courtiers, to persuade myself, that his Majefty's present severities acquitted me of all past obligations.

At laft I fixed upon a refolution, for which it is probable. I may incur fome cenfure, and not unjustly; for I confefs I owe the preserving mine eyes, and confequently my liberty, to my own great rafhnefs, and want of experience; because, if I had then known the nature of princes and minifters, which I have fince obferved in many other courts, and their methods of treating criminals lefs obnoxious than myself, I fhould with great alacrity and readinefs have fubmitted to fo eafy a punishment. But hurried on by the precipitancy of youth, and having his Imperial Majesty's licence to pay my attendance upon the Emperor of Blefufcu, I took this opportunity, before the three days were elapfed, to fend a letter to my friend the fecretary, fignifying my refolution of setting out that morning for Blefufcu, pursuant to the leave I had got; and, without waiting for an answer, I went to that fide of the island where our fleet lay. feized a large man of war, tied a cable to the prow,' and, lifting up the anchors, I ftript myfelf, put my cloaths (together with my coverlet, which I carried under my arm) into the veffel, and drawing it after me, between wading and fwimming, arrived at the royal port of Blefufcu, where the people had long expected me: They lent me two guides to direct me to the capital city, which is of the fame name. I held them

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in my hands, till I came within two hundred yards of the gate, and defired them to fignify my arrival to one of the fecretaries, and let him know, I there waited his Majefty's command. I had an answer in about an hour, that his Majefty, attended by the royal family and great officers of the court, was coming out to receive me. I advanced a hundred yards. The Emperor and his train alighted from their horses, the Emprefs and ladies from their coaches, and I did not perceive they were in any fright or concern. I lay on the ground to kiss his Majefty's and Emprefs's hand. I told his Majefty that I was come according to my promife, and with the licence of the Emperor my mafter, to have the honour of feeing fo mighty a monarch, and to offer him any fervice in my power confiftent with my duty to my own prince; not mentioning a word of my difgrace, becaufe I had hitherto no regular information of it, and might fuppofe myself wholly ignorant of any fuch defign; neither could I reasonably conceive that the Emperor would difcover the fecret, while I was out of his power; wherein however it foon appeared I was deceived.

I fhall not trouble the reader with the particular account of my reception at this court, which was fuitable to the generofity of fo great a prince; nor of the difficulties I was in for want of a house and bed, being forced to lie on the ground, wrapt up in my coverlet.

CHAP.

The author, by a lucky accident, finds means to leave Blefufcu; and, after fome difficulties, returns fafe to his native country.

HREE days after my arrival, walking out

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of curiofity to the north-caft coaft of the island, I observed about half a league off, in the fea, fomewhat that looked like a boat overturned. I pulled off my fhoes and ftockings, and wading two or three hundred yards, I found the object to approach nearer by force of the tide; and then plainly faw it to be a real boat, which I fuppofed might by fome tempeft have ^ been driven from a fhip: Whereupon I returned immediately towards the city, and defired his Imperial Majefty to lend me twenty of the tallest veffels he had left after the lofs of his fleet, and three thousand feamen, under the command of his vice-admiral. This fleet failed round, while I went back the shortest way to the coaft, where I first discovered the boat; I found the tide had driven it ftill nearer. The feamen were all provided with cordage, which I had before-hand twifted to a fufficient ftrength. When the fhips came up, I ftript myself, and waded till I came within a hundred yards of the boat, after which I was forced to fwim till I got up to it. The feamen

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feamen threw me the end of the cord, which I fastened to a hole in the fore-part of the boat, and the other end to a man of war: But I found all my labour to little purpose; for, being out of my depth, I was not able to work. In this neceffity, I was forced to fwim behind, and pufh the boat forwards as often as I could, with one of my hands: And the tide favouring me, I advanced fo far, that I could juft hold up my chin and feel the ground. I refted two or three minutes, and then gave the boat another fhove, and fo on till the fea was no higher than my arm-pits. And now, the most laborious part being over, I took out my other cables, which were ftowed in one of the fhips, and fastened them first to the boat, and then to nine of the veffels which attended me. The wind being favourable, the feamen towed, and I fhoved, till we arrived within forty yards. of the fhore; and waiting till the tide was out, I got dry to the boat; and, by the affistance of two thousand men, with ropes and engines, I made a fhift to turn it on its bottom, and found it was but little damaged.

I fhall not trouble the reader with the difficulties I was under by the help of certain paddles, which coft me ten days making, to get my boat to the royal port of Blefufcu, where a mighty concourfe of people appeared upon my arrival, full of wonder at the fight of so prodigious a veffel. I told the Emperor, that my good fortune had thrown this boat in my way to carry me to fome place, from whence I might

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return into my native country, and begged his Majefty's orders for getting materials to fit it up, together with his licence to depart, which, after fome kind expoftulations, he was pleafed to grant.

I did very much wonder, in all this time, not to have heard of any exprefs relating to me from our Emperor to the court of Blefufcu. But I was afterwards given privately to understand, that his imperial Majesty, never imagining I had the leaft notice of his defigns, believed I was only gone to Blefuscu in performance of my promife, according to the licence he had given me, which was well known at our court, and would return in a few days when the ceremony was ended. But he was at laft in pain at my long abfence; and, after confulting with the treasurer and the reft of that cabal, a perfon of quality was dispatched with a copy of the articles against me. This envoy had inftructions to reprefent to the monarch of Blefufcu, the great lenity of his mafter, who was content to punish me no farther than with the lofs of mine eyes; that I had fled from juftice, and, if I did not return in two hours, I fhould be deprived of my title of Nardac, and declared a traitor. The envoy further added, that, in order to maintain the peace and amity between both empires, his mafter expected, that his brother of Blefufcu would give orders to have me sent back to Lilliput, bound hand and foot, to be punished as a traitor.

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