the Emperor, and to let him know, that I thought it would not become me, who was a foreigner, to interfere with parties; but I was ready, with the hazard of my life, to defend his person and state against all invaders*..

CHAP. V.

The author, by an extraordinary ftratagem, prevents an invafion. A high title of honour is conferred upon him. Ambaffadors arrive from the Emperor of Blefufcu, and fue for peace. The Empress's apartment on fire by an accident: the author inftrumental in faving the rest of the palace.

THE empire of

Blefufcu is an ifland, fituated to the north-east fide of Lilliput, from whence it is parted only by a channel of eight hundred yards wide. I had not yet feen it, and upon this notice of an intended invafion, I avoided appearing on that fide of the coast, for fear of being difcovered by fome of the enemy's fhips, who had received no intelligence of me, all intercourfe between the two empires having been ftrictly forbidden during the war upon pain of death, and an embargo laid by our Emperor upon all veffels whatfoever. I communicated to his Majefty a project I had formed of feizing the enemy's whole fleet: which, as our fcouts affured us, lay at anchor in the harbour ready to fail with the first fair wind. I confulted the most experienced feamen upon the depth of the channel, which they had often plummed; who told me, that in the middle at high-water it was feventy glumgluffs deep, which is about fix feet of European meafure; and the reft of it fifty glumgluffs at moft. I walked towards the north east coast, over-against Blefufcu; where, lying down behind a hillock, I took out

D 3

my

Gulliver, without examining the fubject of difpute, readily engaged to defend the Emperor against an invafion; because he knew, that no fuch monarch had a right to invade the dominions of another, tho' for the propagation of truth.

Hawkef

my small perspective glass, and viewed the enemy's fleet at anchor, confifting of about fifty men of war, and a great number of tranfports; I then came back to my house, and gave orders (for which I had a warrant) for a great quantity of the strongest cable and bars of iron. The cable was about as thick as pack-thread, and the bars of the length and fize of a knitting-needle. I trebled the cable to make it stronger, and for the fame reason I twisted three of the iron-bars together, bending the extremities into a hook. Having thus fixed fifty hooks to as many cables, I went back to the north-east coast, and putting off my coat, fhoes, and ftockings, walked into the fea in my leathern jerkin about half an hour before high-water. I waded with what hafte I could, and swam in the middle about thirty yards, till I felt ground; I arrived at the fleet in less than half an hour. The enemy was fo frighted when they faw me, that they leaped out of their ships, and fwam to shore, where there could not be fewer than thirty thousand fouls: I then took my tackling, and fastening a hook to the hole at the prow of each, I tied all the cords together at the end. While I was thus employed, the enemy difcharged feveral thousand arrows, many of which stuck in my hands and face; and, befides the exceffive smart, gave me much difturbance in my work. My greatest apprehenfion was for mine eyes, which I fhould have infallibly loft, if I had not fuddenly thought of an expedient. I kept among other little neceffaries a pair of fpectacles in a private pocket, which, as I obferved before, had efcaped the Emperor's fearchers. These I took out and faftened as ftrongly as I could upon my nofe, and thus armed went on boldly with my work in fpight of the enemy's arrows, many of which ftruck_against the glaffes of my fpectacles, but without any other effect, farther than a little to difcompofe them. I had now fastened all the hooks, and taking the knot in my hand began to pull; but not a fhip would ftir, for they were all too fast held by their anchors, fo that the boldeft part of my enterprize remained. I therefore let go the cord, and leaving the hooks fixed to the fhips, I refolutely cut with my knife the cables that faftened the anchors, receiving above two hundred fhots in my face and hands; then I took up the knotted end of the cables,

to

to which my hooks were tied, and with great eafe drew fifty of the enemy's largest men of war after me.

THE Blefufcudians, who had not the leaft imagination of what I intended, were at firft confounded with aftonishment. They had feen me cut the cables, and thought my defign was only to let the fhips run a-drift, or fall foul on each other: but, when they perceived the whole fleet moving in order, and faw me pulling at the end, they fet up fuch a fcream of grief and defpair, as it is almoft impoffible to defcribe or conceive. When I had got out of danger, I ftopt a while to pick out the arrows that stuck in my hands and face; and rubbed on fome of the fame ointment that was given me at my firft arrival, as I have formerly mentioned. I then took off my fpectacles, and waiting about an hour, till the tide was a little fallen, I waded thro' the middle with my cargo, and arrived fafe at the royal port of Lilliput.

