Gulliver in Lilliput – II

I

The empire of Blefuscu is an island situated to the north-east of Lilliput. It

is separated from Lilliput by a channel about 800 metres wide. I had not seen

Blefuscu, and now I avoided appearing on that side of the coast in case the

enemy should see me. So far they had no news of me.

Our scouts reported that the enemy fleet lay at anchor in the harbour, ready

to start with the first favourable wind. I walked to the north-east coast and hiding

myself behind a small hill, in case the enemy should see me I looked at their

ships through my field glasses. I distinguished at least fifty warships and a great

number of other ships for transporting men and supplies. I formed a plan to

capture the warships. I got the advice of the mast experienced seamen of Lilliput,

who told me that the channel was about five feet deep in most places and no

where more than six. I ordered a great quantity of the strongest cable and bars of

iron. The cable was as thick as pack-thread, and the bars were of the size of

knitting-needles. I twisted the cables together and made fifty strong cards. Then I

made fifty hooks by twisting three bars together at a time, and fastened the hooks

carefully to the cords.

II

While I was engaged in this work, the men of Blefuscu shot at me several

thousands arrows as big as knitting-needles; many of them stuck in my hands and

face and gave me sharp pain. I quickly took out my eye-glasses and put them on

in case the arrows should strike my eyes and went on with my work.

When I had fastened the hooks to the prows of all the warships, I tied their

ends together into a knot. Taking the knotted end in my hand, I pulled; but not a

ship moved, for they were all held fast by their anchors. So I let go the cords

again, and with ease drew after me the entire fleet of the enemy.

When the men of Blefuscu saw this, they shouted in despair; at first they had

not guessed my intention. When I was out of danger I stopped a while to pull out

the arrows that stuck in my face. I rubbed on an ointment that the Lilliputians had

given me for the purpose, and it relieved the pain at once.

The Emperor of Lilliput, attended by all his court, was waiting on the shore

to see the outcome of this great adventure. They saw the entire fleet advance in

the shape of a large half moon but could not distinguish me because I was up to

my neck in water. So they thought that I had been drowned and that the enemy

fleet was advancing for battle. They felt greatly relieved when they saw me. I

held up my hand from the water and cried in a loud voice, “Long live the most

mighty Emperor of Lilliput!” The Emperor received me with honour and made

me Great lord on the spot.

The Tempest - I

[The Tempest is the name of a play written by Shakespeare. You can read

the stories of many Shakespearean plays in the Tales from Shakespeare by

Charles and Mary Lamb.]

I

On a lonely island in the sea there once

lived three people, a wise old man named

Prospero, his beautiful young daughter Miranda,

and their servant Caliban. Father and daughter

had come to the island twelve years before,

when Miranda was a mere baby. She could

hardly remember having seen any human face

except her father’s. As far Caliban, he hardly

looked more like a fish than a man.

Prospero had another servant, a spirit

named Ariel, whom he commanded by means

of his magic. Before Prospero’s arrival there

lived on the island a witch named Sycorax; the ugly Caliban was her son. She

imprisoned Ariel in the heart of a pine tree and she died without releasing him.

Prospero, on his arrival on the island found him and released him. Ariel became

Prospero’s faithful servant and carried out his master’s wishes. At Prospero’s

faithful command he would raise storms in the sea or make thunder in the air.

II

One day there arose a terrible storm in the sea. As Miranda looked out, she

saw a fine ship struggling in the midst of the storm.

“O father,” she said, “if you have, by your own power, raised this tempest;

please put an end to it. What a fine ship is there, struggling in the cruel waves!

The cries of the drowning sailors seem to knock against my very heart.”

“Do not be afraid,” replied Prospero. “Not a single person shall perish. As

for the storm, I have raised it for your sake. I have done it for you, my beloved

daughter, You do not know who you are.”

Now for the first time Prospero told Miranda the strange story of her life.

“Twelve years ago,” he said, “I was Duke of Milan. Knowledge was my chief

aim in life; wealth and worldly possessions hardly mattered to me. Leaving the

management of state affairs to my brother Antonio, whose loyalty I never doubted,

I devoted all my time to secret studies. Meanwhile he grew greedy for power

and possessions; he bribed my ministers and plotted against me with my enemy,

the king of Naples. One dark night their soldiers took me out of my palace, with

you crying in my arms. They did not dare to kill us openly; so they put us into an

old damaged ship that could hardly float, and left us to perish at sea. But there

was a kind old lord named Gonzalo; he was loyal to me at heart and was not in

favour of Antonio’s plot. He secretly stored the ship with fresh water, food and

clothes, and my precious books, which I valued more than my dukedom. Driven

by favourable winds, we floated to this lonely island.”

“But what is your reason for raising this tempest?” asked Miranda, who

was still thinking of the drowning sailors.

“Fortune has now begun to favour me,” replied Prospero. “The tempest

has, in a strange manner, brought all my enemies to this island; they are in the

ship you see. For the present it is enough for you to know that much.” Then

Prospero touched Miranda gently with his magic wand, and she fell asleep.

III

“Come, my Ariel,” said Prospero, waving his magic wand. Ariel appeared.

“Here I am, master,” he said. “I am ready to go wherever you ask me to go,

and to do whatever you want.”

“Have you performed the task I gave you?”

“Yes; master. I have done every thing just as you commanded me. I attacked

the ship with storm, fire and thunder, till the sailors gave up in despair. Not a

single person in the ship kept head. The king’s son, Ferdinand, leapt into the sea.

Now he is sitting sadly in a corner of the island, thinking that his father is drowned.

Meanwhile, in another part of the island, the King, your brother, and the others

are looking for Ferdinand, who they fear is drowned. As for the ship, I have

brought it safely to the harbour.”

