The king's apartments described—Is introduced to the king—A moucheratt called—His discourse with the king about religion.
I HAVE known some travellers so peculiar in their taste as not to be able to sleep in a strange lodging. But, thanks to my kind stars, that did not prove my case; for having looked on my watch when I went to bed, as I call it, and finding it was down, I wound it up, and observed it began to go at about three o'clock—whether day or night, matters not; and when I waked it was past nine, so that I know I had slept eighteen hours; and finding that a very reasonable refreshment, and myself very hungry, I called Quilly to get me my breakfast.
Quilly told me his majesty had been to visit me, but would not have me disturbed. I, begging him to despatch my breakfast as soon as possible, and let me have some water for my hands, he ordered the gallery-waiters, and everything came immediately.
My breakfast was a brown liquid, with a sort of seeds or grain in it, very sweet and good; but the fear of the king's return before I was ready for him, prevented my inquiring into what it was. So, having finished it, and washed my hands, Quilly presented me a towel, which looked like an unbleached coarse linen, but was very soft and spongy; and I found afterwards was made of threads of bark stripped from some tree. I put on my brown suit, sword, and long wig, and sent Quilly to know when it was his majesty's pleasure I should wait upon him.
I had been so much used to lamplight in my grotto, that the lights of this gloomy mansion did not seem so unusual a thing to me as they would have done to a stranger. The king sent me word he would admit me immediately, and Quilly was my conductor to his majesty's apartment.
We passed through the gallery, at the farther end of which was a very beautiful arch, even with the staircase, through which Quilly led me into a large guard-room, wherein were above a hundred glumms, posted in ranks, with their pikes in hand, some headed with sharp-pointed stone, others with multangular stone, and others with stone globes. Passing through these, we entered another gallery as long as that to my apartment; then under another arch we came into a small square room, carved exceeding fine; on the right and left of which were two other archways, leading into most noble rooms. But we only saw them, passing quite cross the little room, through an arch that fronted us into a small gallery of prodigious height; at the farther end of which Quilly, turning aside a mat, introduced and left me in the most beautiful place in the universe, where, neither seeing nor hearing anybody stir, I employed myself in examining the magnificence of the place, and could, as I then thought, have feasted my eye with variety for a twelvemonth. I paced it over one hundred and thirty of my paces long, and ninety-six broad. There were arches in the middle of each side, and in the middle of each end; the arch ceiling could not be less than the breadth of the room, and covered with the most delightful carvings, from whence hung globe-lights innumerable, but seemingly without order, which I thought appeared the more beautiful on that account. In the centre of the room hung a prodigious cluster of the same lights, so disposed as to represent one vast light; and there were several rows of the same lights hung round the room, one row above another, at proper distances. These lights represented to me the stars, with the moon in the middle of them; and after I came to be better acquainted with the country, I perceived the lights were to represent the southern constellations. The archways were carved with the finest devices imaginable, gigantic glumms supporting on each side the pediments.
At every ten paces all along the sides and ends, arose columns, each upon a broad square base, admirably carved; these reached to the cornice or base of the arched ceiling quite round the room. On the panels between each column were carved the different battles and most remarkable achievements of Begsurbeck himself. Over the arch I entered at, was the statue of Begsurbeck, and over the opposite arch the old prophetic ragan. In the middle of the room stood a long stone table lengthwise, most exquisitely carved, almost the length of the room, except where it was divided in the middle about the breadth of the archways, in order for a passage from one arch to the other. In short, to describe this one room particularly would make a volume of itself.
I stayed here a full hour and a half, wondering why nobody came to me; at length turning myself about, I saw two glumms coming towards me, and having received their compliments, they desired me to walk in to the king. We passed through another middling room, and taking up a mat at the farther side of it, I was conducted in where his majesty was sitting with another glumm. They both arose at my entrance, and calling me their father, and leading me, one by each hand, obliged me to sit down between them.
After some compliments about my journey, and accommodation since, the king told me I had not waited so long without, but he had some urgent despatches to make; and as he chose to have me in private with him, he imagined, he said, I would be able to divert myself in the boskee. I declared I had never seen anything like it for grandeur and magnificence before; but the beauty of the sculpture, and disposition of the lights, were most exquisite.
All this while I felt the other glumm handling my long wig, and feeling whether it grew to my head, or what it was; for he had by this time got his finger under the caul, and was pulling my hair down; when I turning about my head, "Glumm Peter," says the king, "don't be uneasy, the ragan will do you no hurt, it is only to satisfy his curiosity; and I chose to have the ragan here, that we may more leisurely advise with you what course to take in the present exigencies of my State. I have fully heard the story of your travels from my colambs, and we have returned thanks to the Great Image for bringing you, after so many hazards and deliverances, safe to my dominions for our defence."