The author, 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's apartment on fire by an accident; the author instrumental in saving the rest of the palace. 作者用特殊战略方法阻止了一次敌人的侵略；作者被授予高级荣誉称号；布莱夫斯库皇帝派遣大使求和；皇后寝宫意外失火，作者帮忙抢救了其余的宫殿。
The empire of Blefuscu is an island situated to the north-east of Lilliput, from which it is parted only by a channel of eight hundred yards wide. I had not yet seen it, and upon this notice of an intended invasion, I avoided appearing on that side of the coast, for fear of being discovered, by some of the enemy's ships, who had received no intelligence of me; all intercourse between the two empires having been strictly forbidden during the war, upon pain of death, and an embargo laid by our emperor upon all vessels whatsoever. I communicated to his majesty a project I had formed of seizing the enemy's whole fleet; which, as our scouts assured us, lay at anchor in the harbour, ready to sail with the first fair wind. I consulted the most experienced seamen upon the depth of the channel, which they had often plumbed; who told me, that in the middle, at high-water, it was seventy glumgluffs deep, which is about six feet of European measure; and the rest of it fifty glumgluffs at most. I walked towards the north-east coast, over against Blefuscu, where, lying down behind a hillock, I took out my small perspective glass, and viewed the enemy's fleet at anchor, consisting of about fifty men of war, and a great number of transports. I then came back to my house, and gave orders (for which I had a warrant) for a great quantity of the strongest cable and bars of iron. The cable was about as thick as packthread and the bars of the length and size of a knitting-needle. I trebled the cable to make it stronger, and for the same reason I twisted three of the iron bars together, bending the extremities into a hook. Having thus fixed fifty hooks to as many cables, I went back to the north-east coast, and putting off my coat, shoes, and stockings, walked into the sea, in my leathern jerkin, about half an hour before high water. I waded with what haste I could, and swam in the middle about thirty yards, till I felt ground. I arrived at the fleet in less than half an hour. The enemy was so frightened when they saw me, that they leaped out of their ships, and swam to shore, where there could not be fewer than thirty thousand souls. I then took my tackling, and, fastening a hook to the hole at the prow of each, I tied all the cords together at the end. While I was thus employed, the enemy discharged several thousand arrows, many of which stuck in my hands and face, and, beside the excessive smart, gave me much disturbance in my work. My greatest apprehension was for my eyes, which I should have infallibly lost, if I had not suddenly thought of an expedient. I kept, among other little necessaries, a pair of spectacles in a private pocket, which, as I observed before, had escaped the emperor's searchers. These I took out and fastened as strongly as I could upon my nose, and thus armed, went on boldly with my work, in spite of the enemy's arrows, many of which struck against the glasses of my spectacles, but without any other effect, further than a little to discompose them. I had now fastened all the hooks, and, taking the knot in my hand, began to pull; but not a ship would stir, for they were all too fast held by their anchors, so that the boldest part of my enterprise remained. I therefore let go the cord, and leaving the hooks fixed to the ships, I resolutely cut with my knife the cables that fastened the anchors, receiving about two hundred shots in my face and hands; then I took up the knotted end of the cables, to which my hooks were tied, and with great ease drew fifty of the enemy's largest men of war after me. 