intrieguing Trade with all theFaceandFrontimaginable; it has been nothing with him to persuade his most intimate Friends toSell, orBuy, just as he had occasion for his own Interest to have itrise, orfall, and so to make his own Market of their Misfortune. Thus he hastwice rais'd his Fortunes, for theHouse of Feathersdemolisht himonce, and yet he has by the same clandestine Management work'd himself up again.
Thiscivil way of Robbing Houses, for I can esteem it no better, was carry'd on by a middle sort of People, call'd in the Moon BLOUTEGONDEGOURS, which which signifiesMen with two Tongues, or in English,Stock-Jobbing Brokers.
These had formerly such an unlimited Power and wereso numerous, that indeed they govern'd the whole Trade of the Country; no Man knew when heBoughtorSold, for tho' they pretended to Buy and Sell, and Managefor other Menwhose Stocks they had very much at Command, yet nothing was more frequent thanwhen they bought a thing cheap, to buy it forthemselves; ifdear, for theirEmployer; if they were to Sell,if the Price rise, it wasSold, if itFell, it wasUnsold; and by this Art no body got any Mony but themselves, that at last, excepting the twocapital Menwe spoke of before, these govern'd the Prizes of all things, and nothing could be Bought or Sold to Advantagebut thro' their hands; and as the Profit was prodigious, their number encreas'd accordingly, so that Business seem'd engross'd by these Men, and they govern'd the main Articles of Trade.
This Success, and theImprudence of their Conduct, brought great Complaints against them to the Government, and a Law was made torestrain them, both in Practice andNumber.
This Law has in some measure had its Effect, the number is not only lessen'd, butby chancesome honester Menthan usualare got in among them, but they are sovery, very, veryFew, hardly enough to save a Man's Credit that shall vouch for them.
Nay, some People that pretend to understand their Business better than I do, having been of their Number, have affirm'd, it is impossible to be honest in the employment.
I confess when I began to search into the Conduct of these Men, at least of some of them, I found there were abundance of black Stories to be told of them, a great deal known, and a great deal more unknown; for they were from the beginning continually Encroaching into all sorts of People and Societies, and in Conjunction with some that were not qualify'd by Law, but meerly Voluntarily, call'd in the Moon by a hard long Word, inEnglishsignifying PROJECTORS these erected Stocksin Shadows, Societiesin Nubibus, and Bought and Sold meer Vapour, Wind, Emptiness and Bluster for Mony, till they drew People in to lay out their Cash, and then laught at them.
Thus they erected Paper Societies, Linnen Societies, Sulphur Societies, Copper Societies, Glass Societies, Sham Banks, and a thousand mock Whimsies to hook unwary People in; at last sold themselvesout, left the Bubble to float a little in the Air, and then vanish of it self.
The other sort of Peoplego onafter all this; and tho' these Projectors began to be out of Fashion, they always found one thing or other to amuse and deceive the Ignorant, and wentJobbing oninto all manner of things, Publick as well as Private, whether the Revenue, the Publick Funds, Loans, Annuities,Bear-Skins, or any thing.
Nay they were once grown to that extravagant highth, that they began to Stock-Job the very Feathers of the Consolidator, and in time the King's employing those People might have had what Feathers they had occasion for, without concerning the Proprietors of the Lands much about them.
'Tis true this began to be notorious, and receiv'd some check in a former meeting ofthe Feathers; but even now, when I came away, the three Years expiring, and by Course a new Consolidator being to be built, they were as busie as ever. Bidding, Offering, Procuring, Buying, Selling, and Jobbing of Feathers to who bid most; and notwithstanding several late wholesome and strict Laws against all manner of Collusion, Bribery and clandestine Methods, in the Countries procuring these Feathers; never was the Moon in such an uproar about picking and culling the Feathers, such Bribery, such Drunkenness, such Caballing, especially among the HighSolunarianClergy and theLazognians, such Feasting, Fighting and Distraction, as the like has never been known.
And that which is very Remarkable, all this not only before the Old Consolidator was broke up, but even while it was actually whole and in use.
Had this hurry been to send up good Feathers, there had been the less to say, but that which made it very strange to me was, that where the very worst of all the Feathers were to be found, there was the most of this wicked Work; and tho' it was bad enough every where, yet the greatest bustle and contrivance was in order to send up the worst Feathers they could get.
