En848原版英语could not see them. It was reckoned that above a hundred thousand inhabitants came out ofthe town upon the same errand; and, in spite of my guards, I believe there could not be fewerthan ten thousandat several times, whomounted my body bythe help of ladders.But aproclamation was soon issued, to forbid it upon pain of death. When the workmen found itwas impossibleformetobreak loose,they cutall thestringsthatboundme;whereuponIrose up, with as melancholy a disposition as ever I had in my life. But the noise andastonishment of the people, at seeing me rise and walk, are not to be expressed.The chainsthat held my left leg were about two yards long,and gave menot only the liberty ofwalkingbackwards and forwards in a semicircle,but, beingfixed within four inches of the gate,allowedmetocreep in, and lieat myfull length inthetemple.CHAPTER II.[The emperor of Lilliput, attended by several of the nobility,comes to see theauthor in hisconfinement.The emperor's person and habit described.Learned men appointed to teachthe author their language. He gains favour by his mild disposition. His pockets are searched,and hissword and pistolstakenfrom him.]WhenIfoundmyselfonmyfeet,Ilookedaboutme,andmustconfessIneverbeheldamoreentertaining prospect. The country around appeared like a continued garden, and theenclosedfields, which weregenerallyfortyfeet square,resembled somanybeds offlowers.These fields were intermingled with woods of half a stang, [1] and the tallest trees, as I couldjudge, appeared to be seven feet high. I viewed the town on my left hand, which looked likethe painted scene of a city in a theatre.Ihad been for some hoursextremelypressedbythenecessities ofnature; which was nowonder,itbeingalmosttwodays sinceIhad lastdisburdenedmyself.Iwasundergreatdifficulties between urgency and shame. The best expedient I could think of, was to creepinto my house,whichIaccordinglydid; and shuttingthegateafter me, I went asfaras thelength ofmy chain would suffer, and dischargedmy bodyof thatuneasyload.But thiswasthe only time I was everguilty of so uncleanlyan action; for which I cannot but hope thecandid reader will give some allowance,afterhe has maturely and impartially considered第11页共197页http://www.en8848.com.cn/原版英语阅读网
could not see them. It was reckoned that above a hundred thousand inhabitants came out of the town upon the same errand; and, in spite of my guards, I believe there could not be fewer than ten thousand at several times, who mounted my body by the help of ladders. But a proclamation was soon issued, to forbid it upon pain of death. When the workmen found it was impossible for me to break loose, they cut all the strings that bound me; whereupon I rose up, with as melancholy a disposition as ever I had in my life. But the noise and astonishment of the people, at seeing me rise and walk, are not to be expressed. The chains that held my left leg were about two yards long, and gave me not only the liberty of walking backwards and forwards in a semicircle, but, being fixed within four inches of the gate, allowed me to creep in, and lie at my full length in the temple. CHAPTER II. [The emperor of Lilliput, attended by several of the nobility, comes to see the author in his confinement. The emperor's person and habit described. Learned men appointed to teach the author their language. He gains favour by his mild disposition. His pockets are searched, and his sword and pistols taken from him.] When I found myself on my feet, I looked about me, and must confess I never beheld a more entertaining prospect. The country around appeared like a continued garden, and the enclosed fields, which were generally forty feet square, resembled so many beds of flowers. These fields were intermingled with woods of half a stang, {1} and the tallest trees, as I could judge, appeared to be seven feet high. I viewed the town on my left hand, which looked like the painted scene of a city in a theatre. I had been for some hours extremely pressed by the necessities of nature; which was no wonder, it being almost two days since I had last disburdened myself. I was under great difficulties between urgency and shame. The best expedient I could think of, was to creep into my house, which I accordingly did; and shutting the gate after me, I went as far as the length of my chain would suffer, and discharged my body of that uneasy load. But this was the only time I was ever guilty of so uncleanly an action; for which I cannot but hope the candid reader will give some allowance, after he has maturely and impartially considered 第 11 页 共 197 页 http://www.en8848.com.cn/ 原版英语阅读网
