Category: English Summary

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Three Men in a Boat Chapter 5 Summary

Departure from London amidst much confusion and hilarity. Arrival at Kingston and finally setting off on the boat.

The next morning, Mrs Poppets awoke the author at nine o’clock. Realising that George was still asleep, the author and Harris woke him up by pulling off his covers, hitting him with a slipper and shouting in his ear. They began to get dressed and then realized that they had packed their toothbrushes in the luggage. Having taken them out and having finally dressed, they all sat down to breakfast.

While they ate, George read out the weather forecast from the newspaper. This caused the author to reflect that in his experience, the weather forecast was a fraud. He related an incident where they stayed at home on a bright sunny day, because the forecast was for rain and, the next day, when it was forecast to be sunny, they were caught in a storm and fell ill. The author also expressed his doubts about the usefulness of barometers. Instead, he said that he preferred the opinions of old men, who even if they were wrong about the weather, could at least be appreciated for trying.

After George went to work, Harris and the author took out the entire luggage and waited for a cab. While they waited, all the young boys of the neighbourhood crowded around them, each offering his own opinion about why they stood in the street with the luggage. When an empty cab finally came up, they loaded in the luggage and Montmorency, and made their way to Waterloo station.

There, they spent some time rushing from one platform to another, as no one seemed to have any idea where the train to Kingston would leave from. Finally on reaching Kingston, they loaded their boat with their luggage and provisions, forced an unhappy Montmorency into the boat and set sail.

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Three Men in a Boat Chapter 4 Summary

Further discussion on provisions to be taken along, especially food and the repercussions of the wrong kind ofprovisions. Packing of their luggage with Montmorency hampering the process in umpteen ways.

The next subject raised was that of food. It was decided that no paraffin oil was to be taken to cook the meals. An earlier trip with an oil stove had taught the three friends that the oil could easily leak and soak into everything on the boat. Therefore, for this trip, it was decided that methylated spirit would be used.

Another article that the friends decided not to take was cheese, for its odour was too strong. The author related an amusing incident when he agreed to carry two types of cheese from Liverpool to London, for his friend. As a result of the smell of the cheeses, no one else boarded the train carriage in which he was sitting. When he delivered the cheeses to his friend’s wife, she left the house as she could not bear the smell either!

The next morning, which was Friday, they began to pack. The author first offered to pack, and was surprised when instead of helping him, his friends let him do so without protest. However, he had to pack the clothes hamper several times, as once the boots were left out, then the author did not remember if he had packed his toothbrush, and so on. Harris and George offered to do the rest of the packing.

They packed the food in the worst manner possible, putting heavy things on fragile ones, sitting
on the butter and spilling salt over everything. Montmorency helped in this process by making them stumble over him, sitting down on things they were looking for, and jumping into the hamper.

By 12:50, the packing was done and the three friends retired to bed. George inquired of the others at what time he should wake them, but by the time the author and Harris agreed upon 6.30 after much argument, George had fallen asleep.

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Three Men in a Boat Chapter 3 Summary

Discussions on what they required for their trip. Reaching the common consensus to list only things they could not do without. The next morning, the three friends continued to plan their trip. The author described Harris’ idea of ‘working’ as that of taking a burden and putting it on other people’s backs.

He then likened Harris’ style of working to that of his Uncle Podger trying to put up a picture on the wall. He would get the entire household involved in the simple task of hammering a nail in the wall to hang up a picture and still not manage to do a good job.

When they finally began to make a list, they considered so many things to be essential that it would be impossible to fit them all on the boat. The author briefly commented on the common tendency to overload a boat (or indeed, their lives) with unnecessary things. Then, George suggested that instead of listing everything they could use, they should instead make a list of all the things they could not do without.

George suggested taking a boat with a cover instead of a tent. They then listed a few essentials including tooth powder, rugs and towels. The author then remarked that no matter how many arrangements people make for bathing at the river, they never really bathe much when they are there.

He also shared his experience of a morning dip at the seaside, which he suffered through but had to pretend that he enjoyed it, later. George also suggested taking only two suits of clothes each, along with plenty of socks and handkerchiefs.

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Three Men in a Boat Chapter 2 Summary

The pros and cons of camping are discussed by the three, and more is told about the author’s dog, Montmorency, who is to accompany them on this trip.

The three friends studied maps to plan their trip and decided to set out on their holiday the following Saturday. The author and Harris would take the boat from Kingston to Chertsey, where George, who worked in a bank, would meet them in the afternoon. They then discussed the relative benefits of camping out versus sleeping at inns. Just as the author painted an ideal picture of camping out, Harris interrupted him by asking what they would do if it rained. This led the author to paint a picture of the miseries of camping out in the rain, from the difficulties of setting up a tent in the rain, to having rain soak into all the camping supplies.

It was finally decided that they would camp out on fine nights and sleep in inns or hotels on rainy nights. Montmorency, the dog seemed to be pleased with this arrangement as well. Montmorency was a small fox terrier. When the author had first found the dog, he did not think it would survive long. However, the dog proved the author wrong and turned out to be an adventurous and lively creature, shoehorning himself into hustle and bustle.

Once the matter of camping was decided upon, the three began to argue about the things to be taken along on the trip. However, Harris suggested that they should discuss it the next day and all three went out for a drink.

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Three Men in a Boat Chapter 1 Summary

Three friends, George, Harris and the author—referred to as ‘J’—decide that they are overworked and agree upon a week’s holiday. They decide to go on a boating trip, down the river Thames.

The narrative opens with the author discussing his imagined ailments with his friends George and William Samuel Harris. While George and Harris both claimed to have spells of giddiness, the author believed that his liver was out of order. He then shared a humorous anecdote, describing his visit to the British Museum, where he read a medical text and came to the conclusion that he had the symptoms of all known diseases, except ‘Housemaid’s Knee’.

His doctor advised him to eat and drink well, walk every morning and sleep early every night. The author then described how similar symptoms had been termed as laziness when he was a child which, rather than with medicines, was treated most successfully by beatings. The three friends discussed their respective diseases until supper. Further discussion on the matter made them decide that their conditions were caused by overwork. They agreed that they needed rest and a change of scene.

