0192
0191
Immediately upon this defeat Nasgig again took his place behind me, our army shouting to the skies; but no sooner had the general dropped, but on came Harlokin, with majesty and terror mixed in his looks, and seeming to disdain the air he rode on, waved his men to the attack with his hand. When he came near enough to hear me, I called him vile traitor, to oppose the army of his lawful sovereign, telling him, if he would submit, he should be received to mercy. "Base creeping insect," says Harlokin, "if thou hast aught to say to me worth hearing, meet me in the air! This hand shall show thee soon who'll most want mercy; and though I scorn to stoop to thee myself, this messenger shall satisfy the world thou art an impostor, and send thee back lifeless to the fond king that sent thee hither." With that he hurled a javelin pointed with flint, sharp as a needle, at me; but I avoiding it, "This, then," says I, "if words will not do, shall justify the truth of our prediction." And then levelling a musket at him, I shot him through the very heart, that he fell dead within twenty paces of me. But perceiving another to take his room, notwithstanding the confusion my musket made amongst them, I ran to my match, and giving fire to two more pieces of ordnance at the same time, they fell so thick about me, that I had enough to do to escape being crushed to death by them; and the living remainder separating, fled quite away, and put an end to the war. I waited in the field three days, to see if they would make head again; but they were so far from it, that before I could return, as I found afterwards, most of the revolting provinces had sent their deputies, who themselves carried the first news of the defeat, to beg to be received into mercy; all of whom were detained there till my return with Harlokin's head.
At my return to Brandleguarp I was met by the king, the colambs, and almost the whole body of the people; every man, woman, and child, with two sweecoe lights in their hands, which unusual sight in the air gave me great alarm, till I inquired of Nasgig what it meant, who told me it must certainly be a sweecoan, or he knew not what it was. I asking again what he meant by that, he told me it was a particular method of rejoicing he had heard of, but never seen; wherein, if the king goes in triumph, all the people of Brandleguarp, from fifteen to sixty, are obliged to attend him with sweecoes. He said it was reported amongst them that in Begsurbeck's time there were two of them, but there had been none since.
When we met them, I perceived they had opened into two lines or ranks of a prodigious length; at the farther end of which was the king, with innumerable lights about him, the whole looking like a prodigious avenue or vista of lights, bounded at the farther end, where the king was, with a pyramid light. This had the most solemn and magnificent effect on the eye that anything of light could possibly have; but as we passed through the ranks, each of the spectators having two lights, one was given to each soldier of the whole army. And then to look backward, as well as forward, the beauty of the scene was inexpressible. We marched all the way amidst the shouts of people, and the sounds of the gripsacks, going very slowly between the ranks; and at length arriving at the pyramid where the king was, I heard abundance of sweet voices, chanting my actions in triumphal songs; but I could take little notice of these, or of my son with his flageolet amongst them, for the extravagant appearance of the pyramid, which seemed to reach the very sky. For, first, there was a long line of a full half-mile, which hovered at even height with the two side ranks; in the centre of that, and over it, was the king single; over him another line, shorter than the first, and again over that, shorter and shorter lines; till, at a prodigious height, it ended in one single light *These all hovering, kept their stations; while the king darted a little space forward to meet me, and congratulate my success; then turning and preceding me, the whole pyramid turned, and marched before us, singing all the way to the city, the pyramid changing several times into divers forms, as into squares, half-moons, with the horns sometimes erect and again reversed, and various other figures. And yet amongst this infinite number of globes there was not the least glaring or offensive light, but only what was agreeable to the people themselves. As the rear of the army entered the lines, they closed upon it, and followed us into Brandleguarp. While we passed the city to the palace, the whole body of people kept hovering till the king and myself were alighted, and then every one alighted where he best could. All the streets and avenues to the palace were blocked up with people, crowding to receive the king's beneficence; for he had proclaimed a feast and open housekeeping to the people for six days. The king, the colambs, ragans, and great officers of state, with myself, had a magnificent entertainment prepared us in Begsurbeck's great room; and his majesty, after supper, being very impatient to know how the battle went, I told him the only valorous exploit was performed by my friend Nasgig, who opened the way to victory by the slaughter of Harlokin's general. Nasgig then rose, desiring only that so much might be attributed to him as fortune had accidentally thrown into his scale; for it might have been equally his fate as the general's to have fallen. "But except that skirmish," says he, "and some flying cuts at the van, we have had no engagement at all, nor have we lost a single man; Peter only sitting in his chair, and commanding victory. He spake aloud but thrice, and whispered once to them, but so powerfully that, having at the two first words laid above three hundred of the enemy at their lengths, and brought Harlokin to his feet, with a whisper, at the third word he concluded the war. The whole time, from the first sight of the enemy to their total defeat, took not up more space than one might fairly spend in traversing his majesty's garden. In short, sir," says Nasgig, "your majesty needs no other defence against public or private enemies, as I can see, than Peter; and my profession, whilst he is with us, can be of little use to the State."