8848.comEn原版英语my case, and the distress I was in.From this time my constant practice was,as soon as I rose,to perform that business in open air, at the full extent of my chain; and due care was takeneverymorningbeforecompanycame,thattheoffensivemattershould becarried offinwheel-barrows, bytwoservantsappointedforthatpurpose.I wouldnot havedwelt solonguponacircumstancethat,perhaps,atfirstsight,mayappearnotverymomentous,ifI hadnot thought it necessary to justify my character, in point of cleanliness, to the world; which,Iam told, some of my maligners havebeen pleased,upon this andother occasions, to call inquestion.When this adventure was at an end,I came back out of my house,having occasion forfreshair.The emperor was already descended from thetower, and advancing on horsebacktowards me, which had like to have cost him dear; for the beast, though very well trained,yet wholly unused to such a sight, which appeared as if a mountain moved before him,reared up on itshinderfeet:but that prince, who is an excellent horseman,kept his seat,tillhis attendantsran in,and held thebridle,while his majesty had time to dismount.When healighted, he surveyed me round with great admiration; butkeptbeyond thelength ofmychain. He ordered his cooks and butlers, who were already prepared, to give me victuals anddrink, which they pushed forward in a sort of vehicles upon wheels, till I could reach them.Itook these vehicles and soon emptied them all; twenty of them were filled with meat, and tenwith liquor; eachof theformerafforded metwo orthreegoodmouthfuls; and Iemptied theliquor of ten vessels, which was contained in earthen vials, intoonevehicle,drinking itoff ata draught; and so I did with the rest. The empress, and young princes of the blood of bothsexes, attended by many ladies, sat at some distance in their chairs; but upon the accidentthathappened totheemperor's horse,theyalighted,and camenearhisperson,whichIamnow goingtodescribe.He istaller by almost the breadth of my nail, than any of his court;which alone is enough to strike an awe into the beholders. His features are strong andmasculine, with an Austrian lip and arched nose, his complexion olive,his countenance erecthis body and limbs well proportioned, all his motions graceful, and his deportment majestic.He was then pasthis prime,being twenty-eight years and three quarters old, of which he hadreigned about seven in great felicity, and generally victorious. For the better convenience ofbeholding him,I lay on my side, so thatmyface was parallelto his, and hestood but threeyardsoff:however,Ihavehad himsincemanytimes inmyhand,and thereforecannotbedeceived in thedescription.His dress was very plain and simple, and thefashion of itbetween the Asiatic and the European; but he had on his head a light helmet of gold, adornedwith jewels,and a plume on thecrest.Heheld his sword drawn in his hand todefendhimself,if I should happen tobreakloose; it was almost three incheslong;thehilt andscabbard were gold enriched with diamonds. His voice was shrill, but very clear andarticulate; and I could distinctly hear it when I stood up.The ladies and courtiers were allmostmagnificentlyclad; sothatthespottheystood upon seemedtoresembleapetticoatspread upon theground, embroidered with figures ofgold and silver.His imperial majestyspoke often to me, and Ireturned answers: but neither ofus could understanda syllable.第12页共197页http://www.en8848.com.cn/原版英语阅读网
my case, and the distress I was in. From this time my constant practice was, as soon as I rose, to perform that business in open air, at the full extent of my chain; and due care was taken every morning before company came, that the offensive matter should be carried off in wheel-barrows, by two servants appointed for that purpose. I would not have dwelt so long upon a circumstance that, perhaps, at first sight, may appear not very momentous, if I had not thought it necessary to justify my character, in point of cleanliness, to the world; which, I am told, some of my maligners have been pleased, upon this and other occasions, to call in question. When this adventure was at an end, I came back out of my house, having occasion for fresh air. The emperor was already descended from the tower, and advancing on horseback towards me, which had like to have cost him dear; for the beast, though very well trained, yet wholly unused to such a sight, which appeared as if a mountain moved before him, reared up on its hinder feet: but that prince, who is an excellent horseman, kept his seat, till his attendants ran in, and held the bridle, while his majesty had time to dismount. When he alighted, he surveyed