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golam, who was pleased, without any provocation, to be my mortal enemy. But it was carried against him by the whole board, and confirmed by the emperor. That minister was galbet, or admiral of the realm, very much in his mafter's confidence, and a perfon well versed in affairs, but of a morofe and four complexion. However, he was at length perfuaded to comply; but prevailed that the articles and conditions upon which I fhould be fet free, and to which I must fwear, fhould be drawn up by himself. Thefe articles were brought to me by Skyresh Bolgolam in perfon, attended by two under fecretaries, and feveral perfons of diftinction. After they were read, I was determined to fwear to the performance of them; first in the manner of my own country, and afterwards in the method prefcribed by their laws, which was to hold my right foot in my left hand, and to place the middle finger of my right hand on the crown of my head, and my thumb on the tip of my right ear. But because the

reader may be curious to have fome idea of the ftyle and manner of expreffion peculiar to that people, as well as to know the articles upon which I recovered my liberty, I have made a tranflation of the whole intrument word for word, as near as I was able, which I here offer to the public.

Golbafto Momaren Evlame Gurcilo Shefin Mully Ully Gue, molt mighty emperor of Lilliput, delight and terror of the univerfe, whole dominions extend five thoutand bluftrugs, (about twelve miles in circumference) to the extremities of the globe; monarch of all monarchs, taller than the fons of men; whofe feet prefs down to the centre, and whofe head ftrikes against the fun; at whofe nod the princes of the earth thake their knees; pleafant as the fpring, comfortable as the fummer, fruitful as autumn, dreadful as winter. His moft fublime majefty propofeth to the Man-mountain, lately arrived at our celeftial dominions, the following articles, which by a folemn oath he hall be obliged to perform,

Ift. The Man-mountain fhall not depart

from our dominions without our licence under our great feal.

2d. He shall not prefume to come into our metropolis without our exprefs order;

at which time the inhabitants hall have two hours warning to keep within doors.

3d. The fail Man-mountain fhall confae his walks to our principal high roads, and not offer to walk or lie down in a meadow or field of corn.

4th. As he walks the faid roads, he shall take the utmost care not to trample upon the bodies of any of our loving fubjects, their horfes or carriages, nor take any of our fubjects into his hands without their own confent.

5th. If an exprefs requires extraordinary dispatch, the Man-mountain fhall be obliged to carry in his pocket the meflenger and horfe a fix-days journey once in every moon, and return the faid mesenger back (if required) fafe to our imperial prefence.

6th. He fhall be our ally against our enemies in the ifland of Blefufcu, and do his utmost to destroy their fleet, which is now preparing to invade us.

7th. That the faid Man-mountain fhall, at his times of leifure, be aiding and affiling to our workmen, in helping to raise certain great ftones, towards covering the wall of the principal park and other our royal buildings.

8th. That the faid Man-mountain shall. in two moons time, deliver in an exact furvey of the circumference of our dominions, by a computation of his own paces round the coaft.

Laftly, That, upon his folemn oath to obferve all the above articles, the faid Manmountain fhall have a daily allowance of meat and drink fufficient for the fupport of 1724 of our fubjects, with free access to our royal perfon, and other marks of our faGiven at our palace at Belfaborac, the twelfth day of the ninety-first moon of our reign.

vour.

I fwore and fubfcribed to thefe articles with great chearfulness and content, although fome of them were not fo honourable as I could have wifhed; which proceeded wholly from the malice of Skyreth Bolgolam, the high-admiral: whereupon my chains were immediately unlocked, and I was at full liberty. The emperor himself in perfon did me the honour to be by at the whole ceremony. I made my acknowledg ments by proftrating myself at his majesty's feet, but he commanded me to rife; and

after many gracious expreflions, which, to avoid the cenfure of vanity, I fhall not repeat, be added, that he hoped I should prove favours he had already conferred upon me, a ufeful fetvant, and well deferve all the or might do for the future.

In his defcription of Lilliput he feems to have hat England more immediately in view. In his defcription of Blefufcu, he feems to intend the people and kingdom of France. ORRENT.

