the reign of Calin Deffar Plune

The reign of Calin Deffar Plune is a historical period in Lilliput that provides the legal foundation for one of the most critical charges against Lemuel Gulliver during his time in that empire. It is referenced in the statute that makes it high treason for anyone to lay hands upon the empress or any of the royal children, a law that is invoked to prosecute Gulliver after he extinguishes a fire in the empress's apartment by an unconventional method. This period thus serves as a key example of how Lilliputian law is used to persecute political enemies under the guise of legal formality, and it highlights the tension between genuine service and the rigid application of law in a court rife with intrigue.

Legal Foundation and the Statute of High Treason

The reign of Calin Deffar Plune is specifically cited in the first article of the impeachment against Gulliver, which states that a statute enacted during that reign makes it high treason to lay hands upon the empress or any of the royal children. This law is invoked to accuse Gulliver of maliciously and traitorously pulling the empress by the arms and lifting her high in the air in both hands, under the color of extinguishing the fire kindled in her apartment. The statute is thus used to transform an act of service into a capital crime, demonstrating how legal codes can be weaponized against those who have fallen out of favor.

The Fire Incident and Its Legal Aftermath

The fire in the empress's apartment, caused by the carelessness of a maid of honor who fell asleep while reading a romance, was a dire emergency that threatened to destroy the entire palace. Gulliver, awakened at midnight by the cries of hundreds of people, rushed to the scene and, finding that the buckets provided were too small to be effective, extinguished the flames by an expedient that involved urinating on the fire. While this act saved the palace from destruction, it also violated the strict Lilliputian law that forbids anyone from touching the empress or the royal princesses without invitation. The empress, conceiving the greatest abhorrence of Gulliver, vowed revenge, and the statute from the reign of Calin Deffar Plune was subsequently used to frame the legal case against him.

The Impeachment and the Role of the Statute

The articles of impeachment against Gulliver, prepared by a junto of ministers including Skyrris Bolgolam, Flimnap, Limtoc, Lalcon, and Balmuff, explicitly cite the statute from the reign of Calin Deffar Plune as the basis for the charge of high treason. The first article accuses Gulliver of maliciously and traitorously pulling the empress by the arms and lifting her high in the air in both hands, against the statute in that case provided. This legal maneuver is part of a broader conspiracy to destroy Gulliver, who had become a threat to the interests of the court factions. The statute is thus not merely a historical relic but a living tool of political persecution, used to justify a sentence of death or, at the very least, the loss of his eyes.

The King's Lenity and the Statute's Application

Despite the severity of the charge, the Emperor of Lilliput, who had a personal interest in Gulliver's services, showed some lenity by attempting to extenuate his crimes. However, the statute from the reign of Calin Deffar Plune was used by the admiral and the treasurer to insist on the most painful and ignominious death, by setting fire to Gulliver's house at night and shooting him with poisoned arrows. The king's eventual compromise, to put out Gulliver's eyes, was still framed within the legal context of the statute, demonstrating how even a merciful outcome was constrained by the legal framework established during that earlier reign.

Thematic Significance: Law as a Tool of Power

The reign of Calin Deffar Plune, as a historical period that produced a law of high treason, serves as a powerful symbol of how legal systems can be manipulated to serve the interests of the powerful. The statute is used not to protect the empress but to persecute a foreigner who had performed great services for the empire. This episode underscores Swift's critique of the corruption of legal institutions, where the letter of the law is used to justify injustice, and where the most innocent actions can be retroactively criminalized. The reign of Calin Deffar Plune thus becomes a cautionary example of how history and law can be co-opted by those in power to maintain their control.