But these nice Gentlemen are infinitely outdone in these Countries, for these Solunarians by a true Church turn, not only refuse to transpose their Allegiance, but pretend to wipe their Mouths as to former taking Arms, and return to their old Doctrins of absolute Submission, boast of Martyrdom, and boldly reconcile the contraries of taking up Arms, and Non-Resistance, charging all their Brethren with Schism, Rebellion, Perjury, and the damnable Sin of Resistance.

Nor is this all, for as a great many of these Solunarian Church-Men had no affection to this new Prince, but were not equally furnished, or qualify'd for Martyrdom with their Brethren; they went to certain Wise Men, who being cunning at splitting Hairs, and making distinctions, might perhaps furnish them with some mediums between Loyalty and Disloyalty; they apply'd themselves with great dilligence to these Men, and they by deep Study, and long Search, either found or made the quaintest Device for them that ever was heard of.

By this unheard of Discovery, to their great Joy and Satisfaction, they have arriv'd at a Power, which all the Wise Men in our World could never pretend to, and which 'tis thought, could the description of it be regularly made, and brought down hither, would serve for the Satisfaction and Repose of a great many tender Consciences, who are very uneasy at Swearing to save their Benefices.

These great Makers of Distinction, have learn't to distinguish between active Swearing, and passive Swearing, between de facto Loyalty, and de jure Loyalty, and by this decent acquirement they obtain'd the Art of reconciling Swearing Allegiance without Loyalty, and Loyalty without Swearing, so that native and original Loyalty may be preserv'd pure and uninterrupted, in spight of all subsequent Oaths, to prevailing Usurpations.

Many are the Mysteries, and vast the Advantages of this new invented Method, Mental Reservations, Inuendoes, and Double Meanings are Toys to this, for they may be provided for in the litteral terms of an Oath, but no Provision can be made against this; for these Men after they have taken the Oath, make no Scruple to declare, they only Swear to be quiet, as long as they can make no Disturbance; that they are left liberty still to espouse the Interest and Cause of their former Prince, they nicely distinguish between Obedience and Submission, and tell you a Slave taken into Captivity, tho' he Swears to live peaceably, does not thereby renounce his Allegiance to his natural Prince, nor abridge himself of a Right to attempt his own Liberty if ever opportunity present.

Had these neat Distinctions been found out before, none of our Solunarian Clergy, no not the Patriarchs themselves surely would have stood out, and suffer'd such Depredations on their Fortunes and Characters as they did; they wou'd never have been such Fools to have been turn'd out of their Livings for not Swearing, when they might have learnt here that they might have swore to one Prince, and yet have retain'd their Allegiance to another; might have taken an Oath to the new, without impeachment of their old Oaths to the absent Prince.———- It is great pity these Gentlemen had not gone up to the Moon for Instruction in this difficult Case.

There they might have met with excellent Logicians, Men of most sublime Reasons, Dr. Overall, Dr. Sherlock, and all our nice Examiners of these things wou'd appear to be no Body to them; for as the People in these Regions have an extraordinary Eye-sight, and the clearness of the Air contributs much to the help of their Opticks, so they have without doubt a proportion'd clearness of discerning, by which they see as far into Mill-stones, and all sorts of Solids, as the nature of things will permit, but above all, their Faculties are blest with two exceeding Advantages.

1. With an extraordinary distinguishing Power, by which they can distinguish even Indivisibles, part Unity it self, divide Principles, and distinguish Truth into such and so many minute Particles, till they dwindle it away into a very Nose of Wax, and mould it into any Form they have occasion for, by which means they can distinguish themselves into or out of any Opinion, either in Religion, Politicks or Civil Right, that their present Emergencies may call for.

2. Their reasoning Faculties have this further advantage, that upon occasion they can see clearly for themselves, and prevent others from the same discovery, so that when they have occasion to see any thing which presents for their own Advantage, they can search into the Particulars, make it clear to themselves, and yet let it remain dark and mysterious to all the World besides. Whether this is perform'd by their exceeding Penetration, or by casting an artificial Veil over the Understandings of the Vulgar, Authors have not yet determin'd; but that the Fact is true, admits of no Dispute.

And the wonderful Benefit of these Things in point of Dispute is extraordinary, for they can see clearly they have the better of an Argument, when all the rest of the World think they have not a Word to say for themselves: 'Tis plain to them that this or that proves a thing, when Nature, by common Reasoning, knows no such Consequences.

I confess I have seen some weak Attempts at this extraordinary Talent, particularly in the Disputes in England between the Church and the Dissenter, and between the High and Low Church, wherein People have tollerably well convinc'd themselves when no Body else could see any thing of the Matter, as particularly the famous Mr. W—-ly about the Antimonarchical Principles taught in the Dissenters Accademies; ditto in L——sly, about the Dissenters burning the City, and setting Fire to their own Houses to destroy their Neighbours; and another famous Author, who prov'd that Christopher Love lost his Head for attempting to pull down Monarchy by restoring King Charles the Second.

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.

Yet by this most dextrous way of Twisting, Extending, Contracting, and Distinguishing of Phrases and Reasoning, they presently made it as plain as the Sun at Noon Day; that these Prestarians were King-killers, Common-wealths Men, Rebels, Traytors, and Enemies to Monarchy; that they restor'd the Monarchy only in order to Destroy it, and that they Preach'd up Sedition, Rebellion and the like: This was prov'd so plain by these sublime Distinctions, that they convinc'd themselves and their Posterity of it, by a rare and newly acquir'd Art, found out by extraordinary Study, which proves the wonderful power of Custom, insomuch, that let any Man by this method, tell a Lye over a certain number of times, he shall arrive to a Satisfaction of its certainty, tho' he knew it to be a Fiction before, and shall freely tell it for a Truth all his life after.

Thus the Prestarians were call'd the Murtherers of the Father, tho' they restor'd the Son, and all the Testimonials of their Sufferings, Protests and Insurrections to prevent his Death, signify'd nothing, for this method of Distinguishing has that powerful Charm in it, that all those Trifles we call Proofs and Demonstration were of no use in that Case. Custom brought the Story up to a Truth, and in an instant all the Crolians were hookt in under the general Name of Prestarians, at the same time to hook all Parties in the Crime.

