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03 - Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift · Classic Adventure Books - Daily

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  Speaker 1: Chapter three, the author diverts the Emperor and his nobility
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  Speaker 1: of both sexes in a very uncommon manner. The diversions
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  Speaker 1: of the Court of Lilliput described. The author has his
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  Speaker 1: liberty granted him upon certain conditions. My gentleness and good
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  Speaker 1: behavior had gained so far on the Emperor and his court,
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  Speaker 1: and indeed upon the army and people in general, that
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  Speaker 1: I began to conceive hopes of getting my liberty in
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  Speaker 1: a short time. I took all possible methods to cultivate
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  Speaker 1: this favorable disposition. The natives came, by degrees to be
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  Speaker 1: less apprehensive for any danger from me. I would sometimes
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  Speaker 1: lie down and let five or six of them dance
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  Speaker 1: on my hand, And at last the boys and girls
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  Speaker 1: would venture to come and play hide and seek in
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  Speaker 1: my hair. I had now made a good progress in
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  Speaker 1: understanding and speak in the language. The Emperor had a
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  Speaker 1: mind one day to entertain me with several of the
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  Speaker 1: country shows, wherein they exceed all nations I have known,
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  Speaker 1: both for dexterity and magnificence. I was diverted with none
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  Speaker 1: so much as that of the rope dancers performed upon
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  Speaker 1: a slender white thread extended about two feet and twelve
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  Speaker 1: inches from the ground upon which I shall desire liberty,
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  Speaker 1: with the reader's patients to enlarge a little. This diversion
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  Speaker 1: is only practiced by those persons who are candidates for
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  Speaker 1: great employments and high favour at court. They are trained
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  Speaker 1: in this art from their youth, and are not always
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  Speaker 1: of noble birth or liberal education. When a great office
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  Speaker 1: is vacant, either by death or disgrace, which often happens,
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  Speaker 1: five or six of those candidates petition the Emperor to
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  Speaker 1: entertain his majesty and the court with the dance on
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  Speaker 1: the rope, and whoever jumps the highest without falling, succeeds
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  Speaker 1: in the office. Very often the chief ministers themselves are
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  Speaker 1: commanded to show their skill and to convince the Emperor
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  Speaker 1: that they have not lost their faculty film nap. The
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  Speaker 1: Treasurer is allowed to cut a caper on the straight
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  Speaker 1: rope at least an inch higher than any other lord
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  Speaker 1: in the whole Empire. I have seen him do the
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  Speaker 1: somersault several times together, upon a trencher fixed on a
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  Speaker 1: rope which is no thicker than a common pack thread.
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  Speaker 1: In England, my friend Roaldressal, Principal Secretary for private affairs, is,
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  Speaker 1: in my opinion, if I am not partial, the second
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  Speaker 1: after the Treasurer, the rest of the great officers are
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  Speaker 1: much upon a par These diversions are often attended with
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  Speaker 1: fatal accidents, whereof great numbers are on record. I myself
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  Speaker 1: have seen two or three candidates break a limb. But
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  Speaker 1: the danger is much greater when the ministers themselves are
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  Speaker 1: commanded to show their dexterity. For by contending to excel
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  Speaker 1: themselves in their fellows, they strain so far that there
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  Speaker 1: is hardly one of them who is not received a fall,
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  Speaker 1: and some of them two or three. I was assured
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  Speaker 1: that a year or two before my arrival, Filmnap would
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  Speaker 1: infallibly have broke his neck, if one of the King's
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  Speaker 1: cushions that accidentally lay on the ground had not weakened
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  Speaker 1: the force of his fall. There is likewise another diversion,
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  Speaker 1: which is only shown before the Emperor and Empress and
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  Speaker 1: first Minister upon particular occasions. The Emperor lays on the
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  Speaker 1: table three fine silken threads of six inches long. One
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  Speaker 1: is blue, the other red, and the third green. These
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  Speaker 1: threads are proposed as prizes for those persons whom the
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  Speaker 1: Emperor has in mind to distinguish by a peculiar mark
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  Speaker 1: of his favor. The ceremony is performed in His Majesty's
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  Speaker 1: Great Chamber of State, where the candidates are to undergo
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  Speaker 1: a trial of dexterity very different from the former, and
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  Speaker 1: such as I have not observed the least resemblance of
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  Speaker 1: in any other country of the new or old world.