After these compliments from Nasgig, and separate ones from the king and the rest, I told them it was the highest felicity to me to be made an instrument by the great Collwar in freeing so mighty a kingdom and considerable a people from the misery of a tyrannical power. "You live," says I, "so happily under the mild government of Georigetti, that it is shocking but to think into what a distressed state you must have fallen under the power of a usurper, who, claiming all as his own by way of conquest, would have reduced you to a miserable servitude. But," says I, "there is, and I am sorry to see it, still amongst you an evil that you great ones feel not, and yet it cries for redress. Are we not all, from the king to the meanest wretch amongst us, formed with the same members? Do we not all breathe the same air? inhabit the same earth? Are we not all subject to the same disorders? and do we not all feel pain and oppression alike? Have we not all the same senses, the same faculties? and, in short, are we not all equally creatures of, and servants to, the same master, the great Collwar? Would not the king have been a slave but for the accident of being begotten by one who was a king? and would not the poorest creature amongst us have been the king had he been so begotten? Did you great men, by any superior merit before your births, procure a title to the high stations in which you are placed? No, you did not. Therefore give me leave to tell you what I would have done. As every man has equal right to the protection of Collwar, why, when you have no enemy to distress you, will you distress one another? Consider, you great ones, and act upon this disinterested principle; do to another, what you, in his place, would have him do to you; dismiss your slaves, let all men be what Collwar made them, free. But if this unequal distinction amongst you, of man and man, is still retained, though you are at present free from the late disaster, it shall be succeeded with more, and heavier. And now, that you may know I would not have every man a lord, nor every one a beggar, remember I would only have every serving-man at liberty to choose his own master, and every master his own man; for he that has property and benefits to bestow will never want dependants, for the sake of those benefits to serve him, as he that has them not must serve for the sake of obtaining them. But then let it be done with free-will; he that then serves you will have an interest in it, and do it, for his own sake, with a willing mind; and you, who are served, will be tenderer and kinder to a good servant, as knowing by a contrary usage you shall lose him. I desire this may now be declared to be so, or your reasons, if any there are, against it."
One of the ragans said he thought I spoke what was very just, and would be highly acceptable to Collwar.
Then two of the colambs rose to speak together, and after a short compliment who should begin, they both declared they only arose to testify their consents.
The king referring it to me, and the colambs consenting, I ordered freedom to be proclaimed through the city; so that every one appeared at their usual duties, to serve their own masters for a month, and then to be at liberty to come to a fresh agreement with them, or who else they pleased.
"This, sir," says I to the king, "will now be a day of joy indeed to those poor hearts who would have been in no fear of losing before, let who would have reigned; for can any man believe a slave cares who is uppermost? he is but a slave still. But now," says I, "those who were so before may by industry gain property; and then their own interest engages them to defend the State.
"There is but one thing more I will trouble you with now—and that," says I to the ragans, "is, that we all meet at the mouch to-morrow, to render Collwar thanks for the late, and implore future favour." And this passed without any contradiction.
When we met, the poor ragans were at a great loss for want of their image, not knowing what to do or say; for their practice had been to prostrate themselves on the ground, making several odd gestures; but whether they prayed, or only seemed to do so, no one knew.
While the people were gathering, I called to a ragan, seeing him out of character. "Suppose," said I "(for I see you want your image), you and your brethren had received a favour of the king, and you was deputed by them to thank him, you would scarce be at a loss to express your gratitude to him, and tell him how highly you all esteemed his benefits, hoping you should retain a just sense of them, and behave yourselves as dutiful subjects for the future, and then desire him to keep you still in his protection. And this," says I, "as you believe in such a Being as Collwar, who understands what you say, you may with equal courage do to Him, keeping but your mind intent upon Him, as if you saw Him present."—"Indeed," says he, "I believe you are right, we may so; but it is a new thing, and you must excuse us if we do it not so well at first."
I found I had a very apt scholar, for after he had begun, he made a most extraordinary prayer in regular order, the people standing very attentive. It was not long, but he justly observed the points I hinted to him.
When he had done, another and another went on, till we had heard ten of them, and in every one something new, and veryà propos;and several of them afterwards confessed they never had the like satisfaction in their lives, for they had new hearts and new thoughts, they said.
