The Consolidator | Page 9

rest here, and for the Benefit of my Native
Country, have made my self Master of these Engines, that I might in
due time have convey'd them to our Royal Society, that once in 40
Years they might have been said to do something for Publick Good;
and that the Reputation and Usefulness of the so so's might be recover'd
in England; but being told that in the Moon there were many of these
Glasses to be had very cheap, and I having declar'd my Resolution of
undertaking a Voyage thither, I deferred my Design, and shall defer my
treating of them, till I give some Account of my Arrival there.
But above all his Inventions for making this Voyage, I saw none more
pleasant or profitable, than a certain Engine formed in the shape of a
Chariot, on the Backs of two vast Bodies with extended Wings, which
spread about 50 Yards in Breadth, compos'd of Feathers so nicely put
together, that no Air could pass; and as the Bodies were made of Lunar
Earth which would bear the Fire, the Cavities were fill'd with an
Ambient Flame, which fed on a certain Spirit deposited in a proper
quantity, to last out the Voyage; and this Fire so order'd as to move
about such Springs and Wheels as kept the Wings in a most exact and
regular Motion, always ascendant; thus the Person being placed in this
airy Chariot, drinks a certain dozing Draught, that throws him into a
gentle Slumber, and Dreaming all the way, never wakes till he comes to
his Journey's end.

Of the Consolidator.
These Engines are call'd in their Country Language, Dupekasses; and
according to the Ancient Chinese, or Tartarian, Apezolanthukanistes; in
English, a Consolidator.
The Composition of this Engine is very admirable; for, as is before
noted, 'tis all made up of Feathers, and the quality of the Feathers, is no
less wonderful than their Composition; and therefore, I hope the Reader
will bear with the Description for the sake of the Novelty, since I assure
him such things as these are not to be seen in every Country.
The number of Feathers are just 513, they are all of a length and
breadth exactly, which is absolutely necessary to the floating Figure, or
else one side or any one part being wider or longer than the rest, it
would interrupt the motion of the whole Engine; only there is one
extraordinary Feather which, as there is an odd one in the number, is
placed in the Center, and is the Handle, or rather Rudder to the whole
Machine: This Feather is every way larger than its Fellows, 'tis almost
as long and broad again; but above all, its Quill or Head is much larger,
and it has as it were several small bushing Feathers round the bottom of
it, which all make but one presiding or superintendent Feather, to guide,
regulate, and pilot the whole Body.
Nor are these common Feathers, but they are pickt and cull'd out of all
parts of the Lunar Country, by the Command of the Prince; and every
Province sends up the best they can find, or ought to do so at least, or
else they are very much to blame; for the Employment they are put to
being of so great use to the Publick, and the Voyage or Flight so
exceeding high, it would be very ill done if, when the King sends his
Letters about the Nation, to pick him up the best Feathers they can lay
their Hands on, they should send weak, decay'd, or half-grown Feathers,
and yet sometimes it happens so; and once there was such rotten
Feathers collected, whether it was a bad Year for Feathers, or whether
the People that gather'd them had a mind to abuse their King; but the
Feathers were so bad, the Engine was good for nothing, but broke
before it was got half way; and by a double Misfortune, this happen'd to
be at an unlucky time, when the King himself had resolv'd on a Voyage,

or Flight to to the Moon; but being deceiv'd, by the unhappy
Miscarriage of the deficient Feathers, he fell down from so great a
height, that he struck himself against his own Palace, and beat his Head
off.
Nor had the Sons of this Prince much better Success, tho' the first of
them was a Prince mightily belov'd by his Subjects; but his Misfortunes
chiefly proceeded from his having made use of one of the Engines so
very long, that the Feathers were quite worn out, and good for nothing:
He used to make a great many Voyages and Flights into the Moon, and
then would make his Subjects give him great Sums of Money to come
down to them