0:00

How can Lemuel Gulliver escape

0:02

from the Liliputians? They're

0:04

only six inches tall. Should

0:07

be a cinch, right? Jonathan

0:09

Swift, today on the

0:12

Classic Tales Podcast. Welcome

0:23

to the Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you

0:25

for listening. The vintage

0:27

episode for the week is The

0:30

Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

0:32

Be sure to check it out on Tuesday. If

0:35

you enjoy the show, please become

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a great way to help us

1:01

keep producing sparkling audiobook content. Go

1:04

to classictalesaudiobooks.com and become

1:06

a supporter today. I've

1:10

been having fun designing the specials for

1:12

our Kickstarter for the next Arzen Lu

1:15

Pan book, The Golden Triangle. Things

1:17

are moving along nicely. Keep an

1:19

ear open for when we pull the trigger, hopefully

1:21

in a couple of weeks. And

1:24

it's time for the Classic Tales Book Club

1:26

to meet again. Keep

1:29

an eye on your inboxes on Tuesday for

1:31

our monthly newsletter, which will contain

1:33

the Zoom link. Our

1:35

Zoom meeting will be on Wednesday,

1:37

April 10th at 4pm Pacific Time,

1:39

7pm Eastern. We'll

1:42

talk about the satirical nature of Gulliver's

1:44

travels and the power of satire. See

1:47

you then. Follow the

1:49

link in the show notes to subscribe to our

1:51

newsletter and get the Zoom link on Tuesday. Mark

1:56

Twain is quoted as saying that, A

1:58

classic is a book we have to make. which people praise

2:01

and don't read. Gulliver's

2:04

Travels likely fits into this category for a

2:06

lot of us. Maybe

2:08

we see in the Max Fleischer cartoon, or

2:10

the Ray Harryhausen film in the 70s, or the

2:13

film with Jack Black in 2010. But

2:17

we've probably never read it, or we tried

2:19

and gave it up. So

2:21

what is the lasting appeal of this difficult

2:23

book? Gulliver's

2:25

Travels was originally published in 1727. Put

2:30

simply, it is a satire

2:32

of British monarchy and imperialism. Swift

2:35

succeeds in taking the mundane,

2:38

or something we largely take for granted,

2:40

and pushing it to the extreme to

2:43

show its absurdity. This

2:45

goes for everything, from governments

2:47

to our own physical bodies. Oh,

2:50

yeah, nothing is safe. So

2:52

get ready for some bodily functions we'd rather

2:55

not talk about to come front and center.

2:59

Gulliver records his travels to several different

3:01

lands of adventure. Instead

3:04

of going through the entire book now, we'll

3:06

tackle them one voyage at a time. This

3:09

first stint will be the first part of

3:11

the book, a voyage to Lilliput in three

3:13

parts. Gulliver travels

3:16

to the land of Lilliput, as well

3:18

as the land of giants, and also

3:20

visits the dystopian world of the Huinams,

3:22

among others. It can be kind

3:24

of hard to get through at times, but I mean, for

3:26

being written in 1727, it's pretty

3:29

groundbreaking. I hope you like it. And

3:32

now, A Voyage to

3:34

Lilliput, Part One of Three, from

3:37

Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift.

3:46

The Publisher to the Reader

3:51

The author of these travels,

3:53

Mr. Lemuel Gulliver, Is

3:56

my ancient and intimate friend. Some

4:00

relation between us on the mother's side. About.

4:03

Three years ago, Mr. Gulliver.

4:06

Growing. Weary of the concourse of curious people

4:08

coming to him at his house in red dress.

4:11

Made. A small purchase of land

4:13

with convenient house near Newark in

4:16

Nottinghamshire. His. Native country. Where.

4:18

He now lives retired. Yet

4:21

and. Good esteem among his neighbors.

4:25

Although Mr. Gulliver was born in

4:27

Nottinghamshire, Where. His father dwelt.

4:30

Yet. I have heard him say his family came from oxford

4:32

shirt. To. Confirm which. I.

4:35

Have observed in the churchyard at Banbury in

4:37

that county. Several. Tombs and

4:39

Monuments of The Gulliver. It's. That

4:41

before he quit had Red River. He left

4:43

the custody of the following papers in my

4:45

hands. With. The liberty to

4:48

dispose of them as I should

4:50

think fit. I

4:52

have carefully peruse them three times.

4:55

The. Style: Very plain and

4:58

simple. And the only

5:00

fault I find is that the author. After

5:03

the manner of travelers. Is

5:05

little to circumstantial. There.

5:08

Is an air of truth apparent through the

5:10

whole? And indeed, the author

5:12

was so distinguished for his veracity. That

5:15

became a sort of proverb among his neighbors and

5:17

read risk. Would. Anyone affirmed a thing

5:19

to say. He was as true as if

5:21

Mister Gulliver had spoken it. Or

5:25

the advice of several where the person's

5:27

to whom. With. The authors

5:29

permission. I. Communicated these

5:31

papers, I. Now

5:33

venture to send them into the world.

5:36

Hoping. They may be at least for some

5:38

time. A better entertainment's to

5:40

our and young nobleman. Than. The

5:42

common scribbles of politics and

5:44

party. Is

5:47

volume would have been at least

5:49

twice as large if I had

5:51

not made bold to strike out

5:53

innumerable passages relating to the wins

5:55

and eyes. As well as

5:57

to the variations and bearings and the

5:59

several the voyages. Together with

6:02

a minute descriptions of the management

6:04

of the ship in stores. In.

6:06

The style of sailors. Likewise,

6:09

The account of longitude and latitude

6:11

were and. I. Have reason

6:13

to apprehend that. Mister Gulliver may

6:16

be a little. Dissatisfied.

6:19

Back I. Was resolved

6:21

to fit the work as much

6:23

as possible to the general capacity

6:26

of readers. However, If

6:28

my own ignorance in see affairs sell have

6:31

led me to commit some mistakes, I

6:34

alone am answerable for them. And.

6:36

Have any traveler has a curiosity to see

6:38

the whole work at large. As a came

6:40

from the hands of the author, I will

6:42

be ready. To. Gratify him. As

6:46

for any further particulars relating to the author,

6:48

The. Reader will receive satisfaction from the

6:51

first pages of the book. Richard

6:55

Simpson. A

6:59

letter. From. Captain Gulliver to

7:02

his cousin Simpson. Written

7:04

in the year Seventeen, Twenty Seven. I.

7:09

Hope you will be ready their own publicly

7:11

whenever you should be called to it. The.

7:13

By your great and frequent urgency,

7:16

you prevailed on me to publish

7:18

a very loose and uncorrected count

7:20

of my travels. With. Directions

7:23

to hire some young gentleman

7:25

of either university. To

7:27

put them in order. And correct the

7:29

style. Of my cousin, Dampier

7:32

did. By. My advice in his

7:34

book called a Voyage round the World. But.

7:36

I do not remember. I gave

7:38

you power to consent that anything

7:40

should be omitted. As much

7:43

less that anything should be inserted. Therefore,

7:46

As to the letter, I do

7:48

here renounce everything in that kind. Particularly.

7:52

A paragraph about her majesty, Queen and.

7:54

Of. Most pious and glorious memory.

7:57

although i did reverence and the steam her

7:59

more than of any human species. But

8:03

you, or your interpolator, ought

8:06

to have considered that it was

8:08

not my inclination. So

8:10

was it not decent to praise

8:12

any animal of our composition before

8:14

my master Huinim? And

8:16

besides, the fact was altogether

8:19

false. For to my

8:21

knowledge, being in England during some part of

8:23

Her Majesty's reign, she did govern

8:25

by a chief minister, nay,

8:27

even by two successfully. The

8:29

first were of was the Lord of Godolphin, and

8:32

the second, the Lord of Oxford, so

8:34

that you have made me say the thing that was not.