me round with great admiration; but kept beyond the length of my chain. He ordered his cooks and butlers, who were already prepared, to give me victuals and drink, which they pushed forward in a sort of vehicles upon wheels, till I could reach them. I took these vehicles and soon emptied them all; twenty of them were filled with meat, and ten with liquor; each of the former afforded me two or three good mouthfuls; and I emptied the liquor of ten vessels, which was contained in earthen vials, into one vehicle, drinking it off at a draught; and so I did with the rest. The empress, and young princes of the blood of both sexes, attended by many ladies, sat at some distance in their chairs; but upon the accident that happened to the emperor's horse, they alighted, and came near his person, which I am now going to describe. He is taller by almost the breadth of my nail, than any of his court; which alone is enough to strike an awe into the beholders. His features are strong and masculine, with an Austrian lip and arched nose, his complexion olive, his countenance erect, his body and limbs well proportioned, all his motions graceful, and his deportment majestic. He was then past his prime, being twenty-eight years and three quarters old, of which he had reigned about seven in great felicity, and generally victorious. For the better convenience of beholding him, I lay on my side, so that my face was parallel to his, and he stood but three yards off: however, I have had him since many times in my hand, and therefore cannot be deceived in the description. His dress was very plain and simple, and the fashion of it between the Asiatic and the European; but he had on his head a light helmet of gold, adorned with jewels, and a plume on the crest. He held his sword drawn in his hand to defend himself, if I should happen to break loose; it was almost three inches long; the hilt and scabbard were gold enriched with diamonds. His voice was shrill, but very clear and articulate; and I could distinctly hear it when I stood up. The ladies and courtiers were all most magnificently clad; so that the spot they stood upon seemed to resemble a petticoat spread upon the ground, embroidered with figures of gold and silver. His imperial majesty spoke often to me, and I returned answers: but neither of us could understand a syllable. 第 12 页 共 197 页 http://www.en8848.com.cn/ 原版英语阅读网
8848.comEn原版英语There were several of his priests and lawyers present (as I conjectured by their habits), whowere commanded to address themselves to me; andI spoke to them in as many languages asI had the least smattering of, which were High and LowDutch, Latin, French, Spanish, Italian,and Lingua Franca,but all to nopurpose.Afterabout two hours the court retired, and Iwasleftwithastrongguard,topreventtheimpertinence,andprobablythemaliceoftherabble,who were very impatient to crowd about me as near as they durst; and some of them had theimpudence to shoot their arrows at me, asI sat on the ground by the door of my house,whereofoneverynarrowlymissed mylefteye.Butthecolonelordered sixoftheringleadersto be seized, and thought no punishment so proper as to deliver them bound into my hands;which some of his soldiersaccordinglydid,pushingthemforwardwiththebutt-ends of theirpikes into my reach.I took them all in my right hand, putfiveof them into my coat-pocket;and as to the sixth, I made a countenance as if I would eat him alive. The poor man squalledterribly,and the colonel and his officers were in much pain, especially when they saw metake out my penknife: but I soon putthem out offear; for, looking mildly,and immediatelycuttingthestrings hewasbound with,Iset him gentlyon theground,and awayheran.Itreated the rest in the same manner,taking them one by one out ofmy pocket; and Iobservedboththesoldiersandpeoplewerehighlydelighted atthismark ofmyclemencywhichwasrepresentedverymuchtomyadvantageatcourt.Towards night I got with some difficulty into my house, where I lay on the ground, andcontinued todo soaboutafortnight;during whichtime,theemperorgave orders tohaveabed prepared for me. Six hundred beds of the common measure were brought in carriages,andworked upinmyhouse; ahundred and fifty oftheirbeds,sewntogether,madeupthebreadth and length; and these were four double:which, however,kept me but veryindifferentlyfrom the hardness of thefloor, that was ofsmooth stone.Bythesamecomputation,theyprovided mewith sheets, blankets,and coverlets,tolerableenoughforonewhohad been solonginuredtohardships.As the news of my arrival spread through the kingdom, it brought prodigious numbers ofrich, idle, and curious peopleto see me; so that the villages were almost emptied; and greatneglect of tillageand household affairsmust haveensued, ifhis imperial majesty had notprovided, by several proclamations and orders of state, against this inconveniency. Hedirected thatthose whohad alreadybeheld me should return home,and notpresumetocomewithinfiftyyards of myhouse,without licensefromthe court; wherebythesecretariesof state got considerablefees.Inthe mean time the emperorheldfrequentcouncils,todebatewhat course should be takenwith me; and I was afterwards assured by a particular friend, a person of great quality, whowas as much in the secret as any, that the court was under many difficulties concerning me.