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  Speaker 1: The Emperor holds a stick in his hands, both mends
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  Speaker 1: parallel to the horizon, while the candidates, advancing one by one,
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  Speaker 1: sometimes leap over the stick, sometimes creep under it, backward
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  Speaker 1: and forward several times, according as the stick is advanced
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  Speaker 1: or depressed. Sometimes the Emperor holds one end of the
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  Speaker 1: stick and his first minister the other. Sometimes the minister
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  Speaker 1: has it entirely to himself. Whoever performs his part with
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  Speaker 1: most agility and holds out the longest and leaping and creeping,
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  Speaker 1: is rewarded with the blue colored silk. The red is
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  Speaker 1: given to the next, and the green to the third,
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  Speaker 1: which they all wear girt twice around the middle. And
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  Speaker 1: you see few great persons about this court who are
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  Speaker 1: not adorned with one of these girdles. The horses of
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  Speaker 1: the army and those of the royal stables, having been
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  Speaker 1: daily led before me, were no longer shy, but would
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  Speaker 1: come up to my very feet without starting. The riders
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  Speaker 1: would leap them over my hand as I held it
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  Speaker 1: on the ground, and one of the emperors huntsman, upon
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  Speaker 1: a larger corsair, took my foot, shoe and all, which
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  Speaker 1: was indeed a prodigious leap. I had the good fortune
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  Speaker 1: to divert the Emperor one day, after a very extraordinary manner,
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  Speaker 1: I desired he would order several sticks of two feet
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  Speaker 1: high and the thickness of an ordinary cane, to be
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  Speaker 1: brought to me. Whereupon his Majesty commanded the master of
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  Speaker 1: his woods to give directions accordingly, and the next morning
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  Speaker 1: six woodmen arrived, with as many carriages, drawn by eight
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  Speaker 1: horses to each. I took nine of these sticks, and
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  Speaker 1: fixing them firmly in the ground in a quadrangular figure
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  Speaker 1: two feet and a half square. I took four other
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  Speaker 1: sticks and tied them parallel at each corner, about two
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  Speaker 1: feet from the ground. Then I fastened my handkerchief to
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  Speaker 1: the nine sticks that stood erect, and extended it on
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  Speaker 1: all sides till it was tight at the top of
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  Speaker 1: a drum, and the four parallel sticks, rising about five
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  Speaker 1: inches higher than the handkerchief, served as ledges on each side.
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  Speaker 1: When I had finished my work, I desired the Emperor
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  Speaker 1: to let a troop of his best horses, twenty four
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  Speaker 1: in number, come and exercise upon this plain. His Majesty
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  Speaker 1: approved of the proposal, and I took them up one
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  Speaker 1: by one in my hands, ready mounted and armed, with
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  Speaker 1: the proper officers, to exercise them. As soon as they
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  Speaker 1: got into order. They had divided into two parties, performed
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  Speaker 1: mock skirmishes, discharged blunt arrows, drew their swords, fled and pursued,
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  Speaker 1: attacked and retired, and in short discovered the best military
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  Speaker 1: discipline I ever beheld. The parallel sticks secured them and
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  Speaker 1: their horses from falling over the stage, and the Emperor
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  Speaker 1: was so much delighted that he ordered this entertainment to
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  Speaker 1: be repeated several days. And once was pleased to be
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  Speaker 1: lifted up and give the word of command, and with
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  Speaker 1: great difficulty persuaded even the Empress herself to let me
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  Speaker 1: hold her in her close chair within two yards of
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  Speaker 1: the stage. When she was able to take a full
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  Speaker 1: view of the whole performance. It was my good fortune
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  Speaker 1: that no ill accident happened in these entertainments. Only once
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  Speaker 1: a fiery horse that belonged to one of the captains,
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  Speaker 1: pouring with his hoof, struck a hole in my handkerchief,
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  Speaker 1: and his foot slipping, he overthrew his rider and himself,
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  Speaker 1: but I immediately relieved them both, and covering the hole
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  Speaker 1: with one hand, I set down the troupe with the
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  Speaker 1: other in the same manner as I took them up.
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  Speaker 1: The horse that fell was strained in the left shoulder,
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  Speaker 1: but the rider got no hurt, and I repaired my
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  Speaker 1: handkerchief as well as I could. However, I would not
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  Speaker 1: trust to the strength of it any more in such
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  Speaker 1: dangerous enterprises. About two or three days before I was
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  Speaker 1: set at liberty, as I was entertaining the court with
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  Speaker 1: this kind of feet, there arrived in express to inform
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  Speaker 1: His Majesty that some of his subjects, riding near the
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  Speaker 1: place where I was first taken up, had seen a
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  Speaker 1: great black substance lying on the ground, very oddly shaped,
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  Speaker 1: extending its edges round as wide as His Majesty's bed chamber,
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  Speaker 1: and rising up in the middle as high as a man.