布莱夫斯库帝国是一个在小人国东北方向上的岛国，两国被一条宽八百码的海峡隔开。我还不曾见过这个岛。自从得到敌人企图入侵的消息以后，我就避免去那一带海岸露面，怕敌人的船只发现我，因为他们至今还没有得到关于我的任何情报。战争期间两国间的来往一律严格禁止，违者将处以死刑；皇帝同时下达了对所有船只的禁运令。我向皇帝提出了自己构想的一个如何夺取敌人整个舰队的方案。据我们的前线侦察员报告，敌人的舰队正停泊在港湾，准备乘着第一股顺风起航。我向一位最有经验的海员请教这个海峡的深度。他们多次测量过，海峡中心最高水位曾达到七十“格兰姆格兰夫”深，大约相当于欧洲度量单位的六英尺；其他地方最多不过五十“格兰姆格兰夫”。我走向正对着布莱夫斯库的东北海岸，在一座小山丘后趴了下来，取出袖珍望远镜，看到了停泊在港口的舰队，由大约五十艘战舰和大量运输舰组成。然后我回到住所，下令（皇帝颁发了一份委任状给我）赶制大量最结实的缆绳和铁棍。缆绳的粗细与包扎线差不多，铁棍的长度和大小则与编织用针一样。我把三根缆绳拧成一股以使它更结实；基于同样的原因，我又把三根铁棍扭到一起，两头弯成钩形。我将这样的五十只钩子拴上五十根缆绳之后就回到了东北海岸。我脱去上衣和鞋袜，穿着件皮背心走下海去，这时离涨潮大约还有半个小时。我迅速涉水前进，中心部位游了大约三十码，直到脚能够得着海底。我不到半个小时就到了敌忍舰队那儿。敌人见到我时吓得魂飞魄散，约有三万多人纷纷跳下船向岸边游去。我拿出绳钩，把钩子在每只船的船头孔里套牢，将缆绳的另一端收拢扎在一起。我这么做时，敌人放射了几千支箭，许多箭射中了我的手和脸，使我极度疼痛，也使我的工作大受干扰。我最担心的是我的眼睛，要不是我忽然想到了应急的措施，非得失明不可。我前面已经说过，我在一只秘密口袋里藏了一些日常的小用品，其中就有一副眼镜，这些东西当时都逃过了皇帝派来的人的搜查。我把眼镜拿出来牢牢地戴在鼻子上。我有了这装备之后就可以不顾敌人的箭继续大胆地工作起来。好多箭射到了镜片上，但也只是对玻璃片稍有损伤罢了。我套牢了所有的钩子之后，把绳结拿在手中开始拉，可是一条船也不动，原来它们都抛了锚，所以我最费劲的活儿还在后面。我因此先放下绳索，还把铁钩搭在船上，果断地用小刀割断了系着铁锚的缆绳，这时我的脸上和手上又中了大约两百支箭。接着我又拾起系着铁钩的绳索尾端，轻而易举地将敌方最大的五十艘战舰拖在我后面走了。
The Blefuscudians, who had not the least imagination of what I intended, were at first confounded with astonishment. They had seen me cut the cables, and thought my design was only to let the ships run adrift or fall foul on each other; but when they perceived the whole fleet moving in order, and saw me pulling at the end, they set up such a scream of grief and despair as it is almost impossible to describe or conceive. When I had got out of danger, I stopped a while to pick out the arrows that stuck in my hands and face; and rubbed on some of the same ointment that was given me at my first arrival, as I have formerly mentioned. I then took off my spectacles, and waiting about an hour, till the tide was a little fallen, I waded through the middle with my cargo, and arrived safe at the royal port of Lilliput. 布莱夫斯库人根本没有想到我要干什么，起初只是一片惊慌失措。他们看到我割绳还以为我只是想让船只随波漂流或互相撞击而沉，可当他们发现整个舰队竟秩序井然地动起来而我在一头拉着时，立即尖叫起来，那种悲哀绝望的喊叫声简直难以形容，不可想象。我脱离险境之后稍稍停了一会儿，拔出手上和脸上的箭，涂了一点药膏——这药膏我前面已经提到过，是我初到时小人国的人给我的。然后我摘下眼镜，等了大约一个小时，直到潮水稍落才带着我的战利品涉水走过海峡中部，平安到达小人国皇家港口。
The emperor and his whole court stood on the shore, expecting the issue of this great adventure. They saw the ships move forward in a large half-moon, but could not discern me, who was up to my breast in water. When I advanced to the middle of the channel, they were yet more in pain, because I was under water to my neck. The emperor concluded me to be drowned, and that the enemy's fleet was approaching in a hostile manner; but he was soon eased of his fears; for the channel growing shallower every step I made, I came in a short time within hearing, and holding up the end of the cable, by which the fleet was fastened, I cried in a loud voice, "Long live the most puissant king of Lilliput!" This great prince received me at my landing with all possible encomiums, and created me a nardac upon the spot, which is the highest title of honour among them. 皇帝和全朝官员站在岸边等待这次伟大冒险行动的结果。他们只看见船以大半月形向前推进，却看不到我本人，因为我在水中，水已经没过了胸脯。当我到达海峡中心时，他们就更加愁闷了，因为这时水已经淹没我的脖子。皇帝断定我是淹死了，半月形的敌方舰队正在向他们发动进攻。但过了一会他立刻就放心了。因为我越往前走，海水就越浅，不一会儿功夫就走到了彼此可以听见喊声的地方。我举起拖舰队来的缆绳一端，高声呼喊：“最强大的小人国皇帝万岁！”这位伟大的君王迎我上岸，对我赞不绝口，当场就封了他们那里最高的荣誉称号“那达克”给我。