Now as it happen'd at last that these Solunarian Gentlemen found it necessary to do the same thing themselves, viz. To lay aside their Loyalty, Depose, Fight against, shoot Bullets at, and throw Bombs at their King till they frighted him away, and sent him abroad to beg his Bread. The Crolians began to take Heart and tell them, now they ought to be Friends with them, and tell them no more of Rebellion and Disloyalty; nay, they carry'd it so far as to challenge them to bring their Loyalty to the Test, and compare Crolian Loyalty and Solunarian Loyalty together, and see who had rais'd more Wars, taken up Arms oftenest, or appear'd in most Rebellions against their Kings; nay, who had kill'd most Kings, the Crolians or the Solunarians, for there having been then newly fought a great Battle between the Solunarian Church-Men under their new Prince, and the Armies of Foreign Succours under their old King, in which their old King was beaten and forc'd to flie a second time, the Crolians told them that every Bullet they shot at the Battle was as much a murthering their King, as cutting off the Head with a Hatchet was a killing his Father.

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.

'Tis confest all the Answers they have been able to make to these things, are very weak and mean, unworthy Men of their Rank and Capacities, and 'tis pity they should not be assisted by some kind Communication of these Lunar Arguments and Distinctions, without which, and till they can obtain which, a Conforming Jacobite must be the absurdest Contradiction in Nature; a thing that admits of no manner of Defence, no, not by the People themselves, and which they would willingly abandon, but that they can find no side to join with them.

The Dissenting Jacobites have some Plea for themselves, for let their Opinion be never so repugnant to their own Interest, or general Vogue, they are faithful to some thing, and they wont joyn with these People, because they have Perjur'd their Faith, and yet pretend to adhere to it at the same time. The Conforming Whigs won't receive them, because they pretend to rail at the Government they have Sworn to, and espouse the Interest they have Sworn against; so that these poor Creatures have but one way left them, which is to go along with me, next time I Travel to the Moon, and that will most certainly do their Business, for when they come down again, they will be quite another sort of Men, the Distinctions, the Power of Argument, the way of Reasoning, they will be then furnish'd with will quite change the Scene of the World with them, they'll certainly be able to prove they are the only People, both in Justice, in Politicks and in Prudence; that the extremities of every side are in the Wrong, they'll prove their Loyalty preserv'd, untainted, thro' all the Swearings, Fightings, Shootings and the like, and no Body will be able to come to the Test with them; so that upon the whole, they are all distracted if they don't go up to the Moon for Illumination, and that they may easily do in the next Consolidator.

But as this is a very long Digression, and for which I am to beg my Reader's Pardon, being an Error I slipt into from my abundant respect to these Gentlemen, and for their particular Instruction, I shall endeavour to make my Reader amends, by keeping more close to my Subject.

To return therefore to the Historical part of the Solunarian Church-Men, in the World in the Moon.

Having as is related Depos'd their King, and plac'd the Crown upon the Head of the Prince that came to their assistance, a new Scene began all over the Kingdom.

1. A terrible and bloody War began thro' all the parts of the Lunar World, where their banish'd Prince and his new Allie had any Interest; and the new King having a universal Character over all the Northern Kingdoms of the Moon, he brought in a great many Potent Kings, Princes, Emperors and States, to take part with him, and so it became the most general War that had happen'd in those Ages.

I did not trouble my self to enquire into the particular Successes of this War, but at what had a more particular regard to the Country from whence I came, and for whose Instruction I have design'd these Sheets, the Strife of Parties, the Internal Feuds at home, and their Analogy to ours; and whatever is instructively to be deduced from them, was the Subject of immediate Inquiry.

No sooner was this Prince plac'd on the Throne, but according to his Promises to them that invited him over, he conven'd the Estates of the Realm, and giving them free Liberty to make, alter, add or repeal, all such Laws as they thought fit, it must be their own fault if they did not Establish themselves upon such Foundation of Liberty, and Right, as they desir'd; for he gave them their full Swing, never interpos'd one Negative upon them for several Years, and let them do almost every thing they pleas'd.

This full Liberty had like to have spoil'd all, for as is before noted, this Nation had one unhappy Quality they could never be broke of, always to be falling out one among another.

The Crolians, according to Capitulation, demanded the full Liberty and Toleration of Religion, which the Solunarians had condition'd with them for, when they drew them off from joyning with the old King, and when they promis'd to come to a Temper, and to be Brethren in Peace and Love ever after.

Nor were the Solunarian Church-Men backward, either to remember, or perform the Conditions but by the consent of the King, who had been by agreement made Guarantee of their former Stipulations, an Act was drawn up in full Form, and as compleat, as both satisfy'd the desires of the Crolians, and testify'd the Honesty and Probity of the Solunarians, as they were abstractedly and moderately consider'd.

During the whole Reign of this King, this Union of Parties continu'd without any considerable Interruption, there was indeed brooding Mischiefs which hovered over every accident, in order to generate Strife, but the Candor of the Prince, and the Prudence of his Ministers, kept it under for a long time.

At last an occasion offer'd it self, which gave an unhappy Stroke to the Nation's Peace. The King thro' innumerable Hazards, terrible Battles and a twelve Years War, had reduc'd his powerful Adversary to such a necessity of Peace, that he became content to abandon the fugitive King, and to own the Title of this Warlike Prince; and upon these, among various other Conditions, very Honourable for him, and his Allies, and by which vast Conquests were surrendred, and disgorg'd to the Losers, a Peace was made to the Universal Satisfaction of all those Parts of the Moon that had been involv'd in a tiresome and expensive War.

This Peace was no sooner made, but the Inhabitants of this unhappy Country, according to the constant Practice of the Place, fell out in the most horrid manner among themselves, and with the very Prince that had done all these great things for them; and I cannot forget how the Old Gentleman I had these Relations from, being once deeply engag'd in Discourse with some Senators of that Country, and hearing them reproach the Memory of that Prince from whom they receiv'd so much, and on the foot of whose Gallantry and Merit the Constitution then subsisted, it put him into some heat, and he told them to their Faces that they were guilty both of Murther and Ingratitude.

I thought the Charge was very high, but as they return'd upon him, and challeng'd him to make it out, he answer'd he was ready to do it, and went on thus.