And indeed some Places such Sorry, Scoundrel, Empty, Husky, Wither'd, Decay'd Feathers were offer'd to the Proprietors, that I have sometimes wonder'd any one could have the Impudence to send up such ridiculous Feathers to make a Consolidator, which, as is before observ'd, is an Engine of such Beauty, Usefulness and Necessity.
And still in all my Observation, this Note came in my way, there was always the most bustle and disturbance about the worst Feathers.
It was really a melancholly Thing to consider, and had this Lunar World been my Native Country, I should ha' been full of concern to see that one thing, on which the welfare of the whole Nation so much depended, put in so ill a Method, and gotten into the management of such Men, who for Mony would certainly ha' set up such Feathers, that wherever the Consolidator should be form'd, it would certainlyover-setthe first Voyage; and if the whole Nation should happen to be Embarkt in it,on the dangerous Voyage to the Moon, the fall would certainly give them such a Shock, as would put them all into Confusion, and open the Door to theGallunarian, or any Foreign Enemy to destroy them.
It was really strange that this should be the Case, after so many Laws, and so lately made, against it; but in this, those People are too like our People inEngland, who have the best Laws the worst executed of any Nation under Heaven.
For in the Moon this hurry about choosing of Feathers was grown to the greatest heighth imaginable, as if it encreast by the very Laws that were made to suppress it; for now at a certain publick Place where theBloutegondegoursus'd to meet every Day, any Body that had but Mony enough might buy a Feather at a reasonable Rate, and never go down into the Country to fetch it; nay, the Trade grew so hot, that of a sudden as if no other Business was in Hand, all people were upon it, and the whole Market was chang'd from Selling of Bear-Skins, to Buying of Feathers.
Some gave this for a Reason why all the Stocks of the Societies fell so fast, but there were other Reasons to be given for that, such as Clubs, Cabals, Stock-Jobbers, Knights, Merchants and Thie---s. I meana private Sort, not such as are frequently Hang'd there, butof a worse Sort, by how much theymerit that Punishment more, but are out of the reach of the Law, can Rob and pick Pockets in the Face of the Sun, and laugh at the Families they Ruin, bidding Defiance to all legal Resentment.
To this height things were come under the growing Evil of this sort of People.
And yet in thevery Moonwhere, as I have noted, the People are so exceedingclear Sighted, and have such vast helps to theirperceptive Faculties, such Mists are sometimes cast before the publick Understanding, that they cannot see the general Interest.
This was manifest, in that just as I came away from that Country, the great Council of their Wise Men,the Men of the Feather, were a going to repeal the old Law of Restraining the Number of these People; and tho'as it was, there was not Employment for half of them, there being 100 in all, and not above 5 honest ones; yet when I came away they were going to encrease their Number. I have nothing to say to this here, only that all Wise Men thatunderstand Tradewere very much concern'd at it, and lookt upon it as a mostdestructive Thing to the Publick, and forboding the same mischiefs that Trade suffer'd before.
It was the particular Misfortune to these Lunar People that this Country had a better Stock of Governors in all Articles of their Well-fare, than in their Trade; their Law Affairs had good Judges, their Church good Patriarchs,except, as might be excepted; theirStategoodMinisters, theirArmygoodGenerals, and theirConsolidatorgoodFeathers; but in Matters relating to Trade, they had this particular Misfortune, that those Cases always came before Peoplethat did not understand them.
Even the Judges themselves were often found at a Loss to determine Causes of Negoce, such asProtests,Charter-Parties,Avarages,Baratry,Demorageof Ships, Right ofdetaining Vesselson Demorage, and the like; nay, the very Laws themselves are fain to be silent and yield in many things a Superiority tothe Custom of Merchants.
And here I began toCongratulate my Native Country, where the Prudence of the Government has provided for these things, by Establishing ina Commission of Tradesome of themost experienc'd Gentlemen in the Nation, to Regulate, Settle, Improve, and revive Trade in General, by their unwearyed Labours, andmost consummate Understanding; and this made me pity these Countries, and think it would be an Action worthy of this Nation, and be spoken offor Ages to cometo their Glory, if inmeer Charitythey would appoint or deputethese Gentlemento go a Voyage to those Countriesof the Moon, and bless those Regions with the Schemes of their sublime Undertakings,and discoveries in Trade.
But when I was expressing my self thus, my Philosopher interrupted me, and told me I should see they were already furnisht for that purpose, when I came to examine the publick Libraries,of which by it self.