第13页共197页http://www.en8848.com.cn/原版英语阅读网
There were several of his priests and lawyers present (as I conjectured by their habits), who were commanded to address themselves to me; and I spoke to them in as many languages as I had the least smattering of, which were High and Low Dutch, Latin, French, Spanish, Italian, and Lingua Franca, but all to no purpose. After about two hours the court retired, and I was left with a strong guard, to prevent the impertinence, and probably the malice of the rabble, who were very impatient to crowd about me as near as they durst; and some of them had the impudence to shoot their arrows at me, as I sat on the ground by the door of my house, whereof one very narrowly missed my left eye. But the colonel ordered six of the ringleaders to be seized, and thought no punishment so proper as to deliver them bound into my hands; which some of his soldiers accordingly did, pushing them forward with the butt-ends of their pikes into my reach. I took them all in my right hand, put five of them into my coat-pocket; and as to the sixth, I made a countenance as if I would eat him alive. The poor man squalled terribly, and the colonel and his officers were in much pain, especially when they saw me take out my penknife: but I soon put them out of fear; for, looking mildly, and immediately cutting the strings he was bound with, I set him gently on the ground, and away he ran. I treated the rest in the same manner, taking them one by one out of my pocket; and I observed both the soldiers and people were highly delighted at this mark of my clemency, which was represented very much to my advantage at court. Towards night I got with some difficulty into my house, where I lay on the ground, and continued to do so about a fortnight; during which time, the emperor gave orders to have a bed prepared for me. Six hundred beds of the common measure were brought in carriages, and worked up in my house; a hundred and fifty of their beds, sewn together, made up the breadth and length; and these were four double: which, however, kept me but very indifferently from the hardness of the floor, that was of smooth stone. By the same computation, they provided me with sheets, blankets, and coverlets, tolerable enough for one who had been so long inured to hardships. As the news of my arrival spread through the kingdom, it brought prodigious numbers of rich, idle, and curious people to see me; so that the villages were almost emptied; and great neglect of tillage and household affairs must have ensued, if his imperial majesty had not provided, by several proclamations and orders of state, against this inconveniency. He directed that those who had already beheld me should return home, and not presume to come within fifty yards of my house, without license from the court; whereby the secretaries of state got considerable fees. In the mean time the emperor held frequent councils, to debate what course should be taken with me; and I was afterwards assured by a particular friend, a person of great quality, who was as much in the secret as any, that the court was under many difficulties concerning me. 第 13 页 共 197 页 http://www.en8848.com.cn/ 原版英语阅读网
8848.comEn原版英语Theyapprehended mybreaking loose;that my dietwouldbeveryexpensive, and mightcause a famine. Sometimes they determined to starve me; or at least to shoot me in the faceandhandswithpoisonedarrows, whichwould soondespatchme; butagaintheyconsidered,that the stench of so largea carcass mightproduceaplagueinthemetropolis, and probablyspread throughthewholekingdom.Inthemidst of theseconsultations,several officers ofthearmywenttothedoor ofthegreat council-chamber,and twoof thembeingadmitted,gavean accountofmy behaviourto the six criminalsabove-mentioned;whichmade sofavourablean impressioninthebreastofhismajestyandthewholeboard,inmybehalf,thatan imperial commission was issued out, obliging all the villages,nine hundred yards roundthe city,to