His Majesty, said he, left a quiet, retir'd, compleatly happy Condition, full of Honour, belov'd of his Country, Vallu'd and Esteem'd, as well as Fear'd by his Enemies, to come over hither at your own Request, to deliver you from the Encroachments and Tyranny as you call'd it, of your Prince.

Ever since he came hither, he has been your meer Journy-Man, your Servant, your Souldier of Fortune, he has Fought for you, Fatigu'd and Harras'd his Person, and rob'd himself of all his Peace for you; he has been in a constant Hurry, and run thro' a Million of Hazards for you; he has convers'd with Fire and Blood, Storms at Sea, Camps and Trenches ashore, and given himself no rest for twelve Years, and all for your Use, Safety and Repose: In requital of which, he has been always treated with Jealousies, and Suspitions, with Reproaches, and Abuses of all Sorts, and on all Occasions, till the ungrateful Treatment of the Solunarians eat into his very Soul, tir'd it with serving an unthankful Nation, and absolutely broke his Heart; for which reason I think him as much Murther'd as his Predecessor was, whose Head was cut off by his Subjects.

I could not when this was over, but ask the Old Gentlemen, what was the reason of his Exclamation, and how it was the People treated their Prince upon this occasion?

He told me it was a grievous Subject, and a long one, and too long to rehearse, but he would give me a short Abridgment of it; and not to look back into his Wars, in which he was abominably ill serv'd, his subjects constantly ill treated him in giving him Supplies too late, that he cou'd not get into the Field, nor forward his Preparations in time to be ready for his Enemies, who frequently were ready to insult him in his Quarters.

By giving him sham Taxes and Funds, that raised little or no Mony, by which he having borrow'd Mony of his People by Anticipation, the Funds not answering, he contracted such vast Debts as the Nation could never Pay which brought the War into disrepute, sunk the Credit of his Exchequer, and fill'd the Nation with Murmurs and Complaint.

By betraying his Counsel and well laid Designs to his Enemies, selling their Native Country to Foreigners, retarding their Navies and Expeditions, till the Enemies were provided to receive them, betraying their Merchants and Trade, spending vast Sums to fit out Fleets, just time enough to go Abroad, and do nothing, and then get Home again.

But as these were too numerous Evils, and too long to repeat, the particular things he related to in his Discourse, were these that follow.

There had been a hasty Peace concluded with a furious and powerful Enemy, the King foresaw it would be of no continnuace, and that the demise of a neighbouring King, who by all appearance could not live long, would certainly embroil them again.——- He saw that Prince keep up numerous Legions of Forces, in order to be in a posture to break the Peace with advantage. This the King fairly represented to them, and told them the necessity of keeping up such a Force, and for such a Time, at least as might be necessary to awe the Enemy from putting any affront upon them in case of the Death of that Prince, which they daily expected.

The Party who had all along malign'd the Prosperity of this Prince, took fire at the Offer, and here began another State Plot, which tho' it hookt in two or three sets of Men for different Ends, yet altogether join'd in affronting and ill treating their Prince, upon this Article of the Army.

The Nation had been in danger enough from the designs of former Princes invading their Priviledges, and putting themselves in a Posture to Tyrannize by the help of standing Forces, and the Party that first took Fire at this Proposal tho' the very same Men who in the time of an Abrogratzian Prince, were for caressing him, and giving him Thanks for his Standing Army, as has been noted before, were the very People that began the outcry against this Demand, and so specious were the Pretences they made, that they drew in the very Crolians themselves upon the pretence of Liberty, and Exemption from Arbitrary Methods of Government to oppose their King.

It griev'd this good Prince to be suspected of Tyrannick Designs, and that by a Nation who he had done so much, and ventur'd so far to save from Tyranny, and Standing Armies; 'twas in vain he represented to them the pressing occasion; in vain he gave them a Description of approaching Dangers, and the threatning posture of the Enemies Armies; in vain he told them of the probabilities of renewing the War, and how keeping but a needful Force might be a means of preventing it; in vain he propos'd the subjecting what Force should be necessary to the Absolute Power, both as to Time and Number of their own Cortez or National Assembly.

It was all one, the Design being form'd in the Breasts of those who were neither Friends to the Nation, nor the King, those Reasons which would have been of Force in another Case, made them the more eager; bitter Reflections were made on the King, and scurrilous Lampoons publish'd upon the Subject of Tyrants, and Governing by Armies.

Nothing could be more ungrateful to a generous Prince, nor could any thing more deeply affect this King, than whom none ever had a more genuine, single-hearted Design for the Peoples good, but above all, like Casar in the Case of Brutus, it heartily mov'd him to find himself push'd at by those very People whom he had all along seen, pretending to adhere to his Interest, and the Publick Benefit, which he had always taken care should never be parted, and to find these People join against this Proposal, as a Design against their Liberties, and as a Foundation of Tyranny heartily and sensibly afflicted him.

It was a strange Mistery, and not easily unriddled, that those Men who had always a known aversion to the Interest of the depos'd King should fall in with this Party, and those that were Friends to the general Good, never forgave it them.

All that could be said to excuse them, was the Plot I am speaking of, that by carrying this Point for that Party, they hookt in those forward People to join in a popular Cry of Liberty and Property, things they were never fond of before, and to make some Settlement of the Peoples Claims which they always had oppos'd, and which they would since have been very glad to have repeal'd.

So great an Ascendant had the Personal Spleen of this Party over their other Principles, that they were content to let the Liberties of the People be declar'd in their highest Claims, rather than not obtain this one Article, which they knew would so exceedingly mortify their Prince, and strengthen the Nations Enemies. They freely join'd in Acts of Succession, Abjuration, Declaration of the Power and Claims of the People, and the Superiority of their Right to the Princes Prerogative, and abundance of such things, which they could never be otherwise brought to.

'Tis true these were great things, but 'twas thought all this might have been obtain'd in Conjunction with their Prince, rather than by putting Affronts and Mortifications upon the Man that had next to the Influence of Heaven been the only Agent of restoring them to a Power and Capacity of enjoying, as well as procuring, such things as National Priviledges.

'Twas vigorosly alledg'd that Standing Armies in times of Peace, were inconsistent with the Publick Safety, the Laws and Constitutions of all the Nations in the Moon.

