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How did people become lords ? Did they have to be wise and good , or only rich ? Did judges ever decide unfairly for money ? Why did our country spend more money than it had ? And why did we fight so many wars ? “ You must be very quarrelsome people , ” he said , “ or you must have very bad neighbours . ” When I told him our history , he was shocked . He said it was only a list of plots , murders and wars , caused by greed and hate . At our last talk he took me in his hand and stroked me gently . Then he said words that I will never forget . “ My little friend Grildrig , ” he said , “ you have praised your country very well . But from what you tell me , no one among you gets a high place because he is good or wise . You have travelled a lot , so perhaps you have escaped many of your country’s faults . But I must conclude that most of your people are the most pernicious race of little odious vermin that nature ever suffered to crawl upon the surface of the earth . ” Pernicious means “ very harmful ” , odious means “ hateful ” , and vermin are small animals like rats . I was hurt and angry , but I could do nothing . I must say in my own defence that I did not tell the King everything . I hid many of my country’s faults , as any good man would . Later I tried to win the King’s favour in another way . I told him about gunpowder . “ We have a special powder , ” I said . “ When a spark falls on it , it explodes louder than thunder . We put it into iron tubes , and it shoots out iron balls with terrible force . These balls can destroy whole armies and knock down the strongest walls . I know how to make this powder . With it , you could destroy any city in your kingdom in a few hours . Then nobody would ever dare to disobey you . ” The King was filled with horror . “ How can such a weak little insect have such cruel ideas ? ” he said . “ You talk about blood and death as if they were nothing ! ” He said that he would rather lose half his kingdom than know this secret . And he told me never to speak about it again . At that time I thought he was very foolish . He could become the master of all his people , and he said no ! But the King had a simple idea of government . He believed that it needed only common sense , justice and kindness . In his country no law could be longer than twenty - two words . And he said something that I still remember . Imagine a man who can make two ears of corn or two blades of grass grow where only one grew before . That man , he said , does more for his country than all the politicians together . XIV . The Eagle and the Box Everyone in that country was kind to me . But I could never forget my family . I wanted to live among people of my own size . I wanted to walk in the streets without being afraid of being stepped on like a frog . I always believed that one day I would be free , but I could not imagine how .
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