Chapter XII: Part 12

3. What is the significance of the name of each of
the two leading characters?

4. Select and read aloud a short passage that
reminds you of the Bible. In what way is the
language of your passage like that of the Bible?

5. John Bunyan (1628-1688) was an Englishman,
believed to be the son of a gipsy tinker. He said
his youth was very ungodly; but he married a
religious woman and early became a preacher. At the
same time he began to write books of a religious
nature. Because he preached at "unlawful meetings"
he was thrown into prison, where he remained for
twelve years. It was while he was in the Bedford
jail that he wrote the first part of _Pilgrim's
Progress_, the book that has made his name one of
the best loved in literature. After his release
from prison, he became an elected pastor of the
Baptist faith, and spent his remaining years in
preaching and writing. What is there in the above
extract that may reflect his experiences in
Bedford?

CHRISTMAS EVE AT FEZZIWIG'S

BY CHARLES DICKENS

Old Fezziwig in his warehouse laid down his pen
and looked up at the clock, which pointed to the
hour of seven. He rubbed his hands; adjusted his waistcoat;
laughed all over himself, from his shoes to his organ 5
of benevolence; and called out in a comfortable, oily, rich,
fat, jovial voice:

"Yo-ho, there! Ebenezer! Dick!"

Ebenezer came briskly in, followed by his fellow
'prentice. 10

"Yo-ho, my boys!" said Fezziwig. "No more work
to-night. Christmas Eve, Dick! Christmas, Ebenezer!
Let's have the shutters up," cried old Fezziwig, with a
sharp clap of his hands, "before a man can say Jack
Robinson." 15

You wouldn't believe how those two fellows went at it!
They charged into the street with the shutters--one, two,
three--had 'em in their places--four, five, six--barred
'em and pinned 'em--seven, eight, nine--and came back
before you could have got to twelve, panting like race 20
horses.

"Hilli-ho!" cried old Fezziwig, skipping down from his
desk with wonderful agility. "Clear away, my lads, and
let's have lots of room here! Hilli-ho, Dick! Chirrup,
Ebenezer!" 25

Clear away? There was nothing they wouldn't have
cleared away or couldn't have cleared away, with old
Fezziwig looking on. It was done in a minute. Every
movable was packed off, as if it were dismissed from public
life forevermore. The floor was swept and watered, the
lamps were trimmed, fuel was heaped upon the fire; and
the warehouse was as snug and warm, and dry and bright, 5
as any ballroom you would desire to see.

In came a fiddler with a music book, and went up to the
lofty desk, and made an orchestra of it. In came Mrs.
Fezziwig, one vast substantial smile. In came the three
Miss Fezziwigs, beaming and lovable. In came the six 10
young followers whose hearts they broke. In came all
the young men and young women employed in the business.
In came the housemaid with her cousin the baker. In
came the cook with her brother's particular friend the milkman
In came the boy from over the way, who was 15
suspected of not having enough to eat from his master. In
they all came, one after another--some shyly, some boldly,
some gracefully, some awkwardly, some pushing, some
pulling. In they all came, anyhow and everyhow.

Away they all went, twenty couples at once; down the 20
middle and up again; round and round in various stages
of affectionate grouping; old top couple always turning up
in the wrong place; new top couple starting off again as
soon as they got there; all top couples at last, and not a
bottom one to help them! 25

When this result was brought about, old Fezziwig,
clapping his hands to stop the dance, cried out, "Well
done!" Then there were more dances, and there were
forfeits, and more dances; and there was cake, and there
was a great piece of cold roast, and there was a great piece 30
of cold boiled, and there were mince pies and other delicacies.
But the great effect of the evening came after
the roast and the boiled, when the fiddler, artful dog, struck
up _Sir Roger de Coverley_. Then old Mr. Fezziwig stood
out to dance with Mrs. Fezziwig. Top couple, too, with
a good stiff piece of work cut out for them; three or
four and twenty pair of partners; people who were not to 5
be trifled with--people who would dance and had no
notion of walking.

But if they had been twice as many--aye, four times--old
Mr. Fezziwig would have been a match for them and
so would Mrs. Fezziwig. As to _her_, she was worthy to 10
be his partner in every sense of the term. If that's not
high praise, tell me higher and I'll use it. . . . And when
Mr. Fezziwig and Mrs. Fezziwig had gone all through the
dance--advance and retire, both hands to your partner,
bow and curtsy, thread the needle, and back to your place--Fezziwig 15
"cut" so deftly that he appeared to wink with
his legs, and came upon his feet again without a stagger.

When the clock struck eleven this domestic ball broke up.
Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig took their stations one on either
side of the door, and shaking hands with every person 20
individually as he or she went out, wished him or her a
Merry Christmas. When everybody had retired but the
two apprentices they did the same to them; and thus the
cheerful voices died away and the lads were left to their
beds--which were under a counter in the back shop. 25

--_A Christmas Carol._

1. _A Christmas Carol_ is a story everybody should
read and re-read. Why do you think it is so
popular? What is there about this selection that is
likable? How does it reflect the joy of the
Christmas season?

2. List the books you know that Dickens wrote.
Which have you read? Find some interesting facts
about Dickens's life and report these to the class.

