Gulliver's Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World
red metal, of different bulk; some of the white, which seemed to be
silver, were so large and heavy, that my comrade and I could hardly
lift them. In the left pocket were two black pillars irregularly
shaped: we could not, without difficulty, reach the top of them, as we
stood at the bottom of his pocket. One of them was covered, and seemed
all of a piece: but at the upper end of the other there appeared a
white round substance, about twice the bigness of our heads. Within
each of these was enclosed a prodigious plate of steel; which, by our
orders, we obliged him to show us, because we apprehended they might be
dangerous engines. He took them out of their cases, and told us, that
in his own country his practice was to shave his beard with one of
these, and cut his meat with the other. There were two pockets which we
could not enter: these he called his fobs; they were two large slits
cut into the top of his middle cover, but squeezed close by the
pressure of his belly. Out of the right fob hung a great silver chain,
with a wonderful kind of engine at the bottom. We directed him to draw
out whatever was at the end of that chain; which appeared to be a
globe, half silver, and half of some transparent metal; for, on the
transparent side, we saw certain strange figures circularly drawn, and
thought we could touch them, till we found our fingers stopped by the
lucid substance. He put this engine into our ears, which made an
incessant noise, like that of a water-mill: and we conjecture it is
either some unknown animal, or the god that he worships; but we are
more inclined to the latter opinion, because he assured us, (if we
understood him right, for he expressed himself very imperfectly) that
he seldom did any thing without consulting it. He called it his oracle,
and said, it pointed out the time for every action of his life. From
the left fob he took out a net almost large enough for a fisherman, but
contrived to open and shut like a purse, and served him for the same
use: we found therein several massy pieces of yellow metal, which, if
they be real gold, must be of immense value.
“Having thus, in obedience to your majesty’s commands, diligently
searched all his pockets, we observed a girdle about his waist made of
the hide of some prodigious animal, from which, on the left side, hung
a sword of the length of five men; and on the right, a bag or pouch
divided into two cells, each cell capable of holding three of your
majesty’s subjects. In one of these cells were several globes, or
balls, of a most ponderous metal, about the bigness of our heads, and
requiring a strong hand to lift them: the other cell contained a heap
of certain black grains, but of no great bulk or weight, for we could
hold above fifty of them in the palms of our hands.
“This is an exact inventory of what we found about the body of the
man-mountain, who used us with great civility, and due respect to your
majesty’s commission. Signed and sealed on the fourth day of the
eighty-ninth moon of your majesty’s auspicious reign.
Clefrin Frelock, Marsi Frelock.”
When this inventory was read over to the emperor, he directed me,
although in very gentle terms, to deliver up the several particulars.
He first called for my scimitar, which I took out, scabbard and all. In
the mean time he ordered three thousand of his choicest troops (who
then attended him) to surround me at a distance, with their bows and
arrows just ready to discharge; but I did not observe it, for my eyes
were wholly fixed upon his majesty. He then desired me to draw my
scimitar, which, although it had got some rust by the sea water, was,
in most parts, exceeding bright. I did so, and immediately all the
troops gave a shout between terror and surprise; for the sun shone
clear, and the reflection dazzled their eyes, as I waved the scimitar
to and fro in my hand. His majesty, who is a most magnanimous prince,
was less daunted than I could expect: he ordered me to return it into
the scabbard, and cast it on the ground as gently as I could, about six
feet from the end of my chain. The next thing he demanded was one of
the hollow iron pillars; by which he meant my pocket pistols. I drew it
out, and at his desire, as well as I could, expressed to him the use of
it; and charging it only with powder, which, by the closeness of my
pouch, happened to escape wetting in the sea (an inconvenience against
which all prudent mariners take special care to provide,) I first
cautioned the emperor not to be afraid, and then I let it off in the
air. The astonishment here was much greater than at the sight of my
scimitar. Hundreds fell down as if they had been struck dead; and even
the emperor, although he stood his ground, could not recover himself
for some time. I delivered up both my pistols in the same manner as I
had done my scimitar, and then my pouch of powder and bullets; begging
him that the former might be kept from fire, for it would kindle with
the smallest spark, and blow up his imperial palace into the air. I
likewise delivered up my watch, which the emperor was very curious to
see, and commanded two of his tallest yeomen of the guards to bear it
on a pole upon their shoulders, as draymen in England do a barrel of
ale. He was amazed at the continual noise it made, and the motion of
the minute-hand, which he could easily discern; for their sight is much
more acute than ours: he asked the opinions of his learned men about
it, which were various and remote, as the reader may well imagine
without my repeating; although indeed I could not very perfectly
understand them. I then gave up my silver and copper money, my purse,
with nine large pieces of gold, and some smaller ones; my knife and
razor, my comb and silver snuff-box, my handkerchief and journal-book.
My scimitar, pistols, and pouch, were conveyed in carriages to his
majesty’s stores; but the rest of my goods were returned me.
I had as I before observed, one private pocket, which escaped their
search, wherein there was a pair of spectacles (which I sometimes use
for the weakness of my eyes,) a pocket perspective, and some other
little conveniences; which, being of no consequence to the emperor, I
did not think myself bound in honour to discover, and I apprehended
they might be lost or spoiled if I ventured them out of my possession.
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