the longest in leaping and creeping, is rewarded with the blue-coloured filk, 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 fee few great perfons about this court, who are not adorned with one of thefe girdles. THE horses of the army, and those of the royal ftables, having been daily led before me, were no longer fhy, but would come up to my very feet without ftarting. The riders would leap them over my hand, as I held it on the ground; and one of the Emperor's huntfmen upon a large courfer took my foot,. fhoe 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 defired he would order several flicks of two feet high, and the thicknefs of an ordinary cane, to be brought me; whereupon his Maje y commanded the mafter of his woods to give directions accordingly, and the next morning fix woodmen arrived with as many carriages, drawn by eight horfes to each. I took nine of thefe fticks, and fixing them firmly in the ground in a quadrangular figure, two feet and a half fquare, I took four other sticks, and tied them parallel at each corner about two feet from the ground; then I faftened my handkerchief to the nine sticks. that stood erect; and extended it on all fides, till it was tight as the top of a drum; and the four parallel fticks, rifing about five inches higher than the handkerchief, ferved as ledges on each fide. When I had finished my work, I defired the Emperor to let a troop of his best horse, twenty four in number, come and exercife upon this plain. His Majefly approved of the propofal, and I took them up one by one in my hands, ready mounted and armed, with the proper officers to exercise them. As foon as they got into order, they divided into two parties, performed mock fkirmishes, difcharged blunt arrows, drew their fwords, fled and pursued, attacked and retired, and in short discovered the best military difcipline I ever beheld. The parallel fticks fecured them and their horfes from falling over the ftage; and the Emperor was fo much delighted, that he ordered this entertainment to be repeated feveral days, and once was pleased to be lifted up, give the word of command; and, with great difficulty, perfuaded even the Empress herfelf to let me hold her and in her close chair within two yards of the stage, from whence the was able to take a full view of the whole performance. It was my good fortune, that no ill accident happened in thefe entertainments; only once a fiery horse, that belonged to one of the captains, pawing with his hoof ftruck a hole in my handkerchief, and his foot flipping he overthrew his rider and himself; but I immediately relieved them both, and covering the hole with one hand, I fet down the troop with the other, in the fame manner as I took them up. The horse that fell was ftrained in the left fhoulder, 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 fuch dangerous enterprizes. ABOUT two or three days before I was fet at liberty, as I was entertaining the court with this kind of feats, there arrived an exprefs to inform his Majefty, that fome of his fubjects, riding near the place where I was first taken up, had seen a great black fubftance lying on the ground, very oddly fhaped, extending its edges round as wide as his Majefty's bed-chamber, and rifing up in the middle as high as a man; that it was no living creature, as they had first apprehended, for it lay on the grafs without motion; and fome of them had walked round it feveral times; that. by mounting upon each other's fhoulders, they had got to the top, which was flat and even, and, stamping upon it, they found it was hollow within ; that they humbly conceived it might be fomething belonging to the man-mountain; and, if his Majefty pleased, they would undertake to bring it with only five horfes. I prefently knew what they meant, and was glad at heart to receive this intelligence. It seems, upon my first reaching the shore after our fhipwreck, I was in fuch confufion, that, before I came to the place where I went to fleep, my hat, which I had faftened with a string to my head while I was rowing, and had ftuck on all the time I was fwimming, fell off after I came to land; the ftring, as I conjecture, breaking by fome accident, which I never obferved, but thought my hat had been loft at fea. I intreated his Imperial Majefty to give orders, it might be brought to me as foon as poffible, defcribing to him the ufe and the nature of it; and the next day the waggoners arrived arrived with it, but not in a very good condition; they had bored two holes in the brim within an inch and an half of the edge, and fastened two hooks in the holes; thefe 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 fmooth and level, it received lefs 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 a readiness, took a fancy of diverting himself in a very fingular manner. He defired I would stand like a coloffus, with my legs as far afunder 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 clofe order, and march them under me; the foot by twenty four in a breast, and the horse by fixteen, with drums beating, colours flying, and pikes advanced. This