When Harris suggested a sea trip, the author objected. He cited several stories of people who, once aboard a ship, were seasick for almost a week. By the time they managed to overcome their seasickness, it was time to return to land. He also examined the strange manner in which people who were seasick seemed to completely forget this fact when they reached dry land. In the end, George suggested going up the river in a boat. The author and Harris were in favour of this plan, but Montmorency, the author’s dog, did not seem to like the plan much.

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Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 1 Chapter 5

Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 1 Chapter 5

The narrator, by an extraordinary stratagem, prevents an invasion. A high title of honour is conferred upon him. Ambassadors arrive from the emperor of Blefuscu and sue for peace. The empress ’ apartment catches fire by accident and the narrator is instrumental in saving the rest of the palace.

The empire of Blefuscu was an island situated to the north-east of Lilliput, separated from it by a channel, eight hundred yards wide. Gulliver kept himself hidden from the Blefuscans, who had no information about him. He spied on the empire of Blefuscu and devised a plan for seizing the entire Blefiiscudian fleet. He asked for cables and bars of iron, out of which he made hooks with cables attached. He then waded across the channel to Blefuscu and reached their ships at port. The Blefuscudians were so frightened when they saw him that they leapt out of their ships and swam to the shore. Gulliver attached a hook to each ship and tied them together. The Blefiiscudian soldiers fired arrows at him, but he kept working, protecting his eyes by putting on the spectacles he kept in his coat pocket. He tried to pull the ships away, but they were anchored too tightly, so he cut them away with his pocket-knife and pulled the ships back to Lilliput.

In Lilliput, Gulliver was greeted as a hero and the emperor conferred upon him the highest title of honour, ‘Nardac’. Emboldened by this victory, the emperor asked him to go back to retrieve the other ships, intending to destroy Blefuscu’s military strength and make it a province of his empire, and forcing the people to break the smaller end of their eggs. Gulliver dissuaded him from this action, which he believed to be unjust and the equivalent to enslaving the Blefuscudians. Embittered and angry, the emperor and several of his ministers turned staunchly against Gulliver and called for his destruction. In the words of Gulliver: ‘And from this time began an intrigue between his majesty and a junta of ministers, maliciously bent against me, which broke out in less than two months, and had like to have ended in my utter destruction. Of so little weight are the greatest services to princes, when put into the balance with a refusal to gratify their passions.’

Three weeks later, ambassadors arrived from Blefescu and offered a peace agreement, which the emperor agreed to with conditions favourable to himself. Gulliver used his influence at court to help the Blefescudians with regard to the treaty, and the war ended with Blefuscu’s surrender. The Blefuscu delegates were privately told of Gulliver’s kindness toward the Lilliputians, and they asked him to visit their kingdom. He wished to do so, and the emperor reluctantly allowed it. Gulliver learned that Flimnap, the Lord High Treasurer, and Bolgolam had represented to the emperor, Gulliver’s dealings with the Blefescudian ambassadors, as disloyalty. For the first time, Gulliver realized that the Lilliputian courts and ministers may not be perfect.

As a Nardac, or ‘person of high rank’, Gulliver no longer had to perform all the duties laid down in his contract. He did, however, have the opportunity to help the Lilliputians when the empress’ room caught fire. One night, Gulliver was awakened by people milling around his door. Courtiers arrived and begged Gulliver to come immediately to the palace, where a fire had broken out in the empress’s apartment due to negligence of one of her maids. He forgot his coat and, being unable to put the flames out with his clothing, he thought of a new plan: he urinated on the palace, putting out the fire entirely. He worried afterward that since the act of public urination was a crime in Lilliput he would be prosecuted. The emperor promised Gulliver a pardon, which, however, did not arrive. Also, Gulliver heard that the empress was so offended by his action that she moved into another part of the palace, ordering that the apartments on which Gulliver urinated must never be repaired.

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Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 1 Chapter 4

Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 1 Chapter 4

Milendo, the metropolis of Lilliput, is described, together with the emperor’s palace. A conversation between the narrator and a principal secretary, concerning the affairs of that empire is narrated here. The narrator offers to serve the emperor in his wars. After regaining his freedom, Gulliver went to Milendo, the capital city of the Lilliputians. The residents were told to stay indoors, and they all sat on their roofs and in their garret windows to see him. The metropolis was 500 square feet with a wall surrounding it. The wall was two and a half feet high, and at least eleven inches broad, so that a coach and horses may be driven very safely round it; and it was flanked with strong towers at ten feet distance. The city was an exact square, each side of the wall being five hundred feet long. The two great streets, which ran across and divided it into four quarters, were five feet wide. The lanes and alleys were from twelve to eighteen inches. The town could hold 500,000 people: the houses were three to five stories: the shops and markets were well provided.

The emperor wanted Gulliver to see the magnificence of his palace, which was at the centre of the city where the two great streets met. It was enclosed by a two feet high wall, and was twenty feet away from the buildings. The outward court was a square of forty feet, and included two other courts: in the inmost were the royal apartments, which Gulliver could not see for the great gates, from one square into another, were only eighteen inches high, and seven inches wide. As the buildings of the outer court were at least five feet high, it was impossible for Gulliver to stride over them without causing damage. So, Gulliver cut down trees to make himself a stool, which he carried around with him so that he could sit down and see things from a shorter distance than a standing position allowed.

About two weeks after Gulliver obtained his liberty, Reldresal came to see him. He told Gulliver that two forces, one rebel group and one foreign empire, threatened the kingdom. The rebel group existed because, for about seventy moons, the kingdom had been divided into two factions called Tramecksan and Slamecksan. The people in the two factions were distinguished by the height of their heels. The animosity between the two parties was so intense, that they would neither eat, nor drink, nor talk with each other. Reldresal told Gulliver that though high heels were most agreeable to their ancient constitution, the current emperor had chosen to employ primarily the low-heeled Slamecksan in his administration. He added that the emperor himself had lower heels than all of his officials but that his heir had one heel higher than the other, which gave him a hobble in his gait.

At the same time, the Lilliputians feared an invasion from the Island of Blefuscu, which Reldresal called the ‘Other Great Empire of the Universe.’ He added that the philosophers of Lilliput did not believe Gulliver’s claim that there were other countries in the world inhabited by other people of his size, preferring to think that Gulliver had dropped from the moon or a star.