JEAN VALJEAN MEETS THE BISHOP

BY VICTOR HUGO

Victor Hugo (1802-1885), poet, dramatist, and
novelist, dominated the literature of France during
the nineteenth century. His novel, _Les
Misérables_, written in 1862, during Hugo's long
political exile, exemplifies his extensive
knowledge of the deplorable conditions of life in
France at that time, his understanding of the human
heart, and his marvelous literary ability.

In the following extract from _Les Misérables_, the
most famous character of the book, Jean Valjean, an
ex-convict, takes his first step toward final
regeneration by meeting Bishop D. The Bishop, known
also as Monseigneur Welcome, voluntarily lived a
simple and austere life with his sister and old
housekeeper, but had humored his one weakness by
retaining his table silver and handsome silver
candlesticks.

Valjean is speaking to the Bishop at the beginning
of the extract.

"You! Listen! I am Jean Valjean, the galley slave.
I was nineteen years in prison. Four days ago
they let me out and I started for Pontarlier. I have been
tramping for four days since I left Toulon, and to-day I
walked twelve leagues. When I came into the town this 5
evening I went to the inn, but because of my yellow passport
that I had shown at the police office, they drove me
out. Then I went to the other inn and the landlord said
to me, 'Off with you!' Everywhere it was the same;
no one would have anything to do with me. Even the 10
jailer of the prison would not take me in. So I was lying
on a stone in the square, when a good woman came along
and she said to me, pointing to this place, 'Knock there.
They will take you in.' What is this? Is it an inn? I
have money--all that I earned in the prison for nineteen
years--109 francs and 15 sous. I will pay. I am terribly
tired and almost famished. Will you let me stay here?"

"Madame Magloire," said the Bishop to his aged housekeeper,
"you will please lay another place for supper." 5

Jean Valjean shuffled to the table where the lamp stood.
He took a large yellow paper from his pocket and unfolded
it. "Wait," he said, "You don't seem to understand. I
am a galley slave, a convict, just from prison. This is
my yellow passport which makes everyone drive me away. 10
You must read it. I can read it myself; I learned to
read in the prison, where they have a class for those that
want to learn. This is what it says on my yellow paper:
'Jean Valjean, a liberated convict, has been nineteen years
at the galleys. Five years for burglary, fourteen years 15
for having tried four times to escape. A very dangerous
man.' Now, will you turn me away like all the others,
or will you give me food and a bed? Perhaps you have
a stable?"

"Madame Magloire," said the Bishop, "kindly put clean 20
sheets on our extra bed in the alcove."

Madame Magloire left the room at once to carry out
these instructions. The Bishop turned to the ex-convict,
saying, "Draw a chair to the fire, sir, we shall eat presently.
Your bed will be prepared while we are at supper." 25

* * * * *

After bidding good-night to his sister and Madame Magloire,
the Bishop took one of the silver candlesticks and
handing the other to his guest, Jean Valjean, he said, "I
will conduct you to your room, sir. I trust you will have
a good night's rest. To-morrow morning, before you leave, 30
you will drink a glass of milk from our cow."

As the cathedral bell struck two, Jean Valjean awoke.
The strange sensation of sleeping in a comfortable bed once
more, after nineteen years of life in the galleys, disturbed
his sleep. His first weariness had worn off after a few
hours of deep sleep. After looking into the darkness 5
about him, he tried to sleep again. When many agitating
sensations have filled a man's day, and still preoccupy his
mind, he may fall asleep once, but he cannot go to sleep a
second time. So sleep had come to Jean Valjean, but would
not return to him, and he lay awake thinking. 10

His mind was filled with troubled ideas, which seemed
to float in a kind of obscurity. His old recollections and
recent experiences became confused, lost their identity,
grew out of proportion, dwindled, then disappeared entirely,
all in a distressing vagueness. But one thought persistently 15
returned, to the exclusion of all the others. It was this:
the six silver forks and spoons and the handsome silver
ladle were in the next room, only a few yards from him. He
had seen Madame Magloire put them into a small cupboard
in the adjoining room, on the right as you came from 20
the dining room. It was fine, old silver--the ladle alone
must be worth at least 200 francs, which was twice as
much as he had earned during his nineteen years in the
galleys.

For one hour his mind was occupied with this absorbing 25
theme--weighing, wavering, even struggling. Suddenly
at the stroke of three, he sat upright, reached out for his
knapsack, which he had thrown into a corner, and found
himself, to his surprise, seated on the edge of the bed. He
sat thus for a while, deep in thought; then stooped, took 30
off his shoes; then once more resumed his thoughts, sitting
motionless. During this period, he again had the sensation
of all his old and new experiences crossing and recrossing
each other in his mind and weighing upon him. He was
thinking of an old companion of the galleys, recalling his
queer mannerisms, when the clock struck the quarter or
half hour, seeming to call to him "To work!" 5

He stood up and listened. The house was absolutely
silent. He tiptoed to the window and looked out. The
wind was driving heavy clouds across a full moon, producing
alternate light and darkness, within and without. Jean
Valjean examined the window; it was closed by a small peg, 10
had no bars, and looked upon the little garden. He opened
it, but closed it again promptly upon the sharp cold wind
that entered. A study of the garden showed it to be inclosed
by a low whitewashed wall, and a view of treetops
at regular intervals beyond indicated a public walk. 15

This study being completed, Jean Valjean returned to
the alcove, drew from his knapsack an iron bar which he
placed on the bed, put his shoes in a compartment of his
knapsack, which he then lifted to his shoulders, drew his
cap down over his eyes, took his stick from the corner, and 20
finally returning to the bed, took up the article which he
had laid there.