But these Allegations were strenuously answer'd, that it was true without the consent of the great National Council, it was so, but that being obtain'd, it was not illegal, and publick Necessities might make that consent, not only legal, but convenient.

'Twas all to no purpose, the whole was carry'd with a Torrent of Clamour and Reflection against the good Prince, who consented, because he would in nothing oppose the Current of the People; but withal, told them plainly what would be the consequences of their Heat, which they have effectually found true since to their Cost, and to the loss of some Millions of Treasure.

For no sooner was this Army broke, which was the best ever that Nation saw, and was justly the Terror of the Enemy, but the great Monarch we mention'd before, broke all Measures with this Prince and the Confederate Nations, a Proof what just apprehensions they had of his Conduct, at the head of such an Army. For they broke with contempt, a Treaty which the Prince upon a prospect of this unkindness of his People had entred into with the Enemy, and which he engag'd in, if possible, to prevent a new War, which he foresaw he should be very unfit to begin, or carry on, and which they would never have dar'd to break had not this Feud happen'd.

It was but a little before I came into this Country, when such repeated Accounts came, of the Incroachments, Insults and Preparations of their great powerful Neighbour, that all the World saw the necessity of a War, and the very People who were to feel it most apply'd to the Prince to begin it.

He was forward enough to begin it, and in compliance with his People, resolv'd on it; but the Grief of the usage he had receiv'd, the unkind Treatment he had met with from those very People that brought him thither, had sunk so deep upon his Spirits, that he could never recover it; but being very weak in Body and Mind, and join'd to a slight hurt he receiv'd by a fall from his Horse, he dyed, to the unspeakable grief of all his Subjects that wish'd well to their Native Country.

This was the melancholly Account of this great Prince's end, and I have been told that at once every Year, there is a kind of Fast, or solemn Commemoration kept up for the Murther of that former Prince, who, as I noted, was Beheaded by his Subjects; So it seems some of the People, who are of Opinion this Prince was Murther'd by the ill Treatment of his Friends, a way which I must own, is the cruellest of Deaths, keep the same Day, to commemorate his Death, and this is a Day, in which it seems both Parties are very free with one another, as to Rallery and ill Language.

But the Friends of this last Prince have a double advantage, for they also commemorate the Birth Day of this Prince, and are generally very merry on that Day; and the custom is at their Feast on that Day, just like our drinking Healths, they pledge one another to the immortal Memory of their Deliverer; as the Historical part of this Matter was absolutely necessary to introduce the following Remarks, and to instruct the Ignorant in those things, I hope it shall not be thought a barren Digression, especially when I shall tell you that it is a most exact Representation of what is yet to come in a Scene of Affairs, of which I must make a short Abstract, by way of Introduction.

The deceas'd Prince we have heard of, was succeeded by his Sister in-Law, the second Daughter of the banish'd Prince, a Lady of an extraordinary Character, of the Old Race of their Kings, a Native by Birth, a Solunarian by Profession; exceeding Pious, Just and Good, of an Honesty peculiar to her self, and for which she was justly belov'd of all sorts and degrees of her Subjects.

This Princess having the Experience of her Father and Grand-father before her, join'd to her own Prudence and Honesty of Design; it was no wonder if she prudently shun'd all manner of rash Counsels, and endeavour'd to carry it with a steady Hand between her contending Parties.

At her first coming to the Crown, she made a solemn Declaration of her resolutions for Peace and just Government; she gave the Crolians her Royal Word, that she would inviolably preserve the Toleration of their Religion and Worship, and always afford them her Protection, and by this she hop'd they would be easy.

But to the Solunarians, as those among whom she had been Educated, and whose Religion she had always profess'd, been train'd up in, and Piously persued; she express'd her self with an uncommon Tenderness, told them they should be the Men of her Favour, and those that were most zealous for that Church should have most of her Countenance; and she back'd this soon after with an unparallel'd Act of Royal Bounty to them, freely parting with a considerable Branch of her Royal Revenue, for the poor Priests of that Religion, of which there were many in the remote Parts of her Kingdom.

What vast Consequences, and prodigiously differing from the Design, may Words have when mistaken and misayplyed by the Hearers. Never were significant Expressions spoken from a sincere, honest and generous Principle, with a single Design to ingage all the Subjects in the Moon, to Peace and Union, so perverted, misapply'd and turn'd by a Party, to a meaning directly contrary to the Royal Thoughts of the Queen: For from this very Expression, most Zealous, grew all the Divisions and Subdivisions in the Solunarian Church, to the Ruin of their own Cause, and the vast advantage of the Crolian Interest. The eager Men of the Church, especially those we have been talking of, hastily catch'd at this Expression of the Queen, Most Zealous, and Millions of fatal Constructions, and unhappy Consequences they made of it, some of which are as follows.

1. They took it to imply that the Queen whatever she had said to the Crolians, really design'd their Destruction, and that those that were of that Opinion, must be meant by the Most Zealous Members of the Solunarian Church, and they could understand Zeal no otherwise than their own way.

2. From this Speech, and their mistaking the Words Most Zealous, arose an unhappy Distinction among the Solunarians themselves, some Zealous, some More Zealous, which afterwards divided them into two most opposite Parties, being fomented by an accident of a Book publish'd on an Occasion, of which presently.

The Consequences of this mistake, appear'd presently in the Most Zealous, in their offering all possible Insults to the Crolian Dissenters, Preaching them down, Printing them down, and Talking them down, as a People not fit to be suffer'd in the Nation, and now they thought they had the Game sure.

Down with the Crolians began to be all the Cry, and truly the Crolians themselves began to be uneasy, and had nothing to rely upon but the Queens Promise, which however her Majesty always made good to them.

The other Party proceeded so far, that they begun to Insult the very Queen her self, upon the Matter of her Word, and one of her College-Priests told her plainly in Print, she could not be a true Friend to the Solunarian Church, if she did not declare War against, and root out all the Crolians in her Dominions.