Reldresal described the history of the two nations. The conflict between them, he told Gulliver, began years ago, when the emperor’s grandfather happened to cut one of his fingers while trying to break an egg in the old way, large end first. His father, who was then, the emperor, commanded all Lilliputians to break their eggs the small end first. The people resented the law, and six rebellions were started in protest. The monarchs of Blefuscu fueled these rebellions and when they were over, the rebels fled to that country to seek refuge. Eleven thousand people chose death rather than submit to the law. Many books were written on the controversy, but books written by the ‘Big-Endians’ were banned in Lilliput. The government of Blefuscu accused the Lilliputians of disobeying their religious doctrine, the Brundrecral, by breaking their eggs at the small end. The Lilliputians argued that the doctrine read, “That all true believers shall break their eggs at the convenient end,” which could be interpreted as the small end.

Reldresal continued that the exiles gained support in Blefuscu to launch a war against Lilliput and were aided by rebel forces inside Lilliput. A war had been raging between the two nations ever since. Reldresal requested Gulliver’s aid in the perpetual battle. Gulliver complied with these words: ‘I desired the Secretary to present my humble duty to the Emperor, and to let him know, that I thought it would not become me, who was a foreigner, to interfere with parties; but I was ready, with the hazard of my life, to defend his person and state against all invaders.’

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Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 1 Chapter 3

Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 1 Chapter 3

The narrator diverts the emperor, and his nobility of both sexes, in a very uncommon manner. The diversions of the court of Lilliput are described. The narrator has his liberty granted him upon certain conditions.

Gulliver’s gentleness and good behaviour impressed the emperor and his court, and also the army and the people in general. As he earned their trust he began to hope that he would be set free, as he was getting along well with the Lilliputians.

He made good progress in understanding and speaking their language. The emperor decided to entertain him with shows, including a performance by rope-dancers, who were Lilliputians seeking employment in the government. For the performance, which doubled as a sort of competitive entrance examination, the candidates danced on ‘ropes’—slender threads suspended two feet above the ground. Whenever a vacancy occurred, either by death or disgrace, candidates petitioned the emperor to entertain him with a dance and whoever jumped the highest earned the office. How long and how skillfully a candidate could dance upon a rope determined his tenure in office. The current ministers continued this practice as well, in order to show that they had not lost their skill.

Of the ministers, two were particularly adept: Flimnap, the treasurer and Gulliver’s friend, Reldresal, principal secretary for private affairs. Gulliver was amazed to learn that these diversions were often attended with fatal accidents. He, himself, saw two or three candidates break a limb. This danger was especially true of the ministers, for, in trying to excel themselves and their fellows, they strained so far that they at times received a fall. In fact, a year or two ago, Flimnap was only saved from breaking his neck because one of the king’s cushions, that accidentally lay on the ground, weakened the force of his fall.

As another diversion, the emperor laid three silken threads of different colours on a table. He then held out a stick, and candidates were asked to leap over it or creep under it, a feat for which they were then rewarded with one of the ribbons.

The horses of the army, and those of the royal stables, were daily led before Gulliver, and they gradually lost their fear of him. The riders would make the horses leap over his hand, as he held it on the ground; and one of the emperor’s huntsmen, riding a large horse, jumped over Gulliver’s foot, shoe and all; which was indeed an extraordinary leap. Gulliver built a platform from sticks and his handkerchief and invited horsemen to exercise upon it. The emperor greatly enjoyed watching this new entertainment. The emperor was so delighted, that he ordered this entertainment to be repeated several days, and once he desired to be lifted up and give the word of command.

The empress also wanted to climb up and it was with great difficulty that Gulliver persuaded her to let him hold her in her close chair within two yards of the stage, from whence she was able to take a full view of the whole performance. This entertainment had to be abandoned when a horse stepped through the handkerchief. Though Gulliver could save both horse and rider, he decided that it was too dangerous for them to keep riding on the cloth.

About two or three days before Gulliver was set free, some Lilliputians discovered Gulliver’s hat, which had been washed ashore. He asked them to bring it back. Soon after, the emperor asked Gulliver to pose like a colossus, or a giant statue, so that his troops might march under Gulliver. Three thousand foot soldiers and a thousand horse-riders did so, the foot soldiers marching twenty-four abreast and the horse-riders sixteen, with drums beating, colours flying, and pikes advanced.

Gulliver’s petitions for freedom were finally answered. Gulliver had to swear to obey the orders of the Lilliputians, which included that he must assist them in times of war, survey the land around them, help with construction, and deliver urgent messages. Gulliver agreed and his chains were removed.

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Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 1 Chapter 2

Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 1 Chapter 2

The emperor of Lilliput, attended by several of the nobility, comes to see the narrator in his confinement. The emperor’s person and habit is described. Learned men are appointed to teach the narrator their language. He gains favour by his mild disposition. His pockets are searched, and his sword and pistols are taken from him.

Once Gulliver was chained to the building, he was finally allowed to stand up and view the entire countryside, which he discovered was beautiful and rustic. The countryside appeared like a 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, (a stang is a pole; sixteen feet and a half). The tallest trees were seven feet tall, and the whole area looked to him like a theatre set. Gulliver’s process of relieving himself is described painstakingly. He writes that he describes this process in order to establish his cleanliness, which has been called into question by his critics. Initially, he walked inside the building as far as his chain permitted, to relieve himself. After the first time, he ensured he relieved himself in open air, and two servants carried away his excrement in wheel-barrows.

The emperor came on horseback from his tower to visit Gulliver. He ordered his servants to give Gulliver food and drink. Though the emperor was dressed plainly, and carried a sword to defend himself, he was awe-inspiring being taller by almost the breadth of a nail than any of his court. His features were 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 bearing majestic. He was twenty-eight years and three quarters old, and he had ruled for about seven years. He and Gulliver conversed, though they could not understand each other. Gulliver tried to speak every language he knew, but nothing worked. There were several priests and lawyers present, who were commanded to try and talk to Gulliver; and he spoke to them in as many languages as he knew but all to no purpose.

After two hours, Gulliver was left with a strong guard to protect him from the crowds who thronged about him, coming as close as they dared; and some of them, disobeying orders, even shot arrows at Gulliver, as he sat on the ground by the door of his house. In fact, one of them very narrowly missed his left eye. As a punishment, the colonel ordered that six of the ringleaders be seized and tied up and placed them in Gulliver’s hand. Gulliver put five of them into his pocket and pretended that he was going to eat the sixth, but then cut loose his ropes and set him free. He did the same with the other five, which pleased the court.