His majesty desired I would take some other opportunity of bringing all the rest of his enemy's ships into his ports. And so unmeasureable is the ambition of princes, that he seemed to think of nothing less than reducing the whole empire of Blefuscu into a province, and governing it, by a viceroy; of destroying the Big-Endian exiles, and compelling that people to break the smaller end of their eggs, by which he would remain the sole monarch of the whole world. But I endeavoured to divert him from this design, by many arguments drawn from the topics of policy as well as justice; and I plainly protested, "that I would never be an instrument of bringing a free and brave people into slavery. " And, when the matter was debated in council, the wisest part of the ministry were of my opinion. 皇帝想要我再找机会把敌人剩余的船舰都拉回他的港口。皇帝的野心总是无法测度的，他似乎一直想把布莱夫斯库整个帝国灭掉，划为自己的行省，派一位总督去统治。他想彻底消灭大端派的流亡者，强迫那个国家的人民也都打破蛋的小端，那样他就可以做全世界独一无二的君主。但是我想方设法让他打消这种计划，从政策到正义，我向他列举了许多论据。我坦白表示自己不愿做人家的工具，使一个自由、勇敢的民族沦为奴隶。大臣们在国务会议上就这件事辩论时，最聪明的一部分人都赞同我的意见。
This open bold declaration of mine was so opposite to the schemes and politics of his imperial majesty, that he could never forgive me. He mentioned it in a very artful manner at council, where I was told that some of the wisest appeared, at least by their silence, to be of my opinion; but others, who were my secret enemies, could not forbear some expressions which, by a side-wind, reflected on me. 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. 我的这一直率而大胆的声明完全违背了皇帝的计划与政策，他因此永远也不会宽恕我。他在国务会议上以一种很狡猾的方式提到了这事。据说，会议上最聪明的几位大臣至少是以沉默的方式表示了他们赞成我的意见。可是另一些我潜在的敌人，忍不住就要旁敲侧击地说一些中伤我的话。从此，皇帝与一小撮对我怀有敌意的大臣就开始策划一项阴谋；不到两个月，阴谋暴露，却差点儿以我的彻底消灭而告终。一旦你拒绝满足皇帝的野心，再大的功绩在他眼中也是无足轻重的。
About three weeks after this exploit, there arrived a solemn embassy from Blefuscu, with humble offers of a peace, which was soon concluded, upon conditions very advantageous to our emperor, wherewith I shall not trouble the reader. There were six ambassadors, with a train of about five hundred persons, and their entry was very magnificent, suitable to the grandeur of their master, and the importance of their business. When their treaty was finished, wherein I did them several good offices by the credit I now had, or at least appeared to have, at court, their excellencies, who were privately told how much I had been their friend, made me a visit in form. They began with many compliments upon my valour and generosity, invited me to that kingdom in the emperor their master's name, and desired me to show them some proofs of my prodigious strength, of which they had heard so many wonders; wherein I readily obliged them, but shall not trouble the reader with the particulars. 在我立下功劳后大约三个星期，布莱夫斯库正式派来一位大使卑躬屈膝，提出求和。不久，两国缔结了对我们皇帝极为有利的和约。和约的内容大家可想而知，我就不再拿来烦扰读者了。大使有六位，随行人员五百人左右；入境仪式十分隆重，一点也没有损失主子的威严，能显示出其使命的重大。在签订合约的过程中，我凭借自己当时在朝中的声望——至少表面看来是这样，确实帮了他们一些忙。和约签订之后，有人私下里告诉那几位大使说我实际上是他们的朋友。他们因此礼节性地来拜访了我。他们先说了一大堆恭维话赞扬我勇敢和慷慨，并以他们皇帝陛下的名义邀请我访问他们国家，而且想请我向他们展示一下证明我本人力大无穷，关于这点他们听说了许许多多神奇的传说。我爽快地答应了他们，但详细情况就不对读者们赘述了。
