<h3>I - CHAPTER III.</h3>
<p class="gutsumm">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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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 <i>galbet</i>, 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.</p>
<p>“Golbasto Momarem Evlame Gurdilo Shefin Mully Ully Gue,
most mighty Emperor of Lilliput, delight and terror of the
universe, whose dominions extend five thousand <i>blustrugs</i>
(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:—</p>
<p>“1st, The man-mountain shall not depart from our
dominions, without our license under our great seal.</p>
<p>“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.</p>
<p>“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.</p>
<p>“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.</p>
<p>“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.</p>
<p>“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.</p>
<p>“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.</p>
<p>“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.</p>
<p>“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.”</p>
<p>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.”</p>
<p>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.</p>
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