* * * * *

At sunrise the following morning, the Bishop was walking
as usual in his little garden, when Madame Magloire
came hurrying toward him in the greatest excitement. 25

"Monseigneur," she exclaimed, "all our table silver is
stolen and the man is gone."

Just then, glancing at the corner of the garden, she saw
that the coping of the wall had been broken away.

"Look at the wall! He must have climbed over into the 30
lane! And all our silver stolen! What a crime!"

After a moment's silence, the Bishop said earnestly to
Madame Magloire,

"As a matter of fact, was the silver really ours?"

The old housekeeper stood speechless. The Bishop
continued, 5

"It was wrong of me to keep that silver; it belonged
rightfully to the poor. And that man was a poor man,
surely."

"Oh, Monseigneur!" murmured Madame Magloire,
"neither Mademoiselle your sister, nor I, care about the 10
silver. It was only for you. What will Monseigneur eat
with now?"

"Are not pewter forks and spoons to be had?" said the
Bishop.

"Pewter smells," said Madame Magloire. 15

"Then iron?" continued the Bishop.

"Iron has a bad taste," and Madame Magloire grimaced
expressively.

"That still leaves wood," exclaimed the Bishop triumphantly.
Later, at breakfast, the Bishop jokingly commented 20
to his silent sister and grumbling housekeeper, that
for a breakfast of bread and milk even a wooden fork was
unnecessary.

"Just think of it," muttered Madame Magloire as she
trotted back and forth between the dining room and kitchen, 25
"to take in a convict like that, and let him eat and sleep
with decent people. It's lucky that he didn't do worse
than steal. It terrifies one just to think of what might have
happened."

At the moment that the Bishop and his sister were 30
leaving the table, there was a knock at the door.

"Enter," said the Bishop.

The door opened, and there appeared three gendarmes
holding a man by the collar. The man was Jean Valjean.
The leader of the party, a corporal, saluted the Bishop.

"Monseigneur," he began.

Jean Valjean looked up, dazed. 5

"Monseigneur!" he muttered, "then this is not an inn.
He is not just a priest!"

"Silence," commanded the corporal. "This is Monseigneur
the Bishop."

The aged Bishop was making his way to Jean Valjean as 10
rapidly as he could.

"Ah, here you are again," he said, "I am glad to see
you. You know I gave you the candlesticks, too. Why
did you not take them? They are worth at least 200
francs. You should have taken them along with the plate 15
silver."

Words cannot describe the expression in the eyes of Jean
Valjean as he gazed at the Bishop.

"Then, Monseigneur, what this man says is true?" asked
the corporal. "He looked as if he was escaping from somewhere, 20
so we arrested him. And then we found this silver
plate upon him."

"And then," interrupted the Bishop, "he explained, of
course, that an old priest at whose house he stayed last
night gave him the plate? I see. And you brought him 25
back. You were wrong."

"Then we are to let him go?" asked the corporal.

"Certainly," replied the Bishop.

Jean Valjean was released. He staggered back.

"Is it true that I am free?" he murmured weakly. 30

"Yes, of course. And my friend," the Bishop continued,
"take the candlesticks with you this time."

Going to the mantelpiece, he took down the two candlesticks
and brought them to Jean Valjean. The two
women watched, speechless, but made no sign of dissent.
Jean Valjean was trembling; he took the candlesticks
mechanically, as if in a dream. 5

"Depart in peace," said the Bishop, "and, by the way,
when you come again, enter by the front door; it is only
latched."

Turning to the gendarmes, he said, "Gentlemen, it is
unnecessary for you to remain." 10

The gendarmes retired.

Jean Valjean seemed unable to recover his senses; he
felt himself about to faint, when the Bishop approached
and said to him, in a very low voice,

"Remember always, my friend, that I have your promise 15
to use this money to become an honest man."

Jean Valjean, unconscious of having made a promise of
any kind, remained silent.

With great solemnity, the Bishop continued, in a low
but firm voice: 20

"Jean Valjean, henceforth you belong only to good.
Your soul I have bought and herewith I banish from it all
black thoughts and the spirit of Evil, and give it to Good."

--_Les Misérables._

1. Who are the two characters that come into
contact here? Tell what each is like. What, in a
way, does each represent?

2. Did Valjean have any intention of robbing anyone
when he asked for lodging? Was Valjean accountable
for the theft? Discuss fully.

3. Where is the point of highest dramatic interest?
If you were painting a scene from the selection,
which would you select?