After two weeks, a bed was made for Gulliver. It consisted of six hundred small beds sewn together. As the news of his arrival spread throughout the kingdom, curious people from the villages came to see him. As a result, the king directed that those who had already seen Gulliver should return home. No one was allowed to come within fifty yards of his house, without license from the court; as a result the government earned a sizeable amount of money in fees. Meanwhile, the government tried to decide what to do with him. Frequent councils brought up various concerns: that he would break loose, for instance, or that he would eat enough to cause a famine. Some suggested that they starve him or shoot him in the face to kill him, but others argued that doing so would leave them with a giant corpse and a large health risk.

Officers who witnessed Gulliver’s lenient treatment of the six offending soldiers reported to the council and the emperor and his court decided to respond with kindness. They arranged for the delivery of large amounts of food to Gulliver every morning which were to be paid for from His Majesty’s treasury. Six hundred domestics were assigned to wait on him, and tailors were hired to make him clothing, and teachers appointed to instruct him in their language.

Every morning Gulliver asked the emperor to set him free, but the emperor refused, saying that Gulliver must be patient.
The emperor insisted that Gulliver swear a peace with him and his kingdom. He promised that Gulliver would be treated with all kindness. The emperor also ordered him to be searched to ensure that he did not have any weapons. Gulliver agreed to this search, and the Lilliputians took an inventory of his possessions. In the process, all of his weapons were taken away. Ironically, the two items that escaped the view of the Lilliputians were his spectacles and his telescope. These have symbolic significance; they enable Gulliver to see more clearly up close and far away.

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Gulliver’s Travels Summary by Jonathan Swift

Gulliver’s Travels Summary Chapter Wise

• Gulliver’s Travels Summary Part 1
• Gulliver’s Travels Summary Part 2
• Gulliver’s Travels Summary Part 3
• Gulliver’s Travels Summary Part 4

Gulliver’s Travels recounts the adventures of an Englishman, Lemuel Gulliver, who trained as a surgeon, but took to the seas when his business failed. In an unemotional first-person narrative, that rarely shows any signs of self-reflection or deep emotional response, Gulliver narrates the adventures that befall him on his travels.

Gulliver’s adventure in Lilliput begins when he wakes, after his shipwreck, to find himself bound by innumerable tiny threads and addressed by tiny captors who are in awe of him but fiercely protective of their kingdom. They are not afraid to use violence against Gulliver, though their arrows are little more than pinpricks. But overall, they are hospitable, risking famine in their land by feeding Gulliver, who consumes more food than a thousand Lilliputians combined could.

Gulliver is taken into the capital city by a vast wagon the Lilliputians have specially built. He is presented to the emperor, who is entertained by Gulliver, just as Gulliver is flattered by the attention of royalty. Eventually, Gulliver becomes a national resource, used by the army in its war against the people of Blefuscu, whom the Lilliputians hate for doctrinal differences concerning the proper way of cracking eggs. However, things change when Gulliver is convicted of treason for putting out a fire in the royal palace with his urine and is condemned to be shot in the eyes and starved to death. Gulliver escapes to Blefuscu, where he is able to find and repair a boat and set sail for England.

After staying in England with his wife and family for two months, Gulliver undertakes his next sea voyage, which takes him to Brobdingnag, a land of giants. Here, a field worker discovers him. The farmer treats him as little more than an animal, keeping him for amusement, and eventually, selling him to the queen, who looks upon him as a diversion and is entertained by his musical talents. Social life is easy for Gulliver after his discovery by the court, but not particularly enjoyable.

Gulliver is often repulsed by the physicality of the Brobdingnagians, whose ordinary flaws are many times magnified by their huge size. He is generally startled by the ignorance of the people here—even the king knows nothing about politics. More unsettling findings in Brobdingnag come in the form of various animals of the realm that endanger his life. Even Brobdingnagian insects leave slimy trails on his food that make eating difficult. On a trip to the frontier, accompanying the royal couple, Gulliver leaves Brobdingnag when his cage is plucked by an eagle and dropped into the sea.

Next, Gulliver sets sail again and, after an attack by pirates, ends up in Laputa, where a floating island, inhabited by theoreticians and academics, oppresses Balnibarbi, the land below. The scientific research undertaken in Laputa and in Balnibarbi seems totally inane and impractical, and its residents, too, appear wholly out of touch with reality. Taking a short side trip to Glubbdubdrib, Gulliver is able to witness the conjuring up of figures from history, such as Julius Caesar and other military leaders, whom he finds much less impressive than in books. After visiting the Luggnaggians and the Struldbrugs, the latter of which are senile immortals who prove that age does not bring wisdom, he is able to sail to Japan and from there, back to England.

Finally, on his fourth journey, Gulliver sets out as captain of a ship, but after the mutiny of his crew and a long confinement in his cabin, he arrives in an unknown land. This land is populated by Houyhnhnms, rational-thinking horses who rule, and by Yahoos, brutish humanlike creatures who serve the Houyhnhnms. Gulliver sets about learning their language and when he masters it, he narrates his voyages to them and explains the constitution of England. He is treated with great courtesy and kindness by the horses and is enlightened by his many conversations with them and by his exposure to their noble culture.

He wants to stay with the Houyhnhnms, but his bared body reveals to the horses that he is very much like a Yahoo and he is banished. Gulliver is grief-stricken but agrees to leave. He fashions a canoe and makes his way to a nearby island, where he is picked up by a Portuguese ship captain who treats him well, though now, Gulliver cannot help but see the captain—and all humans—as shamefully Yahoo-like. Gulliver then concludes his narrative with the claim that the lands he has visited belong, by rights, to England, as her colonies, even though he questions the whole idea of colonialism.

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Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 1 A Voyage to Lilliput

Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 1 A Voyage to Lilliput Chapter 1 to 8

• Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 1 Chapter 1
• Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 1 Chapter 2
• Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 1 Chapter 3
• Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 1 Chapter 4
• Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 1 Chapter 5
• Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 1 Chapter 6
• Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 1 Chapter 7
• Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 1 Chapter 8

Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 1 Chapter 1

The narrator gives some account of himself and his family. He recounts how he first began his travels. He is shipwrecked, swims for his life and gets himself safely to the shore of the country of Lilliput. He is made a prisoner and is carried up the country.