THE Emperor and his whole court ftood on the fhore expecting the iffue of this great adventure. They faw the fhips move forward in a large half-moon, but could not difcern me, who was up to my breaft in water. When I advanced to the middle of the channel, they were yet more in pain, because I was under water to my neck. The Emperor concluded me to be drowned, and that the enemy's fleet was approaching in an hoftile manner: but he was foon eafed of his fears; for the channel growing fhallower every ftep I made, I came in a fhort time within hearing, and holding up the end of the cable by which the fleet was faftened, I cried in a loud voice, Long live the meft puiffant Emperor of Lilliput! This great Prince received me at my landing with all poffible encomiums, and created me a Nardac upon the fpot, which is the higheft title of honour among them.

His Majefty defired I would take fome other opportunity of bringing all the rest of his enemy's fhips into his ports. And fo unmeasurable is the ambition of princes, that he feemed to think of nothing less than reducing the whole empire of Blefufcu into a province, and governing it by a vice roy; of deftroying the Big-endian exiles, and compelling that people to break the fmaller end of their eggs, by which he would remain the fole monarch of the whole world. But I endeavoured to divert him from this

defign by many arguments drawn from the topics of policy as well as juftice: and I plainly protefted, that I would never be an inftrument of bringing a free and brave people into flavery. And, when the matter was debated in council, the wifest part of the miniftry were of my opinion.

THIS open bold declaration of mine was fo oppofite to the schemes and politics of his Imperial Majefty, that he could never forgive me he mentioned it in a very artful manner at council, where I was told that fome of the wifeft appeared at least by their filence to be of my opinion; but others, who were my fecret enemies, could not forbear fome expreffions, which by a fide-wind reflected on me. And from this time began an intrigue: between his Majefty, ard a junto of ministers malicioufly bent againft me, which broke out in lefs than two months, and had like to have ended in my utter deftruEtion. Of fo little weight are the greateft fervices to princes, when put into the balance with a refusal to gra tify their paffions.

ABOUT three weeks after this exploit, there arrived a folemn embaffy from Blefufcu with humble offers of a peace; which was foon concluded upon conditions very advantageous to our Emperor, wherewith I fhall not trouble the reader. There were fix ambaffadors, with a train of about five hundred perfons; and their entry was very magnificent, fuitable to the grandeur of their master, and the importance of their bufinefs. When their treaty was finished, wherein I did them feveral good offices by the credit I now had, or at least appeared to have at court, their Excellencies, who were privately told how much I had been their friend, made me a visit in form. They began with many compliments upon my valour and generofity, invited me to that kingdom in the Emperor their master's name, and defired me to fhew them fome proofs of my prodigious ftrength, of which they had heard fo many wonders; wherein I readily obliged them, but shall not trouble the reader with the particulars.

WHEN I had for fome time entertained their Excellencies to their infinite fatisfaction and furprize, I defired they would do me the honour to prefent my most humble

respects

refpects to the Emperor their mafter, the renown of whofe virtues had fo juftly filled the whole world with admiration, and whofe royal perfon I refolved to attend before I returned to my own country: accordingly, the next time I had the honour to fee our Emperor, I defired his general licence to wait on the Blefufcudian Monarch, which he was pleafed to grant me, as I could plainly perceive, in a very cold manner; but could not guess the reafon, till I had a whifper from a certain perfon, that Flimnap and Bolgolam had reprefented my intercourse with thofe ambassadors as a mark of difaffection, from which I am fure my heart was wholly free. And this was the first time I began to conceive fome imperfect idea of courts and minifters.

Ir is to be observed, that these ambassadors fpoke to me by an interpreter, the languages of both empires differing as much from each other as any two in Europe, and each nation priding itself upon the antiquity, beauty, and energy of their own tongues, with an avowed contempt for that of their neighbour; yet our Emperor, ftanding upon the advantage he had got by the feizure of their fleet, obliged them to deliver their credentials, and make their fpeech in the Lilliputian tongue. And it must be confeffed, that from the great intercourse of trade and commerce between both realms, from the continual reception of exiles, which is mutual among them, and from the cuftom in each empire to fend their young nobility and richer gentry to the other in order to polish themselves by feeing the world, and understanding men and manners; there are few perfons of diftinction, or merchants, or feamen, who dwell in the maritime parts, but what can hold converfation in both tongues; as I found fome weeks after, when I went to pay my respects to the Emperor of Blefufcu, which in the midst of great misfortunes, thro' the malice of my enemies, proved a very happy adventure to me, as 1 fhall relate in its proper place.

THE reader may remember, that when I figned thofe articles upon which I recovered my liberty, there were fome which I disliked upon account of their being too fervile, neither could any thing but an extreme neceffity have forced me to fubmit. But being now a Nardac of the

highest