But these Proceedings met with a Check, by a very odd accident: A certain Author of those Countries, a very mean, obscure and despicable Fellow, of no great share of Wit, but that had a very unlucky way of telling his Story, seeing which way things were a going, writes a Book, and Personating this high Solunarian Zeal, musters up all their Arguments, as if they were his own, and strenuously pretends to prove that all the Crolians ought to be Destroy'd, Hang'd, Banish'd, and the D——l and all. As this Book was a perfect Surprize to all the Country, so the Proceedings about it on all sides were as extraordinary.

The Crolians themselves were surpriz'd at it, and so closely had the Author couch'd his Design, that they never saw the irony of the Stile, but began to look about them, to see which way they should fly to save themselves.

The Men of Zeal we talk'd of, were so blinded with the Notion which suited so exactly with their real Design, that they hugg'd the Book, applauded the unknown Author, and plac'd the Book next their Oraclar 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'd these first Gentlemen to caress, applaud and approve it, and thereby discover'd their real Intention, so it met with Abhorrence and Detestation in all the Men of Principles, Prudence and Moderation in the Kingdom, who tho' they were Solunarians in Religion, yet were not for Blood, Desolation and Persecution of their Brethren, but with the Queen were willing they should enjoy their Liberties and Estates, they behaving themselves quietly and peaceably to the Government.

At last it came out that it was writ by a Crolian; but good God! what a Clamour was rais'd at the poor Man, the Crolians flew at him like Lightning, ignorantly and blindly, not seeing that he had sacrific'd himself and his Fortunes in their behalf; they rumag'd his Character for 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 their own Ignorance and Ingratitude.

The Ministers of State, tho' at that time of the fiery Party, yet seeing the general Detestation of such a Proposal, and how ill it 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 a Reward of 50000 Hecato's, a small imaginary Coin in those Parts, put upon his Head.

The Cortez of the Nation being at the same time assembled join'd in Censuring the Book, and thus the Party blindly damn'd their own Principles for meer shame of the practice, not daring to own the thing in publick which they had underhand profest, and the fury of all Parties fell upon the poor Author.

The Man fled the first popular Fury, but at last being betraid fell into the Hands of the publick Ministry.

When they had him they hardly knew what to do with him; they could not proceed against him as Author of a Proposal for the Destruction of the Crolians because it appear'd he was a Crolian himself; they were loth to charge him with suggesting that the Solunarian Church-men were guilty of such a Design, least he should bring their own Writings to prove it true; so they fell to wheadling him with good Words to throw himself into their Hands and submit, giving him that Geu-gau the Publick Faith for a Civil and Gentleman-like Treatment; the Man, believing like a Coxcomb that they spoke as they meant, quitted his own Defence, and threw himself on the Mercy of the Queen as he thought; but they abusing their Queen with false Representations, Perjur'd all their Promises with him, and treated him in a most barbarous manner, on pretence that there were no 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 under a 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 him with his utter Ruin on the other; and the Great Scribe of the Country, with another of their great Courtiers, took such a low Step as to go to him to the Dungeon where they had put him, to see if they could tempt him to betray his Friends. The Comical Dialogue between them there the Author of this has seen in Manuscript, exceeding diverting, but having not time to Translate it 'tis omitted for the present; tho' he promises to publish it in its proper Season for publick Instruction.

However for the present it may suffice to tell the World, that neither by promises of Reward or fear of Punishment they could prevail upon him to discover any thing, and so it remains a Secret to this day.

The Title of this unhappy Book was The 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 all that Fate which they must expect who attempt to open the Eyes of a Nation wilfully blind.

The hot Men of the Solunarian Church damn'd him without Bell, Book, or Candle; the more Moderate pitied 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, but reproacht him as an Enemy that would ha' them destroy'd: So one side rail'd at him because they did understand him, and the other because they 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, profest by an unthankful People.

And here it was I found out that my Lunar Philosopher was only so in Disguise, and that he was no Philosopher, but the very Man I 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 Parties began to be so numerous and violent that it endanger'd the Publick Good, and gave great Disadvantages to the general Affairs abroad.

The Queen invited them all to Peace and Union, but 'twas in vain; nay, one had the Impudence to publish that to procure Peace and Union it was necessary to suppress all 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 heartily for Peace and Union: The other, who were now distinguish'd by the Title of High Solunarians, call'd these all Crolians and Low Solunarians, and began to Treat them with more Inveteracy than they us'd to do the Crolians themselves, calling them Traytors to their Country, Betrayers of their Mother, Serpents harbour'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 the subtilest, foolishest, deep, shallow Contrivances and Plots that ever was hatcht or set on foot by any Party of Men in the whole Moon, at least who pretended to any Brains, or to half a degree of common Understanding.

There had always been Dislikes and Distasts between even the most moderate Solunarians and the Crolians, as I have noted in the beginning of this Relation, and these were deriv'd from Dissenting in Opinions of Religion, ancient Feuds, private Interest, Education, and the like; and the Solunarians had frequently, on pretence of securing the Government, made Laws to exclude the Crolians from any part of the Administration, unless they submitted to some Religious Tests and Ceremonies which were prescrib'd them.

Now as the keeping them out of Offices was more the Design than the Conversion of the Crolians to the Solunarian Church, the Crolians, at least many of them, submitted to the Test, and frequently Conform'd to qualify themselves for publick Employments.

The most moderate of the Solunarians were in their Opinion against this practice, and the High Men taking advantage of them, drew them in to Concur in making a Law with yet more Severity against them, effectually to keep them out of Employment.

The low Solunarians were easy to be drawn into this Project, as it was only a Confirming former Laws of their own making, and all Things run fair for the Design; but as the High Men had further Ends in it than barely reducing the Crolians to Conformity, they coucht so many gross Clauses into their Law, that even the Grandees of the Solunarians themselves could not comply with; nay even the Patriarchs of the Solunarian Church declar'd against it, as tending to Persecution and Confusion.

This Disappointment enrag'd the Party, and that very Rage entirely ruin'd their Project; for now the Nobility, the Patriarchs, and all the wise Men of the Nation, joining together against these Men of Heat and Fury, the Queen began to see into their Designs, and as 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 Favour the 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 against the Crolians.

Here I could not but observe, as I have done before in the Case of the banish'd King, how impolitick these high Solunarian Church-men acted in all their Proceedings, for had they contented themselves by little and little to ha' done their Work, they had done it effectually; but pushing at Extremities they overshot themselves, and ruin'd all.

