Page:Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World by Lemuel Gulliver First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships.djvu/54

14 within Two hundred yards of the City-Gates about Noon. The Emperor, and all his Court, came out to meet us, but his Great Officers would by no means suffer his Majesty to endanger his Person by mounting on my Body.

At the place where the Carriage stoptstopped [sic], there stood an ancient Temple, esteemed to be the largest in the whole Kingdom, which having been polluted some Years before by an unnatural Murder, was, according to the Zeal of those People, look'd on as ProphaneProfane [sic], and therefore had been applied to common Uses, and all the Ornaments and Furniture carried away. In this Edifice it was determined I should lodge. The great Gate fronting to the North was about Four foot high, and almost Two foot wide, through which I could easily creep. On each side of the Gate was a small Window not above Six inches from the ground: into that on the Left side, the King's Smiths conveyed Fourscore and eleven Chains, like those that hang to a Lady's Watch in Europe, and almost as large, which were locked to my Left leg with Six and thirty Padlocks. Over-against this Temple, on t'other side of the great Highway, at Twenty foot distance, there was a Turret at least Five foot high. Here the Emperor ascended with many principal Lords of his Court, to have an opportunity of viewing me, as I was told, for I could not see them. It was reckoned that above an Hundred Thousand Inhabitants came out of the town upon the same errand; and in spight of my Guards, I believe there could not be fewer than Ten thousand, at several times, who mounted upon 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.