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  Speaker 1: That it was no living creature, as they at first apprehended,
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  Speaker 1: for it lay on the grass without motion, and some
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  Speaker 1: of them had walked round it several times, that by
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  Speaker 1: mounting upon each other's shoulders, they had got to the top,
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  Speaker 1: which was flat and even, and stamping upon it, they
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  Speaker 1: found that it was hollow within that they hardly conceived
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  Speaker 1: it might be something belonging to the man mountain, and
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  Speaker 1: if His Majesty pleased, they would undertake to bring it
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  Speaker 1: with only five horses. I presently knew what they meant,
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  Speaker 1: and was glad at heart to receive his intelligence. It seems,
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  Speaker 1: upon my first reaching the shore after our shipwreck, I
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  Speaker 1: was in such confusion that before I came to the
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  Speaker 1: place where I went to sleep, my hat, which I
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  Speaker 1: had fastened with the string to my head while I
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  Speaker 1: was rowing and had stuck on all the time I
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  Speaker 1: was swimming, fell off after I came to land. The string,
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  Speaker 1: as I conjecture, brake him by some accident which I
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  Speaker 1: never observed. But thought my hat to be lost at sea.
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  Speaker 1: I entreated His Imperial Majesty to give orders it might
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  Speaker 1: be brought to me as soon as possible, describe into
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  Speaker 1: him the use and nature of it, and the next
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  Speaker 1: day his wagoners arrived with it, but not in very
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  Speaker 1: good condition. They had bore two holes in the brim
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  Speaker 1: within an inch and a half of the edge, and
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  Speaker 1: fastened two hooks in the holes. These hooks were tied
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  Speaker 1: by a long cord to the harness, and thus my
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  Speaker 1: hat was dragged along for above half an English mile,
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  Speaker 1: But the ground in that country, being extremely smooth and level,
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  Speaker 1: it received less damage than I expected. Two days after
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  Speaker 1: this adventure, the Emperor, having ordered that part of his
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  Speaker 1: army which caught us in and about his metropolis, to
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  Speaker 1: be in readiness, took a fancy of diverting himself. In
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  Speaker 1: a very singular manner. He desired, I would stand like
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  Speaker 1: a colossus with my legs as far asunder as I
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  Speaker 1: conveniently could. He then commanded his general, who was an old,
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  Speaker 1: experienced leader and a great patron of mine, to draw
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  Speaker 1: up the troops in close order and march them under me,
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  Speaker 1: the foot by twenty four abreast and the horse by sixteen,
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  Speaker 1: with drums beating, colors flying, and pikes advanced. This body
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  Speaker 1: consisted of three thousand foot and a thousand horse. His
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  Speaker 1: Majesty gave orders, upon pain of death, that every soldier
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  Speaker 1: in his march should observe the strictest decency with regard
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  Speaker 1: to my person, which, however, could not prevent some of
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  Speaker 1: the younger officers from turning up their eyes as they
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  Speaker 1: passed under me, and to confess the truth. My breaches
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  Speaker 1: were at the time in so ill condition that they
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  Speaker 1: afforded some opportunities for laughter and admiration. I had sent
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  Speaker 1: so many memorials and petitions for my liberty that His
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  Speaker 1: Majesty at length mentioned the matter, first in the Cabinet
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  Speaker 1: and then in a full council, where it was opposed
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  Speaker 1: by none except Skyrish Bogelom, who was pleased, without any
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  Speaker 1: provocation to be my mortal enemy. But it was carried
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  Speaker 1: against him by the whole board and confirmed by the
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  Speaker 1: Emperor that Minister was Galbert, or Admiral of the Realm,
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  Speaker 1: very much in his Majesty's confidence, and a person well
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  Speaker 1: versed in affairs, but of a more rose and sour complexion. However,
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  Speaker 1: he was at length persuaded to comply, but prevailed that
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  Speaker 1: the articles of conditions upon which I should be set
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  Speaker 1: free and to which I must swear, should be drawn
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  Speaker 1: up by himself. These articles were brought to me by
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  Speaker 1: Skyrish Bogolam in person, attended by two under secretaries and
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  Speaker 1: several persons of distinction. After they were read, I was
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  Speaker 1: demanded to swear to the performance of them, first in
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  Speaker 1: the manner of my own country, and afterwards in the
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  Speaker 1: method prescribed by their laws, which was to hold my
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  Speaker 1: right foot to my left hand, and to place the
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  Speaker 1: middle finger of my right hand on the crown of
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  Speaker 1: my head, and my thumb on the tip of my
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  Speaker 1: right ear. But because the reader may be curious to
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  Speaker 1: have some idea of the style and ma manner of
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  Speaker 1: expression peculiar to that people, as well as to know
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  Speaker 1: the article upon which I received my liberty, I have
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  Speaker 1: made a translation of the whole instrument, word for word,
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  Speaker 1: near as I was able, which I here offered to
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  Speaker 1: the public. Golbasto Momarim Evlam Godilo Cheffin Mali Ali Gu
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  Speaker 1: most mighty Emperor of Lilliput, Delight and Terror of the Universe,
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  Speaker 1: whose dominion extend five thousand bluestrongs about twelve miles in
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  Speaker 1: circumference to the exterremities of the globe monarch of all monarchs,
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  Speaker 1: taller than the sons of men whose feet pressed down
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  Speaker 1: to the center, and whose head strikes against the sun,
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  Speaker 1: at whose nod the princes of the Earth shake their knees.
