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about the bignefs of a fpangle) and upon the whole, that it would be advifeable in the emperor to take the first fair occafion of difmiffing me.

I am here obliged to vindicate the reputation of an excellent lady, who was an innocent fufferer upon my account. The treasurer took a fancy to be jealous of his wife, from the malice of fome evil tongues, who informed him that her grace had taken a violent affection for my perfon; and the court-scandal ran for fome time, that the once came privately to my lodging. This 1 folemnly declare to be a molt infamous falfhood without any grounds, farther than that her grace was pleafed to treat me with all innocent marks of freedom and friend. fhip. I own the came often to my house, but always publicly, nor ever without three more in the coach, who were ufually her fifter and young daughter, and fome particular acquaintance; but this was common to many other ladies of the court. And I ftill appeal to my fervants round, whether they at any time faw a coach at my door, without knowing what perfons were in it. On those occafions, when a fervant had given me notice, my custom was to go immediately to the door; and, after paying my refpects, to take up the coach and two horfes very carefully in my hands (for, if there were fix horfes, the poftillion always unharneffed four) and placed them on a table, where I had fixed a moveable rim quite round, of five inches high to prevent accidents. And I have often had four coaches and horfes at once on my table full of company, while I fat in my chair, lean ing my face towards them; and, when I was engaged with one fet, the coachmen would gently drive the others round my table. I have paffed many an afternoon very agree ably in thefe converfations. But I defy the treasurer, or his two informers (I will name them, and let them make their best of it) Cluftril and Drunlo, to prove that any perfon ever came to me incognito, except the fecretary Reldrefal, who was fent by exprefs command of his imperial majefty, as I have before related. I fhould not have dwelt fo long upon this particular, if it had not been a point wherein the reputation of a great lady is fo nearly concerned, to fay nothing of my own, though I then had the honour to be a nardac, which the treasurer himself is not; for all the world knows, that he is only a glumglum; a title inferior by one degree, as that of a marquis is to a duke in England; yet I allow he preceded

me in right of his post. These falfe informations, which I afterwards came to the knowledge of by an accident not proper to mention, made the treasurer shew his lady for fome time an ill countenance and me a worse; and although he was at laft undeceived and reconciled to her, yet I loft all credit with him, and found my interest decline very faft with the emperor himself, who was indeed too much governed by that favourite.

CHAP. VII.

The author, being informed of a defign to accufe him of high treason, maketh his efcape to Blefufcu. His reception there.

Before I proceed to give an account of my leaving this kingdom, it may be proper to inform the reader of a private intrigue, which had been for two months forming against me.

I had been hitherto all my life a stranger to courts, for which I was unqualified by the meanness of my condition. I had in deed heard and read enough of the difpofitions of great princes and minifters; but never expected to have found fuch terrible effects of them in fo remote a country, governed, as I thought, by very different-maxims from thofe in Europe.

When I was juft preparing to pay my attendance on the emperor of Blefufcu, a confiderable perfon at court (to whom I had been very ferviceable, at a time when he lay under the higheft difpleasure of his imperial majefty) came to my house very privately at night in a close chair, and, without fending his name, defired admittance: the chairmen were difmiffed; I put the chair, with his lordship in it, into my coat-pocket; and, giving orders to a trufty fervant to fay I was indifpofed and gone to fleep, I faftened the door of my house, placed the chair on the table according to my ufual cuftom, and fat down by it. After the common falutations were over, ob ferving his lordship's countenance full of concern, and enquiring into the reafon, he defired I would hear him with patience in a matter that highly concerned my honour and my life. His fpeech was to the follow. ing effect, for I took notes of it as foon as he left me.

You are to know, faid he, that feveral committees of council have been lately called in the most private manner on your account; and it is but two days fince his ma jelly came to a full refolution,

You

You are very fenfible that Skyrefh Bolgolam (galbet, or high-admiral) hath been your mortal enemy almost ever fince your arrival: his original reafons I know not; but his hatred is increafed fince your great fuccefs againit Blefufcu, by which his glory, as admiral, is much obfcured. This lord, in conjunction with Flimnap the hightreasurer, whofe enmity against you is notorious on account of his lady, Limtoc the general, Lalcon the chamberlain, and Balmuff the grand jufliciary, have prepared articles of impeachment against you for treafon, and other capital crimes.

This preface made me fo impatient, being confcious of my own merits and innocence, that I was going to interrupt: when he entreated me to be filent, and thus proceeded:

Out of gratitude for the favours you have done me, I procured information of the whole proceedings, and a copy of the articles; wherein I venture my head for your fervice.

tor against his moft aufpicious, ferene, imperial majefty, did petition to be excufed from the faid fervice, upon pretence of unwillingness to force the consciences, or deftroy the liberties and lives of an innocent people.*

ARTICLE III.