4. Explain why the Bishop did what he did in the
final scene.

A VOYAGE TO LILLIPUT

BY JONATHAN SWIFT

The adventures of Captain Lemuel Gulliver, as told
by Swift in _Gulliver's Travels_, have been read
with delight for two hundred years. Gulliver first
lands in Lilliput and has thrilling adventures
among the little people. Then he visits
Brobdingnag, the land of giants. His third voyage
takes him to Laputa, where he sees the
philosophers; and on the fourth he visits the land
of the Houyhnhnms. The last two voyages are not so
entertaining as the first two, which are classics.

We set sail from Bristol May 4th, 1699, and our voyage
at first was very prosperous. It would not be
proper, for some reasons, to trouble the reader with the
particulars of our adventures in those seas; let it suffice to
inform him that in our passage from thence to the East 5
Indies we were driven by a violent storm to the northwest
of Van Diemen's Land. By an observation we found ourselves
in the latitude of thirty degrees, two minutes, south.
Twelve of our crew were dead by immoderate labor and ill
food, and the rest were in a very weak condition. 10

On the fifth of November, which was the beginning of
summer in those parts, the weather being very hazy, the
seamen spied a rock within half a cable's length of the ship;
but the wind was so strong that we were driven directly
upon it and immediately split. Six of the crew, of whom 15
I was one, having let down the boat into the sea, made a
shift to get clear of the ship and the rock. We rowed, by
my computation, about three leagues, till we were able to
work no longer, being already spent with labor while we
were in the ship. We therefore trusted ourselves to the
mercy of the waves, and in about half an hour the boat
was overset by a sudden flurry from the north. What
became of my companions in the boat, as well as those
who escaped on the rock or were left in the vessel, I cannot 5
tell; but conclude they were all lost.

For my own part I swam as fortune directed me, and was
pushed forward by wind and tide. I often let my legs
drop, and could feel no bottom; but when I was almost
gone, and able to struggle no longer, I found myself within 10
my depth, and by this time the storm was much abated.
The declivity was so small that I walked near a mile before
I got to the shore, which I reached, as I conjectured, at about
eight o'clock in the evening. I then advanced forward near
half a mile, but could not discover any sign of houses or 15
inhabitants; at least I was in so weak a condition that I
did not observe them. I was extremely tired, and with
that, and the heat of the weather, and about half a pint
of brandy that I drank as I left the ship, I found myself
much inclined to sleep. I lay down on the grass, which was 20
very short and soft, where I slept sounder than ever I
remember to have done in my life, and, as I reckoned, above
nine hours; for when I awaked it was just daylight. I
attempted to rise, but was not able to stir; for as I happened
to lie on my back, I found my arms and legs were strongly 25
fastened on each side to the ground; and my hair, which
was long and thick, tied down in the same manner. I likewise
felt several slender ligatures across my body, from my
armpits to my thighs. I could only look upwards, the
sun began to grow hot, and the light offended my eyes. 30
I heard a confused noise about me, but in the posture in
which I lay, I could see nothing except the sky.

In a little time I felt something alive moving on my
left leg, which advancing gently forward over my breast,
came almost up to my chin, when bending mine eyes downward
as much as I could I perceived it to be a human creature
not six inches high, with a bow and arrow in his 5
hands, and a quiver at his back. In the meantime I
felt at least forty more of the same kind (as I conjectured)
following the first. I was in the utmost astonishment, and
roared so loud that they all ran back in a fright; and some
of them, as I was afterwards told, were hurt with the falls 10
they got by leaping from my sides upon the ground. However
they soon returned, and one of them, who ventured
so far as to get a full sight of my face, lifting up his hands
and eyes by way of admiration, cried out in a shrill but
distinct voice, "_Hekinah degul_"; and others repeated the 15
same words several times, but I then knew not what they
meant. I lay all this while, as the reader may believe, in
great uneasiness.

At length, struggling to get loose, I had the fortune to
break the strings and wrench out the pegs that fastened 20
my left arm to the ground; for, by lifting it up to my face,
I discovered the methods they had taken to bind me; and,
at the same time, with a violent pull which gave me
excessive pain, I a little loosened the strings that tied down
my hair on the left side, so that I was just able to turn my 25
head about two inches; but the creatures ran off a second
time, before I could seize them, whereupon there was a
great shout in a very shrill accent, and after it ceased I
heard one of them cry aloud, "_Tolgo phonac_," when in an
instant I felt above a hundred arrows discharged on my 30
left hand, which pricked me like so many needles; and,
besides, they shot another flight into the air, as we do bombs
in Europe, whereof many, I suppose, fell on my body
(though I felt them not) and some on my face, which I
immediately covered with my left hand. When this shower
was over, I fell a groaning with grief and pain; and then
striving again to get loose, they discharged another volley 5
larger than the first, and some of them attempted with
spears to stick me in the sides; but, by good luck, I had
on me a buff jerkin, which they could not pierce.

