Samuel Brunt

“ The Mountain, which was of considerable Height, afforded us a great Variety in our Prospect, and the Woods, Pastures, Meads, and small Arms of the Sea, were intermingled with that surprizing Beauty and Order, that they seem'd rather dispos'd by Art, than the Product of Nature; the Earth it self yielded a grateful and enlivening Scent, and is so pure, that it does not sully the Hands. The Cedars, which cloath'd the middle Part of the Summit, were streight, tall, and so large, that seven Men would hardly fathom the Bowl of one ”

“ When any one falls into Poverty, he's look'd upon as infected; for all his Acquaintance shun him; nay, very often his own Children will not own him, if in happier Circumstances: And what will seem wonderful to a Briton, who esteems Merit in Rags, and contemns the Vicious, tho' encompass'd with a Crowd of Servants, and distinguish'd by the glaring Titles of his Family; no sooner does a Cacklogollinian grow rich, but all the World courts him, tho' sprung from a Dunghill: And even those who can never hope any thing from him, shew him a profound Respect. ”

“ THE Cacklogallinians boast mightily of their being the only Nation in the World which enjoys Liberty, and therefore, upon all Occasions, they talk of, and treat the rest of the World as Slaves. They pretend to maintain, that their Monarchy being elective, their Emperors are no more than their Servants, and that they can exercise no longer a Power, than they are pleas'd to give it them, which is just as much as will serve to put the Laws in Execution, and keep the great Machine of Government in good Order ”

“ A Man comes in, and tells him the Exchequer is shut up, Stocks are fallen, a War declar'd, and a new Tax laid on Land; he beats his Breast, groans aloud, and vanishes.
"By this Wretch, said Abrahijo, you see the Care and Anxiety wait on the Miserable. The Love of Gold in him has extinguish'd Nature; nay, it predominates over Self-love; for he hastens his End, by not allowing his Body either Rest, or sufficient Nourishment, only that he may encrease the Number of his Coffers." ”

“ But if they are oppress'd and kept poor, like our Spaniels, they fawn on their Masters, and seem in Love with Tyranny; which should any dare to speak against, he is esteem'd an Enemy to the Happiness of his Country. They are very proud, yet very mean in some Particulars, and will, for their Interest, sacrifice the Honour of their Families. They look upon nothing infamous but Poverty, for which Reason, the most scandalous Methods of procuring Riches, such as Lying, Robbing the Publick, Cheating Orphans, Pimping, Perjury, & c. are not look'd upon with evil Eyes, provided they prove successful. ”

“ We are here, said he, in a State of Ease and Happiness, tho' no way comparable to that we expect at our Dissolution, which we as earnestly long for, as you Mortals carefully avoid it. We forget nothing that pass'd while we were cloath'd in Flesh, and Inhabitants of your Globe, and have no other Uneasiness, than what the Reflection of our Ingratitude to the Eternal Goodness, while in Life, creates in us, which the Eternal lessens in proportion to our Repentance, which is here very sincere. ”

“ They are great Admirers of Puppet-shews and other Spectacles, and will let their Families at Home want Necessaries, rather than not be seen at the Booth. What they most delight in is bloody Spectacles. There are poor Cacklogallinians, who fight on Stages for Money; if they cut one another to Pieces, the Spectators go away highly satisfied; but if their Art prevents their shedding much Blood, the Combatants are poorly rewarded, and look'd upon as a Couple of Cheats or Cowards. ”

“ For to the Shame of our Nation, we own a Deity in Words, but deny him in our Actions: We acknowledge this Divine Being must be pure and just, and that our Lives (as he must abominate all Impurity and Injustice) ought to be conformable to his Attributes, wou'd we hope his Favour and Protection, notwithstanding we act diametrically opposite, as the most ready Method to procure our Happiness. ”

