SUMMARY :The Author by an extraordinary Stratagem prevents an Invasion. A high Title of Honour is conferred upon him. Embassadors arrive from the Emperor of Blefuscu, and sue for Peace. The Empress's Apartment on fire by an Accident; he Author instrumental I saving the rest of the Palace.

   THE EMPIRE of Blefuscu is an island situated to the North North-East side of Lilliput, 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 Invasion, I avoided
appearing on that side of the Coast, for fear of being discovered by some of the Enemy's Ships, who had received no
Intelligence of me, all Intercourse between the two Empires having been strictly forbidden during the War, upon pain of
Death, and an Embargo laid by our Emperor upon all Vessels whatsoever. I communicated to his Majesty a Project I had
formed of seizing the Enemy's whole Fleet: which, as our Scouts assured us, lay at Anchor in the Harbour ready to sail with
the first fair Wind. I consulted the most experienced Seamen, upon the Depth of the Channel, which they had often
plummed, who told me, that in the middle at High-water it was seventy Glumgluffs deep, which is about six Foot of
European Measure; and the rest of it fifty Glumgluffs at most. I walked towards the North-East Coast over against
Blefuscu; and lying down behind a Hillock, took out my small Pocket Perspective-Glass, and viewed the Enemy's Fleet at
Anchor, consisting of about fifty Men of War, and a great Number of Transports; I then came back to my House, and gave
Order (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 Packthread, and the Bars of the length and size of a Knitting-Needle. I trebled the Cable to make it stronger, and
for the same reason I twisted three of the Iron Bars together, binding 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, Shoes, and Stockings, walked
into the Sea in my Leathern Jerkin, about half an hour before high Water. I waded with what haste 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 so frighted when
they saw me, that they leaped out of their Ships, and swam to shore, where there could not be fewer than thirty thousand
Souls. I then took my Tackling, and fastning a Hook to a Hole at the Prow of each, I tyed all the Cords together at the End.
While I was thus employed, the Enemy discharged several thousand Arrows, many of which stuck in my Hands and Face;
and besides the excessive smart, gave me much disturbance in my Work. My greatest Apprehension was for mine Eyes,
which I should have infallibly lost, if I had not suddenly thought of an Expedient. I kept among other little Necessarys a pair
of Spectacles in a private Pocket, which, as I observed before, had scaped the Emperor's Searchers. These I took out and
fastned as strongly as I could upon my Nose, and thus armed went on boldly with my Work, in spight of the Enemy's
Arrows, many of which struck against the Glasses of my Spectacles, but without any other Effect, further than a little to
discompose them. I now fastned all the Hooks, and taking the Knot in my Hand, began to pull; but not a Ship would stir,
for they were all too fast held by their Anchors, so that the bold part of my Enterprise remained. I therefore let go the Cord,
and leaving the Hooks fixed to the Ships, I resolutely cut with my Knife the Cables that fastned 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
tyed, and with great ease drew fifty of the Enemy's Men-of-War after me.

The Blefuscudians, who had not the least Imagination of what I intended, were at first confounded with Astonishment.
They had seen me cut the Cables, and thought my Design was only to let the Ships run a-drift or fall foul on each other: but
when they perceived the whole Fleet moving in Order, and saw me pulling at the End, they set up such a scream of Grief
and Despair, that it is almost impossible to describe or conceive. When I had got out of danger, I stopt a while to pick out
the Arrows that stuck in my Hands and Face, and rubbed on some of the same Ointment that was given me at my first
arrival, as I have formerly mentioned. I then took off my Spectacles, and waiting about an hour, till the Tide was a little
fallen, I waded through the middle with my Cargo, and arrived safe at the Royal Port of Lilliput.

The Emperor and his whole Court stood on the Shore expecting the Issue of this great Adventure. They saw the Ships
move forward in a large Half-Moon, but could not discern me, who was up to my Breast in Water. When I advanced to
the middle of the Channel, they were yet in more 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 a hostile Manner: But he was soon eased of his Fears,
for the Channel growing shallower every step I made, I came in a short time within hearing, and holding up the end of the
Cable by which the Fleet was fastned, I cryed in a loud Voice, Long live the most puissant Emperor of Lilliput! This
great Prince received me at my Landing with all possible Encomiums, and created me a Nardac upon the spot, which is the
highest Title of Honour among them.

His Majesty desired I would take some other Opportunity of bringing all the rest of his Enemy's Ships into his Ports. And
so unmeasurable is the Ambition of Princes, that he seemed to think of nothing less than reducing the whole Empire of
Blefuscu into a Province, and governing it by a Vice-Roy; of destroying the Big-Endian Exiles, and compelling that People
to break the smaller end of their Eggs, by which he would remain the sole Monarch of the whole World. But I endeavoured
to divert him from this Design, by many arguments drawn from the Topicks of Policy as well as Justice: And I plainly
protested, that I would never be an Instrument of bringing a Free and Brave People into Slavery. And when the Matter was
debated in Council , the wisest part of the Ministry were of my Opinion.