The

The reader may please to obferve, that, in the last article for the recovery of my liberty, the emperor ftipulates to allow me a quantity of meat and drink fufficient for the fupport of 1724 Lilliputians. Some time after, afking a friend at court how they came to fix on that determinate number; he told me that his majefty's mathematicians having taken the height of my body by the help of a quadrant, and finding it to exceed theirs in the proportion of twelve to one, they concluded, from the fimilarity of their bodies, that mine muft contain at least 1724 of theirs, and confequently would require as much food as was neceffary to fupport that number of Lilliputians. By which the reader may conceive an idea of the ingenuity of that people, as well as the prudent and exact economy of fo great a prince.

CHA P. IV.

Mildendo, the metropolis of Lilliput, defcribed, together with the emperor's palace. A converfation between the author and a principal fecretary concerning the affairs of that empire. The author's offers to ferve the emperor in his wars.

The first request I'made, after I had obtained my liberty, was, that I might have licence to fee Mildendo, the metropolis; which the emperor eafily granted me, but with a fpecial charge to do no hurt either. to the inhabitants or their houfes. The people had notice by proclamation of my defign to vifit the town. The wall, which encompaffed it, is two feet and a half high, and at leaft eleven inches broad, so that a coach and horfes may be driven very fafely round it; and it is flanked with ftrong towers at ten feet distance. I ftept over the great western gate, and paffed very gently, and fideling, through the two principal ftreets, only in my fhort waiftcoat, for fear of damaging the roofs and eves of the houses with the skirts of my coat. I walked with the utmost circumfpection to avoid treading on any straggler, who might remain in the streets; although the orders were very ftrict, that all people fhould keep in their houses at their own peril. The garret-windows and tops of houfes were fo crowded with fpectators, that I thought in all my travels I had not feen a more populous place. The city is an exact fquare, each fide of the wall being five hundred feet long, The two great ftreets, which run

crofs and divide it into four quarters, are five feet wide. The lanes and alleys, which I could not enter, but only viewed them as I paffed, are from twelve to eighteen inches. The town is capable of holding five hundred thoufand fouls; the houses are from three to five ftories: the shops and markets well provided.

The emperor's palace is in the centre of the city, where the two great streets meet. It is inclofed by a wall of two feet high, and twenty feet diftance from the buildings. I had his majesty's permiffion to step over this wall; and the space being fo wide between that and the palace, I could cafily view it on every fide. The outward court is a fquare of forty feet, and includes two other courts; in the inmoft are the royal apartments, which I was very defirous to fee, but found it extremely difficult: for the great gates, from one fquare into another, were but eighteen inches high, and feven inches wide. Now the buildings of the outer court were at least five feet high, and it was impoffible for me to stride over them without infinite damage to the pile, though the walls were ftrongly built of hewn ftone, and four inches thick. At the fame time the emperor had a great defire that I should see the magnificence of his palace; but this I was not able to do till three days after, which 1 fpent in cutting down with my knife fome of the largest trees in the royal park, about an hundred yards diftant from the city. Of these trees I made two ftools, each about three feet high, and ftrong enough to bear my weight. The people having received notice a fecond time, I went again through the city to the palace with my two ftools in my hands. When I came to the fide of the outer court, I food upon one stool, and took the other in my hand: this I lifted over the roof, and gently fet it down on the space between the firft and fecond court, which was eighty feet wide. I then ftept over the building very conveniently from one ftool to the other, and drew up the firft after me with a hooked stick. By this contrivance I got into the inmoft court; and, lying down upon my fide, I applied my face to the windows of the middle ftories, which were left open on purpose, and difcovered the moft fplendid apartments that can be imagined. There I saw the empress and the young princes in their feveral lodgings, with their chief attendants about them. Her imperial majefty was pleafed to fmile very graciously upon me, and gave me out of the window her hand to kifs.