The novel begins with Lemuel Gulliver recounting the story of his life, beginning with his family history.

Lemuel Gulliver was born to a family in Nottinghamshire, the third of five sons. Although he studied in Cambridge as a teenager, his family was too poor to keep him there. So, he was sent to London to be an apprentice under a surgeon named James Bates. Gulliver’s father sent him small sums of money now and then, which he used for learning mathematics and navigation, with the hope of travelling. When his apprenticeship with Mr Bates ended, he went to study physics at Leyden for two years and seven months, knowing it would be useful in long voyages.

Soon after he returned from Leyden, Gulliver, on a recommendation from Mr Bates, became a surgeon aboard a ship called ‘The Swallow’, for three years, and travelled to various parts of the world. Later, he settled in London, working as a doctor. He got married to a woman named Mary Burton. His business began to fail when his patron, Mr Bates, died. So he decided to go to sea again and travelled for six years. The last of these voyages did not prove very fortunate and Gulliver grew tired of the sea deciding to settle down with his wife and family. However, his practice did not match his expectations and he decided to accept one last job on a ship called ‘The Antelope’.

In the East Indies, ‘The Antelope’ encountered a violent storm in which twelve crewmen died of excessive hard work and a poor diet; the rest were in a very weak condition. On the 5th of November, which was the beginning of summer in those parts, the seamen spied a rock within half a cable’s length of the ship; but the wind was so strong, that the ship was driven directly upon it, and immediately split. Six of the crew members, including Gulliver, boarded a small rowboat to escape. The seamen rowed till they were able to work no longer, as they were already tired with the labour they had put in while on the ship. They, therefore, trusted themselves to the mercy of the waves. Shortly, the rowboat capsized due to a sudden storm from the north and Gulliver lost track of his companions. They were never seen again. Gulliver, however, swam safely to the shore.

Gulliver walked nearly half a mile inland but could not discover any sign of houses or inhabitants. Tired, he lay down on the grass to rest, and soon fell asleep. When he woke up, he found that his arms, legs, and long hair had been tied to the ground with pieces of thread. He could only look up, and the bright sun hurt his eyes, preventing him from seeing anything. He felt something move across his leg and over his chest. He looked down and saw, to his surprise, a six-inch-fall human, carrying a bow and arrow. At least forty more little people climbed onto his body. He was surprised and shouted loudly, frightening the little people away. They returned, however, and one of the little men who ventured so far as to get a full sight of Gulliver’s face, cried out, ‘Hekinah DeguT in admiration. The others also repeated the same words several times.

Gulliver struggled to get loose and finally succeeded in breaking the strings binding his left arm. He loosened the ropes tying his hair so he could turn to the left. In response, with a shrill cry ‘Tolgo Phonac’ the little people fired a volley of arrows into his hand and violently attacked his body and face. When this shower of arrows was over, Gulliver was left groaning in grief and pain. He once again tried to loosen his bonds and the little men attacked him with arrows and spears. He decided that the safest thing to do was to lie still until nightfall. The noise increased as the little people build a stage next to Gulliver about a foot and a half off the ground. One of them, a person who from his appearance Gulliver decided was a person of quality, climbed onto it and made a speech in a language that Gulliver did not understand. But before he began his oration, the man cried out three times, Langro Dehul San, whereupon about fifty of the inhabitants immediately came and cut the strings that fastened the left side of Gulliver’s head, thus giving him the freedom of turning to the right, and of observing the person who spoke.

Gulliver was starving and he indicated that he was hungry by putting his finger frequently to his mouth, and the little people brought him baskets of meat. He devoured it all and then made another sign, to show that he was thirsty, so they brought him two large barrels of wine. Seeing him eat and drink such large quantities, they shouted for joy, and danced upon his breast, shouting, Hekinah Degul. Gulliver was tempted to pick up forty or fifty of the little people and throw them against the ground, but he decided that he had made them a promise of goodwill and was grateful for their hospitality. He was also struck by their bravery, since they had climbed onto his body despite his great size.

An official climbed onto Gulliver’s body and informed him that he was to be carried to the capital city. Gulliver wanted to walk, but they told him that that would not be permitted. Instead, they brought a frame of wood, raised three inches off the ground and carried by twenty-two wheels. Nine hundred men pulled this cart about half a mile to the city. Gulliver’s left leg was then padlocked to a large temple, giving him only enough freedom to walk around the building in a semicircle and lie down inside the temple.

Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 1 Chapter 2

The emperor of Lilliput, attended by several of the nobility, comes to see the narrator in his confinement. The emperor’s person and habit is described. Learned men are appointed to teach the narrator their language. He gains favour by his mild disposition. His pockets are searched, and his sword and pistols are taken from him.

Once Gulliver was chained to the building, he was finally allowed to stand up and view the entire countryside, which he discovered was beautiful and rustic. The countryside appeared like a 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, (a stang is a pole; sixteen feet and a half). The tallest trees were seven feet tall, and the whole area looked to him like a theatre set. Gulliver’s process of relieving himself is described painstakingly. He writes that he describes this process in order to establish his cleanliness, which has been called into question by his critics. Initially, he walked inside the building as far as his chain permitted, to relieve himself. After the first time, he ensured he relieved himself in open air, and two servants carried away his excrement in wheel-barrows.

The emperor came on horseback from his tower to visit Gulliver. He ordered his servants to give Gulliver food and drink. Though the emperor was dressed plainly, and carried a sword to defend himself, he was awe-inspiring being taller by almost the breadth of a nail than any of his court. His features were 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 bearing majestic. He was twenty-eight years and three quarters old, and he had ruled for about seven years. He and Gulliver conversed, though they could not understand each other. Gulliver tried to speak every language he knew, but nothing worked. There were several priests and lawyers present, who were commanded to try and talk to Gulliver; and he spoke to them in as many languages as he knew but all to no purpose.

After two hours, Gulliver was left with a strong guard to protect him from the crowds who thronged about him, coming as close as they dared; and some of them, disobeying orders, even shot arrows at Gulliver, as he sat on the ground by the door of his house. In fact, one of them very narrowly missed his left eye. As a punishment, the colonel ordered that six of the ringleaders be seized and tied up and placed them in Gulliver’s hand. Gulliver put five of them into his pocket and pretended that he was going to eat the sixth, but then cut loose his ropes and set him free. He did the same with the other five, which pleased the court.