When I had for some time entertained their excellencies, to their infinite satisfaction and surprise, I desired they would do me the honour to present my most humble respects to the emperor their master, the renown of whose virtues had so justly filled the whole world with admiration, and whose royal person I resolved to attend, before I returned to my own country. Accordingly, the next time I had the honour to see our emperor, I desired his general license to wait on the Blefuscudian monarch, which he was pleased to grant me, as I could perceive, in a very cold manner; but could not guess the reason, till I had a whisper from a certain person, "that Flimnap and Bolgolam had represented my intercourse with those ambassadors as a mark of disaffection;" from which I am sure my heart was wholly free. And this was the first time I began to conceive some imperfect idea of courts and ministers. 我花了一些时间招待了这几位大使阁下，他们十分满意却也万分惊奇。我提出想请他们代我向他们皇帝致以最诚挚的敬意，他以美德而名声远扬，举世同钦，在我回到自己祖国之前是一定要去觐见的。这样，我下次觐见我们皇帝时就请求得到他慷慨的准许——让我前去拜会布莱夫斯库的君王。他倒是答应了，可我能看得出来他的态度十分冷淡。我猜不出是什么原因，后来有个人私下告诉我是佛利姆奈浦和博尔戈兰姆把我和那几位大使交谈的情况奏明了皇帝，说那是我背叛小人国的表现，但在这件事情上我完全问心无愧。我开始觉得朝廷和大臣们也并非完美无缺。
It is to be observed, that these ambassadors spoke to me, by an interpreter, the languages of both empires differing as much from each other as any two in Europe, and each nation priding itself upon the antiquity, beauty, and energy of their own tongue, with an avowed contempt for that of their neighbour; yet our emperor, standing upon the advantage he had got by the seizure of their fleet, obliged them to deliver their credentials, and make their speech, in the Lilliputian tongue. And it must be confessed, that from the great intercourse of trade and commerce between both realms, from the continual reception of exiles which is mutual among them, and from the custom, in each empire, to send their young nobility and richer gentry to the other, in order to polish themselves by seeing the world, and understanding men and manners, there are few persons of distinction, or merchants, or seamen, who dwell in the maritime parts, but what can hold conversation in both tongues; as I found some weeks after, when I went to pay my respects to the emperor of Blefuscu, which, in the midst of great misfortunes, through the malice of my enemies, proved a very happy adventure to me, as I shall relate in its proper place. 有一点值得注意：这些大使是通过翻译与我交谈的。两帝国的语言和欧洲任何两个国家的语言一样，彼此差别很大。每一国都夸耀自己民族的语言美丽、历史悠久，而对邻国的语言公然蔑视。可是我们皇帝仗着夺了人家舰队的优势强迫布莱夫斯特国的人用小人国语递交国书并致词。必须承认的是，因为两国间的商贸往来很多，彼此都不断接受对方的流亡人员，又因为两个帝国都有互派贵族及富家子弟到对方国家留学以增长见识、了解异域风土人情的风尚，所以名门望族和住在沿海地区的商人、海员几乎都会说两国话。我在几个星期后去朝见布莱夫斯库皇帝时发现了这个事实。由于敌人们心怀恶意，当时我正身处种种不幸之中，但这次朝见还是一件让人快乐的事，将来在适当的地方我还会加以陈述的。
The reader may remember, that when I signed those articles upon which I recovered my liberty, there were some which I disliked, upon account of their being too servile; neither could anything but an extreme necessity have forced me to submit. But being now a nardac of the highest rank in that empire, such offices were looked upon as below my dignity, and the emperor (to do him justice), never once mentioned them to me. However, it was not long before I had an opportunity of doing his majesty, at least as I then thought, a most signal service. I was alarmed at midnight with the cries of many hundred people at my door; by which, being suddenly awaked, I was in some kind of terror. I heard the word Burglum repeated incessantly; several of the emperor's court, making their way through the crowd, entreated me to come immediately to the palace, where her imperial majesty's apartment was on