But

But I fhall not anticipate the reader with further defcriptions of this kind, because I referve them for a greater work, which is now almoft ready for the prefs, containing a general defcription of this empire, from its firft erection, through a long feries of princes, with a particular account of their wars and politics, laws, learning, and religion, their plants and animals, their peculiar manners and cuftoms, with other matters very curious and useful; my chief defign at prefent being only to relate fuch events and transactions, as happened to the public or to myfelf, during a refidence of about nine months in that empire.

One morning, about a fortnight after I had obtained ury liberty, Reldrefal, principal fecretary of state (as they ftyle him) for private affairs, came to my houfe attended only by one fervant. He ordered his coach to wait at a distance, and defired I would give him an hour's audience; which I readily confented to, on account of his quality and perfonal merits, as well as of the many good offices he had done me during my folicitations at court. I offered to lie down, that he might the more conveniently reach my ear; but he chofe rather to let me hold him in my hand during our converfation. He began with compliments on my liberty; faid, he might pretend to fome merit in it: but however added, that, if it had not been for the prefent fituation of things at court, perhaps I might not have obtained it fo foon. For, faid he, as flourishing a condition as we may appear to be in to foreigners, we labour under two mighty evils; a violent faction at home, and the danger of an invafion by a moft potent enemy from abroad. As to the first, you are to underftand, that for above feventy moons paft there have been two ftruggling parties in this empire, under the names of Trameckfan and Slameckfan, from the high and low heels of their fhoes, by which they diftinguish themselves. It is alledged indeed, that the high heels are moft agreeable to our ancient conltitution; but, however this be, his majesty is determined to make ufe only of low heels in the administration of the government, and all offices in the gift of the crown, as you cannot but obferve; and particularly, that his majesty's imperial

High-church and Low-church, or Whig and Tory. As every accidental difference between man and man in perfon and circumstances is by this work rendered extremely contemptible; fo fpeculative differences are shown to be equally ridiculous, when the zeal with which they are oppofed and defended too much exceeds their import

ance,

heels are lower at least by a drurr than any of his court (drurr is a measure about the fourteenth part of an inch.) The animofities between these two parties run fo high, that they will neither eat nor drink, nor talk with each other. We compute the Trameckfan, or high-heels, to exceed us in number; but the power is wholly on our fide. We apprehend his imperial highness, the heir to the crown, to have fome tendency towards the high-heels; at least, we can plainly difcover, that one of his heels is higher than the other, which gives him a hobble in his gait. Now, in the midst of thefe inteftine difquiets we are threatened with an invafion from the island of Blefuscu, which is the other great empire of the univerfe, almost as large and powerful as this of his majefty. For as to what we have heard you affirm, that there are other kingdoms and states in the world, inhabited by human creatures as large as yourself, our philofophers are in much doubt, and would rather conjecture that you dropped from the moon, or one of the itars; because it is certain, that an hundred mortals of your bulk would, in a fhort time, destroy all the fruits and cattle of his majesty's dominions: befides, cur hiftorics of fix thousand moons make no mention of any other regions, than the two great empires of Lilliput and Blefufcu. Which two mighty powers have, as I was going to tell you, been engaged in a moft obftinate war for fix-and-thirty moons paft. It began upon the following occafion: it is allowed on all hands, that the primitive way of breaking eggs, before we eat them, was upon the largest end; but his prefent majefty's grandfather, while he was a boy, going to eat an egg, and breaking it according to the ancient practice, happened to cut one of his fingers. Whereupon the emperor, his father, publifhed an edict, commanding all his fubjects, upon great penalties, to break the fmaller end of their eggs. The people fo highly refented this law, that our hiftories tell us, there have been fix rebellions raised on that account: wherein one emperor loft his life, and another his crown. Thefe civil commotions were conftantly fomented by the monarchs of Blefufcu; and when they were quelled, the exiles always fled for refuge to that empire. It is computed that eleven thousand perfons have at feveral times fuffered death, rather than fubmit to break their eggs at the fmaller end. Many hundred large volumes have been published upon this controverfy: but the books of the Big-endians have been long forbidden, and the whole party ren