But I was farther confirm'd in my Observation of the weakness of thepublick Headsof that Country,as to Trade, when I saw another most preposterous Law going forward among them, the Title of which was specious, and contain'd something relatingto employing the Poor, but the substance of itabsolutely destructiveto the very Nature of their Trade, tending to Transposing,Confoundingand Destroying their Manufactures, and to the Ruin of all theirHome-Commerce; never was Nation so blind to their own Interest as theseLunarian Law Makers, and the People who were the Contrivers of this Law were sovainly Conceited, so fond ofthe guilded Title, and sopositively Dogmatick, that they would not hear the frequent Applications of Persons better acquainted with those things than themselves, but pusht it on meerlyby the strength of their Party, for the Vanity of being Authors of such a Contrivance.
But to return to the new Model of theCrolians. The advice of theLunarianPhilosopher run now thro' all their Affairs, UNITEwas the Wordthro' all the Nation, in Trade, in Cash, in Stocks, as I noted before.
If aSolunarianShip was bound to anyOut Port, noCrolianwould load any Goods aboard; if any Ship came to seek Freight abroad, none of theCroliansCorrespondents would Ship any thing unless they knew the Ownerswere Crolians; theCrolian Merchantsturn'd out all theirSolunarian Masters,SailorsandCaptainsfrom their Ships; and thus, as theSolunarianswould have them be separated in respect of the Government,Profits,HonoursandOffices, they resolv'd to separate inevery thing elsetoo, and to stand by themselves.
At last, upon some publick Occasion, the publickTreasurersof the Land sent to the capital City, to borrow 500000Lunariansupon very good Security of establisht Funds;truly no Body would lend any Mony, or at least they could not raise above a 5th part of that Sum, enquiringat the Bank, at their generalSocieties Cash, and other Places, all waslanguidanddull, andno Mony to be had; but being inform'd that theCrolianshad erected a Bank of their own, theysent thither, and were answeredreadily, that whatever Sum the Government wanted, was at their Service, only it was to be lent not by particular Persons, butsuch a Grandeebeing one of the prime Nobility, and whothe Croliansnow call'd their Protector, was to beTreated with about it.
The Government saw no harm in all this; here was no Law broken, here was nothing but Oppression answered with Policy, and Mischief fenc'd against with Reason.
The Government therefore took no Notice of it,nor made any Scruple when they wanted any Monyto Treat with this Nobleman, and borrow any Sumof the Crolians, asCrolians; on the contrary in the Name of theCrolians; theirHead or Protectorpresented theirAddressesandPetitions, procur'd Favours on one Hand, and Assistance on the other; and thusby degreesandinsensiblytheCroliansbecamea Politick Body, settled and establish'd by Orders and Rules among themselves; and whilea Spirit of Unanimitythus run thro' all their Proceedings,their Enemies could never hurt them, their Princes always saw it wastheir Interestto keep Measures with them, and they were sure to have Justice upon any Complaint whatsoever.
When I saw this, it forc'd me to reflect upon Affairs in our own Country;Well, said I, 'tis happy forEnglandthat ourDissentershave not this Spirit ofUnionand Largeness of Heart among them; for if they were not aNarrow, mean-Spirited, short-Sighted, self-Preserving, friend-Betraying, poor-Neglecting People, they might ha' been every way as Safe, as Considerable, as Regarded and as Numerous as theCroliansin theMoon; but it is not in their Souls to do themselves Good, nor to Espouse, or Stand by those that would do it for them; and 'tis well for the Church-Men that it is so, for many Attempts have been made to save them, but their own narrowness of Soul, and dividedness in Interest has always prevented its being effectual, and discourag'd all the Instruments that ever attempted to serve them.
'Tis confest the Case was thus at first among theCrolians, they were full of Divisions among themselves, as I have noted already of theSolunarians, and the unhappy Feuds among them, had always not only expos'd them to the Censure, Reproach and Banter of theirSolunarianEnemies, but it had serv'd to keep them under, prevent their being valued in the Government, and given the other Party vast Advantages against.