That, whereas certain ambassadors arrived from the court of Blefufcu to fue for peace in his majesty's court: he the faid Fleftrin did, like a falfe traitor, aid, abet, comfort, and divert the faid ambaffadors, although he knew them to be fervants to a prince who was lately an open enemy to his imperial majefty, and in open war against his faid majefty.

ARTICLE IV.

That the faid Quinbus Fleftrin, contrary to the duty of a faithful fubject, is now preparing to make a voyage to the court and empire of Blefufcu, for which he hath received only verbal licence from his imperial majefty; and under colour of the

Article of Impeachment against Quinbus Flef- faid licence doth falfely and traitorously

trin, the Man-mountain.
ARTICLE I.

Whereas by a ftatute made in the reign of his imperial majefty Calin Deffar Plune, it is enacted, that whoever fhall make water within the precincts of the royal palace, fhall be liable to the pains and penalties of high treafon: notwithstanding, the faid Quinbus Fleftrin, in open breach of the faid law, under colour of extinguishing the fire kindled in the apartment of his majesty's moft dear imperial confort, did malicioufly, traitorously, and devilishly, by difcharge of his urine, put out the faid fire kindled in the faid apartment, lying and being within the precincts of the faid royal palace, against the itatute in that cafe provided, Sc. against the duty, &c.

ARTICLE II.

That the faid Quinbus Fleftrin having brought the imperial fleet of Blefufcu into the royal port, and being afterwards commanded by his imperial majefty to feize all the other fhips of the faid empire of Blefufcu, and reduce that empire to a province to be governed by a vice-roy from hence, and to deltroy and put to death not only all the big-endian exiles, but likewife all the people of that empire, who would. not immediately forfake the big-endian herefy he the faid Fleftrin, like a falfe trai

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infifted that

In the feveral debates upon this impeachment it must be confeffed that his majefty gave many marks of his great lenity, often urging the fervices you had done him, and endeavouring to extenuate your crimes. The treasurer and admiral painful and ignominious death, by fetting you fhould be put to the most fire on your houfe at night, and the general was to attend with twenty thousand men armed with poisoned arrows to fhoot you on the face and hands. Some of your fervants were to have private orders to strew a poisonous juice on your fhirts and sheets, which would foon make you tear your own flesh, and die in the utmost torture. The general came into the fame opinion; fo that for a long time there was a majority against you: but his majesty refolving, if poffible,

A lawyer thinks himself honeft if he does the best he can for his client, and a ftatesman if he promotes the intereft of his country; but the dean here inculcates an higher notion of right and wrong, and obligations to a larger community.

to fpare your life, at last brought off the chamberlain.

Upon this incident Reldrefal, principal fecretary for private affairs, who always approved himself your true friend, was commanded by the emperor to deliver his opinion, which he accordingly did: and therein juftified the good thoughts you have of him. He allowed your crimes to be great, but that ftill there was room for mercy, the most commendable virtue in a prince, and for which his majefty was fo justly celebrated. He faid, the friendship between you and him was fo well known to the world, that perhaps the most honourable board might think him partial; however, in obedience to the command he had received, he would freely offer his fentiments. That if his majefty, in confideration of your fervices, and pursuant to his own merciful difpofition, would please to fpare your life, and only give order to put out both your eyes, he humbly conceived, that by this expedient juftice might in fome measure be justified, and all the world would applaud the lenity of the emperor, as well as the fair and generous proceedings of thofe who have the honour to be his counfellors. That the lofs of your eyes would be no impediment to your bodily ftrength, by which you might ftill be ufeful to his majefty: that blindnefs is an addition to courage, by concealing dangers from us; that the fear you had for your eyes, was the greatest difficulty in bringing over the enemy's fleet; and it would be fufficient for you to fee by the eyes of the minifters, fince the greatest princes do no more.

This propofal was received with the utmoft difapprobation by the whole board. Bolgolam the admiral could not preferve his temper; but rifing up in fury laid, he wondered how the fecretary durft prefume to give his opinion for preferving the hife of a traitor; that the fervices you had performed were, by all true reafons of ftate, the great aggravation of your crimes; that you, who was able to extinguish the fire by discharge of urine in her majesty's apartment (which he mentioned with horror) might at another time raife an inundation by the fame means to drown the whole palace; and the fame ftrength, which enabled you to bring over the enemy's fleet, might ferve upon the first difcontent to carry them back: that he had good reafons to think you were a Big-endian in your heart; and as treafon begins in the heart before it appear in overt-acts, fo he

accufed you as a traitor on that account, and therefore infifted you should be put to death.