After two weeks, a bed was made for Gulliver. It consisted of six hundred small beds sewn together. As the news of his arrival spread throughout the kingdom, curious people from the villages came to see him. As a result, the king directed that those who had already seen Gulliver should return home. No one was allowed to come within fifty yards of his house, without license from the court; as a result the government earned a sizeable amount of money in fees. Meanwhile, the government tried to decide what to do with him. Frequent councils brought up various concerns: that he would break loose, for instance, or that he would eat enough to cause a famine. Some suggested that they starve him or shoot him in the face to kill him, but others argued that doing so would leave them with a giant corpse and a large health risk.

Officers who witnessed Gulliver’s lenient treatment of the six offending soldiers reported to the council and the emperor and his court decided to respond with kindness. They arranged for the delivery of large amounts of food to Gulliver every morning which were to be paid for from His Majesty’s treasury. Six hundred domestics were assigned to wait on him, and tailors were hired to make him clothing, and teachers appointed to instruct him in their language.

Every morning Gulliver asked the emperor to set him free, but the emperor refused, saying that Gulliver must be patient.
The emperor insisted that Gulliver swear a peace with him and his kingdom. He promised that Gulliver would be treated with all kindness. The emperor also ordered him to be searched to ensure that he did not have any weapons. Gulliver agreed to this search, and the Lilliputians took an inventory of his possessions. In the process, all of his weapons were taken away. Ironically, the two items that escaped the view of the Lilliputians were his spectacles and his telescope. These have symbolic significance; they enable Gulliver to see more clearly up close and far away.

Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 1 Chapter 3

The narrator diverts the emperor, and his nobility of both sexes, in a very uncommon manner. The diversions of the court of Lilliput are described. The narrator has his liberty granted him upon certain conditions.

Gulliver’s gentleness and good behaviour impressed the emperor and his court, and also the army and the people in general. As he earned their trust he began to hope that he would be set free, as he was getting along well with the Lilliputians.

He made good progress in understanding and speaking their language. The emperor decided to entertain him with shows, including a performance by rope-dancers, who were Lilliputians seeking employment in the government. For the performance, which doubled as a sort of competitive entrance examination, the candidates danced on ‘ropes’—slender threads suspended two feet above the ground. Whenever a vacancy occurred, either by death or disgrace, candidates petitioned the emperor to entertain him with a dance and whoever jumped the highest earned the office. How long and how skillfully a candidate could dance upon a rope determined his tenure in office. The current ministers continued this practice as well, in order to show that they had not lost their skill.

Of the ministers, two were particularly adept: Flimnap, the treasurer and Gulliver’s friend, Reldresal, principal secretary for private affairs. Gulliver was amazed to learn that these diversions were often attended with fatal accidents. He, himself, saw two or three candidates break a limb. This danger was especially true of the ministers, for, in trying to excel themselves and their fellows, they strained so far that they at times received a fall. In fact, a year or two ago, Flimnap was only saved from breaking his neck because one of the king’s cushions, that accidentally lay on the ground, weakened the force of his fall.

As another diversion, the emperor laid three silken threads of different colours on a table. He then held out a stick, and candidates were asked to leap over it or creep under it, a feat for which they were then rewarded with one of the ribbons.

The horses of the army, and those of the royal stables, were daily led before Gulliver, and they gradually lost their fear of him. The riders would make the horses leap over his hand, as he held it on the ground; and one of the emperor’s huntsmen, riding a large horse, jumped over Gulliver’s foot, shoe and all; which was indeed an extraordinary leap. Gulliver built a platform from sticks and his handkerchief and invited horsemen to exercise upon it. The emperor greatly enjoyed watching this new entertainment. The emperor was so delighted, that he ordered this entertainment to be repeated several days, and once he desired to be lifted up and give the word of command.

The empress also wanted to climb up and it was with great difficulty that Gulliver persuaded her to let him hold her in her close chair within two yards of the stage, from whence she was able to take a full view of the whole performance. This entertainment had to be abandoned when a horse stepped through the handkerchief. Though Gulliver could save both horse and rider, he decided that it was too dangerous for them to keep riding on the cloth.

About two or three days before Gulliver was set free, some Lilliputians discovered Gulliver’s hat, which had been washed ashore. He asked them to bring it back. Soon after, the emperor asked Gulliver to pose like a colossus, or a giant statue, so that his troops might march under Gulliver. Three thousand foot soldiers and a thousand horse-riders did so, the foot soldiers marching twenty-four abreast and the horse-riders sixteen, with drums beating, colours flying, and pikes advanced.

Gulliver’s petitions for freedom were finally answered. Gulliver had to swear to obey the orders of the Lilliputians, which included that he must assist them in times of war, survey the land around them, help with construction, and deliver urgent messages. Gulliver agreed and his chains were removed.

Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 1 Chapter 4

Milendo, the metropolis of Lilliput, is described, together with the emperor’s palace. A conversation between the narrator and a principal secretary, concerning the affairs of that empire is narrated here. The narrator offers to serve the emperor in his wars. After regaining his freedom, Gulliver went to Milendo, the capital city of the Lilliputians. The residents were told to stay indoors, and they all sat on their roofs and in their garret windows to see him. The metropolis was 500 square feet with a wall surrounding it. The wall was two and a half feet high, and at least eleven inches broad, so that a coach and horses may be driven very safely round it; and it was flanked with strong towers at ten feet distance. The city was an exact square, each side of the wall being five hundred feet long. The two great streets, which ran across and divided it into four quarters, were five feet wide. The lanes and alleys were from twelve to eighteen inches. The town could hold 500,000 people: the houses were three to five stories: the shops and markets were well provided.

The emperor wanted Gulliver to see the magnificence of his palace, which was at the centre of the city where the two great streets met. It was enclosed by a two feet high wall, and was twenty feet away from the buildings. The outward court was a square of forty feet, and included two other courts: in the inmost were the royal apartments, which Gulliver could not see for the great gates, from one square into another, were only eighteen inches high, and seven inches wide. As the buildings of the outer court were at least five feet high, it was impossible for Gulliver to stride over them without causing damage. So, Gulliver cut down trees to make himself a stool, which he carried around with him so that he could sit down and see things from a shorter distance than a standing position allowed.

