|
Main
- books.jibble.org
My Books
- IRC Hacks
Misc. Articles
- Meaning of Jibble
- M4 Su Doku
- Computer Scrapbooking
- Setting up Java
- Bootable Java
- Cookies in Java
- Dynamic Graphs
- Social Shakespeare
External Links
- Paul Mutton
- Jibble Photo Gallery
- Jibble Forums
- Google Landmarks
- Jibble Shop
- Free Books
- Intershot Ltd
|
books.jibble.org
Previous Page
| Next Page
Page 22
The Religion of the _Cacklogallinians_.
This Nation pretends to believe a first Being, and to worship one God,
tho' I confess, when I was first amongst them, I thought otherwise; for
I Found the People of the best Rank amongst them always ridiculing
Religion. They had formerly a Globe of pure Gold in their Temples, an
Emblem of Eternity: It was inscribed with unintelligible Characters, by
which they figured the Inscrurability of his Decrees. This some call'd
superstitious, and were for having razed, and the Ball, which was, in
their Opinion, too big, new melted, and cast into a different Form. Some
were for a Square, to give an Emblem, of Justice; others would have it,
an Octogon, by which they would shadow his Ubiquity. Another Party
insisted upon its being cast again, but in no regular Form; for all
Forms and Regularity they look'd upon superstitious. Their Disputes on
this Subject ran so high, that they came to Blows, and each Party, as it
was victorious, modelled the Globe to his own Humour or Caprice. But the
Ball being so often melted, and Part of the Gold being lost in each
Fusion, it was at last almost imperceivable. These Bickerings shed a
great deal of Blood, and being at length tired with worrying each other
upon this Account, a new Globe was cast, but not exactly round, to
satisfy tender Consciences. In process of Time, it was thought that a
brazen Globe might do as well as one of Gold, and new Disputes beginning
to arise, it was decreed, that this Globe should stand in the Temple,
but that every one in particular should have at home an Idol after his
own Fashion provided they wou'd only bow to this, and the Revenues were
continued to the Priests to furnish Sacrifices. The Heads of the Priests
at last thinking these Sacrifices altogether needless, and a very great
Expence, dropp'd 'em by Degrees: However, some say this was done by some
of the Grandees, as a Means to make the Priests less respected, and put
the Money in their own Coffers, which has made them both rich and
insolent. They were formerly a cunning Set, but they are not look'd upon
as such now, for they take but little Care, either to cultivate the
Interest, or support the Credit and Dignity of their Order; and as some
of them are given to Luxury, which they have not taken due Care to
conceal, the common Sort do not entertain the same Respect for them they
did in former Times.
However, the poor Clergy (for they are not all rich, Affairs of Religion
being modell'd after those of the State, the Great devouring the Small)
lead moral Lives, and there is a Sect amongst them which keeps up the
golden Ball, continues the Sacrifices, and detests Perjury; but these
are obliged to perform their Ceremonies by Stealth, and are prosecuted
as an obstinate ill-designing People.
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. They also chufe out now and then, some to place at their
Head, who had distinguish'd themselves for their Infidelity, and had
declared themselves Enemies to the Religion of the Country, by which
means the whole Order lost their Sway with the People; besides which,
the richer Sort amongst them were generally reputed to be much addicted
to Gluttony.
Of the Policy and Government of the _Cacklogallinians_.
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; and that whenever he attempts to transgress those Bounds,
they make no Ceremony of turning him out, and setting up another in his
Room. 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 dependently of all Creatures
(except of the _Squabbaws_) as the most arbitrary Prince, who
acknowledges no Law but his own Will and Pleasure.
Previous Page
| Next Page
|
|