deliver in every morning six beeves, forty sheep, and other victuals for mysustenance; togetherwith aproportionable quantityof bread, and wine, and other liquors;for the duepayment of which,his majestygave assignments upon his treasury:-for thisprince lives chiefly upon his own demesnes; seldom, except upon greatoccasions,raisinganysubsidiesuponhissubjects,whoarebound toattendhim inhiswarsattheir ownexpense.Anestablishmentwasalsomadeofsixhundredpersonstobemydomestics,whohad board-wagesallowedfortheirmaintenance, and tentsbuiltfor themveryconvenientlyoneachsideofmydoor.Itwaslikewiseordered,thatthreehundredtailorsshouldmakemea suit ofclothes, after the fashion ofthe country; that six ofhis majesty's greatest scholarsshould be employed to instruct me in their language; and lastly, that the emperor's horses,and those ofthenobility and troops ofguards, should befrequentlyexercised in my sight, toaccustomthemselvestome.All these orders weredulyput inexecution;and inabout threeweeksImadeagreatprogress in learning their language; duringwhich timethe emperorfrequentlyhonouredmewithhisvisits,andwaspleasedtoassistmymastersinteachingmeWebegan alreadytoconversetogether in some sort; and thefirstwordsIlearnt,weretoexpress mydesire"thathe would please give me my liberty:"which Ieverydayrepeated onmy knees. His answer,as I could comprehend it, was,"that this must be a work of time, notto be thought on without the advice of his council, and that firstI must lumos kelmin pessodesmarlon emposo;"that is, swear a peace with himand hiskingdom.However, that Ishould be used with all kindness. And he advised me to "acquire, by my patience anddiscreet behaviour, the good opinion of himself and his subjects." He desired I would nottake it ill, if he gave orders to certain proper officers to search me; for probably I might carryaboutme several weapons, whichmustneeds bedangerousthings, iftheyanswered thebulk of soprodigious a person."I said,"Hismajesty should be satisfied;for I wasreadytostrip myself, and turn up my pockets before him."ThisI delivered part in words, and part insigns. He replied, "that, by the laws of the kingdom, I must be searched by two of his officers;that he knew this could not be done without my consent and assistance; and he had so goodanopinionofmygenerosityand justice,astotrusttheirpersonsinmyhands;thatwhatevertheytookfrom me,should bereturned whenI left thecountry,orpaid forat therate whichIwould setupon them."Itook upthetwo officers inmyhands,put themfirst intomy coat-pockets,andthenintoeveryotherpocketaboutme,exceptmytwofobs,and another secretpocket, whichI had no mind should be searched,whereinIhad somelittle necessaries thatwereofnoconsequencetoanybutmyself.Inoneofmyfobstherewasasilverwatch,andinthe other a small quantity of gold in a purse. These gentlemen, having pen, ink, and paper,第14页共197页http://www.en8848.com.cn/原版英语阅读网
They apprehended my breaking loose; that my diet would be very expensive, and might cause a famine. Sometimes they determined to starve me; or at least to shoot me in the face and hands with poisoned arrows, which would soon despatch me; but again they considered, that the stench of so large a carcass might produce a plague in the metropolis, and probably spread through the whole kingdom. In the midst of these consultations, several officers of the army went to the door of the great council-chamber, and two of them being admitted, gave an account of my behaviour to the six criminals above-mentioned; which made so favourable an impression in the breast of his majesty and the whole board, in my behalf, that an imperial commission was issued out, obliging all the villages, nine hundred yards round the city, to deliver in every morning six beeves, forty sheep, and other victuals for my sustenance; together with a proportionable quantity of bread, and wine, and other liquors; for the due payment of which, his majesty gave assignments upon his treasury:- for this prince lives chiefly upon his own demesnes; seldom, except upon great occasions, raising any subsidies upon his subjects, who are bound to attend him in his wars at their own expense. An establishment was also made of six hundred persons to be my domestics, who had board-wages allowed for their maintenance, and tents built for them very conveniently on each side of my door. It was likewise ordered, that three hundred tailors should make me a suit of clothes, after the fashion of the country; that six of his majesty's greatest scholars should be employed to instruct me in their language; and lastly, that the emperor's horses, and those of the nobility and troops of