About two weeks after Gulliver obtained his liberty, Reldresal came to see him. He told Gulliver that two forces, one rebel group and one foreign empire, threatened the kingdom. The rebel group existed because, for about seventy moons, the kingdom had been divided into two factions called Tramecksan and Slamecksan. The people in the two factions were distinguished by the height of their heels. The animosity between the two parties was so intense, that they would neither eat, nor drink, nor talk with each other. Reldresal told Gulliver that though high heels were most agreeable to their ancient constitution, the current emperor had chosen to employ primarily the low-heeled Slamecksan in his administration. He added that the emperor himself had lower heels than all of his officials but that his heir had one heel higher than the other, which gave him a hobble in his gait.

At the same time, the Lilliputians feared an invasion from the Island of Blefuscu, which Reldresal called the ‘Other Great Empire of the Universe.’ He added that the philosophers of Lilliput did not believe Gulliver’s claim that there were other countries in the world inhabited by other people of his size, preferring to think that Gulliver had dropped from the moon or a star.

Reldresal described the history of the two nations. The conflict between them, he told Gulliver, began years ago, when the emperor’s grandfather happened to cut one of his fingers while trying to break an egg in the old way, large end first. His father, who was then, the emperor, commanded all Lilliputians to break their eggs the small end first. The people resented the law, and six rebellions were started in protest. The monarchs of Blefuscu fueled these rebellions and when they were over, the rebels fled to that country to seek refuge. Eleven thousand people chose death rather than submit to the law. Many books were written on the controversy, but books written by the ‘Big-Endians’ were banned in Lilliput. The government of Blefuscu accused the Lilliputians of disobeying their religious doctrine, the Brundrecral, by breaking their eggs at the small end. The Lilliputians argued that the doctrine read, “That all true believers shall break their eggs at the convenient end,” which could be interpreted as the small end.

Reldresal continued that the exiles gained support in Blefuscu to launch a war against Lilliput and were aided by rebel forces inside Lilliput. A war had been raging between the two nations ever since. Reldresal requested Gulliver’s aid in the perpetual battle. Gulliver complied with these words: ‘I desired the Secretary to present my humble duty to the Emperor, and to let him know, that I thought it would not become me, who was a foreigner, to interfere with parties; but I was ready, with the hazard of my life, to defend his person and state against all invaders.’

Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 1 Chapter 5

The narrator, by an extraordinary stratagem, prevents an invasion. A high title of honour is conferred upon him. Ambassadors arrive from the emperor of Blefuscu and sue for peace. The empress ’ apartment catches fire by accident and the narrator is instrumental in saving the rest of the palace.

The empire of Blefuscu was an island situated to the north-east of Lilliput, separated from it by a channel, eight hundred yards wide. Gulliver kept himself hidden from the Blefuscans, who had no information about him. He spied on the empire of Blefuscu and devised a plan for seizing the entire Blefiiscudian fleet. He asked for cables and bars of iron, out of which he made hooks with cables attached. He then waded across the channel to Blefuscu and reached their ships at port. The Blefuscudians were so frightened when they saw him that they leapt out of their ships and swam to the shore. Gulliver attached a hook to each ship and tied them together. The Blefiiscudian soldiers fired arrows at him, but he kept working, protecting his eyes by putting on the spectacles he kept in his coat pocket. He tried to pull the ships away, but they were anchored too tightly, so he cut them away with his pocket-knife and pulled the ships back to Lilliput.

In Lilliput, Gulliver was greeted as a hero and the emperor conferred upon him the highest title of honour, ‘Nardac’. Emboldened by this victory, the emperor asked him to go back to retrieve the other ships, intending to destroy Blefuscu’s military strength and make it a province of his empire, and forcing the people to break the smaller end of their eggs. Gulliver dissuaded him from this action, which he believed to be unjust and the equivalent to enslaving the Blefuscudians. Embittered and angry, the emperor and several of his ministers turned staunchly against Gulliver and called for his destruction. In the words of Gulliver: ‘And from this time began an intrigue between his majesty and a junta of ministers, maliciously bent against me, which broke out in less than two months, and had like to have ended in my utter destruction. Of so little weight are the greatest services to princes, when put into the balance with a refusal to gratify their passions.’

Three weeks later, ambassadors arrived from Blefescu and offered a peace agreement, which the emperor agreed to with conditions favourable to himself. Gulliver used his influence at court to help the Blefescudians with regard to the treaty, and the war ended with Blefuscu’s surrender. The Blefuscu delegates were privately told of Gulliver’s kindness toward the Lilliputians, and they asked him to visit their kingdom. He wished to do so, and the emperor reluctantly allowed it. Gulliver learned that Flimnap, the Lord High Treasurer, and Bolgolam had represented to the emperor, Gulliver’s dealings with the Blefescudian ambassadors, as disloyalty. For the first time, Gulliver realized that the Lilliputian courts and ministers may not be perfect.

As a Nardac, or ‘person of high rank’, Gulliver no longer had to perform all the duties laid down in his contract. He did, however, have the opportunity to help the Lilliputians when the empress’ room caught fire. One night, Gulliver was awakened by people milling around his door. Courtiers arrived and begged Gulliver to come immediately to the palace, where a fire had broken out in the empress’s apartment due to negligence of one of her maids. He forgot his coat and, being unable to put the flames out with his clothing, he thought of a new plan: he urinated on the palace, putting out the fire entirely. He worried afterward that since the act of public urination was a crime in Lilliput he would be prosecuted. The emperor promised Gulliver a pardon, which, however, did not arrive. Also, Gulliver heard that the empress was so offended by his action that she moved into another part of the palace, ordering that the apartments on which Gulliver urinated must never be repaired.

Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 1 Chapter 6

The narrator describes the inhabitants of Lilliput; their learning, laws, and customs; the manner of educating their children. He describes his way of living in that country and his vindication of a great lady.

This chapter provides the reader with information regarding Lilliputian culture, their customs and beliefs and the personal treatment that he receives from the Lilliputians.

According to Gulliver everything in Lilliput—their animals, trees, and plants—was sized in proportion to the Lilliputians. Their eyesight was also adapted to their scale: Gulliver could not see as clearly close-up as they could, while they could not see as far as he could.