8:37

Likewise, in the account of

8:39

the Academy of Projectors and several

8:41

passages of my discourse to my master Huinim,

8:44

you have either omitted some material

8:46

circumstances or minced and changed

8:48

them in such a manner that I

8:51

do hardly know my own work. When

8:53

I formally hinted to you something of

8:55

this in a letter, you were pleased to

8:58

answer that you were afraid of giving

9:00

offense. The people in power

9:02

were very watchful over the press, and

9:05

apt not only to interpret, but

9:07

to punish everything which looked like

9:09

an innuendo, as I think you call it. But

9:12

pray, how could that which

9:14

I spoke so many years ago, and at

9:17

about five thousand leagues' distance in

9:19

another reign, be applied to any

9:22

of the Yahu's, who are now

9:24

said to govern the herd, especially at

9:26

a time when I little thought or

9:28

feared the unhappiness of living under

9:30

them? Am I not the

9:32

most reason to complain when I see

9:35

these very Yahu's carried by Huinim's in

9:37

a vehicle as if they were brutes

9:40

and those the rational creatures? And

9:43

indeed to avoid some monstrous and detestable

9:45

a sight was one principal

9:47

motive of my retirement hither. Thus

9:51

much I thought proper to tell you

9:53

in relation to yourself and

9:56

to the trust I reposed in you.

9:59

I do in the My next place, complained of

10:01

my own great want of judgment, in

10:05

being prevailed upon by the entreaties

10:07

and false reasoning of you and

10:09

some others, very much against

10:11

my own opinion, to suffer

10:14

my travels to be published. Pray,

10:16

bring to your mind how often I desired you

10:19

to consider, when you insisted on

10:21

the motive of public good, that

10:23

the yahoos were a species of

10:25

animals utterly incapable of

10:27

amendment by precept or

10:29

example, and so it is proved,

10:33

for instead of seeing a full stop put

10:35

to all abuses and corruptions, at least

10:37

on this little island, as I

10:39

had reason to expect, behold, after

10:42

above six months' warning, I cannot

10:44

learn that my book has produced one

10:46

single effect according to my intentions.

10:50

I desired you would let me know by a letter when

10:53

party and faction were extinguished. Others

10:56

learned it upright, pleaders, honest

10:58

and modest, with some tincture

11:00

of common sense and

11:03

Smithfield blazing with pyramids of law-book.

11:06

The young nobility's education entirely

11:08

changed, the physicians vanished, the

11:11

female yahoos abounding in virtue, honor,

11:13

truth, and good sense, courts and

11:15

levies of great ministers, thoroughly

11:17

weeded and swept, wit, merit,

11:20

and learning rewarded. All

11:23

disgraceers of the press in prose

11:25

and verse condemned to eat nothing

11:27

but their own cotton, and

11:29

quench their thirst with their own ink. These

11:33

and a thousand other reformations

11:36

I firmly counted upon by your

11:39

encouragement, as indeed they were

11:41

plainly deducible from the precepts delivered in my

11:43

book. And it must be

11:45

owned that seven months were a

11:47

sufficient time to correct every vice

11:50

and folly to which yahoos are

11:52

subject, if their natures

11:54

have been capable of the least disposition

11:56

to virtue or wisdom, yet

11:59

so far. far have you been from answering my

12:02

expectation in any of your letters, that

12:04

on the contrary you are

12:06

loading our carrier every week with

12:08

libels and keys and reflections and

12:10

memoirs and second parts wherein

12:13

I see myself accused of reflecting upon

12:16

great state folk of degrading

12:18

human nature, for so they have

12:20

still the confidence to style it, and

12:22

of abusing the female sex. I

12:25

find likewise that the writers of those bundles

12:28

are not agreed among themselves, for

12:30

some of them will not allow me to be

12:32

the author of my own travels, and others make

12:34

me author of books to which I am wholly

12:36

a stranger. I

12:38

find likewise that your printer has been

12:40

so careless that they confound the times

12:43

and mistake the dates of my

12:45

several voyages and returns, neither

12:47

assigning the true year, nor the

12:49

true month, nor the day of the month, and

12:52

I hear the original manuscript is all destroyed since

12:54

the publication of my book. Neither

12:57

have I a copy left. However,

13:01

I sent you some corrections which you may

13:03

insert if ever there should be

13:05

a second edition, and yet I

13:07

cannot stand to them, but shall

13:10

leave that matter to my judicious and candid

13:12

readers to adjust it as they please. I

13:16

hear some of our sea-yahoos find fault with

13:18

my sea-language, as not proper

13:20

in many parts, or now in use.

13:23

I cannot help it. In my first

13:25

voyages when I was young, I was

13:27

instructed by the oldest mariners and learned to speak

13:30

as they did, but I have

13:32

since found that the sea-yahoos are apt, like

13:34

the land ones, to become

13:36

newfangled in their words, which

13:39

the latter change every year,

13:41

insofar as I remember upon each return

13:43

to my own country their old

13:45

dialect was so altered that I

13:47

could hardly understand the new. So

13:51

I observe that when any yahoo comes from London out

13:53

of curiosity to visit me at my house,

13:56

we neither of us are able to deliver

13:58

our conceptions in a manner intelligibly. to the other.

14:01

If the censure of the yahoos should any

14:03

way affect me, I should

14:06

have great reason to complain that some

14:08

of them are so bold as to

14:10

think my book of travels a mere

14:12

fiction out of my own brain, and

14:14

have gone so far as to drop hints that

14:17

the Huinams and Yahoos have

14:19

no more existence than the

14:21

inhabitants of Utopia. And

14:24

I must confess that as to

14:26

the people of Lilliput, Brobdingrag,

14:29

for so the word should have

14:31

been spelt and not erroneously Brobdingnag,

14:34

and Laputa, I have never yet

14:36

heard of any yahoos so presumptuous as

14:39

to dispute their being or

14:41

the fact I have related concerning them, because

14:44

the truth immediately strikes every reader with

14:46

conviction. And is

14:48

there less probability in my account of the

14:50

Huinams or Yahoos when it is manifest

14:52

as to the latter? There are so

14:54

many thousands, even in this country, who

14:57

only differ from their brother brutes in Huinam

14:59

land because they use a sort of

15:01

jabber and do not go naked. I

15:04

wrote for their amendment and not

15:06

their approbation. The

15:08

united praise of the whole race would be of

15:10

less consequence to me than the neighing

15:12

of those two degenerate Huinams I keep in

15:15

my stable, because from

15:17

these, degenerate as they are, I still

15:20

improve in some virtues without any mixture

15:22

of vice. Do these

15:24

miserable animals presume to think that

15:26

I am so degenerated as to defend

15:29

my veracity? Yahoo

15:31

as I am, it is well known

15:33

through all Huinam land that by the

15:35

instructions and example of my illustrious

15:37

master, I was able, in the

15:39

compass of two years, although I confess

15:42

with the utmost difficulty, to

15:44

remove that infernal habit of

15:46

lying, shuffling, deceiving, and

15:49

equivocating, so deeply rooted

15:51

in the very souls of

15:53

all my species, especially the

15:56

Europeans. I

15:58

have other complaints to make upon this very moment.

16:00

vexatious occasion, but I

16:02

forbear troubling myself or you any further.

