Mildendo, the metropolis1 of Lilliput, described, together with the emperor’s palace. A conversation between the author and a principal secretary, concerning the affairs of that empire. The author’s offers to serve the emperor in his wars.
The first request I made, after I had obtained my liberty, was, that I might have license2 to see Mildendo, the metropolis; which the emperor easily granted me, but with a special charge to do no hurt either to the inhabitants or their houses. The people had notice, by proclamation, of my design to visit the town. The wall which encompassed3 it is two feet and a half high, and at least eleven inches broad, so that a coach and horses may be driven very safely round it; and it is flanked with strong towers at ten feet distance. I stepped over the great western gate, and passed very gently, and sidling, through the two principal streets, only in my short waistcoat, for fear of damaging the roofs and eaves of the houses with the skirts of my coat. I walked with the utmost circumspection4, to avoid treading on any stragglers who might remain in the streets, although the orders were very strict, that all people should keep in their houses, at their own peril5. The garret windows and tops of houses were so crowded with spectators, that I thought in all my travels I had not seen a more populous6 place. The city is an exact square, each side of the wall being five hundred feet long. The two great streets, which run across and divide it into four quarters, are five feet wide. The lanes and alleys7, which I could not enter, but only view them as I passed, are from twelve to eighteen inches. The town is capable of holding five hundred thousand souls: the houses are from three to five stories: the shops and markets well provided.
The emperor’s palace is in the centre of the city where the two great streets meet. It is enclosed by a wall of two feet high, and twenty feet distance from the buildings. I had his majesty8’s permission to step over this wall; and, the space being so wide between that and the palace, I could easily view it on every side. The outward court is a square of forty feet, and includes two other courts: in the inmost are the royal apartments, which I was very desirous to see, but found it extremely difficult; for the great gates, from one square into another, were but eighteen inches high, and seven inches wide. Now the buildings of the outer court were at least five feet high, and it was impossible for me to stride over them without infinite damage to the pile, though the walls were strongly built of hewn stone, and four inches thick. At the same time the emperor had a great desire that I should see the magnificence of his palace; but this I was not able to do till three days after, which I spent in cutting down with my knife some of the largest trees in the royal park, about a hundred yards distant from the city. Of these trees I made two stools, each about three feet high, and strong enough to bear my weight. The people having received notice a second time, I went again through the city to the palace with my two stools in my hands. When I came to the side of the outer court, I stood upon one stool, and took the other in my hand; this I lifted over the roof, and gently set it down on the space between the first and second court, which was eight feet wide. I then stept over the building very conveniently from one stool to the other, and drew up the first after me with a hooked stick. By this contrivance I got into the inmost court; and, lying down upon my side, I applied9 my face to the windows of the middle stories, which were left open on purpose, and discovered the most splendid apartments that can be imagined. There I saw the empress and the young princes, in their several lodgings10, with their chief attendants about them. Her imperial majesty was pleased to smile very graciously upon me, and gave me out of the window her hand to kiss.
But I shall not anticipate the reader with further descriptions of this kind, because I reserve them for a greater work, which is now almost ready for the press; containing a general description of this empire, from its first erection, through along series of princes; with a particular account of their wars and politics, laws, learning, and religion; their plants and animals; their peculiar11 manners and customs, with other matters very curious and useful; my chief design at present being only to relate such events and transactions as happened to the public or to myself during a residence of about nine months in that empire.
One morning, about a fortnight after I had obtained my liberty, Reldresal, principal secretary (as they style him) for private affairs, came to my house attended only by one servant. He ordered his coach to wait at a distance, and desired I would give him an hours audience; which I readily consented to, on account of his quality and personal merits, as well as of the many good offices he had done me during my solicitations at court. I offered to lie down that he might the more conveniently reach my ear, but he chose rather to let me hold him in my hand during our conversation. He began with compliments on my liberty; said “he might pretend to some merit in it;” but, however, added, “that if it had not been for the present situation of things at court, perhaps I might not have obtained it so soon. For,” said he, “as flourishing a condition as we may appear to be in to foreigners, we labour under two mighty12 evils: a violent faction13 at home, and the danger of an invasion, by a most potent14 enemy, from abroad. As to the first, you are to understand, that for about seventy moons past there have been two struggling parties in this empire, under the names of Tramecksan and Slamecksan, from the high and low heels of their shoes, by which they distinguish themselves. It is alleged15, indeed, that the high heels are most agreeable to our ancient constitution; but, however this be, his majesty has determined16 to make use only of low heels in the administration of the government, and all offices in the gift of the crown, as you cannot but observe; and particularly that his majesty’s imperial heels are lower at least by a drurr than any of his court (drurr is a measure about the fourteenth part of an inch). The animosities between these two parties run so high, that they will neither eat, nor drink, nor talk with each other. We compute17 the Tramecksan, or high heels, to exceed us in number; but the power is wholly on our side. We apprehend18 his imperial highness, the heir to the crown, to have some tendency towards the high heels; at least we can plainly discover that one of his heels is higher than the other, which gives him a hobble in his gait. Now, in the midst of these intestine19 disquiets20, we are threatened with an invasion from the island of Blefuscu, which is the other great empire of the universe, almost as large and powerful as this of his majesty. For as to what we have heard you affirm, that there are other kingdoms and states in the world inhabited by human creatures as large as yourself, our philosophers are in much doubt, and would rather conjecture21 that you dropped from the moon, or one of the stars; because it is certain, that a hundred mortals of your bulk would in a short time destroy all the fruits and cattle of his majesty’s dominions22: besides, our histories of six thousand moons make no mention of any other regions than the two great empires of Lilliput and Blefuscu. Which two mighty powers have, as I was going to tell you, been engaged in a most obstinate23 war for six-and-thirty moons past. It began upon the following occasion. It is allowed on all hands, that the primitive24 way of breaking eggs, before we eat them, was upon the larger end; but his present majesty’s grandfather, while he was a boy, going to eat an egg, and breaking it according to the ancient practice, happened to