the most commendable virtue in a prince, and for which his Majefty was fo juftly celebrated. He faid, the friendship between you and him was fo well known to the world, that perhaps the most honourable board might think him partial: However, in obedience to the command he had received, he would freely offer his fentiments. 'That if his Majefty, in confideration of your fervices, and pursuant to his own merciful difpofition, would please to spare your life, and only give order to put out both your eyes, he humbly conceived, that by this expedient justice might in fome measure be fatisfied, and all the world would applaud the lenity of the Emperor, as well as the fair and generous proceedings of thofe who have the honour to be his counfellors: That the lofs of your eyes would be no impediment to your bodily ftrength, by which you might still be ufeful to his Majefty: That blindness is an addition to courage, by concealing dangers from us : That the fear you had for your eyes, was the greateft difficulty in bringing over the enemy's fleet; and it would be fufficient for you to fee by the eyes of the minifters, fince the greateft princes

do no more.

This propofal was received with the utmost difapprobation by the whole board. Bolgolam the admiral could not preferve his temper; but rifing up in fury, faid, He wondered how the fecretary durft prefume to give his opinion for preferving the life of a traitor: That the fervices you had performed were, by all true reasons of state,

the

the great aggravation of your crimes; that you, who were able to extinguish the fire by discharge of urine in her Majefty's apartment (which he mentioned with horror) might at another time raise an inundation by the fame means to drown the whole palace; and the fame strength, which enabled you to bring over the enemy's fleet, might ferve upon the first discontent to carry it back: That he had good reafons to think you are a Bigendian in your heart; and as treafon begins in the heart, before it appears in overt-acts, fo he accufed you as a traitor on that account, and therefore insisted you should be put to death.

The treasurer was of the fame opinion: He fhewed to what ftreights his Majefty's revenue was reduced by the charge of maintaining you, which would foon grow infupportable: That the fecretary's expedient of putting out your eyes was fo far from being a remedy against this evil, that it would probably increase it, as is manifeft from the common practice of blinding fome kinds of fowl, after which they fed the fafter, and grew fooner fat: That his facred Majefty and the council, who are your judges, were in their own confciences fully convinced of your guilt, which was a fufficient argument to condemn you to death, without the formal proofs required by the ftrict letter of the law *.

But

There is fomething fo odious in whatever is wrong, that even those whom it does not fubject to punishment, endeavour to colour it with an appearance of right; but the attempt is always unfuccessful, and only betrays a confciousness of deformity,

by

But his Imperial Majefty, fully determined against capital punishment, was graciously pleafed to fay, that fince the council thought the lofs of your eyes too eafy a cenfure, fome other may be inflicted hereafter. And your friend the fecretary, humbly defiring to be heard again, in anfwer to what the treasurer had objected concerning the great charge his Majefty was at in maintaining you, faid, That his Excellency, who had the fole difpofal of the Emperor's revenue, might easily provide against that evil, by gradually leffening your establishment; by which, for want of fufficient food, you would grow weak and faint, and lose your appetite, and confume in a few months; neither would the stench of your carcafe be then fo dangerous, when it fhould become more than half diminished; and immediately upon your death, five or fix thoufand of his Majefty's fubjects might in two or three days cut your fleth from your bones, take it away by cart-loads, and bury it in diftant parts to prevent infection, leaving the skeleton as a monument of admiration to posterity.

Thus, by the great friendship of the secretary, the whole affair was compromifed. It was ftrictly enjoined, that the project of starving you by degrees

by fhewing a defire to hide it. Thus the Lilliputian court pretended a right to difpenfe with the ftrict letter of the law to put Gulliver to death, though by the ftrict letter of the law only, he could be convicted of a crime; the intention of the ftatute not being to fuffer the palace rather to be burnt, than piffed upon. Hawkef.

degrees fhould be kept a fecret, but the fentence of putting out 'your eyes was entered on the books; none diffenting except Bolgolam the admiral, who, being a creature of the Emprefs, was perpetually inftigated by her Majefty to infift upon your death, the having borne perpetual malice against you, on account of that infa❤ mous and illegal method you took to extinguish the fire in her apartment.

In three days, your friend the fecretary will be directed to come to your house, and read before you the articles of impeachment; and then to fignify the great lenity and favour of his Majefty and council, whereby you are only condemned to the lofs of your eyes, which his Majefty doth not queftion you will gratefully and humbly fubmit to; and twenty of his Majesty's furgeons will attend, in order to see the opera-, tion well performed, by difcharging very sharppointed arrows into the balls of your eyes, as you lie on the ground.

I leave to your prudence what measures you will take; and, to avoid fufpicion, 1 muft immediately return in as private a manner as I came. His lordship did fo, and I remained alone under many doubts and perplexities of mind.

It was a custom introduced by this prince and his miniftry (very different, as 1. have been affured, from the practices of former times) that after the court had decreed any cruel execution, either to gratify the monarch's refentment, or the malice of a favourite, the Emperor always

made

made a speech to his whole council, expreffing his great lenity and tendernefs, as qualities known and confeffed by all the world. This fpeech was immediately published through the kingdom: Nor did any thing terrify the people fo much as those encomiums on his Majefty's mercy; because it was observed, that the more these praises were enlarged and infifted on, the more inhuman was the punishment, and the fufferer more innocent. Yet as to myfelf, I muft confefs, having never been defigned for a courtier either by my birth or education, I was fo ill a judge of things, that I could not discover the lenity and favour of this fentence, but conceived it (perhaps erroneously) rather to be rigorous than gentle. I fometimes thought of standing my trial; for although I could not deny the facts alledged in the several articles, yet I hoped they would admit of fome extenuation. But having in my life perufed many state-trials, which I ever obferved to terminate as the judges thought fit to direct, I durft not rely on fo dangerous a decifion, in so critical a juncture, and against fuch powerful enemies. Once I was ftrongly bent upon refiftance; for, while I had liberty, the whole ftrength of that empire could hardly fubdue me, and I might eafily with ftones pelt the metropolis to pieces; but I foon rejected that project with horror, by remembering the oath I had made to the Emperor, the favours I received from him, and the high title of Nardac he conferred upon me. Neither had I fo foon learned the gratitude of courtiers,