For the Grandees and Patriarchs made but a few trifling Objections at 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 were as 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 the low Solunarian Church-men before, they doubled their Clamors at them now, all the Patriarchs, and all the Nobility and Grandees, nay even the Queen her self came under their Censure, and every Body who was not of their Mind were Prestarians and Crolians.

As this Rage of theirs was implacable, so, as I hinted before, it drove them into another Subdivision of Parties, and now began the Mysterious Plot to be laid which I mention'd before; for the Cortez being summon'd, and the Law being proposed, some of these high Solunarians appear'd in Confederacy with the Crolians, in perfect Confederacy with 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 these high Gentlemen who Confederated with the Crolians, having, to spight the other, resolv'd effectually to prevent the passing the Law against the Qualification of the Crolians, it was not their Business immediately to declare themselves against it 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, and that all that was really true of the Crolian Dissenters might be ridicul'd, his Work was to draw monstrous Pictures of them, which no Body could believe; this took immediately, for now People began to look at their Shooes to see if they were not Cloven Footed as they went a long Streets; and at last finding they were really shap'd like the rest of the Lunar Inhabitants, they went back to the Author, who was a Learned Member of a certain Seminary, or Brother-hood of the Solunarian Clergy, and enquir'd if he were not Mad, Distracted and Raving, or Moon-blind, and in want of the thinking Engine; but finding all things right there, and that he was in his Senses, especially in a Morning when he was a little free 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 meer Fanatick Crolian Plot; that this High Party of all were but Pretenders, and meer Traytors to the True High Solunarian Church-Men, that wearing the same Cloth had herded among them in 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 their Abrograzian Prince, and of which I have spoken before.

And since I am upon the detection of this most 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 really a Crolian Plot, or else all these People were perfectly Distracted; and as their Wits in that Lunar World, are much higher strain'd than ours, so their Lunacy, where it happens, must according to the Rules of Mathematical Nature, bear an extream Equal in proportion.

This College Fury of a Man was the first on whom this useful Discovery was made, and having writ several Learned Tracts wherein he invited the People to Murther and Destroy all the Crolians, Branded all the Solunarian Patriarchs, Clergy and Gentry that would not come into his Proposal, with the name of Cowards, Traytors and Betrayers of Lunar Religion; having beat the Concionazimir at a great Assembly of the Cadirs, or Judges, and told them all the Crolians were Devils, and they were all Perjur'd that did not use them as such: He carry'd on Matters so dexterously, and with such surprizing Success, that he fill'd even the Solunarians themselves with Horror at his Proposals.——- And as I happen'd to be in one of their publick Halls where all such Writings as are new are laid a certain time to be read by every Comer, I saw a little knot of Men round a Table, where one was reading this Book.

There were two Solunarian High Priests in their proper Vestments, one Privy Councellor of the State, one other Noble Man, and one who had in his Hat a Token, to signifie that he possest one of the fine Feathers of the Consolidator, of which I have given the Description already.

The Book being read by one of the habited Priests, he starts up with some warmth, by the Moon, says he, I have found this Fellow out, he is certainly a Crolian, a meer Prestarian Crolian, and is crept into our Church only in Disguise, for 'tis certain all this is but meer Banter and Irony to expose us, and to ridicule the Solunarian Interest.

The Privy Councellor took it presently, whether he is a Crolian or no, says he, I cannot tell, but he has certainly done 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, says the Man of the Feather, I was always for pulling down the Crolians, for I thought them dangerous to the State; but this Man has brought the Matter nearer to my View, and shown me what destroying them is, for he put me upon examining the Consequences, and now I find it would be lopping off the Limbs of the Government, and laying it at the Mercy of the Enemy that they might lop off its Head; I assure you he has done the Crolians great Service, for whereas abundance of our Men of the Feather were for routing the Crolians, they lately fell down to 134 or thereabouts.

All this confirm'd the first Man's Opinion that he was a Crolian in Disguise, or an Emissary employ'd by them to ruin the Project of their Enemies; for these Crolians are damn'd cunning People in their way, and they have Mony enough to engage Hirelings to their side.

Another Party concern'd in this Plot was an old cast-out Solunarian Priest, who, tho' professing himself a Solunarian, was turn'd out for adhering to the Abrograzian King, a mighty Stickler for the Doctrin of absolute Subjection.

This Man draws the most monstrous Picture of a Crolian that could be invented, he put him in a Wolf's Skin with long Asses Ears, and hung him all over full of Associations, Massacres, Persecutions, Rebellions, and Blood. Here the People began to stare again, and a Crolian cou'd not go along the Street but they were alway's looking for the long Ears, the Wolf's Claws, and the like; 'till at last nothing of these Things appearing, but the Crolians looking and acting like other Folks, they begun to examine the Matter, and found this was a meer Crolian Plot too, and this Man was 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 Dissenters Associations, Murthers, Persecutions, and the like, he means that his Readers should look back to the Murthers, Oppressions and Persecutions they had suffered for several past years, and the Associations that 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 the very great Ones, Grandees, Feathers, and Consolidators of the Country. For these Cunning Crolians manag'd their Intriegues so nicely, that they brought about a Famous Division even among the High Solunarian Party themselves; and whereas the Law of Qualification was reviv'd again, and in great Danger of being compleated; these subtle Crolians brought over One Hundred and Thirty Four of the Feathers in the Famous Consolidator to be of their side, and to Contrive the utter Destruction of it; and thus fell the Design which the High Solunarian Church Men had laid for the Ruin of the Crolians Interest, by their own Friends first joyning in all the Extremes they had proposed, and then pushing it so much farther, and to such mad Periods that the very highest of them stood amaz'd at the Design, startled, flew back and made a full stop; they were willing to Ruin the Crolians, 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 made a General push at a thing in which they knew if the other High Men joyn'd, they must throw all into Confusion, bring a Foreign Enemy on their Backs, unravel all the Thread of the War, fight all their Victories back again, and involve the whole Nation in Blood and Confusion.

They knew well enough that most of the High Men would hesitate at this, they knew if they did not the Grandees and Patriarchs would reject it, and so they plaid the surest Game to blast and overthrow this Law, that could possibly be plaid.