16:05

I must freely confess that since

16:08

my last return some corruptions of

16:10

my Yahoo nature have revived in me

16:13

by conversing with a few of your species, and

16:16

particularly those of my own family, by

16:18

an unavoidable necessity. Else

16:21

I should never have attempted to absurd a project

16:23

as that of reforming the Yahoo race in

16:25

this kingdom. But I

16:28

have now done with all

16:30

such visionary schemes forever. April

16:34

2, 1727 PART 1 A

16:42

VOIDAGE TO LILLIPUT Chapter

16:47

1 The author gives

16:49

some account of himself and family, his

16:52

first inducements to travel. He

16:54

is shipwrecked and swims for his life,

16:57

gets safe on shore in the country of Lilliput,

17:00

is made a prisoner and carried up

17:02

the country. My

17:06

father had a small estate

17:08

in Nottinghamshire. I was

17:10

the third of five sons. He

17:14

sent me to Emmanuel College in Cambridge

17:16

at fourteen years old, where

17:18

I resided three years and

17:20

applied myself close to my studies. But

17:23

the charge of maintaining me, although

17:25

I had a very scanty allowance, being

17:28

too great for a narrow fortune, I

17:31

was bound to apprentice to Mr. James

17:33

Bates, an eminent surgeon in

17:35

London with whom I

17:37

continued four years. My

17:40

father now and then sending me small sums of

17:42

money. I laid them out

17:44

in learning navigation and other parts

17:47

of the mathematics useful to those who intend

17:49

to travel. I always believed

17:51

it would be, some time or other, my fortune to

17:53

do so. When

17:55

I left Mr. Bates, I went down to

17:57

my father, whereby the assistance

18:00

of him and my Uncle John and some

18:02

other relations, I got forty

18:04

pounds and a promise of thirty pounds

18:06

a year to maintain me at Leiden. There

18:09

I studied physics two years and seven months,

18:12

knowing it would be useful in long voyages.

18:16

Soon after my return from Leiden, I

18:18

was recommended by my good master, Mr. Bates,

18:21

to be surgeon to the Swallow, Captain

18:24

Abraham Panel commander, with

18:26

whom I continued three years and a half, making

18:29

a voyage or two into the Levant and some

18:32

other parts. When I

18:34

came back, I resolved to settle

18:36

in London, to which Mr.

18:38

Bates, my master, encouraged me, and

18:40

by him I was recommended to several patients.

18:44

I took part of a small house in the old jewelry,

18:47

and being advised to alter my condition, I married

18:50

Mrs. Mary Burton, second

18:52

daughter to Mr. Edmund Burton, Hosea, in

18:55

Newgate Street, with whom I

18:57

received four hundred pounds for a portion. But

19:00

my good master, Bates, dying in

19:02

two years after, and

19:05

I, having few friends, my

19:07

business began to fail, for my conscience

19:10

would not suffer me to imitate the bad practice

19:12

of too many among my brethren.

19:15

Having therefore consulted with my wife and some

19:17

of my acquaintance, I determined

19:19

to go again to sea. I

19:22

was surgeon successively in two ships, and

19:24

made several voyages, for six years to

19:27

the East and West Indies, by

19:29

which I got some addition to my fortune. My

19:32

hours of leisure I spent in

19:35

reading the best authors, ancient and modern,

19:37

being always provided with a good number of books,

19:40

and when I was ashore, in observing

19:42

the manners and dispositions of the people,

19:45

as well as learning their language, wherein

19:48

I had a great by

19:50

the strength of my memory. The

19:53

last of these voyages, not proving very

19:55

fortunate, I grew weary of the

19:57

sea, and intended wife

20:00

and family. I have removed

20:02

from the old jewelry to Fetter Lane and

20:05

from thence to Wapping, hoping to

20:07

get business among the sailors. But

20:09

it would not turn to account. After

20:12

three years' expectation that things would mend,

20:16

I accepted an advantageous offer from

20:18

Captain William Pritchard, master

20:20

of the antelope, who was making a

20:22

voyage to the South Sea. We

20:24

set sail from Bristol, May 4, 1699, and our

20:27

voyage was at first very prosperous.

20:33

It would not be proper, for some reasons,

20:35

to trouble the reader with the particulars of our

20:38

adventures in those seas. Let

20:40

it suffice to inform him that in

20:42

our passage from thence to the East Indies

20:45

we were driven by a violent storm to

20:47

the northwest of Van Diemen's land. By

20:50

an observation we found ourselves in the

20:52

latitude of thirty degrees, two minutes south.

20:56

Twelve of our crew were dead by

20:58

immoderate labor and ill food. The

21:01

rest were in a very weak condition. On

21:03

the fifth of November, which was the beginning

21:06

of summer in those parts, the weather

21:08

being very hazy, the seamen

21:10

spied a rock within half a cable's length

21:12

of the ship, but the wind

21:14

was so strong that we were driven directly

21:16

upon it and immediately split.

21:19

Six of the crew, of whom I was

21:21

one, having let down the boat into the sea,

21:24

made a shift to get clear of the ship and the

21:26

rock. We rode by my

21:28

computation in about three leagues, till

21:31

we were able to work no longer, being

21:33

already spent with labor while we were in the

21:35

ship. We therefore trusted

21:37

ourselves to the mercy of the waves,

21:41

and in about half an hour the boat

21:43

was overset by a sudden flurry from the

21:45

north. Well, they came of my companions in the boat,

21:48

as well as of those who escaped on the rock

21:51

or were left on the vessel, I cannot tell. They

21:54

conclude they were all lost. For

21:57

my own part, I swam as

21:59

fortune-directed me and was pushed forward

22:01

by wind and tide. I

22:04

often let my legs drop and could

22:06

feel no bottom. But when

22:08

I was almost gone and able

22:10

to struggle no longer, I found

22:13

myself within my depth, and by

22:15

this time the storm was much abated. The

22:18

declivity was so small that

22:20

I walked near a mile before I got to

22:22

the shore, which I conjectured was

22:24

about eight o'clock in the evening. I

22:27

then advanced forward near half a mile, but

22:30

could not discover any sign of houses or

22:33

inhabitants. At least I was in

22:35

so weak a condition that I did not observe them. I

22:38

was extremely tired, and

22:40

with that and the heat of the weather and

22:43

about half a pint of brandy that I drank as I

22:45

left the ship, I found myself

22:47

much inclined to sleep. I

22:50

lay down on the grass, which was

22:52

very short and soft, for

22:54

I slept sounder than ever I remember to

22:56

have done in my life, and

22:59

as I reckoned, about nine hours.