guards, should be frequently exercised in my sight, to accustom themselves to me. All these orders were duly put in execution; and in about three weeks I made a great progress in learning their language; during which time the emperor frequently honoured me with his visits, and was pleased to assist my masters in teaching me. We began already to converse together in some sort; and the first words I learnt, were to express my desire "that he would please give me my liberty;" which I every day repeated on my knees. His answer, as I could comprehend it, was, "that this must be a work of time, not to be thought on without the advice of his council, and that first I must lumos kelmin pesso desmar lon emposo;" that is, swear a peace with him and his kingdom. However, that I should be used with all kindness. And he advised me to "acquire, by my patience and discreet behaviour, the good opinion of himself and his subjects." He desired "I would not take it ill, if he gave orders to certain proper officers to search me; for probably I might carry about me several weapons, which must needs be dangerous things, if they answered the bulk of so prodigious a person." I said, "His majesty should be satisfied; for I was ready to strip myself, and turn up my pockets before him." This I delivered part in words, and part in signs. He replied, "that, by the laws of the kingdom, I must be searched by two of his officers; that he knew this could not be done without my consent and assistance; and he had so good an opinion of my generosity and justice, as to trust their persons in my hands; that whatever they took from me, should be returned when I left the country, or paid for at the rate which I would set upon them." I took up the two officers in my hands, put them first into my coatpockets, and then into every other pocket about me, except my two fobs, and another secret pocket, which I had no mind should be searched, wherein I had some little necessaries that were of no consequence to any but myself. In one of my fobs there was a silver watch, and in the other a small quantity of gold in a purse. These gentlemen, having pen, ink, and paper, 第 14 页 共 197 页 http://www.en8848.com.cn/ 原版英语阅读网
En4原版英语about them, made an exact inventory of every thing they saw; and when they had done,desired I would set them down, that they might deliver it to the emperor.This inventoryIafterwards translated into English, and is, word for word, as follows:"Imprimis: In the right coat-pocketofthegreat man-mountain"(for soIinterpret thewordsquinbusflestrin,)"afterthe strictest search,wefound onlyonegreatpiece ofcoarse-cloth,largeenoughtobeafoot-clothforyourmajesty'schief roomofstate.Intheleftpocketwesawa huge silver chest,with a cover ofthe samemetal, which we, the searchers,were notable to lift. Wedesired it should be opened,and one of us stepping into it, found himself upto the mid leg in a sort of dust, somepart whereof flying up to our faces set us both asneezingfor several times together.In his right waistcoat-pocket wefound a prodigiousbundle of white thin substances, folded one over another, about the bigness of three men,tied witha strong cable,andmarkedwithblackfigures;whichwehumblyconceivetobewritings,everyletteralmosthalfaslargeasthepalmofourhands.Inthelefttherewasasortofengine,fromthebackofwhichwereextendedtwentylongpoles,resemblingthepallisadosbeforeyourmajesty's court:wherewith weconjecturetheman-mountain combshis head;for wedid notalways troublehim with questions,because wefound ita greatdifficulty to make him understand us. In the large pocket, on the right side of his middlecover"(soItranslate the word ranfulo, by which they meant my breeches,)"we saw a hollowpillar ofiron,aboutthelengthofaman,fastened toa strongpieceoftimberlargerthanthepillar; and upon one side of the pillar, were huge pieces of iron sticking out, cut into strangefigures, which we know not what to make of. In the left pocket, another engine of the samekind.Inthesmallerpocket ontherightside,wereseveral round flatpiecesofwhiteand redmetal,ofdifferent bulk; some ofthe white, which seemed to be silver, were so large andheavy,thatmycomradeandI could hardlylift them.Intheleftpocket weretwoblack pillarsirregularly shaped: we could not, without difficulty,reach the top ofthem, as we stood at thebottom of his pocket.One ofthem was covered, and seemedall ofa piece:but at the upperendoftheotherthereappeared awhiteround substance,abouttwicethebigness of ourheads.Withineachof thesewas enclosedaprodigiousplateof steel;which,by ourorders,we obliged him to show us, because we apprehended they might be dangerous engines. Hetook them