dered

dered incapable by law of holding employments. During the course of these troubles, the emperors of Blefufcu did frequently expoftulate by their ambaffadors, accufing us of making a fchifin in religion by offending against a fundamental doctrine of our great prophet Luftrog, in the fiftyfourth chapter of the Blundecral (which is their Alcoran.) This however is thought to be a mere ftrain upon the text; for the words are thefe; "That all true believers "break their eggs at the convenient end." And which is the convenient end, fhould in my humble opinion be left to every man's confcience, or at least in the power of the chief magiftrate to determine. Now, the Big-endian exiles have found fo much credit in the emperor of Blefufcu's court, and fo much private affiftance and encouragement from their party here at home, that a bloody war hath been carried on between the two empires for fix-and-thirty moons, with various fuccefs; during which time we have loft forty capital fhips, and a much greater number of fmaller vessels, together with thirty thoufand of our beft feamen and foldiers; and the damage received by the enemy is reckoned to be fomewhat greater than ours. However, they have now equipped a numerous flect, and are just preparing to make a defcent upon us; and his imperial majefty, placing a great confidence in your valour and ftrength, hath commanded me to lay this account of his affairs before you.

I defired the fecretary to prefent my humble duty to the emperor, and to let him know, that I thought it would not be come me, who was a foreigner, to interfere with parties; but I was ready with the hazard of my life to defend his perfon and state against all invaders

CHA P. V.

The author, by an extraordinary stratagem, prevents an invafion. A high title of honour is conferred upon him. Ambajadors arrive from the emperor of Blefufcu, and fue for peace. The empress's apartment on fire by an accident; the author inftrumental in faving the reft of the palace.

The empire of Blefufcu is an ifland, fituated to the north-eaft fide of Lilliput, from

*Gulliver, without examining the fubject of difpute, readily engaged to defend the emperor against invafion; because he knew that no fuch monarch had a right to invade the dominions of another, for the propagation of truth.

whence it is parted only by a channel of eight hundred yards wide. I had not yet feen it, and upon this notice of an intended invafion I avoided appearing on that fide of the coaft, for fear of being discovered by fome of the enemy's thips, who had received no intelligence of me, all intercourfe between the two empires having been ftrictly forbidden during the war upon pain of death, and an embargo laid by our emperor upon all veffels whatfoever. I com municated to his majesty a project I formed of feizing the enemy's whole fleet: which, our fcouts affured us, lay at anchor in the harbour ready to fail with the first fair wind. I confulted the most experienced feamen upon the depth of the channel, which they had often plummed; who told me, that in the middle at high-water it was feventy glumgluffs deep, which is about fix feet of European meafure; and the reft of it fifty glumgluffs at most. I walked towards the north-eaft coast, over against Blefufcu; where, lying down behind a hillock, I took out my small perfpective-glafs, and viewed the enemy's fleet at anchor, confifting of about fifty men of war, and a great number of tranfports: I then came back to my house, and gave orders (for which I had a warrant) for a great quantity of the strongest cable and bars of iron. The cable was about as thick as packthread, and the bars of the length and fize of a knitting-needle. I trebled the cable to make it stronger, and for the fame reason I twisted three of the iron bars together, bending the extremities into a hook. Having thus fixed fifty hooks to as many cables, I went back to the north-eaft coaft, and putting off my coat, fhoes, and ftockings, walked into the fea in my leathern jerkin, about half an hour before high-water. I waded with what hafte I could, and fwam in the middle about thirty yards, till I felt ground; I arrived at the fleet in lefs than half an hour. The enemy was fo frighted, when they faw me, that they leaped out of their hips, and fwam to fhore, where there could not be fewer than thirty thousand fouls: I then took my tackling, and, faftening a hook to the hole at the prow of each, I tied all the cords together at the end, While I was thus employed, the enemy discharged feveral thousand arrows, many of which stuck in my hands and face; and, befides the exceffive fmart, gave me much disturbance in my work. My greatest apprehenfion was for mine eyes, which I fhould have

