Gulliver’s Travels
I’m currently reading Gulliver’s Travels and thought I’d share a few quotes from the Land of Lilliput.
“I felt great Numbers of the People on my Left Side relaxing the Cords to such a Degree, that I was able to turn upon my Right, and to ease myself with making Water; which I very plentifully did, to the great Astonishment of the People, who conjecturing by my Motions what I was going to do, immediately opened to the right and left on that Side, to avoid the Torrent which fell with such Noise and Violence from me.”
“His Majesty gave Orders, upon Pain of Death, that every Soldier in his March should observe the strictest Decency, with regard to my Person; which, however, could not prevent some of the younger Officers from turning up there Eyes as they passed under me. And, to confess the Truth, my Breeches were at this Time in so ill a Condition, that they afforded some Opportunities for Laughter and Admiration.”
“The Case seemed wholly desperate and deplorable; and this magnificent Palace would have infallibly been burned 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 diuretic. 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 laboring 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.”