We spent the sixth-day feast in every gaiety imaginable, and especially of dancing, of which they were very fond in their way; but it was not so agreeable to me as my own country way, there being too much antic in it. New deputies daily arrived from the revolted towns, and several little republics, not claimed by Georigetti before, begged to be taken under his protection; so that in one week the king saw himself not only released from the dread of being driven from his throne, but courted by some, submitted to by others, and almost at the summit of glory a sovereign can attain to.
5202
0203
A visitation of the revolted provinces proposed by Peter—His new name of the country received—Religion settled in the west—Slavery abolished there—Lasmeel returns with Peter—Peter teaches him letters—The king surprised at written correspondence—Peter describes the make of a beast to the king.
THE festival being over, the colambs begged leave to depart; but the king, who now did nothing without me, consulted with me if it was yet proper. I told him, as things had so long been in confusion in the west, that though the provinces had made their submission, yet the necessity of their circumstances, and the general terror, might have caused them only to dissemble till their affairs were composed again, and that as it was more than probable some relations of the deceased Harlokin, or other popular person, might engage them in another revolt, I thought it would not be improper to advise with his colambs about the establishment of the present tranquillity, and not by too great a security, give way to future commotions; and as all the colambs were then present, it might be proper to summon them once more.
When they were met, the king declared the more particular satisfaction he took in that meeting than he had heretofore done, when they had been put to it for means to secure their lives and properties: "For now," says he, "our deliberations must turn upon securing our new acquisitions, and on settling those provinces which, till now, have never fallen under my power. But," says he, "I shall refer it to Peter to propose to you what at present seems most necessary for you to consider of; and that adjusted, shall dismiss you."
I told them that as the too sudden healing of wounds in the body natural, before the bottom was clean and uncorrupt, made them liable to break out again with greater malignity, so wounds in the body political, if skinned over only, without probing and cleansing the source and spring from whence they arose, would rankle and fret within till a proper opportunity, and then burst forth again with redoubled violence. I would therefore propose a visitation of the several provinces; an inquiry into their conduct; an examination into the lives and principles of the colambs, the inferior officers, and magistrates; and either to retain the old, or appoint new, as there should be occasion. This visitation I would have performed by his majesty—"and so many of you, the honourable colambs," says I, "as he shall see fit should attend him in royal state, that his new subjects may see his majesty, and hear his most gracious words; and being sensible of his good disposition towards them, may be won, by his equity and justice, to a zealous submission to his government, which nothing but the perception of their own senses can establish in the heart This, I don't doubt, will answer the end I propose, and consolidate the peace and happiness of Norm—Normns—I must say Doorpt Swangeanti."
Hearing me hesitate at the word Normndbsgrsutt, and call it Doorpt Swangeanti, the whole assembly rang with Doorpt Swangeanti! and, at last, came to a resolution that the west being now again united to the east, the whole dominions should be called Sass Doorpt Swangeanti, or the Great Flight Land.
They approved the visitation, and all offered to go with the king, but insisted I should be of the party, which agreeing to do, I chose me out two of the most knowing ragans to teach the new religion amongst them, for in every project I had my view to advance religion.
Some were for having the deputies released, and despatched with notice of the king's intentions; but I objecting that they might disrelish their confinement, and possibly raise reports prejudicial to our proceedings, it was thought better to take them with us, and go ourselves as soon as possible.
We set out with a prodigious retinue, first to the right, in order to sweep round the whole country, and take all the towns in our way, and occasionally enter the middle parts, as the towns lay commodious.
We were met by the magistrates and chief officers of each district, at some distance from each city, with strings about their necks, and the crashee instrument borne before them in much humility. His majesty said but little to them on the way, but ordered them to precede him to the city, and conduct him to the colamb's house; when he was commanded to surrender his employment to his majesty, as did all the other officers who held posts under him. Then an examination was taken of their lives, characters, and behaviour in their stations; and finding most of them had behaved well to the government they had lived under (for their plea was, they had found things under a usurpation, and being so, that government was natural to them, having singly no power to alter it); upon their perfect submission to the king, and solemn engagement to advance and maintain his right, they received their commissions anew from his majesty's own mouth. But where any one had been cruel or oppressive to the subjects, or committed any notorious crime, or breach of trust (for the meanest persons had liberty to complain), he was rejected, and for the most part sent to Crashdoorpt, to prevent the ill effects of his disgrace.
We having displaced but five colambs and a few inferior officers, the moderation and justice of our proceedings gave the utmost satisfaction both to the magistrates and people.