“ The later voyage to the moon is no less fantastic in its outlines than is the earlier, yet it shows clearly the impact of science upon popular imagination. The imagination of man had expanded with the expanding universe. Brunt takes care to indicate the vast distance between the earth and the moon by subtle mathematical suggestion. Although both travelers flew xiv "with incredible swiftness," the eighteenth-century flyers found that it was "about a Month before we came into the Attraction of the Moon." ”

“ Reflect upon the little Content your World can afford you: Consider how short is Life, and that you have but little Time to spare for Trifles, when the grand Business, the securing your eternal Rest, ought to employ your Mind. ”

“ Brunt was clearly aware of the work of many scientists, notably Boyle, upon the nature and rarefaction of the air. His flyers proceed by slow stages, accustoming themselves gradually to the rarefied air, assisting their respiration by the use of wet sponges. They learn by experience the answer to the problems with which Godwin's mind had played but which many later scientific writers had considered more definitely: what is the nature of gravity; how far beyond the confines of the earth does it extend; what would happen to man could he "pass the Atmosphere"? ”

“ The Grandees have no Statues in their Houses; they own indeed a Deity, some of them at least, but don't think the worshipping that Deity of any Consequence. The meaner People began to be as polite as the Courtiers, and to have as little Religion, before I left Cacklogallinia. This Irreligion I can attribute to nothing so much as the Contempt of the Clergy, whom some of the Nobility, especially of the Court, have endeavour'd to render hateful and ridiculous to the People, by representing them as a lazy, useless, Order of Birds, no better than the Drones. ”

“ The Fifth Day, about Noon, our Foremast came by the board; we broach'd to, and a Sea fill'd us; we were at our Dying Rowls, and every Man gave himself for lost. But in this Danger, which ought to have awakened those unhappy Wretches, to some Care of their future Happiness, the Ship rang with Imprecations, and not a Word was uttered, not back'd with Oaths and Curses. ”

“ Your grotesque Form may recommend you to the Squabbaws; for Animals sometimes become Favourites amongst us, only for the Oddness of their Figure. They will say or do any thing before you, because they will never imagine you capable of making any Remarks; for the Cacklogallinians have such a Notion, that no Creatures are endued with Reason like themselves. ”

“ First, I esteem the Moon an opaque solid Body, as is our Earth, and consequently adapted for the Entertainment and Nourishment of its Inhabitants. Now, that it is a solid Body, is evident by the Repercussion of the Light which it receives from the Sun. ”

“ All the Return we expect, is, that you will not discover to the Whites our Place of Retreat: I don't exact from you an Oath to keep the Secret; for who will violate his Word, will not be bound down, by calling God for a Witness. If you betray us, he will punish you; and the Fear of your being a Villain shall not engage me to put it out of your Power to hurt us, by taking the Life of one to whom any of us has promised Security. Go and repose your self, Captain Cuffey will shew you his House. ”

“ For were we to meet with the purest Veins of that Metal, by removing only one Turf, not a Selenite would think it worth his while.
"This is a Place of Peace and Tranquillity, and this World is exactly adapted to the Temper of its Inhabitants: Nature here is in an Eternal Calm; we enjoy an everlasting Spring; the Soil yields nothing noxious, and we can never want the Necessaries of Life, since every Herb affords a salubrious Repast to the Selenites. ”

“ I knew a Lady of Quality who gave a Pension of Five Thousand Spasma's, each Spasma worth Two Shillings Sterling, to one of these Birds to sing her to Sleep every Night. The Air of this Country is too cold for these Cuckoo's, who come from a more southern Clime, which is the Reason they stay not above three Years before they wing their Flight home, where they build Palaces with the Profits of their Journey: But as those who return send others in their stead, the Cacklogallinians are never long deprived of the Entertainment these Birds afford 'em. ”

“ Cuffey's returning the Service you once did him, by saving your Life, which we shall not, after the Example of your Country, take in cold Blood, may give you a Specimen of our Morals. We believe in, and fear a God, and whatever you may conclude from the Slaughter of your Companions, yet we are far from thirsting after the Blood of the Whites; and it's Necessity alone which obliges us to what bears the face of Cruelty. ”