If any Man, in the whole World in the Moon, will pretend this was not a Plot, a Crolian Design, a meer Conspiracy 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 the Grandees, all the Patriarchs, and almost all the Feathers would 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 were Fools or Mad-Men, or that it was a Phanatick Crolian Plot and Conspiracy to Ruin the makeing this Law, which the rest of the Solunarian Church Men were very forward to carry on.

I heard indeed some Men Argue that this could not be, the breach was too wide between the Crolians and these Gentlemen ever to come to such an Agreement; but the Wiser Heads who 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 the Men of Fury were all Fools, Madmen, and fitter for an Hospital, than a State-House, or a Pulpit.

It must be allow'd, these Crolians were Cunning People, thus to wheedle in these High Flying Solunarians to 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 People Fools ——— Fools of the most extraordinary Size in all the Moon, for either way they pull'd down what they had been many Years a Building.

I cannot say that this was in kindness to the Crolians, but in meer Malice to the Low Solunarian Party, who had the Government in their Hands, for Malice always carries Men on to monstrous Extremes.

Some indeed have thought it hard to call this a Plot, and a Confederacy with the Crolians.——— But I cannot but think it the kindest thing that can be said of them, and that 'tis impossible those People who push'd at some imaginary Things in that Law could but be in a Plot as aforesaid, or be perfectly Lunatick, down right Mad-Men, or Traytors to their Country, and let them choose which Character they like.

I cannot in Charity but spare them their Honesty, and their Senses, 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 things was very diverting, and the more so, when I made the proper Reflections upon the Analogy there seem'd to be between these Solunarian High Church-Men in the Moon, and ours here in England; our High Church-Men are no more to compare to these, than the Hundred and Thirty Four, are to the Consolidators.

Ours can Plot now and then a little among themselves, but then 'tis all Gross and plain Sailing, down right taking Arms, calling in Foreign Forces, Assassinations and the like; but these are nothing to the more Exquisite Heads in the Moon. For they have the subtillest Ways with them, that ever were heard of. They can make War with a Prince, on purpose to bring him to the Crown; fit out vast Navies against him, that he may have the more leisure to take their Merchant Men; make Descents upon him, on purpose to come Home and do nothing; 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 have the boasting Part of the Victory, and the beaten Part both together.

'Twould be endless to call over the Roll of their sublime Politicks. They damn Moderation in order to Peace and Union, set the House on Fire to save it from Desolation, Plunder to avoid Persecution, and consolidate Things in order to their more immediate Dissolution.

Had our High Church-Men been Masters of these excellent Arts, they had long ago brought their Designs to pass.

The exquisite Plot of these High Solunarians answer'd the Crolians 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 with Adam and Eve, as soon as they Sinn'd they Quarrell'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 the High Men themselves were divided, some were for Consolidating, and some not for Consolidating, some were for Tacking, and some not for Tacking, as they were, or were not let into the Secret.

If this Confusion of Languages, or Interest, lost them the real Design, it cannot be a wonder; have we not always seen it in our World, that dividing an Interest, weakens and exposes it? Has not a great many both good and bad Designs been render'd Abortive in this our Lower World, for want of the Harmony of Parties, and the Unanimity of those concern'd in the Design?

How had the knot of Rebellion been dissolv'd in England, if it had not been untied by the very Hands of those that knit it? All the contrary Force had been entirely broken and subdu'd, and the Restoration of Monarchy had never happen'd in England, if Union and Agreement had been found among the managers of that Age.

The Enemies of the present Establishment have shown sufficiently that they perfectly understand the shortest way to 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 as England is 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 been some High and some Low Church-men. And what Mischief might not that one Party ha' done in this Nation, had not they been divided again into Jurant Jacobites and Non-Jurant, into Consolidators and Non-Consolidators? From whence 'tis plain to me, that just as it is in the Moon these Consolidating Church-men are meer Confederates with the Whigs; and it must be so, unless we should suppose them meer mad Men that don't know what they are a doing, and who are the Drudges of their Enemies, and kno' nothing of the Matter.

And from this Lunar Observation it presently occur'd to my Understanding, that my Masters the Dissenters may come in for a share among the Moon-blind Men of this Generation, since had they done for their own Interest what the Laws fairly admits to be done, had they been united among themselves, had they form'd themselves into a Politick Body to have acted in a publick, united Capacity by general Concert, and as Persons that had but one Interest and understood it, they had never been so often Insulted by every rising Party, they had never had so many Machines and Intrigues to ruin and suppress them, they had never been so often Tackt and Consolidated to 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 and Antimonarchical Principles; when they had made Treaties and Capitulations with the Church for Temper and Toleration, the Articles would have been kept, and these would have demanded Justice with an Authority that would upon all Occasions be respected.

Were they united in Civil Polity in Trade and Interest, would they Buy and Sell with one another, abstract their Stocks, erect Banks and Companies in Trade of their own, lend their Cash to the Government in a Body, and as a Body.

If I were to tell them what Advantages the Crolians in the Moon make 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 the Grandees and Nobility appear as Protectors of the Crolians, and treat with their Princes in their Names, present their Petitions, and make Demands from the Prince of such Loans and Sums of Mony as 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 Whigs in my own Country that they would take a Journy in my Consolidator up to the Moon, they would certainly see there what vast Advantages they lose for want of a Spirit of Union, and a concert of Measures among themselves.

The Crolians in the Moon are Men of large Souls, and Generously stand by one another on 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 of a Cogitator, or thinking Engine, as they have in the Moon.——- We have the Elevator here and are lifted up pretty much, but in the Moon they always go into the Thinking Engine upon every Emergency, and in this they out-do us of this World on every Occasion.

In general therefore I must note that the wisest Men I found in 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 their Solunarian Party been divided among themselves, the Crolians had been undone, and all the Moon had been involv'd in Persecution, and been very probably subjected to the Gallunarian Monarch.

Thus the fatal Errors of Men have their advantages, the seperate ends they serve are not foreseen by their Authors and they do good against the very Design of the People, and the nature of the Evil it self.

And now that I may encourage our People to that Peace and good Understanding among themselves, which can alone produce their Safety and Deliverance; I shall give a brief Account how the Crolians in the Moon came to open their Eyes to their own Interest, how they came to Unite; and how the Fruits of that Union secur'd them from ever being insulted again by the Solunarian Party, who in time gave over the vain and fruitless Attempt, and so a universal Lunar Calm has spread the whole Moon ever since.