Having observed at Brandleguarp abundance of the small images my wife had spoken of, and thinking this a proper opportunity to show my resentment against them, I ordered several of the ragans of the west before me, and asked what small images they had amongst them. One, who spoke for the rest, told me, very few, he believed; for he had scarce had any brought to him to be blessed. "Where," says I, "is your Great Image?" He told me, "At Youk."—"And have not the people here many small ones?"—"Very few," says he; "for they have not been forced upon us long."—"How forced upon you!" says I; "don't the people worship them?"—"A small number now do," says he.—"Pray speak out," says I. "When might you not worship them?"—"Never, that I know of," says he, "in our state, till about ten years ago, when Harlokin obliged us to it."—"What! did you worship them before?" says I.—"No," says he, "never since it has been a separate kingdom; for we would follow the old ragan's advice of worshipping Collwar, which they not admitting of, the State was divided between us who would and them who would not come into the ragan's doctrine: and though Harlokin was a zealous image-worshipper, yet all he could do would not bring the people heartily into it, for Collwar never wanted a greater majority." This pleased me prodigiously, being what was never hinted to me before; and I resolved not to let my scheme be a loser by it.
As we were to visit Youk in about eight days, I summoned the ragans and people to meet at the mouch; there recounting the great things done by Collwar in all nations. "This I could make appear," says I, "by many examples; but as you have one even at your own towns, I need go no farther.
"I must begin in ancient times, when, I presume, you all worshipped an idol; have you any tradition before this?"—They said, "No."—"This image," says I, "was worshipped in Begsurbeck's days, when an old ragan, whose mind Collwar had enlightened with the truth, would have withdrawn your reverence from the image to the original Collwar himself; you would not consent: he threatens you, but promises success to Begsurbeck, who did consent; and he had it to an old age. Then those who would also consent, were so far encouraged as to be able to form an independent kingdom. Could nobody yet see the cause? was it not apparent Collwar was angry with the east, that would not follow the old ragan, and cherished the west, who would?
"But, to be short, let us apply the present instance, and sure it will convince us who is right, who wrong.
"So long as the west followed Collwar, they flourished, and the east declined; but no sooner had the west degenerated under the command of Harlokin, and the east by my means had embraced Collwar, but the tables were turned: the east is found weighty, and the west kicks the beam. These things whoso sees not, is blind indeed: therefore let publication be made for the destruction of all small images, and let the harbourers of them, contrary to this order, be slit; and for myself, I will destroy this mother-monster. Take you, holy ragans, care to destroy the brood." And having said this, I hacked the new idol to pieces.
I ordered proclamation for abolishing slavery, under the restrictions used at Brandleguarp: and thus having composed the west, and given a general satisfaction, we returned, almost the whole west accompanying us, till the east received us; and never was so happy a union, or more present to testify it, since the creation, I believe.
I ordered several of the principal men's sons to court, in order for employments, and to furnish our future colambs; and this I did, as knowing each country would rather approve of a member of their own body for their head than a stranger; and, in my opinion, it is the most natural union. And then breeding them under the eye of the king eight or ten years, or more, they are, as it were, naturalised to him too, and in better capacity to serve both king and country.
As my head was constantly at work for the good of this people, I turned the most trifling incidents into some use or other; and made the narrowest prospects extend to the vastest distances. I shall here instance in one only. There was at Youk a private man's son, whom by mere accident I happened to ask some slight question of; and he giving me, with a profound respect and graceful assurance, a most pertinent answer; that, and the manner of its delivery, gave me a pleasure, which upon farther discourse with him, was, contrary to custom, very much increased; for I found in him an extensive genius, and a desire for my conversation. I desired his father to put him under my care, which the old man, as I was then in so great repute, readily agreed to; and his son desiring nothing more, I took him with me to Brandleguarp. I soon procured him a pretty post but of small duty, for I had purposed other employment for him, but of sufficient significancy to procure him respect. I took great delight in talking with him on different subjects, and observed by his questions upon them, which often puzzled me, or his answers to them, he had a most pregnant fancy and surprising solidity, joined to a continual and unwearied application. I frequently mentioning books, writing, and letters to him, and telling him what great things might be attained that way, his inquisitive temper, and the schemes he had formed thereon, put me upon thinking of several things I should never have hit upon without him. I considered all the ways I could contrive to teach him letters; and letting him into my design, he asked me how I did to make a letter. I described a pen to him, and told him I put a black liquor into it, and as I drew that along upon a flat white thing we made use of, called paper, it would make marks which way ever I drew it, into what shape I pleased. "Why then," says he, "anything that will make a mark upon another thing as I please, will do."—"True," says I, "but what shall we get that will make a black mark?"