“ I knew him while I was in the World; his whole Discourse always ran on Liberty, Trade, Free Elections, &c. and constantly inveigh'd against all corrupt and self-interested Practices. I saw Persons descended from the ancient Nobility fawning on Valets who were arrived to great Preferment for Pimping; I beheld others contriving Schemes, to bring their Wives and Daughters into the Company of Persons in Power, and aiming to gain Preferment for themselves, at the Expence of the Vertue of their Families ”

“ If this Planet be of it self luminous, it must appear much brighter when eclips'd in its perigée, or nearest Distance from the Earth, and its Light must be less consequently when in its Apogée, or greatest Distance from it; for the nearer a luminous Body approaches the Eye, the stronger Impression it makes upon the Sight. Beside, the Shadow of the Earth, had the Moon any innate and peculiar Light, cou'd not obscure it, but, on the contrary, would render it more conspicuous, as is evident to Reason. ”

“ Our Charity obliges us, when we see those imaginary Ills, to drive the Soul back to its Body, which we do, by waving our Hand in the Air, and the agonizing Dreamer wakes. We do also retain them by a Virtue peculiar to the Selenites, and as they 144 sometimes administer a great deal of Diversion, we do it for our Entertainment, which is the Reason of those long Naps of two or three Days, nay, of as many Weeks, which cause the Wonder of your World. The Souls of your impure Dreamers never reach beyond the middle Region. ”

“ That as the Planets Influence was necessary, that of the Moon must, as the nearest to the Earth, be the most efficacious: That as it was visible to the Eye, the Moon was more depurated than the Earth; was surrounded by a thinner Air, in which the Spirit of the World is more abundant, and was nearer to the other Planets, he naturally concluded, that it must abound in Gold Mines; and this Conclusion was strengthened by the Mountains discernible in the Moon; and Mountains being mostly rocky, afforded the purest Matrice for the Universal Spirit ”

“ My Lord, replied the Projector, I can't agree that such a Time is necessary; for being above the Attraction of the Earth, which is the only laborious Part of our Passage, we may go with an inconceivable Swiftness, especially when we come within the Attraction of the Moon, which will certainly be encreas'd by the Weight of Provisions, which we shall by way 119 I4 of Precaution carry with us, and which will be no Burthen after we have pass'd the Atmosphere; so that what Weight a Thousand Cacklogallinians can hardly raise to that Heighth, one might support, the rest of the Journey. ”

“ Nothing is so dear to Man as Liberty, and we have no way of avoiding Slavery, of which our Bodies wear the inhuman Marks, but by a War, in which, if we give no Quarter, the English must blame themselves ”

“ Nature seem'd here to have lavish'd all her Favours; on whatsoever Side I turn'd my Eye, the most ravishing Prospect was offer'd to my Sight. The Mountain yielded a gradual Descent to most beautiful Meadows, enamell'd 135 K4 with Cowslips, Roses, Lilies, Jessamines, Carnations, and other fragrant Flowers, unknown to the Inhabitants of our Globe, which were as grateful to the Smell, as entertaining to the Eye. The chrystal Rivulets which smoothly glided thro' these inchanting Meads, seem'd so many Mirrors reflecting the various Beauties of those odoriferous Flowers which adorn'd their Banks. ”

“ Even Want of Complaisance to any menial Servant of a Minister, is esteem'd an Affront to his Master, and punish'd by a Year's Imprisonment; but a Slight put on any of the Squabbaws, is so heinous, that the Offender is punish'd, as for the highest Scandal. Sometimes it has happened, that Persons Question'd and Convicted for Fraud, Bribery, or other Crimes, by some Turn of Fortune having better'd their Circumstances, have afterwards been raised to Posts of Honour and Trust, and afterwards growing more wealthy, have been look'd upon with the same Esteem as the most worthy. ”