body confifted of three thoufand foot, and a thousand horse. His Majefty gave orders, upon pain of death, that every foldier in his march should obferve the stricteft decency with regard to my person; which however could not prevent fome of the younger officers from turning up their eyes, as they paffed under me: and, to confefs the truth, my breeches were at that time in fo ill a condition, that they afforded fome opportunities for laughter and admiration. I had fent fo many memorials and petitions for my liberty, that his Majesty at length mentioned the matter firft in the cabinet, and then in a full council; where it was oppofed 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 minifter was galbet, or admiral of the realm, very much in his master's confidence, and a person well versed in affairs, but of a morofe and four complexion. However, he was at length perfuaded to comply; but prevailed that the articles and conditions upon which I fhould be fet free, and to which I muft fwear, fould be drawn up by himself. These articles were brought to me by Skyrefh Bolgolam in perfon, attended by two under-fecretaries, and feveral perfons of diftinction. After they were read, I was demanded to fwear fwear 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 fome idea of the ftyle and manner of expreffion peculiar to that people, as well as to know the articles upon which I recovered my liberty, I have made a translation of the whole inftrument word for word, as near as I was able, which I here offer to the public. Golbafto Momaren Evlame Gurdilo Shefin Mully Ulby Gue, Moft Mighty Emperor of Lilliput, delight and terror of the univerfe, whofe dominions extend five thoufand bluftrugs (about twelve miles in circumference) to the extremities of the globe; Monarch of all Monarchs, taller than the fons of men; whose feet press down to the center, and whofe head strikes against the fun; at whose nod the princes of the earth fhake their knees; pleasant as the fpring, comfortable as the fummer, fruitful as autumn, dreadful as winter. His moft Sublime Majefty propofeth to the man-mountain, lately arrived at our celeftial dominions, the following articles, which by a folemn oath he fhall be obliged to perform. Ift, THE man-mountain shall not depart from our dominions without our licence under our great feal. 2d, HE fhall not prefume to come into our metropolis without our exprefs order; at which time the inhabitants fhall have two hours warning to keep within doors. 3d, THE faid man-mountain fhall 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 faid roads, he fhall take the utmoft care not to trample upon the bodies of any of our loving fubjects, their horfes, or carriages, nor take any of our fubjects into his hands without their own confent. 5th, IF an exprefs requires extraordinary dispatch, the man mountain shall be obliged to carry in his pocket the meffenger and horfe a fix days journey once in every moon, and return the faid meffenger back (if so required) fafe to our Imperial prefence. 6th, HE fhall be our ally againft our enemies in the ifland ifland of Blefufcu*, and do his utmost to deftroy their fleet, which is now preparing to invade us. 7th, THAT the faid man-mountain fhall, at his times of leifure, be aiding and affifting to our workmen, in helping to raise certain great ftones, towards covering the wall of the principal park and other our royal buildings. 8th, THAT the faid man-mountain fhall, in two moons time, deliver in an exact survey of the circumference of our dominions by a computation of his own paces round the coaft. Laftly, THAT, upon his folemn oath to obferve all the above articles, the faid man-mountain shall have a daily allowance of meat and drink fufficient for the support of 1724 of our fubjects, with free access to our royal perfon, and other marks of our favour. Given at our palace at Belfaborac, the twelfth day of the ninety first moon of our reign. I fwore and fubfcribed to these articles with great chearfulness and content, altho' fome of them were not fo honourable as I could have wifhed; 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 perfon did me the honour to be by at the whole ceremony. I made my acknowledgements by proftrating myself at his Majefty's feet: but he commanded me to rife; and after many gracious expreffions, which, to avoid the cenfure of vanity, I fhall not repeat, he added, that he hoped I should prove a useful fervant, and well deferve all the favours he had already conferred upon me, or might do for the future. THE reader may please to obferve, that in the last article for the recovery of my liberty, the Emperor ftipulates to allow me a quantity of meat and drink fuffi cient In his defcription of Lilliput, the author feems to have had England more immediately in view. In his description of Blefufcu, he seems to intend the people and kingdom of France. Yet the allegory between thefe nations is frequently interrupted, and fearce any where complete. Several just strokes of fatire are feattered here and there upon errors in the conduct of our government, Orrery. |