—We were entering further into this debate; but the king sending for me, I left him unsatisfied. I stayed late with the king that night, so did not see Lasmeel (for that was his name) till next night, wondering what was become of him. I asked him then where he had been all the day. He told me he had been looking for a pen and paper. I laughed, and asked him if he had found them.—"Yes," says he, "or something that will do as well:" so he opened one side of his graundee, and showed me a large flat leaf, smooth and pulpy, very long and wide, and about a quarter of an inch thick, almost like an Indian fig-leaf.—"And what am I to do with this?" says I.—"To mark it," says he, "and see where you mark."—"With what?" says I.—"With this," says he, putting his hand again into his graundee, and taking out three or four strong sharp prickles. I looked at them both; and clapping him on the head, "Lasmeel," says I, "if you and I were in England, you should be made a privy-councillor."—"What! won't it do, then?" says he.—I told him we would try.—"I thought," says he, "it would have done very well; for I marked one all about, and though I could not see much at first, by that time I had made an end, that I did first was quite of a different colour from the leaf, and I could see it as plain as could be." I told him as he was of an age to comprehend what I meant, I would take another method with him than with a child; so I reasoned from sentences backwards to words, and from them to syllables, and so on to letters. I then made one, the vowel A, told him its sound, and added a consonant to it, and told him that part of the sound of each distinct letter put together, as the two letters themselves were, made another sound, which I called a syllable; and that joining two or more of them together made a word, by putting the same letters together as made the sounds of those syllables which made that word. Then setting him a copy of letters, which with very little difficulty were to be drawn upon the leaf, and telling him their sounds, I left him to himself; and when he had done, though I named them but twice over, his memory was so strong as to retain the sounds, as he called them, of every one but F, L, and Q.
In two months' time I made him master of anything I wrote to him; and as he delighted in it, he wrote a great deal himself, so that we kept an epistolary correspondence, and he would set down all the common occurrences of the day, as what he heard and saw, with his remarks on divers things.
One day, as the king and I were walking in the gardens, and talking of the customs of my country, and about our wars, telling him how our soldiers fought on horseback, the king could not conceive what I meant by a horse. I told him my wife had said there were neither beasts nor fishes in the country; which I was very much surprised at, considering how we abounded with both: "And therefore," says I, "to tell your majesty that a horse is a creature with four legs, you must naturally believe it to be somewhat like a man with four legs."—"Why, truly," says he, "I believe it is; but has it the graundee?" I could not forbear smiling, even at his majesty, and wanted to find some similitude to compare it to, to carry the king's mind that way; for else he would sooner, I thought, conceive it like a tree or a mountain than what it really was; and as I was musing, it came into my head I had given Lasmeel a small print of a horse, which I found in one of the captain's pockets at Graundevolet, and believing it to be the stamp of a tobacco-paper, had kept it to please the children with; so I told the king I believed I could show him the figure of a horse. He told me it would much oblige him.
Seeing several of the guards waiting at the garden arch, I looked, and at last found one of Lasmeel's leaves in the garden, and cutting one of them up with my knife, I took the point of that, and wrote to Lasmeel to send me by the bearer the picture of a horse I gave him, that I might show it the king. And calling one of the guards, "Carry that to Lasmeel," says I; "he is, I believe, in my apartment, and bring me an answer directly." Then falling into discourse again with the king, and presently turning at the end of the walk, I saw the same guard again. Says I "You cannot have brought me an answer already."—"You have not told me," says he, "what to bring you an answer to."—"Nor shall I," says I; "do as you are bid;" for I perceived then what the fellow stuck at. He walked off with the leaf, but very discontentedly. The king said he wondered how I could act such a contradiction. "This, father," says he, "is not what I expected from you; to order a man to bring an answer without giving him a message." I desired his patience only till the man came back. Presently says the king, "Here he comes!—Well," says he, "what answer?"—"Sir," says the fellow, "I have only had the walk for my pains: for he sent it back again, and a little white thing with it."—"Ha, ha!" says the king, "I thought so.—Come, father, own you have once been in the wrong; for I am sure you intended to give him a message, but having forgot it, would not submit to be told of your mistake by a guard." I looked very grave, reading what Lasmeel had wrote; which was to tell me he had obeyed my orders by sending the horse, for he was just then drawing it out upon a leaf.
"Come, come," says the king, "give the man his message, father, and let him go again."—"Sir," says I, "there is no need of that, he has punctually obeyed me; and Lasmeel was then at the table in my oval chamber with a leaf, and this picture in my hand, before him."
The king was ready to sink when I said so, and showed the print. "Truly, father," says he, "I have been to blame to question you; for though these things are above my comprehension, I am not to think anything beyond your skill." I made no reply to it; but showing the king the picture, the guard sneaked off; and glad he was, I believe, he could do so.