“ Trade is 163 M2 dead, Money is scarce, the Parsons are proud, rich and lazy; War is necessary for the Circulation of Money; and an honest Man may starve in these Times of Peace and Beggary.
"There are a great many Mysteries in Religion, which, as we don't know what to make of them, are altogether unnecessary, and ought to be laid aside, as well as a great many Ceremonies, which ought to be lopp'd off for being chargeable." ”

“ Now, if a Penny-weight of the Soul will make Twenty four Ounces, or Two Pound of Gold, consider what immense Treasure we may bring back with us, since the Palanquineers can fly with Five Hundred Weight in a Palanquin. ”

“ Yet while its fantasy looks back to Lucian's Icaro-Menippus, who flew to the moon by using the wing of a vulture and the wing of an eagle, its suggestion of the growing scientific temper of modern times makes it much more than mere xi fantasy. In the semilegendary history of Iran is to be found a tale, retold by Firdausi in the Shaknameh of Kavi Usan, who "essayed the sky To outsoar angels" by fastening four eagles to his throne. The Iranian motif was adopted in the romances of Alexander the Great and so passed into European literature. ”

“ You must first be informed, that Emperors do not always trouble themselves with the Affairs of State; for they sometimes pass their whole Lives in a continued Round of indolent Pleasures, while their Favourites govern all. ”

“ He will tell a Fowl of Quality without Ceremony, that he's a Pimp, and was raised by the Hens of his Family: He'll make no Bones of telling another, if his Prudence made him decline Danger, that he's a Coward: A Third he'll impudently remind of his former Livery, tho' his good Fortune has raised him to the Title of a Grandee. Nay, he had the Face to tell me, upon my refusing to take his Petition, That it was great Pity, when I was imprisoned for 77 Peculation, that the Justice of the Nation did not first purge, and then hang me ”

“ The possibility of extracting gold from the mountains of the moon is no more fanciful than several of the proposals seriously received by Englishmen under the spell of speculation. As in the kingdom of Cacklogallinia, so in London, men mortgaged their homes and women sold their jewels 4 in order to purchase shares in wildcat companies, born one day, only to die the next. ”

“ When I have seen the Fowl of Honour thrust out to make Place for a Sycophant, Court paid to Pandars and lewd Hens, and no Posts disposed of, but thro' the Interest of Lust; how often, Britain, have I congratulated thy Happiness, where Virtue is rewarded, Vice discountenanc'd and punish'd; where the Man of Merit is provided for, and not oblig'd to pay a Levee to the kept Mistress of a Statesman; and where the Ignorant, Pusillanimous, and Vicious, however distinguish'd by Birth and Fortune, are held in Contempt, and never admitted to publick Employment! ”

“ As to the resting our selves, I affirm from the Principles of sound Philosophy, that when once out of the Reach of the magnetick Power of the Earth, we shall no longer gravitate, for what we call Gravity, is no other than Attraction, consequently we may repose our selves in the Air, if there is Occasion, which I believe there will not ”

“ For tho' I have said, the Cacklogallinians have no such, yet their Neighbours have this Canvass, and Plenty of the Herb in and about most of their Towns, and can, in Twenty four Hours, put them in a Posture of Defence.
Upon the Decease of any Party, his Estate goes to the eldest of his Children, whether Male or Female; for the others, the Cocks are put into the Army, or to Trades; the Hens are married to the next Relations, who are obliged to take them, or allow them a Pension for Life, according to their Quality. Polygamy is forbid, tho' universally practised among the better Sort. ”

“ But that I may give you what Assistance is in our Power, in hopes of having you among us, we will shew the World unmask'd; that is, we will detain some time the Souls of Sleepers, that you may see what Man is, how false, how vain, in all he acts or wishes. ”

“ But, by what I could judge by my own proper Observation, this appeared to me, to be no more than an empty Boast (for indeed the Cacklogallinians are apt to run into an Extravagance of Vanity, whenever they speak of themselves) for in my Time my Friend and Patron the first Minister acted as absolutely, and 87 G4 dependently of all Creatures (except of the Squabbaws) as the most arbitrary Prince, who acknowledges no Law but his own Will and Pleasure. ”