23:02

For when I awakened it was just

23:04

daylight. I

23:06

attempted to rise but was

23:09

not able to stir, for

23:11

as I happened to lie on my back I

23:13

found my arms and legs were strongly fastened

23:15

on each side to the ground, and

23:18

my hair, which was long and

23:20

thick, tied down in

23:22

the same manner. I

23:24

likewise felt several slender ligatures across my

23:26

body, from my armpits to

23:28

my thighs. I could only look

23:31

upwards. The sun began to grow

23:33

hot, and the light offended my

23:35

eyes. I heard a

23:37

confused noise about me, but in

23:39

the posture I lay could see nothing

23:42

except the sky. In little time

23:44

I felt something alive moving

23:46

on my left leg, which,

23:48

advancing gently forward over my breast,

23:51

came almost up to my chin. When

23:54

bending my eyes downwards as much as I could,

23:57

I perceived it to be a human creature, not a human creature. about

24:00

six inches high, with

24:02

a bow and arrow in his hands and a

24:04

quiver at his back. In

24:06

the meantime, I felt at least forty

24:08

more of the same kind as I conjectured

24:10

following the first. I

24:13

was in the utmost astonishment and

24:15

roared so loud that they all ran

24:17

back in a fright, and some of them,

24:19

as I was afterwards told, were hurt with

24:21

the falls they got leaping from my sides

24:23

upon the ground. However,

24:26

they soon returned, and one of

24:28

them, who ventured so far as to get

24:31

a full sight of my face, lifting

24:33

up his hands and eyes by way of

24:35

admiration, cried out in

24:37

a shrill but distinct voice, the

24:41

others repeated the same word several times,

24:43

but then I knew not what they meant. I

24:46

lay, all this while, as the reader

24:49

may believe, in great uneasiness. At

24:52

length, struggling to get loose, I

24:54

had the fortune to break the strings and wrench

24:56

out the pegs that fastened my left arm to

24:58

the ground, for by lifting it

25:00

up to my face I discovered

25:02

the methods they had taken to bind me, and

25:05

at the same time with a violent pull, which

25:07

gave me excessive pain, I

25:09

a little loosened the strings that tied down

25:12

my hair on the left side, so

25:14

that I was able to turn my head about two

25:16

inches. But the creatures ran

25:18

off a second time before I could seize them, whereupon

25:21

there was a great shout in a very

25:23

shrill accent, and after it ceased I

25:26

heard one of them cry aloud, Tolga

25:28

Fornach, when in an instant

25:30

I felt above a hundred arrows discharged on

25:32

my left hand, which pricked

25:34

me like so many needles, and

25:36

besides they shot another flight into the air, as

25:39

we do bombs in Europe, whereof many,

25:41

I suppose, fell on my body, though

25:44

I felt them not, and some on

25:46

my face, which I immediately covered with my left hand.

25:49

When this shower of arrows was over, I

25:52

fell a groaning with grief and pain,

25:54

and then striving again to get loose, they

25:57

discharged another volley larger than the first.

26:00

And some of them attempted with spears to stick

26:02

me in the sides. But by

26:04

good luck I had on a buff jerkin,

26:07

which they could not pierce. I

26:09

thought it the most prudent method to lie still,

26:12

and my design was to continue

26:14

so till night, when, my left

26:17

hand being already loose, I could

26:19

easily free myself. And

26:21

as for the inhabitants, I had reason

26:23

to believe I might be a match for the greatest army

26:25

they could bring against me. If they

26:27

were all of the same size with him that I

26:29

saw, but fortune disposed

26:31

otherwise of me. When

26:33

the people observed I was quiet, they

26:36

discharged no more arrows. But

26:39

by the noise I heard, I knew

26:41

their numbers increased, and

26:43

about four yards from me, over against my

26:45

right ear, I heard a knocking

26:48

for above an hour, like that of

26:50

people at work. When

26:52

turning my head that way, as well

26:54

as the pegs and strings would permit me, I saw

26:57

a stage erected about a foot and a half

26:59

from the ground, capable of holding

27:01

four of the inhabitants, with two

27:03

or three ladders to mount it, from

27:05

whence one of them, who seemed to

27:08

be a person of quality, made me

27:10

a long speech, whereof I

27:12

understood not one syllable. But

27:15

I should have mentioned that before the principal

27:17

person began his oration, he cried

27:19

out three times, Langro de

27:22

Housan. These words

27:24

and the former were afterwards repeated and

27:26

explained to me, whereupon

27:28

immediately about fifty of the inhabitants came

27:30

and cut the strings that fastened the

27:32

left side of my head, which

27:35

gave me the liberty of turning it to the right, and

27:37

of observing the person and gesture of him that

27:40

was to speak. He

27:42

appeared to be of a middle age, and taller

27:44

than any of the other three who attended him,

27:47

whereof one was a page that held up

27:49

his train, and seemed to be somewhat

27:52

longer than my middle finger. The

27:54

other two stood one on each side to support him. He

27:57

acted every part of an orator, and I could not

27:59

see him. could observe many periods of threatenings

28:02

and others of promises, pity,

28:04

and kindness. I

28:07

answered in a few words, but in the

28:09

most submissive manner, lifting up my

28:11

left hand, and both my eyes

28:13

to the sun, as calling him for

28:16

a witness, and being almost famished

28:18

with hunger, having not eaten a morsel for

28:20

some hours before I left the ship, I

28:23

found the demands of nature so strong upon me

28:26

that I could not forbear showing my impatience, perhaps

28:29

against the strict rules of decency, by

28:31

putting my finger frequently to my mouth to

28:34

signify that I wanted food. The

28:38

Hurgo, for so they call a

28:40

great lord as I afterwards learnt, understood

28:43

me very well. He

28:45

descended from the stage and commanded

28:47

that several ladders should be applied to my

28:49

sides, on which above a

28:51

hundred of the inhabitants mounted and

28:53

walked towards my mouth, laden with

28:56

baskets full of meat, which had

28:58

been provided and sent thither by the King's

29:00

orders, upon the first intelligence

29:02

he received of me. I

29:04

observed there was the flesh of several animals, but

29:07

could not distinguish them by taste. There

29:10

were shoulders, legs, and loins, shaped like

29:12

those of mutton, and very

29:14

well dressed, but smaller than the

29:16

wings of a lark. I

29:18

ate them two or three at a mouthful, and

29:21

took three loaves at a time, about

29:23

the bigness of musket bullets. They

29:26

supplied me as fast as they could, showing

29:28

a thousand marks of wonder and astonishment

29:30

at my bulk and appetite. I

29:34

then made another sign that I wanted drink. They

29:37

found by my eating that a small

29:39

quantity would not suffice me, and

29:41

being a most ingenious people, they slung

29:43

up with great dexterity one of

29:45

their largest hogs' hands, then rolled

29:48

it towards my hand and beat out the

29:50

top. I drank it off at

29:52

a draught, which I might well do,

29:54

for it did not hold half a pint, and

29:57

tasted like a small wine of burgundy, but

29:59

much more delicious. They

30:01

brought me a second hogshead, which I drank

30:03

in the same manner, and made

30:05

signs for more, but they had none

30:08

to give me. When

30:10

I had performed these wonders, they shouted

30:12

for joy and danced upon my breast,

30:14

repeating several times as they did at first,

30:17

heck inaudible. They

30:19

made me a sign that I should throw down the

30:21

two hogsheads, but first warning the people below

30:24

to stand out of the way, crying

30:26

aloud, Borac bevola! And

30:28

when they saw the vessels in the air, there

30:30

was a universal shout of heck inaudible.