I went then upon the explanation of my horse, and answering fifty questions about him, at last he asked what his inside was: "Exactly the same as your majesty's," said I.—"And can he eat and breathe too?" says he.—"Just as you can," says I.—"Well," says he, "I would never have believed there had been such a creature: what would I give for one of them!"—I set forth the divers other uses we put them to, besides the wars; and by the picture, with some supposed alterations, I described a cow, a sheep, and numberless other quadrupeds; my account of which gave him great pleasure.
0216
Peter sends for his family—A rising of former slaves on that account—Takes a view of the city—Description of it, and of the country—Hot and cold springs.
HAVING now some leisure time on my hands to consider over my own affairs, I had thoughts of transporting my family, with all my effects, to Sass Doorpt Swangeanti, but yet had no mind to relinquish all thought of my ship and cargo; for the greatest part of this was still remaining, I having had but the pickings through the gulf. I once had a mind to have gone myself; but considering the immense distance over sea, though I had once come safe, I thought I ought not to tempt Providence, where my presence was not absolutely necessary.
Nasgig, to whose care and conduct any enterprise might be trusted, offered his service to go and execute any commands I should give him. His only difficulty, he said, was that it would be impossible for him to remember the different names of many things, which he had no idea of, to convey the knowledge of them to his mind when he saw them; but barring that, he doubted not to give me satisfaction. I told him I would send an assistant with him, who could remember whatever I once told him; and that I might not burden his memory with names only, Lasmeel should carry his memory with him, and that he, Nasgig, should only have the executive part.
Lasmeel, who had sat waiting an opportunity to put in for a share in the adventure, having a longing desire to see the ship, told Nasgig he had a peculiar art of memory, so as to remember whatever he would as long as he pleased, and that if he carried that with him, they need fear no mistakes.
The king having granted me as many of his guards as I pleased, for the carriage of my things, we appointed them to be ready on the fourth day; when Nasgig and Lasmeel set out with them.
I ordered Lasmeel, however, to be with me the next morning, that we might set down proper instructions; which I told him would be very long, and that he must bring a good number of leaves with him.
When Lasmeel entered my chamber next morning, he informed me that the whole city was in an uproar, especially those who had been freed by me. "What!" says I, "have they so soon forgot their subjection, to misapply their liberty already? But step and bring me word what's the matter, and order some of the ringleaders hither to me." Lasmeel upon inquiry found that it had been given out I was going to leave the country, and they all said, wherever I went they were determined to go and settle with me; for if I left them, they should be reduced to slavery again. However, he brought some of them to me, and upon my telling them I thanked them for their affection to me, but blamed them for showing it in so tumultuous a manner, and that I was so far from intending to leave them, that I was sending for my family and effects in order to settle amongst them, they rejoiced very much, and told me they would carry the good news to their companions, and disperse immediately. But I was now in more perplexity than before, for they having signified my designs to the rest, they rushed into the gallery in such numbers that they forced me up to my very chamber. I told them this was an unprecedented manner of using a person they pretended a kindness for; and told them if they made use of such risings to express their gratitude to me, it would be the direct means to oblige me to leave them: "For," says I, "do you think I can be safe in a kingdom where greater deference is paid to me than to the crown?" They begged my pardon, they said, and would obey me in anything; but the present trouble was only to offer their services to fetch my family and goods, or to do anything else I should want them for; and if I would favour them in that, they would retire directly. I told them when I had considered of it they should hear from me; and this again quieted them.
This disturbance not only took up much of my time, which I could have better employed, but put me to a non-plus how to come off with them; till I sent Maleck to tell them though I set a great value upon their esteem, yet after what had passed, it would be the most unadvisable thing in nature for me to accept their kindness; for having before requested a body of men of the king, as he had graciously granted them, it would be preferring them to the king, should I now relinquish his grant and make use of their offer; and after this I heard no more of it.
I had scarce met with a more difficult task than to fix exact rules for the conduct of my present undertaking, there being so many things to be expressed, wherein the least perplexity arising, might have caused both delay and damage; for I was not only forced to set down the things I would have brought, but the manner and method of packing and securing them; but as Lasmeel could read my writing to Pedro at home, and Youwarkee on board, it would be a means, though far from an expeditious one, of bringing matters into some order; and after I had done as I thought, I could have enumerated many more things, and was obliged to add anet cæterato the end of my catalogue; and while they were ready for flight, I added divers other particulars and circumstances. Nay, when they were even upon the graundee, I recollected the most material thing of all; for my greatest concern was, having broke up so many of my chests, to find package for the things; I say, even so late as that, I bethought me of the several great water-casks I had on board, that would hold an infinite number of small things, and would be slung easily; so I stopped them and set down that, and they were no sooner out of sight and hearing, but remembering twenty more, I was then forced to trust them to myet cætera.
