Gulliver's Travels (Swift)/Part 1/Chapter 5
from the Collection “Gulliver's Travels. Part 1”
The division of this summary into sections is editorial.
In Lilliput, Gulliver learned that the neighbouring island empire of Blefuscu was preparing an invasion. The two countries were at war, and their narrow channel was closed to ordinary traffic.
The enemy fleet is captured
Gulliver proposed seizing the fleet to the Emperor of Lilliput. After consulting sailors about the channel’s depth and inspecting the ships through his pocket telescope, he made fifty hooks from iron bars and strengthened fifty lengths of cable.
Gulliver waded and briefly swam across the channel. The crews fled ashore at the sight of him, while others shot arrows as he attached a hook to each warship. He protected his eyes with spectacles that had escaped the Emperor’s searchers. When the ships would not move, he cut their anchor cables, suffering more wounds, and pulled fifty of them away.
Once out of range, he removed the arrows and treated his wounds. He waited for the tide to fall before towing the ships to Lilliput. At first, the Emperor and his court could see only the advancing fleet and feared Gulliver had drowned. As he came within hearing, Gulliver held up the cables and called to them:
Long live the most puissant Emperor of Lilliput!
The Emperor praised him and made him a Nardac, the empire’s highest rank of honour.
A refusal turns the Emperor against Gulliver
The Emperor wanted Gulliver to capture the remaining ships so that he could make Blefuscu a province, destroy its political and religious exiles, and force its people to obey Lilliput’s custom of breaking eggs at the smaller end. Gulliver argued against the plan on grounds of justice and policy. He told the Emperor:
I would never be an instrument of bringing a free and brave people into slavery.
Several ministers agreed with Gulliver, but the Emperor never forgave his refusal. He and Gulliver’s secret enemies began an intrigue that, Gulliver said, nearly destroyed him within two months.
Peace brings an invitation and suspicion
About three weeks after the capture, six ambassadors from Blefuscu arrived with a large retinue and negotiated peace on terms favourable to Lilliput. Gulliver helped them at court. Having learned of his friendship, they visited him, praised his courage and generosity, and invited him to Blefuscu on their Emperor’s behalf.
Gulliver asked the Lilliputian Emperor for permission to visit the Blefuscudian ruler before returning home. The Emperor granted it coldly. Gulliver then learned that two courtiers, Flimnap and Bolgolam, had portrayed his dealings with the ambassadors as disloyalty.
The ambassadors had spoken to Gulliver through an interpreter, since the empires had different languages. Nevertheless, the Lilliputian Emperor had used his advantage to require their formal speech in his language. Gulliver noted that trade, exile and travel meant many prominent people in both countries knew both tongues.
The palace fire
Gulliver’s new rank relieved him of the menial duties he had reluctantly accepted when he regained his freedom. Soon afterwards, a crowd woke him at midnight: the Empress’s apartment was on fire after a maid of honour fell asleep reading.
Gulliver hurried to the palace without his coat. The tiny buckets brought to him could not overcome the flames, and he had nothing with which to smother them. Remembering how much wine he had drunk that evening, he urinated on the fire and extinguished it within three minutes, saving the rest of the palace.
At daybreak he went home, anxious because urinating within the palace grounds was a capital offence. The Emperor promised to arrange a formal pardon, but Gulliver never obtained it. The Empress was so disgusted that she moved to the far side of the court, refused to have the damaged rooms restored for her use, and vowed revenge.