But theSolunariansdriving thus furiouslyat their Destructionand entire Ruin, open'd their Eyes to the following Measures for their preservation: And here againthe high Solunariansmay see, and doubtless whenever they made use of the Lunar-Glasses they must see it, that nothing could ha' driven theCroliansto make use of such Methods for their Defence, but the rash Proceedings of their own warm Men, in order to suppressing the wholeCrolianInterest. And this might inform our Country-men of the Church ofEngland, that it cannot but be their Interest to Treat their Brethren with Moderation and Temper, least their Extravagances should one time or other drive the other as it were by Force into their Senses, and open their Eyes to do only all those Things which by Law they may do, and which they are laught at by all the World for not doing.
This was the very Case in the Moon: The Philosopher,or pretended-such as before, had often publish'd, thatit was their Interest toUNITE; but their Eyes not being open to the true Causes and Necessity of it, their Ears were shut against the Council,till Oppression and Necessities drove them to it.
Accordingly they entred into a serious Debate, of the State of their own Affairs, and finding the Advice given, very reasonable; they set about it, and the Author gave them a Model, Entitl'dAn enquiry into what the Crolians may lawfully do, to prevent the certain Ruin of their Interest, and bring their Enemies to Peace.
I will not pretend to examine the Contents of this sublime Tract; but from this very Day, we found theCroliansin the Moon, acting quite on a different Foot from all their former Conduct, putting on a new Temper, and a new Face, as you have hear'd.
All this while the hotSolunarianscried outPlots, Associations, Confederacies, andRebellions, when indeed here was nothing done but what theLaws justify'd, whatReason directed, and whathad the Crolians but made use of the Cogitator, they would ha' done 40 Year before.
The Truth is, the other People had no Remedy, butto cry Murther, and make a Noise; for theCrolianswent on with their Affairs, and Establisht themselves so, that when I came away, they were become a most Solid, and well United Body, made a considerable Figure in the Nation, and yet the Government was easy; for theSolunariansfound when they had attain'd the utmost end of their Wishes, herSolunarian Majestywas as safe as before, and theCroliansProperty being secur'd, they were as Loyal Subjects as theSolunarians, as consistent with Monarchy, as useful to it, andas pleas'd with it.
I cannot but Remark here, that thisUnion of the Croliansamong themselves had another Consequence, which made it appear it was not only to their own Advantage, but to the general Good of all the Natien.
For,by little, and little, the Feuds of the Parties cool'd, and theSolunariansbegan to be better reconcil'd to them; the Government waseasy and safe, and the private Quarrels, as I have been told since, begin to be quite forgot.
What Blindness,said I to my self, has possest the Dissenters in our unhappy Country ofEngland, where by eternalDiscords,Feuds,DistrustsandDisgustsamong themselves, they always fill their Enemies with Hopes, that by pushing at them, they may one time or other compleat their Ruin; which Expectation has always serv'd as a means to keep open the Quarrel; whereas had the Dissenters been United inInterest,AffectionandMannagementamong themselves, all this Heat had long agobeen over, and the Nation, tho' there had beentwo Opinionshad retain'd butone Interest, been joyn'd in Affection, andPeace at Home been rais'dup to that Degree that all Wise Men wish, as it is now among the Inhabitants of the World in the Moon.
Tis true, in all the Observations I made in this Lunar Country, the vast deference paid to the Persons of Princes began to lessen, and whatever Respect they had for theOffice, they found it necessary frequently to tell the World thaton occasion, they could Treat them with less Respect thanthey pretended to owe them.
For about this time, theDivine Rightof Kings, and the Inheritances of Princesin the Moon, met with a terrible Shock, and that by theSolunarian Party themselves; and insomuch that even my Philosopher, and he was none of theJure Divino Men, neither declar'd, against it.
They madeCrowns perfect Foot-balls, set up what Kings they would, andpull'd downsuch as they did not like,Ratitione Voluntas, right or wrong, as they thought best, of which some Examples shall be given by and by.
After I had thus enquir'd into the Historical Affairs of this Lunar Nation, which for its Similitude to my Native Country, I could not but be inquisitive in; I wav'd a great many material Things, which at least I cannot enter upon the Relation of here, and began to enquire into their Affairs abroad.
I think I took notice in the beginning of my Account of these parts, that I found them engag'd in a tedious and bloody War, with one of the most mighty Monarchs of all the Moon.
I must therefore hint, that among the multitude of things, which for brevity sake I omit, the Reader may observe these were some.
1. That this was the same Monarch who harbour'd and entertain'd theAbrogratzianPrince, who was fled as before, and who we are to call the King ofGallunaria.