SETTLEMENT:

Once there was an Island with four colonies upon it. Two were ruled by monarchs; two were ruled by democracies. One of the monarchs was wise whereas the other was a tyrant. So it came to pass that all the members of the wiser kingdom prospered while the slaves of tyranny despaired. And the two remaining colonies simply bore witness.

At first, the two democracies were one. Whenever someone complained, someone said: “We should be more like the Wise Kingdom!!” And then an other intervened, retorting: “At least we are not so bad as the Cruel Tyranny!!”

Finally a vote was cast to divide the democracies. So it came to pass that everyone who wanted to emulate the Wise Monarch wound up in one colony, whereas the rest ended up in an other.

Over time, the latter of the two colonies had managed to become so horrific that even the Tyrant loved to tour it and to laugh, and the subjects of the Tyranny were invited to visit and to feel grateful for their own lot in life.

Meanwhile, the emulators of the Wise Kingdom prospered, seeing such heights that made the Monarchy pale before the democratic colony, so much so that the Wise Monarch found it wise to forbid the subjects of the Kingdom to gain access to the democratic colony, lest they revolt against the Monarchy in envy.

So it came to pass that one day the democratic colonies met again, and they both commended one an other for having reached the limit that they’d used as an example.

Dm.A.A.