If our People will not listen to their own Advantages, nor do their own Business, let them take the consequences to themselves, they cannot blame the Man 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 the Solunarian Church and the Crolian Dissenters in 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, the Crolians came to understand their own Interest and know their own Strength.

'Tis true, it seem'd a Wonder to me when I consider'd the Excellence and Variety of those perspective Glasses I have mentioned, the clearness of the Air, and consequently of the Head, in this Lunar World. I say it was very strange the Crolians should ha' been Moon Blind so 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 rouze their contrary Extremeties, the folly and extravagance of the High Solunarians drove the Crolians into their Senses, and rouz'd them to their own Interest, the occasion was among a great many others as follows.

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.

In short, they seiz'd him without any Crime alledg'd, took violently from him his 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 the Men of the Sword, than from those of 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 the Crolians, 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 before the Criminal Bar.

But as soon as this was done, good God! what a Scene of Villainy was 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 all Solunarians themselves, they held up their Hands, and declar'd in open Court it was the deepest Track of Villany that ever came before them, and that the Actors ought to be made Examples to all 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 the Crolians began 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 Justification and future Repose.

Indeed when I saw the Proceedings against this poor Man run to a heighth so extravagant and monstrous, when I found Malice, 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 Child in the Moon might ha' told them must one time or other come upon the Stage and expose them; I began to think these People were all in the Crolian Plot too.

For really such Proceedings as these were the greatest pieces of Service to the Crolians as could possibly be done; for as it generally proves in other Places as well as in the Moon, that Mischief unjustly contriv'd falls 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 the Solanarians themselves blush for their Brethren, and own that the Punishment awarded on them was just.

Thus the Crolians got 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 come to their Senses out of a 50 Year slumber, they found the Law on their side, and the Government Moderate and Just; they found they might oppose 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 considering what Fools they had been all 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 Party pushing 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 to damn the Projects of 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 another what 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 consult with my Philosopher.

He had been but scurvily treated by them in his Troubles, and so Universally abandon'd by the Crolians, that even the Solunarians themselves 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 the Crolians in a way to secure themselves from any possibility of being insulted again by 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 to remember to forget him for it as long as he liv'd.

He frankly told them he 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 one of 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 him what he mean't by it?

He told them he knew they were Strangers to the meaning of 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 a Thinking Press, or Cogitator, and setting it down, goes away without speaking one Word.

This Hyerogliphical Admonition was too plain not to 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, Guesses and Supposes.

1. Some concluded he mean't Unite 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 High Solunarians Desire.

2. Some mean't Unite to the moderate Party of the Solunarians, and this they said they had done already.

At last some being very Cunning, found it out, that it must be his meaning Unite 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 to Unite their subdivided Parties into one general Interest, and to act in Concert upon one bottom, to lay aside the Selfish, Narrow, Suspicious Spirit; three Qualifications the Crolians were 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, and to 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 whole Solunarian Nation.

As soon as ever they had settled the Methods they resolv'd to act in, they form'd a general Council of the Heads of their Party, to be always sitting, to reconcile Differences, to unite Parties, to suppress Feuds in their beginning.

They appointed 3 general Meetings in 3 of the most remote Parts of the Kingdom, to be half yearly, and one universal Meeting of 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.

Immediately a Crolian would never buy any thing but of a Crolian; would hire no Servants, employ neither Porter nor Carman, but what were Crolians.

The Crolians in the Country that wrought and manag'd the Manufactures, would employ no body but Crolian Spinners, Crolian Weavers, and the like.

In their capital City the Merchandizing Crolians would freight no Ships but of which the Owners and Commanders were Crolians.

They call'd all their Cash out of the Solunarian 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 these all the Laws in the Moon will 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 this New Model less considerable than the Proposer expected, for the Crolians being generally of the Trading Manufacturing part of the World, and very Rich; the influence this method had upon the common People, upon Trade, and upon the Publick was very considerable every way.

1. All the Solunarian Trades-Men and Shop-keepers were at their Wits end, they sat in their Shops and had little or nothing to do, while the Shops of the Crolians were full of Customers, and their People over Head and Ears in Business; this turn'd many of the Solunarian Trades-Men quite off of the hooks, and they began to break and decay strangely, till at last a great many of them to prevent their utter Ruin, turn'd Crolians on purpose to get a Trade; and what forwarded that part of it was, that when a Solunarian, who had little or no Trade before, came but over to the 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 the Crolians.

2. The poor People in the Countries, Carders, Spinners, Weavers, Knitters, and all sorts of Manufacturers, run in Crowds to the Crolian Temples for fear of being starv'd, for the Crolians were 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 the Crolians encreas'd their number.

3. The Crolians being Men of vast Cash, they no sooner withdrew their Mony from the General Bank but the Bank languisht, Credit sunk, and in a short time they had little to do, but dissolv'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 our East-India Companies in England; 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 cunning Crolians, who had great Stocks in those Trades, and foresaw they could not Trade by themselves without the publick Grant 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 to selling off their Stock, giving out daily Reports that they would be no longer concern'd, that it was a losing Trade, that the Fund at bottom was good for nothing, and that of two Societies the Old one had not 20 per Cent. to divide, all their Debts being paid; that the New Society had Traded several Years, but if they were dissolv'd could 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 Discourse discouraging the thing they were to sell no Body could be found to buy.

The offering a thing to Sale and no Bidders, is a certain never-failing prospect of a 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 45 Lunarians that was formerly sold at 150, and so in proportion of all the rest.

All this while the Crolians employ'd their Emissaries to buy up privately all the Interest or Shares in these Things that any of the Solunarian Party would sell.

This Plot took readily, for these Gentlemen exposing the weakness of these Societies, and running down the value of their Stocks, and at the same time warily buying at the lowest Prices, not only in 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 was no Original, but had its birth among the Solunarians 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 Merchants in the Moon rais'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 a Mechanick Original, they are now rankt among the Lunarian Nobility, while multitudes of ruin'd Families helpt to build his Fortune, by sinking under the Knavery of his Contrivance.