30:34

I confess I was often tempted, while

30:36

they were passing backwards and forwards on

30:38

my body, to seize forty or fifty

30:40

of the first that came in my reach and

30:42

dash them against the ground. But

30:45

the remembrance of what I had felt, which

30:47

probably might not be the worst they could

30:49

do, and the promise of honor I

30:52

made them, for so I interpreted

30:54

by submissive behavior, soon

30:56

drove out these imaginations. Besides,

31:00

I now considered myself as bound by

31:02

the laws of hospitality to

31:04

a people who had treated me with so much

31:06

expense and magnificence. However,

31:09

in my thoughts I could not sufficiently wonder

31:12

at the intrepidity of these diminutive

31:14

mortals, who durst venture to

31:16

mount and walk upon my body while

31:19

one of my hands was at liberty, without

31:21

trembling at the very sight of so prodigious a

31:23

creature as I must appear to them. After

31:27

some time, when they observed that I

31:29

made no more demands for meat, there

31:31

appeared before me a person of high

31:33

rank from his imperial majesty. His

31:36

excellency, having mounted on the

31:38

small of my right leg, advanced

31:40

forwards up to my face with about

31:43

a dozen of his retinue, and

31:45

producing his credentials under the signet royal,

31:48

which he applied close to my eyes, spoke

31:50

about ten minutes without any signs of

31:52

anger, but with a kind of determinate

31:55

resolution, often pointing forwards,

31:58

which as I afterwards found. ground, was

32:00

towards the capital city, about

32:02

half a mile distant. Whither

32:05

it was agreed by His Majesty and Council that

32:08

I must be conveyed. I

32:10

answered in few words, but to no purpose,

32:13

and made a sign with my hand that was loose,

32:16

putting it to the other, but over His Excellency's

32:18

head for fear of hurting him or his train,

32:21

and then to my own head and body, to

32:24

signify that I desired my

32:26

liberty. It

32:28

appeared that He understood me well enough, for

32:31

He shook His head by way of

32:33

disapprobation, and held His hand

32:35

in a posture to show that I must be

32:37

carried as a prisoner. However,

32:40

He made other signs to let me understand that

32:42

I should have meat and drink enough, and

32:45

very good treatment, whereupon I

32:47

once more thought of attempting to break my

32:49

bonds, but again, when

32:51

I felt the smart of their arrows upon my face

32:54

and hands, which were all in blisters,

32:56

and many of the darts still sticking in them,

32:59

and observing likewise that the number

33:01

of my enemies increased, I

33:03

gave tokens to let them know that they might

33:06

do with me what they pleased. Upon

33:09

this the Horgo and his train

33:11

withdrew, with much civility

33:13

and cheerful countenances. Soon

33:16

after I heard a general shout with

33:18

frequent repetitions of the words, Peplom Selan,

33:21

and I felt great numbers of people on my

33:23

left side relaxing the cords to such a degree

33:26

that I was able to turn upon my right,

33:29

and to ease myself with making water,

33:32

which I very plentifully did, to the

33:34

great astonishment of the people, who,

33:36

conjecturing by my motion what I was going to

33:39

do, immediately opened to the right

33:41

and left on that side, to avoid the

33:43

torrent, which fell with such noise

33:45

and violence from me. But

33:48

before this they had dobbed my face and

33:50

both my hands with a sort of ointment,

33:53

very pleasant to the smell, which,

33:55

in a few minutes, removed all the smart

33:57

of their arrows. circumstances,

34:01

added to the refreshment I had received by

34:03

their vittles and drink, which were

34:05

very nourishing, disposed me to

34:07

sleep. I slept about

34:09

eight hours, as I was

34:11

afterwards assured, and it was no wonder, for

34:14

the physicians by the emperor's order had

34:16

mingled a sleepy potion in the hog's heads

34:19

of wine. It seems that

34:21

upon the first moment I was discovered sleeping

34:24

on the ground after my landing, the

34:26

emperor had early notice of it by an

34:28

express, and determined in counsel

34:31

that I should be tied in the manner I have related,

34:34

which was done in the night while I slept. The

34:36

plenty of meat and drink should be sent to me, and

34:39

a machine prepared to carry me to

34:41

the capital city. This

34:44

resolution perhaps may appear very bold and

34:46

dangerous, and I am confident

34:48

would not be imitated by any prince in

34:51

Europe on the like occasion. However,

34:53

in my opinion, it was extremely

34:55

prudent, as well as generous. For

34:59

supposing these people had endeavored to kill me

35:01

with their spears and arrows while I was

35:03

asleep, I should certainly have awakened

35:05

with the first sense of smart, which

35:07

might so far have roused my rage and

35:10

strength as to have enabled me to break

35:12

the strings wherewith I was tied, after

35:14

which, as they were not able to make

35:17

resistance, so they could expect no mercy.

35:20

These people are most excellent mathematicians, and

35:23

arrived to a great perfection in mechanics,

35:26

by the countenance and encouragement of the emperor,

35:29

who is a renowned patron of learning. This

35:32

prince has several machines, fixed on

35:34

wheels, for the carriage of trees

35:36

and other great weights. He

35:39

often built his largest men of war, whereof

35:41

some are nine feet long, in

35:44

the woods where the timber grows, and

35:46

has them carried on these engines three or four

35:48

hundred yards to the sea. Five

35:51

hundred carpenters and engineers were immediately set

35:53

at work to prepare the greatest

35:56

engine they had. It was

35:58

a frame of wood raised to the right. three inches

36:00

from the ground, about seven feet

36:02

long and four wide, moving

36:05

upon twenty-two wheels. The

36:07

shout I heard was upon the arrival of

36:09

this engine, which it seems set

36:12

out in four hours after my landing. It

36:15

was brought parallel to me as I lay, but

36:18

the principal difficulty was to raise and place

36:20

me in this vehicle. Eighty

36:23

poles, each of one foot high,

36:25

were erected for this purpose, and

36:27

very strong cords of the bigness of pack

36:29

threads were fastened by hooks to

36:32

many bandages, which the workmen

36:34

had girt round my neck, my hands,

36:36

my body, and my legs. Nine

36:39

hundred of the strongest men were employed

36:41

to draw up these cords, by

36:43

many pulleys fastened on the poles, and

36:46

thus, in less than three

36:48

hours, I was raised and slung into

36:50

the engine, and there, tied

36:52

fast. All this

36:55

I was told, for while the

36:57

operation was performing, I lay in

36:59

a profound sleep, by the force

37:01

of that soporiferous medicine infused into my

37:03

liquor. Fifteen

37:05

hundred of the emperor's largest horses, each

37:08

about four inches and a half high, were

37:10

employed to draw me towards the

37:13

metropolis, which, as I said, was

37:15

half a mile distant. About

37:18

four hours after we began our journey, I

37:21

awakened by a very ridiculous accident.

37:24

With the carriage being stopped a while, to adjust

37:26

something that was out of order, two

37:29

or three of the young natives had the curiosity to

37:31

see how I looked when I was asleep. They

37:34

climbed up into the engine, and

37:36

advancing very softly to my face, one

37:38

of them, an officer in the guards, put

37:41

the sharp end of his half-pike a

37:43

good way up into my left nostril,

37:46

which tickled my nose like a straw

37:48

and made me sneeze violently, whereon

37:50

they stole off unperceived, and

37:53

it was three weeks before I knew the cause

37:55

of my waking so suddenly. We

37:57

made a long march the remaining part of the day.

38:00

and rested at night with five hundred

38:03

guards on each side of me, half

38:05

with torches and half with bows and

38:07

arrows, ready to shoot me if I should

38:09

offer to stir. The

38:12

next morning at sunrise we continued our march

38:14

and arrived within two hundred yards of the city

38:16

gates about noon. The

38:19

Emperor and all his court came out to

38:21

meet us, but his

38:23

great officers would by no means suffer his

38:25

majesty to endanger his person by mounting on

38:28

my body at the place where

38:30

the carriage stopped there stood an ancient temple,

38:33

esteemed to be the largest in the whole kingdom,

38:36

which, having been polluted some years

38:38

before by an unnatural murder, was,

38:40

according to the zeal of those people, looked

38:43

upon as profane, and therefore had been

38:46

applied to common use, and all the

38:48

ornaments and furniture carried away. In

38:51

this edifice it was determined I should lodge.

38:55

The great gate fronting to the north

38:57

was about four feet high and almost

38:59

two feet wide, through which I

39:01

could easily creep. On

39:03

each side of the gate was a small window, not

39:06

above six inches from the ground. Into

39:09

that, on the left side, the King

39:11

Smith conveyed four score and eleven chains,

39:14

like those that hang to a lady's watch in

39:16

Europe and almost as large, which

39:18

were locked to my left leg with six

39:20

and thirty padlocks. Over

39:23

against this temple, on the other side of

39:25

the great highway, at twenty feet distance, there

39:28

was a turret at least five feet high. Here,

39:31

the Emperor ascended, with many

39:33

principled lords of his court, to

39:35

have an opportunity of viewing me, as I was

39:37

told, for I could not see them. It

39:41

was reckoned that above a hundred thousand inhabitants

39:43

came out of the town upon the same

39:45

errand, and in spite of my

39:47

guards, I believed there could not

39:49

be fewer than ten thousand at several times,

39:52

who mounted my body by the help of ladders.

39:55

But a proclamation was soon issued, to

39:57

forbid it upon pain of death. When

40:00

the workmen found it was impossible for me to break

40:02

loose, they cut all the strings that

40:04

bound me, whereupon I rose

40:07

up with as melancholy a

40:09

disposition as ever I had in my life.