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  Speaker 1: Pleasant as the spring, comfortable as the summer, fruitful as autumn,
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  Speaker 1: dreadful as winter, His most Sublime Majesty proposes to the
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  Speaker 1: man Mountain lately arrived at our celestial dominions, the following articles, which,
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  Speaker 1: by a solemn oath he shall be obliged to perform. First,
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  Speaker 1: the man Mountain shall not depart from our dominions without
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  Speaker 1: our license under our great seal. Second, he shall not
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  Speaker 1: presume to come into our metropolis without our express order,
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  Speaker 1: at which time the inhabitants shall have two hours warning
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  Speaker 1: to keep within doors. Third, the man Mountain shoo confine
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  Speaker 1: his walks to our principal high roads, and not offer
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  Speaker 1: to walk or lie down in a meadow or field
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  Speaker 1: of corn. Fourth, as he walks the said roads, he
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  Speaker 1: shall take the utmost care not to trample upon the
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  Speaker 1: bodies of any of our loving subjects, their horses or carriages,
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  Speaker 1: nor to take any of our subjects into his hands
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  Speaker 1: without their own consent. Fifth, if an express requires extraordinary dispatch,
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  Speaker 1: the man Mountain shall be obliged to carry in his
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  Speaker 1: pocket the messenger and horse a six days journey once
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  Speaker 1: in every moon, and return the said messenger back, if
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  Speaker 1: so required, safe to our imperial presence. Sixth, he shall
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  Speaker 1: be our ally against our enemies in the island of Blefuska,
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  Speaker 1: and do his utmost to destroy their fleet, which is
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  Speaker 1: now preparing to invade us. Seventh that the said man
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  Speaker 1: Mountain shall, at his times of leisure be aiding and
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  Speaker 1: assisting to our workmen in helping to raise certain great
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  Speaker 1: stones towards covering the wall of the Principal Park and
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  Speaker 1: other of our royal buildings. Eighth that the said man
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  Speaker 1: Mountain shall, in two moons time, deliver an exact survey
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  Speaker 1: of the circumference of our dominions by a computation of
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  Speaker 1: his own paces round the coast. Lastly, that, upon his
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  Speaker 1: solemn oath to observe all the above articles, the said
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  Speaker 1: man Mountain shall have a daily allowance of meat and
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  Speaker 1: drink sufficient for the support of one thousand, seven hundred
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  Speaker 1: and twenty four of our subjects, with free access to
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  Speaker 1: our royal person and other marks of our favour given
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  Speaker 1: at our palace at Belfaborac. The twelfth day of the
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  Speaker 1: ninety first moon of our reign. I swore and subscribed
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  Speaker 1: to these articles with great cheerfulness and content, although some
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  Speaker 1: of them were not so honorable as I could have wished,
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  Speaker 1: which proceeded wholly from the malice of six skyrish Bogolam
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  Speaker 1: the High Admiral, whereupon my chains were immediately unlocked, and
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  Speaker 1: I was at full liberty. The Emperor himself, in person
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  Speaker 1: did me the honor to be by at the whole ceremony.
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  Speaker 1: I made my acknowledgments by prostrating myself at His Majesty's feet,
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  Speaker 1: but he commanded me to rise, and, after many gracious expressions,
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  Speaker 1: which to avoid the censor of vanity, I should not repeat,
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  Speaker 1: he added that he hoped I should prove a useful
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  Speaker 1: servant and well deserve all the favors he had already
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  Speaker 1: conferred upon me, or might do for the future. The
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  Speaker 1: reader may please observe that in the last article of
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  Speaker 1: the Recovery of my Liberty, the Emperor stipulates to allow
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  Speaker 1: me a quantity of meat and drink sufficient for the
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  Speaker 1: support of one thousand, seven hundred and twenty four Liliputians.
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  Speaker 1: Some time after asking a friend at court. How they
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  Speaker 1: came to fix on that determined number. He told me
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  Speaker 1: that his Majesty's mathematicians, having taken the height of my
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  Speaker 1: body by the help of a quadrant, and finding it
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  Speaker 1: to exceed theirs in the proportion of twelve to one,
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  Speaker 1: they concluded from the similarity of their bodies that mine
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  Speaker 1: must contain at least one thousand, seven hundred twenty four
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  Speaker 1: of theirs, and consequently would require as much food as
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  Speaker 1: was necessary to support that number of ileiputions, by which
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  Speaker 1: the reader may conceive an idea of the ingenuity of
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  Speaker 1: that people, as well as the prudent and exact economy
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  Speaker 1: of so great a prince. End of Chapter three, Part one,