I thought it the most prudent method to lie still, and
my design was to continue so till night, when my left hand 10
being already loose I could easily free myself. And as for
the inhabitants, I had reason to believe I might be a match
for the greatest armies they could bring against me, if
they were all of the same size with him that I saw. But
fortune disposed otherwise of me. When the people 15
observed I was quiet, they discharged no more arrows;
but by the noise I heard I knew their numbers increased;
and about four yards from me, over against my right ear,
I heard a knocking for above an hour, like that of people at
work; when, turning my head that way as well as the pegs 20
and strings would permit me, I saw a stage erected about a
foot and a half from the ground, capable of holding four
of the inhabitants, with two or three ladders to mount it,
from whence one of them, who seemed to be a person of
quality, made me a long speech, whereof I understood not 25
one syllable. But I should have mentioned that before
the principal person began his oration he cried out three
times, "_Langro dehlsan_" (these words and the former were
afterwards repeated and explained to me), whereupon immediately
about fifty of the inhabitants came and cut the 30
strings that fastened the left side of my head, which gave
me the liberty of turning it to the right and of observing
the person and gesture of him that was to speak. He
appeared to be of a middle age, and taller than any of
the other three who attended him, whereof one was a
page that held up his train, and seemed to be somewhat
longer than my middle finger; the other two stood one 5
on each side to support him. He acted every part of an
orator, and I could observe many periods of threatenings,
and others of promises, pity, and kindness. I answered
in a few words, but in the most submissive manner, lifting
up my left hand and both mine eyes to the sun, as 10
calling him for a witness: and being almost famished
with hunger, having not eaten a morsel for some hours before
I left the ship, I found the demands of nature so
strong upon me that I could not forbear showing my
impatience (perhaps against the strict rules of decency) 15
by putting my finger frequently on my mouth, to signify
that I wanted food. The _hurgo_ (for so they call a
great lord, as I afterwards learned) understood me very
well.

He descended from the stage, and commanded that 20
several ladders should be applied to my side on which above
a hundred of the inhabitants mounted, and walked toward
my mouth, laden with baskets full of meat, which had been
provided and sent thither by the king's orders upon the
first intelligence he received of me. I observed there was 25
the flesh of several animals, but could not distinguish
them by the taste. There were shoulders, legs, and loins,
shaped like those of mutton, and very well dressed, but
smaller than the wings of a lark. I ate them by two or
three at a mouthful, and took three loaves at a time about 30
the bigness of musket bullets. They supplied me as fast
as they could, showing a thousand marks of wonder and
astonishment at my bulk and appetite. I then made another
sign that I wanted drink. They found by my eating
that a small quantity would not suffice me, and, being a most
ingenious people, they flung up with great dexterity one of
their largest hogsheads; then rolled it toward my hand, 5
and beat out the top; I drank it off at a draft, which I
might well do, for it did not hold half a pint and tasted
like a small wine of Burgundy, but much more delicious.
They brought me a second hogshead, which I drank in the
same manner and made signs for more, but they had none 10
to give me. When I had performed these wonders they
shouted for joy, and danced upon my breast, repeating
several times, as they did at first, "_Hekinah degul_."
They made me a sign that I should throw down the two
hogsheads, but first warning the people below to stand out 15
of the way, crying aloud, "_Borach mivola_"; and when they
saw the vessels in the air, there was an universal shout of
"_Hekinah degul_." I confess I was often tempted, while
they were passing backward and forward on my body, to
seize forty or fifty of the first that came in my reach, and 20
dash them against the ground. But the remembrance of
what I had felt, which probably might not be the worst
they could do, and the promise of honor I made them, for
so I interpreted my submissive behavior, soon drove out
these imaginations. Besides, I now considered myself as 25
bound by the laws of hospitality to a people who had treated
me with so much expense and magnificence. However,
in my thoughts I could not sufficiently wonder at the intrepidity
of these diminutive mortals, who durst venture to
mount and walk upon my body, while one of my hands was 30
at liberty, without trembling at the very sight of so prodigious
a creature as I must appear to them.

After some time, when they observed that I made no more
demand for meat, there appeared before me a person of
high rank from His Imperial Majesty. His Excellency having
mounted on the small of my right leg, advanced forward,
up to my face, with about a dozen of his retinue, and 5
producing his credentials under the signet royal, which he
applied close to mine eyes, spoke about ten minutes,
without any signs of anger, but with a kind of determinate
resolution, often pointing forward, which, as I afterward
found, was toward the capital city, about half a mile distant, 10
whither it was agreed by His Majesty in council that
I must be conveyed. I answered in a few words, but to
no purpose, and made a sign with my hand that was loose,
putting it to the other (but over His Excellency's head
for fear of hurting him or his train) and then to my own head 15
and body, to signify that I desired my liberty. It appeared
that he understood me well enough, for he shook his head by
way of disapprobation, and held his hand in a posture to show
that I must be carried as a prisoner. However, he made
other signs to let me understand that I should have meat and 20
drink enough, and very good treatment: whereupon I
once more thought of attempting to break my bonds, but
again, when I felt the smart of their arrows upon my face
and hands, which were all in blisters, and many of the darts
still sticking in them, and observing likewise that the 25
number of my enemies increased, I gave tokens to let them
know that they might do with me what they pleased. Upon
this the _hurgo_ and his train withdrew with much civility
and cheerful countenances.