40:12

But the noise and astonishment of the people

40:14

at seeing me rise and walk are

40:17

not to be expressed. The

40:20

chains that held my left leg were about two

40:22

yards long and gave me not

40:24

only the liberty of walking backwards and

40:26

forwards in a semicircle, but,

40:29

being fixed within four inches of the gate,

40:31

allowed me to creep in and lie at

40:33

my full length in the temple. Chapter

40:40

2 The Emperor of

40:42

Lilliput, attended by several of

40:44

the nobility, comes to see the author

40:46

in his confinement. The

40:48

Emperor's person and habit described. Learned

40:51

men appoint to teach the author their language. He

40:54

gains favor by his mild disposition. His

40:57

pockets are searched and his sword and pistols

40:59

taken from him. When

41:03

I found myself on my feet, I

41:06

looked about me and must

41:08

confess I never beheld a more

41:10

entertaining prospect. The

41:12

country around appeared like a continued

41:14

garden, and the enclosed fields,

41:17

which were generally forty feet square, resembled

41:19

so many beds of flowers. These

41:22

fields were intermingled with woods of half a

41:24

stang, and the tallest trees, as

41:27

I could judge, appeared to be seven feet

41:29

high. I viewed

41:31

the town on my left hand, which

41:33

looked like the painted scene of a city in a

41:35

theater. I

41:37

had been for some hours extremely

41:39

pressed by the necessities of nature,

41:43

which was no wonder, it being

41:45

almost two days since I had last

41:47

disburdened myself. I

41:49

was under great difficulties between urgency

41:51

and shame. The

41:53

best expedient I could think of was to

41:55

creep into my house, which I accordingly did,

41:58

and shutting the gate after me. me, I went

42:01

as far as the length of my chain would

42:03

suffer and discharged my

42:05

body of that uneasy load. This

42:08

was the only time I was ever guilty of so

42:10

uncleanly an action, for which

42:12

I cannot but hope the candid reader will

42:14

give some allowance, after he

42:17

has maturely and impartially considered my

42:19

case and the distress I was in.

42:22

From this time my constant practice was, as

42:24

soon as I rose, to perform

42:27

that business in open air, at

42:29

the full extent of my chain, and

42:31

due care was taken every morning before

42:34

company came, that the offensive matter

42:36

should be carried off in wheelbarrows by

42:39

two servants appointed for that purpose. I

42:42

would not have dwelt so long upon a

42:44

circumstance that perhaps at first sight may appear

42:46

not very momentous, if I had

42:48

not thought it necessary to justify my character, in

42:51

point of cleanliness, to the world, which

42:54

I am told some of my

42:56

maliners have been pleased upon this and

42:58

other occasions to call in question. When

43:02

this adventure was at an end, I came

43:05

back out of my house, having occasion for

43:07

fresh air. The emperor

43:09

was already descended from the tower and

43:12

advancing on horseback towards me, which

43:14

had liked to have cost him dear. For

43:16

the beast, although very well trained,

43:19

yet wholly unused to such a sight,

43:21

which appeared as if a mountain moved before

43:23

him reared up on its hindered feet. But

43:27

that prince, who was an excellent horseman,

43:29

kept his seat, till his

43:31

attendants ran in and held the bridle, while

43:33

his majesty had time to dismount. When

43:36

he alighted, he surveyed me round

43:38

with great admiration, but

43:40

kept beyond the length of my chain. He

43:44

ordered his cooks and butlers, who were already

43:46

prepared, to give me vittles and drink,

43:49

which they pushed forward in a sort

43:51

of vehicles upon wheels, till I could

43:53

reach them. I took

43:55

these vehicles and soon emptied them all. Twenty

43:57

of them were filled with meat and ten with liquor.