cut one of his fingers. Whereupon the emperor his father published an edict, commanding all his subjects, upon great penalties, to break the smaller end of their eggs. The people so highly resented this law, that our histories tell us, there have been six rebellions raised on that account; wherein one emperor lost his life, and another his crown. These civil commotions25 were constantly fomented26 by the monarchs27 of Blefuscu; and when they were quelled28, the exiles always fled for refuge to that empire. It is computed29 that eleven thousand persons have at several times suffered death, rather than submit to break their eggs at the smaller end. Many hundred large volumes have been published upon this controversy30: but the books of the Big-endians have been long forbidden, and the whole party rendered incapable31 by law of holding employments. During the course of these troubles, the emperors of Blefusca did frequently expostulate by their ambassadors, accusing us of making a schism32 in religion, by offending against a fundamental doctrine33 of our great prophet Lustrog, in the fifty-fourth chapter of the Blundecral (which is their Alcoran). This, however, is thought to be a mere34 strain upon the text; for the words are these: ‘that all true believers break their eggs at the convenient end.’ And which is the convenient end, seems, in my humble35 opinion to be left to every man’s conscience, or at least in the power of the chief magistrate36 to determine. Now, the Big-endian exiles have found so much credit in the emperor of Blefuscu’s court, and so much private assistance and encouragement from their party here at home, that a bloody37 war has been carried on between the two empires for six-and-thirty moons, with various success; during which time we have lost forty capital ships, and a much a greater number of smaller vessels38, together with thirty thousand of our best seamen39 and soldiers; and the damage received by the enemy is reckoned to be somewhat greater than ours. However, they have now equipped a numerous fleet, and are just preparing to make a descent upon us; and his imperial majesty, placing great confidence in your valour and strength, has commanded me to lay this account of his affairs before you.”
I desired the secretary to present my humble duty to the emperor; and to let him know, “that I thought it would not become me, who was a foreigner, to interfere40 with parties; but I was ready, with the hazard of my life, to defend his person and state against all invaders41.”
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1
metropolis
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| n.首府；大城市 | |
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license
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| n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许 | |
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encompassed
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| v.围绕( encompass的过去式和过去分词 )；包围；包含；包括 | |
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circumspection
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| n.细心，慎重 | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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populous
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| adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的 | |
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alleys
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| 胡同，小巷( alley的名词复数 )； 小径 | |
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majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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9
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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lodgings
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| n. 出租的房舍, 寄宿舍 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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12
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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13
faction
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| n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争 | |
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14
potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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alleged
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| a.被指控的，嫌疑的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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17
compute
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| v./n.计算，估计 | |
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18
apprehend
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| vt.理解，领悟，逮捕，拘捕，忧虑 | |
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intestine
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| adj.内部的；国内的；n.肠 | |
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disquiets
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| n.忧虑( disquiet的名词复数 )；不安；内心不平静；烦恼v.使不安，使忧虑，使烦恼( disquiet的第三人称单数 ) | |
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21
conjecture
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| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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22
dominions
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| 统治权( dominion的名词复数 )； 领土； 疆土； 版图 | |
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23
obstinate
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| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
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primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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commotions
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| n.混乱，喧闹，骚动( commotion的名词复数 ) | |
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fomented
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| v.激起，煽动（麻烦等）( foment的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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monarchs
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| 君主，帝王( monarch的名词复数 ) | |
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28
quelled
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| v.（用武力）制止，结束，镇压( quell的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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computed
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| adj.[医]计算的，使用计算机的v.计算，估算( compute的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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30
controversy
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| n.争论，辩论，争吵 | |
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31
incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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32
schism
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| n.分派，派系，分裂 | |
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33
doctrine
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| n.教义；主义；学说 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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35
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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magistrate
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| n.地方行政官，地方法官，治安官 | |
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bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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seamen
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| n.海员 | |
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40
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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41
invaders
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| 入侵者，侵略者，侵入物( invader的名词复数 ) | |
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