This open bold Declaration of mine was so opposite to the Schemes and Politicks of his Imperial Majesty, that he could
never forgive it; he mentioned it in a very artful Manner at Council, where I was told that some of the wisest appeared, at
least by their Silence, to be of my Opinion; but others, who were my secret Enemies, could not forbear some Expressions,
which by a side-wind reflected on me. And from this time began an intrigue between his Majesty and a Junto of Ministers
maliciously bent against me, which broke out in less than two Months, and had like to have ended in my utter Destruction.
Of so little weight are the greatest Services to Princes, when put into the Ballance with a refusal to gratify their Passions.

About three Weeks after this Exploit, there arrived a solemn embassy from Blefuscu, with humble Offers of a Peace; which
was soon concluded upon Conditions very advantageous to our Emperor, wherewith I shall not trouble the Reader. There
were six Ambassadors, with a Train of about five hundred persons, and their Entry was very magnificent, suitable to the
Grandeur of their Master, and the Importance of their Business. When their Treaty was finished, wherein I did them several
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
Generosity, invited me to that Kingdom in the Emperor their Master's Name, and desired me to show them some Proofs of
my prodigious Strength, of which they had heard so many Wonders; wherein I readily obliged them, but shall not trouble
the Reader with the Particulars.

When I had for some time entertained their Excellencies, to their infinite Satisfaction and Surprize, I desired they would do
me the Honour to present my most humble Respects to the Emperor their Master, the Renown of whose Virtues had so
justly filled the whole World with Admiration, and whose Royal Person I resolved to attend before I returned to my own
Country: accordingly, the next time I had the honour to see our Emperor, I desired his general Licence to wait on the
Blefuscudian Monarch, which he was pleas'd to grant me, as I could plainly perceive, in a very cold manner; but could not
guess the Reason, till I had a Whisper from a certain Person, that Flimnap and Bolgolam had represented my Intercourse
with those Ambassadors as a mark of Disaffection, from which I am sure my Heart was wholly free. And this was the first
time I began to conceive some imperfect Idea of Courts and Ministers.

It is to be observed, that these Ambassadors spoke 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, standing upon the advantage he had
got by the seizure of their Fleet, obliged them to deliver their Credentials, and make their Speech in the Lilliputian Tongue.
And it must be confessed, 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 Custom in each Empire to send their young
Nobility and richer Gentry to the other, in order to polish themselves by seeing the World and understanding Men and
Manners; there are few Persons of Distinction, or Merchants, or Seamen, who dwell in the Maritime parts, but what can
hold Conversation both Tongues; as I found some Weeks after, when I went to pay my respects to the Emperor of
Blefuscu, which in the midst of great Misfortunes, through the Malice of my Enemies, proved a very happy Adventure to
me, as I shall relate in its proper place.

The Reader may remember, that when I signed those Articles upon which I recovered my Liberty, there were some which I
disliked upon account of their being too servile, neither could anything but an extreme Necessity have forced me to submit.
But being now a Nardac, of the highest Rank in that Empire, such Offices were looked upon as below my Dignity, and the
Emperor (to do him Justice) never once mentioned them to me. However, it was not long before I had an Opportunity of
doing his Majesty, at least, as I then thought, a most signal Service. I was alarmed at Midnight with the Cries of many
hundred People at my Door; by which being suddenly awaked, I was in some kind of Terror. I heard the word Burglum
repeated incessantly: several of the Emperor's Court, making their way through the Croud, intreated me to come
immediately to the Palace, where her Imperial Majesty's Apartment was on fire, by the carelessness of a Maid of Honour,
who fell asleep while she was reading a Romance. I got up in an instant; and Orders being given to clear the way before
me, and it being likewise a Moon-shine Night, I made a shift to get to the Palace without trampling on any of the People. I
found they had already applied Ladders to the Walls of the Apartment, and were well provided with Buckets, but the
Water was at some distance. These Buckets were about the size of a large Thimble, and the poor People supplied me with
them as fast as they could; but the Flame was so violent that they did little good. I might easily have stifled it with my Coat,
which I unfortunately left behind me for haste, and came away only in my Leathern Jerkin. The Case seemed wholly
desperate and deplorable; and this magnificent Palace would have infallibly been burnt down to the ground, if, by a
Presence of Mind, unusual to me, I had not suddenly thought of an Expedient. I had the Evening before drunk plentifully of
a most delicious Wine, called Glimigrim (the Blefuscudians call it Flunec, but ours is esteemed the better sort), which is
very diuretick. By the luckiest Chance in the World, I had not discharged myself of any part of it. The Heat I had
contracted by coming very near the Flames, and by labouring to quench them, made the Wine begin to operate my Urine;
which I voided in such a Quantity, and applied so well to the proper Places, that in three Minutes the Fire was wholly
extinguished, and the rest of that noble Pile, which had cost so many Ages in erecting, preserved from Destruction.

It was now Day-light, and I returned to my House, without waiting to congratulate with the Emperor: because, although I
had done a very eminent piece of Service, yet I could not tell how his Majesty might resent the manner by which I had
performed it: For, by the fundamental Laws of the Realm, it is Capital in any Person, of what Quality soever, to make water
within the Precincts of the Palace. But I was a little comforted by a Message from his Majesty, that he would give Orders
to the Grand Justiciary for passing my Pardon in form; which, however, I could not obtain. And I was privately assured,
that the Empress, conceiving the greatest Abhorrence of what I had done, removed to the most distant side of the Court,
firmly resolved that those Buildings should never be repaired for her Use: and, in the presence of her chief Confidents could
not forbear vowing Revenge.