a numerous fleet, and are just preparing to make a defcent upon us; and his Imperial Majefty, placing great confidence in your valour and ftrength, hath commanded me to lay this account of his affairs before

you.

I defired the fecretary to prefent my humble duty to 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 perfon and state against all invaders *.

CHA P. V.

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

Tated to the north-eaft fide of Lilliput,

THE empire of Blefufcu is an ifland fitu

from whence it is parted only by a channel of eight hundred yards wide. I had not yet seen it; and upon this notice of an intended invafion, I avoided appearing on that fide of the coaft, for fear

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

ג

fear of being difcovered by fome of the enemy's fhips, who had received no intelligence of me, all intercourse 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 moft experienced feamen upon the depth of the channel, which they had often plumbed; who told me, that in the middle, at high-water, it was feventy glumgluffs deep, which is about fix feet of European measure; and the rest of it fifty glumgluffs at moft. I walked towards the north-caft coaft, over againft Blefufcu; where, lying down behind a hillock, I took out my small perspective glafs, and viewed the ene my's fleet at anchor, confifting of about fifty men of war, and a great number of transports I then came back to my houfe, 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 size of a knitting needle. I trebled the cable to make it ftronger, and for the fame reafon 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-eaft coaft, and putting off my coat, fhoes, and ftockings, walked into VOL. V.

F

the

the fea in my leathern jerkin, about half an hour before high-water. I waded with what hafte I could, and fwam in the middle about thirty yards, till I felt ground; I arrived at the fleet in lefs than half an hour. The enemy was fo that they leaped out

frighted when they faw me, of their fhips, and fwam to fhore, where there could not be fewer than thirty thousand fouls : I then took my tackling, and, faftening 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 thoufand arrows, many of which stuck in my hands and face; and, befides the exceffive fmart, gave me much disturbance in my work. My greatest apprehenfion was for mine eyes, which I should 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. Thefe I took out, and fastened 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 difcompose them. I had now faftened all the hooks, and, taking the knot in my hand, began to pull; but not a fhip would stir, for they were all too faft held by their anchors, fo that the boldest 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 fastened the anchors, receiving above two hundred shots in my face and hands; then I took up the knotted end of the cables, to which my hooks were tied, and with great ease 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 first 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: B 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 through 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 breast 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 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 most puissant 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 highest title of honour among them.

His Majefty defired, I would take fome other opportunity of bringing all the reft of his enemy's fhips into his ports. And fo unmeafurable 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 viceroy; of deftroying the Big-endian exiles, and compelling that people to break the finaller 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 protested, 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