with wondering spectators, and he reckoned that
the town must hold quite half a million of people.

In the center of the city, where the two chief streets met, stood the
King's Palace, a very fine building surrounded by a wall. But he was
not able to see the whole palace that day, because the part in which
were the royal apartments was shut off by another wall nearly five
feet in height, which he could not get over without a risk of doing
damage.

Some days later he climbed over by the help of two stools which he
made from some of the largest trees in the Royal Park, trees nearly
seven feet high, which he was allowed to cut down for the purpose. By
putting one of the stools at each side of the wall Gulliver was able
to step across. Then, lying down on his side, and putting his face
close to the open windows, he looked in and saw the Queen and all the
young Princes. The Queen smiled, and held her hand out of one of the
windows, that he might kiss it. She was very pleasant and friendly.

One day, about a fortnight after this, there came to call on him,
Reldresal, the King's Chief Secretary, a very great man, one who had
always been Gulliver's very good friend. This person had a long and
serious talk with Gulliver about the state of the country.

He said that though to the outward eye things in Lilliput seemed very
settled and prosperous, yet in reality there were troubles, both
internal and external, that threatened the safety of the kingdom.

There had been in Lilliput for a very long time two parties at bitter
enmity with each other, so bitter that they would neither eat, drink,
nor talk together, and what one party did, the other would always try
to undo. Each professed to believe that nothing good could come from
the other. Any measure proposed by the party in power was by the other
always looked upon as foolish or evil. And any new law passed by the
Government party was said by the Opposition to be either a wicked
attack on the liberties of the people, or something undertaken solely
for the purpose of keeping that party in, and the Opposition out, of
power. To such a pitch had things now come, said the Chief Secretary,
entirely owing to the folly of the Opposition, that the business of
the kingdom was almost at a standstill.

Meantime the country was in danger of an invasion by the Blefuscans,
who were now fitting out a great fleet, which was almost ready to sail
to attack Lilliput. The war with Blefuscu had b