“You have performed your task perfectly,” said Prospero. “Now we have

some very important work on our hands. The time between now and evening is

precious for both of us.”

“More work? Sir, let me remind you of the promise you gave me, namely, to

give me my freedom.”

“What?” said Prospero angrily? “How dare you ask freedom before the

time out? Where would you be but for me? Have I to remind you how I released

you from the pine tree?”

“I am sorry, master. I will obey you willingly,” said Ariel.

“Good,” said Prospero. “After two days I will set you free; meanwhile

carry out your tasks with good heart.” Then Prospero told him what he should

do. And away went Ariel happily, to the place where Ferdinand sat weeping

over his father’s death.

The Tempest – II

I

Remaining invisible, Ariel sang a beautiful song and led Ferdinand to the

place where Prospero and Miranda were.

“What is that father?” asked Miranda in wonder, when she saw Ferdinand at

a distance. “Is it a spirit? It has a noble and beautiful appearance.” Miranda, as

you know, had not known what a young man looked like and, moreover, Ferdinand

was a handsome young man. When Ferdinand saw Miranda, he thought that she

was the goddess of this island of wonders, where he had just heard Ariel’s

strange-sounding song. He fell on his knees and began to speak to her as to a

goddess. You can imagine his surprise when he heard her say sweetly in his own

language, “Sir, I am no goddess, but a simple girl.”

Prospero was very happy to find that the two young people had fallen in

love with each other at first sight. But in order to test Ferdinand’s love, Prospero

pretended to think that the young man was a spy.

“Come along young man,” he said roughly. “You are spy who has come to

steal this island from me. You are now my prisoner.” Ferdinand tried to resist,

and drew his sword; but waving his wand, Prospero fixed him to the spot by the

power of his magic. Miranda hung upon her father and pleaded for Ferdinand.

“Please do not treat him like that, father. He cannot be a spy. He does not

look like one.”

“Silence,” said Prospero. “Are you trying to teach me? Perhaps you think he

is the handsomest person on earth, because you have seen only Caliban and me.

Compared to Caliban he seems handsome enough, but compared to other men he

is a Caliban!”

“Then my desires are most humble,” replied Miranda. “I do not wish to see

a handsome person.”

“Come along, sir,” Prospero said to Ferdinand, leading him away. Ferdinand

could hardly resist the power of Prospero’s magic, and he had to follow. He said

to himself, “My misfortunes and this unkind treatment would all be nothing to me

if, from my prison window, I could see this girl once a day.”

II

Prospero set him the task of piling up heavy logs. Miranda stole out of her

room to see him at work, and her presence made his labour seem light to him.

“Alas, sir,” she said, “please sit down and rest a little. I will carry your logs

in the mean time. I quite like it. Let me carry the logs; my father is at his studies

safely out of our way for three hours.” In fact Prospero was all the time standing

at a distance, watching his daughter with amusement and sympathy.

“No, my precious creature,” replied Ferdinand, “I can not let you do that!”

Of course this love-talk did not help the work of feeling manage to tell

Miranda how he loved her better than any one else he had ever seen. As for

Miranda, she cannot imagine a person she could loved more.

Prospero decided not to try Ferdinand further, and soon released him for his

hard task.

“The trials you have under gone where it test of your love,” said Prospero,

to the great joy and surprise of Ferdinand. “As your reward I give you my daugh-

ter, who is my most precious possession. My blessings are with you both.”

In the meantime the king of Naples, Antonio, Gonzalo (who was the king’s

party) and others were wandering about on the island. Tired out and hungry, they

sat down to rest. Ariel put inviting food before them, but when they tried to eat it,

it disappeared suddenly. Ariel appeared to them with thunder and lightning. While

they stood amazed at the sight he said to Antonio and the king, “You are two men

guilty before God and man. Think of your evil deeds. Remember how cruely you

treated Prospero and his innocent child. It was a terrible crime. All that you have

undergone is God’s punishment for your crimes. If you do not sincerely repent of

your evil deeds, there is worse in store for you.” Then Ariel disappeared in

thunder and lightning leaving them almost mad with fear and their sense of guilt.

III

“Now that they have sincerely repented, we need not punish them further,”

said Prospero to Ariel. Ariel led them to the place where Prospero was. When

they saw Prospero, they were so amazed that at first they could hardly believe

their eyes. The King agreed to restore the dukedom to Prospero, and Prospero,

on his part, forgave the King all that was past. The King told Prospero how they

had been ship-wrecked and how he had lost Ferdinand, his dear son, in the

wreck.

“I am very sorry to hear of your loss,” said Prospero. “I lost my daughter too

in the tempest.” In a sense Prospero was speaking the truth because he had lost

his daughter to Ferdinand.

“How I wish they were both alive,” said the King, “to be king and queen of

Naples!”

Prospero took the party into his cave and showed them Ferdinand and

Miranda, who were happily playing chess.

“O wonder! Said Miranda when she saw so many people together. “How

many wonderful people there are here! How beautiful mankind is!” Gonzalo, the

kind old man, who had helped Prospero, wept for joy to see this scene of recon-

ciliation.

Prospero broke his magic wand and buried his books of magic because he

had no further use for them. He sat Ariel free as he had promised. Ariel sang:

Where the bee sucks there suck I;

In a cowslip’s bell I lie;

There I couch when owls do cry.

On the bat’s back I do fly

After summer merrily.

Merrily, merrily, shall I live now

Under the blossom that hangs on the bough.

Prospero and party sailed to Naples leaving Caliban in possession of the

island. Ariel helped them with favourable winds; that was his last service to his

master.