infallibly

infallibly loft, if I had not fuddenly thought of an expedient. I kept among other little neceffaries, a pair of fpectacles in a private pocket, which, as I obferved before, had escaped the emperor's fearchers. Thefe I took out and faltened as ftrongly as I could upon my nose, and thus armed went on boldly with my work, in fpite of the enemy's arrows, many of which ftruck against the glaffes of my fpectacles, but without any other effect, farther than a little to difcompofe them. I had now faftened all the hooks, and taking the knot in my hand began to pull; but not a fhip would ftir, for they were all too faft held by their anchors, fo that the boldeft part of my enterprize remained. I therefore go the cord, and leaving the hooks fixed to the fhips, I refolutely cut with my knife the cables that faftened the anchors, receiving above two hundred fhots in my face and hands; then I took up the knotted end of the cables, to which my hooks were tied, and with great eafe drew fifty of the enemy's largest men of war after me.

let

The Biefufcudians, who had not the leaft imagination of what I intended, were at firft confounded with aftonishment. They had feen me cut the cables, and thought my defign was only to let the thips run adrift, or fall foul on each other: but when they perceived the whole fleet moving in order, and faw me pulling at the end, they fet up fuch a feream of grief and defpair, as it is almoft impoffible to defcribe or conceive. When I had got out of danger, I ftopt awhile to pick out the arrows that ftuck in my hands and face; ând rubbed on fome of the fame ointment that was given me at my first arrival, as I have formerly mentioned. I then took off my fpectacles, and waiting about an hour, till the tide was a little fallen, I waded through the middle with my cargo, and arrived fafe at the royal port of Lilliput.

The emperor and his whole court flood on the shore expecting the ifiue of this great adventure. They faw the hips move forward in a large half-moon, but could not difcern me, who was up to my breaft in water. When I advanced to the middle of the channel, they were yet in more pain, because I was under water to my neck. The emperor concluded me to be drowned, and that the enemy's fleet was approaching in an hoftile manner: but he was foon eafed of his fears, for the channel growing fhallower every ftep I made, I Came in a fhort time within hearing; and holding up the end of the cable, by which

the fleet was faftened, I cried in a loud voice," Long live the most puiffant emperor of Lilliput!" This great prince received me at my landing with all poffible encomiums, and created me a nardac upon the pot, which is the highest title of honour among them.

His majefty defired I would take fome other opportunity of bringing all the reft of his enemy's fhips into his ports. And fo unmeasurable is the ambition of princes, that he feemed to think on nothing lefs than reducing the whole empire of Blefuscu into a province, and governing it by a viceroy of deftroying the Big-endian exiles, and compelling that people to break the fmaller end of their eggs, by which he would remain the fole monarch of the whole world. But I endeavoured to divert him from this defign, by many arguments drawn from the topics of policy as well as juftice: and I plainly proteiled, that I would never be an inftrument of bringing a free and brave people into flavery. And when the matter was debated in council, the wifeft part of the ministry were of my opinion.

This open bold declaration of mine was fo oppofite to the fchemes and politics of his imperial majefty, that he could never forgive me; he mentioned it in a very artful manner at council, where I was told that fome of the wifeft appeared at leaft by their filence to be of my opinion; but others, who were my fecret enemies, could not forbear fome expreffions, which by a fide-wind reflected on me. And from this time began an intrigue between his majefty and a junto of minifters maliciously bent against me, which broke out in lefs than two months, and had like to have ended in my utter deftruction. Of fo little weight are the greatest fervices to princes, when put into the balance with a refusal to gratify their paffions.

About three weeks after this exploit, there arrived a folemn embafly from Blefufcu, with humble offers of a peace; which was foon concluded upon conditions very advantageous to our emperor, wherewith I fhall not trouble the reader. There were fix ambaladors, with a train of about five hundred perfons; and their entry was very magnificent, fuitable to the grandeur of their matter, and the importance of their bufinefs. When their treaty was finished, wherein I did them feveral good offices by. the credit I now had, or at least appeared to have at court, their excellencies, who were privately told how much I had been

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