44:00

Each of the former afforded me two or

44:02

three good mouthfuls, and I emptied

44:04

the liquor of ten vessels, which was

44:07

contained in earthen vials, into one

44:09

vehicle, drinking it off at a

44:11

draught. And so I did with

44:13

the rest. The empress

44:16

and young princes of the blood of both sexes,

44:18

attended by many ladies, sat

44:21

at some distance in their chairs, but

44:23

upon the accident that happened to the emperor's

44:26

horse they alighted and came near his person,

44:28

which I am now going to describe. He

44:31

is taller by almost the breadth of my

44:33

nail than any of his court, which

44:36

alone is enough to strike in awe into the

44:38

beholders. His features are

44:40

strong and masculine, with

44:43

an Austrian lip and arched nose, his

44:46

complexion olive, his countenance erect,

44:48

his body and limbs well proportioned,

44:51

all his motions graceful, and

44:54

his deportment majestic. He

44:56

was then past his prime, being

44:59

twenty-eight years and three-quarters old,

45:01

of which he had reigned about seven in great

45:04

felicity, and generally victorious. For

45:07

the better convenience of beholding him, I lay

45:10

on my side, so that my

45:12

face was parallel to his, and he

45:14

stood but three yards off. However,

45:16

I have had him since many times

45:19

in my hand, and therefore cannot be

45:21

deceived in the description. His

45:23

dress was very plain and simple, and

45:26

the fashion of it between the Asiatic and

45:28

the European. But he

45:31

had on his head a light helmet of

45:33

gold adorned with jewels and a plume

45:35

on the crest. He held his

45:37

sword drawn in his hands to defend himself,

45:39

if I should happen to break loose. It

45:42

was almost three inches long, but

45:44

Hilton's scabbard were gold enriched with

45:46

diamonds. His voice

45:49

was shrill, but very clear

45:51

and articulate, and I could

45:53

distinctly hear it when I stood up. The

45:56

ladies and courtiers were all most magnificently

45:58

clad, so that the spot was clear. thought they

46:00

stood upon seemed to resemble a petticoat spread

46:02

upon the ground, embroidered with figures

46:04

of gold and silver. His

46:07

imperial majesty spoke often to me, and

46:09

I returned answers, but neither

46:12

of us could understand a syllable. There

46:15

were several of his priests and lawyers present,

46:17

as I conjectured by their habits, who

46:20

were commanded to address themselves to me, and

46:22

I spoke to them in as many languages as

46:25

I had the least smattering of, which

46:27

were high and low Dutch, Latin,

46:30

French, Spanish, Italian,

46:33

and lingua franca, but all

46:35

to no purpose. After

46:38

about two hours the court retired,

46:40

and I was left with a strong guard, to

46:42

prevent the impertinence and probably the

46:44

malice of the rabble, who

46:47

were very impatient to crowd about me as near

46:49

as they dursed, and some

46:51

of them had the impugness to shoot their arrows at me

46:54

as I sat on the ground by the door of my house,

46:56

whereof one very narrowly missed my

46:58

left eye. But the

47:00

colonel ordered six of the ringleaders to be

47:03

seized, and thought no punishment so proper as

47:06

to deliver them bound into my

47:08

hands, which some of his

47:10

soldiers accordingly did, pushing them

47:12

forward with the butt-ends of their pikes into my

47:14

reach. I took them all in

47:16

my right hand, put five of them into

47:18

my coat pocket, and asked to the sixth,

47:21

I made a countenance as if I would eat

47:23

him alive. The poor

47:26

man squalled terribly, and the colonel and

47:28

his officers were in much pain, especially

47:30

when they saw me take out my

47:32

pen-knife. But I soon

47:34

put them out of fear, for looking

47:36

mildly and immediately cutting the strings he

47:39

was bound with, I sat

47:41

him gently on the ground, and away he ran. I

47:44

treated the rest in the same manner, taking

47:46

them one by one out of my pocket, and

47:49

I observed both the soldiers and people

47:51

were highly delighted at this mark of

47:53

my clemency, which was represented

47:55

very much to my advantage in court. Towards

47:59

night, I got with some difficulty

48:01

into my house, where I lay on

48:03

the ground, and continued to do

48:05

so about a fortnight, during

48:07

which time the emperor gave orders to have

48:09

a bed prepared for me. Six

48:12

hundred beds of the common measure

48:14

were brought in carriages and

48:16

worked up in my house. A

48:18

hundred and fifty of their beds sewn

48:20

together made up the breadth and length,

48:23

and these were four double, which,

48:25

however, kept me but very indifferently

48:28

from the hardness of the floor. That

48:30

was a smooth stone. By

48:32

the same computation they provided

48:34

me with sheets, blankets, and coverlets,

48:37

tolerable enough for one who had been so

48:39

long inured to hardships. As

48:42

the news of my arrival spread through the kingdom,

48:45

it brought prodigious numbers of rich, idle,

48:47

and curious people to see me, so

48:50

that the villages were almost emptied, and

48:53

great neglect of tillage and household

48:55

affairs must have ensued if

48:57

His Imperial Majesty had not provided by

48:59

several proclamations and orders of state

49:02

against this inconveniency. He

49:05

directed that those who had already beheld me

49:07

should return home and not presume

49:09

to come within fifty yards of my house

49:12

without license from the court, whereby

49:14

the secretaries of state got considerable

49:16

fees. In the meantime,

49:19

the emperor held frequent counsels

49:22

to debate what course should be taken with

49:24

me, and I was afterwards assured by

49:26

a particular friend, a person who had been in the person

49:28

of great quality, who was as much in the secret as

49:30

any, that the court was under

49:33

many difficulties concerning me. They

49:35

apprehended my breaking loose, that my

49:38

diet would be very expensive and might

49:40

cause a famine. Sometimes

49:42

they determined to starve me, or at

49:44

least to shoot me in the face and hands

49:46

with poisoned arrows, which would soon dispatch me. But

49:50

again they considered that the stench

49:52

of so large a carcass might produce a

49:54

plague in the metropolis, and

49:56

probably spread through the whole kingdom. In

49:59

the midst of these consultations, several

50:01

officers of the army went to the door

50:03

of the great council chamber, and

50:06

two of them, being admitted, gave an

50:08

account of my behavior to the six

50:10

criminals above mentioned, which

50:12

made so favorable impression in the breast of

50:14

His Majesty and the whole board in my

50:17

behalf, that an imperial commission

50:19

was issued out, obliging all

50:21

the villages nine hundred yards

50:23

round the city, to deliver in

50:25

every morning six beaves, forty

50:27

sheep, and other vittles for

50:29

my sustenance, together with a

50:32

proportionable quantity of bread and wine and

50:34

other liquors, for the due

50:36

payment of which His Majesty gave assignments upon

50:38

his treasury. For this

50:40

prince lives chiefly upon his own

50:42

domains, seldom, except upon great occasions,

50:45

raising any subsidies upon his subjects,

50:48

who are bound to attend him in his wars at

50:50

their own expense. An

50:52

establishment was also made of six hundred

50:55

persons to be my domestics, who

50:57

had board wages allowed for their maintenance,

51:00

and tents built for them very conveniently on

51:02

each side of my door. It

51:04

was likewise ordered that three hundred tailors

51:06

should make me a suit of clothes,

51:09

after the fashion of the country, that

51:11

six of His Majesty's greatest scholars should

51:13

be employed to instruct me in their

51:15

language, and lastly, that

51:18

the emperor's horses and those of

51:20

the nobility and troops of guards

51:22

should be frequently exercised in my

51:24

sight, to accustom themselves to

51:26

me. All these orders

51:28

were duly put in execution, and

51:31

in about three weeks I made a

51:33

great progress in learning their language, during

51:36

which time the emperor frequently honored me with

51:38

his visits and was pleased

51:40

to assist my masters in teaching me. We

51:43

began already to converse together in some

51:45

sort, and the first words

51:48

I learned were to express my desire

51:50

that he would please give me my liberty,

51:52

which I every day repeated on my knees. His

51:56

answer, as I could comprehend

51:58

it, was that this must be a work

52:00

of time, not to be thought

52:02

on without the advice of his counsel, and

52:05

that first I must lumos

52:07

calmen peso desmar lonemposo,

52:10

that is, swear a peace with him

52:12

and his kingdom. However,

52:14

that I should be used with all kindness. And

52:17

he advised me to acquire, by

52:19

my patience and discreet behavior,

52:21

the good opinion of himself and his

52:24

subjects. He desired I would

52:26

not take it ill if he gave

52:29

orders to certain proper officers to search

52:31

me, for probably I might

52:33

carry about me several weapons, which must

52:35

needs be dangerous things if they answered

52:37

the bulk of so prodigious a person.

52:41

I said, His Majesty should

52:43

be satisfied, for I was ready

52:45

to strip myself and turn up my pockets before

52:47

him. This I delivered part

52:49

in words and part in signs. He

52:52

replied that by the laws of

52:54

the kingdom I must be searched by two

52:56

of his officers, that he

52:58

knew this could not be done without my consent

53:00

and assistance. And he had

53:02

so good an opinion of my generosity and justice

53:05

as to trust their persons in my hands,

53:08

and whatever they took from me should be returned

53:10

when I left the country, or

53:12

paid for at the rate which I would set upon them.

53:15

I took up the two officers in my hands, put

53:18

them first into my coat pockets, and then

53:20

into every other pocket about me, except

53:23

my two fobs, and another

53:25

secret pocket, which I had no mind should

53:27

be searched, wherein I had

53:29

some little necessaries that were of no consequence

53:31

to any but myself. In

53:34

one of my fobs there was a silver watch, and

53:36

in the other a small quantity of gold in a

53:38

purse. These gentlemen,

53:40

having pen, ink, and paper about them,

53:43

made an exact inventory of everything they

53:46

saw, and when they had done, desired

53:48

I would set them down, that they might deliver

53:51

it to the emperor. This

53:53

inventory I afterwards translated into

53:55

English, and is word

53:57

for word as follows. Im

54:00

premi, in the right

54:02

coat pocket of the great man-mountain—for

54:04

so I interpret the

54:07

words Quinbus Flesstron—after the strictest

54:09

search we found only one great piece

54:11

of coarse cloth, large enough to

54:13

be a footcloth for Your Majesty's chief room

54:15

of state. In the left pocket we found

54:18

a huge silver chest, with a cover

54:20

of the same metal, which we the

54:22

searchers were not able to lift. We

54:24

desired it should be opened, and one of us stepping

54:26

into it found himself up to the mid-leg

54:29

in a sort of dust. Some

54:31

part were of, flying up to our faces, set

54:34

us both a-sneezing for several times together.

54:37

In his right waistcoat pocket we found

54:39

a prodigious bundle of white thin substances,

54:42

folded one over another, about the bigness

54:44

of three men, tied with

54:46

a strong cable and marked with black

54:49

figures, which we humbly conceive to

54:51

be writings, every letter almost

54:53

half as large as the palm of our

54:55

hands. In the left

54:57

there was a sort of engine, from

55:00

the back of which were extended twenty

55:02

long poles resembling the palisadoes

55:04

before Your Majesty's court, wherewith

55:07

we conjecture the man-mountain combs his

55:09

head. For we did

55:11

not always trouble him with questions, because we found

55:13

it a great difficulty to make him understand us.

55:16

In the large pocket, on the

55:18

right side of his middle cover—so I

55:21

translate the word ranfulo, by

55:23

which they meant my

55:25

britches—we saw a hollow pillar of

55:27

iron about the length of a man,

55:29

fastened to a strong piece of timber

55:31

larger than a pillar, and

55:33

upon one side of the pillar were

55:35

huge pieces of iron sticking out, cut

55:38

into strange figures, which we know

55:40

not what to make of. In

55:42

the left pocket, another engine of the same kind.

