What were the impeachment against gulliver? What kind of punishment was planned for him?
Answers
There were many severe charges that had been leveled against Gulliver by the Lilliputian King and his courtiers. One of courtiers, a well-wisher of Gulliver, had brought along a copy of the charges against him. They are given as under:
1. The first charge against Gulliver was urinating in the royal palace. Gulliver was guilty of urinating in the palace; though he had done it to extinguish the fire in the palace.
2. Gulliver had disobeyed the King’s order to rule Blefuscue on behalf of the King. He had done it saying he could not do the cruel acts against his conscience.
3. Gulliver had been over-polite and kind to ambassadors from Blefuscu when they had come to the King’s court for peace.
4. Gulliver was planning excitedly to go to the court of King of Blefuscu to spend a few days there. The Lilliputian King was angry at him because he had not given him any written license to do so. The Lilliputian King also considered it against the interests of his kingdom.
Once the impeachments were decided on, there was considerable discussion on as to how Gulliver should be punished. The majority of the members of the board were in favour of killing Gulliver, the Emperor wanted some less severe punishment for Gulliver. Finally, Reldresal, principal secretary for private affairs, suggested the best punishment for him would be having his eyes put out and thus rendering him blind. Since the suggestion was received with disapprobation by most of the board members, it was also decided to starve him to death gradually.
ARTICLE I. ‘‘Whereas, by a statute made in the reign of his imperial majesty Calin Deffar Plune, it is enacted, that, whoever shall make water within the precincts of the royal palace, shall be liable to the pains and penalties of high treason; notwithstanding, the said Quinbus Flestrin, in open breach of the said law, under colour of extinguishing the fire kindled in the apartment of his majesty’s most dear imperial consort, did maliciously, traitorously, and devilishly, by discharge of his urine, put out the said fire kindled in the said apartment, lying and being within the precincts of the said royal palace,
against the statute in that case provided, etc. against the duty, etc.
ARTICLE II. ‘‘That the said Quinbus Flestrin, having brought the imperial fleet of Blefuscu into the royal port, and being afterwards commanded by his imperial majesty to seize all the other ships of the said empire of Blefuscu, and reduce that empire to a province, to be governed by a viceroy from hence, and to destroy and put to death, not only all the Bigendian exiles, but likewise all the people of that empire who would not immediately forsake the Big-endian heresy, he, the said Flestrin, like a false traitor against his most auspicious, serene, imperial majesty, did petition to be excused from the said service, upon pretence of unwillingness to force the consciences, or destroy the liberties and lives of an innocent people.
‘‘That, whereas certain ambassadors arrived from the Court of Blefuscu, to sue for peace in his majesty’s court, he, the said Flestrin, did, like a false traitor, aid, abet, comfort, and divert, the said ambassadors, although he knew them to be servants to a prince who was lately an open enemy to his imperial majesty, and in an open war against his said majesty.
ARTICLE IV. ‘‘That the said Quinbus Flestrin, contrary to the duty of a faithful subject, is now preparing to make a voyage to the court and empire of Blefuscu, for which he has received only verbal license from his imperial majesty; and, under colour of the said license, does falsely and traitorously intend to take the said voyage, and thereby to aid, comfort, and abet the emperor of Blefuscu, so lately an enemy, and in open war with his imperial majesty aforesaid.’
They planned to kill him as they asked the Emperor of Blefuscu to send him from their with his hands tied.