The Lilliputians were well educated, but their writing system was odd to Gulliver, who joked that they wrote not left to right like the Europeans or top to bottom like the Chinese, but from one comer of the page to the other, ‘like the ladies in England’.

The dead were buried with their heads pointing directly downward, because the Lilliputians believed that eventually the dead would rise again and that the earth, which they thought was flat, would turn upside down. The better-educated Lilliputians no longer believed in this custom.

In Lilliput a person who wrongly accused another of a crime of which the latter was found to be innocent, was immediately put to a cruel death, and the one who was unjustly accused was rewarded materially. Not only that, he received a title of distinction from the emperor. Deceit was considered worse than theft, because honest people were more vulnerable to liars than to thieves, since commerce required people to trust one another. The Lilliputians found it odd that in Gulliver’s country the judiciary system was based mainly on punishment. In Lilliput, those who obeyed the laws were rewarded—anyone who obeyed the laws for ‘seventy-three moons’ was rewarded with a title of honour and a goodly sum of money.

As for the hiring practices of the Lilliputians, we have read about the importance of rope jumping and other such skills in the attainment of public office. The Lilliputians believed morals counted more than abilities, since those with high intelligence were usually lacking in moral virtues. Mistakes made in ignorance, reasoned the Lilliputians, usually had less serious consequences than those made by corrupt cunning.

The Lilliputians considered ingratitude a heinous crime because ‘whoever made ill returns to his benefactor, must needs be a common enemy to the rest of mankind… and therefore… not fit to live.’

Children were raised not by individual parents but by the kingdom as a whole. They were sent to live in schools at a very young age. The schools were chosen according to the status of their parents, whom they saw only twice a year. The schools for young nobles were simple, and students were trained in honour, justice, courage, modesty, kindness, religion, and patriotism. The schools for tradesmen and ordinary gentlemen were like those of the nobles, but the duration of schooling was shorter. The Lilliputians educated women to be reasonable, agreeable, and literate. Workers and farmers had no schools. There were no beggars at all, since the poor were well looked after.

After giving details of the customs and beliefs of the Lilliputians, Gulliver resumes his tale. He describes the visit of the emperor and his family. They came to dine with Gulliver and brought Flimnap with them. The dinner proved to be a disaster because Flimnap, the royal treasurer, was appalled when he understood the cost of feeding and housing Gulliver. What was more, Flimnap charged that his wife was attracted to Gulliver and had visited him secretly.

Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 1 Chapter 7

The narrator, being informed of a plan to accuse him of high-treason, makes his escape to Blefuscu.

For two months an intrigue had been forming against Gulliver. One day, when Gulliver was preparing to visit the emperor of Blefuscu, Gulliver received a ‘secret visit’ from a government official whom he had helped when the emperor was displeased with him. He told Gulliver that Flimnap, Skyresh, Bolgolam and others had approved articles of treason against him. The emperor and the council were preparing a list of articles for Gulliver’s impeachment. He showed Gulliver the document calling for his execution. The charges included: 1. urinating in a public place; 2. having refused to destroy all the Blefuscudians who wouldn’t forsake the ‘Big-Endian heresy’; 3. having helped the Blefuscudians with the terms of the peace treaty; 4. preparing to go to Blefuscu. for which the emperor had given only verbal permission.

In spite of this, the emperor showed many signs of his great leniency; he urged others to consider the services Gulliver had done him and endeavoured to lessen the magnitude or seriousness of his crimes. Some in the council, including the treasurer and the admiral, insisted that Gulliver immediately be put to a painful death. Their plan was to set Gulliver’s house afire and then shoot him with poisonous arrows as he tried to escape. His sheets and clothes would already have been treated with a poison that would have him tearing his flesh and die in the utmost torture. The general came into the same opinion; so that for a long time there was a majority against Gulliver.

However, the emperor was resolved, if possible, to spare Gulliver’s life. Gulliver was told that Reldresal, principal.secretary for private affairs, who had always been Gulliver’s friend, had asked for his sentence to be reduced, calling, not for execution but for putting his eyes out. This punishment had been agreed upon, along with a plan to starve him to death slowly. The official told Gulliver that the operation to blind him would take place in three days. Fearing this resolution, Gulliver crossed the channel and arrived in Blefuscu where the people had long expected him. Two guides guided him to the capital city, also called Blefuscu. At the gates the Blefuscudian emperor and his retinue came to greet him. Gulliver told His Majesty that he had come to Blefuscu as promised and with the permission of the emperor of Lilliput. He offered the Blefuscudian emperor any service in his power, consistent with his duty to the emperor of Lilliput. The Blefuscudian emperor was generous but Gulliver faced a number of difficulties as he had no house or bed there.

Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 1 Chapter 8

The narrator, by a lucky accident, finds means to leave Blefuscu and, after some difficulties, returns safe to his native country. Three days later, he saw a boat of normal size—that is, big enough to carry him—overturned in the water. He returned immediately towards the city, and asked the emperor of Blefuscu for help to fix it. He desired loan of twenty of the tallest vessels left in the Blefuscudian fleet, and three thousand seamen commanded by the vice-admiral. Fastening the boat to nine of the men of war and pushing it from behind, he got the boat inland. Turning it upside down he found it was not much damaged. He could repair the boat and sail it to the Blefuscudian capital. He asked the emperor for permission to return to his native country; and begged for materials to fit it up which was granted.

At the same time, the emperor of Lilliput sent an envoy with the articles against Gulliver. He wrote that Gulliver had fled from justice; and if he did not return to Lilliput within two hours, he would be deprived of the title of Nardac, and declared a traitor. The envoy further added that in order to maintain the peace and amity between both empires, Gulliver be returned bound hand and foot to Lilliput to receive his punishment. The Blefuscudian ruler refused, and sent it back with the message that Gulliver will soon be leaving both their kingdoms. To Gulliver he offered complete protection for the rest of his life. Gulliver realized that the emperor of Blefuscu and most of his ministers were very glad of his resolution. After about a month, the boat was ready and Gulliver set sail.

He arrived safely back in England, where he made a good profit showing miniature farm animals that he carried away from Blefuscu in his pockets. He stayed there just two months, and then ‘insatiable’ as he was to see foreign countries, he set sail for Surat.