The treasurer was of the fame opinion: he fhewed to what ftreights his majesty's revenue was reduced by the charge of maintaining you, which would foon grow infupportable: that the fecretary's expedient of putting out your eyes was fo far from being a remedy against this evil, that it would probably increase it, as is manifeft from the common practice of blinding fome kind of fowl, after which they fed the fafter and grew fooner fat: that his facred majety and the council, who are your judges, were in their own confciences fully convinced of your guilt, which was a fufficient argument to condemn you to death, without the formal proofs required by the ftrict letter of the law

But his imperial majefty, fully determined against capital punishment, was graciously pleafed to fay, that fince the council thought the lofs of your eyes too easy a cenfure, fome other may be inflicted hereafter. And your friend the fecretary, humbly defiring to be heard again, in antwer to what the treasurer had objected concerning the great charge his majesty was at in inaintaining you, faid, that his excellency, who had the fole difpofal of the emperor's revenue, might easily provide against that evil, by gradually letlening your establishment; by which, for want of fufficient food, you would grow weak and faint, and lofe your appetite, and confume in a few months; neither would the stench of your carcafe be then fo dangerous, when it fhould become more than half diminished, and immediately upon your death, five or fix thousand of his majesty's fubjects might in two or three days cut your flesh from your bones, take it away by cartloads, and bury it in diftant parts to prevent infection, leaving the skeleton as a monument of admiration to poste. rity.

Thus by the great friendship of the fe

There is fomething fo odious in whatever is wrong, that even those whom it does not fubje& to punishment endeavour to colour it with an apfuccefsful, and only betrays a confcioufnels of pearance of right; but the attempt is always undeformity by thewing a defire to hide it. Thus the Lilliputian court pretended a right to difpenfe with the ftrict letter of the law to put Gulliver only he could be convicted of a crime; the interto death, though by the ftrict letter of the law tion of the ftatute not being to fuffer the palace rather to be burnt than piffed upon.

cretary

cretary the whole affair was compromifed. It was ftrictly enjoined, that the project of ftarving you by degrees fhould be kept a fecret, but the sentence of putting out your eyes was entered on the books; none diffenting except Bolgolam the admiral, who, being a creature of the emprefs's, was perpetually inftigated by her majefty to infift upon your death, fhe having borne perpetual malice against you on account of that infamous and illegal method you took to extinguish the fire in her apartment.

In three days, your friend the fecretary will be directed to come to your houfe, and read before you the articles of impeach ment; and then to fignify the great lenity and favour of his majefty and council, whereby you are only condemned to the lofs of your eyes, which his majefty doth not question you will gratefully and humbly fubmit to; and twenty of his majesty's furgeons will attend in order to fee the operation well performed, by difcharging very sharp-pointed arrows into the balls of your eyes, as you lie on the ground.

I leave to your prudence what measures you will take; and, to avoid fufpicion, I muft immediately return in as private a manner as I came.

His lordship did fo, and I remained alone under many doubts and perplexities of mind.

It was a custom introduced by this prince and his miniftry (very different, as I have been affured, from the practices of former times) that after the court had decreed any cruel execution, either to gratify the mo narch's refentment, or the malice of a favourite, the emperor always made a speech to his whole council, expreffing his great lenity and tendernefs, as qualities known and confeffed by all the world. This fpeech was immediately published through the kingdom; nor did any thing terrify the people fo much as thofe encomiums on his majesty's mercy; because it was observed, that, the more thefe praifes were enlarged and infisted on, the more inhuman was the punishment, and the sufferer more innocent. Yet as to myfelf, I must confefs, having never been defigned for a courtier, either by birth or education, I was fo ill a judge of things, that I could not difcover the lenity and favour of this fentence, but conceived it (perhaps erroneously) rather to be rigorous than gentle. I fometimes thought of ftanding my trial; for, although I could not deny the facts

alledged in the feveral articles, yet I hoped they would admit of fome extenuation. But having in my life perufed many ftatetrials, which I ever obferved to terminate as the judges thought fit to direct, I durft not rely on fo dangerous a decifion, in fo critical a juncture, and against fuch powerful enemies. Once I was strongly bent upon refiftance, for, while I had liberty, the whole ftrength of that empire could hardly fubdue me, and I might eafily with stones pelt the metropolis to pieces; but I foon rejected that project with horror, by remembering the oath 1 had made to the emperor, the favours I had received from him, and the high title of nardac he conferred upon me. Neither had I fo foon learned the gratitude of courtiers, to perfuade myfelf, that his majefty's prefent feverities acquitted me of all past obligations.