fire, by the carelessness of a maid of honour, who fell asleep while she was reading a romance. I got up in an instant; and orders being given to clear the way before me, and it being likewise a moonshine night, I made a shift to get to the palace without trampling on any of the people. I found they had already applied ladders to the walls of the apartment, and were well provided with buckets, but the water was at some distance. These buckets were about the size of large thimbles, and the poor people supplied me with them as fast as they could; but the flame was so violent that they did little good. I might easily have stifled it with my coat, which I unfortunately left behind me for haste, and came away only in my leathern jerkin. The case seemed wholly desperate and deplorable; and this magnificent palace would have infallibly been burnt down to the ground, if, by a presence of mind unusual to me, I had not suddenly thought of an expedient. I had, the evening before, drunk plentifully of a most delicious wine called glimigrim (the Blefuscudians call it flunec, but ours is esteemed the better sort), which is very diuretic. By the luckiest chance in the world, I had not discharged myself of any part of it. The heat I had contracted by coming very near the flames, and by labouring to quench them, made the wine begin to operate by urine; which I voided in such a quantity, and applied so well to the proper places, that in three minutes the fire was wholly extinguished, and the rest of that noble pile, which had cost so many ages in erecting, preserved from destruction. 读者也许还记得在签订使我恢复自由的那些条款时，有几条我不是很喜欢，因为它们使我看起来很像个奴隶。要不是当时万不得已，我是绝对不会屈从的。但现在我是帝国最高头衔的“那达克”了，再履行这样的义务未免有失身份；说句公平话，皇帝后来也没有提起要我做那些事。不过，时隔不久我就得到了一次为皇帝陛下效劳的机会，至少我当时认为我是立了一大功。一天半夜，有几百人在我门口呼喊把我惊醒，我突然吓醒，心里有些恐惧。我听到有人不停地喊“布尔格兰姆”；有几位朝廷大臣从人群中挤了过来恳请我立刻赶到宫中去。原来是一位女侍官不小心看爱情小说时睡着了，使皇后的寝宫失火了。我立即起床，这时已有命令让众人给我让开道路，又因为是月明之夜，所以我勉强赶到宫中而没有踏伤一个人。我看他们已在寝宫周围把梯子和水桶都准备好了，只是水源离这儿还有一段距离。这些木桶只有大顶针那般大小，可怜的人们以最快的速度把一桶接一桶的水递给我，但火势太猛，这些水根本无济于事。本来我可以用上衣很容易地将火扑灭，不幸的是匆忙之中只穿一件皮背心就跑出来了。事情惨到这步田地，似乎毫无希望，要不是忽然我想出了一条妙计（这种时候并不多），这么一座富丽堂皇的宫殿肯定是要烧成平地了。前一天晚上我喝了大量的一种名叫“格力姆格瑞姆”的美酒（布莱夫斯库人管它叫“福禄奈克”，但比我们的酒更好一点），这酒有很好的利尿作用。我恰巧一次小便都还没有解过呢。我靠火很近，又在忙着将火扑灭，身上一吸热，酒就开始发生作用而变成尿了。我狠狠地撒了一泡，撒的也正是地方，结果三分钟火就整个儿被浇灭了，花了多少年心血建成的其他皇家建筑也终于幸免于难，被救了下来。
It was now day-light, and I returned to my house without waiting to congratulate with the emperor; because, although I had done a very eminent piece of service, yet I could not tell how his majesty might resent the manner by which I had performed it; for, by the fundamental laws of the realm, it is capital in any person, of what quality soever, to make water within the precincts of the palace. But I was a little comforted by a message from his majesty, "that he would give orders to the grand justiciary for passing my pardon in form;" which, however, I could not obtain; and I was privately assured, "that the empress, conceiving the greatest abhorrence of what I had done, removed to the most distant side of the court, firmly resolved that those buildings should never be repaired for her use; and, in the presence of her chief confidents could not forbear vowing revenge. " 天已亮了，我没等皇帝向我道谢就回到了自己的家，因为虽说我立了一项卓越功勋，但说不准皇帝对我这种立功的方式很愤慨。因为根据这个国家的基本法令，任何人不管其地位如何，如果在皇宫地域内小便，一律处死。不过，皇帝给我的一则通知使我稍稍感到了一些宽慰，他说他会向司法部下令赦我无罪的，但我没能拿到赦免证书。有人私下里告诉我，皇后对我的所作所为极其痛恨，她早已远远地搬到皇宫的另一边去了。她坚决不修理这座寝宫，再也不住进去了。在几个心腹面前，她忍不住发誓要报复我。