outoftheir cases,and told us, that inhis owncountryhispracticewas toshavehis beard with one of these, and cut his meat with the other.There weretwo pockets whichwe could notenter:thesehecalled hisfobs;theyweretwolarge slits cut intothetopof hismiddle cover, but squeezed close bythe pressure of his belly.Out of the rightfob hung agreat silver chain, with a wonderful kind of engine at the bottom. We directed him to drawout whatever was at the end of that chain; which appeared to be a globe, half silver,and halfofsometransparentmetal;for,onthetransparentside,wesawcertainstrangefigurescircularlydrawn, and thoughtwecould touch them,till wefound ourfingers stoppedbythelucid substance.Heputthisengine intoour ears, whichmadean incessant noise, likethat ofawater-mill:and we conjectureit iseither some unknown animal,or thegod that heworships;butwearemore inclined tothelatteropinion,becauseheassured us, (ifwe第15页共197页http://www.en8848.com.cn/原版英语阅读网
about them, made an exact inventory of every thing they saw; and when they had done, desired I would set them down, that they might deliver it to the emperor. This inventory I afterwards translated into English, and is, word for word, as follows: "Imprimis: In the right coat-pocket of the great man-mountain" (for so I interpret the words quinbus flestrin,) "after the strictest search, we found only one great piece of coarse-cloth, large enough to be a foot-cloth for your majesty's chief room of state. In the left pocket we saw a huge silver chest, with a cover of the same metal, which we, the searchers, were not able to lift. We desired it should be opened, and one of us stepping into it, found himself up to the mid leg in a sort of dust, some part whereof flying up to our faces set us both a sneezing for several times together. In his right waistcoat-pocket we found a prodigious bundle of white thin substances, folded one over another, about the bigness of three men, tied with a strong cable, and marked with black figures; which we humbly conceive to be writings, every letter almost half as large as the palm of our hands. In the left there was a sort of engine, from the back of which were extended twenty long poles, resembling the pallisados before your majesty's court: wherewith we conjecture the man- mountain combs his head; for we did not always trouble him with questions, because we found it a great difficulty to make him understand us. In the large pocket, on the right side of his middle cover" (so I translate the word ranfulo, by which they meant my breeches,) "we saw a hollow pillar of iron, about the length of a man, fastened to a strong piece of timber larger than the pillar; and upon one side of the pillar, were huge pieces of iron sticking out, cut into strange figures, which we know not what to make of. In the left pocket, another engine of the same kind. In the smaller pocket on the right side, were several round flat pieces of white and red metal, of different bulk; some of the white, which seemed to be silver, were so large and heavy, that my comrade and I could hardly lift them. In the left pocket were two black pillars irregularly shaped: we could not, without difficulty, reach the top of them, as we stood at the bottom of his pocket. One of them was covered, and seemed all of a piece: but at the upper end of the other there appeared a white round substance, about twice the bigness of our heads. Within each of these was enclosed a prodigious plate of steel; which, by our orders, we obliged him to show us, because we apprehended they might be dangerous engines. He took them out of their cases, and told us, that in his own country his practice was to shave his beard with one of these, and cut his meat with the other. There were two pockets which we could not enter: these he called his fobs; they were two large slits cut into the top of his middle cover, but squeezed close by the pressure of his belly. Out of the right fob hung a great silver chain, with a wonderful kind of engine at the bottom. We directed him to draw out whatever was at the end of that chain; which appeared to be a globe, half silver, and half of some transparent metal; for, on the transparent side, we saw certain strange figures circularly drawn, and thought we could touch them, till we found our fingers stopped by the lucid substance. He put this engine into our ears, which made an incessant noise, like that of a water- mill: and we conjecture it is either some unknown animal, or the god that he worships; but we are more inclined to the latter opinion, because he assured us, (if we 第 15 页 共 197 页 http://www.en8848.com.cn/ 原版英语阅读网