I had sent my own flying-chair to bring the boys who had not the graundee, with orders for Pedro to sit tied in the chair, with Dicky tied in his arms; Jemmy to sit tied to the board before the chair, and David behind: so I hoped they would come safe enough; and then my wife and Sally were able to help themselves.
Having despatched my caravan, and being all alone, I called Quilly the next morning, and telling him I had thoughts of viewing the country, I bade him prepare to go with me.
I had now been here above six months, and yet upon coming to walk gravely about the city, I found myself as much a stranger to the knowledge of the place as if that had been the first day of my arrival, though I had been over it several times in my chair.
This city is not only one of, but actually the most curious piece of work in the world, and consists of one immense entire stone of a considerable height, and it may be seven miles in length, and near as broad as it is long. The streets and habitable part of it are scooped, as it were, out of the solid stone, to the level with the rest of the country, very flat and smooth at bottom, the rock rising perpendicular from the streets on each side.
The figure of the city is a direct square; each side about six miles long, with a large open circle in the centre of the square, about a mile in diameter, and from each of the sides of the outer streets to the opposite side runs another street, cutting the centre of the circle as in the figure.
Along the whole face of the rock, bounding the streets and the circle, there are archways; those in the circle, and the four cross streets, for the gentry and better people; and those in the outer streets, for the meaner; and it is as easy to know as by a sign where a great man lives, by the grandeur of his entrance, and lavish distribution of the pillars, carving, and statues about his portico, within and without: for as they have no doors, you may look in, and are not forbid entrance; and though it should look odd to an English reader, that an Englishman should speak with pleasure of a land of darkness, as that almost was, yet I am satisfied whoever shall see it after me will be persuaded, that for the real grandeur of their entrances, and for the magnificence of the apartments and sculpture, no part of the universe can produce the like; and though within doors there is no other manner of light than the sweecoes, yet that, when you are once used to it, is so agreeable and free from all noisome savour, that I never once regretted the loss of the sun within doors, though I often have when abroad; but then that would be injurious to the proper inhabitants, though they can no more see in total darkness than myself.
I have been over some of these private houses, which contain, it may be, thirty rooms, great and small, some higher, some lower, full of sweecoe-lights, and extremely well proportioned and beautiful.
The king's palace, with all the apartments, stands in, and takes up, one full fourth part of the square of the whole city; and is, indeed, of itself a perfect city.
There is no great man's house without one or more long galleries for the ladies to divert themselves at divers sports in, particularly at one like our bowls on a bowling-green, and at somewhat like nine-holes, at which they play for wines, and drink a great deal, for none of them will intoxicate.
In my walk and survey of the city, one of the colambs being making a house to reside in when at Brandleguarp, I had the curiosity to go in. I saw there abundance of botts stand filled with a greenish liquor, and asked Quilly what that was. He said it was what the stone-men used in making houses. I proceeded farther in, where I saw several men at work, and stayed a good while to observe them. Each man had a bott of this liquor in his left hand, and stood before a large bank of stone, it may be 30 feet high, reaching forward up to the ceiling of the place, and ascending by steps from bottom to top; the workmen standing some on one step, some on another, pouring on this liquor with their left hands, and with their right holding a wooden tool, shaped like a little spade. I observed wherever they poured on this water, a smoke arose for a little space of time, and then the place turned white, which was scraped off like fine powder with the spade-handle; and then pouring new liquor, he scraped again, working all the while by sweecoe-lights.
Having my watch in my pocket, I measured a spot of a yard long, about a foot high, and a foot and a half on the upper flat, to see how long he would be fetching down that piece; and he got it away in little above two hours. By this means I came to know how they made their houses; for I had neither seen any tool I thought proper, nor even iron itself, except my own, since I came into the country. Upon inquiry, I found that the scrapings of this stone, and a portion of common earth, mixed with a water they have, will cement like plaster; and they use it in the small ornamental work of their buildings. I then went farther into this house, where I saw one making the figure of a glumm by the same method; but it standing upright in the solid rock against the wall, the workman held his liquor in an open shell, and dipping such stuff as my bed was made of, bound up in short rolls, some larger, some less, into the liquor, he touched the figure, and then scraped till he had reduced it into a perfect piece.
It is impossible to imagine how this work rids away; for in ten months' time after I saw it, this house was completed, having a great number of fine, large, and lofty rooms in it, exquisitely carved to all appearance.
My wonder ceased as to the palace, when I saw how easily this work was done; but sure there is no other such room in the world as Begsurbeck's, that I described above.