55:46

In the smaller pocket on the right side were

55:48

several round flat pieces of white and

55:50

red metal of different bulk. Some

55:53

of the white, which seems to be silver,

55:55

were so large and heavy that my comrade

55:57

and I could hardly lift them. In

56:00

the left pocket were two black

56:02

pillars irregularly shaped. We

56:04

could not without difficulty reach the top of

56:06

them as we stood at the bottom of

56:08

his pocket. One of

56:10

them was covered and seemed all of a piece.

56:13

But at the upper end of the other

56:16

there appeared a white round substance about twice

56:18

the bigness of our heads. Within

56:20

each of these was enclosed a prodigious plate

56:22

of steel, which by our orders

56:25

we obliged him to show us. As

56:28

we apprehended they might be dangerous engines.

56:31

He took them out of their cases and told

56:33

us that in his own country his practice

56:35

was to shave his beard with one of these

56:38

and cut his meat with the other. There

56:40

were two pockets which we could not enter,

56:43

these he called his fobs. They

56:46

were two large slits cut into the top of

56:48

his middle cover, but squeezed close

56:50

by the pressure of his belly. Out

56:53

of the right fob hung a great silver chain with

56:55

a wonderful kind of engine at the bottom. We

56:58

directed him to draw out whatever was at the end

57:00

of that chain, which appeared to

57:02

be a globe, half silver, and half

57:04

of some transparent metal. For

57:07

on the transparent side we saw

57:09

certain strange figures circularly drawn and

57:12

thought we could touch them till we found

57:14

our figures stopped by the lucid substance. He

57:17

put this engine into our ears which made

57:19

an incessant noise like that of a water

57:21

mill, and we conjecture it

57:24

is either some unknown animal or the

57:26

god that he worships. But

57:29

we are more inclined to the latter opinion, because

57:31

he assured us, if we understood

57:33

him right, for he expressed himself

57:35

very imperfectly, that he seldom did anything

57:38

without consulting it. He

57:40

called it his oracle and said

57:42

it pointed out the time for every action of

57:44

his life. From the

57:46

left fob he took out a net almost large

57:48

enough for a fisherman, but contrived

57:50

to open and shut like a purse, and

57:53

served him for the same use. We

57:55

found therein several massy pieces of yellow

57:58

metal, which if they be real gold. old,

58:00

must be of immense value. Having

58:03

thus, in obedience to Your Majesty's

58:05

commands, diligently searched all his

58:07

pockets, we observed a girdle

58:09

about his waist made of the hide of

58:11

some prodigious animal, from which,

58:13

on the left side, hung a sword the

58:16

length of five men, and on the

58:18

right, a bag or pouch divided

58:20

into two cells, each cell

58:22

capable of holding three of Your Majesty's

58:24

subjects. In one of

58:26

these cells were several globes or balls

58:29

of a most ponderous metal about

58:31

the bigness of our heads and requiring

58:33

a strong hand to lift them. The

58:36

other cell contained a heap of certain black

58:38

grains, but of no great bulk or

58:40

weight, for we could hold above

58:42

fifty of them in the palms of our hands. This

58:46

is an exact inventory of what we found

58:48

about the body of the Man Mountain, who

58:51

used us with great civility and

58:53

due respect to Your Majesty's commission, signed

58:56

and sealed on the fourth day

58:58

of the eighty-ninth moon of Your

59:00

Majesty's auspicious reign, Clefrin

59:02

Freelock, Marcy Freelock.

59:07

When this inventory was read over to the

59:09

Emperor, he directed me, although

59:11

in very gentle terms, to

59:13

deliver up the several particulars.

59:16

He first called for my scimitar, which I

59:19

took out, scabbard and all. In

59:21

the meantime he ordered three thousand of his

59:23

choicest troops, who then attended him, to

59:26

surround me at a distance with their bows

59:28

and arrows ready to discharge, but

59:31

I did not observe it, for my eyes

59:33

were wholly fixed upon His Majesty. He

59:36

then desired me to draw my scimitar, which,

59:38

although it had got some rust by the sea water,

59:41

was in most part exceedingly bright. I

59:44

did so, and immediately all the

59:47

troops gave a shout between terror and

59:49

surprise, for the sun shone clear

59:51

and the reflection dazzled their eyes as I

59:53

waved the scimitar to and fro in my

59:55

hand. His Majesty, who is

59:58

a most magnanimous prince, was less

1:00:00

daunted than I could expect. He

1:00:03

ordered me to return it to the scabbard and cast

1:00:05

it on the ground as gently as I could, about

1:00:08

six feet from the end of my chain. The

1:00:11

next thing he demanded was one of the

1:00:14

hollow iron pillars by which he

1:00:16

met my pocket pistols. I

1:00:18

drew it out, and at his desire, as

1:00:20

well as I could, expressed to

1:00:22

him the use of it, by

1:00:24

charging it only with powder, which by

1:00:26

the closeness of my pouch happened to

1:00:28

escape wetting in the sea, an inconvenience

1:00:31

against which all prudent mariners take

1:00:34

special care to provide. I

1:00:36

first cautioned the emperor not to be afraid, and

1:00:39

then I let it off in the air. The

1:00:42

astonishment here was much greater than at the

1:00:44

sight of my scimitar. Hundreds

1:00:46

fell down as if they had been struck dead, and

1:00:49

even the emperor, although he stood his

1:00:51

ground, could not recover himself for some

1:00:53

time. I delivered up

1:00:55

both my pistols in the same manner as

1:00:57

I had done my scimitar, and

1:01:00

then my pouch of powder and bullets, begging

1:01:03

him that the former might be kept from

1:01:05

fire, for it would kindle with the smallest

1:01:07

spark and blow up his imperial palace

1:01:09

into the air. I

1:01:11

likewise delivered up my watch, which the

1:01:14

emperor was very curious to see, and

1:01:16

commanded two of his tallest yeoman of the

1:01:19

guards to bear it on a pole upon

1:01:21

their shoulders, as Draymond and England

1:01:23

do a barrel of ale. He

1:01:26

was amazed at the continual noise it made,

1:01:28

and the motion of the minute hand, which

1:01:30

he could easily discern, for

1:01:33

their sight is much more acute than ours. He

1:01:36

asked the opinions of his learned men about

1:01:38

it, which were various and remote, as

1:01:41

the reader may well imagine without my repeating,

1:01:44

although indeed I could not perfectly understand them.

1:01:47

I then gave up my silver and copper money,

1:01:50

my purse, with nine large pieces of

1:01:52

gold and some smaller ones, my

1:01:54

knife and razor, my comb and

1:01:56

silver snuff box, my handkerchief

1:01:59

and journal book. My

1:02:01

scimitar, pistols, and pouch were conveyed

1:02:03

in carriages to His Majesty's stores,

1:02:07

but the rest of my goods were returned to me. I

1:02:10

had, as I before observed, one

1:02:12

private pocket, which escaped their

1:02:14

search, wherein there was a pair

1:02:16

of spectacles, which I sometimes used for

1:02:18

the weakness of my eyes, a

1:02:21

pocket perspective, and some other

1:02:23

little conveniences, which, being

1:02:25

of no consequence to the emperor, I

1:02:28

did not think myself bound in honor to discover,

1:02:30

and I apprehended they might be lost or

1:02:33

spoiled if I ventured them out of my

1:02:35

possession. This

1:02:48

is B.J. Harrison. I hope

1:02:50

you've enjoyed this unabridged production of

1:02:52

A Voyage to Lilliput, Part 1 of 3,

1:02:54

from Gulliver's Travels

1:02:57

by Jonathan Swift. If

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