Soon after I heard a general shout, with frequent repetition 30
of the words "_Peplom selan_," and I felt great
numbers of the people on my left side relaxing the cords to
such a degree that I was able to turn upon my right. But
before this they had daubed my face and both my hands
with a sort of ointment very pleasant to the smell, which in
a few minutes removed all the smart of their arrows.
These circumstances, added to the refreshment I had 5
received by their victuals and drink, which were very
nourishing, disposed me to sleep. I slept about eight hours
as I was afterward assured; and it was no wonder, for the
physicians, by the emperor's order, had mingled a sleeping
potion in the hogsheads of wine. 10

It seems that upon the first moment I was discovered
sleeping on the ground after my landing, the emperor
had early notice of it by an express, and determined in
council that I should be tied in the manner I have related
(which was done in the night while I slept), that plenty of 15
meat and drink should be sent to me, and a machine
prepared to carry me to the capital city.

This resolution perhaps may appear very bold and
dangerous, and I am confident would not be imitated by
any prince in Europe on the like occasion; however, in 20
my opinion it was extremely prudent as well as generous.
For supposing these people had endeavored to kill me with
their spears and arrows while I was asleep, I should certainly
have awaked with the first sense of smart, which
might so far have roused my rage and strength as to have 25
enabled me to break the strings wherewith I was tied;
after which, as they were not able to make resistance,
so they could expect no mercy.

These people are most excellent mathematicians, and
arrived to a great perfection in mechanics by the countenance 30
and encouragement of the emperor, who is a renowned
patron of learning. This prince hath several
machines fixed on wheels for the carriage of trees and other
great weights. He often builds his largest men of war,
whereof some are nine feet long, in the woods where the
timber grows, and has them carried on these engines three
or four hundred yards to the sea. Five hundred carpenters 5
and engineers were immediately set at work to prepare the
greatest engine they had. It was a frame of wood raised
three inches from the ground, about seven feet long and
four wide, moving upon twenty-two wheels. The shout
I heard was upon the arrival of this engine, which it seems 10
set out in four hours after my landing. It was brought
parallel to me as I lay. But the principal difficulty was to
raise and place me in this vehicle. Eighty poles, each of
one foot high, were erected for this purpose, and very strong
cords of the bigness of packthread were fastened by hooks 15
to many bandages, which the workmen had girt round my
neck, my hands, my body, and my legs. Nine hundred of
the strongest men were employed to draw up these cords
by many pulleys fastened on the poles, and thus in less
than three hours, I was raised and flung into the engine, 20
and there tied fast. All this I was told, for while the whole
operation was performing, I lay in a profound sleep, by
the force of that soporiferous medicine infused into my
liquor. Fifteen hundred of the emperor's largest horses,
each about four inches and a half high, were employed to 25
draw me toward the metropolis, which, as I said, was
half a mile distant.

About four hours after we began our journey, I awaked
by a very ridiculous accident; for the carriage being stopped
a while to adjust something that was out of order, two or 30
three of the young natives had the curiosity to see how I
looked when I was asleep; they climbed up into the engine,
and advancing very softly to my face, one of them, an
officer in the guards, put the sharp end of his half-pike
a good way into my left nostril, which tickled my nose like
a straw, and made me sneeze violently; whereupon they
stole off unperceived, and it was three weeks before I knew 5
the cause of my awaking so suddenly. We made a long
march the remaining part of that day, and rested that
night with five hundred guards on each side of me, half
with torches, and half with bows and arrows, ready to
shoot me if I should offer to stir. The next morning at 10
sunrise we continued our march, and arrived 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. 15

At the place where the carriage stopped, 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, looked on as profane, and therefore had been applied 20
to common use, 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 feet
high, and almost two feet wide, through which I could easily
creep. On each side of the gate was a small window, not 25
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 the other side 30
of the great highway, at twenty foot distance, there was a
turret at least five foot high. Here the emperor ascended
with at least twenty 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 spite of my guards, I believe there could not be fewer 5
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 that it was impossible for me to break loose, they
cut all the strings that bound me; whereupon I rose up 10
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 15
a semicircle, but being fixed within four inches of the gate,
allowed me to creep in, and lie at full length in the temple.

--_Gulliver's Travels._

1. Relate briefly what happened to Gulliver after
he landed on Lilliput. What devices does Swift use
to make this story appear real.

2. Do the little people act exactly like people of
our own kind?

3. Swift was a master satirist; that is, he was
constantly ridiculing people, things, or customs.
Do you find any trace of satire in this selection?

4. Pronounce, define, and use in sentences:
prosperous
league
inhabitant
pulley
perceived
violent
forty
soporiferous
syllable
morsel
dexterity
metropolis
intrepidity
diminutive
parallel
hospitality

5. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) was born and educated
in Dublin, Ireland. Most of his manhood was spent
in that country, where he figured prominently in
political and religious affairs. In 1713 he was
made dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin.

THE STRUGGLE IN THE ARENA

BY HENRYK SIENKIEWICZ

Nero was the emperor of Rome, A. D. 54-68. He was a
wicked tyrant among whose crimes are the death of
his first wife, the death of his own mother, and
the murder of a second wife. Two thirds of the city
of Rome was burned, and the emperor has been
accused of having had the fire set so he could
enjoy the sight. Be that as it may, Nero laid the
blame on the Christians whom he persecuted. They
were thrown into prison, fed to wild beasts in the
arena, and burned on poles. Among the captives were
the maid Lygia, and her faithful guard, Ursus.
Vinicius, Lygia's lover, belonged to the Roman
nobility. He had once tried to seize Lygia, but
Ursus had foiled his plan by killing the attendant,
Croton.