The palace, as I said before, taking up one quarter of the city, opens into four streets by four different arches; and before one of the sides, which I call the front, is a large triangle, formed by the entrance out of one of the cross streets, and the two ends of the front of the palace. Along the lower front of it, all the way runs a piazza of considerable height, supported by vast round columns, which seemed to bear up the whole front of the rock, over which was a gallery of equal length, with balustrades along it, supported with pillars of a yet finer make, and over that a pediment with divers figures, and other work, to the top of the rock, which being there quite even for its whole length, was enclosed with balustrades between pedestals all the way, on which stood the statues of their ancient kings, so large as to appear equal to the life. The other two sides of the triangle were dwellings for divers officers belonging to the palace. Under the middle arch of the piazza was the way into the palace, through a long, spacious arched passage, whose farther end opened into a large square; on each side of this passage were large staircases, if I may so call them, by which you ascend gradually, and without steps, into the upper apartments.
The next morning we took another walk, for I told Quilly I had a mind to take a prospect of the country. We then went out at the back arch of the palace, as we had the day before at one of the sides, there being a like passage through the rock from that we went out at, to an opposite arch leading into the garden. I say, we went out at the back arch, and after passing a large quadrangle with lodgings all round it, we ascended through a cut in the rock to a large flat, where we plainly saw the Black Mountain with its top in the very sky, the sides of which afforded numberless trees, though the ground within view afforded very little verdure, or even shrubs. But the most beautiful sight from the rock was to see the people come home loaded from the mountain, and from the woods, with, it may be, forty pound weight each on their backs; and mounting over the rock, to see them dart along the streets to their several dwellings, over the heads of thousands of others walking in all parts of the streets, while others were flying other ways. It was very pleasant to see a man walking gravely in one street, and as quick as thought to see him over the rock, settled in another, perhaps two miles distant.
The near view of the country seeming so barren, naturally led me to ask Quilly from whence they got provision for so many people as the city contained, which, to be sure, could not be less than three hundred thousand. He told me that they had nothing but what came from the Great Forest on the skirts of the mountain. "But for the grain of it, and some few outward marks," says I, "I could have sworn I had eaten some of my country beef the other day at the king's table."—"I don't know what your beef, as you call it, is; but I am sure we have nothing here but the fruit of some tree or shrub, that ever I heard of."—"I wonder," says I, "Quilly, how your cooks dress their victuals. I have eaten many things boiled, and otherwise dressed hot, but have seen no rivers, or water, since I came into this country, except for drinking, or washing my hands, and I don't know where that comes from. And another thing," says I, "surprises me, though I see no sun as we have to warm the air, you are very temperate in the town, and it is seldom cold here; but I neither see fire nor smoke."—"We have," says Quilly, "several very good springs under the palace, both of hot water and cold, and I don't know what we should do with fires; we see the dread of them sufficiently at Mount Alkoe. Our cooks dress their fruits at the hot springs."—"That is a fancy," said I; "they cannot boil them there."—"I am sure we have no other dressing," says he.—"Well, Quilly," says I, "we will go home the way you told me of, and to-morrow you shall show me the springs; but, pray, how come you to be so much afraid of Mount Alkoe? I suppose your eyes won't bear the light; is not that all?"—"No, no," says Quilly, "that is the country of bad men. Some of us have flown over there accidentally, when the mountain has been cool, as it is sometimes for a good while together, and have heard such noises as would frighten any honest man out of his senses, for there they beat and punish bad men." I could not make much of his story, nor did I inquire further, for I had before determined, if possible, to get over thither. As we were now come into the garden, I ordered Quilly to get ready my dinner, and I would come in presently.
We went next morning to view the springs, and indeed it was a sight well worth considering. We were in divers offices under the rock (Quilly carrying two globe-lights before me), in which were springs of very clear water, some of hot, and some of cold, rising within two or three inches of the surface of the floor. We then went into the kitchen, which was bigger than I ever saw one of our churches, and where were a great number of these springs, the hot all boiling full speed day and night, and smoking like a caldron, the water rising through very small chinks in the stone into basons, some bigger, some less; and they had several deep stone jars to set anything to boil in. But what was the most surprising was, you should see a spring of very cold water within a few feet of one of hot, and they never rise higher or sink lower than they are. I talked with the master cook, an ingenious man, about them; and he told me they lie in this manner all over the rocky part of the country, and that the first thing any one does in looking out for a house, is to see for the water, whether both hot and cold may be found within the compass he designs to make use of; and finding that, he goes on, or else searches another place. And he told me where this convenience was not in great plenty the people did not inhabit, which made the towns all so very populous. He said, too, that those warm springs made the air more wholesome about the towns than in other parts where there were none of them. I thanked him for his information, which finished my search for that time.