GULLIVER’S
TRAVELS
PART 4
CHAPTER III.
The author diverts the emperor,
and his nobility of both sexes, in a very uncommon manner. The diversions
of the court of Lilliput described. The author has his liberty granted
him upon certain conditions.
My
gentleness and good behaviour had gained so far on the emperor and his court,
and indeed upon the army and people in general, that I began to conceive hopes
of getting my liberty in a short time. I took all possible methods to
cultivate this favourable disposition. The natives came, by degrees, to
be less apprehensive of any danger from me. I would sometimes lie down,
and let five or six of them dance on my hand; and at last the boys and girls
would venture to come and play at hide-and-seek in my hair. I had now
made a good progress in understanding and speaking the language. The
emperor had a mind one day to entertain me with several of the country shows,
wherein they exceed all nations I have known, both for dexterity and
magnificence. I was diverted with none so much as that of the
rope-dancers, performed upon a slender white thread, extended about two feet,
and twelve inches from the ground. Upon which I shall desire liberty,
with the reader’s patience, to enlarge a little.
This
diversion is only practised by those persons who are candidates for great
employments, and high favour at court. They are trained in this art from
their youth, and are not always of noble birth, or liberal education.
When a great office is vacant, either by death or disgrace (which often happens,)
five or six of those candidates petition the emperor to entertain his majesty
and the court with a dance on the rope; and whoever jumps the highest, without
falling, succeeds in the office. Very often the chief ministers
themselves are commanded to show their skill, and to convince the emperor that
they have not lost their faculty. Flimnap, the treasurer, is allowed to
cut a caper on the straight rope, at least an inch higher than any other lord
in the whole empire. I have seen him do the summerset several times
together, upon a trencher fixed on a rope which is no thicker than a common
packthread in England. My friend Reldresal, principal secretary for
private affairs, is, in my opinion, if I am not partial, the second after the
treasurer; the rest of the great officers are much upon a par.
These
diversions are often attended with fatal accidents, whereof great numbers are
on record. I myself have seen two or three candidates break a limb.
But the danger is much greater, when the ministers themselves are commanded to
show their dexterity; for, by contending to excel themselves and their fellows,
they strain so far that there is hardly one of them who has not received a
fall, and some of them two or three. I was assured that, a year or two
before my arrival, Flimnap would infallibly have broke his neck, if one of the
king’s cushions, that accidentally lay on the ground, had not weakened the
force of his fall.
There is
likewise another diversion, which is only shown before the emperor and empress,
and first minister, upon particular occasions. The emperor lays on the
table three fine silken threads of six inches long; one is blue, the other red,
and the third green. These threads are proposed as prizes for those
persons whom the emperor has a mind to distinguish by a peculiar mark of his
favour. The ceremony is performed in his majesty’s great chamber of
state, where the candidates are to undergo a trial of dexterity very different
from the former, and such as I have not observed the least resemblance of in
any other country of the new or old world. The emperor holds a stick in
his hands, both ends parallel to the horizon, while the candidates advancing,
one by one, sometimes leap over the stick, sometimes creep under it, backward
and forward, several times, according as the stick is advanced or
depressed. Sometimes the emperor holds one end of the stick, and his
first minister the other; sometimes the minister has it entirely to
himself. Whoever performs his part with most agility, and holds out the
longest in leaping and creeping, is rewarded with the blue-coloured silk; the
red is given to the next, and the green to the third, which they all wear girt
twice round about the middle; and you see few great persons about this court
who are not adorned with one of these girdles.
The horses
of the army, and those of the royal stables, having been daily led before me,
were no longer shy, but would come up to my very feet without starting.