The prefect of the city waved a red handkerchief, the
hinges opposite Cæsar's podium creaked, and out of
the dark gully came Ursus into the brightly lighted arena.

The giant blinked, dazed evidently by the glitter of the
arena; then he pushed into the center, gazing around as 5
if to see what he had to meet. It was known to all the
Augustans and to most of the spectators that he was the
man who had stifled Croton; hence at sight of him a
murmur passed along every bench. In Rome there was
no lack of gladiators larger by far than the common 10
measure of man, but Roman eyes had never seen the like
of Ursus. Cassius, standing in Cæsar's podium, seemed
puny compared with that Lygian.

Senators, vestals, Cæsar, the Augustans, and the people
gazed with the delight of experts at his mighty limbs as 15
large as tree trunks, at his breast as large as two shields
joined together, and his arms of a Hercules. The murmur
rose every instant. For those multitudes there could be
no higher pleasure than to look at those muscles in play
in the exertion of a struggle. The murmur rose to shouts,
and eager questions were put: Where did the people live 5
who could produce such a giant?

He stood there, in the middle of the amphitheater, naked,
more like a stone colossus than a man, with a collected
expression, and at the same time the sad look of a barbarian;
and while surveying the empty arena, he gazed 10
wonderingly with his blue childlike eyes, now at the spectators,
now at Cæsar, now at the grating of the cunicula,
whence, as he thought, his executioners would come.

At that moment when he stepped into the arena his
simple heart was beating for the last time with the hope 15
that perhaps a cross was waiting for him; but when he
saw neither the cross nor the hole in which it might be put,
he thought that he was unworthy of such favor--that he
would find death in another way, and surely from wild
beasts. He was unarmed, and had determined to die as 20
became a confessor of the "Lamb," peacefully and patiently.
Meanwhile he wished to pray once more to the
Savior; so he knelt on the arena, joined his hands, and
raised his eyes toward the stars which were glittering in the
lofty opening of the amphitheater. 25

That act displeased the crowds. They had had enough
of those Christians who died like sheep. They understood
that if the giant would not defend himself the spectacle
would be a failure. Here and there hisses were heard.
Some began to cry for scourgers, whose office it was to 30
lash combatants unwilling to fight. But soon all had
grown silent, for no one knew what was waiting for the
giant, nor whether he would not be ready to struggle when
he met death eye to eye.

In fact, they had not long to wait. Suddenly the shrill
sound of brazen trumpets was heard, and at that signal a
grating opposite Cæsar's podium was opened, and into the 5
arena rushed, amid shouts of beast keepers, an enormous
German aurochs, bearing on his head the naked body of a
woman.

"Lygia! Lygia!" cried Vinicius.

Then he seized his hair near the temples, squirmed like a 10
man who feels a sharp dart in his body, and began to
repeat in hoarse accents:

"I believe! I believe! O Christ, a miracle!"

And he did not even feel that Petronius covered his
head that moment with the toga. It seemed to him that 15
death or pain had closed his eyes. He did not look, he did
not see. The feeling of some awful emptiness possessed him.
In his head there remained not a thought; his lips merely
repeated, as if in madness,

"I believe! I believe! I believe!" 20

This time the amphitheater was silent. The Augustans
rose in their places, as one man, for in the arena something
uncommon had happened. That Lygian, obedient and
ready to die, when he saw his queen on the horns of the
wild beast sprang up as if touched by living fire, and 25
bending forward he ran at the raging animal.

From all breasts a sudden cry of amazement was heard,
after which came deep silence.

The Lygian fell on the raging bull in a twinkle, and seized
him by the horns. 30

"Look!" cried Petronius, snatching the toga from the
head of Vinicius.

The latter rose; his face was as pale as linen, and he looked
into the arena with a glassy, vacant stare.

All breasts ceased to breathe. In the amphitheater a fly
might be heard on the wing. People could not believe their
own eyes. Since Rome was Rome, no one had seen such a 5
spectacle.

The Lygian held the wild beast by the horns. The man's
feet sank in the sand to his ankles, his back was bent like a
drawn bow, his head was hidden between his shoulders, on
his arms the muscles came out so that the skin almost 10
burst from their pressure; but he had stopped the bull in
his tracks. And the man and the beast remained so still
that the spectators thought themselves looking at a picture
showing a deed of Hercules or Theseus, or a group hewn
from stone. 15

But in that apparent repose there was a tremendous
exertion of two struggling forces. The bull sank his feet
as well as did the man in the sand, and his dark, shaggy
body was curved so that it seemed a gigantic ball.
Which of the two would fail first, which would fall first,--that 20
was the question for those spectators enamored of such
struggles; a question which at that moment meant more
for them than their own fate, than all Rome and its lordship
over the world.