At laft I fixed upon a refolution, for which it is probable I may incur fome cenfure, and not unjustly; for I confefs I owe the preferving mine eyes, and confequently my liberty, to my own great rafhness, and want of experience; becaufe, if I had then known the nature of princes and minifters, which I have fince obferved in many other courts, and their methods of treating criminals less obnoxious than myself, I thould with great alacrity and readinefs have submitted to fo eafy a punishment. But hurried on by the precipitancy of youth, and having his imperial majesty's licence to pay my attendance upon the emperor of Blefufcu, I took this opportunity, before the three days were elapfed, to fend a letter to my friend the fecretary, fignifying my refolution of fetting out that morning for Blefufcu, pursuant to the leave I had got; and, without waiting for an answer, I went to that fide of the island where our fleet lay. I feized a large man of war, tied a cable to the prow, and, lifting up the anchors, I ftript myfelf, put my cloaths (together with my coverlet, which I carried under my arm) into the veffel, and drawing it after me, between wading and fwimming arrived at the royal port of Blefufcu, where the people had long expected me; they lent me two guides to direct me to the capital city, which is of the fame name. I held them in my hands, till I came within two hundred yards of the gate, and defired them to fignify my arrival to one of the fecretaries, and let him know, I there waited his majefty's command. I had an answer, in about an hour, that his majefly, attended

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by the royal family and great officers of the court, was coming out to receive me. I advanced a hundred yards. The emperor and his train alighted from their horfes, the empress and ladies from their coaches, and I did not perceive they were in any fright or concern. I lay on the ground to kifs his majefty's and the emprefs's hand. I told his majefty that I was come according to my promife, and with the licence of the emperor my master to have the honour of feeing fo mighty a monarch, and to offer him any service in my power confiftent with my duty to my own prince; not mentioning a word of my difgrace, because I had hitherto no regular information of it, and might fuppofe myfelf wholly ignorant of any fuch defign; neither could I reafonably conceive that the emperor would difcover the fecret, while I was out of his power; wherein however it foon appeared I was deceived.

I fhall not trouble the reader with the particular account of my reception at this court, which was fuitable to the generofity of fo great a prince; nor of the difficulties I was in for want of a house and bed, being forced to lie on the ground, wrapt up in my coverlet.

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Three days after my arrival, walking out of curiofity to the north-eaft coaft of the ifland, I obferved about half a league off, in the fea, fomewhat that looked like a boat overturned. I pulled off my fhoes and ftockings, and, wading two or three hundred yards, I found the object to approach nearer by force of the tide: and then plainly faw it to be a real boat, which I fuppofed might by fome tempest have been driven from a fhip: whereupon I returned immediately towards the city, and defired his imperial majefty to lend me twenty of the tallest veffels he had left after the lofs of his feet, and three thoufand feamen, under the command of his viceadmiral. This fleet failed round, while I went back the fhorteft way to the coaft, where I first discovered the boat; I found the tide had driven it fill nearer. The feamen were all provided with cordage, which I had beforehand twisted to a fuffi

cient ftrength. When the ships came up, I ftript myself, and waded till I came within a hundred yards of the boat, after which I was forced to fwim till I got up to it. The feamen threw me the end of the cord, which I faftened to a hole in the fore-part of the boat, and the other end to a man of war; but I found all my labour to little purpofe; for, being out of my depth, I was not able to work. In this neceflity, I was forced to fwim behind, and push the boat forwards as often as I could, with one of my hands; and the tide favouring me, I advanced fo far, that I could just hold up my chin and feel the ground. I refted two or three minutes, and then gave the boat another fhove, and fo on till the fea was no higher than my arm-pits; and now, the molt laborious part being over, I took out my other cables, which were flowed in one of the fhips, and faftened them firft to the boat, and then to nine of the veffels which attended me; the wind being favourable, the feamen towed, and I fhoved, till we arrived within forty yards of the fhore, and, waiting till the tide was out, I got dry to the boat, and by the affistance of two thoufand men, with ropes and engines, I made a fhift to turn it on its bottom, and found it was but little damaged.

I fhall not trouble the reader with the difficulties I was under by the help of certain paddles, which coft me ten days makBlefufcu, where a mighty concourfe of peoing, to get my boat to the royal port of ple appeared upon my arrival, full of wonder at the fight of fo prodigious a vessel. I told the emperor, that my good fortune had thrown this boat in my way to carry me to fome place, from whence I might return into my native country, and begged his majesty's orders for getting materials to fit it up, together with his licence to depart, which, after fome kind expoftulations, he was pleafed to grant.

I did very much wonder, in all this time, not to have heard of any express relating to me from our emperor to the court of Blefufcu. But I was afterwards given privately to understand, that his imperial majefty, never imagining I had the leaft notice of his defigns, believed I was gone to Blefufcu in performance of my promife, according to the licence he had given me, which was well known at our court, and would return in a few days, when the ceremony was ended. But he was at laft in pain at my long abfence; and, after confulting with the treasurer and the rest of

that

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