The riders would leap them over my hand, as I held it on the ground; and one of
the emperor’s huntsmen, upon a large courser, took my foot, shoe and all; which
was indeed a prodigious leap. I had the good fortune to divert the
emperor one day after a very extraordinary manner. I desired he would
order several sticks of two feet high, and the thickness of an ordinary cane,
to be brought me; whereupon his majesty commanded the master of his woods to
give directions accordingly; and the next morning six woodmen arrived with as
many carriages, drawn by eight horses to each. I took nine of these
sticks, and fixing them firmly in the ground in a quadrangular figure, two feet
and a half square, I took four other sticks, and tied them parallel at each
corner, about two feet from the ground; then I fastened my handkerchief to the nine
sticks that stood erect; and extended it on all sides, till it was tight as the
top of a drum; and the four parallel sticks, rising about five inches higher
than the handkerchief, served as ledges on each side. When I had finished
my work, I desired the emperor to let a troop of his best horses twenty-four in
number, come and exercise upon this plain. His majesty approved of the
proposal, and I took them up, one by one, in my hands, ready mounted and armed,
with the proper officers to exercise them. As soon as they got into order
they divided into two parties, performed mock skirmishes, discharged blunt
arrows, drew their swords, fled and pursued, attacked and retired, and in short
discovered the best military discipline I ever beheld. The parallel sticks
secured them and their horses from falling over the stage; and the emperor was
so much delighted, that he ordered this entertainment to be repeated several
days, and once was pleased to be lifted up and give the word of command; and
with great difficulty persuaded even the empress herself to let me hold her in
her close chair within two yards of the stage, when she was able to take a full
view of the whole performance. It was my good fortune, that no ill
accident happened in these entertainments; only once a fiery horse, that
belonged to one of the captains, pawing with his hoof, struck a hole in my
handkerchief, and his foot slipping, he overthrew his rider and himself; but I
immediately relieved them both, and covering the hole with one hand, I set down
the troop with the other, in the same manner as I took them up. The horse that
fell was strained in the left shoulder, but the rider got no hurt; and I
repaired my handkerchief as well as I could: however, I would not trust to the
strength of it any more, in such dangerous enterprises.
About two
or three days before I was set at liberty, as I was entertaining the court with
this kind of feat, there arrived an express to inform his majesty, that some of
his subjects, riding near the place where I was first taken up, had seen a
great black substance lying on the around, very oddly shaped, extending its
edges round, as wide as his majesty’s bedchamber, and rising up in the middle
as high as a man; that it was no living creature, as they at first apprehended,
for it lay on the grass without motion; and some of them had walked round it
several times; that, by mounting upon each other’s shoulders, they had got to
the top, which was flat and even, and, stamping upon it, they found that it was
hollow within; that they humbly conceived it might be something belonging to
the man-mountain; and if his majesty pleased, they would undertake to bring it
with only five horses. I presently knew what they meant, and was glad at
heart to receive this intelligence. It seems, upon my first reaching the
shore after our shipwreck, I was in such confusion, that before I came to the
place where I went to sleep, my hat, which I had fastened with a string to my
head while I was rowing, and had stuck on all the time I was swimming, fell off
after I came to land; the string, as I conjecture, breaking by some accident,
which I never observed, but thought my hat had been lost at sea. I
entreated his imperial majesty to give orders it might be brought to me as soon
as possible, describing to him the use and the nature of it: and the next day
the waggoners arrived with it, but not in a very good condition; they had bored
two holes in the brim, within an inch and half of the edge, and fastened two
hooks in the holes; these hooks were tied by a long cord to the harness, and
thus my hat was dragged along for above half an English mile; but, the ground
in that country being extremely smooth and level, it received less damage than
I expected.
Two days
after this adventure, the emperor, having ordered that part of his army which
quarters in and about his metropolis, to be in readiness, took a fancy of
diverting himself in a very singular manner. He desired I would stand
like a Colossus, with my legs as far asunder as I conveniently could. He then
commanded his general (who was an old experienced leader, and a great patron of
mine) to draw up the troops in close order, and march them under me; the foot
by twenty-four abreast, and the horse by sixteen, with drums beating, colours
flying, and pikes advanced. This body consisted of three thousand foot,
and a thousand horse. His majesty gave orders, upon pain of death, that
every soldier in his march should observe the strictest decency with regard to
my person; which however could not prevent some of the younger officers from
turning up their eyes as they passed under me: and, to confess the truth, my
breeches were at that time in so ill a condition, that they afforded some
opportunities for laughter and admiration.