That Lygian was in their eyes then a demigod worthy of 25
honor and statues. Cæsar himself stood up as well as
others. He and Tigellinus, hearing of the man's strength,
had arranged this spectacle purposely, and said to each
other with a jeer, "Let that slayer of Croton kill the
bull which we choose for him"; so they looked now with 30
amazement at that picture as if not believing that it
could be real.

In the amphitheater were men who had raised their
arms and remained in that posture. Sweat covered the
faces of others, as if they themselves were struggling with
the beast. In the Circus nothing was heard save the
sound of flame in the lamps, and the crackle of bits of coal 5
as they dropped from the torches. Their voices died on
the lips of the spectators, but their hearts were beating
in their breasts as if to split them. It seemed to all that
the struggle was lasting for ages. But the man and the
beast continued on in their monstrous exertion; one 10
might have said that they were planted in the earth.

Meanwhile a dull roar resembling a groan was heard from
the arena, after which a brief shout was wrested from every
breast, and again there was silence. People thought
themselves dreaming till the enormous head of the bull 15
began to turn in the iron hands of the barbarian. The
face, neck, and arms of the Lygian grew purple; his back
bent still more. It was clear that he was rallying the
remnant of his superhuman strength, but that he could
not last long. 20

Duller and duller, hoarser and hoarser, more and more
painful grew the groan of the bull as it mingled with the
whistling breath from the breast of the giant. The head of
the beast turned more and more, and from his jaws came a
long, foaming tongue. 25

A moment more, and to the ears of spectators sitting
nearer came as it were the crack of breaking bones; then the
beast rolled on the earth with his neck twisted in death.

The giant removed in a twinkle the ropes from the horns
of the bull, and, raising the maiden, began to breathe 30
hurriedly. His face became pale, his hair stuck together
from sweat, his shoulders and arms seemed flooded with
water. For a moment he stood as if only half conscious;
then he raised his eyes and looked at the spectators.

The amphitheater had gone wild.

The walls of the building were trembling from the roar of
tens of thousands of people. Since the beginning of spectacles 5
there was no memory of such excitement. Those
who were sitting on the highest rows came down, crowding
in the passages between benches to look more nearly at the
strong man. Everywhere were heard cries for mercy,
passionate and persistent, which soon turned into one 10
unbroken thunder. That giant had become dear to those
people enamored of physical strength; he was the first
personage in Rome.

He understood that the multitudes were striving to grant
him his life and restore him his freedom, but clearly his 15
thought was not on himself alone. He looked around
awhile; then approached Cæsar's podium, and holding
the body of the maiden on his outstretched arms, raised his
eyes with entreaty, as if to say,

"Have mercy on her! Save the maiden. I did that for 20
her sake!"

The spectators understood perfectly what he wanted.
At sight of the unconscious maiden, who near the enormous
Lygian seemed a child, emotion seized the multitude of
senators and knights. Her slender form, as white as if 25
chiseled from alabaster, her fainting, the dreadful danger
from which the giant had freed her, and finally her beauty
and attachment had moved every heart. Some thought
the man a father begging mercy for his child. Pity burst
forth suddenly, like a flame. They had had blood, death, 30
and torture in sufficiency. Voices choked with tears began
to entreat mercy for both.

Meanwhile, Ursus, holding the girl in his arms, moved
around the arena, and with his eyes and with motions begged
her life for her. Now Vinicius started up from his seat,
sprang over the barrier which separated the front places
from the arena, and, running to Lygia, covered her naked 5
body with his toga.

Then he tore apart the tunic on his breast, laid bare the
scars left by wounds received in the Armenian war, and
stretched out his hands to the audience.

Then the enthusiasm of the multitude passed everything 10
seen in a circus before. The crowd stamped and howled.
Voices calling for mercy grew simply terrible. People not
only took the part of the athlete, but rose in defense of the
soldier, the maiden, their love. Thousands of spectators
turned to Cæsar with flashes of anger in their eyes and with 15
clinched fists.

But Cæsar halted and hesitated. Against Vinicius he
had no hatred indeed, and the death of Lygia did not
concern him; but he preferred to see the body of the maiden
rent by the horns of the bull or torn by the claws of beasts. 20
His cruelty, his deformed imagination and deformed desires,
found a kind of delight in such spectacles. And now the
people wanted to rob him. Hence anger appeared on his
bloated face. Self-love also would not let him yield to the
wish of the multitude, and still he did not dare to oppose 25
it, through his inborn cowardice.

So he gazed around to see if, among the Augustans at
least, he could not find fingers turned down in sign of death.
But Petronius held up his hand, and looked almost challengingly
into Nero's face. Vestinius, superstitious but 30
inclined to enthusiasm, a man who feared ghosts but not
the living, gave a sign for mercy also.

Then Nero turned to the place where command over the
pretorians was held by the stern Subrius Flavius, hitherto
devoted with whole soul to him, and saw something unusual.
The face of the old tribune was stern, but covered with
tears, and he was holding his hand up in sign of mercy. 5

Now rage began to possess the multitude. Dust rose
from beneath the stamping feet, and filled the amphitheater.
In the midst of shouts were heard cries: "Ahenobarbus!
Matricide! Incendiary!"