I had sent
so many memorials and petitions for my liberty, that his majesty at length
mentioned the matter, first in the cabinet, and then in a full council; where
it was opposed by none, except Skyresh Bolgolam, 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 master’s confidence, and a person
well versed in affairs, but of a morose and sour complexion. However, he
was at length persuaded to comply; but prevailed that the articles and
conditions upon which I should be set free, and to which I must swear, should
be drawn up by himself. These articles were brought to me by Skyresh
Bolgolam in person attended by two under-secretaries, and several persons of
distinction. After they were read, I was demanded to swear to the
performance of them; first in the manner of my own country, and afterwards in
the method prescribed 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 some idea of the style and manner of expression peculiar to
that people, as well as to know the article upon which I recovered my liberty,
I have made a translation of the whole instrument, word for word, as near as I
was able, which I here offer to the public.
“Golbasto
Momarem Evlame Gurdilo Shefin Mully Ully Gue, most mighty Emperor of Lilliput,
delight and terror of the universe, whose dominions extend five thousand blustrugs
(about twelve miles in circumference) to the extremities of the globe; monarch
of all monarchs, taller than the sons of men; whose feet press down to the
centre, and whose head strikes against the sun; at whose nod the princes of the
earth shake their knees; pleasant as the spring, comfortable as the summer,
fruitful as autumn, dreadful as winter: his most sublime majesty proposes to
the man-mountain, lately arrived at our celestial dominions, the following
articles, which, by a solemn oath, he shall be obliged to perform:—
“1st, The
man-mountain shall not depart from our dominions, without our license under our
great seal.
“2d, He
shall not presume to come into our metropolis, without our express order; at
which time, the inhabitants shall have two hours warning to keep within doors.
“3d, The
said man-mountain shall confine 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 said roads, he shall take the utmost care not to trample upon the
bodies of any of our loving subjects, their horses, or carriages, nor take any
of our subjects into his hands without their own consent.
“5th, If
an express requires extraordinary despatch, the man-mountain shall be obliged
to carry, in his pocket, the messenger and horse a six days journey, once in
every moon, and return the said messenger back (if so required) safe to our
imperial presence.
“6th, He
shall be our ally against our enemies in the island of Blefuscu, and do his
utmost to destroy their fleet, which is now preparing to invade us.
“7th, That
the said man-mountain shall, at his times of leisure, be aiding and assisting
to our workmen, in helping to raise certain great stones, towards covering the
wall of the principal park, and other our royal buildings.
“8th, That
the said man-mountain shall, in two moons’ time, deliver in an exact survey of
the circumference of our dominions, by a computation of his own paces round the
coast.
“Lastly,
That, upon his solemn oath to observe all the above articles, the said
man-mountain shall have a daily allowance of meat and drink sufficient for the
support of 1724 of our subjects, with free access to our royal person, and
other marks of our favour. Given at our palace at Belfaborac, the twelfth
day of the ninety-first moon of our reign.”
I swore
and subscribed to these articles with great cheerfulness and content, although
some of them were not so honourable as I could have wished; which proceeded
wholly from the malice of Skyresh Bolgolam, the high-admiral: whereupon my
chains were immediately unlocked, and I was at full liberty. The emperor
himself, in person, did me the honour to be by at the whole ceremony. I
made my acknowledgements by prostrating myself at his majesty’s feet: but he
commanded me to rise; and after many gracious expressions, which, to avoid the
censure of vanity, I shall not repeat, he added, “that he hoped I should prove
a useful servant, and well deserve all the favours he had already conferred
upon me, or might do for the future.”
The reader
may please to observe, that, in the last article of the recovery of my liberty,
the emperor stipulates to allow me a quantity of meat and drink sufficient for
the support of 1724 Lilliputians. Some time after, asking a friend at
court how they came to fix on that determinate number, he told me that his
majesty’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 similarity of their bodies, that mine must contain at
least 1724 of theirs, and consequently would require as much food as was
necessary to support 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 so great a prince.
To be continued
